Entertainment Graveyard.
Welcome to the Entertainment page. If a product needs reviewing or we just feel like making fun of Hollywood's most famous nimrods, you'll find it here.
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Images are copyright of Crystal Tower Games and Square Enix |
Board Game Review 'Sub
Heroes' filling for evening and mind No entity more than the human parent can better communicate a way to ruin what kids find the most fun. Sure, they usually have little Johnny’s best interest in mind when they say not to play with dad’s blowtorch, but sometimes you just wish they would lay off. Luckily, in moments such as this you can take some of those age old nagging phrases like “Don’t play with your food” and point to another set of rules. While I did not fall head over heals for Crystal Tower Games’ other offering “Six Shooter,” this title had that something extra that makes a game replayable. “Sub Heroes” takes what is otherwise a mundane activity and turns it into something that is almost more amusing than fun. The first time I played this at a gaming convention I knew it was a must have and it was only more so when I play-tested among a group of friends. The point of the game is to literally win by building a subway sandwich. Of course, getting from bread to victory bite is easier said than done as players start the game off with two sub quest cards, five ingredient cards and turns where one can build their way to success or prohibit others. Throughout the game you use or dispose of ingredient cards from the draw piles or use actions on the cards to gain an edge or remove your opponents ingredients. It all works whether you have just two people or up to five playing. There are easy ways to get points, but if you dare to try and test your opponents luck, you can go for more complicated sandwiches and earn a higher score in the end. Any difficulty players might start off with disappears and is replaced with a competitive drive. There is really nothing I could find that I did not like about this and the only way it could have been made better is if one involved a deli counter. Plus, typical game time runs about 30 to 45 minutes so those who get hooked can get lots of bites in before all is said and done. For finding a way to be a glutton without the calories, I give “Sub Heroes” five out of six toppings. More Info: This game can be purchased online at places like www.crystaltowergames.com Toggled Review 'Final Fantasy XIII’
a seesaw of fun and aggravation Being a gamer at heart I simply enjoy playing in any number of activities, but there are few examples in any genre that I can’t wait to engage in. One type of game that always seems to at least win my attention initially is of the role playing variety. Though the end result for many of this category have largely given up gameplay for graphics and cut scenes (this series has unfortunately given into this too much in recent releases), my love for adventure in imagined worlds has not faded since the days on the original Nintendo. This particular selection from Square Enix at times had elements where I wanted to keep it going and at other times had me wishing I could move onto something else. “Final Fantasy XIII” is almost like a project where it had a very basic beginning, but the best stuff isn’t realized until it is almost over. The story this time around stands well enough on its own, yet continues the classic far future technology meets magic theme. Since there’s at least 60 or so hours of material to talk about, the jist of the tale involves six heroes by the name of Sazh Katzroy, Snow Villiers, Hope Estheim, Lightning, Oerba Yun Fang, and Oerba Dia Vanille. The world these individuals live in is a veil of happiness with a strong layer of paranoia underneath and is thrown into chaos when a l'Cie, something the government fears, arrives and upsets social order. These characters mix of backgrounds makes for a decent combination and runs from former soldier to anarchist, innocent youth and betrayer of friends. Yet, the character that pulls off their role the best is the devious villain and manipulator of fates, Dysley. Overall, the game is decent and the battle system flows better than many that try to imitate. The biggest problem I could not get over is that your freedom to roam and do side quests does not come until the game is at least two thirds the way over. In some ways you don’t need to build too much experience, but I prefer an RPG where you can explore throughout and this game keeps the characters on a very narrow path throughout most missions (example, one mission marker and not much room to roam on the sides). I could have done without the overload of loading scenes, but when one sees the excellent work done with visuals and music, some of it is worth the wait to watch. The fact that I took the time to see this through to the end (several months of playing in fact) shows that it is at least fun enough for a rental, though hard core fans of this series are more likely to want to actually own it, earning “Final Fantasy XIII” three and a half out of six toggles. |
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Past Entertainment: Six Shooter board game review.