This week's game...the game of riots and pilots that is Pandemic Legacy (Season One).
Players: 2-4
Time: 30-60 minutes per game
Genre: Cooperative / Legacy
Welcome to Hughes3D: A Gaming Blog, where the three D's stand for dice, d-pads, and design. Hughes3D is your portal for impressions and discussions on video games and board games, an exploration into game design, weekly web comics, and more.
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
Tabletop Tuesday - Pandemic Legacy
Welcome to another edition of Tabletop Tuesday - Your weekly exploration into games of dice, cards, luck and more of the Tabletop world.
This week's game...the game of riots and pilots that is Pandemic Legacy (Season One).
Players: 2-4
Time: 30-60 minutes per game
Genre: Cooperative / Legacy
This week's game...the game of riots and pilots that is Pandemic Legacy (Season One).
Players: 2-4
Time: 30-60 minutes per game
Genre: Cooperative / Legacy
Monday, May 29, 2017
ARMS Test-Punch Impressions
For many Nintendo Switch owners this weekend, we spent a few hours testing out the upcoming Nintendo fighter that is ARMS. If you missed out, there will be another Global Test-Punch this coming weekend (June 2-4) of which I'll have the times posted at the bottom of this post. While this Test-Punch is certainly helping provide Nintendo important feedback and test their servers, it also presents us a small taste of this game to help answer the ever-present question that comes with any new IP: Is it any good? So here are a few early impressions on ARMS and what kind of punch it delivers (pun intended):
Sunday, May 28, 2017
Thursday, May 25, 2017
Throwback Thursday - Splatoon
Welcome to another Throwback Thursday, our weekly look into my Top 100 games and general nostalgia. This week's headline: The game of Splatfests and staying fresh that is Splatoon.
Released in the US on May 29th, 2015, Splatoon was a new IP from Nintendo that took a fresh look at the FPS genre. Players take control of Inklings which are human-like characters that can transform into squids at will. Using a variety of paint guns, players cover territory with ink and blast other players into inky oblivion. Players can then use this ink covered landscape to quickly traverse and scale walls in squid form. Dipping into pools of ink while in squid form also allows players to recharge their paint guns. The flow in which players are able attack and maneuver in this game feels so fluid and smooth. And the mechanics for achieving victory in multiplayer matches are equally refreshing and appreciated. The main multiplayer mode for regular matches is Turf Wars, in which the team with the most ink covered territory at the end of the timed match wins. This means players are constantly involved in matches, be it covering the turf with ink or pushing back again the enemy team. All players are capable of being productive team members. And a keen awareness of the map and play-by-play actions become crucial to swinging the tides of each and every match.
Released in the US on May 29th, 2015, Splatoon was a new IP from Nintendo that took a fresh look at the FPS genre. Players take control of Inklings which are human-like characters that can transform into squids at will. Using a variety of paint guns, players cover territory with ink and blast other players into inky oblivion. Players can then use this ink covered landscape to quickly traverse and scale walls in squid form. Dipping into pools of ink while in squid form also allows players to recharge their paint guns. The flow in which players are able attack and maneuver in this game feels so fluid and smooth. And the mechanics for achieving victory in multiplayer matches are equally refreshing and appreciated. The main multiplayer mode for regular matches is Turf Wars, in which the team with the most ink covered territory at the end of the timed match wins. This means players are constantly involved in matches, be it covering the turf with ink or pushing back again the enemy team. All players are capable of being productive team members. And a keen awareness of the map and play-by-play actions become crucial to swinging the tides of each and every match.
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Tabletop Tuesday - Fluxx
Welcome to another edition of Tabletop Tuesday - Your weekly exploration into games of dice, cards, luck and more of the Tabletop world.
This week's game...the game of keepers and creepers that is Fluxx.
Players: 2-6 Players
Time: 10-30 minutes
Genre: Casual Card Game
This week's game...the game of keepers and creepers that is Fluxx.
Players: 2-6 Players
Time: 10-30 minutes
Genre: Casual Card Game
Sunday, May 21, 2017
Friday, May 19, 2017
Throwback Thursday - The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages / Seasons
Welcome to another Throwback Thursday, our weekly look into my Top 100 games and general nostalgia. This week's feature presentation: The games of changing weather and jumping feathers that is The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages / Seasons.
Released in the US on May 14th, 2001, Oracle of Ages and Seasons were two Zelda games developed simultaneously through the joint effort of Nintendo and Capcom. Each game focused on a different central mechanic, theme, and emphasis on action vs puzzle solving. In Oracle of Ages, Link travels through Labrynna to restore order to the present and past using the Harp of Ages. In Oracle of Seasons, Link travels through Holodrum to rescue the captured Din and restore balance to the seasons using the Rod of Seasons. Both games use the central tools in such creative and memorable ways, such as exploring dungeons in the past, only to travel into the future and see how your actions have directly impacted the layout of the dungeon. Or changing the seasons to winter to create mounds of snow as pathways, and then back to summer to climb summer vines. The worlds in these games are impeccably designed for clever exploration and use of these abilities.
Released in the US on May 14th, 2001, Oracle of Ages and Seasons were two Zelda games developed simultaneously through the joint effort of Nintendo and Capcom. Each game focused on a different central mechanic, theme, and emphasis on action vs puzzle solving. In Oracle of Ages, Link travels through Labrynna to restore order to the present and past using the Harp of Ages. In Oracle of Seasons, Link travels through Holodrum to rescue the captured Din and restore balance to the seasons using the Rod of Seasons. Both games use the central tools in such creative and memorable ways, such as exploring dungeons in the past, only to travel into the future and see how your actions have directly impacted the layout of the dungeon. Or changing the seasons to winter to create mounds of snow as pathways, and then back to summer to climb summer vines. The worlds in these games are impeccably designed for clever exploration and use of these abilities.
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Tabletop Tuesday - The Resistance
Welcome to another edition of Tabletop Tuesday - Your weekly exploration into games of dice, cards, luck and more of the Tabletop world.
This week's game...the game of spies and lies that is The Resistance.
Players: 5-10
Time: 20-40 minutes
Genre: Social Deduction Game
This week's game...the game of spies and lies that is The Resistance.
Players: 5-10
Time: 20-40 minutes
Genre: Social Deduction Game
Sunday, May 14, 2017
Happy Mother's Day!
Music arranged by The Altered Beasts; Support the artist and purchase on iTunes here: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/album/pollyanna-from-earthbound/id645518687?i=645518702&mt=1&app=music
Friday, May 12, 2017
One Month Until E3 2017 - Top 5 Anticipations
Can you believe it folks? It's only one month until E3! In anticipation for this exciting extravaganza of games to come, I thought it'd be fun to share my Top 5 Anticipations for E3:
-1- Retro Studios (Likelihood - 90%)
Retro Studios is an esteemed first-party developer for Nintendo, responsible for the astounding Metroid Prime series and stellar Donkey Kong Country revival. Their last showing was in fact Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze for the Wii-U back in E3 2013. Since then, they have been very quiet these past 4 years. Will they make a third game in the Donkey Kong Country series, like they did for Metroid Prime? Will they help bring Metroid back into the spotlight? Or will they visit another Nintendo series or start an entirely new IP? Any of these scenarios would be exceedingly exciting. Considering Retro Studios has never gone more than 4 years without making an appearance at an E3, the likelihood we will see something this year is very likely, and I just can't wait!
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| Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze (left) - Metroid Prime (right) |
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Throwback Thursday - Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
Welcome to another Throwback Thursday, our weekly look into my Top 100 games and general nostalgia. This week's headliner: The game with small comical sidekicks that is Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy.
Released in the US on December 3rd, 2001, Jak and Daxter was a new game series to follow Naughty Dog's Crash Bandicoot series. It features a teenage boy named Jak as your silent protagonist, partnered with an obnoxious and humorous friend, Daxter, whom is transformed into a strange otter / weasel-like animal at the start of the game. Together, they travel across various fantasy / sci-fi inspired landscapes to collect power cells and precursor eggs, and ultimately thwart the plans of certain villainous characters to unleash Dark Eco upon the world.
Released in the US on December 3rd, 2001, Jak and Daxter was a new game series to follow Naughty Dog's Crash Bandicoot series. It features a teenage boy named Jak as your silent protagonist, partnered with an obnoxious and humorous friend, Daxter, whom is transformed into a strange otter / weasel-like animal at the start of the game. Together, they travel across various fantasy / sci-fi inspired landscapes to collect power cells and precursor eggs, and ultimately thwart the plans of certain villainous characters to unleash Dark Eco upon the world.
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
Tabletop Tuesday - Boss Monster
Welcome to another edition of Tabletop Tuesday - Your weekly exploration into games of dice, cards, luck and more of the Tabletop world.
This week's game...the game of pitfalls and fireballs that is Boss Monster.
Players: 2-4
Time: 20-40 minutes
Genre: Strategy Card Game
This week's game...the game of pitfalls and fireballs that is Boss Monster.
Players: 2-4
Time: 20-40 minutes
Genre: Strategy Card Game
Sunday, May 7, 2017
Friday, May 5, 2017
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap Review
Genre: Side-Scrolling, Action-Adventure
Players: 1
Playtime: 5 hours (Includes beating the game and finding 3 of 6 hidden charm stones on Normal Mode. Also tried Easy Mode for comparison -- Did not have will to try Hard Mode)
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap is a remake of the 1989 game Wonder Boy III, originally released on the Master System. For being based off a game that is 28 years old, the core design of this game holds some strikingly good bones and structure to it. That isn't to say it doesn't fall prey to some pitfalls of older, frustrating game mechanics, but I can see why the good folks of Lizardcube and DotEmu wanted to revisit this retro classic adventure.
Throwback Thursday - The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Welcome to another Throwback Thursday, our weekly look into my Top 100 games and general nostalgia. In this week's forecast: The game of motion-controlled swords and beetles that is The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.
Released in the US on November 20th, 2011, Skyward Sword was the first Zelda title built from the ground-up for the Nintendo Wii. Designed to make use of the Wii MotionPlus, much of the combat and Link's arsenal require a variety of creative and precise motion controls. This was met with mixed reception from players. On the one hand, it made every enemy a more interesting puzzle to defeat, finding the appropriate angles to strike and recognizing patterns they use to block. But then this also made combat much more drawn out, with repeated encounters with enemies become tiring affairs, especially when requiring the precise nature of motion controls which weren't always so cooperative. Still, the game is commended for making use of the Wii hardware and making a unique Zelda experience.
Released in the US on November 20th, 2011, Skyward Sword was the first Zelda title built from the ground-up for the Nintendo Wii. Designed to make use of the Wii MotionPlus, much of the combat and Link's arsenal require a variety of creative and precise motion controls. This was met with mixed reception from players. On the one hand, it made every enemy a more interesting puzzle to defeat, finding the appropriate angles to strike and recognizing patterns they use to block. But then this also made combat much more drawn out, with repeated encounters with enemies become tiring affairs, especially when requiring the precise nature of motion controls which weren't always so cooperative. Still, the game is commended for making use of the Wii hardware and making a unique Zelda experience.
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
Tabletop Tuesday - Spot It
Welcome to another edition of Tabletop Tuesday - Your weekly exploration into games of dice, cards, luck and more of the Tabletop world.
This week's game...the game of red balloons and yellow moons that is Spot It.
Players: 1-8
Time: 5-10 minutes per round
Genre: Casual Family Game
This week's game...the game of red balloons and yellow moons that is Spot It.
Players: 1-8
Time: 5-10 minutes per round
Genre: Casual Family Game
Tips for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Double Items
It's safe to say that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a fantastic game as it takes all the components of the stellar Wii-U version and then adds even more to it. I'll post a review highlighting its strengths and weaknesses once I've had more time with the multiplayer and new battle mode components, but in the meantime, I thought I'd discuss one of this game's new features and offer some tips and tricks for such: The Double Items.
This small change to Mario Kart 8's mechanics drastically affects the dynamics of races, creating twice as much commotion and twice as many opportunities to defend. The meta of racing now involves many more choices to be made: When to use items? When to go for double-item boxes vs shorter routes? What to anticipate with opponents equipped with twice as many items as before? All these questions are constantly on the player's mind when racing around at high speeds. So here are some strategies I've developed while playing with this new intricate system:
This small change to Mario Kart 8's mechanics drastically affects the dynamics of races, creating twice as much commotion and twice as many opportunities to defend. The meta of racing now involves many more choices to be made: When to use items? When to go for double-item boxes vs shorter routes? What to anticipate with opponents equipped with twice as many items as before? All these questions are constantly on the player's mind when racing around at high speeds. So here are some strategies I've developed while playing with this new intricate system:
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