Chris Ingersoll

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In previous columns I have discussed Fury of Dracula and Letters from Whitechapel (reprint from Fantasy Flight coming Q2 2013!), two games featuring one player making hidden movements while everybody else tries to track them down via various clues they discover along the way. This time, I’m digging all the way back to 1983 and one of the originators of the hidden-movement mechanic, Scotland Yard (most recently published in the US by Ravensburger). Yes, 1983. My version is the twentieth anniversary edition that was just re-released in time for its thirtieth anniversary, and the gameplay is still as solid now as I’m sure it was revolutionary thirty years ago. READ MORE

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The original Fluidity is still one of the best original titles to appear on WiiWare, so when I first heard about a 3DS eShop sequel being planned, I was certainly looking forward to it. That sequel, Fluidity: Spin Cycle, arrived in late December. Some cosmetic changes have been made that make the game appear like some sort of mascot platformer if you don’t see any actual gameplay images, but rest assured: this is still the same splashing, freezing, and lightning-blasting Fluidity puzzle-platforming. READ MORE

In 2011, 7 Wonders just narrowly missed being named my Game of the Year. A lot of excellent games came out between my first play of it late in 2010 and the finalization of my Year-End column, and through them all 7 Wonders continued to impress me with its fast-playing draft-style take on the popular civilization-building genre. And in similar fashion, a lot of other excellent games have passed over my gaming table in the last year, which left me little time to re-explore 7 Wonders via two expansions released in the interim until very recently. READ MORE

The 3DS is still somewhat lacking in the RPG department, especially compared to its predecessor’s insane library, but the eShop has started to provide some inroads for the genre. Crimson Shroud from Level-5 is one such eShop offering. It brings with it a unique aesthetic and interesting mechanics, seeking to replicate a tabletop pen-and-paper session in many ways. READ MORE

This was an even weirder year than usual for me, with pretty much every gaming high point counterbalanced by an accompanying low. The Wii was going through its last death throes… which consisted of two of the finest titles ever released for the system. (In North America. Eventually.) The 3DS finally received the XL upgrade I had been waiting for ever since its launch… and I still found the retail pickings to be pretty dire. The Wii U arrived after much anticipation… about a month before the final issue of Nintendo Power arrives in my mailbox. In between those events were wide stretches of absolutely nothing… which I used to catch up on a bunch of great older titles that I had missed out on the first time around.

Overall, I consider 2012 to be a net positive on the gaming front. I got to experience a bunch of great games and innovative hardware, while also filling in some glaring holes in my gaming history. And that’s not even considering all of the great Unplugged titles 2012 delivered. That said, I am really looking forward to what 2013 will bring both the 3DS and the Wii U; the first quarter alone should be fairly packed if everything arrives on schedule. But more on that when we get to our next Progress Report. On to my picks for 2012! READ MORE