Latest Articles
Back Into Vantage: A Follow-Up to the Shut Up & Sit Down Review
Sometimes yesterday, the popular board game review channel Shut Up & Sit Down dropped a review of Vantage, and while the beginning of the video obviously dripped with sarcasm, the game ultimately didn’t work for the review team over there for a variety of reasons. There wasn’t enough going on story wise, some of the cards felt very much the same, just with different art, and the game ultimately came down to stashing dice on cards. I love Shut Up…
One Plus Watch 3 Review
We are big fans of smart watches in our home, and after using a number of different watches from a number of different companies, we realized that all are doing about the same stuff, so it is the little things that separates one watch from another. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we actually got to spend a lot more time with the OnePlus Watch 3 prior to writing this review than we normally do, but that time has only…
Octopath Traveler 0 Demo Impressions
The Octopath Traveler series has been the leader in the HD-2D style of games since it started. We reviewed the second game in the series (link please) and liked it a lot. And soon a third game, Octopath Traveler 0, will be added. A demo is now available and we checked it out. Octopath Traveler 0 will be coming out on December 4th, 2025 for Nintendo Switch 1 and 2 (among other systems). A demo was released for the game…
Updates coming to Rune Factory, Story of Seasons
Marvelous Europe just gave fans of farming and fantasy RPGs something to celebrate! The publisher announced two free updates for its latest titles — Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma and STORY OF SEASONS: Grand Bazaar — plus a special digital sale on Steam and the Nintendo eShop. If you love mixing farming with adventure, this update is for you. The new “STORY OF SEASONS Bundle” brings classic farm animals from Grand Bazaar into the Rune Factory world. Players can now…
Vantage Upgrades: Player Mats, Metal Coins, and Wooden Skill Tokens
When assessing how video games should be packaged for the consumer, I have waivered a lot on what I think should be included and how optional add-ons should be handled. Selfishly, I love well produce board games that include metal coins, and that’s why I often go the deluxe board game route when using Kickstarter or Gamefound. But I also know that not everyone has that kind of money, and with that in mind, I love how Stonemaier Games handles…
Tokaido Duo Components Overview and Impressiosn
When Tokaido Duo arrived at the house for review yesterday, I was actually expecting a bit more. When I finally got the box unwrapped and everything punched, I was actually shocked by the lack of pieces in the box. I’m not sitting here claiming this is a bad thing, but from what I had read, there is a good amount of depth in this game, yet the component quantity is so minimal! I’m ok with only a few components in…
Exploding Kittens: The Board Game Review
Exploding Kittens has never been a game I particularly enjoyed, and honestly after playing this board game adaptation, I could take it or leave it. My kids, however, absolutely love Exploding Kittens, and all the spinoffs like Exploding Minions. Watching them enjoy Exploding Kittens: The Board Game has been really fun, and while it’s not for me, it is definitely for them. Exploding Kittens: The Board Game feels incredibly familiar when you play, despite a completely different end-game goal. In…
Disney Lorcana: Whispers in the Well Accessories Review
While I’ve already written at length why Whispers in the Well is one of the best Disney Lorcana releases to date, it’s hard to follow-up the Fabled accessories release. While I think the Illumineers Trove has come back down to earn – so it’s more in line with releases previous to Fabled – the playmats and starter decks continue to impress. The decks, specifically, are some of the best starter decks in recent memory. The Judy Hopps and Nick Wylde…
Disney Lorcana: Whispers in the Well Set Review
I think it was going to be hard for Ravensburger and Disney Lorcana to follow-up on the Fabled release. Despite my desire to not see so many reprinted cards, there was some fantastic artwork, a great franchise in The Goofy Movie added to the mix, and one of the best Illumineers Trove’s I ever seen. While there are some drawbacks this time around – Illumineers Trove has come back down to earth, in line with previous releases – Whispers in…
Value in Video Games – A Look at Two Point Museum
It is funny how we place value in video games that we purchase. If someone sells you an INCREDIBLE 2-3 hour game for 19.99, is that good value? Sure, hour wise you aren’t getting a lot for your twenty bucks, but was the experience worth it? On the flipside, I’ve found that people freak out on big, AAA titles if there isn’t 100+ hours of content for the 89.99 CAD price tag. Everyone is going to value video games differently,…
