The Opinionated Gamers

7 Wonders?  Yeah, kind of interesting, but the decisions aren’t all that interesting, and there aren’t that many of them.  20^th Century?  Fine game, but there’s really not that much variance from one game to the next, and a lot of the game time is spent on nothing but auctions. London?  Another interesting game, but didn’t really capture me.

Did you realize that there are nine 2010 in the top 100 on BGG?  And 31 in the top 400?

None of those will be appearing here.

The following represents my 10 favorite 2010 releases*.  I’ve titled it Top 10 Obscure Gems from 2010, since you’ve seen very few of them in other “top of 2010” lists here, but these really do represent my favorites from the year, and in fact the only ten releases from the year I care for enough to own.  They aren’t all truly obscure – but clearly these are not the games which have excited other folks here.

*Well, kinda.  You’ll see. Continue reading →

Presented here is my take on the best games of 2010. While some will disagree it is my firm belief that 2010 is a “fine year indeed” for boardgames. The quality of the games are certainly the prime motivator for me making that statement but it is not the only reason. 2010 is also a year that we start to see an increase in reprints of some great classic games. Maybe it’s my general optimism shining through but I think 2010 was a “fine year indeed.”

There may not have been many super fancies this year but there have been lots of fancy games. Let’s take a look at what tickled my fancy this year.   Continue reading →

Top Ten of 2010

By Patrick Korner

2010, for me, was a bit of a landmark year in terms of gaming. Not only did I play more games than I had in most years previously (thanks to having two regular game nights a week plus semi-regular opportunities for more gaming on weekends), I played a larger variety of games. Why is this? Two somewhat related reasons:

1. The Eurogame release schedule has gotten more and more padded with ‘meh’ games as publishers try and out-do each other in terms of sheer release volume.

2. More gaming time means more time to explore longer games, which naturally trend me towards more thematic and/or conflict-based offerings.

The second point above has led me into seeking out more and more titles that I’d have never even thought twice about buying as little as three years ago, which is why my latest game order included both Mansions of Madness and Combat Commander: Europe. Three Years Ago Me is rolling on the floor, laughing at Today Me, but there you have it.

Am I saying that the Eurogame ship has sailed? Heck no. There will always be room in my gaming collection for enjoyable, engaging and well-made games. I’ve just decided to broaden my horizons a little. I’m never going to be a full-fledged Ameritrasher, nor am I going to start lurking the forums at Consimworld, but there’s no denying that those genres have produced some damn fine games and will continue to do so. I’m looking forward to 2011 in a way I haven’t in years, which can only be a good thing, right?

Anyways, on to the list of the 10 games that most caught my attention from last year, in no particular order, along with a few other special awards and commentary: Continue reading →

[Editor’s Note — The Opinionated Gamers would like to welcome Mitchell Thomashow to the roster of writers!  DY]

Long ago I gave up on trying to comprehensively sample the many excellent new games that come out during the course of a year. There are just too many of them and I can’t keep up with all of the new releases. Plus I found myself making hasty judgments, not giving games enough of a chance and assessing them without giving them the benefit of multiple plays. As we know, many games have subtleties and depths that are slowly revealed. Some games seem very enticing initially, only to wear out as we discover their sameness or predictability.

Since I don’t sample as many games as most of the “Opinionated Gamers”, it may be useful for you to know which games I try and why. I am interested in games that reflect originality, are the latest efforts of my favorite designers, have themes that particularly appeal, promise depth and variability, generate an interesting buzz on the geek, and scale well for two players.

My “top” games of 2010 reflect (1) a small sample size, (2) almost exclusively two player gaming experiences, (3) games that I have played at least ten times. Continue reading →