Family

Ticket to Ride

Posted by Mack Shane on Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012 at 9:28 am. Filed under Family.

Some people claim that board games are old-fashioned. Or that you can’t beat video games. Those people have never played Ticket to Ride.

Ticket to Ride is one of the finest family games available today. Created by Alan Moon and published by Days of Wonder, Ticket to Ride eschews many of the conventions of the modern board game – no dice, no money, no moving your token around a board trying to ‘beat’ your opponents.

Instead, Ticket to Ride relies less on luck than on using imagination and strategy to create a game that is as addicting as it is enjoyable.

Ticket to Ride is set in 1900, and each player is given the task of creating various railway lines around the United States. The point of the game is to build the largest and longest lines linking your designated cities. It may sound simple – and it is – but it it devilishly fun. Each player is tasked with completing their own railway lines, but must also make sure other players don’t grab key lines in the process. In the end, points are tallied to declare a winner.

Ticket to Ride is simple to learn – any one over 8 should have little trouble mastering the game within a few minutes. But unlike most games, Ticket to Ride isn’t a child’s game. The game play may be the same each time, but the strategies and results can vary wildly from game to game. Many traditional board games grow ‘boring’ for most kids (and adults) after a short time as the game results grow all too familiar. That’s never the case with Ticket to Ride, as goals change from game to game (in fact, goals change within the game).

The end results is that Ticket to Ride is a game for people of any age. The manufacturer recommends the 2-5 players, but you should have at least three. The more players you have, the more complex (and maddening) and fun the game gets. It’s a perfect family game – since adults will be as challenged as the kids. And there’s an educational aspect to the game as well, as children (and adults) learn geography and a bit of history.

Ticket to Ride can be purchased online or in specialty game stores for between $40-50.

There are other versions of Ticket to Ride (such as Ticket to Ride Europe). We recommend selecting the original game before trying out the other versions.

So put away the video game console. Next time your looking for a true ‘family’ event, break out Ticket to Ride.

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TAGS:

alan moon, days of wonder, rail, ticket to ride, Train

Editor’s note: Every team is preparing to attack its offseason to-do list, with free agency set to open on March 13 and the draft April 26-28. This is the 15th of 32 reports in 32 days looking at the offseason game plan for each team. The AFC finishes on Thursday with the Tennessee Titans, and the NFC reports (in alphabetical order) begin on Friday. Friday: Arizona Cardinals. Saturday: Atlanta Falcons.

SAN DIEGO—The San Diego Chargers’ brass contends the roster does not need to be rebuilt, just remodeled.

Support can be found for that argument in Philip Rivers’ uncharacteristic midseason struggles and several close games. However, no one denies that the defense needs new key players who can make a difference.

That includes, first and foremost, a pass rusher off the edge and a strong safety. Those additions would help the beleaguered cornerbacks and allow existing players to work more within the roles they were acquired for rather than having to play as many snaps as they did in 2011.

— Other AFC offseason plans: Chiefs | Broncos | Raiders | Steelers | Jaguars | Colts | Texans | Broncos | Ravens | Bills | Dolphins | Jets | Bengals | Browns

While team president Dean Spanos waffled after 2011, there will be no saving head coach Norv Turner if the Chargers fail to make the playoffs for a third consecutive season. And general manager A.J. Smith knows his time could be short as well if he doesn’t start hitting on more draft picks and perhaps find an impact player or two in free agency.

Needs

1. Outside linebacker. Pass rusher, more specifically. Building a consistently dominant (or at least effective) defense is the Chargers’ top priority. They were last in the league in third-down defense in 2011, and it had more than a little to do with the fact they were second worst in third-and-long.

They often let opposing quarterbacks to pick their secondary apart. Though the Chargers will allow Larry English another year to see whether his foot issues clear up and whether he can approach what they hoped for when they drafted him 16th overall in 2009, they also will seek power and speed on the outside to help their rotation of Shaun Phillips, Antwan Barnes and Travis LaBoy.

The Chargers have not ruled out making a run at free agent Mario Williams (Houston Texans) or Cliff Avril (Detroit Lions), though it’s more likely they will strike for Alabama’s Courtney Upshaw or Southern Cal’s Nick Perry with the 18th overall pick in the draft. There are also a number of solid pass rushers available in the second round.

2. Offensive line. Re-signing left tackle Jared Gaither and center Nick Hardwick is at the top of the to-do list, perhaps even before free agency starts. They were two of the three starters on what became an effective front in the season’s final five games.

The issue with Gaither is what sort of commitment the Chargers are willing to make to him given the uncertainty of whether he will revert to the “Big Lazy” ways seen in Baltimore and Kansas City, or whether coaches can continue to get the dominant play they saw from him in December.

Larry English has one last chance to prove himself. (AP Photo)

If they can’t lock up Gaither, then the focus in the draft likely shifts to Stanford’s Jonathan Martin or Ohio State’s Mike Adams in the first round, as they are expected to release Marcus McNeill because of lingering concerns over his neck and spine injuries.

3. Wide receiver. Even if the Chargers bring back Vincent Jackson, they must build depth at this position. They can’t count on Malcom Floyd to be healthy for 16 games and have only Vincent Brown beyond him. But with Jackson expecting to be paid like a top-five receiver and the Chargers seeing a deep pool of free-agent wideouts, it appears he will be catching passes from someone besides Rivers in 2012.

If so, the Chargers could get two veteran receivers with the money it would cost to pay Jackson. Nobody they sign will have Jackson’s all-around tools, but the team appears enamored with that idea and could use any number of guys with Floyd, Brown and tight end Antonio Gates. Those who might fit include Brandon Lloyd (St. Louis Rams), Marques Colston (New Orleans Saints), Mario Manningham (New York Giants) and Reggie Wayne (Indianapolis Colts).

4. Strong safety. While Steve Gregory was a godsend the past three seasons, he has no business starting every game on a championship defense. The Chargers know they must upgrade next to Pro Bowl free safety Eric Weddle in order to make their cornerbacks more effective and be stronger against the run.

The available starters in free agency are thin, but the Chargers could set their sights on Tyvon Branch from the Oakland Raiders. Barring that unlikely coup, they will turn to Chargers special teamer Darrell Stuckey or look to draft a mid-round talent such as George Iloka of Boise State or Markelle Martin of Oklahoma State.

5. Tight end. Antonio Gates is closer to the end than the beginning of his Hall of Fame career, and the tight end is an important part of the Chargers’ offense. Even if Randy McMichael is brought back to be a veteran presence and continue his role as a blocker and occasional pass threat, the Chargers must add versatility and depth to the position as well as groom a new starter.

There are a number of options in the draft’s middle rounds. The Chargers could also make a splash in free agency with Green Bay’s Jermichael Finley or decide to plug a hole for now with Denver’s Daniel Fells.

Acee’s take

The Chargers will be at least $20 million under the cap when free agency starts and figure to fill a number of holes — even if they again choose to not spend big on a single player. This almost certainly will be among the most active offseasons of Smith’s decade in charge of personnel.

If the team has many significant needs come draft time, Smith has shown he is willing to mortgage the future to get a player he wants in the second or third round. And since the future is now for the Chargers, that will probably happen.

For all the gloom and doom among fans and media, the Chargers missed the playoffs by one game each of the past two years despite being plagued by injuries. If they address the above needs successfully, they would be a strong contender to finally be the team they’ve been projected to be so often during Smith’s reign.

—Kevin Acee covers the Chargers for the San Diego Union-Tribune and Sporting News.

Since the start of 2012, the company has experienced a sharp increase in the already strong and steady growth of developers subscribing to its HeroCloud service offering. HeroCloud is a hosted system for developing 3D online games including role-playing (RPG), first-person shooters (FPS), social and casual games.

Neil Harris, Chief Operating Officer of Idea Fabrik, said, “In January we have been inundated with thousands of inquiries from studios, large and small, more than in any other period in the company’s existence. The number of developers’ licenses to create games on the HeroEngine is now more than 5,000. The increase in interest in online game development has been fueled by the excitement about successful launches last year of MMO games from EA and from Trion Worlds.”

Nope — he did it by quitting video games, according to an article published last week by The Chicago Tribune.

“Never get Skyrim,” Cooley told the newspaper, referring to the popular fantasy role-playing game. “You’ll never stop playing it.”

Cooley, a center for Notre Dame, averaged 6.125 points and 7 boards during his first eight games this year. But since early December, when he decided to “rededicate himself,” he’s averaged a double-double, tallying 15.4 points and 10.3 boards.

The message? Quitting video games will turn you into a basketball superstar.

Just ask ESPN writer Eamonn Brennan, who wrote a blog post today sagely telling parents to use Cooley’s story to keep their kids away from video games:

Phew. That quote makes me really glad I didn’t buy SkyRim. I thought about it, and I read about how addicting it was, and I made a responsible, adult decision to wait until the offseason. I do not regret it.

But in all seriousness, as Cooley explains in the story, he really did have to refocus on the game of basketball, to become the sort of “waking up, eat, class, eat, basketball, eat, sleep” type of person. Clearly, the dedication has paid off. Who knew SkyRim was so insidious? And how many other college basketball players have we lost to its absorbing charms? Does this epidemic know no end?

Anyway, parents, print this story out — or copy the link and send it to your kid’s iPhone, so the email alert briefly jars him out of his game of Tiny Wings — and show him what the power of fewer video games can do. Cooley isn’t just a Big East player of the year candidate. He’s also making parenting your video game-addled child 20 or 30 percent easier. Thank him later.

Hear that? Stay away from “SkyRim” and you, too, can average a double-double in the Big East.

No more playing games for Cooley [Chicago Tribune, via ESPN]

The Phoenix Suns take the court with the Golden State Warriors for the third time this season

The Phoenix Suns look for their third straight win as they host the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night.

Following a string of four consecutive defeats, the Suns have taken their frustrations out on the visiting Wizards and Lakers, winning back to back home games by a combined 28 points. The Warriors were also dealing with a three game losing streak, however that was snapped with an impressive 104-97 home win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night.

The Suns made it seven straight wins over the Warriors after their 102-91 victory in their first meeting of the season in Phoenix. In a tightly contest game through the first three quarters, Phoenix outscored the visitors 30-22 in the final quarter to run away with the win, thanks to 21 points and nine assists from Steve Nash. The Warriors would get their long awaited revenge in their most recent meeting as they overcame a strong start from the Suns to record a 102-96 victory, behind 28 points and 12 rebounds from big man David Lee.

Head to head, the Warriors are 1-5 ATS in the last 6 meetings and 1-4 ATS in the last 5 meetings in Phoenix, while the home team is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings and the favorite is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings. The Suns are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games as a home favorite and 3-7 ATS in their last 10 home games. The Warriors on the other hand are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games overall, but just 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games as a road underdog of 0.5-4.5 and 1-5 ATS in their last 6 road games vs. a team with a losing home record.

With Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry in the backcourt, you can never count the Warriors out of any game in this league. However, their good performances on the road this season have been few and far between. The Suns aren’t setting the world on fire at home, but they are coming off two dominate victories at home, which should give them plenty of confidence. I think the most telling stat in this game is that the home team is a perfect 4-0 in the last four meetings, which should be five when it’s all said and done…

Follow me on Twitter @Dan_SCP

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Players of the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), Rift, set the world record for the most in-game marriages in a 24-hour period. Officially recorded for the Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition, 21,879 marriages were confirmed between 9am PST, Feb. 14 and 9am PST, Feb. 15. Trion Worlds now adds this record to its record-setting online fantasy game, which has already earned over $100 million for the publisher.

Guinness World Records will log the marriages and the record will be considered for inclusion in the 2013 edition of the Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition. All participating players will receive the unique in-game title “The Avowed.”

“Establishing this record was a monumental achievement for our development team and community of passionate players, and I couldn’t be more proud,” said Scott Hartsman, Executive Producer on Rift and Trion’s CCO. “Ascended Weddings were a great way to lift the veil on Rift’s new ‘Gatherings’ feature, social experiences that bring players together in new and interesting ways.  We look forward to expanding this great new gameplay element in the always-evolving world of Telara.”

“It’s great to see the seeds of love blooming in virtual worlds, and particularly impressive to see so many gamers getting together to say their vows for one event like this,” said Gaz Deaves, Gaming Editor for Guinness World Records. “The evidence submitted was of a very high standard and we even witnessed some of the ceremonies ourselves, so this achievement will definitely be considered for the next Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition.”

About the Author

John Gaudiosi has been covering videogames for the past 17 years for outlets like The Washington Post, CNET, Wired Magazine and CBS.com. He has focused on the convergence of entertainment and videogames for outlets like Video Business, Home Media Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, The Hollywood Reporter and Variety. He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of Gamerlive.TV and is also a freelance game columnist for Reuters and writes for outlets like Playboy Magazine, NVISION Magazine, GamePro Magazine, Official PlayStation Magazine, EGM Now, Maxim.com, AOL GameDaily.com, GeForce.com, and Yahoo! Games. John also serves as the video game expert for NBC in Washington D.C. John was named one of the Top 50 Game Journalists in the world by Next-Gen.biz in 2007. He is the co-author of Scholastic Books’ How to Get into Videogames, Prima Publishing’s Madden: Twenty Years of Videogame Football and Electronic Arts: The Official History.

The endearingly bizarre Katamari series makes its debut on the Vita with Touch my Katamari, offering familiar and addictive gameplay, but a distinct lack of content.

I am not ashamed to admit that I love the Katamari series. I don’t understand it, nor do I ever really want to, but I enjoy the quirky presentation and love the simple but addicting gameplay. So of all the upcoming Vita titles, this was one that I was genuinely excited to review. I had high hopes for it.

The results were mixed. In terms of gameplay and bizarre storytelling, the game met all my demands. For those that haven’t experienced the Katamari series before, you are the Prince of the Cosmos. The King, your father, tends to walk with one foot on the insane side of the street, and his irresponsibility generally leads to the Prince needing to collect materials to create (or occasionally replace) stars. To do this, the Prince uses an object called a Katamari, which roughly translates to “giant ball that items stick to, including things like coins, pencils, and babies.” Actually it means lump, or bundle, but the idea is the same.

As the Prince, you roll your katamari through houses, streets, cities, and eventually the world, collecting ever larger items. To begin with, you aim small and collect things like thumb tacks, erasers, and random nick-knacks. By the last level, you collect buildings, landscapes, and the odd Japanese giant monster. It is a simple, but incredibly addictive gameplay mechanic.

In this current outing, the King is having confidence issues. The people have grown tired of him, so he tasks the Prince with addressing the complaints of the people and collecting items that will make him look good. In action, the story really doesn’t mean much, but it does add some humor through the weird — and very-Japanese — interactions.

If there is a theme to this review, it is “weird,” and with good cause. Throughout the game are sprinkled a series of cut scenes featuring a Japanese geek (specifically an otaku), who is trying to get his life in order, but is continually thwarted by the gravitational pull of women. His life is changed when he — actually, you know what? It doesn’t matter. It really doesn’t make a lick of sense, and has almost nothing to do with the game. 

Yet somehow it doesn’t seem out of place. It is Katamari at its most Katamari-ish.   

In terms of the gameplay, Touch faithfully recreates the game. The formula remains the same as always, with the only exception being the addition of the ability to stretch the katamari ball using the touch screen or touchpad on the back. This can make collecting even easier, and also allows you to morph the katamari into a shape that will allow you to get into difficult to reach areas. You don’t need to use the ability to pass each stage, but it makes a good — albeit minor — addition, and it is sometimes necessary for collecting hidden items.

The goal of each level remains the same as in all the other Katamari titles — the primary levels ask you to increase the size of the katamari to a particular level and anything beyond that is for bonus points. There are also a handful of specific challenges, like rolling the katamari for as long as you can without collecting a cow or a bear, or trying to collect certain food items to obtain the highest calorie count with a limited number of food items. If you have played any of the other Katamari games, then you have played these levels before. Mixing it up and using some new tricks would have made sense with the new titles, and while the “if it aint broke” mentality works fine for this type of game, the lack of risks Namco Bandai took is a shame.  

The graphics are about the same as ever. The transition to the Vita didn’t miss a beat, but the graphics were never that demanding to begin with. But they have a peculiar charm to them in their own, bizarre and blocky way. They look fine, and steering away from realism is a good thing anyway. When you think about it, the katamari is actually somewhat horrific. You roll around and eventually collect people, even little children and babies. You can even hear them scream. Best not to think about it.

The old-school graphics do occasionally cause problems when you are trying to find individual items like certain foods, but it’s only an inconvenience.

Touch is a faithful addition to the Katamari franchise, but the biggest issue comes from the content — or lack thereof. You can complete every mission in around three hours or less. There are bonus challenges you can purchase with the in-game currency (candy), but they only extend the game by a short while, maybe an hour or so. Of course, you can always go back and replay certain levels to try to attain a higher score, but for each stage, there are a few pathways that will always give you the highest output. Once you find them, and once you have discovered all the collectibles in each stage, playing the game again is still fun, but becomes repetitive.

There is also a wide selection of collectibles and unlockables, including new costumes for the King and skins for the Prince. For multiplayer, a lobby allows you to connect through the Near program and compete with others on a scoreboard basis. All of that is nice, but doesn’t really add anything to the game.

Conclusion

If you have played and enjoyed the Katamari series in the past, then the gameplay will immediately feel familiar to you.  If you enjoyed it before, you will probably enjoy it again. Even the levels are the same as always, just with an original setting. Mixing the objectives up and adding some new elements would have been a good move, but what there is, is worth playing.  The biggest problem is that there just isn’t enough content.

Replay is always an option, but doesn’t excuse the fact that there are only a handful of levels. Even the challenge stages have been done before, and there are only a few of those as well. If Namco Bandai had doubled the content of the game — which wouldn’t have been tough given the Vita’s capabilities and the somewhat limited nature of the game to begin with — this would be one of the must-have games of the Vita’s launch. The saving grace is that the game is already a discount buy at $29.99. It could have been much more, though.

Score: 7 out of 10