Game Review: Uno, Yugioh, Pokemon, Monopoly, Chess and more
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Uno card game Review
I first started playing Uno when I was in middle school. My ESOL teacher did not feel like teaching us English, so she brought out this game instead. It was a good way to pass the time, if nothing else. I would also play it during class parties.
These parties took place before a big vacation day, or if my teacher had a hangover or something. The game was invented in 1971 by Merle Robbins from Cincinnati.
The game has been a Mattel brand since 1992. The good thing about the game is that it can be played with up to 10 players. Each game lasts at most 30 minutes which is a good way to pass time.
I am not going to get down to explaining the rules of the game. Each pack comes with instructions. All that matters is that this classical game is a great way to connect with friends and family.
It is also stimulates conversation, which is sadly lacking in modern day video games. There is a wide variety of Uno decks each theme after superheroes and other items.
Yugioh Anime Show Series Review
Yugioh is an anime show based on a graphic novel. It was written by Kazuki Takahasi. His manga eventually inspired one of the most successful card games in existence. The game is even today getting new cards. The new cards work with pendulums.
I do not really get the mechanics of it. I frankly prefer the old cards before they got too weird. The pendulum cards represent my greatest fear of what the game is becoming. These days, the cards will have a book’s worth of super powers and a super small picture on the side.
I mean, enough is enough! Now back to the anime show. The first manga and show was about Yugi. He completed a puzzle and got possessed by an ancient pharaoh. He must help this pharaoh recover his memory in order to be rid of him for good.
The anime has like a lot of games and new versions of it. The best one in my opinion was the first and Zexal. The rest were not my cup of tea. I also liked the whole XZ summoning and the number cards. It is funny that in the original manga, Yugi used to play a lot of different games.
He eventually settled in playing Duel Monsters. The creator originally wanted to make a horror manga. Instead he made it about games; however, Yugioh is not without its horror elements. It tends to hit like a ton of bricks the American audience who reads the first volumes.
They were not featured in the original anime show because they were pretty violent. I too wonder how Yugioh is a little kids show. Some of the things that happen are pretty messed up. All in all, the anime series was pretty fun.
The card game itself has plenty of complicated rules and I will not get into discussing them. The best things about it are the card designs.
I collect Yugioh cards with my brother. Recently, he bought a batch of 2000 cards or was it 5000? I rarely played this game with other collectors. My brother had an instant kill combination using the Immortal of Thunder, shien spy and bad reaction to simoge. He could deduct 8000 life points from his opponent, in the first round.
Not that it matters much, seeing as though we never went to any tournaments. We simply played this card game with each other. As of late, we only play it whenever a hurricane cuts the power. Still, we do massively collect them and build new decks from time to time.
I started my collection with 12 cards. I cannot remember what most of them were. I do remember having a Dark Magician and the Lady of Faith. I also had the change of heart card. I think I also had the summoned skull. These were some of the early Yugioh cards, of the manga as well.
I got into sketching my Yugioh cards. They were a great way to practice drawing. My favorite cards were the charmers, like Azusa the Earth Charmer and her other sisters. Her Familiar possessed form was also the last Yugioh card drawing I ever made.
All Yugioh card players have a favorite card for a variety of reasons. They usually like cards that assure their victory. As for me, my personal favorite card is the Cosmo Queen. I saw that card in the Yugioh Forbidden Memory Game.
I was only able to get it, just last year. So, I am pretty content. There is nothing special about the card, but whatever. Another one of my favorite cards is the Performance of Swords. She is a level 6 ritual summon monster. With ritual weapon, she gets more attack power than the Blue Eyes White dragon.
It is quite the pity that they do not do ritual cards more often. Anyhow, I also drew both the dancer and the ritual card used to call her. All in all, this is a pretty fun game. Though, at this stage of the game I just like to collect the cards and stare at them from time to time.
Pokemon Card Game Review
I started collecting Pokemon cards before I Yugioh came out. I would buy these cards sporadically from a Publix vending machine. The bulk of my cards I happened to find while walking back home from school. Some of my rare finds include a holographic Vaporeon.
I also have a team rocket Mew Two that has seen better days. My brother one day accidently went swimming with it. We were able to save the card, by cutting it in half and then using a poker card to make it solid again.
This Mew Two has never been the same since then. Then again, we never played Pokemon cards with anyone. I simply liked the cards and that was the end of that. I found the gaming mechanics pretty annoying.
The thing I hated the most was the energy system. Had I taken pokemon playing cards seriously, I would have had to buy like 100 of the same energy cards. All in all, I ended up with a pretty sizable collection. Then Yugioh came and that was the end of that. I still did draw quite the number of pokemon cards.
Sadly, all my pokemon drawings got lost during the move. I was pretty bummed out, but then Yugioh came. So, I quickly forgot about those drawings. I did do some recent pokemon drawings for a variety of reasons. Most of them were about Ralts and his extended family.
These days my favorite pokemon is Sylveon or my pink Lugia. I got really, really lucky with wonder trade and so I ended up with far too many shinning. After the 15th one, I said to me, “They are becoming less special…”
Chess Board Game Review
Chess is one of the oldest games in existence. It was first invented in East India around the year 280. It was spread to Europe through the Silk Road. By the year 1200, it was the most popular game played all over Europe and Asia.
The modern chess game was reinvented in Italy and Spain. The vizier was replaced by the Queen. Over the years, her figure became over powered. It led to the game’s nickname of “The Mad Queen Chess”. As for me, I always interpreted the game as having a young Queen and a crippled old King.
It would explain why she has such mobility and power, while the King is practically helpless for most of the game. Other rules like castling the king came about in the 19th century. The game has remained pretty much the same since then.
I first started playing chess back in Cuba. My dearly departed father introduced me to the game. I used to play it with him and my brother as well. We played the game the old fashion way, without an annoying timer.
When I came to the US, the chess game came with a clock that forced people to hurry up when deciding a move. This was pretty annoying; it made the game no longer fun. My brother used to play this game on a regular basis back in high school.
He would play it with his Vietnamese friend, Fuu. Their games used to take several class periods. It was common for both to write down the position of the pieces and then pick up where they left off. All in all, this is one of my favorite board games. I have a lot of fond memories attached to it.
Checkers or Draughts Board Game Review
Checkers is an even older game than chess. The oldest checker game set was discovered in Ur. It was made in 3000 BC. The game remained pretty much the same until the 13th century. It obtained the rule of crowning. This was done in part to speed up the gaming process.
Still, even with the crowning, the game could easily last hours. Like chess, it has championships and everything. I was introduced to chess a little later in my life. My mother had bought me a set of board games. This one included chess and checkers, and a few other games as well.
Since the rules were pretty easy, it was not long until, I got the hang of the game. Like any strategy board game, the trick was practice, practice. I never became a totally awesome player.
Still, I made it a point not to lose within the first 30 minutes. This is a game that should still be played, even today. In all respects, it is an ancient classic.
Cubilete Game Review
Cubilete or Mystery Poker is a type of Spanish dice game, which I am still trying to find the English equivalent. The dices have the faces of cards. You get three tries to throw the dice. If the dices give you a good hand in the first try, then your opponent must beat your throw in the first try.
If by some rare chance, you get all aces in the first throw, then you auto win the game. This rarely happens. The game is relatively new, in comparison to older dice games. It was developed by university students from Spain.
It was eventually spread to other countries of Latin America. The game could be much older. Something resembling cubilete was listed in a medieval gaming manuscript. The manuscript dated to the year 1591. The game is usually played with 5 players. Some people tend to use it for gambling. Since 1990, Cubilte has had tournaments, both in physical locations or online.
Dominoes Game Review
Dominoes is one of the most popular board games in Latin America. In practically every party I have been to, there has been a domino table. There are even plenty of open sets in FIU as well. The number of dominos used in the game range a lot. Some sets only go as high as 6, others go as far as 9.
The earliest domino set was mentioned in the Song dynasty of China. From China, they started appearing in Italy in the 18th century. Some people speculate that dominoes were taken to Europe through Jesuit missionaries. The construction of the domino line tends to resemble the canals of Venice.
The European dominoes are usually made of Ivory or ebony. Others sets were made of ceramic or glass. The design of the dominoes sets tend to get quite creative. This game can be played with 2 or 6 players. The rules of the game tend to be quite homogenous. The one who ends up with the least amount of points wins the game.
This is one of the few games were cheating occurs often. Sometimes, players put in a tile that does not match. As per the rule, if the cheat is not noticed, then it is allowed. Others sometimes choose not to play, even when their tiles can be used.
Aside from being used in a game, the dominos are used to be stacked with one another. A perfect example of this domino show was done in V for Vendetta. The arrangements tend to take quite the bit of time, depending on the design. Dominoes can also be used to play Jenga.
Jacks Game Review
Jacks are a pretty old game. My father used to play this game with me. I never got around to playing it. Rather, I would watch him play the game, since his skill amused me. This game is often associated with little girls. The winner is the person who gets the knobs by throwing the ball the least amount of times.
The game was invented by the Greeks. It shows up in both the Odyssey and the Iliad. There are plenty of Greek statues showing young girls playing the game. According to Sophocles, Palamedes invented the game. He taught it to the Greek men who were participating in the Trojan Wars.
Other stories claim that Zeus taught Ganymede how to play the game. He would even sometimes join in the fun. It is funny how overtime the game came to be associated with women. Originally, it was played by Ancient Greek soldiers, which is all levels of hilarity. This game has plenty of variants and it is played all over the world.
Marbles or Chinatas Game Review
Marble is a type of round toy made of glass, clay or agate. They were mostly toothpaste style marbles, with different colors. There is plenty of game resolving those marbles. I used to play this game with my brother. We used to build little lego castles and then throw the marbles to see if it could make it through the maze.
Other times, we would play with them the old fashion way, or use them to play pretend. My favorite marble was a black one. I only had one, sot it made it special. I used to call it Zorro. As of late, I have desired to get new marbles. However, I barely have any storage space left in my home, so I will hold back.
The game of marbles has been played since ancient times. Samples of marbles have been found in Mesopotamia and in Egyptian ruins. They were usually made of stone or glass. Modern day marbles was invented by a German glassmaker.
He created a device that made making glass marbles super easy. They were one of the first mass produced toys in America. England has been having world championships of the game of marbles since 1932. About 20 world teams participate in the events. The first world champion was a girl named Ellen Geary.
Barbie Dolls Toy Review
I got my first Barbie doll at the age of 6. They sent me a cute blonde one, with a baby from America. I used to play with this doll with all my friends from the neighborhood. I only say this figuratively, since I did not let my friends play with my toys. Rather, I enjoyed having them watch me play.
Yes, I was quite the little brat, for lack of a better word. I used to also bathe my Barbie in the tank which held our drinking water. Looking back, this was all levels of hilarity. The only downside to my first Barbie was that water messed with her hair dye. She was originally a brunette. It was funny how I found that out.
This Barbie also came with a glitter. I could fashion her clothing whichever way I felt like. My mother gave this doll and interesting dress pattern. It could also be put inside out. My mother had spent a bit too much time on the dark side, so there was not enough glitter for the pink side of the attire.
Later on, when I came to the US, I got a truckload of Barbies for my first Xmas. I even got a Kent Doll. Frankly, he was not my personal favorite. I liked better Barbie and her kids. The 12 year old Barbie doll was a nice change of pace.
The last Barbie that I got was a Princess one, with a blue dress. I used to treasure that Barbie a lot. One day, a little toddler pressured me into giving away all my Barbie dolls. I am still regretting this, even till this day. As of late, the Barbie franchise has been going downhill.
They used to be pretty popular since its conception in the 1950s. I blame this on the feminists. Thanks to them, the Barbies have gotten too real for my taste. I liked better the racist, Aryan beauty from yonder times. In all due seriousness what I liked best about the 1990s Barbie was the facial design.
The face had a certain I don’t know what that worked. It was also shared by my black gymnast Barbie. The new Barbies suddenly had more humanoid proportions and that was no fun at all. It is even worse considering the new 2016 models. They will come with tall, chubby and petite bodies. They will also have skin tones that pertain to all races of the world, and different types of hairdo too.
Lego Game Review
Lego is one of the most popular construction games in the world. The company was founded in 1949. It focused on building structures, using blocks. When videogames really got started, Lego entered that world. They have been producing successful lines of videogames based on movies.
I got my first Lego set in Cuba, believe it or not. It was different from normal sets since it featured large blocks. My grandmother used to wash them in the tub, once we were done playing to keep them clean. I had another set used for making castles as well.
I had gotten it as a housewarming gift. It came with a lot of little lego figurines. Another more classical set was owned by my one of my bratty cousins. He never allowed me to play with it. All in all, this game was an interesting concept, though I liked Barbies a lot better.
Reversi or Othello Game Review
Reversi is a two player board game. It is played on an even sided, checkered board. The object of the game is to turn all the pieces to your color. As of late, Mattel sells the game under the name Othello. Like chess, there are websites where it can be played online against other people.
The game is very similar to the Japanese Gomoku. The board and the rules differ somewhat, but the object of the game remains the same. As for Reversi, the game was reinvented in England around the late 19th century.
The modern version was patented in Japan. Japan has been doing international championships of Othello since 1973. The game gets its name from the Shakespearean character, Othello. He was a black moor, who was eventually tricked by his trusted, white friend Iago.
I first started playing it in my old windows computer. In the old days, Microsoft used to give away plenty of games for free. They got stingy as the years went by. My mother was very good at the Reversi game. She used to play it online, often, back when that meant something.
Plastilina, Clay or Play Dough Game Review
Play Dough has been a popular kid’s toy for quite some time. Regardless of what country, Kindergarten students play with clay at some point or another. I loved to play with clay when I was small. I used to get angry in school when a mean girl would take most of my clay.
Since clay is associated with my early education, I have missed feelings about it. I remember that one time; I got a big round ball of fancy ceramic clay. It would harden and everything. In order to play with it again, I would have to get it wet.
Whenever I was done with it, my hands would be white and dirty as a result of the clay. When I came to the US, I was disappointed by the clay that was available. Then again, I only ever got to play with “Play Doh” brand. I later on I found out why the clay was inferior.
It was made in such a fashion as to be edible for little kids. Most kids in the US, for some reason, ate the clay. I was surprised by this considering that even in Cuba, kids would not eat clay. In any case, most children enjoy this playing with clay.