Happy Wednesday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here, and today, our writers share what they’ve been playing over the past month. Feel free to share what you’ve been playing over the past month, because we’re all part of the Geekly Gang. I’ll get things started with what I’ve been playing over the past month.
Kyra’s Video Games
I’m a basketball fan, but NBA2K hasn’t had a decent release in several years. The last version I played of NBA2K had so many game-breaking bugs, I don’t know if I finished playing a single exhibition game. Enter, Hoop Land. I downloaded it on Steam (there was a recent sale), but it’s also available on mobile devices. Yay!
Don’t let Hoop Land’s 8-bit graphics fool you. Hoop Land is everything I wished NBA2K would be. Hoop Land gives players so much control of the game. A lot is going on with this title, and I love it. Manage your team to victory with adorable sprite hoopers. I haven’t had too much time for a full review, but I enjoy simulating games and jumping in to play the occasional match. Player development works the way you’d imagine, at least, so far, and Hoop Land offers plenty of options to customize your league. Do you see the player scouting report above? That gets very specific. I see some team rebuilds in my near future. I may even download the mobile version of Hoop Land, so I can play while I watch the NBA playoffs. Woo hoo!
While Feed the Scorchpot only offers a free demo (on Steam), that demo cooks up a lot of gaming hours. What is it with me downloading addictive video games this past month? Feed the Scorchpot takes graphics akin to Potion Craft–if you know me, you know I love Potion Craft’s graphics (here’s our review of Potion Craft)–and combines them with a roguelike Catan. What? The classic board game Catan could use an update. I wasn’t expecting one like Feed the Scorchpot. The developers market it as Balatro meets Catan, and that’s a good description.
As you can see in the image above, a lot is going on with Feed the Scorchpot. Don’t worry, the demo has a comprehensive tutorial that slowly introduces new game elements. It will all make sense. Players build a village Catan-style and roll dice each turn (season), collecting resources on farms adjacent to tiles whose numbers are rolled. Using those resources, players cook recipes to feed a dragon (the Scorchpot). Meet the required points (hunger), and the dragon allows you to live another year.
Players can purchase recipes (more options), upgrade their dice to specialty dice (all dice begin as vanilla six-sided dice), build more powerful structures on spaces, and even add numbers to tiles, so those tiles are more likely to produce resources. Feed the Scorchpot is one of those games that gets players saying, Just. One. More. Turn. Ah! So good. I can’t wait for Feed the Scorchpot’s full release.
Kyra’s Board Games
DC Breakout: Arkham Asylum is a simple roll-and-move game. Yes. They still make roll-and-move games. And for a roll-and-move game, DC Breakout: Arkham Asylum is a lot of fun. Players take the role of two Arkham inmates racing to break out of the asylum before anyone else. The game is played in two rounds, so you’ll actually have two chances to beat your opponents to the finish line.
DC Breakout: Arkham Asylum doesn’t take itself too seriously. Each game plays out different than all the rest, because the board changes, villain power combinations can break the game in odd ways (you will be placing two villains into the same standee to form your team of two rogues), and gadget cards add another layer of mayhem. After a few plays, we did notice some game-breaking combos. I won’t share them here; you should discover them on your own. But I don’t care that two specific villains teamed together may constitute an unfair advantage. DC Breakout: Arkham Asylum isn’t a long game. There are so many villains included in this game (40) that you may not come across that tandem of characters in numerous plays. And the premise is goofy. Perfect for kids and families.
Cat a Comb caught my eye in two ways. First, the game is shaped like a soda can. Yes, please. The container may be difficult to put on a shelf with the rest of my games, but I like an odd-shaped board game container. Second, the game is about cats. Yay! What you see pictured above is all that comes inside Cat a Comb (minus the extremely short rulebook). Cat a Comb is a great two-player strategy game. Perfect whenever you arrive to a board game night early with one other participant, and you’re waiting for the rest of your group to arrive. That happens a lot to me if you can’t tell. (Wink.)
I could include any number of other board games on this list, but I think I’ll close out this month’s list with the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game. I always liked the TSR Marvel RPG from the 1980s, and the Multiverse Role-Playing Game looks as if it has legs (as in it’s still being published years after its initial release). Outside of the TSR Marvel RPG, Marvel role-playing games have a spotty track record. Most of them don’t last beyond one or two years. The Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game has already surpassed that threshold, so I’m giving it a shot. Just in time for Comic-Con season (I will be attending one or two of those) and Free RPG Day. You may catch me at a local game shop, running a Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game module.
First, I’ll run the Marvel Rivals Timestream Adventure. This one-shot is a great place to begin a Marvel Multiverse RPG campaign. The framework offers enough flexibility to branch out from the module. The adventure is written in a way to promote player agency and choice. I like that. Of course, I’ll add my own twists to the base adventure, because I’m going to do that, but Marvel Rivals Timestream Adventure offers a good introduction to the Marvel Multiverse RPG system and some of its characters. This module even includes Rank X characters, which are otherworldly beings who can’t be damaged. It’ll be fun showing characters of this power level in the Marvel Universe.
I have two complaints about the Marvel Rivals Timestream Adventure. One, the module assumes you have the Core Rulebook and access to the X-Men expansion. It includes power sets found in the X-Men expansion and doesn’t explain them. Two, the Game Modes included at the end of the module don’t offer any story hooks. Both of these gripes are small. You can look up some of the X-Men expansion rules online. It’s a pain, but doable. And you don’t really need story hooks, but it would’ve been nice. The Marvel Rivals Timestream Adventure takes about four hours to complete, so I may craft my own one-shot for Free RPG Day or one of the conventions, since most events of those types last about two hours. I’ll keep you posted if I create an adventure and may share the adventure on Geekly.
As for the Marvel Multiverse RPG’s core rules, they’re easy to learn and require few peripherals. You don’t even need official Marvel dice (like the one pictured above). I have a set of “Marvel Multiverse RPG” dice where I painted an “M” over the “1” on a standard red d6. Every player just needs three 3d6s, with one a different color, and you’re set to play. That’s it. The rules are simple but flexible to accommodate multiple powers, a good thing for an RPG that includes countless super-powered people. And several websites offer free Marvel Multiverse RPG resources. I like what I’ve read so far and should run the Marvel Rivals Timestream Adventure next week. I can’t wait.
That’s all I have for this month. Let’s check in with Season.
Season’s Video Games
Hi, Geekly Gang! Are you fans of remasters? I know I am. I’ve never finished the original Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles since it was difficult to do in single player. Players get to choose a character from one of four races. The biggest differences between these races (other than appearance) are the gear they can equip and their fighting style. You set out on a caravan in a miasma-filled world to collect drops of myyrh from myyrh trees in different monster-infested stages. Each level has a mini-boss with varying levels of difficulty in each stage. You have to collect three drops of myyrh each year in order to progress and unlock new stages.
I’m closing in on the final few stages of Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition, and I’m excited to see the ending after all these years. Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition offers online multiplayer. You can play with friends or join random lobbies. I’ve been playing with one of my friends, and we’ve been having a blast. The downside to multiplayer is that the game only progresses for the player who hosts the lobby. If you collect myyrh in one of the stages, the host is the only player who gets the myyrh. You have to dissolve the party and switch hosts so a different player can collect myyrh. You end up replaying the same stages multiple times, but you get to learn each stage map really well.
What have you been playing, Skye?
Skye’s Video Games
I received God of War as a Christmas gift last year and made a pledge to finish it before the end of the year. By now, y’all are probably familiar with my tendency to play each of my games at the hardest difficulty just ‘cause I can. So far, God of War has proven to be the most difficult gaming experience I’ve put myself through. Having a heavy emphasis on skill and timing-based combat, God of War demands quick learning and careful decision-making from its players. As a result, God of War is very unforgiving to noobs like me for poorly executing combos or being slow to dodge incoming attacks. The only reason I’ve been able to make any progress so far is that I tend to do every side quest before the main quest. Wish me luck, ‘cause I know I’m gonna need it.
Battle for Bikini Bottom’s Remaster was a game my sister acquired for free through her PlayStation Plus subscription, and I only recently noticed it in her library. Since I played the original on the GameCube, I felt the need to relive my childhood. It’s safe to say, Rehydrated didn’t disappoint. After all, SpongeBob SquarePants Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated strictly updated the graphics, so I was able to relive my favorite levels without worrying about content alterations. In case you’re curious, my favorite level is The Flying Dutchman’s Shipyard primarily because of the level’s design and music that constantly gets stuck in my head. Battle for Bikini Bottom is a fun romp of a game for any SpongeBob fan since it allows you to roam through some of SpongeBob’s most iconic locations and is loaded with references.
Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here again. Those are all the games our writers played over the past month. What did you play this past month? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.
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