Discovery Reconsidered
It’s been 18 months since I first looked at Star Trek: Discovery and its prospects on CBS All Access. Now that the second season is done, how is Starfleet’s weird science experiment holding up?
Playing My Games: Q1 2019
One of my mantras for this year has been “Have less, use more.” Instead of accumulating new things, I’m trying to enjoy new experiences and the things I already have. One of the ways to do that is actually playing my games.
Evolution Loses Out with Flawed Progression
The app version of Evolution is out from North Star Games, and I should be delighted. It’s a strong adaptation of my second favorite game — so what went wrong?
Tetris 99 is Battle Royale for the Rest of Us
Battle royale games have shown an outrageous ability to draw in players over the last year, and I’ve been keeping a close eye on them. I’m not much for shooters, though, so Nintendo’s Tetris 99 is my first direct exposure to the mode. It’s a hell of an experience.
Lemmings’ Energy System Fits Like a Fist to the Eye
One of my favorite Finnish phrases is sopii kuin nyrkki silmään: “fits like a fist to the eye”. It’s a pungent way to say that something “fits well”, and it’s an apt description for how the recent mobile version of Lemmings handles energy.
My Top 100 Board Games – 2018
There are just a few hours left in 2018, but that’s enough time to do something I’ve been meaning to do for six months. Let’s stop procrastinating and finish out the year with a big-time, genuine, all-beef official Top 100 Board Games list!
Azul is My Favorite Game That I Don’t Own in 2018
Today marked my tenth play of Azul, the abstract board game of choosing tiles to make pretty walls. (My younger daughter skunked me, 65-40.) Ten plays in a year is pretty good for any game, but what makes this such a milestone?
Alphabear 2’s Improvements Mauled by Monetization
I liked Alphabear. It had a few flaws, but the game was good and it had plenty of charm. So I was looking forward to Alphabear 2. The sequel has some nice improvements, so why do I like it less?
Essen Observations
The Essen International Spieletag is the Mecca of board game events, and this weekend I finally had the chance to make the pilgrimage. So, what did I learn in the name of fun and professional development?
Ethical Monetization?
Last week I took a day trip to Helsinki for a “Monetization in Games” seminar at the Aalto Design Factory. The focus was on how to do monetization “effectively and ethically”, and I’m a fan of at least one of those.