Joystiq

Off the Grid + Joyswag: Donkey Kong Jenga

Kevin Kelly — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Features, Retro, Puzzle, Strategy, Joyswag, Competitive Gaming

Update: Entry period for the giveaway has ended. Saria the Cat was randomly selected, and here's her winning entry: "Ticket to Ride expansion using the Ocarina of Time Hyrule map. Yeah, I know I'm creative. Not." Congrats to the winner, and you can still read our impressions of the game below!

It's been awhile since we've brought you an Off the Grid post, and we're returning with a special edition where you can actually win the game we're talking about. During the final rounds of this year's Omegathon at PAX '08, Jenga was one of the most exciting things to watch. Which block would they pull out next? Who would topple the tower? Is it cheating to use two hands?

USAopoly has been putting out branded versions of popular board games since 1994. They currently produce eight different versions of Jenga including Casino Jenga: Las Vegas Edition, and the timely Jenga: Halloween Edition. The most recent version of the game is Donkey Kong themed, features different colored Marios, pink girders, a spinner, and Pauline (not Princess Peach) who was the damsel in distress in the arcade game. Read all about it after the break, and steady your hand before commenting so you can win one of your very own.

Continue reading Off the Grid + Joyswag: Donkey Kong Jenga

Off the Grid + Joyswag: Donkey Kong Jenga originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Joystiq hands-on: Halo Interactive Strategy Game

Zack Stern — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Features, Strategy, Casual, Galleries

Interactive level design to the max!

The Halo Interactive Strategy Game is a crown of shame, aiming a Christmas-ruining SPNKr at happy children everywhere. Sure, I tempered my expectations of a board game based off a video game -- especially an "interactive" one. But after imposing it on my regular game night friends, the Halo board game's missed potential let me down. Building the map was fun. Playing capture-the-flag, deathmatch, or an objective-based contest wasn't.

The game is full of weak and unclear rules and an optional DVD just distracts from the strategy. This could have been a chess-like adaptation of Halo, but it just ends up feeling sorry.

Gallery: Halo Interactive Strategy Game

Continue reading Joystiq hands-on: Halo Interactive Strategy Game

Joystiq hands-on: Halo Interactive Strategy Game originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 06 Nov 2008 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Off the Grid Special: Game Design 101

Scott Jon Siegel — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:55:00 EST

Filed under: Features, Galleries

Every other week Scott Jon Siegel contributes Off the Grid, a column about card games, board games, and everything else non-digital.

For nearly two years now, Off the Grid has introduced (and reintroduced) Joystiq's readers to some of the best board and card games on the market. The relationship between our modern video games and their non-digital counterparts is very clear-cut. As Gamelab CEO Eric Zimmerman puts it: "a game is a game is a game."

So for those readers who aspire to create games of their own, it should come as no surprise that non-digital games are a great starting place for honing the craft of game design. With no programming skills required, non-digital game design is an easy way to begin thinking creatively about interaction, without the complicated prerequisities of digital game development.

The best leaping-off point for non-digital game design is with the tools. Most gamers probably already have some fantastic equipment in their closets. So let's look at the basic tools of the trade.

Off the Grid Special: Game Design 101 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Off the Grid reviews Power Grid

Scott Jon Siegel — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 21:30:00 EST

Filed under: Reviews, Strategy

Every other week Scott Jon Siegel contributes Off the Grid, a column about card games, board games, and everything else non-digital.

In real life, scarcity isn't fun. Scarcity is the rising price of gas, or the difficulty of finding a job. In a game, however, scarcity can be incredibly compelling, and make for a very unique play experience. Enter Power Grid, a board game by German designer Friedemann Friese which uses scarcity at every level of its design to produce one helluva strategy title.

The player's task in the game is to power as much of the country as possible (United States on one side of the board, or alternatively Germany on the other). As heads of various power companies (think Montgomery Burns or whoever runs PG&E), your tasks are to buy power plants, purchase resources, and allocate those resources to control as many houses in as many cities as possible. Money's not the deciding factor here; players will be judged and ranked solely on the amount of power they're pushing.

Continue reading Off the Grid reviews Power Grid

Off the Grid reviews Power Grid originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 19 Jun 2008 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Off the Grid: The new roommates

Scott Jon Siegel — Thu, 01 May 2008 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Casual

Every other week Scott Jon Siegel contributes Off the Grid, a column about card games, board games, and everything else non-digital.

One of the most exciting parts about moving to a new place is having new people to play with. One week ago I arrived in California, and moved in with my new roommate and his girlfriend. Jet-lagged, and achy from spending nearly twelve combined hours in airplanes and airports, I still excitedly busted out the board games from my luggage once I arrived at the apartment.

I unboxed Risk: Black Ops under the pretense of showing them how pretty it was. Realistically, I was prodding, waiting for one of the new roomies to say "cool, let's play!" They sure did think it was a nice-looking game, but neither said boo on the subject of playing. I packed it up and passed out.

Of course, over the past week I've learned that this was not merely a single case of cold feet. Compared to the relative ease of playing video games, or watching television or YouTube videos, or renting a film, playing a round of Carcassonne or Kill Doctor Lucky apparently just isn't worth the effort.

And thus, even with a small contingent of possible opponents living in the same space, it's still surprisingly difficult to get my game on.

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Off the Grid: The new roommates originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 01 May 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Off the Grid: Risk Black Ops and Hasbro's wrong direction

Scott Jon Siegel — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 08:30:00 EST

Filed under: Strategy

Every other week Scott Jon Siegel contributes Off the Grid, a column about card games, board games, and everything else non-digital.

Risk: Black Ops is one of the most beautiful board games you'll never play. In anticipation of the newly updated release of Risk, Hasbro produced only 1,000 copies of this special edition game, distributing them to bloggers, journos, and gaming hobby sites for perusal and easy publicity.

The response was unanimously positive. The updates to the rules -- handled by Risk 2010 designer Rob Daviau -- lower the game's initial barrier to entry, and make it possible to play through in under two hours (which is significant for Risk). Most media attention, however, was lavished on the slick, modern redesign, devised under the command of art director Lindsay Braun and visual designer Jason Taylor.

Risk has always wanted to be taken seriously, but Black Ops is the first version of the game to look deadly serious. A matte black finish on the box is accented by imagery of barbed wire, dog tags, and the faintest hint of blood spatter, all rendered in a subtle gray. "History is written by the victors," the box declares in a modest sans-serif font. The game board itself is designed to look like something out of our modern war-rooms, with a visual style not unlike Introversion's apocalyptic strategy game Defcon. This is not the Risk you remember.

Gallery: Risk: Black Ops

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Off the Grid: Risk Black Ops and Hasbro's wrong direction originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 18 Apr 2008 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Off the Grid: Travel edition (part two)

Scott Jon Siegel — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Features

Every other week Scott Jon Siegel contributes Off the Grid, a column about card games, board games, and everything else non-digital.

Last time we boarded a trans-continental flight, we discovered that non-digital gaming options for solo flyers were sorely limited. The feasible solution? Invent new games! Here are some (questionably) fun, single-player activities to occupy your time on those lengthy jaunts across the ocean.

The Newest Steward(ess)
Carefully watch the various flight attendants as they perform the synchronized pre-flight intstructional dance (you know, the one with the seatbelts and air masks). Try and spot the newest additon to the flight staff, based on which attendant is least in sync with the others. Bonus points if you eventually ask him/her how long he/she's been on the job.

What you win: A smug sense of self-satisfaction and superiority. Not to the mention the chance to flirt with a potentially cute flight attendant. Which is a game in and of itself.

Continue reading Off the Grid: Travel edition (part two)

Off the Grid: Travel edition (part two) originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 27 Mar 2008 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Off the Grid: Gygaxian game design

Scott Jon Siegel — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Adventure, RPGs

Every other week Scott Jon Siegel contributes Off the Grid, a column about card games, board games, and everything else non-digital.

The passing of Dungeons & Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax means the passing of one of gaming's most notable and influential designers. The legacy of Gary Gygax, however, is more difficult to discern than most realize. After all, the evolution of D&D is credited to both Gygax and co-designer Dave Arneson -- not to mention Gygax's other games, both before and after the golden age of his company Tactical Studies Rules. So what kind of designer was Gary Gygax?

Gaming was already social when Gygax came on the scene. He was only one of a growing force of war-gamers. But it was Gygax that made gaming personal, with his own designs uniquely focused around the role of the individual. Instead of controlling the army, Gygax wanted to control the soldier. Instead of manning the fleet, Gygax wanted to man the ship.

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Off the Grid: Gygaxian game design originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 13 Mar 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Off the Grid reviews Ghoulash

Scott Jon Siegel — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Reviews

Every other week Scott Jon Siegel contributes Off the Grid, a column about card games, board games, and everything else non-digital.

Last time on Off the Grid, we looked at the über-complicated Universal Fighting System. Attempting to ward off a headache, this week I've decided to look at Ghoulash, a dungeon-crawling 2-player paper game that doesn't do much in the strategy department, but makes up for it with easy-to-learn gameplay, and a stylish means of publication.

Ghoulash is best described as a pared down version of Dungeons and Dragons, where both players are DMing for each other. Game boards are sold in Ghoulash "Scenario Pack" magazines, each featuring three unique scenarios, with four copies each. Each scenario features a map of the 2D terrain, and special instructions on top of the basic rules. Both players use copies of the same map at the same time, making the game a race to see who can complete the objectives first.

Continue reading Off the Grid reviews Ghoulash

Off the Grid reviews Ghoulash originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Off the Grid reviews Universal Fighting System

Scott Jon Siegel — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Reviews, Fighting

Every other week Scott Jon Siegel contributes Off the Grid, a column about card games, board games, and everything else non-digital.

Chun Li versus Seung Mina; Nightmare versus Morrigan; Akuma versus Tycho Brahe: Ultimate showdowns we're likely never to see outside of crudely-written fan-fiction and our own fevered dreamings. Luckily for us, Sabertooth Games has devised the Universal Fighting System, a collectible card game that allows players to mix and match licensed decks to create legendary one-on-one battles.

There's one problem, or maybe I should call it a caveat: UFS isn't going to be for everybody. Beyond the gorgeous illustrations, and clear appeal to video game fans, this is most definitely a gamer's game; cards are littered with special icons, point values, and ancillary functions that dwarf the relative simplicity of CCGs like Magic: The Gathering and Pokémon. Of course, the reward for this technical complexity is depth, with an incredibly strategic experience waiting to be unlocked by the hardiest of players. Not to deter you, but let this be a warning: A casual card game this is not.

Continue reading Off the Grid reviews Universal Fighting System

Off the Grid reviews Universal Fighting System originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 31 Jan 2008 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Off the Grid reviews Horse Fair Card Game

Scott Jon Siegel — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 16:58:00 EST

Filed under: Reviews

Every other week Scott Jon Siegel contributes Off the Grid, a column about card games, board games, and everything else non-digital.

We're not supposed to judge books by their covers, and the same can logically be applied to games. We are, however, supposed to judge books by their content -- the story, the writing, and everything else that falls between the first and last pages -- and here is where games are slightly different. While sharp writing, or a good story can often strengthen a non-digital game, ultimately it's the design that determines whether it's any good.

So yes, Custom Game Co's Horse Fair Card Game has a pretty bland cover. And yes, the story is pretty much explained by the title. And yes, it does come with plastic horsies. But the only thing that really matters is the gameplay, and there Horse Fair Card Game proves that it's a lot more than just a game for little girls.

Continue reading Off the Grid reviews Horse Fair Card Game

Off the Grid reviews Horse Fair Card Game originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 10 Jan 2008 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Off the Grid: Long-distance gaming

Scott Jon Siegel — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Features, PC, Microsoft Xbox 360, Online

Every other week Scott Jon Siegel contributes Off the Grid, a column about card games, board games, and everything else non-digital.

"Non-digital games are awesome" is the line I usually insist upon in this column. But even awesome analog games have their faults: namely, if you don't have anyone to play with, you can't really play.

So, as an end-of-year treat, let's look back at the last year+ of games reviewed, and find some ways to play those suckers against some internet folk:

Settlers of Catan
I still haven't gotten around to reviewing Settlers, but I did chat with Brian Reynolds about the Xbox Live Arcade version of the game, which is probably the best bet for consistent, high-volume net play.

For those who don't have an Xbox 360 (like, well, me), Aso Brain Games hosts an unofficial, Java-based version of the game called Xplorers. After a free registration, the site allows users to player ranked and un-ranked versions against other users and bots, and features a number of expansion and additions to the base rules, which can be toggled on or off. Don't let the low-fi look of the site dissuade you; Xplorers is a well-put-together Settlers clone, with a solid interface and a consistent number of users online at any time.

Continue reading Off the Grid: Long-distance gaming

Off the Grid: Long-distance gaming originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 27 Dec 2007 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Off the Grid reviews It's Alive!

Scott Jon Siegel — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Reviews, Strategy

Every other week Scott Jon Siegel contributes Off the Grid, a column about card games, board games, and everything else non-digital.

Oddly enough, it's a very appropriate time to review designer Yehuda Berlinger's debut game. In its original incarnation, It's Alive! was a Chanukah-themed title known as The Menorah Game. Upon being picked up by publisher Reiver Games, however, the theme was changed to something a bit more universal: building monsters from the remains of the dead.

Aside from the bizarre re-skinning, It's Alive! remains mechanically identical to its holiday-oriented ancestor. Two to five players compete to be the first to assemble their monster by collecting the eight different types of body parts required. It used to be candles, and now it's body parts. A simple transition.

More than just a monster game, It's Alive! is hand-published by Reiver Games, with care and attention given to the game's presentation. From the stellar illustrations, to the individually-numbered editions, It's Alive! embodies the indie aesthetic of non-digital games, and that alone is most definitely worth something.

Continue reading Off the Grid reviews It's Alive!

Off the Grid reviews It's Alive! originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 13 Dec 2007 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Off the Grid reviews Ticket to Ride

Scott Jon Siegel — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 16:50:00 EST

Filed under: Reviews

Every other week Scott Jon Siegel contributes Off the Grid, a column about card games, board games, and everything else non-digital.

Alan R. Moon's Ticket to Ride is widely considered to be one of the greatest board games of the last decade, but the reason for this may elude players at first. After all, Ticket to Ride is deceptively simplistic, with a weak fiction to justify a gameplay mechanic that's little more than connecting dots on a board. Players who invest in the experience, however, can quickly find that Moon's award-winning game is greater than the sum of its parts.

The original version of Ticket to Ride takes place in North America at the turn of the 20th century. Players compete to travel around the U.S. (and parts of Canada), claiming various train routes between cities in order to earn points. The game would like you to believe that it's a grand race across the country; even the back of the box states that the objective is to travel to the most cities by train in just 7 days. Unfortunately, the rules and gameplay don't really justify this grandiose storyline.

Continue reading Off the Grid reviews Ticket to Ride

Off the Grid reviews Ticket to Ride originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 29 Nov 2007 16:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Off the Grid reviews Zombie Fluxx

Scott Jon Siegel — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 12:15:00 EST

Filed under: Reviews

Every other week Scott Jon Siegel contributes Off the Grid, a column about card games, board games, and everything else non-digital.

I'm a little late for Halloween, but that shouldn't mean I have to miss out on all the spooky fun. Luckily, Looney Labs have sent along Zombie Fluxx, a standalone expansion to their ever-popular card game with the ever-changing rules.

Zombie Fluxx isn't just a clever re-skinning of the original, but rather a new set of rules and cards built on to the existing mechanics. The base game remains the same: 2-6 players amend and append the game's starting rules, while attempting to win by collecting Keepers to meet the conditions of the goal, which is constantly in a state of, well, you know.

This time around, Looney Labs have included some new mechanics to spice up the gameplay. Zombies enter the fray as "Creeper" cards. Unlike the helpful Keepers the Creepers can actually prevent players from winning, as some goals dictate that a player needs to be zombie-free to claim victory. Unlike all other cards, Creepers go immediately into play once drawn, rather than into the player's hand, making every draw from the deck a possible immediate zombie encounter.

Continue reading Off the Grid reviews Zombie Fluxx

Off the Grid reviews Zombie Fluxx originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 15 Nov 2007 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Off the Grid: Out of country (part two)

Scott Jon Siegel — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 17:29:00 EST

Filed under: Mac, Peripherals

Every other week Scott Jon Siegel contributes Off the Grid, a column normally about gaming away from the television screen or monitor.

I got a lot of interesting comments in response to last week's piece on gaming while abroad. More people empathized with my situation than I had originally expected, and had their own unique solutions to the problem.

Overwhelmingly, most expat gamers seem to rely on portables to keep playing games internationally. Some gamers took the full dive and purchased new consoles for their new region. Still others suggested using VGA cables and computer monitors, or reminded me that most modern televisions sold in Europe support NTSC signals, nullifying the problem entirely.

But I'm not going to buy a television, because they're bulky and I don't feel like it. Instead, I invested in a tiny, tiny piece of hardware that lets me play my console games on my laptop. It's called the Elgato EyeTV Hybrid and, irony of ironies, it's for Macs only.

Continue reading Off the Grid: Out of country (part two)

Off the Grid: Out of country (part two) originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 25 Oct 2007 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Off the Grid: Out of country

Scott Jon Siegel — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 10:20:00 EST

Filed under: Nintendo DS, Sony PlayStation 2, Nintendo Wii

Every other week Scott Jon Siegel contributes Off the Grid, a column normally about gaming away from the television screen or monitor.

I'm breaking from tradition to answer a nagging question: What happens to a gamer when he moves to another country?

And I'm not talking about board and card games here. I'm talking about the console and portable gamers. In the face of voltage conversions, video signals, and region-locking, how does an invested gamer stay on the grid?

I ask the question because I went through this same problem very recently. Two weeks ago, I made the move from the east coast of the United States to the south of France. Being invested in games not only casually, but professionally, I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to bring along my consoles, and therefore be out of the gaming loop for the entirety of my European residency.

Luckily, however, I was able to devise a feasible solution, and my American-born consoles have been operating overseas without any problems. So, waving a temporary bye-bye to the non-digital gaming focus of this column, I'd like to share my recipe for international gaming success.

Continue reading Off the Grid: Out of country

Off the Grid: Out of country originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 18 Oct 2007 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Off the Grid: Travel edition

Scott Jon Siegel — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 12:20:00 EST

Filed under: Portable

Returning from hiatus, Scott Jon Siegel contributes Off the Grid, a column on gaming away from the television screen or monitor.

What happens to a gamer when he moves out of the country? Well, for one, he loses his group of gamer buddies -- the people he could call up to come over and play a cool new card game or board game with him.

He also loses a lot of his games; those hefty Carcassonne and RoboRally boxes are a bit too big to fit in his already-stuffed luggage.

But before he arrives in his new country of residence, our traveling gamer first has to get on a plane, prepared for many, many hours of recycled air and the same crappy film over and over again. What's our gamer to do?

Well, if he's smart, pull out his DS or PSP. But if our gamer is trying to keep it off the grid, or if he forgot his portable, then it might be time for some travel-sized game choices. It's a good thing he reads Off the Grid, huh?

Continue reading Off the Grid: Travel edition

Off the Grid: Travel edition originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Oct 2007 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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