Reviewed by Herb Levy
(Out-of-the-Box GAMES, 3- 6 players, ages 8 and up; 20-30 minutes; $12.99)
Some games dare you to risk it all! This generally brings to mind wargames (when you commit your troops in a last ditch attempt to turn the tide of battle) or casino gambling (when you hope and pray that the right card or roulette number comes up). Yet, the intensity of this sort of challenge can still be present in a family game as Aaron Weissblum proved with his charming Cloud 9. Unfortunately, the game went out of print. Fortunately, the game is back with some new graphics and a few tweaks to the basic rules.
The game comes in a smaller, brightly colored box only a fraction of the size of the original bookshelf boxed F.X.Schmid edition. This game could fit into a backpack with no problem and travel well. Graphically, this version is much more appealing from the card definitions found on the sides of the game box to the plastic hot air balloon basket used to hold player pawns as they rise from cloud to cloud.
We featured Cloud 9 several years ago. We’ve run the original review in this issue so we don’t have to go over the same turf regarding rules and procedures. The game play is substantially similar but a few differences have been made.
Pass the Barn cards which enabled the player committed to sending the balloon higher to shift that burden to another player are no longer here. In addition, using a wild card to meet the balloon soaring requirements is now voluntary. The former eliminates a degree of unpredictability to the game as you always KNOW who’s on the spot as well as removing the decision of playing or not playing the card; the latter creates a decision so basically, it’s a wash. Believing that more is merrier, the winning score for the game has been raised from 45 to 50 points. The biggest game change, however, concerns the drawing of additional cards.
In the old version, each player drew a new card to add to his hand once a balloon ride was over. That is still true. But there was also times (when the score hit the 11, 22 and 33 mark) when the player in last place could draw a bonus of two cards. We liked that as a balancing mechanism keeping last place players in the game. But here, those opportunities for the last place player have been removed. Fortunately, players can reinstate the original rule on their own if they so desire.
Cloud 9 is still lighter than air. But it is the kind of game that brings children and adults to the same gaming table. As is typical with the Out of the Box line, the game boasts a high quality production at a very reasonable price. Like the hot air balloon it simulates in the game, Cloud 9 soars! – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Herb Levy
Winter 2005 GA Report Articles
Reviewed by Herb Levy (Australian Design Group, 2-7 players, ages 7 and up, 7 hours but variable depending on scenario; $70) World history has often been mirrored in the games we play with the rise and fall of civilizations being the focus. But covering history on a grand scale is a daunting task challenging the most adept game designers. There have been notable attempts over ...
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Reviewed by Frank Branham (Kosmos/Rio Grande, 3-6 Players, 60 Minutes; $37.95) "When you turn one of these up, do you get Shirley MacLaine?" - Steven Carlberg, first time Around the World in 80 Days player. The Kosmos box for Around the World in 80 Days is a little confusing as the little blurb right up at the top shows clearly that the game was designed ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy (Outset Media, 2-6 players, ages 12 and up, about 60 minutes; $29.99) One of the crimes of modern times is the theft of archeological treasures. In Artifact, you do something about it as part of an Artifact Recovery Team, winging your way around the world to recover these stolen goods. Artifact comes boxed with a mounted board depicting the world bordered ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy (Face to Face Games, 3-5 players, ages 10 and up, 30+ minutes; $22.95) There's something about the American Wild West that fascinates Europeans and the American west takes center stage in Boomtown, the new collaboration from Bruno Cathala and Bruno Faidutti. The premise of the game is simple: players are prospectors searching for gold during the gold rush, competing for mine ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy (Out-of-the-Box GAMES, 3- 6 players, ages 8 and up; 20-30 minutes; $12.99) Some games dare you to risk it all! This generally brings to mind wargames (when you commit your troops in a last ditch attempt to turn the tide of battle) or casino gambling (when you hope and pray that the right card or roulette number comes up). Yet, the ...
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[Al Newman has had a varied career as a game designer since he entered this arena in 1973. His work has appeared in early issues of GAMES Magazine, for example, and his considerable design credits include Super 3 (Milton Bradley), Babuschka (Ravensburger), Match 3 (Nathan), Wacky Wizard (Western) as well as many early computer designs such as Domination (which won the first First prize ever ...
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The Thirteen Club There seems to be a club for every interest. Stamps, coins, politics, you name it; the list goes on forever. Why should games be any different? If you're reading this, you're in the club, for you share an interest in games with the rest of us. And, if you're reading this, you're also in another club: The Thirteen Club. Thirteen and superstitions ...
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(Sometimes games that have gone out of print return to entertain a new set of game players. Sometimes, these games are "serious" simulations. But, more often than not, they are simply enjoyable games, easy for all ages to enjoy. This is what has happened with Cloud 9, a "lighter than air" diversion that has been given new life with a new edition from Out of ...
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[It's been awhile since we revisited great games from the past that have departed from the shelves of the marketplace. In past installments of our Game Classics series, we have featured an incredible assortment of brilliant designs: Astron, Bantu, Broker, Can't Stop, Daytona 500, Focus, Holiday, Kimbo, Mr. President, Ploy, Rich Uncle, Square Mile, Stock Market Game (by Gabriel), Summit, Troque/Troke, Trump: the Game (1989) ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy (Hanser/Rio Grande Games; 3-4 players, ages 12 and up, 60 minutes; $37.95) The festive atmosphere of Oktoberfest, of beer gardens and pretty waitresses, has combined with the business side of breweries in Goldbräu, the brainchild of Franz-Benno Delonge, best known for his Transamerica (featured in the Summer 2002 GA REPORT). Goldbräu comes with a mounted gameboard, 70 cards consisting of 24 ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy (Mind the Move, 2-5 players, ages 10 and up, about 60 minutes; about $30) Part of the thrill of tearing the shrink off new games is seeing if a gem lurks underneath. Such a thrill happened with Oltremare, one of the unexpected treats of this year's Essen Game Fair. Oltremare: Merchants of Venice, designed by Emanuelle Ornella, is one of those ...
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Reviewed by Herb Levy (R&D Games, 2-4 players, ages 9 and up, about 2 hours; about $100) Inspiration can come from many sources - even television! The evidence? It seems that a BBC television documentary on coral reefs and the lifestyles of the creatures inhabiting them was the inspiration for Reef Encounter, the latest offering from Richard Breese (whose Keythedral was featured last issue). Reef ...
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Reviewed by Mark Delano (Ystari Games, 3-4 players, ages 12 and up, about 90 minutes; about $50) Sometimes new games are eagerly anticipated months before their release. Others, like Ystari Game's Ys, seem to appear out of nowhere. Created by otherwise unknown designer Cyril Demaegd, it became one of the more popular new games at Essen this October. What interested me was not the theme, ...
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