Games, as I have discussed ad nauseum, have always been an important factor in my life. They lead me to my chosen profession. Keep me sane and absorb a metric ton of my discretionary funding. It’s been surprisingly less discretionary funding during COVID. Really surprising. It’s not because my work has exploded, which I am lucky to be able to say. Simply put, I’ve applied the same honing of one’s psyche to my gaming lizard brain. I’ve made incredibly pointed purchases and continue to do so. 

It took me awhile, but I was able to locate a Ring Fit Adventure after casual months of trying. I used to routinely pick up games on discount that I felt I’d get eventually. Those didn’t make the cut anymore because I am an idiot and I finally realized that if it was on sale once, it’ll be on sale again. The real savings was the sharpening steel I took to what I bought. I targeted the experiences, genres and franchises that brought me joy historically. Mario Kart Home Circuit was an obvious one, innovation and an easy experience to share with my family. Streets of Rage 4 brought back the joy of dumping quarters into an arcade machine. My co-op mate may be 200 miles away but technology solves most of that. Remnant: From the Ashes was free because Epic Games has too much money from Fortnite to bother with a reasonable business model. I can’t think of any real splurge. The closest would be the platforming joy of Yoshi’s Crafted World that I am still attempting to get my eldest into. She still wants to focus on competitive Snipperclips instead of moving on. At least she’s learning how to trash talk!

How have you altered your entertainment budget? You’ll notice I haven’t said anything about movie or even book purchases. Thank C’Thun for the amazing local library!

Choose Your Game 

First and foremost, you are going to need to choose a game that you play strong enough to make a career of it. It is no good being just okay on a few different platforms and games. Instead, you are better off dedicating your time and attention to practicing one singular title and mastering it. It should be a game that you love playing. This way, all of the necessary practice will not feel like a chore. 

Watch Streamers and Professionals 

Since you want to get into this area yourself, it makes sense that you watch what people are currently doing. You will pick up all sorts of tips and tricks along the way. You will also start to understand more about the art of streaming. The personality of the players is a big part of the reason that people tune into these streams time after time. You could also look into the gambling side of the games, such as League of Legends betting’.

Network with Other Gamers 

Becoming involved in any industry involves networking with other people. Even if you have never been that much of a social butterfly, you still have to get involved. Once you put yourself out there, you are likely to find that you enjoy socializing with people who share your own set of interests. Also, it is more than likely that opportunities are going to open up along the way. 

Invest in High-Quality Equipment 

You would never see a professional tennis player using an old wooden racket, so if you are going to be a professional gamer, you cannot expect to continue using outdated equipment. Try out a few different variations of gear to find what works best for you and what offers you the most comfort. Also, you should keep one eye on technology to see what is coming out and what is the next thing that you can invest in.

Play in Leagues and Competitions 

The next step is to actually start competing in leagues and competitions. You may first just dip your toe in the water and work your way up through the ability levels. Professional gaming usually involves challenging yourself against better and better players until you feel confident competing against the big boys. You can then start to enter tournaments and try and make a name for yourself. Once you do, the next stage is to try and get some sponsorship or ideally get invited to become a member of one of the world’s premier gaming teams.

Becoming a professional gamer is very similar to becoming a pro-athlete, and because of that, the challenges and the need for hard work and dedication are also present.

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Gaming

I’m doing it, folks. I am going to return to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt after losing my progress to the pre-cloud save doom of GOG.com. It’s okay, I will overcome my hatred of replying, especially since I play on hard, by spamming through the early story parts. There’s also ye ol Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest that I still need to finish. I did find an awesome franchise to fill my mobile dearth through most of 2019. Bloons TD 6 will continue to soak up my time for the foreseeable future. A JRPG or Shenmue 3 deserves an attempt in addition to a random older jam such as wrapping Super Mario Galaxy 2 or Metroid: Samus Returns.  It’s including lengthy genres like an RPG and JRPG and my penchant for playing on try hard difficulties only that have me leveling my #2020gaming goal to a paltry 12.

Reading

Frankly, I purchased way too many books from my local bookstore in 2019 and could easily spend all of 2020 getting through those. The Year of the Rat will see me continue my typical rotation of a classic, business or professional development, a recommended item, and something purely popcorn. Thus, a good collection of those new books will likely remain on the shelf for another year. Too much popcorn to work through. Here’s hoping I can resist further purchases that will simply be shelved. Don’t hold your breath. I’ve no plans to read some of the incredibly thick tomes I read last year so my Reading Challenge remains at 22 dead trees and e-ink.

Professional

This is the goal I swung and whiffed on that puts me up there with Aaron Judge. I hoped to have reached the double Trailblazer of 200 badges and came incredibly short. It was an aggressive goal and didn’t take into account additional celebratory options, such as another Salesforce accreditation and SAFe certification. All things considered for 2020, I’m going to stick with the 200 badge goal that I had in 2019. That’s a non-trivial 40 badges to get under my belt, of which, I’ve done none so far this year.

Antilles and I spent as much of the 4 days as we could checking out the latest offerings, and we came away with a handful of favorites that we will be checking out in greater detail over the coming weeks.

I think the highlight of this year’s convention was sitting down with Dan Paladin, one of the founders of The Behemoth. We had a chance to talk with him about Alien Hominid: Invasion and his take on the gaming Industry in 2020. That interview will be up soon.

We stopped by Private Division / V1 Interactive to check out Disintegration, which is a first person shooter, blended with squad based tactics. In this game, you hover over the battlefield on a gravcycle while issuing commands to your squad on the ground.

We’ll also be going in depth about a few other titles in the coming weeks, among them are two very different games with a similar theme. Misbits, which is a multiplayer action driven battle sandbox where you play as a head which hops on different bodies to gain unique abilities as you punch, kick and smash your way to victory; and Skul: the Hero Slayer, a challenging rogue-lite side scroller where you can swap your head out to unlock different skills as you cut down what ever obstacles are in your path. Additionally we got to check out Fuser which is the latest rhythm based game from music game veterans Harmonix, which puts you in the shoes of a DJ as you blend elements of songs together to make new music.

We also are going to check out some of the coolest gear from the show, including WhirlwindFX’s Element Keyboard and Vortx Environmental Simulator, and talk about the elgato stream deck, just to name a few.

The game revolves around a deck of 22 brightly illustrated tarot cards, six dice with custom symbols, and your imagination. Starting the game is easy, and requires you to draw and scan a few cards to establish a few details about your character. The app takes the image, and gives you a few options to choose from for each card to help establish a backstory, character talents and flaws, as well as any equipment you might have. Descriptions for everything are only a few sentences long, so it serves as a starting point which can be explored and developed in the game. There are currently four different themes to choose from, which determine the flavor of the game, and plans for more to be released down the road.

I’ve played Dungeons and Dragons almost weekly since the 5th edition came out a few years ago, and on and off before that. For a while I was the game master, leading my players through a few different adventures before turning the reigns over to a friend. I then joined as a player, making a few different characters for each new campaign that we started.

As a player, I feel that it’s always somewhat of a chore to get a character together for that first session. The core rule books are big and go into depth about the various races, classes, and subclasses. Rolling and assigning starting stats, picking spells, and filling out a character sheet can also be very confusing and can serve as a barrier to entry for those who are unfamiliar to how everything in the game works. And once the game is underway, referring back to the books is a regular occurrence to determine how a spell works, or to look for clarification on how the game mechanics are written. Often times this means the game grinds to a halt.

The first thing that sets Weave apart from other table top RPG systems is the ease of getting started. There isn’t the upfront time commitment of reading through rule books, and this goes for both the players and the game master. Since everything is based on the tarot cards, all it takes is a quick shuffle and then you are ready to scan cards using your phone or tablet. For the game master, these cards will flesh out the core qualities of the game, which are the theme, location and boss. For players, it will determine the characters backstory, talents, flaws and and any assets they are carrying. Scanning one card per quality is all it takes to start, so it can be completed in just a few minutes.

Players also pick a primary attribute, referred to as a core suit, and which correspond to one of the four elements. Stones represents strength, and is used for physical challenges like athletics checks, lifting things or jumping. Flames represents intelligence, and is used for things like knowledge of history, focusing on mental tasks, and casting spells. Brooks represents charisma, and is used for social interactions like persuasion or deception. Lastly, Gales represents a players agility and is used when determining things like if an attack is successfully dodged or moving stealthily.

Weave uses six standard sized six sided dice customized with the four elemental attributes, an X, and the Weave symbol. These dice are used when there is any sort of challenge in the game, like vaulting over a wall, swinging on a rope across a ballroom, or punching an enemy in the face. The player describes what they are trying to do, and the game master decides which attribute is appropriate and sets the difficulty. Players get three dice to roll by default, but can get more if they have a bonus to that attribute. For example, a character with +2 gales would get 5 dice on a gales based check. The Weave symbol on the die is a wild, so it can count to which ever element type you are rolling for. Additionally, that die is picked up and can be rerolled, improving the odds of success.

Having the character sheets and game world information handled on your phone or tablet makes setting the game up very simple, and handles all the heavy lifting as players level up, or as new locations or enemies are introduced into the game. It is important to note however, that while Weave does most of the upfront work, this a game that relies heavily on the players imaginations. Everyone that comes to the table should be willing to contribute to building a rich story together. This a truly a collaboration between the game master and the players in collaborative story telling.

Weave has a number of things in the works for 2020, including the launch of their Weave Plus service. This is a subscription service that will bring a flood of new adventure content on an ongoing basis. Monocle Society is partnering with several different writers and IP holders to design the framework for adventures in worlds both new and familiar. This subscription will unlock every adventure available on the platform, so you should be able to find something interesting no matter what kind of story theme you are in to. Additionally, this will open up the ability to create you own adventures, by mapping your ideas to the tarot cards.

Weave is really more than just a game, it is a platform. Much like Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder, or other RPG systems, it sets the rules so that there is a consistent way to interact with the world, but the rest is left up to the imagination. The cards get you started, but it is so much more than that. I was lucky, because not only did I have a chance to interview Mike Hayes and Tristan Morris, two of the people at the helm of Weave, but I also got to play my first session with Tristan after the floor closed at PAX unplugged. We played for only an hour or so, but the game was so easy to get into. Even the people at the table who had never role played before were engaged, acting out voices and contributing to the story. What Weave does is put the narrative at the center, so all other aspects of the game like combat still rely on vivid descriptions, instead of colorless dice rolls. This game has a bright future ahead, and I am excited to see how Weave grows over the next few years.

In Santorini you are trying to get your workers to the top of a tower.  Each turn consists of moving and then building with one of your pawns on a five by five grid.  It is a very simple premise and that is the beauty of this game.   Of course once you start playing, it becomes clear that Santorini demands you to think a few turns ahead and to plan your strategy as you try to build towers and block your opponent to make sure you are the first one to the top.   Each game is a little different, but since a round can be played in five minutes or so, you can quickly learn form your mistakes and try to implement new strategies.  

Once you have a firm handle on the basic strategy, there is a deck of cards that give each player a unique ability. Modeled after the greek pantheon, these god power cards dole out extra powers or define additional victory conditions.   For instance, one card prevents your opponent from winning on any of the perimeter squares.  While they can build and move on the perimeter, there are only nine squares on the map where victory is possible, so having that power lets you focus on blocking those squares to secure your own victory.

This is a great example of a game that relies on skill alone, with out any sort of luck involved.   While the cards do introduce a small  advantage to some degree, it is not enough to where victory is ever assured.   All that is required is that you out think your opponent.  Additionally the rules are so simple that it is easy to pick up and play with anyone for the first time, with out much of a learning curve.  I’m glad I picked this up, and it will be in my board game rotation for quite some time.

We’re kicking off our analog game review series with Zodiac Clash, a new strategy game from Spin Masters. This games comes in a clear box, so before even opening it, the game board is visible. It is comprised of 4 discs which are offset at different heights, and which rotate independently from the level below them. So turning one level will move it, and the tiers above only. This design gives the game its unique flavor, since the board is constantly changing as you battle you opponent to try to align your stars first. Also visible are the game tokens, with one for each of the twelve zodiac signs, and the brightly colored stars that played drop on the board.

The objective is deceptively simple yet delightfully complex due to the innovative game board. Simply align four of your stars, with one on each tier of the board, and you win. Turns are comprised of taking two actions, which include moving your sign, placing a star, removing your opponents star, or rotating one of the astral discs to shift the board. Each zodiac sign also has a unique astral ability that adds another layer of complexity to the game. For instance, Scorpio allow you to move two spaces for one action, while Taurus allows you to drag your stars along behind you in a line as you move through the cosmos. With the variations in abilities, no two games should ever be quite alike. Additionally, the rules have a list of “interesting Match ups” which highlight some of the opposing forces that can make for very competitive games.

This game is pure strategy, there are no dice rolls or other luck mechanisms that can sway the outcome. This is a game where everyone starts on equal footing, and wins by outsmarting their opponent. While some zodiac signs may be stronger than others, analyzing the current state of the board, planning you next few moves, and reacting to the last move is really all you need to do to win. The games last about ten to fifteen minutes per round, so it’s easy to squeeze a quick round in between other activities, or take turns if there are a few people who want to play. This game does support four players, who play in teams, but it really shines when it’s one on one.

My only complaint with this game is that moving the board in and out of the box seems unnecessarily difficult. The plastic pieces that the various levels of the game rotate on doesn’t lock together, so you can’t lift the board up with out it coming all apart. It’s not that big of a deal, and is more of an inconvenience, but it is a noticeable pain point when setting up or cleaning up. That said, it’s not something that will keep me from playing the game. The overall construction of the board and game pieces are high quality and feel nice in the hand. The artwork is subtle but thematic, and the overall gameplay is fast paced and fun.

As a seasoned table gamer, Term led the charge as I hung back and soaked in what I could.  As an ADHD riddled man child who needs flashy colors and loud sound effects to keep my attention, table games have never really been my cup of tea.  That said, with Termeric by my side to “sherpa” me through Unplugged, we found some board games even I could stomach!  From a table top Canadian bastardization of shuffleboard to a dice rolling story telling game, we turned over the stones at PAX Unplugged to find the hidden gems within. We even decided to take a stab at recording a podcast of our experiences! 

The thing is, Sega so happened to put out a piece of my past time recently. The original Super Monkey Ball and SMB2 were a mainstay in my college days. Our resident advisor bemoaned the boot music because he knew my dormmates – shout out to NT5 crew! – and I would be screaming at the top of our lungs in Monkey Fight bouts or I’d be cursing my inability to nail a trick to grab the last bananas in a stage. The Wii follow up, Banana Blitz, came years later but before the whole Life thing began. Thus, many additional strained vocal cords and ring outs were had. It’s this edition of simian strategy that Service Games has brought back to life.

But that’s about it. The five-year absence to the silly, simple and satisfying puzzle universe is simply back. Little of note has been added to the HD remake and even some removed due to music licensing stupidity. The gluttony of mini-games of the original has been self-edited to a more polished ten and the Blue Blur has been added as an unlockable playable character because, you see, he rolls into a ball. No new stages for the “main” puzzle game. Instead, solo players are expected to be satiated by a new Time Attack mode and everyone can get in on the min-game decathlon or, again, best yourself. Suffice it to say, there’s some room for improvement.

That darn Life thing keeps bringing me back though. Yes, back, to Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz HD. You see, my three-and-a-half-year-old daughter understands what a Switch is. She gets that it entertains me. I enjoy the infernal device that rarely has a full battery. She, despite the latest episode of Peppa Pig or the newest special edition of PAW Patrol, wants to be a part of that. To play with Dad. “Can we play monkeys” maybe her latest excuse to put off going to bed for another 20 minutes but it works. Every. Damn. Time. For that, Sega, I thank you.

Thank you for giving me nostalgia that my daughter wants to share with me.

iTZKooPA was provided a Switch download key by Sega for this review.

First, let’s talk about what RPG stands for. RPG is an abbreviation for Role Playing Game. This genre is meant for other world type games. You get to leave who you are behind and go on a unique adventure as someone else. Role-playing games are often seen as nerdy and something that only geeks would play but everyone plays them even if they don’t know that they are playing them.

One of the most popular RPG games that you can play is World of Warcraft. Again, a lot of people look at that and label it as a nerd game but that is only one of the most popular RPG games that you can play. Another one would be Fallout and even Skyrim is an RPG. These are very popular games in the gaming community and no one looks at them as RPG games because, in their opinion, these games don’t look like Dungeons and Dragons and therefore is not an RPG game.

If you are interested in RPG games, you can find a lot of them online. You don’t have to worry about paying $60 dollars to try out something that you might not like, you don’t have to feel left out if the RPG game that you were interested in is not available on your game system because there are dozens just like it online that you can try out and play for free.

Take Pomu for instance, there are dozens of games there that you can play and you don’t have to worry about spending any money on a game that you won’t like. If you don’t like the game that you are playing, you just go back and pick another one at no cost. And there are more than just RPG games there, there are a lot of different game genres available as well so you will be entertained for hours on end.

Don’t let anyone tell you that the game that you like and the game that makes you happy is not a cool game. If it makes you happy, you should play it. No one should judge you for having the time of your life on a game. So what are you waiting for? Go find something that will keep you entertained.