ASTRA 2014: A Virtual Tour for the Casual Gamer: Page 5 of 9

Party Games from Wiggles 3D, Playroom, and Endless Games

As expected, party games were everywhere to be found at ASTRA. I am certainly a fan of a good party game, and many of the previously highlighted games can easily fit in this category. Here are a few more that are worth mentioning.

At the Wiggles 3D booth was a game called RANDOMonium. This game is a sort of crossover between Dominoes and a traditional party or word game. Players each grab 10 word tiles, then set the 20-second timer. The object of the game is to try to get rid of your tiles by linking them up with other tiles that have already been played. For instance, "zombies" and "lifeless" or "Michael Jackson" and "fame" might fit together well. Other pairs may be more of a stretch — the other players will judge whether your tile counts or not. After the timer is up, repeat as many times as desired.

Playroom was showing off their new trivia party games Geek Out and Pop Culture Party. Pictured above is a speed card game that is also new, called Fusion, which can be considered as a sort of party game, as well. In Fusion, players simultaneously try to get rid of their hand of cards as quickly as possible. There are 3 different piles to which they can discard their cards. In the first pile, a card can be discarded if it matches the color or image of the top card. In the second pile, a card can be discarded if its value is 1 higher or lower than the top card. In the third pile, a card can be discarded only if its color and shape differ from the top card and its value is not 1 higher or lower than the top card (essentially the opposite of the first two piles). The first player to get rid of his cards wins.

Endless Games had on display a new party game called Oddly Obvious. This game consists of large cards in which one side contains several clues and the other side contains all of the answers in a wall of text with different fonts, sizes, and colors. The reader reads off a clue while the other players search the words on the card for the correct answer. The answer is not always easy, however, as the clues are less of a definition and more of an abstract hint, complete with puns and word tricks. Even though the answer is staring you in the face, you have to think outside the box a bit to figure it out.

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