May 7, 2010
FFG has announced another title remake that'll fold into their line of fantasy adventure board games. DQ finds its origin in the original "Dragon Fortress". Created in Sweden way back in 1985, the game was later brought over to the table tops of English speaking gamers by Games Workshop just a years later.
In both editions Dungeon Quest merged the adventure and exploration aspects of fantasy RPGs experiences with the structured rules and goals of Board Gaming.
Now under Fantasy Flight Games' wing, Dungeonquest is getting a face-lift and will be tied into the publisher's franchise fantasy setting of Terrinoth (Descent: Journeys in the Dark and Runebound). The upcoming release will continue to sport the traditional gameplay elements of the original, but they will be thoroughly overhauled.
The game pits 1-4 players against the dungeon that's run entirely by set of rules and random elements, so there will be no single player antagonist. Instead each player will make their way through this random dungeon. The player who obtains the most riches and makes it out of the dungeon alive (before the dungeon's doors close at sunrise) will be named the victor.
Not much more about the remake is known at this point. What we do know is that the original had some pretty interesting mechanics. Most importantly the dungeon was drawn at random, with tiles flipped over each turn and placed by players. We really hope this dynamic dungeon building system survives the mechanics overhaul because it was - well - awesome.
There are two webpages where you can read for more information. First is the announcement article "A Brutal Test of Courage". The other is the Official Dungeonquest product details. Here's a snippet:
"In DungeonQuest, players must guide their heroes through the twisting halls of Dragonfire Dungeon in pursuit of unimaginable riches hoarded by the Dragonlord Kalladra. Whoever can amass the most wealth and make it out of the dungeon before the closing of the doors seals their doom will emerge victorious. However, merely surviving the harrowing dungeon is a feat all its own...
While many similar games rely on a player to control the machinations of the dungeon, Dungeonquest is unique in that the dungeon essentially runs itself. No one at the table knows what lies around the corner, creating a new play experience every time. Additionally, DungeonQuest also includes rules for solo play, so you can even challenge Kalladra's keep on your own!
Great riches and everlasting glory await if you can survive Dragonfire Dungeon. The Dragonlord Kalladra has challenged all heroes of Terrinoth to test themselves against the most dangerous dungeon in all the realms.
Dare you face the dragon's challenge?
"
We'll keep you posted of more details as they emerge. No release date has been announced, so we'll be sure to watch out for that, too. Have a good weekend!
Critical Gamers Staff at
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May 3, 2010
Tons of gaming news this month. Tons. We have new announcements from Fantasy Flight Games like the mouthful Constantinopolis, a new Tide of Iron expansion Fury of the Bear, and even more information about the upcoming Song of Ice and Fire wargame system Battles of Westeros. Oh, and how can we forget the epic Warhammer 40k board game Horus Hersey also hit shelves.
We saw the launch of the iPad which already sports board games like Small World, and a new version of Civilization Revolution. Days of Wonder's new murder mystery board game Mystery Express, and for the deck building faithful we started seeing information about both the new Dominion Alchemy expansion, and Thunderstone's first expansion Wrath of the Elements.
Like we said: tons of gaming. And May really shouldn't be any different. Here are our stories for April:
Board Games
Card Games
Cheap Deals & Sales
Gaming News
iPad
iPhone
Critical Gamers Staff at
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April 29, 2010
Age of Empires III [Amazon, Funagain] has a storied history. After nearly being canned when the owning publisher shut its doors just months before release, this strong title endured and was finally published in 2007. It was welcomed with open arms, too, winning nominations for best board game of the year and strategy game of the year in 2007, as well as winning the Origins Historic Board Game of the Year.
To sum up: this is a solid game. And we just learned that there's an expansion due out this year. All these things make today's Tanga sale of the Day quite noteworthy. An excellent strategy game for sale at only 50% off, placing it in the attractive $30 price range, and a stepping stone to more content in a few short months. This really is a no brainer.
Here are the game's official details:
It is the late 15th century and a new age is dawning. While searching for a new trade route to India, explorers have discovered a new land. The first reports tell of strange creatures, exotic people, and fabulous wealth. Captains and adventurers flock to these new lands in search of gold. They are quickly followed by colonists, soldiers, merchants, and missionaries all seeking wealth of one kind or another. Colonies begin to spring up, and soon competition among the great nations of Europe begins.
Take the role of one of Europe's colonial powers and stake your claim in the New World. As the leader of your nation, there are many paths that lead to victory: Discover and colonize new lands; acquire trade goods that will build your economy; develop new technologies and infrastructure in your home country; build your merchant fleet to dominate the trade routes; and build your army to defend what is rightfully yours!
The triumphant revel in riches and glory, while the vanquished become a footnote in the history books. It is an Age of Discovery... it is an Age of Empires!
For more Information about Age of Empires III, checkout the Tanga Sale of The Day Page, and its Board Game Geek Page. Enjoy!
Critical Gamers Staff at
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April 26, 2010
Just a quick heads up that the incredible entertaining - and Mensa Best Mind Game of the Year 2003 - Blokus [Amazon, Funagain] has been ported to the iPhone and iPad platforms [AppStore]. (Ed: native iPhone app, simulated fullscreen on the iPad.)
The game challenges you to strategically cram your Tetris-like pieces on the board (on the diagonal of existing pieces, not packing them together), while meanwhile preventing your opponents from doing the same. This digital title sports AI if you're home alone, or you can play up to 4 people through a local wireless network.
The only complaint we have about the game is that there's no hotseat multiplayer. Bummer.
Here are the official details:
The new award-winning hit board game arrives on the App Store!
Play with your friends in local or online Multiplayer mode at one of the 4 game variations!
Rules are simple!
The winning strategy: Block your opponents so they cannot add anymore block on the board!
Blokus™ is a strategy game that will captivate you and get into your mind.
4 GAMES IN ONE
Each game variation requires a totally different strategy:
- 4 players control each one color,
- 2 players control each two colors,
- 4 players play in teams,
- Blokus Duo™: There is only 2 different colors, the board is smaller and the start position is in the middle of the board.
Blokus for the iPhone/iPod &iPad; is available the Apple App Store.
Critical Gamers Staff at
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April 22, 2010
Man Fantasy Flight Games is on a roll. They've just announced an expansion to our favorite figure-based war game game system on the market today. Grab your hats, your boots, and your motorcycle, because Tide of Iron is marching east.
Yep, sometime this late summer or early fall Germany is going to invade Russia WWII style, and Russia is going to make them pay. You'll plan out every move right down there in the tactical level in some of the Eastern Front's major battles. The expansion will ship with all the Russian troops and equipment required, and some new units for Germany, too (read: you'll still need the base set to play). The game will have an emphasis of the massive tank battles on the Russian plains, and we expect massive artillery barrages, mine fields, human wave tactics and mud. Lots and lots of mud.
The game will also ship with new decks of cards including counter intelligence, nine new game boards, new unit types, and three fingers of vodka. That's all we know as of now, but FFG has promised previews galore all summer long so we'll keep you posted.
For more information check out Fury of the Bear's announcement article.
Critical Gamers Staff at
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April 19, 2010
The latest and greatest epic war board game from Fantasy Flight Games has hits shelves, and score! it's set in one of the most rich sci-fi gaming settings of all time. Horus Heresy [Amazon, Funagain] is set during an epic show down in the Warhammer 40k history, and involves massive firefights, explosions, and tide-turning acts of betrayal.
Aside from a solid war game this title has a quite a few interesting mechanics in it. Like, for instance, after each scenario setup, the game goes through a traitor mechanic. Here, the superior forces sitting all high and safe in their the superior fortifications might find that some of their comrades are suddenly in control of the opposing faction. Awkward. There's also some interesting initiative mechanics that you'll have to consider that playing an amazing card might force you to sit on the bench for a few turns. It had better be worth it.
We haven't gotten our mitts on this game ourselves, but it looks awesome. For more information checkout our previous coverage Horus Heresy Redux Coming Your Way Shorlty from FFG. Also checkout the game's components in this nice Horus Heresy unboxing video, and - of course - the game's official website.
Here's the official line:
"In the greatest betrayal the universe has ever known, the Warmaster Horus - once humanity's greatest general, now corrupted by Chaos - has turned against the Emperor and hurled the Imperium of Man into ferocious civil war. The galactic conflict has risen to its climax. The Warmaster's ruinous legions have assaulted Holy Terra itself, the Emperor's seat. Here the fate of humanity hangs in the balance during the greatest military campaign ever seen.
In the Horus Heresy board game, this legendary battle unfolds across the razed plains of Terra and in the frozen orbit above. Deadly fighting ranges from the Emperor's golden Inner Palace to Horus's flagship, the Vengeful Spirit. Taking the side of either traitor or loyalist, two players control either fearless Space Marine legions or deviant Chaos Space Marines, mighty Titans, Imperial Armies both loyal and traitorous, and a fearsome array of other units, including the Emperor and Horus themselves.
An innovative order and initiative system forces each side to carefully consider the commands they issue to their troops. A dramatic, card driven combat system incorporates escalating damage, gives players the opportunity to allocate resources between attack and defense, and brings to bear the unique special powers of each unit type, from fortification-destroying Titans to the perverse daemons of Chaos. Brother fights brother, and the universe hangs in the balance!
Horus Heresy includes over 120 detailed miniature models including 10 plastic terrain pieces, and more than 200 cards to bring this sweeping conflict to life on a stunning map of the war-torn Terra."
Critical Gamers Staff at
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April 15, 2010
A slick title was just announced by Fantasy Flight Games. Taking place following the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Constantinopolis puts players in leadership roles of one of the most influence trading ports of the first millennium. Buying goods, manufacturing them and sending them out for a profite seems to be the main beef of the game.
Hosting up to 5 players, taking 90 minutes to 2 hours, and a game about incoming goods manufactured into outgoing goods? Gee, on the surface this reminds us very much of 2008's La Havre. This was a fantastic little game if you recall. While a repolished version of that game in a more timely setting might seem derivative, we have to take a look at who's doing the polishing. Fantasy Flight Games sure knows how to make a game's components shine and understands the intricacies of building on familar mechanisms in interesting ways. And their inspiration was one of the best games of that year. They're like the Blizzard of board games.
Considering these things.. Constantinopolis might be a nice little game to add to the FFG repertoire.
For more information about Constantinopolis (oomph that's tough to type) check out the game's official website. Also, here's the official company line:
Can you become the most famous trader in Constantinopolis? Effectively build up your trade district to produce goods, generate money, and earn fame points to ensure that your name stands above the rest!
Constantinopolis is a board game of economy and trade for 2-5 players. With light rules and a moderate play time of 1-2 hours, Constantinopolis is the perfect game for aspiring 7th century merchants.
Constantinopolis features a colorful game board and five detailed player sheets to immerse you in the intriguing world of Byzantine trade. With over 125 tiles and tokens, as well as more than 150 cards and 125 wooden pieces, Constantinopolis is an engaging and accessible entry into the world of European-style board games.
Critical Gamers Staff at
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April 14, 2010
A few weeks ago we posted that Tanga had the World of Warcraft Adventure Board Game on sale for the cheap. We got our order in and it was all sealed in a nice Fantasy Flight Games shipping box, which probably means that FFG is clearing its inventory.
Today they're following up with a really slick deal for you collectors. The complete set of character addons is on sale today-only at Tanga, too. Normally this would cost about $80-$100 bucks, but all eight of these characters are bundled together for 40 bucks on Tanga.
Total score if you ask us. Here's the details:
All Eight World of Warcraft Adventure Game Character Packs!
In the world of Warcraft, there are many heroes and many perils. As each foe falls, a new enemy is revealed; as each hero falters, a new champion stands forth. Now, a new hero has risen to take his place in the Hall of Legends!
Each order contains Eight Character Expansion Packs:
Each Character Pack contains:- 28 Challenge Cards
- 23 Ability Cards
- 9 Character Tokens
- 4 Character Cards
- 1 Character Miniature
- 4 Quests
- 4 Discovery Tokens
Critical Gamers Staff at
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April 13, 2010
Now bear with us here. Civilization Revolution for the iPad is a port of the Console Version of the PC Version of the Board Game Version of Civilization. You got it? Good, get it.
We have loved, LOVED, every iteration of Sid Meier's Civilization for the PC. We were actually reluctant to even try Civilization Revolution - the console version - because we feared that Firaxis would dumb-down too may of the interesting systems that made the PC version oh so great. We almost boycotted it based on such snobbish principals.
But we're also consumerist, and when Civilization Revolution launched in 2008 the consume-all portions of our psyche won out in the end and we snatched it up. And boy are we glad we did. The game was simplified or "streamlined", for sure, but the game still remained the fun, "just one more turn" Civilization at heart and we milked hours of enjoyment out of it. And it was balanced oh so well, too. Games went faster, presumably becuase the couch sitting audience was a more casual audience. This makes it sound inferior to the PC version, but it worked on its own as a separate take on Civ, and it worked well.
And now it's here for the iPad. Only tweaked a little here and there for the new touch interface and the iPad's graphics capabilities, and it's just as fun as ever.
Currently the latest version of the game has some bugs that cause it to unexpectedly quit on saves. This is indeed a problem, and considering Firaxis' gung-ho effort to develop the game for iPad's release we assume they're currently hard at work trying to fix the issue. This isn't a show stopper, either, so feel free to game on!
Here are the official details.
"Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution comes to the iPad, extending the award winning Sid Meier's Civilization® series to Apple's newest device. While offering all the great features of the award winning console game, the iPad version introduces the exclusive World/Scenario Creator.
The World/Scenario Creator is an entirely new feature for Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution which allows players to customize the world and game parameters to create hundreds of different scenarios and game types, providing limitless hours of entertainment. Additionally, Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution has been updated and optimized for the iPad's larger 1024x768 pixel high resolution screen, with an enhanced user interface that improves the fidelity of world map tiles, leader portraits, icons, and a broader view of the world map enabling increased vision and strategy for tactical gameplay. "
Critical Gamers Staff at
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April 12, 2010
Rumor and scuttlebutt has it that the highly anticipated expansion for the new Rio Grand Games flagship Dominion should be shipping to stores soon, very soon. Some local stores have it shipping April 15, 2010 (link). This seems a tad early to us, but it's not completely out of the question considering that some people have already picked up a copy at a few toy shows (link). There's also word that the game will be demoed in toy shows in April in Germany, and go on sale in that massive board game market in the middle of May (link)
Finally, and most importantly, Amazon is accepting preorders for an early May Ship Date (link).
So expect to have the latest and greatest Dominion set of cards in your hands before the Summer officially begins. Boosh! And in case you missed our previous coverage of Dominion Alchemy, here are the official product details.
"There are strange things going on in your basement laboratories. They keep calling up for more barrels of quicksilver, or bits of your hair. Well it's all in the name of progress. They're looking for a way to turn lead into gold, or at least into something better than lead. That lead had just been too good of a bargain to pass up; you didn't think, where will I put all this lead, what am I going to do with this lead anyway. Well that will all be sorted out. They're also looking for a universal solvent. If they manage that one, you will take whatever they use to hold it in and build a castle out of it. A castle that can't be dissolved! Now that's progress."
Dominion Alchemy is available from preorder from Amazon and Funagain Games.
Critical Gamers Staff at
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Dungeonquest Remake Announced for 2010
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