Tag: featured

Whatcha Playing, Geekly: August 2026

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Happy Wednesday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here. Today, our writers share what they’ve been playing over the past month. Feel free to share what you’ve been playing this month, because we’re all part of the Geekly Gang. I’ll get this post started with what I’ve been playing over the past month.

Kyra’s Video Games

Die in the Dungeon is a dice version of Slay the Spire. Die in the Dungeon is a roguelite where players choose a path in a branching dungeon. Instead of building a deck, you’ll build a dice pool. The computer rolls your dice for you–so that’s a tactical goodness you’ll miss with Die in the Dungeon–and die placement on a 9-space grid shaped like a diamond can be the difference between victory and defeat.

Because it uses dice, Die in the Dungeon feels like it has fewer parts than Slay the Spire. I may be wrong. But dice can only do so much, and each die type is color-coded. Red attack. Blue block. Green heal. Purple dice give bonuses. There are more die types (that have various actions), but usually, if a die has a similar hue to the base dice, the die will be a variant of one of those three basic die types. For example, pink dice are typically splash attacks (attack all enemies). I’m just getting started with Die in the Dungeon, but I can see this one as a good candidate for a Quirky Video Game Review sometime next year.

If you like Slay the Spire, you should give Die in the Dungeon a try. A free demo does exist on Steam. You can try before you buy. I can see Die in the Dungeon getting its own tabletop game adaptation. I really like rolling dice, and while you can reroll dice in Die in the Dungeon, it doesn’t hit the same as clicking a button to roll the dice at the beginning of combat. Sure, Die in the Dungeon saves time by autorolling your dice before each round of battle. But I want to roll dice.

I’ve been keeping up with Apex Legends. The new legend, Axle, is fun. Per usual (for skirmisher legends like Axle), she was released in an overpowered state, and Apex Legends has since nerfed her in line with the rest of the roster. With the launch of the E-District map last season, Apex Legends feels like it’s gained some positive momentum. I wouldn’t mind Respawn alternating new legend, new map, new weapon, and new game mode each season (which spans three months), but it’s Respawn, this is a not-so-sudden influx of new content. While some live-service video games flood their games with an abundance of content (ahem, Fortnite), Apex Legends drags its feet. Longtime fans of the game don’t ask for much. They just want consistent new content.

Apex Legends releases a new legend and map every year and a half. I stopped playing the game for three years, and the weapon pool remains the same. Sure, the game has made tweaks like making the RE-45 an energy pistol, and it added akimbo for the Mozambique and P-2020, but Apex Legends has not had a new weapon since the Bocek. The Bocek was released during the pandemic. The pandemic. That feels like a lifetime ago. I’ll admit. New weapons affect Apex Legends’ gameplay the most. Every character can pick up any of the weapons, so you need to get the balance right. But Apex Legends also hasn’t released a new way to play the game since Gun Run in 2022. The game is still fun. Stale but fun.

Vantage Board Game Logo

Kyra’s Board Games

I’ve been playing a bit of solo Vantage. The game plays well as a solo experience, but more players make the game interesting. Like so many board games, the optimal player count rests somewhere in the middle of the lowest and highest player counts. Solo is too lonely. Six players would slow Vantage to a crawl. Three to four players is the happy place.

I may offer to GM Vantage at a future board game convention. If you’re in the Omaha area during Nuke-Con (first weekend in October), stop by and say hi. And if you want to explore a strange and exciting alien planet, we can launch a round of Vantage. I love the game’s system. Vantage’s combination of storybooks and cards makes each session an adventure.

Monster Chef 01 Board Game Logo

Typically, I don’t mention my games that I’m playtesting, but I will for this month’s post. Monster Chef works as a hand management game. Omitting the card drafting helped. The new ability (Cleaver) allows players to zip through the decks more effectively. Maintaining the same hand helps players plan their next turn. I do wonder if Monster Chef plays better at three players and above. I’ve played plenty of two-player Monster Chef, and it doesn’t have the same pizzazz. It’s still good. But I prefer Monster Chef at 3-5 players. At any player count, Monster Chef doesn’t overstay its welcome. I may have found the right pacing.

Switching Rustbucket Riots from a dice rolling game to a bag building game threw off the game’s balance. At first, I also struggled with the players feeling less powerful. That won’t do. So, I made some crazy rebalancing for the game. Adding minions to player bags is brutal. Players can bust and don’t get what they want. That’s a double whammy. I’m keeping that dynamic–for now–and trying to add fewer minions to the bags each turn. We’ll see where this leads. I love Rustbucket Riots’ bag building. This mechanism allows for quicker onboarding for gamers. Most of an initial teach would be explaining what happens when players roll, lock, place, and spend dice. Now, you grab tokens, place, and spend. Rustbucket Riots is far more streamlined. Now, I just need to finish rebalancing the game.

That’s all I have for this past month. Let’s see what Season and Skye have been playing.

Season’s Video Games

I’ve also been playing Apex Legends recently. I haven’t played in years, so it feels fresher to me than it does for someone who’s played consistently. Normally, I don’t care for FPS games, but Apex Legends is the one exception for me. Seriously, I can’t aim to save my life. I can’t even utilize V.A.T.S well in the Fallout franchise. That’s how bad I am. I like Apex Legends because of the squad element, ping system, and interesting characters.

I’ve been playing Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time for a couple of weeks, and I’ve been having a blast. It’s an adventure, farming simulator, dungeon crawler, has MMO elements for multiplayer, and has Animal Crossing aspects to it. It has so much content that I AP’ed trying to figure out where to start. So far, I’m 71% finished with the main story, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is a lot of fun, and it encourages players to play the game how they’d like.

Skye’s Video Game

I laser-focused on Stardew Valley for weeks. Stardew Valley is a game that’s been in my PlayStation library for years now, but I remembered after coming out of my surgery that I never technically “finished” it. I hadn’t completed all the community center bundles, I hadn’t unlocked all the house upgrades, I hadn’t obtained every variety of livestock, I hadn’t finished the museum collection, and I certainly hadn’t been to every location. After these few weeks, I’ve made it nearly to summer of year 3 and have spent an obscene amount of time managing my farm, building relationships, and desperately trying to renovate the community center. All I have left to do is donate a Fiddlehead Fern and a Pufferfish and it’ll be done, but it’s been more difficult than I expected. Eventually I’ll have the community center back to its former glory. Just you wait.

Hey, hey, Kyra Kyle here again. Those are the games our writers have been playing over the past month. Let us know what you’ve been playing in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

5 Underrated Underused Spider-Man Villains

5 Underrated/Underused Spider-Man Villains

Published on by KyraLeave a comment

Happy Monday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with a new entry in an older comic book series: Underrated and/or Underused Villains. Today, we focus on Spider-Man’s overlooked rogues’ gallery. The webhead has plenty of villains to his name, so it makes sense that a handful of villains may qualify. Notice how this list isn’t titled a Top 5. Numerous characters could make this list. If you don’t see your favorite underrated Spider-Man villain on this list, comment who would add.

The characters on this list may lean more toward underrated rather than underused or vice versa. Spidey has a wealth of villains, so we have more than one honorable mention. Let’s get to our list of five underrated/underused Spider-Man Villains.

Honorable Mention: Tombstone

I cheated with Tombstone. He shows up plenty in the comics, receives great adaptations in other media (I can’t wait for Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’s second season), and seldom gets overlooked as one of Spidey’s better second-tier villains. But I wanted to mention Tombstone. I love this character. One can never have enough Tombstone stories. I can’t wait to see Marvin Jones III (also known as Krondon) portrayal of Tombstone in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Brilliant casting. Krondon also provided Tombstone’s voice in the Spider-Verse series of animated films. I can’t wait.

Honorable Mention: Beetle

Beetle meets the criteria for underrated and underused. His redemption story (told through Thunderbolts) is wildly underrated; I’d love to see a Beetle redemption story in the MCU. Abe Jenkins (the original and most famous Beetle) seldom gets used in media outside comics, and the comics haven’t featured him recently because he’s dead. But no one stays dead in comics forever. Oddly enough, Tombstone’s daughter, Janice Lincoln, has taken the mantle as the new Beetle. So, there’s a chance we could see Janice in the MCU.

No version of Beetle is primarily a Spider-Man villain, and that’s why they make the honorable mention list. Beetle threatens the larger MCU, giving preference to Iron Man and Spider-Man. Abe’s origin story was reworked a bit and used as Mysterio’s backstory in Spider-Man: Far From Home. He craved respect and recognition, so he stole tech, made a super suit, and terrorized the normies. When he joined the Thunderbolts, originally pretending to be a hero, he found the respect and recognition he always craved as a hero, so he became one. Ah! What could’ve been in the MCU? Beetle is certainly one of the most criminally overlooked Marvel villains. But his freelance villainy causes him to just miss the list.

Honorable Mention: Hammerhead

A third honorable mention? Yeah, Spidey has a ton of fantastic villains. We could’ve made a list of 20 underrated/underused Spider-Man villains. Let us know if you’d like to see a second part to this list.

Hammerhead has some of the worst adaptations for a Spider-Man villain. Outside the comics, media portray him as an underling. That isn’t true. Hammerhead is Kingpin’s rival, an equal in every sense. Readers of Spider-Man comics know this, but anyone who only consumes Spidey content outside the comics will wildly underrate Hammerhead as a villain. And Hammerhead has one of the most tragic childhoods among Spidey villains. I won’t spoil it. It’s brutal. There’s a reason Hammerhead’s skull has been replaced with adamantium. Yikes!

Hammerhead just misses our list because he may soon get a good adaptation. Rumors of Hammerhead joining Spider-Man: Brand New Day abound. I’m writing this early and before the second season of Daredevil: Born Again, and there’s a chance Hammerhead could become the Kingpin rival he was always supposed to be. We’ll have to see.

That wraps up our honorable mentions. Let’s see who made the proper list.

5: Doppelganger

Sure, Doppelganger has low intelligence. He barely says more than one word, but Doppelganger has a ton of potential, inside and outside of comics. Doppelganger hails from the dimension of manifestations. The Magus created all of the doppelgangers–they created a doppelganger for everyone in Marvel Comics (kind of like the Bizarros in DC Comics)–to combat their counterparts. Spider-Man’s doppelganger was the only one who made it to Earth 616 (Marvel’s main timeline). Lost, Doppelganger didn’t know what to do and attacked Spider-Man. It was defeated. But Doppelganger was rescued and adopted, in a way, by Shriek. Doppelganger only hates Spider-Man because the one it calls “Mother” (Shriek) hates Spider-Man. Despite its villain status, Doppelganger has conducted heroic deeds, and that’s interesting.

Within Marvel Comics, few creative teams have explored Doppelganger, but when they do, those stories slap. There have been rumblings of a potential Doppelganger sighting in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, but unlike Hammerhead, I doubt Doppelganger will get a good story. Fingers crossed.

4: Hobgoblin

Hobgoblin fits the bill of an underrated Spider-Man villain, but he also poses a good question. Can someone be overused and underused at the same time? When Hobgoblin makes it into a Spider-Man story, he dominates for a few years, and then he disappears for almost a decade. And the pattern repeats. Most creative teams who include Hobgoblin in a story are passionate about the character. That’s why Hobgoblin dominates the storylines. This shields Hobgoblin from a lot of “bad” storylines. In fact, Hobgoblin is one of the few Spider-Man villains on this list, and in the honorable mentions, without an awful story.

One does need to establish a Green Goblin before introducing Hobgoblin. Typically, Hobgoblin “borrows” Green Goblin’s gadgets and rebrands them. The Nineties Spider-Man animated series is the only exception I can think of when Hobgoblin appears before Green Goblin. It helps that Mark Hamill voiced Hobgoblin.

Honestly, I like Hobgoblin’s aesthetic more than Green Goblin’s, and I love the purple and green combination. Heck, those are Geekly’s colors. It must be Hobgoblin’s outfit, his more demonic and unhinged look, and that’s ironic. Green Goblin always has some form of mental illness, but usually, Hobgoblin has full control of his mental faculties. That can give Hobgoblin a more sinister vibe. He knows exactly what he’s doing.

3: Chameleon

Chameleon is Spider-Man’s first villain. In his first tale, Chameleon dresses up as Spider-Man to frame him for stealing government plans. This happens a lot for Chameleon. He frames Spidey for crimes he didn’t commit, but Chameleon is more of an espionage character. He has an awesome backstory. Without Chameleon, we may not get as fleshed out a Kraven the Hunter. The two are half-brothers. But Spider-Man creators miscast Chameleon. So, Chameleon may be more of a misused villain than an underused villain, but he is also underused.

Despite being Spider-Man’s oldest villain, Chameleon rarely shows up in other media, and when he does, it’s usually a cameo. I’m hopeful for Chameleon’s role in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’s second season. This version of Chameleon has potential. It also helps that Peter Parker’s father (Spoiler: Peter’s dad is alive in this cartoon series) worked as a spy. That could play into Chameleon’s background. We need Spidey to flex his detective muscle. Mysterio triggers Peter’s tingle, forcing him to rely on his Spider Sense. A full-thrust Spider Sense for Mysterio makes sense because Mysterio envelops the area around him with illusions. I could see a low-level twinge with the Chameleon, like Peter knows something’s amiss, but he can’t put his finger on it. Chameleon’s abilities only affect himself. We need better Chameleon stories.

2: Vermin

Before making this list, I knew who would reach the top. One can rearrange or replace any of the previous Spider-Man villains on this list, but the top two are chiseled in stone. You could swap one and two with each other, but we’ll get to number one in a minute. First, we’re talking about Vermin.

Vermin may take the mantle of the most underrated and underused Spider-Man villain. Most Spidey fans (who read the comic book) would say Kraven’s Last Hunt and The Child Within are two of the top three or four stories in Spider-Man history. Vermin features in both stories. Despite those two tales occurring decades ago, Vermin shows up in few other stories. See what I mean about underused? Some Spidey fans may forget Vermin was in Kraven’s Last Hunt. Talk about underrated. Sure, Vermin was Kraven’s pawn, but there’s a killer moment when Spider-Man loses his temper with Vermin. Love this story. We covered it more in a previous post.

And then we get to The Child Within. Ah! So good. A nine or ten-year-old child wanders into the sewers and asks Vermin to accompany him home. Vermin (a rat person) takes the kid to a mansion, but the kid refuses to go inside. By this point, we realize the kid is Vermin’s inner child. The mansion belongs to his parents. At first, Vermin’s parents don’t recognize him. We get Vermin’s tragic backstory, and I’m not going to spoil it here. You should read The Child Within.

Not only does Vermin have few–if any–“bad stories,” he’s featured in two of Spider-Man’s greatest stories. Who could possibly claim the top spot over Vermin?

1: Jackal

If you were to rank Spider-Man’s most important villains (the ones necessary to tell Spider-Man’s story), the list would look like the following:

1) Green Goblin
2) Doctor Octopus
3) Jackal

Spider-Man fans who read the comics know who Jackal is and would agree with this list–for the most part. Spidey fans who don’t read the comics are scratching their heads, wondering who the hell is Jackal? That’s why Jackal is number one on this list. He is one of Spidey’s most important villains, and not enough people know him. Jackal introduced The Punisher, hiring him to take down Spider-Man (during The Punisher’s first appearance), and he’s behind most, if not all, clone storylines. And Spidey has a ton of clone stories. The Clone Saga is the longest storyline in Spider-Man comic book history.

The original Jackal, Miles Warren, was one of Peter Parker’s college professors. Warren, in his mid to late fifties, crushed on Gwen Stacy. Ew. She’s more than half your age, creeper. After Gwen died, Warren blamed Spider-Man for her death. Spidey did web Gwen’s foot, causing her neck to snap. Jackal, pointing out this detail to Spider-Man, poured extra salt into Peter’s guilt. Peter already blamed himself for Gwen’s death. What ensued was a lot of cloning, cloning of Gwen Stacy, Peter Parker, and others. Eventually, Jackal would clone himself in an attempt to achieve immortality.

Jackal’s lack of a good adaptation outside of comics reminds me of Hobgoblin’s issue. Jackal is difficult to explain without a lot of setup, like Hobgoblin needing Green Goblin to exist first. Typically, Jackal needs Gwen Stacy to exist. You may even need her to perish. Often, Miles Warren gets introduced, and we never see his transformation into Jackal. And then there’s Jackal’s age. Since Warren is in his fifties, whenever he gets introduced as a side character in a movie or show, people overlook him. Warren appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man film series and Sony’s Spider-Man adjacent movies. Blink, and you’ll miss him. I hope the MCU takes its time to introduce Jackal in the future. Gwen may soon make her debut in the MCU. Jackal may not be far behind.

That’s our list of five underrated and/or underused Spider-Man Villains. There are plenty more villains who could’ve made this list. Let us know who you would add in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Geekly News: August 2, 2027; New Releases

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Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another week of Geek News. I’m still taking a break with headlines. Let me know if you’d like to see more headlines in the future. Instead, we’ll be covering new releases for board games and video games. Let’s get to the games.

Garden Dragons Launches on GameFound

The Great Migration of dragons is coming and it is time to prepare the fields for their arrival!

Plant flower dominoes of the same type together to make the garden beautiful while discovering flower dragon tiles hidden in the fields from last year’s migration.

You will place one of your newly found dragons in the community’s Hatchling Nursery and the other you will take home to raise as your own.

However, you will need to choose wisely. The more common a type of dragon is in the nursery, the less prestigious and valuable they become.

They better you are at grouping flowers together, the more successful you will become. Once you are happy with a flower bed you have planted, place a helper to claim it as your own.

Have the most bountiful gardens and the rarest dragons to become the best flower dragon gardener in Garden Dragons.

Thank you, B A Games, for the description. I’ve actually demoed Garden Dragons. I love this title. I’m definitely backing this GameFound project. We didn’t have the full display (shown above) because space was limited, but I caught the gist of this game, and it’s every bit the whimsical pairing of dragons and gardens as you would think. Season is a gardener, and she happens to love dragons. This is playing into my “need” to back this GameFound project. But even without her, I love players’ abilities to dictate how much a dragon will score points. The image above has a overall board pictured in the top lefthand corner. The numbers are where players place dragons they don’t want. Placing a dragon on those spots lowers the dragons of the corresponding type’s point value. Brilliant.

Garden Dragons has two pledge levels at $38 and $65. If you’re interested in Garden Dragons, check out its GameFound page.

Cult of the Lamb: The Board Game Launches on KickStarter

Cult of the Lamb: The Board Game is a competitive dungeon-crawling and worker-placement game for 1 to 4 players, packed with the dark charm, humour, and unmistakable style of the hit video game from Massive Monster and Devolver. Whether you’re discovering the Land of the Old Faith for the first time or returning as a devoted leader of the flock, you can now experience Cult of the Lamb on your tabletop!

Crusade through dungeons, defeat Bishops, build your Cult, manage your Followers and become the most powerful prophet – balance the risks of adventure with the demands of leadership as you carve your path and shape the future of your flock.

Faith will be tested. Followers will dissent. Poop will absolutely become a problem.

The Land of the Old Faith is yours to conquer!

Thank you, Paper Fort Games, for the description. Paper Fort Games is a relatively new gaming company, and they have experience with adapting video games into board games: Terraria. Video games turned into board games are a far better bet today than they’ve ever been before. The Slay the Spire Board Game inspired the video game to incorporate a multiplayer, cooperative gameplay for the video game sequel. I don’t know if Cult of the Lamb: The Board Game will reach those heights, but Paper Fort Games’ Terraria was well received, and some of the mechanisms sound interesting. Crusades and base building sound fun.

The Cult of the Lamb: The Board Game offers multiple pledge levels, ranging from $81 to $335. If you’re interested in Cult of the Lamb: The Board Game, check out its KickStarter page.

Cook It Launches on KickStarter

Cook It! is a card-drafting and hand-management party game played over four menu rounds: Appetizer, Entree, Dessert, and an Open round

The deck consists of 100 unique ingredient cards. There’s an additional deck of Attack cards to disrupt you friend’s recipe. On a turn, a player draws from the central deck to modify their five card hand, aiming to craft a meal description that fits the active round’s category.

After three rounds, all players simultaneously reveal their five card hand and pitch their completed culinary creation to the table. Players then cast secret votes using Frying Pan tokens to determine the best dish. Players cannot vote for themselves

Tiebreakers are resolved by totaling the raw Pan Points on the matching ingredient cards. After each of the first three rounds, all cards are gathered and reshuffled. The game ends in the fourth Open round, where players who have not been eliminated face off in a final showdown

The player who wins the final open round wins the game. An optional real world variant challenges the winner to actually prepare and cook their winning five card recipe in real life.

Thank you to the designer (Ovi Nedelcu) for the description. Cook It! sounds like a hilarious party game with some mild take that elements. Players draw five cards, they can “attack” players by stealing their ingredients or adding an undesirable ingredient to the mix. But that doesn’t matter. The art is in selling whatever dish you plan to make. Can you make a gummy bear gumbo sound appetizing? If so, your dish may be voted as the best recipe of the bunch. Cook It! has a simple concept, but it also sounds hilarious. If you’re interested in Cook It!, check out its KickStarter page.

Cirque Releases on GameFound

Cirque is a game about the joys and wonders of the circus. In Cirque, players take on the role of a Ringleader as they scout for talent, hire performers, build the reputation of their circus, and carry out performances. Each player builds their circus individually on their circus boards, and the main action tiles provide spaces of interaction and competition.

Cirque is designed around friendly competition, immense replayability, and appreciation for the circus and its craft. Alongside 180 unique performer cards, game setup includes randomized individual and shared goals to make each game a unique experience.

Thank you, Lithic Studios, for the description. Cirque features a unique mechanism where each circus performer has two values, depending on which performance occurs. This varies gameplay from one round to the next. If you notice, the gameplay ranges from 30 minutes to two hours. When Lithic Studios says 30 minutes per player, they’re referring to solo play as well. Crazy! There’s a lot going on in Cirque, but it looks like one of those games where the individual parts are easy to understand, but the full game plays out in various ways. Cirque is a point salad style of game, meaning players earn points in various ways. This leads to multiple paths to victory. Leveraging your performers during the best possible moments can mean victory or defeat. If you’re interested in Cirque, check out its GameFound page.

Truxton Extreme Releases

Take down hordes of alien invaders with your Power Shot, Truxton Beam, Thunder Laser, Homing Shot, Star‑mine Shot, and more! Don’t forget to breathe as you face off against gigantic bosses in the ultimate battle for humanity’s survival!

Ah! Truxton Extreme gives me mad flashbacks to Galaga or 1942. Truxton Extreme has received positive reviews. It accomplishes what it sets out to do: update fixed shooters to modern consoles. Truxton Extreme’s graphics look great for a fixed shooter. It definitely scratches that nostalgia itch. Truxton Extreme is available on PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and Xbox Series S/X.

Mistfall Hunter Releases

Mistfall Hunter is a dark fantasy extraction ARPG. Combine skills, talents, and gear for each class in thrilling combat! Whether you team up or go solo, one thing remains certain—only by fighting your way through can you return with a full haul. Good luck, Gyldhunter.

Mistfall Hunter looks pretty. With the exception of a couple of Obsidian titles (The Outer Worlds 2 and Avowed), the Action RPG genre of video games hasn’t seen too many good releases. Mistfall Hunter looks to change that. While I can’t speak to the gameplay itself (I have yet to play the game), the graphics look solid. I just hope Mistfall Hunter has the gameplay fluidity to match. Mistfall Hunter is available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S/X.

That’s all the geek news we have for this week. Which game looks the most interesting? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

X-Men ’97 “Strange Land, Savage Heart” Review

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Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here and today we’re reviewing this week’s episode of X-Men ’97, “Strange Land, Savage Heart.” If you want to read our review of last week’s X-Men ’97 episode, here’s a link. This week’s episode saw the return of one popular X-Man, the introduction of another great villain (who had not be on screen prior to this episode), and a focus on Nightcrawler. Let’s talk about it.

Kyra’s Take

I left out Graydon Creed in that intro. He’s one of those X-Men villains you love to hate. As you can tell, “Strange Land, Savage Heart” packs a lot into a thirty-minute X-Men ’97 episode. The second season of X-Men ’97 has had a focus on family. It began with Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Cable (the Summers family) and even managed to throw in Havok (Cyclops’s brother) into the mix. Magneto and Polaris were explored last episode. This episode reintroduced Colossus and his sister Magik, while adding in the craziness that is the Nightcrawler, Rogue, Mystique, Sabretooth, and Graydon Creed family tree. Yikes!

Honestly, I prefer the Nightcrawler-Rogue family drama more than the Summers family saga. I appreciate last season’s episodes that showed the Cable/Madeline Pryor backstory. That has never been portrayed onscreen before. The Summers family is important, but they see a lot of play in X-Men shows and movies. The Nightcrawler-Rogue-Mystique connection doesn’t get nearly as much airtime. While the Summers family has some messed up revelations (with some more to come, I’m sure), The Nightcrawler-Rogue-Mystique family has some brutal trauma. Mystique abandons Nightcrawler because he can’t pass as a normal human. I love any X-Men episode/movie that pays Nightcrawler respect. And “Strange Land, Savage Heart” centers its story on Nightcrawler. The audience sees the events unfold through Nightcrawler’s eyes.

This was the best choice for point of view character. “Strange Land, Savage Heart” features Magneto’s acolytes. Again, this is another first appearance for a mutant group in an X-Men property. With Magneto gone, his acolytes, lead by Exodus, carry on his legacy. They construct a safe haven in the Savage Land, something Magneto had once done in the original X-Men: Animated Series. Exodus is the perfect foil for Nightcrawler. “Strange Land, Savage Heart” hint at Exodus’s past. After encountering Apocalypse in the 12th century, Exodus was given immortality. Exodus’s costume echoes his past as a crusader. Exodus calls his mission his “crusade.” Nightcrawler calls Exodus a “Templar.” Nightcrawler is willing to give people second, third, and fifteenth chances. Exodus has little patience. Graydon Creed needed to be punished.

And watching Nightcrawler defend his hateful brother while Exodus lays out every reason Nightcrawler should lose hope in his brother was fantastic. Colossus as the judge showed his alignment (friend of both sides), and it was great to see Colossus reintroduced. He’s a fan favorite, and I hope Colossus continues to make appearances in this series. X-Men ’97 does give us hope of that. Polaris’s character was developed quickly in last week’s episode. I like that X-Men ’97 didn’t drop her. I also like her blooming romance with Bishop. X-Men ’97 features villains and characters the original X-Men: Animated Series didn’t portray or in Nightcrawler and Colossus’s case, got put on the backburner.

Exodus can’t be dead. Graydon Creed shoots Exodus near the end of this episode, but as I said, Exodus is immortal. He’s too good of a foil for Nightcrawler to be a one and done villain. Nightcrawler chastising Graydon at the end was perfect. “You may not be a mutant,” Nightcrawler said, “but you are very much your parents’ son.” Ouch! That’s so good. This is why you’ve gotta love Nightcrawler. Thank goodness he’s a main cast member in X-Men ’97.

And we get to “Strange Land, Savage Heart’s” final moments, the pre-credits scene that sets up the following episode, and it’s a doozy. X-Force–that’d be the one with Cable, Jubilee, and Psylocke–discover an Apocalypse drained of his lifeforce and burnt playing card. I’ve been predicting that X-Men ’97 is building up to Apocalypse and the Age of Apocalypse storyline by the end of this season, but it could be developing something far more interesting. Don’t get me wrong. I’d love to see Age of Apocalypse adapted to the screen, but we’ve seen Magneto, Apocalypse, and Mr. Sinister on this show. What if the show went in a different direction?

X-Men ’97 could be building up to the Huntsman (Weapon XII). This villain seems more in line for next season’s big bad. X-Men ’97 introduced X-Corp last episode. The X-Men’s new outfits (pictured in the image above) reflect this change. The Huntsman represents a threat the X-Men have never faced on any screen. It consumes its host’s identity. Weapon XII is an alien being with a hive mind. Think the Borg from Star Trek. I hope X-Men ’97 goes in this direction. A Huntsman story would also push X-Men stories into the 2000s. This also makes sense for X-Men ’97’s third season. We’re headed to a new millennium.

Those are my thoughts on X-Men ’97 “Strange Land, Savage Heart.” Let’s see what Season thinks.

Season’s Thoughts

As a Nightcrawler fangirl, I loved seeing Kurt as the main protagonist of “Strange Land, Savage Heart.” The dynamic between Nightcrawler and Graydon Creed was so tense I’m surprised Graydon’s neck didn’t snap from tension alone. Nightcrawler’s defense of Graydon was almost believable. Almost. I understood where he was coming from, but I’m siding with Colossus on this one.

I liked the pacing for “Strange Land, Savage Heart.” Each character got enough screen time for what was necessary, despite “Strange Land, Savage Heart” being one of the shorter episodes of X-Men ’97. I’ve never seen Weapon XII before, so I’m hoping they get some screen time. I was not expecting a withered Apocalypse at the end of “Strange Land, Savage Heart.” Also, will there be a Bishop and Polaris romance on the horizon? Yes, please.

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here again. Those are our thoughts on X-Men ’97 “Strange Land, Savage Heart.” Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Whatcha Doing, Geekly? Personal Updates

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Happy Wednesday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here. Today, our writers share personal updates from the last few months. I’ll kick off the post by sharing what I’ve been up to over the past several months.

Kyra’s Update

I’ve been submitting my board games to various publishers. This includes a lot of work like making sure the rulebook works, blind playtest, crafting a sell sheet, and a how to play video. Here’s a link to JK Geeky’s YouTube channel, where you can find how to play videos for Whirligig Pets and Spill the Beans. The latter game I pitched at Omaha Gaming Convention, and a publisher has agreed to have me pitch the game after GenCon, which will occur this weekend. So, I should have a meeting soon. Fingers crossed that everything goes well.

I also returned to my writing group. “Ber” season soon approaches. Ber season is the months ending in “BER.” I’m a little early this year, but I wanted to get a head start on this year’s fiction and maybe get another pass on the Rustbucket Riots novel. I’m still pitching Crooked as a Dogwood to agents. I just reached a total of 50 literary agents with a few of them asking for the entire manuscript. I wanted to submit to at least 50 literary agents before considering small publishers. I may try another 25 to 50 before I transition to submitting to publishers directly.

That’s all I have for this month’s personal update. Ultimately, I’m still playing the waiting game. Let’s see what Season and Skye have been doing.

Transgender Flag

Skye’s Update

Hello, Geekly Gang! It’s great to be back, and wow do I have a story for you. I know I haven’t posted any updates in a while, but only because I’ve had a lot of personal developments taking place. On Jun 22, I had bottom surgery! Since that was the last surgery I planned to receive as part of my medical transition, this now means that my medical transition is fully complete. Woo-hoo! That also means I’ve been spending a lot of my time lying in bed and focusing on recovery too. It’s been relaxing hanging around the house, but I’m the kind of person who doesn’t like having her actions restricted. It’s not all bad, except for that first week of recovery (that sucked), especially now that I’m starting to regain some semblance of the status quo. Don’t worry, I’ve also had plenty of time to catch up on various media in that time as well.

With all that said, I look forward to my official return to the Geekly Gang next week with my latest installment of what I’ve been playing. I’ll get started typing out my picks early; I wouldn’t want to miss it! I also have plenty of options. You bet I made the most out of my recovery time. I hope y’all are having a fantastic week and never stop geeking. 😉

Season’s Update

Hey, Geekly Gang! I’ve been busy the past several months. I got employed as a gardener in late September of last year, and I love it. I’ve learned a lot about the ins and outs of how the company I work for likes to do things, and I haven’t burned out at this job. I plan on working there for a while. I’ve also been playing catch-up on taking care of my medical appointments. I’ve got a clean bill of health, and so does one of my cats. Next week, my other cat is going to the vet for his yearly checkup. Yay!

On a more personal note, I struggle with anxiety. I’m also kind of an introvert. I want to go to events and board game conventions, but when I do, I sometimes shut down if the crowd is too big and/or if the noise level is too high. I enjoy myself when I find a corner to hunker down in, but it takes me a while to relax. I’m currently seeking a psychiatrist who can help me figure this out. I will also continue to go to events because, dang it, they’re fun. Don’t let anything hold you back from doing what you want to do, Geekly Gang.

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here again. Those are our writers’ updates for the past several months. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Geekly News: July 26, 2026; New Releases

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Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another week of Geek News. We don’t have a headline for this week of Geek News; I’m still setting up JK Geekly’s Instagram presence. We’ll be on the Gram in August. Woot! Even though we don’t have a headline, we have plenty of new releases for board games and video games. Let’s get to the games.

Rosalie Launches on KickStarter

In Rosalie, players are aspiring rose breeders competing to build the most magnificent rose garden and earn renown as the finest nursery grower in town.

Each player begins with a small plot of land and a dream. Over the course of the game, players plant roses, crossbreed new varieties, cultivate their soil, and adorn their gardens with fountains and windmills. New and exotic roses are temperamental — neglect their care, and they will wither. To help tend the garden, players can recruit caretaker robots, powering them with electricity to keep their precious roses alive and thriving.

Workers are at the heart of the operation. When their hands are free, players direct them to carry out essential tasks: planting, breeding, tilling, and decorating. Every decision shapes the garden, gradually transforming a modest patch of earth into a source of pride.

Money is always available — the town is generous with its loans, and players can borrow freely whenever funds run short. But beware: at the end of each year, interest quietly accumulates. Debt begets debt, and what once felt like a lifeline can become a chain that strangles your ambitions. Managing finances wisely is just as important as cultivating beautiful roses.

Balance your budget, breed striking new varieties, and build the most captivating rose garden to claim victory.

Thank you, uchibacoya, for the description. Wow! Just wow! Rosalie: A Rosy Game of Gardening looks amazing. The image above showcases a player board. These boards are double-layered, and the one pictured depicts the character Nana. But Rosalie’s double-layered player boards have inserts. You can change Nana for another character, allowing for multiple character abilities and replayability. I like the recent trend in nature-themed board games. Rosalie looks like another solid title. It’s not for the faint of heart. As you can probably tell in the picture above, there’s a ton of strategic depth in this game, and uchibacoya is no stranger to garden-themed games. They have a history with their Garden Trilogy (Dinosaurs, Birds, and Fish). A game like Rosalie is in their wheelhouse. This game looks amazing.

uchibacoya is an up-and-coming board game publisher. While I have yet to play one of their highly regarded games, I have full confidence in uchibacoya delivering with a game like Rosalie. The game boasts several strategies and an intriguing action-selection mechanism. Pledges range from $88 to $169. If you’re interested in Rosalie: A Rosy Game of Gardening, check out its KickStarter page.

Shakeup Adventures Launches on KickStarter

What happens when party game designers make a dungeon-crawling RPG? You get all the adventure and none of the homework.

ENTER THE DUNGEON THAT DOESN’T STAY STILL
Gather a party of up to six heroes (or foolhardy friends) and dive into this ever-changing dungeon. With billions of possible map configurations, you’ll never explore the same dungeon twice.

Build your character abilities, analyze the map, and draw your unique path through monsters, curses, and spike pits, racing fellow adventurers to complete quests and conquer each floor.

Learn, set up, and begin play in under 10 minutes, but don’t be fooled: the possibilities and strategies will challenge even seasoned gamers.
Light enough to explore with the family, but deep enough to spend hours crawling with your gaming group… ready for adventure?

Thank you, Very Special Games, for the description. I almost dismissed Shakeup Adventures when I first saw it. I thought it was a tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) peripheral. I was interested in a randomizer for a dungeon crawl (D&D and other TTRPGs I play and DM) and marked Shakeup Adventures for later, thinking I’d add it to my TTRPG repertoire. And then I saw that it was a standalone board game. What? Despite thinking Shakeup Adventures was a TTRPG add-on, and JK Geekly doesn’t typically cover TTRPGs because there are so many releases each week, I still wanted to cover this project. Since it’s a board game, I don’t have to justify covering this game. Yes!

Just yes! Shakeup Adventures takes little time to set up. I love the randomization. Shakeup Adventures claims its game sessions take thirty minutes to an hour. If so, I don’t know of too many dungeon crawlers that take so little time to learn the rules, set up, and play than Shakeup Adventures’ claim. You had me at variable dungeon floors, Shakeup Adventures. And the fact that players shake the castle (pictured above) to randomize the dungeon floors is insane. The toy factor is through the roof. Shakeup Adventures pledges range from $39 to $269. The entry level isn’t as high as I would’ve thought. If you’re interested in Shakeup Adventures, check out its KickStarter page.

Stag Launches on KickStarter

Stag follows the life cycle of beetles — a game of planning and resource management, culminating in a social deduction showdown where you can lose it all if you’re too greedy!

Players plan their actions using their action tiles, then resolve them simultaneously. The aim is to score the most points
by progressing your beetles through their life cycle, going up the trait track and fulfilling personal and universal objectives.

Each stage of the beetle life cycle is represented by the card mats and rings circles on the board (with the middle ring rotating each round). Once two or more beetles reach the final stage, a showdown is triggered! After 5 showdowns points are scored to determine the winner.

Thank you, Split Stone Games, for the description. We have a stacked release for board games this week. GenCon is right around the corner, so we’ll see even more great games launching on KickStarter and GameFound. Each of these projects should still be active when the largest board game convention of the year begins. I’m stoked for Stag. The circle above is a rondel whose layers rotate. That’s so cool. The tiles pictured at the bottom are on top of a player board. These tiles can be moved to cover or reveal the symbols (like the double circle and red teardrop). Wow! Just wow! I said it before, I could say it for each one of this week’s board game titles. Split Stone Games has outdone themselves. Stag’s production value is fantastic.

You don’t see it in the picture, but those player boards have spaces underneath where players can slip cards into place, giving them extra abilities. You may be able to trigger more than one. I’m unsure of that. Stag has an intriguing design. It’s the second game this week to use double-layered player boards in a new way. I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy. Pledges range from $60 to $129. Well, there’s also an opulent edition set at over $1000. I can’t believe that pledge level has seven backers. Wow! If you’re interested in Stag, check out its KickStarter page.

Dinoblade Releases

Dinoblade is an intense action RPG set in a prehistoric world forever changed by a cataclysmic event. Step into the role of a young Spinosaurus, wielding a colossal Great Sword. Confront rival dinosaurs, some armed with weapons of their own, all in a desperate fight to prevent a looming extinction.

At first, I thought Dinoblade was a joke, but you’re playing as a sword-wielding dinosaur. Yes, please. Dinoblade has received good reviews, so somehow Team Spino made this mashup work. I’m certain Season wouldn’t mind playing a game with samurai dinos. Dinoblade sounds right up her alley. And at less than $20 on Steam, Dinoblade has an enticing price point. $20 sounds like a good price for sword, dino hijinx.

Gurei Releases

Gurei is an unforgiving game with precise combat. Fight challenging bosses in any order, acquire their unique powers, and succeed on your own terms.

Okay. I learned a new video game term this week: boss rush. Gurei gives me crazy Cuphead vibes (in terms of its gameplay), and that’s because it’s a boss rush game, which is the same game type as Cuphead. Gurei’s aesthetic is closer to Hollow Knight. Gurei is yet another video game title this week that has received good reviews. Publisher Astrolabe is a prolific studio. They’ve put in a lot of what they’ve learned from previous titles into Gurei. The game looks slick. Gurei is available on PC, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 5.

Splatoon Raiders Releases on Nintendo Switch 2

Splatoon Raiders differs from other Splatoon titles. It features a single-player story. Gamers can choose between playing an Inkling or an Octoling. Accompanied by members of Deep Cut (introduced in Splatoon 3), players explore a region known as the Spirhalite Islands.

I’ve played very little of the Splatoon franchise, mostly because I didn’t have enough friends on the Nintendo network to play multiplayer games. Splatoon Raiders hits different. I’ve always liked the polish of Splatoon games, but I’ve been reluctant to pick up a copy because I didn’t think the games had much of a story mode. Splatoon Raiders changes that, and like most Splatoon titles, it’s received high marks. I may need to watch out for Splatoon Raiders.

Those are all the new releases for board games and video games for this past week. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

XMen 97 Season Two Review 01

X-Men ’97 “Danger.exe” Review

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Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another review/reaction of an X-Men ’97 season two episodes. Today’s topic is “Danger.exe.” If you want to see our writers’ thoughts about the previous episode, “Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs,” check out this link. We saw some great developments in “Danger.exe.” I don’t know if Season will have time to share her thoughts this week. We’ll see. Regardless, I’ll get things started with my thoughts on this week’s episode of X-Men ’97.

Kyra’s Take

“Danger.exe” does a great job of showing Professor X dealing with the loss of his friend (Magneto) and links this loss with Polaris, Magneto’s third child (aside from Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, which is sometimes debated depending on the world). While I would’ve liked to have seen Polaris in more episodes before “Danger.exe,” X-Men ’97 has woven her into the post-X-Men reality created at the end of last season. Honestly, I can’t remember much of Polaris from X-Men ’97 season one; it’s been a couple of years since I last watched those episodes. I believe Polaris did show up in the previous season, primarily in the Genosha episodes, but I could be wrong. I know for certain that Polaris shared a moment with Jubilee in this season’s episode, “A Force to Be Reckoned With.” Polaris freed Jubilee, allowing her to free the rest of the entrapped mutants.

So, it doesn’t come as a shock when Polaris rages against her current employer, the government-sanctioned X-Factor. She had one foot out the door when we last saw her. Polaris has a mean streak. She has that in the comic book as well. This is nature over nurture. We learn that Professor X raised her; she gets her temper from her father, Magneto. And I love the moment she and Professor X share after this week’s threat, more on Danger in a minute. Professor X tells Polaris that he felt Magneto when Polaris let loose her rage; Polaris tells Professor X the same. It’s a tender moment.

And I like how X-Men ’97, following in the original X-Men: Animated Series’s footsteps, allows a character to vanish for some time. Yes. X-Men ’97 is an animated series based on a comic book, so death doesn’t always mean the end. But X-Men ’97 retires characters long enough for other characters (and fans) to miss them before bringing them back. More on another previously “dead” X-Men later. I don’t expect Magneto to stay dead. But I do expect Professor X, Polaris, and the rest to explore what it means to live in a world without Magneto. Watching them cope and deal with the loss yielded some powerful moments in “Danger.exe.”

I knew from this episode’s title, “Danger.exe,” that the X-Men would tussle with Danger. I squeed. Not gonna lie. Danger is yet another villain I didn’t think would ever make a television or movie appearance. And she’s one of the X-Men’s deadliest enemies. Danger is the Danger Room’s artificial intelligence (AI) run amok. This is a perfect villain for the modern world. Most people distrust AI. Danger plays into this distrust. The X-Men put too much of themselves into the Danger Room’s programming. When the AI malfunctioned, becoming Danger, it knew which pressure points to exploit.

I wish we had more buildup with Danger. She’s too good an X-Men adversary to be a villain-of-the-week. While I believe the Danger Room never saw Polaris’s full power (she was worried she’d turn into her father), Danger’s defeat was too quick and tidy for my liking. It felt like X-Men ’97 used Danger to introduce Polaris to the team. I’ve always liked Polaris as a character. I even liked Emma Dumont’s portrayal of Polaris in The Gifted. Polaris is such a great, conflicted character. Perfect for X-Men ’97. I’m happy Polaris is a permanent member of the X-Men. But I’m also disappointed we won’t see more of Danger in the near future. The X-Men will monitor the Danger Room’s programming like a hawk. In short, I would’ve liked Danger’s story to be a two-parter, but I’m happy with X-Men ’97 season two’s finale setup.

During another mid-credit scene, Apocalypse resurrects Gambit. It’s on. I don’t think we’ll see Gambit (as Death) in the next episode, but X-Men ’97 has done a fabulous job setting up this season’s finale. According to the leaks, X-Men season two’s finale will be titled “Survival of the Fittest.” This season began with Apocalypse, and it will end with Apocalypse. My money is still on X-Men ’97 building up the classic alternate reality story Age of Apocalypse for the following season. I didn’t think a movie or television show would ever adapt Age of Apocalypse from the comics, but I also said that about Danger. There’s hope. I’m stoked.

“Danger.exe” could’ve built up Danger. X-Men ’97 could’ve explored one of the X-Men’s most powerful enemies–and that’s saying something because the X-Men have one of the most powerful rogues’ galleries in comics. But I’m glad that Danger made an appearance and Polaris joined the X-Men in earnest. Something tells me the X-Men will need Polaris in the coming battles.

Those are all my thoughts on X-Men ’97 “Danger.exe.” Let’s see what Season thinks.

Season’s Take

I also would have liked more buildup to Danger. I don’t recall X-Men ’97 foreshadowing her as a villain in previous episodes. I thought Danger would have exploited more weaknesses of the X-Men in “Danger.exe.” She let Jean Grey and Cyclops off way too easily. I hope she makes a comeback, but we’ll see.

Polaris is such a cool character. She’ll probably be with the X-Men for a while, but I can also see her deciding to join a different group or go solo for a bit if she gets the urge to. I would have liked to see more of her struggle with figuring herself out. We saw hints of it in previous episodes, but it felt a little too quick. It was touching that she got to see more of Magneto through Charles, but that interaction felt like it was more for Charles than Polaris. It was still heartwarming.

I’m excited to see the next installment of the Apocalypse saga. “Death” is sure to be a treat.

Writing Brain Dump: July 24, 2026

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Happy Friday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another writing brain dump. I didn’t do one last week because July has five Fridays. I had to skip the 17th or the 24th. I decided to skip the 17th because of familial obligations. Anyway. What have I been doing this past month with my writing practice? In short, I’ve been honing the novel based on Rustbucket Riots.

The novel still doesn’t have a name. I’m getting there. Rustbucket Riots is a working title; the events of the novel take place well after the Rustbucket Riots, so the name can’t possibly work. I’ve used the robot Shakespeare short stories to flesh out the world. The Shakesbot stories do take place during the Rustbucket Riots, by the way. Working on this project also gave me a little bit of distance. It’s not the same as a sequel; I don’t even know if I’ll seek publication for these short stories. But I was able to find the shape I wanted the novel to take. I’m going with multiple timelines.

In last month’s writing brain dump, I mentioned ten shapes a story can take. I’m linking that post here. The more I worked on the Rustbucket Riots novel, the more I felt the story needed a time jump, similar to the one found in Freida McFadden’s The Housemaid. I may need to reread The Housemaid. That novel has its issues, but I can’t deny McFadden deftly used the multiple timelines form. Sometimes, writing requires reading. So, I’ll attempt to read McFadden’s The Housemaid as a writer, taking note of how the two timelines build off of each other. The Rustbucket Riots novel sees a severe change between the protagonist and antagonist. I’m hoping the multiple timelines work to show the difference in these segments. We’ll see.

I don’t have much for this month’s writing brain dump. Last month’s writing brain dump was rather long. And I’m in the thick of rewriting. Fingers crossed that something useful comes out of this draft. Thank you for reading. Good luck with your writing, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Geekly Tunes: July 2026

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Happy Wednesday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here, and today, our writers share what they’ve been listening to over the past month. Feel free to share what you’ve been listening to over the past month, because we’re all part of the Geekly Gang. I’ll get things started with what I’ve been listening to over the past month with today’s Geekly Tunes.

Kyra’s Tunes

I was on a little bit of a punk kick this past month. Social Distortion made the rotation quite a bit. “Ball and Chain” introduced me to this band. While it’s a song about alcoholism, “Ball and Chain” can be used for anything holding a person back, your personal demons, if you will. “Ball and Chain” is up front about its relation to alcoholism. These are its opening lyrics.

Well it’s been ten years and a thousand tears
And look at the mess I’m in
A broken nose and a broken heart,
An empty bottle of gin

But “Ball and Chain’s” chorus gives the song a universal theme.

Take away, take away
Take away this ball and chain
Well I’m lonely and I’m tired
And I can’t take any more pain
Take away, take away
Never to return again
Take away, take away
Take away
Take away this ball and chain

“Ball and Chain” is direct. Its lyrics are stripped down. That makes it a perfect punk diddy. The catchy chorus turns the track into a sing-along. It doesn’t matter what I struggle with (usually self-doubt and self-loathing), belting out “Ball and Chain’s” chorus breaks me out of a bad mood. Usually.

While I typically begin with Social Distortion’s “Ball and Chain” and rarely go beyond that, I dipped my toe into Social Distortion’s catalogue. “Story of My Life” and a superb cover of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” (and “Ball and Chain”) made for a great trio on Social Distortion’s self-titled album. I even like Social Distortion’s “Another State of Mind” from their debut album, almost a decade prior. Social Distortion balances punk attitude and harmony. They remind me somewhat of Bad Religion, who I discussed at length in a previous Geekly Tunes. So, I guess I have a type.

And while Cash’s “Ring of Fire” may sound like an odd choice for a punk band, Social Distortion also has rockabilly tendencies. “Ring of Fire” is a great choice for a Social Distortion cover. Ramones-style Punk + Rockabilly. What’s not to love?

“Bad Luck” is Social Distortion’s greatest hit. Well, it’s the song that reached the highest on the charts. Of course, it’s a banger. “Bad Luck” is another song with great sing-along lyrics. They may not be the most artistic of lyrics, but you’ve gotta love belting out “You got bad, bad luck. Bad, bad luck” in the shower.

Not gonna lie, after I wrote this entry, I put on more Social Distortion. Typically, I don’t care for a tear in a beer music. Social Distortion finds a way to make it fun.

Honestly, I didn’t get into Faith No More back in the 80s and early 90s. Sure, I knew “Epic,” and that song did get plenty of airplay for me this past month, but Faith No More is more than just one song. I may have listened to “Falling to Pieces” more than “Epic.” Gasp! Faith No More is the original rap-rock band. Its most famous frontperson, Mike Patton (pictured above holding a camcorder), is an amazing vocalist. Patton can sing anything. Literally, anything. Freddie Mercury was rumored to be able to sing in four octaves. Patton is believed to be able to sing in six. Patton has been known to croon, sing in falsetto, death growls, rap, chant, mouth music, beatbox, and scat. Patton was asked what kind of music he would like to sing. He answered yes.

I’ve actually seen Patton perform live on stage with Mr. Bungle. Silly me. I didn’t know Patton was also the Mr. Bungle’s frontman. As the act before Incubus and System of the Down, Patton sang a lovely rendition of “What the World Needs Now Is Love.” Most people in the auditorium booed, while I danced in the green scrubs I kept after my oldest daughter was born. The fans booed Patton and Mr. Bungle off the stage. I wanted an encore. Seriously, the dude can sing. I have first-hand knowledge. I wouldn’t have minded a full performance of music like that from Patton.

Fortunately, Patton did release an album in that tone. Mr. Bungle’s most experimental album was Disco Volante. My favorite review of Disco Volante is AllMusic’s “It’s the music equivalent of a David Lynch movie.” Patton had fallen in love with classical Italian music from the 50s and challenged his vocal range by singing primarily in the soprano range. Ah! It’s weird. It’s beautiful. You should give it a listen.

Getting back to Faith No More, my favorite track may have to be Angel Dust’s lead single, “Midlife Crisis.” This sucker goes from Patton singing in a death growl and him climbing up to a high tenor. I didn’t know Patton had that in him. You should give a listen to Faith No More’s live performance of “Midlife Crisis” on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Show. Faith No More were metal trailblazers. Patton may be the most talented person in most rooms, but typically, he prefers to be the goofiest or silliest.

I may have to give another listen to Faith No More and Mr. Bungle’s back catalogue of tracks. I’m certain their albums will yield plenty of deep cuts. If I had to choose an album for Faith No More, Angel Dust is the one you should give a listen. While I like We Care a Lot (shout out to the original line-up), and The Right Thing is iconic (with “Epic” and “Falling to Pieces”), Angel Dust shows Patton and Faith No More push their limits. This band showed the future of metal.

Fun fact: one of the singers before Mike Patton took the mantle was Courtney Love. Yeah, that Courtney Love. She only lasted about six months right before the release of We Care a Lot. The reason for Love’s departure was she caused animosity in the band. That doesn’t sound like Courtney Love at all. Wink.

That’s all I have for the tunes I’ve been listening to this past month. Let’s see what Season and Skye have been listening to this month.

Season’s Tunes

Do you remember the notgame Loneliness, Geekly Gang? It was a flash game where the player was a cube moving up the screen. As the player progresses through the game, the other cubes it encounters run away from them and disappear. It was created to showcase the lonely teen epidemic in South Korea.

Anyway, the track that plays in Loneliness is called “Blue Paint.” The track isn’t listed in the game, but it was written by Kevin MacLeod and is solely a piano track. I thought the track was beautiful, and I listened to the album it’s on, Atlantean Twilight. Atlantean Twilight is fully instrumental and very calming to listen to. I was reading when I listened to it and it helped me focus. Kevin MacLeod has multiple albums like this. They’re worth checking out if you need something calming to listen to while you work or unwind.

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here again. Those are the tunes our writers have been listening to over the past month. What’ve you been listening to? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Top 5 Tabletop Games from 2002

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Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another Top 5 Tabletop Game List throughout the years. 2002 has more than one big name game. We’ll see some familiar names—both designers and game series—but 2002 also saw some new blood. We’ll get to the board games in a bit, but first, let’s review our list’s criteria.

1: Cultural relevance plays as much of a factor as overall quality. A game might make a list that doesn’t hold up to others of its type, but you must admit the game is everywhere.

2: Only one game from a franchise makes the list. This will become more of an issue the closer we get to games with expansions.

3: Longevity plays a role, too. A game doesn’t have to fly off the shelves today, but it had to have some widespread appeal for a decent time.

Honorable Mention: Pirate’s Cove (2002)

Pirate’s Cove has been out of print for a while; I hope it returns to print soon because it’s a great light-to-mid-weight game, featuring pirates. Who doesn’t love pirates? Players simultaneously select which island they’d like to visit. Each island allows players to upgrade parts of their ship.

But if two players land on the same island, they fight. The goal of fighting is to scare off your opponent and be the last ship on the island, so you can upgrade your ship. Ultimately, you’ll want to have the most fame. While Pirate’s Cove can be a little mean at times—I’ve picked islands I knew a weak opponent would choose—the game plays fast.

5: Mexica (2002)

That’s a clean sweep. Each one of Michael Kiesling and Wolfgang Kramer’s games in the Mask Trilogy made one of these lists. Don’t let Mexica’s ranking at five fool you. It’s a well-regarded game and a fitting end to the trilogy. Players score points (El Grande style) based upon their dominance in a district.

During the first round scoring, only districts score points. In the second round (at the end of the game), all land areas and districts score. This adds some spice to the way scoring occurs. It also allows players to recover from a weaker first round. Unlike Java, Mexica has seen a recent reprint. And I love the building play pieces.

4: Wallenstein (2002)

Wallenstein introduced—or at least popularized—the dice tower, even if its dice tower is more of a cube tower. Players place cubes at the top of the tower, and eventually, the cubes fall to the bottom, granting resources. I don’t know why more games haven’t used the cube tower. If you tear open the cube tower, you’ll find landing spots for the cubes to get stuck. Clever.

This mechanism would receive an update with two recent games: The Loop and Dead Reckoning. This adds to the mystique of this game mechanism. Every game that has used this mechanism has been highly regarded. Does the game have a cube tower? It must be great.

3: Bang! (2002)

Bang! is easily the weakest game on this list—and that includes the honorable mention—but Bang! may have the largest cultural impact. Bang! solidified the hidden role game. You know what your role is and you must figure out who everyone else is playing. The Sheriff (whose identity is known to all players and has an extra health point) wants to kill all Outlaws and the Renegade. Deputies protect the Sheriff and kill Outlaws. Outlaws want to kill the Sheriff. And the Renegade wants to be the last one standing.

Bang! has seen its share of spin-offs, too, including the even better Bang! The Dice Game, which speeds up the already brisk gameplay.  And so many themed versions of Bang! the card game. There’s even a Bang! card game based on Marvel’s Secret Invasion. Eek! Bang! can be a good time. It’s thematic; you’re playing out a Spaghetti Western. I call Ringo.

2: Age of Steam (2002)

Martin Wallace and train games go togetherlike board and game. The game that claims BoardGameGeek’s top spot is Brass: Birmingham, a train game by Martin Wallace. Age of Steam is only the second time Wallace made a train game. It improves on Voldampf (2001) in almost every way.

Age of Steam set the tone for what a mid-to-heavy-weight train game could accomplish. Heck. Case in point, the only designer who could outdo Martin Wallace was Martin Wallace. Even though another Wallace train game tops BGG’s list, Age of Steam still sees play. I’ve seen countless people create new maps, keeping the game alive.

1: Puerto Rico (2002)

Puerto Rico easily takes the top spot. It’s the highest-rated game (on BoardGameGeek) and maintains a spot in the Top 100 games. But more importantly, Puerto Rico may have more influence on how games are designed today than when it was first released. Each round, players take turns selecting a role card from the display. When a role is chosen, every player gets to take the action appropriate to that role, but the player who selected the role also receives a small privilege. For example, choosing the “Builder” role allows all players to construct a building, but the player who chose the role may do so at a discount. So much of modern board game design adapts this concept in exciting ways.

Flamecraft comes to mind. Players upgrade spaces (shops) on the board that benefit everyone at the table, but the player who made the upgrade gets an additional kickback. Having your play benefit or affect someone else’s forces to players to pay attention to what their opponents are doing. Puerto Rico turns up the ante. Everyone gets some variation of the action you choose each turn. This small twist heightens the tension of each choice. Brilliant!


Did we get the list mostly correct? Let us know which games you’d add in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.