March Movie review

NnnnnnnNNNNnnnnnn.......okey, let's get this over with.

 Pacific Rim: Uprising

Didn't think much of the first one, I'm fine skipping this one.

 Ready Player One

Megan's not interested so I guess I'll catch this one on Redbox

Tomb Raider

Didn't see the first one years ago, why would I watch this?!

Looks like another month at home!

Best Mets Deals!

Now let's look at the deals that make me happy to be a Met fan.

3) Noah Syndergaard

We got this dude from the Blue Jays in a steal and I've been thankful ever since! It's a wonderful deal that's been benefiting my Mets for the past few years and hopefully more to come!

2) Mike Piazza

Getting the best catcher in MLB history from the Marlins was so close to being my #1. I love Piazza and only wish he'd have gotten a ring with the Mets while he was there.

1) Keith Hernandez

The reason we won the '86 was because we made a great deal with the Cardinals and brought in a guy who would lead this team all the way! My favorite player for the Mets (with Piazza being a close 2nd)

Worst Mets Deals!

The Mets have made a lot of bad deals, let's look over the worst.

1) Lenny Dykstra and Roger McDowell to the Phillies.

Breaking up a championship team like the Mets did in the late 80's made no sense. We'd barely missed out on a World Series the year before and the Mets owners (the Wilpons) wanted change. But trading off some of our best players for JUAN MANUEL?!?! Yeah....this is why we posted the worst loses ever in 1990.

2) Bobby Bonilla's Deal

This is the first and last time the Mets were happy to have Bonilla as a Met. This deal was so bad that we're STILL paying this sucker 1.2 million until the year 2035......ugh....

1) Trading Nolan Ryan 

Nothing sucks worse than knowing we were the first to have the greatest pitcher in MLB history only to trade him away before seeing his potential.

Twlight Creations Inc News

With Mayfair out of business Twilight Creations Inc returns back in the hands of Kerry Breitenstien, who announced the reprint of Martians!!! which leads me to hope again for the expansion that they announced was coming out originally in 2012.

I can't say Mayfair made any improvements to the company while in control, Zombies!!! games continued to lag in design and imagination as well as suffer continuous delays in production.

I really hope the company gets it back together ad starts pumping out good content once again.

Age of Empires Definitive Edition

At long last I finally got to play the UPDATED edition of one of my favorite computer games as a kid (and still today!) I must say, the graphics look great and the music is outstanding! There's nothing to dislike about this Definitive Edition. I love it and look forward to playing it a lot over the next few months! 

For the first time in years....I'm playing video games again!!

Bartolo Colon for the win!

Found out this week that the Rangers signed Colon to a Minor League contract with a chance to make the team roster at Spring Training!

Really hoping he makes the team!! 44 years old and still kicking! That's inspiring!

Batman Gotham City Chronicles

It's coming out on Kickstarter next week and I thought I was going to be throwing tons of money on it by funding the project....until I took one good in depth look at it online this week and found out...I'm not interested in it.

Shame too, because the minis look amazing! Just wish the game play was more attractive. Oh well! At least it's money saved for future board games I guess!

Puzzle Pleasantness

I enjoy working on puzzles. Though I haven't done so in some time, I have from time to time put one together. Our first year together Megan and I put a huge one together. We worked on it over a couple of weeks before it was finally finished. A part of me wishes I gave more time to it.

I see them all the time at the Dollar Store. Maybe one day I should get one just for kicks and try it out again.

Have a good weekend folks!

MORE Fast Food joints I don't want to go back to again

I had so much fun yesterday, let's do it again!

Yuck, yuck, yuck! Frozen chicken that is completely devoid of taste. They have good sauce, but that's about it.

One of the nastiest places to eat. I get a sick feeling every time I walk in. The food is cheap looking and cheaply made. Bland and boring.

Ate here all the time in my 20's but I'll never go back. Another place that's got a whole lot of nothing on it's menu.

There was a day I'd never thought I'd say this but after two horrible experiences, I'm done with this restaurant as well. Now I have to begin the search to find a new place to order my steaks.

Tried it once, hated it. Tried it a second time and still hated it. I have no idea why people praise it's name. This is schlock of the highest form.

My personal protest

While everyone's up in arms over keeping kids safe in schools (which I totally agree with) let's not forget about the millions of unborn children who are murdered everyday by their own mothers. Sad they don't have an equal voice and their death toll is overwhelmingly larger than the deaths in schools.

Like the sign above says "Fear has no place in schools" Well, Fear has no place in the womb either. Maybe one day they'll see that too. 

Fast Food joints I don't want to go back to again

Here's a list of the places I'm done with when it comes to fast food:

 KFC

Done with horrible tasting chicken and equally bad service. I haven't been in almost 3 years now and have no desire of going back.

 Burger King

The nastiest burgers in the business. Just the smell of them makes me want to puke. That and the ones around here are always out of everything and I mean EVERYTHING. Buns, burgers, fries you name it. They've been out of it all at one time and another.

Papa Johns

It's been years since I've ordered a pizza from them. All dough and hardly any toppings. I have no clue what people see in them and since there's so many other pizza places I don't need them.

Dominos

Speaking of pizza's, it's been a decade now since I've tried their pizza as well. Never was big on them in the first place. Expensive pizza, low quality. Pass!

McDonalds

I only went there for McRib season but since the last debacle with them only carrying it for one month, I've decided to part ways altogether with them. Horrible company, they don't deserve my business anymore. 

Best Mets Moments

1) The 1986 Season

Yep.... that's about it. I have them all on DVD. Perhaps I should skip the season and just watch those again.

Worst Moments for Mets fans

I thought I'd cont down my worst moments of being a Mets fan.....this pains me.

5) 2008 Season

Let's start with the season where the Mets were leading the division with 9 games left and went on a losing streak of epic proportions which saw them losing to the WORST teams in baseball at the time to just slip out of the playoffs completely in the end. Yep, that about sums up what it's like to be a Mets fan.

4) 1999 NLCS Game 6

This is Kenny Rogers. There's only 2 people in this world that I swore I'd kick in the balls if I ever met them in life. Rob Liefeld and Kenny Rogers. This moron lost the game because he physically COULD NOT throw a strike. We lost the game on a walk....   a walk.....I'm probably punching him in the taint as well for good measure if I see him.

3) 2006 NLCS Game 7

Down 3 games to 1 to the Cardinals I remember telling everyone that the Mets were NOT going to lose. The Mets went out to win the next 2 games and shut St Louis fans up a bit then in Game 7 with the bases loaded, we had our top slugger up at the bat! Mighty Casey! Well....no not really. At least Casey went down swinging. Beltran just stood there and watched strike 3 sail across the plate. Guess he thought if the Mets can walk the winning run in the end of the game the Cardinals could do so too.

I think I stood by the TV with my mouth open and silent for over 10 minutes. I was completely stunned.

2) 2015 World Series

I thought (surely, this is our time!) We'd beaten the Dodgers and Cubs that year. Two of the best teams in baseball. And if the World Series only went 8 innings I'd have been wearing my World Champs shirt right now. One collapse after the next as we gave up the lead in the 9th inning 3 times to lose the World Series. This one hurt.

1) 2000 World Series

Losing to the Yankees is a terrible feelings. Losing to them in the World Series? Even worse. The Mets had dominated the season but looked like a minor league team when they walked into the Series. Only winning one game and coughing up a huge lead in the 9th for another it was a total nightmare.

Don't be a Mets fan if you struggle with depression.

Arizona Game Fair (Recap)

Now that the Game Fair is over I'd like to give an in depth account of my experience at it.

The Staff

SUPER friendly and helpful the entire time. I haven't had a bad experience at a board game convention yet! Really amazed at how consistent this is in the hobby!

The Vendors

Not many, but for a con this size, I'm surprised they had any at all. I enjoyed seeing Eagle Gryphon Games there, but since I'd already ordered things through their website a few weeks earlier I had nothing else of interest to buy. Not many vendors but if this Game Fair grows I'm sure more vendors will arrive over time.

 The Library

Not bad for a its size. I didn't like how they had games missing from their library that were stated to be in there online. Though a limited selection, I was able to find nine games to play. I'll talk more about them later in my breakdown.

The Events

Limited only to board game groups and not much else. This doesn't bother me since "events" are something I rarely attend. I come to chew bubble gum and play board games....and I'm all out of bubble gum.

Gaming

Since it's a smaller Con that means it's a little harder to get games going with a group. I saw many failed attempts by people wanting to play games or even have someone teach them the game but failed to get the players. I myself experienced this too.

Smaller crowds is mainly to blame. With smaller attendees, it lead to gamers arriving with their friends or family to play with and therefore needing no extra players. It also led to a less diverse taste in board games. I'll admit, there were some groups I didn't join because I had no desire to play the game they had set up and I'm sure the same was true for me!

It's an issue that can be solved with growth, but right now it's one of the few negative things about the Game Fair.

The People 

I can't speak too much on this one because I rarely had a chance to play with a group. When I did, good times were had. Most people were part of their own "click" so I didn't get much of a chance to make new friends. Something rare for such a social light as myself!

I did get to meet the Game Boy Geek (Dan) which was pretty cool!

Overall

I would go again if I'm in town for it. Though only if I can establish my own gaming group to come with me. By myself it was tough but I still had a good time. Now to get on with my Games Played Review!!!

Games Played

Burgertime

Yep, I played a video game while I was there! They had the classic arcade game just sitting there begging me to play it. And I had a GREAT time doing so! Never thought I'd love playing a video game at a board game fair but anything goes when you're in AZ!

Even got the top score too. Woot! Woot!!

Manila

My #1 game I was super excited to play when I saw they had it listed online to be in their library...and it wasn't. BIG thumbs down on this. I'll have to wait and play it in May at BGG Spring Con now.

Kingsburg

Another bummer from the Fair. Just like Manila they claimed to have it online but ended up only carrying the expansion....that you need the base set to play. Now they had the expansion listed online as well but without the base it was useless to play. Really sucks because this was my #2 game to play as well and it wasn't there. Another one I'm adding to the list in May.

Going Going Gone!

The only game on my list that I didn't get a chance to play because no one was interested. I get why, it's not a popular game but I wanted to try it anyway. I don't know if I'll play it at BGG Spring Con, it really is going to depend on the gaming group I bring with me.

Fast Flowing Forest Fellers

Now let's get to the games I did play and the order I enjoyed them. We start off with this one from Rio Grande Games. I company I love but who makes games I rarely enjoy. I thought this one about lumberjacks log riding down a river was a GREAT idea for a children's game....and it sucked. A step above Candyland, with a horrible rule book and disappointing game play. Worst game I played the whole weekend.

Kitchen Rush

I bounced back and forth on whether I wanted to back this one on Kickstarter when it came out. When I saw it in the Library I was extremely excited to get it to the table. I had no problem finding others who wanted to play too! This real time game is done with timers as "worker placement" yet once you place them down you must wait until their sand to run down before you can put them towards the next action.

This creates the theme of being rushed in the kitchen to get out as many orders in a timely manner as possible and (depending on the objectives for each game) established capital and prestige to win! You're moving across the entire board, grabbing food, spices, washing dishes, shopping, waiting tables, taking orders, getting kitchen upgrades and cooking meals. Space is limited so the more spaces the harder it gets!

And sadly this is where the game falls apart. You barely survive by the skin of your teeth through every round. Some rounds we lost pitifully that even though we won at the end we had ZERO cash or prestige. Thankfully the goal had been to put out X amount of orders or we would've died. This game is unfairly rough and adds more punishments than rewards, which makes the game cumbersome and unenjoyable.

This game can burn in Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen for all I care.

Tumblin Dice

I see this on a lot of folks Top 100 boardgames as all time so I just had to try it out for myself and see if it was any good. I missed my chance at last years BGG Spring Con and didn't want to repeat history again so I tried it out.

You're essentially flicking/bouncing/sliding dice off the top level to see how far down you can get it to go without falling completely off the board. Whichever side it lands up on also determines how you score the round.

And...that's it. I don't know why I expected more but this game is 99% luck with a 1% skill ratio (if you can call it that) of how well you flick dice. I don't know why this game is so popular, for it's price tag I'm surprised it still sells.

Not for me.

Fool's Gold

This is a hard one for me.

I loved the pieces. I loved the theme....but the game play was bland. You get the same choices and the same actions each round with only the luck of the deck being the sole thing that changes from game to game. I REALLY tried to like this one. I LOVED the look but it just wasn't "in the cards" to generate much excitement from me.

Pass!

Sagrada


This is where things start turning around. I proclaimed this game to be a fad last year and that people would lose interest in it once a year had passed. It's been a year now...and this was the #1 game that was checked out of the library this year.
   


When the opportunity came to play it I gave it a shot.   

In the game you're building a stain glass window with coloring 6-sided dice that can't match color or number when right next to each other. Sounds easy? It's not. The game takes a lot of strategy and thought. And with different objectives (public and private) as well as end game goals, this game surprised me very much!

It's easy to play and has a wonderful theme to boot. I'll be looking out for this game to add to a future online order when I need free shipping. I'm glad I was wrong about the game!

This is where things start turning around. I proclaimed this game to be a fad last year and that people would lose interest in it once a year had passed. It's been a year now...and this was the #1 game that was checked out of the library this year. 
   



When the opportunity came to play it I gave it a shot.

In the game you're building a stain glass window with coloring 6-sided dice that can't match color or number when right next to each other. Sounds easy? It's not. The game takes a lot of strategy and thought. And with different objectives (public and private) as well as end game goals, this game surprised me very much!

It's easy to play and has a wonderful theme to boot. I'll be looking out for this game to add to a future online order when I need free shipping. I'm glad I was wrong about the game!

Big City

I'd forgotten my interest in this game a while back but when I saw it on the shelf I decided to give it a try. This was the last game I would play at the Game Fair and I'm glad I played it. This game is about (in a way) getting building permits and laying out the best city structure guaranteed to give you the biggest points at the end of the game. There's a LOT of strategy that goes into this game and after looking around online, I found one for a decent enough deal to pull the trigger one.

Score one for the good guys!

Desperado's of Dice Town

The only reason I played this game was because I love Dice Town so much. Though billed as the "prequel" to Dice Town there's nothing remotely similar between the two games that it revolving around dice with a western theme.

The dice are different as is the game play and goal of the game.  It takes 30 seconds to learn how to play.....and it's fantastic. Not as good as Dice Town but enjoyable enough for me to add it to my collection. Super great filler game I'm happy to own!

Kings of Israel

I added this game to the list not thinking much about it. I called it a Christian ripoff of Catan at first but realized after playing it that it rips off Pandemic instead.

That being said....this was the most amazing game I played at the Convention.

In this game you're trying to stop sinners (black cubes) from popping up all over Jerusalem. You're a great of Prophets from the Old Testament, try to disciple the nation. If too many sinners reside in one city, they'll build a golden calf, making matters worse all around!

The game has SO MUCH more added to it than Pandemic. It may even beat "Commissioned" out as far as Christian themed games go. I loved it so much, I played it twice! What a gem!!

There are Blessing and Sin cards you play as the track goes down the list of Kings of Israel. The theme is incredible and the gameplay, amazing!

I'm adding this game to my collection the first chance I get! I want to play with the Thief and False Prophet variants too. BEST game I played this weekend!

Ok folks, that's all for now. See you later!