Shake Out! Becomes Roll n' Bump

That's right, the soon to be published, retail version of Shake Out! will be sold under the name Roll n' Bump. Also, I wish I had some visuals for you and I swear I'll try to get something from my publisher so you can see what the retail version is going to look like when it, hopefully, hits stores in time for the holidays.

I did want to share a little bit of news that I received just yesterday. The dice have arrived and I'm told they look awesome! I look forward to seeing them myself. Incidentally, Roll n' Bump will include enough dice for six players to play up from the four supported by Shake Out! Along with a slightly different board set up, this will allow you to get even more friends around the table on game night!

Vote For Marvin's Mittens On Steam Greenlight

From Breakfall Studios:
"Marvin's Mittens is a 2D platformer with a focus on exploration and collection. With gorgeous, hand drawn art, Marvin presents a soothing world to explore, free from enemies and danger. Collect magic snowflakes to increase your jump height and race your sled across the landscape to reach new areas before your mother calls you back home. Learn the secrets of snow elf magic and traverse the world beyond Marvin's backyard to solve the mystery of the missing mitten. Immerse yourself in this charming indie title!"

Do Westerners Play Dating Sims? or Spot the Difference, Hunky Edition

I came across an article on Kotaku this morning regarding a dating sim game for iOS by the name of Be My Princess. It seems to have been the centre of a mild brouhaha over a recent change in art style in the western version of the game.

You Should, Probably, Play Robot Wants Kitty

Ok, so this isn't a review so much as a ringing endorsement. If you own an iOS device and are not opposed to the idea of playing a platforming game on said device, then download Robot Wants Kitty, cuz it's awesome! Oh, and FREE!

Badminton and Rules Writing.

A huge scandal has exploded! Badminton players have been expelled from the competition at the 2012 London Olympics for throwing games. David Sirlin, game designer, raises an interesting point, that I agree with: Don't blame the player if your rules are broken. You can read his take on the matter here.

Pro's and Con's Review: King for a Day

Format: Card Game
Designers: Mike Petty
Publisher: The Game Crafter

In this Pro's and Con's review, I'm going to have a look at King for a Day a neat card available through The Game Crafter that deftly mixes elements of city building with a fun party game twist.

King for a Day would be fairly straightforward city building card game if not for a cool and unique mechanism that brings in a social element that should be more familiar to fans of party games than typical strategy board gamers. This interesting twist is at the centre of King for a Day. You see, the game is played in several rounds for the duration of which one player will be king or queen. Each round represents a day, get it, King for a Day! Every player gets to be king for a day, well, two actually by the time the game is over (three days if you're only three players). So, what does it mean to be king? At the start of each round, the current king or queen will draw a card from the "Deal" deck and read it out loud as an offer to the other players. Here's the party game twist that will be familiar to anyone who has played games like Balderdash, Apples to Apples or What?: Each player will secretly write down what they would like to offer the king in order to be awarded the Deal card. These cards are extremely valuable and may give immediate or lasting bonuses. After having read the offers, the king will choose one, awarding the player the Deal card in exchange for whatever the player had offered. This aspect of the game really is the meat as it's great fun to watch the offers escalate over the course of the game as players have more money, resources and even previously earned Deal cards to offer up to the current monarch.

So, that's the gist of the game, now let's have a closer look at King for a Day from a professional and a consumer point of view, shall we?

Get Sideway for the PC on Sale Through Steam!

If you  were on the fence about picking up Sideway New York when it launched, get your ass over to Steam because it's on MEGA SALE! You can get it now for a whopping 70% off!!