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Matthew Smail 562 posts 40 comments
Matt is B3's resident Head of Board Games. As a life-long fan of all things gaming he'll also occasionally be found covering video games with the team,
Even though we cover a wide variety of different games here at Big Boss Battle, I’d say we cover fewer party games than we do other, heavier genres and thematic games. This is likely because my kids are too young for them, and the presence…
Port Royale 4 is no Caribbean dream, but it sure kills a lot of time
Heavy economic simulators are common on PC, but much fewer and further between on console. This is a genre that requires time and focus from players in order to penetrate complex systems and mechanics, and few examples of this kind of game…
7 Wonders (Second Edition) is an old treasure, brought back to life with spit and…
Antoine Bauza’s 7 Wonders is — apparently — one of the most awarded and best selling modern board games in circulation. Its city-building gameplay is evocative of the Civilization series of video games, yet its light mechanics and support…
Small World of Warcraft is late to the party, but it comes with beer and snacks,…
Exceptional collaborations come in many forms — gin and tonic, bacon and eggs, Starsky and Hutch, to name just a few. In media such as board and video games however, such collaborations often seem doomed to failure as creative differences…
Tiny Epic Dinosaurs gnashes its teeth at larger worker placement games
Given how obvious the idea is, I’m surprised that it took board game designers so long to adopt the idea of building out a Jurassic Park style dinosaur safari park. Only recently have we seen the likes of Dinosaur Island and Dinogenics…
Alien Frontiers is a neat, concise dice rolling, card drafting, planet…
In all honesty, there are so many new board games coming out these days that it’s not often we get the chance to jump into an older game. Where Alien Frontiers is concerned though, I’m happy to make an exception, because you know I love a…
Carrion is a short, visceral metroidvania that turns the tables
Over the course of about six hours, Carrion will desensitize you to all normal human emotions and actions. This is a game that makes it so easy to slip into the squelching tentacles of its otherworldly protagonist that when you put the…
Cooperative Trick Taking and Lots of Empathy Make The Crew a Stellar Experience
When I think of trick-taking games, I almost never think of cooperation. Teamwork (in games like Whist) yes, but cooperation, no. The need to win — or take — tricks, is inherently focused on winning, and the idea of throwing a trick away…
Deep Vents is a small box game that delivers a big bite of value
I’ve said on many occasions that what I love most about board games (and video games, to be fair) is that they transport me to distant realms, far away worlds and, in the case of Deep Vents, deep, deep under the sea. This latest title from…
Zoo Run is a competitive and cooperative game about escaping the zoo
In Zoo Run, children of all ages will work cooperatively and competitively to help a group of animals escape from the zoo. The cute visuals will draw in younger players whilst their older family members laugh and joke alongside them.…