News Flash: El Maestro English Release, Ctrl Pre-Order

El Maestro Coming Soon From WizKids
Party game El Maestro will be released in English for the first time. "In El Maestro, one player leads the group in air drawing their Oeuvre (their fine work of art). The others physically draw along with the motions, doing their best to recreate the Maestro’s shapes and understand their signals. Sign your masterpiece, then guess what you’ve been creating – and try not to laugh too hard when you share!"
Source: https://wizkids.com/2020/05/22/create-a-masterpiece-out-of-thin-air-in-el-maestro-coming-soon/

Ctrl Pre-Order
Pandasaurus Games has made Ctrl, expected to be released July 27th, available for pre-order. "Place your colored cubes to control every angle in this head-scratching strategy game! Ctrl takes minutes to learn but has enough depth to engage the whole family."
Source: https://pandasaurusgames.com/products/ctrl

Looney Labs Announces SpongeBob Fluxx
A new SpongeBob SquarePants-themed version of the Looney Labs card game Fluxx, is set to be released July 30th. "Fluxx is a game about change. It begins very simply, with a couple of core rules, and gradually becomes more complex as cards are played that change the rules. Even how you win will be constantly shifting, so you're never sure who will win until someone does."
Source: https://www.looneylabs.com/games/spongebob-fluxx

Cryptozoic Con ’20 II Announced
Cryptozoic has announced a second virtual convention, a follow up to their first held back in April. It will run June 11-12. "During various live streams, the company will preview upcoming products in all categories, conduct giveaways, offer behind-the-scenes looks at the creation of trading cards, and provide announcements and updates about upcoming products."
Source: https://cryptozoic.com/articles/cryptozoic-announces-cryptozoic-con-%E2%80%9920-ii

Masters of the Universe: The Board Game Announced
CMON has announced that they are developing Masters of the Universe: The Board Game, which will hit Kickstarter next year. " They are developing a new game system that will take advantage of the iconic setting and universe as well as bring in many of the setting’s most beloved characters. "
Source: https://cmon.com/news/cmon-announces-masters-of-the-universe-the-board-game

Renegade Game Studios Puzzles
Renegade Game Studios has announced a new line of jigsaw puzzles, featuring artwork from their line of games. “We're lucky to work with talented people - including award-winning artists like Kwanchai Moriya, The Mico, Beth Sobel and  Heather Vaughan. The art they create is memorable, immersive, and beautiful and we're thrilled to offer gamers and not-yet-gamers alike new opportunities to appreciate their artwork on the tabletop.”
Source: https://www.renegadegamestudios.com/news/renegade-puzzles-announcement

Simplifying Board Games
Jeff Kaufman has written a blog post about simplifying complex board games, in order to make them more accessible for children. "My general approach here is to find a core piece of the game that will be fun on its own, and then add to it as Lily wants more complexity."
Source: https://www.jefftk.com/p/simplifying-board-games

Superfly Announced
IELLO has announced family friendly game Superfly, set for release in June. "The fly cards are on the table! Try to build the biggest collection, with either matching color or series of different flies."
Source: https://iellousa.com/collections/loki/products/superfly

Pairing Games with Movie Night
Calliope Games has posted a round up, pairing five of their games with the ideal movies to watch alongside them. "You’ve got board game night. You’ve got movie night. Classic. Both are fun ways to get off your phones and spend time with family. So why not combine them into a Board Game and Movie Night? You can create a fully themed night from the dinner choice, the game, the movie, you can even dress up if you are so inclined!"
Source: https://blog.calliopegames.com/2020/05/board-games-movie-night/

Reviews
Forbidden Sky (There Will Be Games): “So if you don't get frustrated too easily, you will really enjoy this game and it will keep you busy for some time to come. Forbidden Sky is a worthy successor in the series.”
Source: https://therewillbe.games/articles-boardgame-reviews/7820-forbidden-sky-board-game-review

Paris: La Cité de la Lumière (Just Push Start): “A little daunting at first, with every decision made in phase one impacting not only your opportunities in phase two, but also your end score. After a few games though this, aside from still slowing down those whom suffer from analysis paralysis, is what excites players.”
Source: https://www.justpushstart.com/2020/05/paris-la-cite-de-la-lumiere-review/

King of Tokyo: Dark Edition (GeekDad): “From its evocative artwork to its high-quality components to the most evolved gameplay yet in a tried and true franchise, this game hits all the right notes.”
Source: https://geekdad.com/2020/05/destroy-all-monsters-in-king-of-tokyo-dark-edition