P4: Gritty Reboot

My anticipation for the Switch disappeared after that press conference that basically showed they're gonna have Zelda at launch along with a whole lot of nothing. I'll get it eventually. Mario and Splatoon did look cool, but what's the rush in picking it up? I'll just get Zelda for the Wii U and save my $300 or whatever it is.

I have TMNT also and it sure is brilliant. I do wish it were fully co-op 'cause that's easier to get to the table for me. But it's easy enough to solo.

Beat Arkham City on Wii U. Neat game.

Picked these up on a whim at the local comic shop. Both are enjoyable, though DKR is pretty heady and taking me far longer to get through than Winter Soldier, which was a one-night affair. I'm not a comic book geek at all but could see myself reading a decent story arc every couple months. Any more recommendations, folks?

I do my part.

Recent purchases: Lego Marvel Superheroes (Wii U) Metroid Fusion (Wii U) Pacman Ghostly Adventures or something like that (Wii U) Fusion is a blast; my kids are playing the other ones.

P4 makes a surprise late entry into the 2014 beaten games list: Wind Waker HD. I got to the bit after the Tower of the Gods several times on the Gamecube version but never motivated to press on, until now. Woohoo. Pretty good Zelda game albeit skews on the easy side.

Been playing some Space Hulk. It's the classic 1 vs. 1 tactical game from the '80s, with the swarms-of-aliens motif ripped straight out of Aliens. It's still a really good game and has been updated with pretty bits and some new rules recently. There is a Steam version as well that does a decent job capturing the feel.

Is that a hardclaim? Ban him! BAN HIM!

I'm cool with villain appearances and what not. But the first 2 hours or so had Joker, Harley, Penguin, Freeze, Riddler, Poison Ivy, Two-Face, and probably some I'm forgetting. Got kinda ridiculous.

I am playing through Arkham City on the Wii U. It is okay, but the whole "throw every Batman villain in there" thing makes it lack any real focus. Oh well. I'm Batman.

I try to avoid new games hype in the board game world especially, but I'm very tempted by Dead of Winter.

Call of Duty Ghosts on the Wii U. It was fun. Story was redic.

P4 love Cosmic Encounter. Many hilarious moments. One of the best designs of the '70s, still better than most games today.

Looking for a copy of L4D2 if anyone wants to work out a trade/gift exchange. Of course I have a friend who wants L4D2 just after the summer sale ends...

I still have too many games to catch up on the Wii U, so I'm not looking too much off into the horizon just yet. I will snag Mario 3D World when there's a good deal. I really want Smash Bros. and the new Zelda of course (though I still need to beat Skyward Sword...)

Without knowing much about the person in question (theme preferences, game length attention span, typical player count), here are some different directions you can go: Carcassonne: I recommend this because it's 2-5 players and plays well at all counts, it's cheap, and it's over in 30-40 minutes. So it doesn't ask too much of a board game noob, but it's a fantastic game. You lay tiles and try to control areas for points. Bloody and cutthroat with 2-3 players, more party-type feel with more. Survive!: This is an easy sell: get your survivors off an exploding island, and murder everyone else's in horrible ways. Plays in 45 minutes or thereabouts, best with 4 players. Relatively cheap. Ticket to Ride: Yeah it really is a great gateway game. The theme doesn't make any sense but it's cutthroat and dead simple. Plays in 45-60 minutes and plays well with 2-5. Forbidden Island: You're trying to grab sacred treasures and "get to the choppa" before the island sinks. It's a co-op, it's fast, it's small, it's easy, it plays 1-4 players and it's like $15. Snake Oil: If you think this person would like a party game, this is one of the best. It's like Apples to Apples and its many clones, except you combine two words from your hand to create a product that you then have to pitch. If you ever wanted to sell a "blood umbrella" to a vampire or "happy socks" to a college co-ed, this is the game for you. Cheap, plays 3-10ish.

FTL the board game: Galaxy Trucker, yes Space Alert, Space Cadets Dice Duel. B-17 Queen of the Skies (except the theme, obviously...) The FTL dev posted on BGG that he was playtesting a prototype, but I don't think anything came of it: http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1000803/need-people-help-test-ftl-inspired-prototype-north Dean I really wanted to like AGOT LCG but I never got to try it with a good group. I have just the old CCG two-player starter set now. Red November is hilarious.

Because how could I not, really?

Picked up Excite Truck, at long last for $5 at Gamestop. Rad racing game.

I was going to argue that Flash Point does not replace Pandemic, but now that I think about it, I have traded both my copies of Pandemic since I got Flash Point so... maybe it does in practice. --- Played Uncharted the Board Game (really a card game that has a playmat type board for the cards). I got it in a math trade. The solo mode is ridiculously hard, but the multiplayer seems like it has potential as you juggle going for treasures versus fighting enemies and try to eke out the most points by game's end.

Finally grabbed Bioshock Infinite, off the Steam sale.

My kids would go bananas for it if it's still available. Thanks.

I didn't experience the OS or UI at all right out of the box since I just got mine but it's been fantastic. It's very well done.

Oh we're doing board games now too? Most recent pickup was Catan Jr for $15.