Tag: marvel

Geekly News: June 1, 2025, Hulk Joins Spider-Man Brand New Day Cast

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Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here. I’m away on a second trip (another Protospiel, this time in Minnesota), so today’s Geekly News will be brief like last week’s. It will also be MCU-heavy because of news and trailers that drop earlier this week. Without further ado, let’s get to this week’s geek news.

Hulk Returns in Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Industry insider Nexus Point News reported on Memorial Day that Mark Ruffalo is set to return as Jade Jaws in the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Since Brand New Day will likely be a multiverse film (our Geekly News post last week confirmed as much), we won’t know which version of the Hulk Ruffalo will portray. Nexus Point News even suggested that Ruffalo could portray more than one version of the Green Goliath.

Fans have stated that they prefer a more savage Hulk. The Russos (who helm this leg of the MCU) could oblige and revert Hulk to his savage self. This could work to set up a World War Hulk project that the MCU has teased for years but hasn’t produced because of copyright issues.

A second industry insider, Alex Perez, shared that Spider-Man: Brand New Day will contain the biggest stunt sequence in the MCU. This stunt sequence will mostly include practical effects and will take a month to shoot. Typically, the MCU adds the Hulk through motion capture, but this doesn’t exclude a potential battle between the Hulk and Spider-Man. Brand New Day could shoot the practical effects and add Hulk later. Regardless of who will be involved in this stunt sequence, it bodes well that the MCU will use mostly practical effects. The scene’s scale also hints that this battle could occur in New York City, which would include a lot of coordination and blocking of city blocks. Spider-Man: Brand New Day sounds exciting. Director Destin Daniel Cretton has a history of brilliant stunt sequences. I loved Cretton’s practical effects in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

I still have my fingers crossed for a Spider-Man and Hulk battle. We’ve seen Spider-Man and the Hulk side-by-side in the MCU, but they haven’t had many interactions. It would be fun to see the two spar.

This news also muddies the waters of who will be Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s villain. Will it be an alternate version of Hulk? Is someone pulling the strings? If so, who? Let us know who you think will be Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s villain or villains.

MCU 2025 Preview Fantastic Four

New Fantastic Four: First Steps Trailer

There isn’t much to cover with the latest Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer. Essentially, the third trailer is a recut of the second trailer with a few shots added for good measure. First off, I like how Fantastic Four: First Steps is marketing itself. During the fourth game of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, ESPN incorporated the spot as a game sponsor. The trailer proceeds to show its events as something that happened in the past (specifically the 60s) and runs with it. I also like Fantastic Four: First Steps’ choice of not showing too much before the movie releases. Too many trailers spoil the movie’s plot.

Our first new shot is a new angle of Shalla-Bal asking if the Fantastic Four are the protectors of this world.

She looks about the same as she did in the first two trailers. The second new shot we get is a good look at Marvel One, the Fantastic Four’s spaceship, and the ship that transported Marvel’s first family to Earth-616’s timeline during Thunderbolts* end credits. Oops! I guess that was a spoiler.

H.E.R.B.I.E. does more than cook. He’s flying up toward Marvel One, possibly conducting some final calibrations before liftoff. The third trailer’s third new shot is an extended look at the Fantastic Four’s classic vehicle, the Fantasticar.

I did omit a couple of longer shots of the Fantastic Four before they presumably climb into the Fantasticar, and a recut, an extended shot, of the same scene we saw of Galactus’s shadow over New York City.

In the bottom left, you can see Galactus’s hand as if he’s reaching out to claim this world. Awesome stuff. Those were the only differences I spotted between the second and third Fantastic Four: First Steps trailers. Did you spot any others? Let us know in the comments.

Tomb Raider: The Crypt of Chronos Launches on KickStarter

Even though Iconiq Studios is a relatively new board game company, they have experience bringing popular intellectual properties (like They Live, SAW, and Evil Dead 2) to the tabletop space. Tomb Raider: The Crypt of Chronos looks promising. This board game adaptation of the popular video game series features many Tomb Raider hallmarks: exploring, some combat, puzzle solving, and researching unique artifacts. Throw in some crafting, and Tomb Raider: The Crypt of Chronos offers a lot of options for tabletop gamers.

Tomb Raider: The Crypt of Chronos features plenty of detailed miniatures. An Adventure Book provides a story-driven game, but gamers can ditch the story for some chaotic tomb raiding fun. I like the fact that the game offers various player counts (1-6). Explore four unique locations with Tomb Raider: The Crypt of Chronos. If you’re interested in an epic Tomb Raider board game, check out Tomb Raider: The Crypt of Chronos’s KickStarter page.

The Battle of the Divas Set To Launch on GameFound

While we don’t know much about The Battle of the Divas’ gameplay (because it hasn’t yet launched on GameFound), publisher Salt and Pepper has a history of making stellar games with interesting themes. Resist! is a modern solo-game classic. The Battle of the Divas could do the same for a two-player-only game. Take the stage against your opponent and become the best diva.

Players will perform classic arias at iconic venues like The Met and La Scala. I like the artwork. I don’t know how the keyboard element works, but it has me intrigued. If The Battle of the Divas strikes the right chord, check out the game’s page on GameFound.

That’s all the Geekly News we have for this week. I’m on the road again this weekend. If you’re at Protospiel: Twin Cities feel free to say hi. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Geekly News: May 20, 2025, Sadie Sink’s Role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day

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Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here. My partner and I are celebrating our 28th anniversary, and it happens to be Memorial Day weekend as well, so we’ll have a shorter Geekly News than usual. But that doesn’t mean that we don’t have anything to talk about. Let’s get to this week’s Geek News.

Sadie Sink’s Role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day

A leak about Sadie Sink’s role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day occurred the day last week’s Geekly News posted, so we’re a little late with this update. Geekly has also covered Sink’s role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day in a previous geek news post, but we may have been bamboozled. A month ago, we learned that Sink’s character would be a mutant. Geekly assumed that meant that Sink would tie into the X-Men in some fashion (possibly Jean Grey, more likely Firestar). Now, it appears that Sink’s character will be connected with Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, but Sink could still be a mutant.

Marvel kept a tight wrap on who Sadie Sink would play until Podcaster and MCU insider John Rocha revealed on The Hot Mic podcast that Sink will be playing Mayday Parker, the daughter of Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker/Spider-Man. This reveal lines up with Maguire’s Spider-Man in Spider-Man: No Way Home. While Garfield and Holland’s Spider-Men (Spider-Mans?) complain about not being lucky in love, Maguire’s Spider-Man suggests that he’s married. In the comics, the Spider-Baby (the child of Earth-982’s Peter and Mary Jane Parker) becomes Spider-Girl. This would also track with what we learn about Maguire’s Spider-Man in No Way Home. Maguire’s Spider-Man is retired. Why would he need to fight crime when his daughter is Spider-Girl?

Sink as Spider-Girl solidifies Spider-Man: Brand New Day as a Multiverse story. This also makes sense. The MCU will need to tie up loose ends to its Multiverse Saga before it can begin the Mutant Saga. And Spider-Girl could still count as a mutant. If she inherited her abilities from her father, Peter, this version of Mayday Parker would’ve been born as Spider-Girl. May Parker would be a mutant.

Murder on the Rocks Launches on Kickstarter

Murder on the Rocks looks amazing, even if the game doesn’t appear to be one I typically like. Gamers take on quirky roles at a cocktail, masquerade party. One player is a murderer. The murderer attempts to kill each partygoer one by one, while the other partygoers try to deduce who the murderer is. In short, Murder on the Rocks sounds like it plays similarly to Werewolf. If you like Werewolf, Mafia, or any tabletop game with hidden roles, you should check out Murder on the Rocks.

I like the inclusion of red and green vials. If the partygoers get aspects of the murder correct, they add drops from the green vial. Whenever the murderer claims a victim, they add drops from the red vial. I assume the red and green liquids inside the vials are food coloring, so gamers should be able to add more “envy” or “blood” to each vial. Players also wear blindfolds (masquerade masks). That could be a fun twist on Werewolf. And Murder on the Rocks ditches a game box for a drink mixer. Oddly shaped game containers can be difficult to store, but this container strengthens the game’s theme.

Pledge values for Murder on the Rocks range from $32 for the base set (Straight Up) to $116 if you want the Reserve Collector. Murder on the Rocks has a lot of cool bits. I’ve never seen vials used like this in a game. If you’re interested in Murder on the Rocks, check out their Kickstarter page.

Knight Moves Kicks Off on Gamefound

I like what I’m seeing from the board game producer, Solo Game of the Month. The company does what it says, it releases about one solo game every month. We covered Dicemancy last month on Geekly News, and Solo Game of the Month is at it again with Knight Moves. This adorable solo game features double-sided stage and boss cards. The player cards are also double-sided because gamers may choose melee or ranged attacks. Players program their knight and then execute their actions.

You can place and move barrels, defeat enemies, and upgrade your knight. Multiple scenarios provide plenty of replay value. Most games take about 45 minutes, which is a good length for a solo game. And the price tag of $25 makes Knight Moves a lot of game for not a lot of money. I’m impressed by Solo Game of the Month’s dedication to providing great solo-gamer experiences. Solo games are exploding in tabletop games. I also love the art. Solo Game of the Month keeps things clean, easy-to-read, and charming. If you’d like to pledge for Knight Moves, check out its Gamefound page.

Netflix Announces Clash of Clans Animated Series

Netflix continues a growing trend of turning popular video games into television series. The streaming giant announced this week that it intends to release an animated series based on Clash of Clans.

Clash of Clans will join Angry Birds, Splinter Cell, Cuphead, Castlevania, Dragon’s Dogma, and many more on Netflix. The streamer hasn’t given a timeframe for Clash of Clans’ release. Geekly’s guess–and it is a guess–will be that the show will release some time before May 2026.

That’s all the news we have for this week. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Geekly News: May 18, 2025, New Superman Trailer

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Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here. We’ve had quite a few trailers over the past week. We’ll start with Superman, because the DCU hasn’t received nearly enough shine from JK Geekly, and that’s on me. Let’s fix that with this week’s Geekly News post.

New Superman Trailer

JK Geekly didn’t cover the first Superman trailer, mostly because that trailer received unnecessary–and frankly, baffling–criticism. The most vocal critics didn’t care for the first trailer’s comedic elements. One tweet that ripped apart a small scene with robot medics, where one (voiced by Alan Tudyk) said there was no reason for Superman to thank the robots because they don’t possess feelings, and the next robot medic shows emotion, received 37 million likes. That was a joke. Most of the responses didn’t seem to understand comedy. I would get the criticism if the joke wasn’t well told. That wasn’t what most people suggested. Regarding the comedy, I thought it worked well enough for a quick joke. But this doesn’t even get into fans’ costume vitriol.

I probably should’ve covered the first trailer anyway, but I waited for the second trailer, so let’s get to it. John Murphy’s interpretation of John Williams’s classic Superman theme was fantastic. I like the premise this second Superman trailer presents. Lois knows Clark is Superman. Thank goodness. Superman presumably stopped a war, which is something he might do, and that causes an international incident (which would definitely happen if other nations believed Superman represented the United States), and that leads Lex Luthor to sow doubt in the Earth needing a Superman. So far, this is all on brand.

I love this premise. Pa Kent and Lois nail their portrayals. Ma Kent cleaning Superman’s boots so he could help people was adorable. Lex might be a little campy. Nicholas Hoult is an accomplished actor; I’ve liked him since his major acting debut in the BBC series Skins. I have hope this is Hoult channeling a bit of Gene Hackman’s Lex (not Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex), and the moment where he ventures into camp is fleeting. I can’t stress this enough. These trailers offer glimpses of an over two-hour movie.

Similarly, I’m a little concerned about David Corenswet’s Superman losing his cool with Lois. From what we see (in a trailer for a two-hour movie), Lois doesn’t press him too much. Perhaps, there’s more to this scene that we’re not seeing. But Corenswet’s Superman slightly loses his cool. This isn’t a Michael Gambon as Dumbledore screaming at Harry Potter when the text in The Goblet of Fire clearly states that he calmly asks Harry a question. Outside of losing his cool while saying, “People were going to die,” Corenswet looked and sounded like he could be a younger, slightly arrogant, and naive Superman.

The two Superman trailers have me excited for the movie. I can’t wait to see the movie in a couple of months.

Ironheart Trailer Drops

The MCU’s Ironheart trailer dropped this week, too. This marks the closest a Marvel project was to releasing before it received its first trailer. Even Werewolf By Night, a surprise Marvel project in 2022, had a trailer months before it released. I don’t know what this means for Ironheart. This could mean that the studio has little faith in the project or that they have the utmost confidence. It could also be a nothingburger. I find it odd that Ironheart didn’t receive a trailer sooner when Sinners (a film by Ironheart’s producer Ryan Coogler) was atop the box office.

My favorite comment for the Ironheart trailer was “I’m genuinely impressed they haven’t disabled the comments.” lol. Same. Most viewers didn’t care for the premise, and to be fair, Ironheart didn’t do a good enough job of setting up its premise. I’ve read the show’s description, and Ironheart sounds like it could be great. Riri Williams (Ironheart) picks up where Iron Man left off. The Hood (the main antagonist) is a magic user who runs a criminal underground. SciFi versus Magic. What’s not to love? Ironheart and The Hood’s relationship gives me strong vibes of what Iron Man and The Mandarin should’ve been. And Ironheart could be setting up the ultimate magic meets technology with Doctor Doom. I’ll amend what I said. Ironheart could be epic.

But this trailer falls flat. It’s paint-by-numbers. Reintroduce Riri (in case people forgot who she was from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), clumsily introduce the antagonist, and give the viewer a vague idea of the show. Still, I like Ironheart’s inclusion of practical effects; Riri’s armor-up scene was tight. And Ryan Coogler wouldn’t attach his name to a stinker. Ironheart still interests me. The trailer could’ve done more.

Coexist Will Launch on Gamefound on May 19, 2025

Take control of a wildlife conservation team with Coexist. Publisher Matagot Games has an amazing track record. They’ve teamed up with Stonemeier Games for Wingspan, Scythe, and several others. One of Matagot Games’ originals, Takenoko, still hits my table. We don’t know much about Coexist’s gameplay. Matagot has shared that the core game flow is recruiting caretakers, welcoming animals to your conservation headquarters, and releasing animals back into the wild after their needs are met, or you may lower your reputation by placing the animals in a reserve.

Matagot Games has teamed up with Human Initiative to Save Animals (HISA). I love it when board game companies do this; whenever this happens, a portion of the game’s profits will go to HISA, a real-world conservation organization that’s based in Bordeaux. Coexist’s art looks fantastic.

Bordeaux street artist A-Mo provides Coexist’s art. Matagot Games stays true to its Bordeaux roots. HISA is headquartered there, and A-Mo is from there. I love the theme, Matagot Games seldom releases a poorly received game, and the varied animal types needing specific things (so one conservation team cannot save every animal) could supply a lot of strategic value.

Since Coexist hasn’t yet been released, Geekly doesn’t have specifics for the campaign’s pricing. If you’d like to follow the campaign, feel free to visit Coexist’s Gamefound page.

Battle Monsters Launches on Kickstarter

Strategic kaiju battles await with Restoration Games’ Battle Monsters. This title reimplements 1992’s Battle Masters, which used the Warhammer intellectual property. That makes sense. Restoration Games is known for taking old games (like Thunder Road: Vendetta and Fireball Island), occasionally retheming the game if they cannot use the license, and re-engineering old games for modern gamers. Battle Monsters looks to be another great title.

Wow! Those detailed miniatures look amazing. A lot comes in the box, no matter which box you choose. The game features quick dice-based combat. Players control a kaiju and a team of soldiers. Coordinating your forces is the key to victory. You can mix and match any titan (kaiju) and faction on any map. I also like that there’s a solo play option; that’s a great trend for the board game hobby.

The smallest pledge amount is $125, and you must choose between the Godzilla and Kong boxes. The Big Bundle runs $299, and gamers receive Godzilla, Kong, and the Mothra expansion. The Mega Bundle costs $379, but backers at this level receive all Battle Monsters’ content, including upgrades like specialty stands for each kaiju miniature. If you’re interested in getting your kaiju on, check out Battle Monsters’ Kickstarter page.

SquareEnix Leaks Kingdom Hearts IV Screenshots

While we knew SquareEnix was working on Kingdom Hearts IV, the game released its first images. Most of the images are of low quality. We chose one of the better shots to show gamers what they could expect from SquareEnix’s upcoming title. Kingdom Hearts IV’s environment looks like a virtual Shibuya. These photos reveal little of the game’s story or other locations. We’re certain Shibuya will be one of several locations players will visit.

The above image is grainy as heck, but one thing is for certain. The player is controlling Mickey. This may be a first for the Kingdom Hearts series. Mickey is seldom a playable character. I can’t wait to see if players will get to play as the famous mouse.

That’s all the geek news we have for this week. Next week, I’ll be out of town, so Geekly News may be rather short. We’ll see when the day comes. Thank you for reading. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Thunderbolts* Review

Published on by Kyra2 Comments

Thunderbolts* takes a familiar MCU formula and adds deep themes, allowing its characters to shine. Yes! The Geekly Gang has had a chance to watch Thunderbolts* on the big screen. Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. Happy Friday. Today we’ll be covering Geekly’s thoughts on the latest Marvel film to release, Thunderbolts*.

Thunderbolts* is indeed the sleeper hit I was hoping for at the beginning of the year (during our MCU preview). I’d even say it’s one of the better recent Marvel projects. We’ll get to some of the goodness here after a while, but I wanted to start by saying that I appreciated not needing to do MCU homework for this movie. Because Sentry can tap into others’ past trauma, the audience got a good introduction to most of the characters. No hundreds of hours of viewing necessary.

That alone was a relief. Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova was an excellent choice for a primary point-of-view character. Thunderbolts* does bounce a little bit, but Yelena is the character the audience shares the most time. Thunderbolts*‘ Yelena isn’t the jovial Yelena from previous projects (like Hawkeye or Black Widow). This is a woman struggling with the loss of her sister (and by extension, her family). She’s lost and trying to find her place in the world. I said this during Geekly’s preview several months ago, and I’ll reiterate here: Yelena is relatable.

So many of the Thunderbolts* are relatable. They’ve fallen short of glory. They’re haunted by their demons. They find a way to endure and persevere. It’ll be difficult not to get preachy with this response, but I’ll try and restrain myself. In short, Thunderbolts* is about mental health.

I’ll try to stay as spoiler-free as I can. It’ll be difficult. I love how Thunderbolts* introduced Sentry. This could’ve handled Sentry’s introduction poorly, but Bob’s inclusion was handled with care. He battles demons of his own, and like I said prior, he can draw people into their past trauma. This will come back to bite the Thunderbolts in the future because every member has trauma. Sentry forces the team to face their past, and eventually, the Thunderbolts help Sentry battle his own self-loathing. Bob views it as an ever-present void. Again, for someone dealing with depression, this is relatable.

I don’t want to get into any further detail; it’ll get too spoilery. How the Thunderbolts assemble has shades of the Guardians of the Galaxy. It worked for the Guardians; it works for the Thunderbolts. There are a few exceptions, but most Thunderbolts are tasked with assassinating one of the other future members. Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s character (Valentina) is in the throes of impeachment trials and uses the various members to cover up her tracks. Her final loose ends are the Thunderbolts. Okay. That was kind of a spoiler. Thunderbolts* may use familiar tactics, but the way the movie executes these tactics feels fresh.

Thunderbolts* even manages to introduce small details earlier in the film that end up mattering more than the audience may have thought. That’s always fun. It’s like watching a puzzle piece fall into place. And Thunderbolts* does a good job of managing those puzzle pieces.

My only gripe is that I wish we had seen more of certain characters. To be fair, that’s a good problem to have. This is a minor spoiler, but one of the Thunderbolts dies early in the movie’s runtime. I see why Marvel did it. Fans didn’t care for this interpretation of the character, and knowing the multiverse, the character could return (even with the same actor) in some other form, hopefully one closer to the comic book.

And I wish we had gotten more screen time with Ghost. Again, I understand why Marvel went this direction. Ghost’s past is similar enough to Yelena’s (suffering from a childhood where she must do bad things). Thunderbolts* had a lot of characters to juggle, so someone had to draw the short stick. Ghost still had plenty of moments.

I don’t want to continue and risk spoiling any more of Thunderbolts*. It’s a great watch, one of the MCU’s better releases in recent years. Just be prepared with a box of tissues. Thunderbolts* covers some heavy topics.

I’m so glad Thunderbolts* was the first MCU movie I watched this year. I can’t wait for Fantastic Four: First Steps to release. Thank you for reading. Like Thunderbolts* tells us, be kind to yourself, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Geekly News: May 4, 2025, MCU Reveals First X-Men Villain

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First things first. Happy Star Wars Day! We plan to celebrate with various games. Let us know how you plan to celebrate May the Fourth. Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. This geek week’s news cycle had a few developments, but we’ll start with the MCU.

Mister Sinister Named the MCU X-Men’s First Villain

While not guaranteed, the MCU heavily implied that they intended for Mister Sinister to be the first villain the MCU’s rendition of the X-Men would face. Mister Sinister has been rumored for months. Several trusted sources have confirmed that we’ll see Doctor Nathaniel Essex soon. This tracks. Often, the MCU would rather use a villain who hasn’t yet made their big screen debut as the villain in a major film, and the rebooted X-Men would be a major release.

I have reservations with Mister Sinister being the X-Men’s first villain. Typically, he’s better served with a slow build. Mister Sinister’s original concept was of a child at the same orphanage as Cyclops, but he secretly ran the facility. Mister Sinister ages slowly, so while he looked like an 11-year-old like Cyclops was at the time, he was 50 years old. I can see the MCU making it appear like Mister Sinister hid in plain sight for decades, but I’m not sold on this angle. We’ll have to see how the MCU intends to incorporate Mister Sinister. He’s not the easiest villain to plop into a narrative, but I’d love to see him on the big screen.

Skye casted Robert Pattinson as Mister Sinister in our recent Geekly Casting: X-Men in the MCU post. I like that casting. I can see it. There have also been rumors of Keanu Reeves joining the MCU. Of the two roles we know will happen, Reeves would make a good Beyonder (Secret Wars) or Mister Sinister. We’ll let you know as we get more information.

Whoopsie! Chrono Trigger Remake May or May Not Have Been Leaked

2025 marks Chrono Trigger’s 30th anniversary. Fans got excited for a Chrono Trigger Remake after a statement was released that the game would be next in line at SquareEnix to get the remake treatment. At first, news releases made it sound as if original game designer Yuji Horii had made an announcement for a Chrono Trigger remake at Napoli Comicon 2025, but Horii’s comments were mistranslated. Here’s a link to the Napoli Comicon 2025 panel in question:

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2448211166?t=18941s

Still, one must think there may be some smoke. Chrono Trigger is celebrating a milestone anniversary. It would make sense that SquareEnix has something planned for this year. Fingers crossed that SquareEnix continues its trend of video game remakes with Chrono Trigger.

Flamecraft Duals Hits Kickstarter

While the original Flamecraft can accommodate 2-player games, it thrives at higher player counts. Flamecraft Duals continues the trend of 2-player variants of popular games. The production quality looks fantastic. I like the use of buddy tokens. Flamecraft Duals may be set in the same universe as Flamecraft, but plays very differently from the original. I don’t have a lot of bag pulling games, so I may consider picking up Flamecraft Duals. Gamers can even purchase the Dragons & Dragons add-on that modifies the original game. You can back the base Flamecraft Duals for $30 or Dragons & Dragons for $20. There’s even a Horde option where Cardboard Alchemy includes promo cards, an art book, and two dragon plushes for $99.

Trash Rush Launches on Kickstarter

Raccoons work as trash collectors in Trash Rush. What’s not to love? Trash Rush is a quick to learn and streamlined experience. Players control their team of raccoon trash collectors by playing cards from their hands once per turn, but be careful. Whatever order you place your raccoons’ actions will be the order they will conduct those actions for the entire round. Despite a simple concept and easy-to-learn rules, there are plenty of strategic choices.

Per Rhado, from Rhado Runs Through, Trash Rush is a good alternative to Ticket to Ride. Players must generate a network and optimize their ability to collect trash. I can’t get over the raccoon characters. Yay! And it helps that Trash Rush has multiple ways to play: multiplayer competitive, cooperative, and solo. The base game costs about $34 (the totals are calculated in Euros). If you include Trash Rush’s first expansion, a pledge will cost about $59, and the all-in pledge runs around $72. Shipping is not included, of course.

Super Pixel Tactics Lands on GameFound

If you’re like me, you’ll have to wait for Super Boss Monster to make it to your local game store, but Boss Monster isn’t the only board game inspired by classic video games. Pixel Tactics pits players against each other in a battle to the death. Super Pixel Tactics is the new definitive version by Level 99 Games. I’m actually more impressed by the storage capacity of Super Pixel Tactics. Super Boss Monster had issues with storing a lot of its bits; Super Pixel Tactics shouldn’t have that same issue.

I even like how Super Pixel Tactics is accommodating sleeves. That doesn’t happen that much, and so many board gamers love to sleeve their cards. The gameplay gets some much-needed tweaks but stays mostly the same. I am excited about the new solo mode. If you’re looking for a two-player combat game that’s set in a classic video game universe, you should consider Super Pixel Tactics. The pledge levels include the full collection at $100, the first two Pixel Tactics and a mat for $60, just the first game for $15, and everything, including all the bling, for $150.