issue 13 / volume 41

Chairman of the Board: Who needs story?

» ‘Munchkin’ board game review

Ed Appleby
illustrator
Millustrator
@theotherpress.ca

term for someone who
plays a role-playing game

on storytelling, focusses on

getting all the loot, and killing
other players. The term came
from more experienced role-
players commenting on other
players’ immature and petting
gaming style.

But sometimes, it’s fun to
be petty.

Munchkin is a card
game for three to six players,
designed and published by

: RPG royalty Steve Jackson in

: 2001 and illustrated by Dork

: Tower cartoonist John Kovalic.

: Each player outfits themselves

: in ridiculous gear, fighting

unchkin (n): a derogatory ; their way through monsters

M : and stabbing each other in the

: back in order to be the first to
. .__ : reach level 10. It basically takes

(RPG) and instead of focussing : an RPG and gets rid of the

. . : annoying story.
over-powering their characters, : ying Story.

The original game takes

: the theme of a Dungeons &

: Dragons-style dungeon crawl,
: but other versions of the
game play in other genres, like
: zombie, superhero, western,

: sci-fi, or even Christmas. Each
game can be combined with

: other genres to create some

: hilarious combinations.

The game is really fun,

: and incredibly funny, and

: has a very hardcore fanbase.

: However, I have found that

; the complexity of the game,

: as well as the mechanics that

: openly sabotage other players,
: can make the game frustrating
: to the uninitiated. The game

: sometimes has the tendency to
: go on too long, with players at
: the upper levels just trying to
stop the others from winning.

As much as I enjoy the

game, I would recommend it

; to more experienced players

: and those who can handle the

: highly competitive nature of

: Munchkin. If you do decide to

: play, you will find a rich culture
: of complex and hilarious

: gaming that Munchkin has
become famous for.

 

 

Steven's Man-Cave:

A mother’s final wish

» ‘Far Cry 4’ PS4 review
: Golden Path was founded by his :

 

Steven Cayer
Senior Columnist

QOOOS

dying mother asks her son
or one last wish: for him to

spread her ashes in a northern
lake of Kyrat, a fictional
representation of Nepal. Thus
begins the story of Far Cry 4.

As soon as Ajay Ghale steps
off the bus, he’s immediately
thrown into a civil war between
the Royal Army of the sadistic
Pagan Min and the rebel forces
of the Golden Path. Much
to the surprise of Ajay, the

: parents. As the story progresses
: though, it loses much of

: its steam. The spot where

: Ajay’s mom wanted to go is

inconveniently in dense enemy
territory, forcing him to join the

The world of Kyrat more

skins, as you did in Far Cry 3.

: The outposts are also back in

: this game. Taking them over

: opens a fast travel spot and more
: missions to complete.

The biggest improvement

by far is the online component.
Golden Path and ultimately help :
: them win the war.

In the campaign, you can have

: a friend join you at any time,
: : making everything you do

: than makes up for the somewhat :
: weak story. You have so many

: things to do, find, and explore,
: you'll have a hard time putting
: this game down. You can find

: and remove propaganda posters, :
: letters written by Ajay’s father,

: and even masks of a serial killer.
: Collectibles aside, you have an

: entire skill tree to level up and

: upgrade with animal pelts and

even more fun and sometimes

: ridiculous, such as you riding
: ina fortress on the back of an
: elephant while your friend flies
: above ina Buzzer. Not only did

Ubisoft successfully add co-op,

but also a great competitive 5v5
: multiplayer as well.

No matter what you do

in Far Cry 4, you'll be smiling
: throughout your time on Kyrat.

arts // 9

 

Truth behind
the revolution

» ‘Assassin’s Creed: Un

   

Steven Cayer
Senior Columnist

0000

I seems like Ubisoft has
an Assassin’s Creed quota
they need to meet every
year, because this year
they’ve released not one
but two games: Assassin's
Creed: Rogue for the PS3
and Assassin’s Creed: Unity
for the PS4.

In Unity, which takes
place in Paris during the
French Revolution, Arno
Dorian is a Frenchman
whose father and stepfather
get killed by a much greater
power. He’s then contacted
by the assassin’s creed,
which trains him just like
every game before. It’s
a typical revenge story
with next-gen visuals and
mechanics.

The visuals are
beautiful but only in some
scenes, such as when you
climb very high towers to
open up the expansive map,
taking in a 360-degree view
of Paris every time. Walking
through the densely
crowded streets is another
example of when you really
notice the laziness of the
developers. Often you'll
pass through people or

ity’ PS4 review

even see the same person

a few times. This threw me

back to the realization that
Ubisoft needs to spend way
more time on their games.

Unity includes a few
new mechanics like much
better climbing, tougher
combat, and even a whole
customization menu where
you can buy skills, weapons,
and armour. This makes
choosing your weapons
actually important in how
difficult the game is. The
biggest overall difference
is the wonderfully omitted
competitive multiplayer and
the awesome addition of
online co-op. You and three
of your friends can plan
an assassination or a heist
with many different ways to
complete them.

This concept also
beautifully blends into the
single-player campaign.
Every so often, you get
a mission to assassinate
someone, making you
choose how you go about
doing so. For example, I
chose to steal back the keys
of the church and give them
to the priest, who then let
me walk right in, instead of
lock-picking the window to
get in.

This game was bold and
it had a bumpy start, but I
think it'll ultimately get you
where you want to go.