snap judgments

GAMES!

Oh wow.  I thought today was going to be dullsville (honestly, without comics we’re a slow ship), but YAY GAMES!

I swear, reviews tonight but you have to know about this awesome awesome stuff:

1) PIRATES!  I am proud to say that if you’re not a poser pirate fan who couldn’t name at least two female scourges of the seas but constantly recite Johnny Depp’s lines from Pirates of the Caribbean then has Metro got some stuff for YOU! 

First, Pirates of the Spanish Main kicked it up a notch by adding SEA MONSTERS to their already fabulous game.  Now, not only can you get a basic game going for just $3.99 a pack, but now you could get a SEA MONSTER!  It’s the easiest game to play and learn and every single new expansion just makes it that much cooler.  And it’s only $3.99 a pack!  I keep one in my bag at all times in case food is being served to slow during lunch so I can just bust it out and play on the table. 

Second, for the aesthetic, we have Dread Pirate.  I feared getting this game in due to its sheer beauty and price.  But once you play with the weighted metal ships, realize how simple the game play is, clink some of the sculpted metal ‘gold’ coins, and see how lovely the real wood chest would look in your living room, it becomes not a matter of ‘How can I afford it?’ but ‘How can I take this home?’  I could talk up the game, but it’s honestly something you have to touch and see in person to understand its full glory.  A truly classy game and a nice addition to any home and I’m going to make it my personal mission to see it leave the store.

2) BATTLESTAR GALACTICA!  Any geek worth their salt has sat down with the new Sci-Fi series and made their judgment known.  For those of you in the ‘This Show ROCKS!’ category, we have an all new card game that seems to have taken the best elements from a lot of popular games and worked them into a fast paced interesting system that keeps everyone thinking on each turn.  The card have the corners clipped off them to reflect the freaky paper they got on the show and it’s that kind of attention to detail that keeps my attention.  The fact that you work against your opponent to gain political power then combine forces to defeat a Cyclon threat makes me want to play. 

Enthusiasm is great for getting people to buy things.  And while comic fans can certainly have a great deal of enthusiasm for their favorite books, it’s finding a way to direct that in a positive direction to the customer.  I felt that Fantastic Four: Death in the Family was a travesty against Marvel and its fans and so I made sure that at least pull customers weren’t suckered in.  At the same time, I made sure to find other things that I could recommend wholeheartedly to replace that $3.99 failure.  ‘This book sucks’ should be followed with ‘but this?  This is a work of art!’

Games are the same way.  Yes, Yu-Gi-Oh is a terrible game for children and it’s sad to see Little Billy Second Grader lose his hard earned allowance money to a marketing ploy.  So, I’ll see if I can’t get him to take home some Pirates instead.  It keeps store employees (ok, maybe just me) from getting too maudlin.

Enjoy your shelves.  There’s a lot of cool stuff out there.  And again, really, don’t be afraid to try something new.  Not into card games?  Pick one up sometime that’s got an easy theme you like and try it out, just to make sure.