Harley Quinn: “The Big Apricot” Review

Published on January 17, 2025January 16, 2025 by KyraLeave a comment

Season’s Thoughts

The Gotham City Sirens break up, Supes is out of a job, Harley and Ivy move to Metropolis and Aisha Tyler appears. Whoa!

I’ll admit I wasn’t sure where they were going to take this season since many major events have already occurred inside Gotham. I won’t say I’m surprised they’re dipping their toes in Metropolis, but it wasn’t at the forefront of my mind. The sudden shift keeps things fresh.

I like the slice-of-life sections that showcase Harley and Ivy doing normal couple things. It helps ground them as characters. Harley mentioned that she was worried her spark with Ivy would fade away, which is a valid fear to have. This want for excitement by attending the Superman Gala in Metropolis is also something Harley would want to do regardless of her relationship status. She thrives off excitement.

The current state of Metropolis is the calm before the storm this season. I won’t spoil the end of “The Big Apricot,” but an iconic character rears their head. I said Supes was out of a job at the beginning of this post. Who knows? He may have a job again very soon. I need to make some phone calls for my neck appointment.

Kyra’s Take

I could’ve used more time with the Gotham City Sirens. The end of Harley Quinn Season Four set up this team dynamic as the Season Five focal point. The Sirens only get a flashback that lasts less than five minutes. That said, “The Big Apricot” is a return to form. Harley Quinn lost its way last season; it finished strong and that included the Gotham City Sirens’ introduction. I’ll take the trade-off of losing this team for Harley Quinn’s original creative team returning.

Furthermore, the Gotham City Sirens were destined to fail. Season Five didn’t waste any time. The show’s move to Metropolis makes sense. That same creative team has done a lot with Gotham City. They sprinkled in a couple of episodes under the sea (King Shark) and in Themyscira (Wonder Woman). A few characters like Lex Luthor hail from Metropolis, but we haven’t yet seen a Harley Quinn episode set in Metropolis.

The shift in cities reminds me of Archer midway through its run. The change for Archer was also needed. Hey! Aisha Tyler was in Archer, too. Tyler portrays Lena Luthor. During this episode, Lena has a positive bend. This could change; Lena Luthor’s morality is malleable. I can’t wait to see what Tyler will do with this role.

I’ll echo Season’s sentiment about the slice-of-life segments. Harley and Ivy may be one of the most relatable couples on television right now. I never thought I would say that, but it’s true. Harley and Ivy are one of the best television couples right now.

We haven’t yet seen Clayface, King Shark, or Bane this season, but each of these characters has been featured in Season Five’s promotions. With Superman gone, there may be more Gotham City transplants in the future. I don’t expect Metropolis to stay pristine.

I won’t spoil the ending either. Let’s just say that it looks like Harley Quinn Season Five will explore Superman’s rogues as much as it did Batman’s rogues in its previous four seasons, and that’s exciting.

Free-To-Play Video Game Review: Marvel Rivals

Published on January 13, 2025January 11, 2025 by Kyra1 Comment

Marvel Rivals takes the Overwatch experience and gives it a Marvel coat of paint. Sure, the developers make a few changes, most notably to the battle pass, but the game remains largely the same. It’s a fun experience. It’s a familiar experience. That’s not always a bad thing. I’m just wondering if Marvel Rivals will get sued by Blizzard.

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. We haven’t done a video game review in some time. We’re taking a break from gacha games and reviewing the 6-player hero shooter Marvel Rivals. A Marvel video game is on-brand for Geekly. It takes a while to play enough of a free-to-play game to get an accurate depiction of how much time it takes to finish a ubiquitous battle pass. Marvel Rivals is no different. Unlike the gachas we’ve covered, Marvel Rivals has little to no story, so we’ll be replacing our two story segments (Narrative and Storytelling) with Connectivity and Online Experience. Here we go.

Mechanisms: 0/10

Originally, I gave Marvel Rivals a four and then a three. Who am I kidding? Marvel Rivals mimics Overwatch in almost every way. Our Mechanisms score measures how much a game pushes the boundaries of a game’s playstyle. In short, have we seen this gameplay before? Yes. Marvel Rivals copies Overwatch’s homework. I settled on a mechanisms score of zero. Even with this poor score, the game’s team-up mechanism single-handedly raises this score. If you choose a character like Thor, Thor can supercharge Captain America’s abilities, and Thor’s powers can also amplify Storm’s. Team-up abilities are not without their drawbacks (more on that in our Online Experience section) but the various team-ups add enough spice to return to Marvel Rivals every so often. It’ll take a long time to play each one. Each character has multiple possible team-up powers.

Marvel Rivals is the first hero shooter to include team-up powers. Many games of this type have synergies between characters but not a direct power. Marvel Rivals adds multiple abilities to each character. I can see this getting overwhelming with a larger roster of characters, but for now, team-up powers are a welcome addition. The rest of the mechanisms are almost exactly like Overwatch.

Hulk—technically named Bruce Banner—plays so similar to D.Va that I already know how to play him. Star-Lord is Soldier 76. Black Widow is Widowmaker; they almost have the same name anyway. Even the hero classifications are the same: Damage (Duelists), Tanks (Vanguards), and Support (Strategists). A well-constructed team will have an even number of all three. I do believe that Overwatch 2 also suggests this team comp, but Marvel Rivals has a higher level of consistency of character roles. Every Support (Strategist) will have the ability to heal. Or at least each Marvel Rivals Strategist has a reliable heal that makes the role easier to play.

Gameplay Loop: 8/10

Above Image from GameDesigning.Org

Overwatch always had a fun gameplay loop; Marvel Rivals is no different. Drop in and play a few matches. You could try various game modes—I did for the purpose of this review—but you can play several rounds of quick play and then call it a day. Most casual players will most likely only play quick play.

And it’s this catering to casual players that raises this score. I’ve seldom played with a pre-constructed team, and the game can still be enjoyable. There are some issues with doing this that I’ll discuss more in the Online Experience section. I can see people who are disengaged with Overwatch (because of its change in monetization and Blizzard’s about-face with canning Overwatch’s story) switching to the new kid Marvel Rivals, but Marvel Rivals uses a similar monetization scheme as Overwatch 2, and I doubt Marvel Rivals will add a story mode. I do like Marvel Rivals’ references to the Marvel comic characters. The game has more references to comics than the MCU. That’s why I don’t think the game will add a story. You can just read the comics.

Marvel Rivals’ arcade modes mirror Overwatch’s. I don’t know how much mileage Marvel Rivals’ competitive scene will get. The team-up abilities can screw up the game’s balance, and Marvel Rivals’ initial thirty-three characters (yeah, there are a ton of launch characters) are—for the most part—balanced for now, but what will happen when Marvel Rivals adds a character ability not already featured in Overwatch? Seriously, Marvel Rivals may have one or two Overwatch character abilities that it hasn’t yet “borrowed.” The devs knew the character abilities were balanced because the characters’ abilities already existed. We’ll have to see what happens in the future.

The Gameplay Loop’s score depends on how satisfying a game is. Overwatch has an addictive gameplay loop, and so does Marvel Rivals. Eight may be a little low.

Respecting Time: 8/10

Marvel Rivals gets right into the fun. Click play, load into a game in less than five seconds, choose your character, and jump into the action. It’s addictive. From the sound of it, Marvel Rivals should get a ten out of ten for Respecting Time. Marvel Rivals just misses a perfect score for one reason: you can’t choose your map or gameplay type in its quick-play mode. This point dovetails into our next section (Battle Pass) but some of the Battle Pass missions require players to defeat enemies as a specific character on a particular map. Ugh!

From a game design and development perspective, I understand why choosing a map or game mode in quick-play isn’t an option. It’ll thin the player pool and make load times longer. But why force me to defeat enemies on a specific map? I had one such mission for Wakanda, and I didn’t get a game based in Wakanda for twenty games. Yikes!

Technically, I didn’t need to complete the mission, but one earns in-game currency for beating Battle Pass missions. This currency allows you to unlock things in the Battle Pass and purchase certain bundles if you don’t choose to buy the Battle Pass. Who doesn’t want to unlock things in a game? And if I see a “mission,” something to work toward, I’m going to try and complete the mission. I believe a lot of gamers are the same way. Either eliminate the stipulation of a specific map for these missions or allow players to choose a map. Choosing maps may make load times slightly longer, but I’d accept a few extra seconds.

Battle Pass: 5/10

I mentioned before that Marvel Rivals doles out Battle Pass currency and after obtaining this currency, players can purchase rewards within the Battle Pass. This in-game currency is called Chrono Tokens. Chrono Tokens—I’ll interchange this term with “purple stuff” because Chrono Tokens are purple coins—can be earned by completing Battle Pass missions. I mentioned this earlier in the Respecting Time segment. As of Season One, the purple stuff will not carry over from one battle pass to the next. It will reset.

Marvel Rivals’ Battle Pass is set up like a comic book. Very thematic. You unlock the ability to purchase from the next page of the Battle Pass by earning enough of the purple stuff—er, Chrono Tokens. You don’t need to spend any of the purple stuff to unlock each page. This gives Marvel Rivals’ Battle Pass a unique, non-linear path for unlocking Battle Pass rewards. Most Battle Passes divvy out a predetermined reward at each level. Marvel Rivals empowers its players by allowing them to pick and choose which rewards they want. There is one huge caveat. Before unlocking the comic book page’s featured skin, you must unlock every other comic book panel’s reward.

Marvel Rivals saw me, and undoubtedly countless other gamers, coming. I intended to unlock the in-game currency and the skin of each page and skip things like sprays, nameplates, and emotes. But most gamers would choose a skin and in-game currency over sprays, nameplates, and the like. Marvel Rivals put the kibosh on that. That’s a bummer. Even so, Marvel Rivals themes each Battle Pass page. The initial Battle Pass’s first page features the Punisher. I don’t play The Punisher that much, so I can skip that page and go to the next one. You can do this with each page that doesn’t strike your fancy. This is a huge plus.

The only reason why I rate Marvel Rivals’ Battle Pass a seven is that I don’t think the battle pass has enough juice. The rewards are lackluster. But that may just be me. Sprays don’t do much for me. You don’t permanently change the landscape. Who cares? Emotes don’t work in this game. If you use them, you don’t intend to play (you’re throwing the game). Victory poses might work better.

Season One doubled the rewards and duration of Season Zero’s battle pass while increasing the purple stuff needed to unlock pages by a small percentage. I was able to complete all pages of Season Zero in four gameplay hours a week. For Season One this may be increased to five hours a week. But with no carryover for the purple stuff from one season to the next, there’s no reason to play more than five hours or so a week. Marvel Rivals is aiming at that casual audience.

True Cost: 7/10

I waffled with this score, but Marvel Rivals deserves a high True Cost. I mentioned two other currencies: Lattice and Units. Lattice is the only in-game Marvel Rivals currency that you can buy with real-world money.

The Battle Pass costs 1000 Lattice (100 Lattice costs $1, so that equates to $10). You can earn 600 Lattice (which is the “gold stuff”) per Battle Pass, so if you don’t spend Lattice on any other in-game purchases, you could buy a Battle Pass with the gold stuff you’ve earned but that’s a little better than every other Battle Pass being free. I don’t care for that. I like the idea of buying one’s first Battle Pass and having the option of unlocking your next one for free if you unlock everything and don’t spend the purchasable currency. That’s a ding to Marvel Rivals’ True Cost score.

A bigger ding comes from Marvel Rivals’ other in-game currency, Units (or the “blue stuff.”) Players can exchange Lattice for Units at a one-to-one rate. This is where Marvel Rivals makes its money. The game offers plenty of bundles but most of them cost around 2000 Units. You could “earn” the blue stuff but a player’s ability to earn the blue stuff is even worse than a player’s ability to earn the purple stuff; you could be waiting several months to build up enough for 2000 Units. As of this write-up, I have just over 1000, and I unlocked everything that granted Units. That’d be months of waiting for a single bundle. This forces players who want to get a limited-time bundle to invest in the gold stuff. So, you could drop $20 on each of these bundles, and this is Marvel, so there are a ton of bundles.

Fortunately, I don’t see much in the way of pay-to-win skins in Marvel Rivals. You can ignore Units or the Lattice to Units conversion, but many players won’t. Children may be the most susceptible. Be careful. Don’t fall down the rabbit hole of “I ‘NEED’ that specialty Spider-Man skin and the Wolverine one and the Hulk one…and the.”

Still, Marvel Rivals receives an above-average True Cost score because you don’t need to buy any cosmetics to be competitive. You don’t even need to purchase any heroes or villains, and that’s rare for a hero shooter. Marvel Rivals may be the only hero shooter to have all its thirty-three launch characters (and two newly released characters, Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman) available to anyone who logs in the first time. That could be why most of the skins are $20; Marvel Rivals doesn’t charge for unlocking characters.

Connectivity: 7/10

I didn’t experience too many issues logging into and staying logged into Marvel Rivals. I don’t know if it matters, but I played primarily on Playstation5. Note: I appreciate the ability to checkmark if I want to be loaded in with PC players or not and I believe the option exists on the other side for PC players not pairing with console players. But even if I didn’t have connectivity issues, I noticed that many of my teammates did. Every third or fourth game, I’d see a notification that a player lost connectivity. So, this is a known issue with Marvel Rivals, even if I didn’t personally experience it. Every third or fourth game is common enough to lower Marvel Rivals’ Connectivity score a tad.

Online Experience: 2/10

Marvel Rivals’ online experience will also mirror Overwatch’s. You’ll have quitters (most people refuse to leave the game because they’ll get penalized, but they stand there doing nothing, so you’re one player short). You’ll have people who insist on playing Wolverine because they just bought a $20 skin for him and refuse to switch characters, even though we already have four other Duelists on the squad, and I can’t play a tank and a healer at the same time. And then if you’re like me and you tend to play support of some persuasion, you’ll get yelled at because you aren’t healing people fast enough and they’ll call you trash if you remind them that healing would go a lot faster with a second healer. So, Marvel Rivals becomes the usual online multiplayer game cesspool.

Marvel Rivals is your usual online multiplayer shooter. These games breed toxic players, and yet the Marvel Rivals devs have learned nothing from previous games. There’s no means (yet) of reporting toxic players. There isn’t an ignore list either, meaning you could block yourself from playing with a certain player in the future. And the devs put way too much trust in their AI. That inactivity that I mentioned (where players will, for the most part stand there) gets tracked by AI. It doesn’t take long for a player to stand perfectly still before receiving a warning and get booted. I received a warning when I grabbed a soda in between rounds once. It’s that fast. But technically, all you must do is move your character a little bit. Players figure this out quickly. AI doesn’t work. There needs to be a reporting system. Nothing beats flesh-and-blood monitoring.

But wait, there’s more. Remember those team-up abilities I mentioned earlier? Yeah. They’re fun in concept but not in practice. Your teammates will demand you play a specific character, even if you’re unfamiliar with the one character they want you to play with from the thirty-three launch characters because they picked another specific character. I don’t know how many times I would pick someone like Mantis, and then someone would yell at me because I picked the wrong healer. Idiot! You should pick Cloak and Dagger as a healer because they have a special ability with Moon Knight, who I picked. I’ll tell them that I’m unfamiliar with Cloak and Dagger’s play style. Then, they refuse to change who they’re playing to match Mantis. I must change. They’re the main character. Yeah, Marvel Rivals can get an extra layer of toxicity.

User Interface: 5/10

Marvel Rivals’ user interface works well enough in-game. It looks like Overwatch’s. I know I say that a lot, but it’s true. I can’t stress enough that Marvel Rivals is Overwatch with a Marvel coat of paint. I dock Marvel Rivals a few points in the user interface score because the out-of-game menus are difficult to navigate.

Again, like Overwatch, Marvel Rivals has a robust statistics page. These pages are more difficult to find, and the information is more convoluted to parse than Overwatch’s. There’s also a lot going on with the game menus. Because Marvel Rivals “borrows” so much from Overwatch, it integrates a lot of the systems that were developed over what’s almost a decade ago and then adds enough tweaks to throw off anyone who would know Overwatch’s menu system. Players unfamiliar with Overwatch’s menu may need a tutorial of Marvel Rivals’ menus.

Graphics and Audio: 4/10

I feel like I’ve been here before. Many of Marvel Rivals’ maps are eerily similar to Overwatch’s. I know. I know. You’ve made a game out of how many times I’ve mentioned Overwatch by now. I lost count. I didn’t know where to mention the maps, so I added them here. Graphics and Audio works because I believe some of the set pieces look identical to Overwatch. At least with some of the other game elements, you may see the occasional difference. The map layouts feel the same.

A Graphics and Audio score isn’t going to fare well when you—let’s say it together—take Overwatch and add a Marvel coat of paint. Overwatch is an eight-year-old game. While nice enough to look at, Marvel Rivals uses an art style that’s eight years old. The graphics get an average score at best.

And the announcer’s voice (Galacta) is the three-way lovechild of nails on a chalkboard, a yelp, and a yodel. I don’t care for escorting the payload matches in Overwatch, but Galacta wailing, “Better stop that vehicle” makes me want to jam a number two pencil in my ears. The rest of the voice actors work well enough, so this score ends up being average.

Aggregated Score: 5.11

Despite its obvious inspiration—ahem, Overwatch, ahem (got another mention in there)—Marvel Rivals does a lot for the progression of Battle Passes. I like how you can pick and choose which rewards you want from its Battle Pass instead of a Battle Pass’s usual linear progression. The game’s use of the comic history over the MCU is another nice touch. The team-up abilities, while overblown and could lead to future balancing issues, work well and shake up the Overwatch formula.

Marvel Rivals doesn’t force players to buy characters. So much of a hero shooter’s commerce comes from buying characters. Instead, Marvel Rivals milks players if they want a cool skin. And they offer an avalanche of cool skins.

Tabletop Game Review: Sushi Boat

Published on January 11, 2025March 23, 2025 by KyraLeave a comment

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. It might be a little early for another tabletop game review, but we’re catching up on some of the backlog. Today’s review is one with a high toy factor (a board game with plenty of toy-like features): Sushi Boat.

Sushi Boat leans into its theme; the board is a sushi conveyor belt. Each turn, players perform their choice of actions, including taking plates of sushi off the revolving belt on the board, paying staff tiles for special effects, or buying side dishes. As they eat, players stack plates in front of them. Players score points by eating off matching (color) plates and for eating a variety of sushi types (set collection). The Wasabi Challenge shakes things up by adding a memory component that can swing the victory.

Before we get any further, we’ll set the table and discuss Sushi Boat details.

The Fiddly Bits

Designer: Dario Massarenti, Francesco Testini
Publisher: Japanime Games
Date Released: 2023
Number of Players: 2-5
Age Range: 9 and up
Setup Time: 15-20 minutes
Play Time: 30-75 minutes

Game Mechanisms
Memory
Set Collection
Worker Placement

Game Setup

Place the wooden sushi boat board (with a built-in “conveyor belt”); this board is the central visual element and will draw a crowd when placed on the board.

Mix the Staff tiles and randomly place 1 on each Staff space (these are pictured in the rulebook). Place all of the Wasabi cubes in the Wasabi Bowl (Sushi Boat includes ceramic bowls; the production value is insane). Each player chooses a color and takes the matching pawn and player mat. Place all of the Yen in the change tray (again, a ceramic tray), this is the bank. Give each player 2 Yen; players place their Yen on their player mats.

Put all the colored Plates in the bag and mix them well, leaving the white plates to the side for now. Then, randomly draw Plates and add them to the conveyor belt area of the board one at a time until the board is full. Then, draw 3 more plates and add them to the Trash beside the board. After filling the game board, add the white Sushi Plates to the bag and mix them in.

Separate the 4 Wasabi cards from the Side Dish cards and set them aside for the moment. Shuffle the Side cards. Then, depending on the number of players in the game, you will discard cards at random from this deck. Then, set aside a number of Side Dish cards equal to the number of players. Add the Wasabi cards to the Side Dish cards and shuffle them well. Create a face-down draw deck near the game board, and finally, place the Side Dish cards you set aside (not the discarded ones) and add them to the top of the face-down draw deck.

Game Flow

Beginning with the starting player, you’ll take turns going to the left. On your turn, you do the following steps in order:

1) You must turn over the top card of the Side Dish deck and refill the Sushi Boat
2) You must move your pawn to an empty seat
3) You may perform one action (from a selection of 3)
4) You must eat sushi

Let’s talk about the different steps in detail.

1) “You must turn over the top card of the Side Dish deck and refill the Sushi Boat.”

We’ll set the Wasabi card aside for the time being; they’re their own beast. Every other Side Dish card will have a symbol in the top right-hand corner. This will tell you how many sushi plates you’ll need to add to the belt. At the bottom, you’ll find effect text; this will give you a special ability if you choose to purchase the card (in a later step) and then use the card.

Wasabi Challenge:
The game stops temporarily. Each player tries to guess the color of the 2 plates hidden in the tunnel at the back of the Sushi Boat. First, take all of the Plates in the Trash and return them to the bag, mixing them well.

Then, each player takes 2 Wasabi Cubes from the bowl and secretly places them on their player mat to mark the colors they think match the hidden Plates. You may place both Wasabi Cubes on the same color if you think both Plates are that color. Finally, add Plates to the board until the two hidden Plates are fully revealed (this will most likely push some Plates into the Trash).

Each player compares their guess to the 2 Plates that were revealed. For each color you guessed correctly, you keep that Wasabi Cube. Any Wasabi Cubes on incorrect guesses get returned to the Wasabi Bowl.

2) “You must move your pawn to an empty seat”

You must move your pawn every turn. You can move it to any seat on the board that isn’t already occupied. But you could pay another player 1 Yen to return their pawn to their player board, so you can claim their seat.

3) “You may perform one action” (from a selection of 3)

A) Visit the Staff: If you’re on a space with a staff member, you can pay 1 Yen to perform their special ability.
B) Buy the top Side Dish: Pay 1 Yen to buy the top card of the Side Dish deck; this will most likely be the card you revealed at the beginning of your turn. Note: Players cannot buy Wasabi Challenge cards.
C) Take 1 Yen from the bank.

4) “You must eat sushi”

Take the Plate from the conveyor belt space that is next to the seat your pawn is on. Typically, you will add these plates to the top of your stack of Sushi Plates. (Some Side Dish Cards allow you to break this rule.)

Play continues like this until the Side Dish Deck runs out. When this happens, the game ends. Players score points for the number of consecutive-colored plates in a row, minus 1. So, a stack of 4 red plates would be worth 3 points. You may have multiple stacks of colored plates. (White plates don’t count for or against a consecutive-colored plate stack.) Then, you add up the sets of sushi you claimed (the unique sushi dishes depicted on the plate; there are 7 sushi types). After that, players get bonuses for playing the most Side Dish cards and some Side Dish cards add a victory point. Finally, each Wasabi Cube is worth 1 point each.

Whoever has the most points wins.

Review

Sushi Boat is a great game with an immense toy factor. This game’s production value is over the top. It may even be too nice—if there is such a thing. Ceramic bowls? Are you kidding me? My oldest daughter just returned from Japan and had plenty of real Yen to replace the punchboard Yen included with the game. Even without that, Sushi Boat has fantastic components.

Sushi Boat balances its elements well. I didn’t think memory and worker placement would work, but it does. I’ve found that younger players (ahem, children, ahem) have an advantage during Wasabi Challenges. I tend to focus on the mechanical aspects of the game like special abilities (through the staff and Side Dish cards) and forget to keep track of which plates have slid under the tunnel. This is the one aspect I’ve found most children gravitating toward. This typically gives a child player an extra three or four points.

Speaking of the tunnel and the titular sushi boat, the sushi boat looks fantastic. Sliding Sushi Plates across the “conveyor belt” feels great. I’ve even visited a sushi boat restaurant since playing this game. They use colored plates to tally your bill. Ingenious. And that’s what Sushi Boat’s central board is, too. Ingenious.

The one negative I’ve found is the setup and rules explanation. I’m not lying when I cited the setup time in “Fiddly Bits” as “15-20 minutes.” That’s a little long for Sushi Boat’s weight and game length. I almost feel compelled to play more than one game at a time. The rules explanation for new players can also take a little extra time than what I’d like for a game of Sushi Boat’s length, too. But retaining the rules from one play to the next is easy. Barely an inconvenience. The actions that players perform in Sushi Boat are so thematic that it makes it easier to relearn the game, even if you haven’t played in months.

Verdict

Setup and initial rules explanation can be on the long side, but the effort is well worth it for a game this thematic. While an odd combination, the game’s mechanisms work well together and level the playing field for children. And the board. Look at the board!

Top 5 Tabletop Games from 1986-1987

Published on January 6, 2025March 23, 2025 by Kyra15 Comments

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. Back with another Top 5 Tabletop Games. 1986 and 1987 have a lot more games for us to choose from. These two years may have too many games to talk about. Why couldn’t some of these games be released over the previous two years? Ugh! This is a good problem to have. I may have at least one honorable mention this year. Let’s talk board games.

But first, in case you’ve forgotten our criteria for the Top 5 Tabletop Games, let’s reiterate the ground rules again before we get started.

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.

**5: Outburst (1986)**

Outburst plays a bit like Family Feud. Two teams compete over multiple rounds to reach 60 points by guessing items listed on a Topic Card within a time limit. Outburst’s simple concept puts it firmly in the party game category, and games like this bring people into the hobby of tabletop games. And they can just be fun.

Outburst was featured in Games magazine’s Best Games of 1988. Scott Marley praised Outburst for its clever topics and team-based gameplay. Marley concluded that “Though Outburst is easy to learn, many topics are too hard—and occasionally too spicy—for children.” This may have prompted 1989’s Outburst Junior.

**4: Fireball Island (1986)**

I remember getting the original Fireball Island for Christmas in 1986. The box is ginormous. The plastic game board had undulating paths where the titular fireballs (marbles) would travel down and knock players down, causing the player to lose any items. The object of Fireball Island is to escape the island with the jewel, which players must steal from the top of the Vul-Kar’s mountain. Fireball Island only has one jewel, so once a player grabs it, they become the target of others. And boy, do they become a target.

Players are incentivized to knock the jewel out of the hands of the player who possesses it. The reimagining of Fireball Island by Restoration Games in 2018 doesn’t place as much emphasis on the jewel. Players can win by other means. Unsponsored quick plug: Restoration Games does great work. They’ve brought back many games on this list and even a couple of honorable mentions like Dark Tower (from the 1980-1981 list) and Thunder Road (which just missed this list).

**3: The Fury of Dracula (1987)**

I mentioned a few lists ago (1983-1984) that Scotland Yard inspired many asymmetric games with hidden movement; The Fury of Dracula is one of the most prominent. I like the theme, but the name “Fury” is a bit of a misnomer. Dracula travels on a hidden board while the hunters move across the game board openly and try to deduce where Dracula is, all the while collecting the means with which to slay Dracula (stakes, garlic, and holy water). The Fury of Dracula ends with an epic showdown.

The Fury of Dracula has been updated multiple times. The second edition changes a lot of the gameplay, while the third edition streamlines the rules to make it easier to play and get into. 2019’s Fourth Edition of The Fury of Dracula gave the game a facelift; it didn’t change much in the way of gameplay. I recommend either the third or fourth editions.

**2: Labyrinth (1986)**

Not to be confused with the 1946 marble game, Labyrinth, which was originally stylized as THE aMAZEing LABYRINTH, uses a 7×7 grid where tiles get placed on one end of a column or row and displaces the tile on the opposite side of the column or row, hence the German name for the game Das verrückte Labyrinth, which is a pun on the German words “ errücken” (displace) and “verrückt” (crazy).

Players move their pieces along the ever-shifting path. Many of the tiles will have treasures printed on them. These treasures will match the cards dealt to players at the beginning of the game. The first player to obtain all the treasures in their deck wins. Labyrinth looks simple at first, but it gets puzzlely real fast. It’s a great problem-solving game for children, but when played by adults, the game can become more strategic and cutthroat. Labyrinth’s shifting tiles is one of the most unique game mechanisms from this era.

Returning to the naming, I wonder if Labyrinth avoided calling itself that in 1986 to avoid a lawsuit or confusion with Jim Henson’s Labyrinth movie that was released the same year. I remember a Labyrinth marble game variant tying into the movie that year.

**1: Arkham Horror (1987)**

I didn’t realize how old Arkham Horror was until I started compiling this list. Designer Richard Launius originally submitted the concept as Call of Cthulhu: The Board Game. This won’t be the first time Launius will make a game based on H.P. Lovecraft. He made a faster-pace, dice version of Arkham Horror in Elder Sign. Launius may be the person most responsible for making H.P. Lovecraft so popular in tabletop gaming. Arkham Horror is an early, thematic cooperative board game. Before Arkham Horror, I don’t recall seeing too many popular cooperative board games.

Because of this, Arkham Horror introduced a lot of staple cooperative board game concepts. Not the least of which is a “Doom Track.” Players work against the clock before the Ancient One breaks through its plane and into Arkham. Come to think of it, a game clock—of one persuasion or another—exists in most cooperative board games. Launius reinvented Arkham Horror into a Living Card Game in 2005.

Did we get the list right, for the most part? I didn’t mention Blood Bowl (1987); I’ll mention it here as another honorable mention. Let us know which games you’d add in the comments. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Check out the other lists in this series:
Top 5 Tabletop Games Prior to the 1930s
Top 5 Tabletop Games of the 1930s
Top 5 Tabletop Games of the 1940s-50s
Top 5 Tabletop Games from the Early 1960s
Top 5 Tabletop Games from the Late 1960s
Top 5 Tabletop Games from the Early 1970s
Top 5 Tabletop Games from 1980-1981
Top 5 Tabletop Games from 1982-1983
Top 5 Tabletop Games from 1984-1985
Top 5 Tabletop Games from 1988-1989
Top 5 Tabletop Games from 1990-1991

DC Universe (DCU) 2025 Preview

Published on January 4, 2025January 2, 2025 by KyraLeave a comment

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. Geekly hasn’t covered any movies or television series recently and it’s the new year, so let’s talk about the properties being released by DC Comics Studios in 2025. Full disclosure: I haven’t purchased a Max account yet; I’m woefully behind on most DC Comics-related television series. But I plan on signing up for Max soon, and there’s plenty of a back catalog to watch. Yay!

Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be as much for the DCU on Max in 2025 as in 2024. Our first property on this list was supposed to be released in late 2024 but was pushed back to January 2025. Let’s see what I’ll be binging as soon as I sign up for Max.

Harley Quinn (Season 5) (On Max Starting January, 16 2025)

Harley Quinn has lasted five seasons? My goodness!

Harley Quinn looks like a show I’d enjoy. It follows Harley’s exploits after she breaks up with The Joker. She discovers who she is without Mr. J and meets a lot of Arkham’s colorful characters along the way. The cast elevates this premise even more. Kaley Cuoco (of The Big Bang Theory) portrays Harley, while long-time voice actor Lake Bell takes on the role of Poison Ivy. Throw in Alan Tudyk as the Joker, Ron (Bunches of) Funches as King Shark, Tony Hale as Doctor Psycho, and Jason Alexander as Sy Borgman, and you’ve got yourself a party.

As I said, Harley Quinn’s Season 5 was supposed to be released in December 2024. The DCU must’ve thought that would make Max’s end-of-year schedule too tight. Creature Commandos began airing on December 5, 2024. I’ll have to add Creature Commandos to my laundry list of shows to binge.

Unlike the MCU, which shows its roadmap of titles for the following five or six years (mild exaggeration), the DCU keeps its schedule a mystery. Max didn’t even announce that Harley Quinn Season 5 was pushed back. It just vanished from Max’s December lineup with no warning. Mid-way through December 2024, it popped back up with a January, 16 2025 release. This will be a recurring issue with the DCU.

Superman: Legacy (In Theaters July 11, 2025)

As of December 14, 2024, Superman: Legacy was the only 2025 DCU release with an official release date of July 11, 2025. I’ve got a second one that I know the exact release date for. XD

The new DC Universe rides on the success of its first entry, Superman: Legacy. No pressure.

Fortunately, Superman: Legacy has a lot going for it. I trust James Gunn as a writer and director of comic book movies. Gunn used All-Star Superman as inspiration for the film. That’s another vote of confidence. (Note: Jim Plath made a Superman Starter Stories post several years ago, and All-Star Superman made his list; see what other stories made his list.) DC Studios cast a relative no-name to portray Superman/Clark Kent; I’m glad they resisted the urge to cast a big name. And the rest of the cast holds plenty of accomplished actors. My favorite may have to be Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner. This ought to be fun.

Superman: Legacy also precedes any other major DCU release. Man of Steel followed in the footsteps of The Dark Knight (not even the first movie of the Dark Knight Trilogy) and felt as if it had to mimic the Nolanverse’s vibe. The rest of the DCEU kept that same energy for too long. I know that The Dark Knight didn’t officially take part in the DCEU, but the DCEU maintained the Nolanverse grit, whether the characters warranted it or not. Superman: Legacy is a much better choice to anchor the DCU.

I’m excited for Superman: Legacy. I hope it goes well and that the DCU can become more than an afterthought to the MCU. DC Comics has way too many great characters to be overshadowed for long. But I’m also nervous about Superman: Legacy. It needs to be a hit.

Peacemaker (Season 2) (On Max Starting August 2025)

Peacemaker Season was a huge success. Like many other titles on this list, I have yet to watch it. More binging! John Cena returns as the titular Peacemaker. Season one’s premise sounds interesting. Peacemaker joins a black ops squad, “Project Butterfly,” as it identifies and eliminates parasitic butterfly-like creatures who have taken over human bodies around the world.

Peacemaker served as a “soft reboot” for the 2021 DCEU movie Suicide Squad. Showrunner James Gunn postponed the second season because of his involvement in the Superman movie. This time, we have a month for Peacemaker Season 2’s release, and we know that Peacemaker’s second season can’t be released until after Superman in July 2025 because the events in Peacemaker Season 2 directly follow Superman. Think of this season as the bridge between the old DCEU and the new DCU. Fingers are crossed for a great DCU one-two punch.

Sandman (Season 2) (On Netflix Sometime in 2025)

We have no idea when Sandman Season 2 will be released, but it will most likely be released sometime in 2025. And there may be a good reason for this delay: Sandman writer Neil Gaiman’s allegations of sexual assault. Gaiman denies any wrongdoing. He’s innocent until he is proven guilty. I don’t want to get into detail about his legal issues here.

I don’t know exactly why Netflix has delayed Sandman Season 2’s release or given it a month for its release, but I wager it’s because Netflix wants to wait and see how Gaiman’s legal battle goes. Netflix canceled Dead Boy Detectives, another show based on a Gaiman-penned DC comic book, shortly after the allegations in July 2024, but that was because Dead Boy Detectives didn’t get enough viewers. Sandman Season 1 received plenty of viewers.

I was looking forward to Sandman Season 2, but that was before these allegations came to light. It’s difficult to separate art from the artist. It’s even more difficult to ignore allegations when (as of this writing) five women have accused Neil Gaiman of sexual assault.

Deep breath.

Let’s get back to Sandman. Despite what some viewers claimed, Sandman’s first season stayed true to the source material. Kirby made an excellent Death, likewise for Mason Alexander Park as Desire. The rest of the cast was fantastic. I didn’t think anyone could effectively pull off Morpheus. Tom Sturridge gives a solid performance. Did the first season take some liberties? Yes. But the heart of the story remained the same. Sandman Season 2 was my most anticipated DC Comics project for this year, and that includes a year with a Superman movie.

Okay. I was stoked about Superman: Legacy, too.

That’s all I have for now. Let me know your thoughts on the upcoming DCU movies and television shows. See you soon. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Getting Into Comics: Magneto Starter Stories

Published on December 30, 2024December 4, 2024 by KyraLeave a comment

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. Today is my youngest daughter’s birthday. Happy 24^th birthday! One more year and you can rent a car. Is that still true? Anyway, I wanted to bring back the comic book starter stories and asked her which character she’d like me to cover this week. She answered Magneto.

You heard the girl. Geekly will be covering its first comic book starter stories for a supervillain. We may have some growing pains with this topic. Villains are a little more difficult to recommend starter stories for, but I’ll do my best. The following list should give you an idea of which stories you should read to get to know Magneto better.

Single Issues

We’re doing this list a little differently than prior starter comic book stories. We’ll start with single issues and then move on to story arcs that consist of multiple comic books.

Uncanny X-Men #1

(written by Stan Lee/art by Jack Kirby; 1963)

This first entry cheats a little bit. Uncanny X-Men #1 is the first appearance of Magneto and the X-Men. Since the issue does double duty and sets up Magneto and the X-Men, there’s less of a focus on him as the main villain, but Uncanny X-Men #1 does a great job of showing Magneto as a formidable foe.

You don’t have to break the bank to read the first X-Men story. Marvel has reprinted it plenty of times. You should even be able to read Uncanny X-Men #1 for free online. If you did want to own a physical copy, Uncanny X-Men #1 would cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars. X-Men didn’t have the warmest of receptions when it first launched. This makes the comic rare and valuable. Ka-ching!

I, Magneto

(Uncanny X-Men #150, written by Chris Claremont/art by Glynis Wein, Dave Cockrum, Dan Crespi, and Tom Orzechowski; 1981)

Magneto started out wanting a world where mutants dominated over inferior homo sapiens, but in “I, Magneto,” Magneto sets out for what he wanted all along, to become everyone’s leader. In this story, Magneto wants no less than the planet making him the world’s leader.

Magneto enlists the help of a series of supercomputers, but when those computers begin to explode, Magneto becomes furious. Kitty Pryde has been blowing up his computers by phasing through them. In a fit of rage, Magneto nearly kills her. Magneto sees a lot of himself in Kitty Pryde, since they have a similar heritage. When Magneto sees himself as the monster he’s turned into, he realizes that he isn’t fit to lead the world.

The Trial of Magneto

(Uncanny X-Men #200, written by Chris Claremont/art John Romita Jr.; 1985)

Claremont does a great job with the Uncanny X-Men’s bicentennial issue. As the name suggests (“The Trial of Magneto”), Magneto is on trial for former acts as a “mutant terrorist.” While he stands trial, unknown terrorists leave behind a calling card, “Free Magneto – X-Men.” Professor X sees this message and suddenly falls ill. Cyclops believes Charles is possibly dying.

The terrorist acts serve as a distraction so the Von Strucker twins can attack the court and exact vengeance against Magneto. This puts everyone in the courtroom in danger. Magneto saves everyone in the building. This shows the judge Magneto’s humanity. The scuffle results in Professor X suffering a heart attack. Magneto saves Charles, but Charles insists that he can no longer care for the X-Men. He asks Magneto to take his place.

If you’ve seen the X-Men ’97 cartoon on Disney+, many of these story elements will sound familiar in “The Trial of Magneto.” This story showcases Magneto’s propensity for being a hero.

Story Arcs

X-Men: Magneto Testament #1-5

(written by Greg Pak/art by Carmine DI Giandomenico 2008-2009)

Magneto Testament fleshes out Magneto’s childhood story. This five-issue miniseries doesn’t pull any punches. It shows us Magneto as a young boy surviving the Nazi death machine. As a result, Magneto Testament is one of the bleakest stories Marvel Comics has ever published. It’s also poignant.

Magneto Testament explores what made Magneto the man he is today. X-Men: First Class may dip its toe into this origin, but Magneto Testament digs deeper. This is one of the best Magneto stories ever written and a must if you want to understand Magneto.

X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills

(written by Chris Claremont/art by Brent Anderson; 1982)

I know this story also made our “X-Men Starter Stories” post years ago (here’s a link to that list if you’re interested), but Magneto is an X-Men villain, so there’s bound to be some crossover.

Many consider God Loves, Man Kills the defining X-Men arc, and they may be right. Humanity is the main villain. Humans, through the machinations of William Stryker, launch a scheme to rid the world of mutants. Magneto learns this while investigating the deaths of two mutant children. Magneto then joins forces with the X-Men.

God Loves, Man Kills establishes Magneto’s willingness to do anything to protect mutantkind, even if that means joining forces with his enemies. Stories like God Loves, Man Kills do a lot to deepen Magneto as a character.

Mutant Genesis

(X-Men #1-7, written by John Byrne and Chris Claremont/art by Jim Lee; 1991)

Before Mutant Genesis, Magneto lost his way. He even ran the X-Men and New Mutants for a time. (See the above write-up for “The Trial of Magneto.”) While these storylines helped to humanize the X-Men’s greatest villain, Mutant Genesis brings Magneto back to his roots. He has returned as a powerful villain. During this arc, we see how Magneto’s powers are slowly driving him insane.

But Magneto isn’t alone in his insanity. Mutant Genesis introduces Magneto’s team of Acolytes. These Acolytes pose a huge threat to humanity and even mutant-kind. It also doesn’t help that long-time X-Men begin questioning their loyalty to Professor X’s cause. Mutant Genesis is the final story seminal X-Men scribe Chris Claremont wrote for the series. Without Claremont, the X-Men would not have become the household names they are today.

Planet X

(New X-Men #146-150, written by Grant Morrison/art by Phil Jimenez; 2003-2004)

Magneto disguises himself as Xorn, one of the X-Men’s most trusted members at the time. The X-Men had thought that they had rescued Xorn from a Chinese prison, but it was a ruse. Magneto worked with the Chinese government to infiltrate the X-Men. At the time Magneto was believed dead, making this reveal even more shocking. Planet X shows how clever Magneto can be when putting an elaborate plan into action. This story did a lot for Magneto’s legacy.

As Magneto is the X-Men’s oldest enemy, no one could imagine that he could disguise himself well enough to fool his enemies. In classic mastermind fashion, Magneto didn’t reveal his identity until the time was just right.

There are so many other stories that I could’ve included here. I’m sure I missed one or two, or three hundred. Let me know which Magneto stories you’d choose instead. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Tabletop Game Review: SiXeS

Published on December 28, 2024March 23, 2025 by Kyra2 Comments

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. We haven’t done too many tabletop game reviews over the past several years—before our Marvel United review last month (here’s the link for that review if you missed it). Today’s review is a much shorter game, but one that packs a punch: SiXeS.

Played over six rounds, SiXeS is a party game where players predict what their opponents will write that will match—or not match—depending on whether you’re in a “match” round or a “unique” round. The player with the most points after six rounds, wins.

Before we proceed, we’ll prep the party and discuss SiXeS’s details.

The Fiddly Bits

Designer: Steven Poelzing and Rick Soued
Publisher: Eagle-Gryphon Games and Hobby World
Date Released: 2016
Number of Players: 3-8
Age Range: 12 and up
Setup Time: Less than a minute
Play Time: 15-20 minutes

Game Mechanisms

Party Game
Card Game
Word Game

Game Setup

SiXeS consists of three decks of cards: “Match,” “Unique,” and “Lightning” decks and a scoring pad. Each player gets a sheet from the scoring pad and a writing utensil. Shuffle all three decks. Each card is double-sided with one side easier than the other. SiXeS’s rulebook shows which side to use for each round.

You’ll also need a means to keep time; you can use a minute-long sand timer (SiXeS doesn’t include one) or set your phone’s timer for a minute. Some of the rest of “Game Setup” can fall under “Game Flow,” so let’s continue with the next section.

Game Flow

On the scorecard, you’ll find rounds 1-6 marked. Each round has spaces for six answers. Play begins with a “Match” card. After the timer starts, players will think of things that fit the category’s criteria (this will be the word or words printed on the card). For instance, a category like “Sandwiches” can yield answers like “Peanut Butter and Jelly,” “Hero,” or even “Knuckle.” You’re going to have to match at least one other person’s answer at the table, so you may not want to get fancy with which words you use during a “Match” round.

Players find out if they matched anyone else at the table by sharing their answers. You receive a point for each answer that matches another player. If all six of your answers have at least one match, you receive a “Crooked Six.” That’s a seven. You get seven points if you match all six answers. I guess the designers wanted to maintain SiXeS’s theme by calling a seven a “Crooked Six.”

The objective changes with “Unique” rounds. “Unique” rounds play a lot like Scattergories, but you aren’t forced to begin each of your answers with the same letter. In “Unique” rounds, you receive points for each answer that matches no one at the table. You can also earn a “Crooked Six” if no one else puts down your valid answer.

The final card type, “Lightning” has six different categories. You will answer each category in the order in which they appear on the card, and players will try to match answers with at least one other player at the table.

The player with the most points at the end of six rounds wins.

Review

SiXeS resembles Scattegories but with a twist. I like how the rounds vary. As a result, I find it easier to continue playing multiple rounds of SiXeS over Scattegories.

I have yet to play a game of SiXeS that doesn’t include someone getting miffed that no one else chose their cromulent answer or at least one round ending with multiple people unable to fill in all six spots on their scorecard. SiXeS can be frustrating at times but also engages a group of gamers. It’s a great ice-breaker game. It fits into the party game category and a “getting-to-know-you” game. I can see companies using SiXeS as a morale-building tool.

SiXeS’s box says you can play 3-8 players. I wouldn’t recommend three players. Four and five players can be a lot of fun, but SiXeS’s works the best at higher player counts. There’s nothing preventing someone from playing SiXeS with more than eight players. No one’s stopping you from handing out extra scorecards and writing utensils.

That said, beyond the eight-player mark is where SiXeS either becomes super easy and super hard, depending on the round. Matching one out of ten or eleven players would be easy—too easy—but coming up with a unique answer among ten or eleven players can be nearly impossible. I’d stick to as close to eight players as I can. You could convince me into a nine or ten-player game of SiXeS, but the game begins to crumble under the weight of eleven or more players.

Verdict

Easy to learn and fast to play with great replayability, SiXeS gives Scattegories a much-needed twist. It’s also highly portable. I won’t mind taking SiXeS with me on future trips.

Top 10 Classic Christmas Films

Published on December 25, 2024April 1, 2025 by Skye2 Comments

Hello, and Merry Christmas to you. This is Skye once again and thank you for inviting me back to the platform for another holiday update. This time, it’s Christmas, so what better way to celebrate than with movies?

Trust me, I went through a lot of movies to pick out my favorites. With that being said, this list will also include animated Christmas specials. I know this post is called “Top 10 Classic Christmas Films,” but I wanted to make sure all my bases were covered. Some of those specials deserve praise, too. Now, let’s get on with the list.

10. The Polar Express

This may be a controversial choice, but bear in mind, it’s number 10 for a reason. I don’t deny this movie has problems. It absolutely does. From the wonky mo-cap animation to the overused action sequences, this movie isn’t perfect. At the same time, it can be beautiful.

When the girl’s ticket is flying across the winter landscape, it’s genuinely impressive to watch. Also, some of the environments can be grand when shot properly. However, the most enduring part of the film is its message. It’s not the most original message, but they tackle it in such a complex way that it still sticks with me.

So, while flawed, The Polar Express has earned a spot on this list.

9. Home Alone

Much like The Polar Express, this movie is difficult for me to defend. It often doesn’t know what tone it wants to convey, is awkward at times, and can be overly childish. To that same end, there are some genuinely heartfelt moments.

There isn’t a single bad performance in the film from any actor (even Macaulay Culkin), plus the chemistry Kevin has with his mother helps ground the film to its holiday roots. Overall, it’s uneven, goofy, and mean, but it also has a John Williams score. That’s the main reason this film beat out The Polar Express. You just can’t beat John Williams.

I reviewed Home Alone on my blog last Friday, so click here if you’d like to see my more detailed thoughts.

8. The Rankin/Bass Specials

Our first Christmas specials. Yes: specials plural. I’m including both Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town! in this slot, because they’re both of equal value. Why are they so low on the list? They’re still corny and random, y’all.

Both specials are weird and only created to give us the origin behind the songs. Also, both make little sense in hindsight. Some things are thrown in for the sake of padding the runtime, but I can’t help feeling Christmas-y whenever I see them. Despite their flaws, you can’t say they don’t remind you of Christmas. We all watched the Rankin/Bass Christmas Specials as kids, and we’re gonna show them to our kids too.

Because of that, this list would feel naked without them.

7. A Christmas Carol

I know what you’re thinking: “Which one?” Honestly, all of them. Don’t get me wrong, none of them are perfect, but what I love is the concept. It’s so powerful that everyone wants to give their take on it from the Muppets to Mickey Mouse to Robert Zemeckis. That last one might need some therapy.

Richard Donner threw his hat in the ring with Scrooged, The Looney Tunes did their own rendition, George C. Scott gave us a subtle Scrooge in 1984, there’s even a Christmas Carol stage show. Basically, what I’m saying is we all have our favorite version. Whichever one you prefer, there’s no doubt it’ll give you that Christmas feeling with a crotchety man changing his ways due to a certain jolly holiday.

There’s several adaptations and there’ll likely be several more in the years to come which is why A Christmas Carol is on the list.

6. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

With few exceptions, the originals are always better than the remakes. This one, however, is no exception. My favorite aspect of Miracle on 34th Street is how it treats the concept of Santa Claus in such a realistic way. Also, Edmund Gwenn’s performance as Kris Kringle is my favorite cinematic Santa Claus.

While Christmas is a magical time, here we’re viewing Christmas through the lens of the adult world. Miracle on 34th Street proves that the power of the holiday can transcend even the most uptight/rigid adult institutions, and it does so in spectacular fashion. Miracle on 34th Street left me hooked from beginning to end and represents the season in a way that resonates with both children and adults.

This is certainly a film I’d call a holiday classic.

5. The Snowman

While not explicitly about Christmas (there is Christmas imagery here and there), The Snowman mostly revels in the wonders of winter. You could probably guess that with the special being called The Snowman. Even though it’s not about Christmas, whenever I see The Snowman, I can’t help but feel Christmas-y.

The same way “Winter Wonderland” is a Christmas song, The Snowman is a Christmas special. The Snowman is a very dream-like experience. It includes stellar hand-drawn animation, a great musical score, and no dialogue. In a way, watching it feels like an elaborate dream a child could’ve had on the night of Christmas Eve, and that’s what makes it feel Christmas-y. Some parts are drawn out or odd, but The Snowman is definitely worth a look.

Check out The Snowman. You’ll return to this Christmas classic year after year.

I put Joyeux Noël above The Snowman, because it’s more outwardly related to Christmas. Much like Miracle on 34^th Street, Joyeux Noël focuses on the power of the holiday. In this case, it’s the power of the holiday in the darkest of times.

Joyeux Noël tackles the Christmas spirit in ways I haven’t seen any other film accomplish. Soldiers in WWI call a truce during the holiday and become friends with their enemy. Each of them goes through complex emotions when the truce ends. They must resume fighting with the friends they just made the day before. Despite the misery and death surrounding them, these people still knew that the Christmas spirit was too great to kill.

If you’re looking for a great Christmas cry, Joyeux Noël is exactly what you need.

Hear me out. I know Die Hard isn’t really Christmas-y. It doesn’t represent Christmas in the ways that any of the previous films and specials I’ve talked about do. That’s the reason I like it so much. There’s no other Christmas film like Die Hard.

Die Hard diverges from what you would typically expect in a Christmas movie, but both the film and the holiday are inseparable. It makes sense that John would try to make up with his wife during the season of perpetual love and hope. Also, Hans’ plans likely wouldn’t have worked during any other time of the year with everyone distracted by the holidays. With all of this, Die Hard is still one of the greatest action flicks.

There’s no other Christmas film like Die Hard, and there likely won’t ever be again.

2. A Christmas Story

Some people probably see A Christmas Story as annoying at this point. If that’s the case with you, I understand. Although, in my experience, that’s mostly due to the over commercialization of the film with sequels, merchandise, and a live TV musical despite A Christmas Story lampooning those very things.

Remember when A Christmas Story used to be the small film only you, and a few people you knew watched? That’s when the movie works best. The reason it’s become so heinous is due to people trying to make it bigger. A Christmas Story works the best when it’s just a small family in a small town dealing with small stuff. Oddly enough, when A Christmas Story focuses on the small moments, that’s when it feels the biggest and most personal.

A Christmas Story takes place 80 years ago, but it still feels like a family Christmas that could happen today which is why it’s my number two.

1. Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Yes, my absolute favorite Christmas special takes the top spot: the original Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas. You can’t go wrong with the classics, and there’s a lot to appreciate with this Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Everyone knows the story: a mean green man hates seeing people happy around the holidays so he does what he can to put a stop to it. From the brilliant animation heralded by the legendary Chuck Jones to the outstanding vocal talents of Boris Karloff and Thurl Ravenscroft, Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas is, without a doubt, synonymous with Christmas. That and the ever-enduring message for kids that Christmas cannot be stolen is one that will live on forever.

Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas is short, sweet, and undoubtedly the best Christmas classic.

With all that said, I hope you enjoyed my Top 10 Classic Christmas Films. Before I leave you, I’d like to add some honorable mentions that didn’t quite make the list including National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, The Santa Clause, and the animated Frosty the Snowman special. Each of them, while not great enough to make the list, are still worth a look if you’re interested.

Also, what are your top 10 Christmas classics? Let us know in the comments and have yourselves a Merry little Christmas now. We’ll see you next year!

-Skye

Top 5 Ice-Powered Comic Book Characters

Published on December 21, 2024November 25, 2024 by KyraLeave a comment

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. For those of us in the northern hemisphere, today is the first day of winter. Let’s celebrate by listing the Top 5 Ice-Powered Characters in comic books.

5: Ice (DC)

The first of several DC Comics characters on this list, Ice is the successor to the Ice Maiden. Tora Olafsdotter is the product of Norwegian experiments with Ice Maiden, hoping to replicate her powers. Tora’s arrival in the human world led the original Ice Maiden feeling superfluous. Ice Maiden returned to Norway, while Tora took up the name Ice and joined the Justice League International. She’s had an off-again, on-again relationship with Guy Gardner and developed a friendship with a heroine named Fire.

4: Captain Cold (DC)

Leonard Snart, Captain Cold, started life as a gag villain, but over time, Cold has become an impressive DC Universe villain. Snart grew up in an abusive household and turned to a life of crime. He developed a cold gun. The gun has extraordinary power. It can create temperatures to absolute zero. He can freeze objects (and people), create ice patches and icicles, and create a “cold zones” which can slow down anyone, including the Flash.

Snart is one of the founding members of the Rogues. He’s joined the Ice Pack (a group of cold-powered supervillains) and the Secret Society of Super Villains.

3: Killer Frost (DC)

There have been two women who bore the Killer Frost moniker. Crystal Frost was a scientist working in the Arctic when an accident gave her the ability to generate extreme cold. She became a supervillain, but her powers were slowly killing her. In an attempt to save herself, she consumed the heat of Firestorm and died.

Following Crystal’s death, her friend Dr. Louise Lincoln became Killer Frost. She recreated the accident that gave Crystal her powers and sought revenge on Firestorm. Able to transmute heat to cold and create gusts of wind and structures made of ice, Killer Frost has teamed up with villains like Captain Cold (who we saw in our previous entry) and Mr. Freeze, who happens to be our next entry.

2: Mr. Freeze (DC)

Dr. Victor Fries (originally a mad scientist Mr. Zero) is another DC villain who began life as a joke villain. The 1990’s Batman: The Animated Series recreated him as a sympathetic villain in its Emmy-winning episode “Heart of Ice.” Mr. Freeze has a sad story behind his frozen smile. His wife Nora fell terminally ill. Dr. Fries dedicated himself to cryogenic research to save her. The head of the corporation funding Fries’s work shuts down his project, and Victor fights them to save his wife. A fight ensues, which results in Victor turning into Mr. Freeze.

Freeze can only survive in sub-zero temperatures. To survive, Victor built himself a cryo-suit. He also developed an ice gun (powered by diamonds) and pursued a life of crime. Freeze’s gun can freeze objects and people, while his suit gives him increased strength and durability. Combined with his intellect, Mr. Freeze is a formidable foe.

1: Iceman (Marvel)

Iceman Bobby Drake started as the youngest member of the original X-Men. Most fans ignored him; he was the Spider-Man of that early X-Men team, cracking jokes and acting as the conduit for younger X-Men readers to view the team through.

Fast forward a couple of decades, and Bobby made his weekend appearance on Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends. I know it’s hokey, but I still enjoy watching this Saturday Morning cartoon on Disney+. Little did I, or any of those early readers of X-Men, know that Bobby may be one of the most powerful mutants. Iceman is an Omega-level mutant. As a frame of reference, Magneto is also an Omega-level mutant. Yikes!

Iceman can become ice in an organic form. By doing this, he can change his size and size, becoming an enormous ice man. He can also add spikes of ice on his knuckles or other body part, becoming a living weapon.

Hello, Winter! Let us know who you would add or remove in the comments. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Top 5 Tabletop Games from 1984-1985

Published on December 16, 2024March 1, 2025 by Kyra15 Comments

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. Back with another Top 5 Tabletop Games. 1984 and 1985 had even fewer games for this list than the 1982-1983 list. These two years saw a lot of games that got overlooked in previous years find an audience. Axis & Allies was one such game, but it was originally produced in 1981 and made that list. Even the Spiel des Jahres winners for 1984 and 1985 were games from prior years. That said, I still found a handful of games. Let’s talk games.

But first, in case you’ve forgotten our criteria for the Top 5 Tabletop Games, let’s reiterate the ground rules again before we get started.

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.

**5: SolarQuest (1985)**

SolarQuest is a fancy space-age version of Monopoly. Players purchase and develop planets, space stations, and moons set in our solar system. SolarQuest has found renewed interest because of eBay. So much so that it’s recently had a successful Kickstart campaign in 2016. SolarQuest makes a notable addition with fuel. Players must watch their ship’s fuel level because they automatically lose the game if they get stranded with no means to refuel.

Outside of fuel, most of SolarQuest is Monopoly set in space. It can be fun, especially when someone runs out of fuel.

**4: Mystery Mansion (1984)**

I still quote the mechanical voice of the 1990s version of Mystery Mansion. The original game uses a modular board, one of the first times that a major board game company (Milton Bradley) used a modular board. Mystery Mansion came with 24 cardboard tiles representing different rooms in the mansion: 8 First Floor rooms, 8 Second Floor rooms, and 8 rooms in the cellar.

Each room has different doors and objects that come into play during the game, and players must search the items in the room to find the treasure hidden within. The electronic voice version replaces the modular board (the cardboard tiles) for a fixed layout reminiscent of Cluedo (Clue for Americans). In this version, the electronic device will tell the players which items are in the room, so the setup to the house isn’t the same each time. Other than the board and the mechanical voice, everything else remains the same from the original Mystery Mansion.

Fun Factoid: During the 2015 music competition Iron Composer, where composers have five hours to write a piece of music, finalist Ryan Keebaugh used the mechanic voice from the 1990s Mystery Mansion as his “secret ingredient” for his piece.

**3: Balderdash (1984)**

Balderdash is a variant of a classic parlor game, Fictionary, but it counts as a 1984 release. Seriously, there weren’t that many major games that came out these two years. Anyway, Balderdash is a game of obscure words. Players must create definitions for words seldom used in the dictionary and gain points for guessing the correct definition or having other players select their invented definition.

Balderdash can be great fun but like Trivial Pursuit, if you play the game enough, you’ll learn many of the words and their definitions. Hey! That’s a fun way to increase your vocabulary.

**2: Abilene (1984)**

Abilene is set in the city of Abilene during 1870. This was the time and place for the main transshipment point for the herds of Texan cattle barons. Players assume the role of ranchers who, with the help of their cowboys, drives their herds to Abilene, trying to capture parts of their opponents’ herd along the way.

Abilene has a few twists on this concept. First, players can capture their opponents’ herds as mentioned, but second, your cattle can be diseased. Players have a certain number of diseased cattle in their herd and whenever a herd makes it to Abilene, one’s opponents guess how much of the herd is diseased. Abilene received consideration for the 1985 Spiel des Jahres. Not bad for a game set in Texas. (Note: games set in the United States at this time didn’t fare well in the Spiel des Jahres.)

**1: Tales of the Arabian Nights (1985)**

Tales of the Arabian Nights is getting its 40^th anniversary glow-up next year. You can sign up for the Gamefound project preview here (https://gamefound.com/en/projects/play-to-z/tales-of-arabian-nights-40th-anniversary-edition).

Tales of the Arabian Nights uses paragraphs to tell a story where each player travels through the Arabian desert and partakes in adventures from One Thousand and One Nights. Players gain and lose statuses from these adventures and collect Story and Destiny Points. Once you earn enough points to become sultan, you can return to Baghdad to win the game.

Many board game enthusiasts swear by this game as one of the best storytelling games. Every generation, we receive a new version of the game. I’m glad Play to Z has an upcoming new version.

Did we get the list right, for the most part? Let us know in the comments. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Check out the other lists in this series:
Top 5 Tabletop Games Prior to the 1930s
Top 5 Tabletop Games of the 1930s
Top 5 Tabletop Games of the 1940s-50s
Top 5 Tabletop Games from the Early 1960s
Top 5 Tabletop Games from the Late 1960s
Top 5 Tabletop Games from the Early 1970s
Top 5 Tabletop Games from 1980-1981
Top 5 Tabletop Games from 1982-1983
Top 5 Tabletop Games from 1986-1987
Top 5 Tabletop Games from 1988-1989
Top 5 Tabletop Games from 1990-1991