A Saturday Evening of Gaming (Of the Board and Party Variety)

I wrote back in January that I ended the year 2015 with an evening of board games and party games. A couple Saturdays ago, such an evening arose once more. Much like that January entry, I'll provide a list of the games played as well as my two cents. With a couple exceptions, I never played any of these games before. One thing all the games have in common is that they require a modicum of social acumen.


Disclaimer: It's been a couple weeks so not only will details be fuzzy but I may get some of the names wrong.


Code Names - Didn't get an exact feel for how the game is played. I gathered that two players from two different teams select a word and the teammates must select the corresponding words best fit the hints given. Plays fast. Seems easy enough.


SuperFight - Imagine if Cards Against Humanity and a dueling game were merged together and the winner is whomever can convince the other players not involved in that duel that their selection is better? SuperFight is that game. Enormously fun. If your group likes to argue versus match ups, this is the game for you.


Two Rooms and a Bomb - My second time playing. Personally, I prefer the nontraditional cards, ie the cards that are not Red Team/Bomb and Blue Team/President, as I like how they spice up the game. One of those the more players, the better games.


Ultimate Werewolf - A narrative social game where you have to figure out who is the werewolf while trying not to be killed because other people think you're the werewolf. One of the players is indeed the werewolf. I played a villager, followed by hunter, and then villager killed by the hunter. Yeah... I was the failing end all three games...


Resistance - Another game that I played on New Year's. Still haven't worked out the kinks. My strategy was to approve everything. Didn't work.


Masquerade - A game where you have role and that role can provide a unique tactic that can propel you to victory. The catch is that another player can switch that role and you (possibly both of you) don't know. A lot of fun. Since there are ten roles/cards, would be interesting to see how a game of ten players would unfold.


Don't recall if there were any other games played. An enjoyable evening. Hope another such evening occurs before next New Year's.

Finale: Arrow's "Schism" and Flash's "Race of his Life"

Earlier this week, the seasons finales of Arrow's Season Four and Flash Season Two aired. Since I enjoyed writing my personal highlights of Legend's of Tomorrow's finale, I figured I'd so again.


Warning: Here spoilers lay.




Arrow Season 4: Schism
Compared to the Flash finale I was a tad underwhelmed. May have been the plot holes. May have been how the show resolved the underdog situation Ollie was in. May have been that I have yet to watch three recorded episodes so didn't have the full narrative cohesion going for me. Kind of funny though since I still have yet to watch 5 Flash episodes and didn't experience that with the Flash finale. Perhaps I'll appreciate the finale more once the season is out on DVD or when season 5 airs.


Highlights:

• Either I missed the episode where Ollie repelled Dahrk's magic using other's support or I just wasn't paying attention. So I missed the narrative connection and was wondering how Green Arrow channeled the support of Star City residents to nullify Dahrk's magic. In some ways, its evocative of how Captain America defeated Nightmare during Waid's and Kubert's Heroes Return run when he channeled the power of the American Dream. Still it led to an awesome scene where GA and Star City took on Dahrk and Ghosts.
• Ollie rallying and inspiring the crowd.
• While it really pushed my suspension of disbelief, I did find Holt and Felicity hacking the nuclear warhead rather cool.
• After four seasons of 'Star City is dying!', Season 5 may mark the beginning of its rebirth (not a shout out to the comics event).
• Oliver Queen becoming mayor.
• The end of Damian Dahrk. Normally, I am a huge fan of returning bad guys. However, Dahrk is much, much too powerful for the DC-CW-U as it currently stands.
• Felicity and Oliver are back together. Okay, I may not necessarily be a fan of Olicity. I dislike the CW's idea of romantic tension. Oliver and Felicity could remain just friends and I would have been fine with that.

Flash Season Two: "Race of His Life"
What an spectacular episode with an unbelievable finish!


Highlights:

• Cisco vibing in such a manner that he contacted Earth-2!
• Watching the non-powered, support characters take on Zoom.
• Zoom creating a time remnant.
• Wally serving as emotional center who convinces the rest of the group to go along with Barry's plan.
• Caitlyn projection.
• Zoom's master plan to cause the rest of the multiverse to collide except Earth-One. Reminded me of Crisis of Infinite Earths. One scene was especially evocative of a key moment for the Flash during that maxi-series.
• Black Flash appeared!
• Flash using Zoom's own advice to beat Zoom.
• Return of the time wraiths.
• Black Flash!
• When it was revealed that 'Jay' was Zoom, I suspected that the Man in the Iron Mask was the real Jay Garrick. I was right! However, the best part of the revelation...
• The real Jay Garrick is Henry Allen's counterpart in a different Earth! Was a huge fan of the Flash show back in the 90's when John Wesley-Shipp portrayed the Flash so this was huge bonus for me. Absolutely loved it when Jay wears the traditional Jay garb at the end.
• Barry travelling back in time to save his mother from Reverse-Flash was absolutely staggering! The ramifications for the show and the rest of the CW-DC-U are absolutely mind-boggling! Needless to say, the 2016-2017 season has my attention.
•  

Finale: DC's Legends of Tomorrow "Legendary"

On Thursday, freshman show "DC's Legends of Tomorrow" wrapped up its first season with the aptly named title, "Legendary". While there's five episodes that I have yet to watch, due to convenience of DVR, the season finale was both accessible and easily the best episode of the entire season.


Spoilers....






I won't bore you with a long-winded review. The Internet is replete with reviews that provide a comprehensive breakdown already. Instead here's what I consider highlights:

• Heatwave's arc - Heatwave went from being the dumb, pyromaniac muscle to a gruff, salt-of-earth guy whose not afraid to get his hands dirty (not to mention burn things!). Mic went from being the odd man out to being a core member of the team. That's saying something. Honestly, don't think any character experienced as much development this season.
• The acknowledgement that events in Arrow are of upmost importance and fixed in time. Rip revealing that the Lance tragedy would have been worse if Sara was there.
• Watching the three different groups of characters (Heatwave/Atom, Firestorm/White Canary, and Hawks/Rip) defeat Vandal Savage in three different time periods.
• Let me reiterate: I absolutely loved the plot point where three different groups of time travelers defeat an immortal during three different time periods!
• How close one of those time periods was to the events of a prior episode.
• With the Time Masters are unable to use their device to scan the time-stream and enforce order as they like, I'm looking forward to the Wild West feeling of the Legends travelling through time trying to maintain temporal stability. Even Rip will be out of his element!
• Atom shrinking something!
• Firestorm transmuting objects for the first and second time!
• The Ray-Heatwave duo. Was not expecting that buddy pairing. Should be interesting to watch it unfold.
• Rex Tyler, aka Hourman, appearing at the end! While mentioning the Justice Society of America! Could the JSA be the 'Justice' that the Flash co-founds?
• More hints of Thanagar. Love the interplay between the meteors, Savage, and the Hawks. Looking forward to the enfolding saga of the Thanagarian Invasion plotline.

Needless to say, I eagerly await the fall premeire!

July 2016 Previews Solicitations Highlights

Months ago, I declared that I would no longer produce blog entries highlight new issue one's for Marvel's All-New, All-Different line. Instead, I would cover whatever new comic or trade that struck my fancy from any publisher. Well, the former I accomplished quite masterfully as that was my last all #1's. Unfortunately, true to form, I never did the latter... until now. So here's my two cents on various titles from the May - July 2016 Previews catalog that caught my eye from several publishers. Just in time too as local comic shops will probably finalize their orders in a week or two. So not quite fashionably late, eh?


For each of reference, I provide links to a given company's solicitation.


From IDW's July 2016 solicitation:

• Rom #1 - Let's start with the title that I am eagerly anticipating the most. The return of Rom to comics. Years ago as a kid, I received a long box of assorted back issues. Among those comics were several issues of Rom. Been a fan ever since and occasionally add to my collection whenever I can. I am glad that the Spaceknight is finally returning to comics to fight the Dire Wraiths. Hmm, I suspect a reading binge is in order...
• Deviations... In a World Where Everything Changed TP - IDW's What if? event that explores what would happen if a different corner was taken in the worlds of the TMNT, Ghostbusters, GI Joe, Transformers, and X-Files. Back when the one-shots were solicited, I decided to wait for the trade. Here it is. A strong possibility.
• Jem and the Holograms Outrageous Oversized Hardcover - Okay, I admit it. Back in the day, I watched the original cartoon when it aired on the TV. So out of sheer nostalgia this collection of the first ten issues pique my interest. Nostalgia goggles aside, I am not all that interested. Just pumped from 80's/90's cartoon fandom perspective.
• Mickey's Craziest Adventure - a French (or is it Italian?) Disney story told as if it's an archival story from the 60's in which Mickey and Donald embark on a psychedelic adventure. Been an avid collector of IDW's Disney relaunch so I relish a chance to sample a different country's approach to these Disney icons.

From Marvel's July 2016 solicitation:

• Civil War II - When the first Civil War raged across the Marvel titles, I had already excused myself from following it. Civil War part two may be a different story as I am leaning toward an impulse buy of the main title. I probably won't buy many of the spin-offs though. DC Rebirth ensures I won't be as Civil War II happy as I was ANAD happy.
• Uncanny Avengers 11 - here's a book that was so popular that my 'buy off-the-rack' approach led to me falling off the title after issue 4 or 5. The return of Hank Pym Post-Rage of Ultron OGN fills me with excitement for this issue. We'll see, We'll see.
• Guardians of the Galaxy 10 - Hey, Angela (of Spawn fame) is back! Cool! Remember, when I thought this title would be on my pull? Guess, I was wrong...  Barring too many missing issues, I may have to add it just in time...
• Silver Surfer 6 - 200 issues of the Silver Surfer. That's how many Silver Surfer comics there will have been as of this issue. That's pretty neat.
• Ms Marvel Omnibus vol 1 HC - a collection of the 'first' season of Kamala Khan stories in a nice shiny hardcover? Now, that is cool. Expensive too. But it's one hefty tome for anyone who hasn't read this new character's stories yet.
• Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu Omnibus vol 1 HC - a massive tome that collects the 70's mag of Marvel's Kung-Fu heroes. Some Kung-fu Marvel action is always cool. Much like the Ms Marvel Omnibus it falls more along the line 'hey, look this is cool!' than 'guess what I'm buying'.
• Star Wars: Heroes for A New Hope HC - While I collected the two main Star Wars titles, I didn't purchase the Princess Leia, Lando, and Chewbacca minis as I decided to wait for the trade. Here's all three stories combined into one massive hardcover. Gulp.

From Boom's July 2016 solicitation:

• Garfield 2016 Summer Special #1 - when the dailies and Sunday's aren't enough, here's a one-shot Garfield pamphlet for you! Maybe.
• Peanuts: Friend Forever 2016 Special #1 - Guess, this is the end of Boom's Peanuts comics. While I always meant to read more of these Peanuts comics, I never did. Just wasn't meant to be, I guess.

From Dark Horse July 2016 solicitations:

• Conan the Slayer 1 - By Crom, a new Conan series. I haven't read DH's Conan since Tim Truman was on the book. Maybe.
• Predators vs Judge Dredd vs Aliens 1 - Awesome! A crossover where the Predators, Aliens, and Judges of Judge Dredd face each other. Impulse or trade.

Of course, there's more comics that I think are cool enough to deserve a shout out. Not enough time in the day to go over everything though. Perhaps next month, I'll split coverage into more manageable chunks.