Monday, June 06, 2011

Genre Games

Alex is hosting a blog hop about your favorite games.  In my list I will try and represent three different types of genre games.

1.  VS system-  You probably haven't hear of this collectable card game or trading card game (CCG/TCG).  It took the characters of the Marvel and DC universe and brought them together to fight against or along side each other.  This game might have had the best engine of any card game I have played.  The downfall, I think, were the high licensing fees for the characters.  The system lost company support before it lost fan support, there are still remote groups playing with old cards.  I don't know how many unopened boxes there are left for drafts but I wouldn't mind buying in.   I wasn't that much of a fan of DC until I started playing the game, but the game changed my thinking. 



2.  Dungeons and Dragons-  Now, I have never really played through a campaign in this game.  I have always wanted to, but as a child I was too poor, and as an adult I have been too busy.  The game as always interested me as it is very creative with imagination.  I thought about learning and playing with my kids, but I think the game is even more expensive now as you need figurines, tiles, dungeon sets, as well as the many books and dice.  That is probably the biggest failure of the game, it simply isn't as accessable as it could be.  Maybe things will settle down one day and I will be able to sit down for a couple hours a week and play. 

3.  Resident Evil 4-  I actually did a whole post on this game once.  I played what I feel to be the ultimate edition on the Wii.  You are sucked right into the game.  Turn the tv up and the lights down low and it is a truly creepy experience.  The game is long but not too long and the puzzles keep you thinking througout, although I hate the red bishop and was so glad when I finally got him.  When you beat the game you get unlocked content that is really cool and increases the replayability of the game.  I don't think any game has pulled me in any more effectively than Resident Evil 4. 

So, what are your favorite genre games?

14 comments:

Pat Tillett said...

I knew you'd have some interesting picks. Resident Evil 4 sounds good and creepy...

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Budd, we sometimes played with sets, but usually a hand-drawn map worked just as well! If you can find the books at a used book store, it's a really cheap game to play. I think I have boxes still of old modules...
Thanks for participating in the blogfest!

Timothy S. Brannan said...

Happy to see some D&D love on this Blogfest.

My son and I wanted to try out the Vs. system, but never got around to getting all the stuff we needed for it. We ending up play D&D, Pokemon and Yugioh more.

Thanks for your list. My list is here.

M Pax said...

Cool choices. I would love to try these. Maybe someday. :) I love most games.

Budd said...

Alex- I checked out the 4th edition book at the library and it pushes the figurines pretty hard. I haven't seen any used copies local, I haven't gon online looking. I was hoping for a kindle format but didn't see one.

Budd said...

Tim-VS is a great game. being familiar with other CCGs you should pick up on it fairly fast. The game engine is excellent though, and is worth playing for that alone.

Budd said...

Pat- RE4 is creepy, you gotta try it.

Mpax- I love games too, well. . . except for thermonuclear war. the only way to win that is not to play.

GeoffN. said...

Budd, Alex has it right that used bookstores are good for starting up D&D on the cheap. I picked up all my books from Half Price Books when every other store was treating my D&D edition of choice as out-of-print books -selling them for twice the price of new books.

I also agree that 4E really emphasizes miniatures, but this is easy to work around. Lego men make awesome minis. I also use M.U.S.C.L.E. men I've had lying around since the 80s, or even Go pieces if I need a whole bunch of baddies. Also, sites like Trollandtoad.com often sell minis for as little as $0.50 a piece.

Ciara said...

Great picks. It's nice to meet you. I'm a new follower form Alex's blogfest.

Reid Kemper said...

I've played Resident Evil 4. Very creepy, indeed. The first game is great, too.

Ross said...

I also am someone who never got the chance to play D&D growing up (for lack of friends interested in it). I don't know anyone today who would be interested that lives nearby, either, except for my two nephews (11 and 13).

I did break out Settlers of Catan with my nephews a couple weeks ago and they loved it. We were all learning together so nobody really had an edge, but it became apparent after a few games that it definitely requires some strategic thinking that the 11 year old didn't quite have down yet.

Budd said...

Spork- when I got the books at the library, it was tough learning how to do things by myself and trying to teach my kids. I had to DM as I was the adult and I forced my wife to play a character. Unfortunately, not a lot of time to play any other way.

Budd said...

Ciara-Thanks for stopping by.

Reid- I think the first game is available on Wii as well.

Ross- I have heard good things about Settlers of Catan.

Nicole Zoltack said...

I'm so ashamed to be a fantasy writer that never played D&D. Although I once received a rejection that said that D&D fans would probably like the story so that says something, right?