I suppose that could be the case but it felt very much like they weren’t lazy at all and it just turned out to be bad. I think the review would’ve been a lot easier for everyone if it was low effort garbage.
Prospero Hall was the design team on the game and they have a long track record of making great games. I think this is just a case of them missing the mark.
One thing that didn’t come up was how expensive the game is. I remember thinking during the campaign how off Prosperous were with their MSRP and vowed to myself that unless the dice tower preview play through blew my socks off I wouldn’t back it. I saved myself a lot of money and heart ache then and you four have just done the same for me now. Many thanks for your excellent review.
Yeah I think the price point should heavily factor into reviews for this honestly. I have seen some people say it's a fun game but I am doubtful it's a $140-$150 worth of fun.
It's a testament to the team how heartbroken everyone was to give it the rating they did. Also a testament how hard you all worked to find ways to like it and avoid a negative review. Glad you stuck with your hearts though, it's what we hope for...a little truth in board game content!
Excellent review everyone! I watched the playthrough with you all did with Adam five months ago and although the box and components and artwork looked so cool, I didn't see anything super exciting in the actual gameplay. The KS campaign never came through with the big hook that finally pulled me in, so I decided to wait for retail and post-play reviews. I sure appreciate you all taking one for the team so I can keep my money for something better!
I hesitated bringing this to my table for months--partially because of this review. Finally, on a snowy day with three friends, we cracked it open. The prologue didn't do the game any favors, but after playing the first two chapters, I was hooked. I think it's a pretty decent legacy game. It's very stingy on moves, and you pretty much need to do everything right to win. When you lose, you unlock something in the next game that will make it easier to play. If you keep winning, you unlock some things that make it harder. You also have a budget every round that can help you buy barriers and roads to assist you in completing objectives. I absolutely love the theme and am curious that I have five more games and only three more movies. My friends and I can't wait to crack open a few beers and play the next two chapters. I've played a lot of legacy games and would give it a 7/10
Just finished adventure 6 of 11 - 3P, one of the BEST experiences at the table! No way this is a 3. Sure, they each didn't enjoy the game. Totallly cool. But a comment like 'I had to read six new rules cards' .... really? The rules cards are super easy to follow, took minutes to read. This video totally feels like a 'bad game day vibe'. Seen this a lot in the hobby. Mood drops, people don't click with a game and then they say they are not fans. I always wonder is it the game or just an off experience at the table. Not mixing up the mini games? Another really? The games literally change just when they should change. Rails? What game are you playing? The core game involving managing the dinos is totally different each adventure. Super co-op and tight. The theme is spot on! We literally watch short clips from the movies that are what we just did in the game! I love the DT, but this video is waaaaay off.
Feeling optimistic at reading this and those who have agreed with you thus far! I missed hearing a bout this game and the Kickstarter and simply stumbled upon a 'how to play' video on Geek & Sundry by Becca Scott. I loved the artwork so much that instead of checking for a DT review, I decided I wanted it for my game collection and found one brand new on eBay for $96.00 and free shipping. Then I decided to see what DT had to say and discovered the play-through video and this four square review. The comments expressed by Zee and the gang made me feel like I made a big mistake and that I just purchased a huge and expensive paperweight! But your comments and others commenting positively on your comment give me hope that I'll end up being glad I purchased it too. If not, I still like the art style and as far as game play... a bad set of rules has NEVER stopped me from "fixing" a game by taking out what I don't like and rewriting the rules to make it work for me and my family and friends. I've salvaged A LOT of poorly received games that way, but will generally only put in that effort when the components are nice. Anyway, thanks again! I'm glad I didn't invest in the KS (although I wasn't even aware there was one!) because I see that I saved a little bit by purchasing it on eBay. I might try to hunt down the exclusives if the selling price(s) are right.
8/10 is exactly how I rated it on BGG. Not the best legacy game - not even close - but waaay better than the worst and probably solidly in the middle of a pack of very good games as a cohort.
Just read a bunch of post video comments, seems like mostly people that have not played saying wow they dodged a bullet by passing on this game. Might be spot on, but also might be a huge miss to pass on a game based on how the DT felt about it. In the video the comments were, what did they miss? This is a legacy game that kinda works when all players are invested. Does make sense if you are playing a game to then do a video review, sure share and tell it like it is - based on how it went. For seasoned gamers like the DT, saying they are not sure who the audience is? That is what is odd to me. Again, huge fan of DT. Just saying, is Pandemic so exciting that it is a great game and herding dinos kinda like how you put out fires in Pandemic is so vastly different? I much prefer to herd dinos that level up, change as the games progress, fit the theme of running a dino park instead of pushing cubes around trying to stomp out a virus. I like Pandemic, but just wondering how playing JP does not in some way feel a bit similar to another great game with similar mechanics. Similar mechanics, and way improved legacy and movie elements. Solving puzzles is a dread? So, skip the puzzle and herd dinos, let another player handle puzzles. The game broken because there are puzzles each session? If the design went deeper and more complex it would likely turn off more than get people to give it a try. The game is not hard, it just takes some investment. Some time to plan out, prep the group for what the game is, not what everyone expected and hoped it was. It is thematic. It's not a full sandbox open ended game like Western Legends that lets you almost do anything. Zee, it's got Pandemic elements, why not mention that? Putting out fires, and figuring out how to manage your actions and objectives. Is it on rails? Is Pandemic on rails when you need to decide which way to play to address threats? The rounds are somewhat short, which mostly works by helping keep the game from going long. You need to think about stuff, we use pretty much every item, every action and talk quite a bit about what we are doing. I can see many times where we could approach things from another angle vs. having only one way to go. At times yes, you pretty much need to use what is going on in that board or game state to try and math it out, a bit like Mage Knight. When you do, and it works, feels awesome. If you lose oh well, fail forward and play another adventure. Short rounds, cool new stuff to open and look at. Some managing the island in between games, buying upgrades, tech tree somewhat with characters. Yeah, lots of stuff, the sum is kinda epic. Like everyone said in the video, the production is cool. Not just cool because the artist was solid, which they clearly were, great art here, but you can see someone really cared making this game. People played this game and you can see where stuff happens and feels like they did that or made that happen based on playing and staying thematic. Perfect, nah, but cool and something to mention for people wondering what is this game. Who is the audience: gamers that like thematic experience games, and are used to how legacy works in gaming. Euro gamers - maybe prep them before playing so they know what they are getting into. Bottomline, don't spring this game on random gamers thinking they will just like it. It's not a game like Horrified that is sold at Target and kinda meant to be played by a wide audience. Isla is an acquired taste a bit. I feel passionately about this game hoping we see more productions like this in the future. Our friend in our group - huge Jurassic fan, by far this is his favorite game by a mile. And he plays lots of games, mostly story driven, and runs D&D games. He has helped elevate the theme for the rest of our group playing. I like and appreciate Jurassic Park - the movies and stuff way more now. I know characters, plot points etc. If someone prepped the DT and kinda helped with some expectations, kinda like the intro video they did a while back, I wonder if the comments might be more detailed vs. it being a huge miss for all four? Maybe not, seasoned gamers after many years and many games played know what they like and what they don't. They also know or should know how to align a game for the table. So, end of the day, in total respect and fun (like a Tom you are wrong video), the four, you are wrong about Isla. ; )
The puzzles do suck. That’s why I put the mats in front of my husband and my excuse is I’m managing all the tokens. Plus I’m Muldoon, I have to run at carnivores, not sit in lab. Have you seen my calves? 😂
Wow... think this is lowest-scoring Four Square review I've seen. I've been on the fence about this one, but the review certainly resolves that dilemma.
I'm Chris in this scenario. Huge Jurassic Park fan, huge fan of dinosaurs in general, my wife would have absolutely played the entire thing with me, and I was so close to backing it. I just couldn't justify the funds at the time and figured I'd get it on sale at Target in a year or two. This puts that idea to rest. I also never loved the look of the board or the plastic busts of the dinosaurs so that didn't help, but I assumed they couldn't show us the good stuff and I overlooked those parts. Sounds like that wasn't a thing either.
I dunno, even with the negativity behind Seafall, I still heard reviewers say there is something here for the right group. This sounds like they really tried to figure out who that group was. Its probably Chris, and he still strongly disliked it.
😂 Seafall is solid... it can be a bit slow granted, but there's some good stuff going on in that box! If we're talking legacy games I'd play Seafall over Charterstone and this abomination any day. 👍
So much potential. Co-op legacy with Jurassic Park would be right in my wheelhouse, but watching the tutorial play though earlier I decided not to back. It just looked boring and tedious. I am glad I didn’t as it seems like I was right about how it looked.
Thanks for this great and informative review. I appreciate the honesty. Saved me some money as I canceled my pre-order, as the issues you brought up about the game were concerns I had watching the playthrough. I just kept hoping that the game got better as the campaign went on, because... dinosaurs! But, alas, I'm sure I'd feel the same way as you four did, so I will sadly pass. I was hoping for something so much better with this game. Oh, well!
I am definitely in Chris’s position here. 1. Jurassic Park is one of my favourite movies. Saw it in the cinema when I was 9 and it’s one of the most important films to me ever. 2. I love coop games. Pandemic, Arkham Horror LCG, Gloomhaven JOTL. 3. Big fan of legacy games. Absolutely loved Pandemic Season 1 and Clank Legacy. 4. Have enjoyed games from Prospero Hall: Jaws and Horrified. I should be the absolute target audience for this game. I backed it on Kickstarter and now I’m dreading it. I’ve started writing my eBay listing already. Great review, thank you guys.
@@steverigatones7264 I don't think most people associate negative with honest, but these days, there are a lot of shill reviewers of products and media that are afraid to do much but to heap endless praise so that they get more free product or invites to events from the creators of the product. Tom and the DT studios haven't shied away from filming negative reviews or reviews that are not all positive. I may not agree with some positive or negative points they make but they are clearly defined and a great reference for me. Thanks again Dice Tower peeps! :)
I had a feeling this game was not going to be good. I did not back it and this review confirmed it. I do however feel bad for those that did back it and may be highly disappointed when they get their copies and play it.
The most impressive thing about the KS campaign was how they started with "Legacy Jurassic Park game by Prospero Hall" and only ended up with half a million dollars.
Thank you for the review guys! I appreciate hearing your reasons, especially since I know from other reviews that you all tend to have varying opinions.
It's my birthday today, and Chris, you made me laugh so hard with, "I would like to ride a velociraptor with a shotgun and a chainsaw now." Thank you!!!!!! XD XD XD Soooo good!!!!!
We've just finished a 2-player campaign of this and found it pretty good. We enjoyed most of the legacy aspects, especially two of the later unlocked things. My rating would probably be an 8/10. I didn't mind that most rounds was a new problem that had to be dealt with, and the puzzle was how to best use our actions to deal with that plus everything else going on. In the first half of the campaign it felt very tight fit with how to use your actions, but in the later half, we had accumulated so many ways to get extra free actions that most things was almost too easy to do. As a 2-player expirence it felt very cooperative and you get to do a lot. With 4-players you'd get half as many actions and I honestly don't think that would be fun. 3 players might be fine. Lastly I just want to say that we did the end of adventure step AND the prologue for the next adventure before ending the game session, so that we could dive straight into gameplay at the next game session, which worked great. I don't think the amount of extra rules per new adventure was a big deal (for non-casual gamers).
Lol I sensed garbage and indeed it turned out to be garbage 😅 any bad game deserves a bad review! And it’s probably the first four squares review in ages without a seal! In fact a 3 would make me more angry than this, you guys need to get angry, no holding back 🤪 don’t be afraid of 1-2s. There Are games revered by many that drive me angry enough for a 1-2.
not a fan for the theme but just want to say with so many games to review, to push through something like this is what we as audience should appreciate you guys for. Playing all the new hot and fun games sure is easy, but to give every chance for such a rating is just why I love watching your videos. Keep up the work guys. this is not only informative for consumers but also to publishers too.
I'm just glad that they didn't pull their punches, that they gave honest feedback regardless of which designer's feelings they might have hurt, or which TH-cam-watching, Jurassic Park-loving, board game enthusiast can't hear a word that they said.
I had a lot of fun with this game. Love the IP which helps. Played two player controlling two characters each which is a big help. But the stuff that happen was so much fun. We had so many predators, are Brachy was such a drep it was funny, and building the park was fun, enjoyed it if a huge fan and ok with a lighter experience I recommend. Also we made a small rules change if in a space with a building you can enter and exit for free, just felt better.
I get you didn't enjoy it, but it is not a three for me in any stretch of the imagination. That seems harsh. How many games did you win out of the 12 out of interest?
I wish you could have reviewed this during the Kickstarter. It would have saved me a lot of money. I figured Prospero Hall hadn't let me down before, and the Legacy aspect seemed like a good fit. Oh well. It's SeaFall all over again. I feel like a sucker. 😞
How could they have possibly reviewed this during the kickstarter lol. I guess spending that much money on a game you've never played is basically gambling, and no one else is to blame except the person who swiped the credit card.
@@Dragonrstorm You are right, it is on us the backers. But prospero hall could have released pre production copies to have them reviewed. Sure we should have pushed for more transparency, but the company itself is also responsible to a degree. Not a refund demanding degree though.
@@MichaelAW17 Kickstarters almost never allow reviewers to hold a review on a game currently being funded. They mostly only allow paid previews. This is also a legacy game straight out the bat, mind you. A bad game is also never refundable, so even if the game was a 0/10, the onus is entirely on the buyer, not the seller. It's literally in the Kickstarter terms and conditions.
I'm happy you got the full 4 squares involved. I've seen the flops of kickstarters with one person where people cry that "why didn't x review it? It would have been a higher score if they had!" Now there seems to be complaints that you maliciously waited on the review, which is not where I had expected those people to go.
Not gonna lie. In a bit of a rush and I jumped straight to the "Final Scoring" on this one to see how good it is. And when Chris said 3, I was completely shocked! 😯 But, to further that shock, not a single person acted surprised! They just sat there, nodding in silence...it was as if I just jumped into a funeral. Dang. I Iike Dinosaurs. If this would have gotten a consensus 8 or 9 from the group, I might have been tempted to buy it (a tall order, considering I have too many games right now)...but, a 3?!?! That doesn't even sound like a game. I mean...for the quality and sales pitch it had coming out, I thought this was going to be the $h!t 😕 Ok, maybe I was right: it did turn out to be $h!t.
The pain feels real for this review but thankyou for the honesty. I could never figure out why I didn't back this KS due to a feeling I had, so have never felt more validated.
It's always a wave of relief when you sort of go back and forth on backing something and months later you realize how good of a decision you made - no matter what way you went. I was going to back the Monumental reprint/expansion and decided to pull out my money at the last minute and, given the current problems at Fungorge, am happy I made that decision. I also was going to back the Matchbox Collection and decided against it. Adding this to the list of bullets dodged.
@@LegoAssassin098 yeah I hear ya. I did back the monumental expansion but some do forget that kickstarter does still have an element of risk on many levels. It's all part of the game I suppose
@@mystemo1980 Exactly. Crowdfunding has aspects that are inherently anticonsumer. And there's not really anyway to get around them. You don't have a tested project, you can't opt out easily you cant get a refund easily, etc. I urge people to research the company involved more than the product, since anyone can make a cool-looking page. You've got to be careful where you put your money and its inevitable that you'll get burned - but in my opinion, it is always better to feel disappointed that you missed out on something great, than to feel disappointed that you wasted your money on something bad.
Wow this review probably saved me $100 or whatever the retail price will end up being for this thing. My wife loves legacy games and I love Jurassic Park, so seemed like a no brainer. Glad I didn’t back at the Kickstarter stage.
As someone who isn’t a huge gamer (I mostly stick to video games, but I used to play table top Warhammer Fantasy/40K & DnD) and have only recently got into board games through playing Ten Candles with some friends and picking up the Gargoyles board game from Ravensburger, I backed the KS largely because of how much I love JP. I am now really bummed. I’m still excited about getting the game in and sifting through all the stuff in the game, but my group of friends and I are probably going to skip actually playing. It sucks, because the idea that it’s just going to be a game that collects dust on a shelf somewhere is really sad. That said, maybe the feedback will help them in the next game they put together at Prospero Hall. I just picked up their Rear Window game, and that seems pretty stellar by comparison.
I was not sold on the game when they did the playthrough months back in fact i cancelled my pledge after i watched it. I even tried to talk myself into backing the game again since I'm such a huge fan of Jurassic Park, but in the end I couldn't do it. I'm glad I waited to see how this played out. Something wasn't right and I'm glad I trusted my gut.
Same boat. I was interested because I love the IP so much, but the cost was ridiculous for what you were getting, the miniatures were kinda yucky, and the mechanisms felt super limited from what I saw of the play through. I backed IMMEDIATELY when it came up, skimmed the page, and immediately canceled my pledge. It’s really a shame they did t cancel the campaign based on the feedback and develop it further.
Yeah that play through was everything I didn’t want in a game. Pasted on theme for mini games, really? And to hear they are just rehashed the whole campaign is mind boggling.
Wow. I backed it and now feel cheated, haven’t even received it yet. It’s not the money loss for me. I accepted the risk. It’s the gut punch disappointment of this apparently terrible game of 1. an IP I love 2. Great production and art 3. Supposedly adds story to the canon.
Have to remember it’s just a review. I don’t think you should feel cheated until you receive it and play. I like games reviewers don’t like at all and also dislike some reviewers rave about. Just saying wait and give it a shot before feeling cheated.
@@jbarr4184 This is a ‘3’ KS review from DT from all four people- nope, not wasting my time with this game. I hope Funko/Prospero Hall acknowledges this miss and next time invests in game play design & testing. They lost trust with me as a consumer this time.
@@jackiejlw5493 I mean... There are other people who've played the game who have thoroughly enjoyed it, sharing their experiences on bgg. I backed the Kickstarter as well, and personally, I'm just going to try the game and see if I like it. I've enjoyed a lot of games that dice tower hasn't in the past, so I'm hoping this will be similar
First of all let me say that I love the 4 Squares reviews (always looking forward to them) as well as the reviews with more than one of y'all reviewing together. Ok, I love all the reviews. That being said, I just finished watching another content creator's video on the topic of biasness in the industry. Covering all types of bias, he gave an example of this particular review and asked how it was possible for all 4 of you to give the exact same score out of 19 possible scores ranging from 1 to 10. Now you all obviously felt that the game sucked. But the question is what the likelihood was that after the 1st score the subsequent scores not being biased/influenced by that score, even if subconsciously. Some may have had an initial score in their minds of 2, 2.5, 3.5, or even 4. But because it was receiving steady 3's the later scores could have been a case of "Ok, then I'll also rate it a 3". Now I may be wrong, but I believe that I've recently watched you Tom move your initial score 1/2 a point up based on the feedback from the rest of the table. Not to say that there's anything wrong with that, but it did show how a score could be influenced by what others say... Now if I may offer a solution in lessening the likelihood of 4 identical ratings on subsequent 4 Squares reviews from happening in the future, I think it would be a neat idea for you all to write down your scores (Jeopardy style) on a dry erase board or something and then reveal them one by one. I think that this would add an extra fun game show type element to the review, and leave no room for doubt on how you really feel about the game. Now biasness can never be completely eliminated. Some may adjust their initial thoughts on a score by 1/2 a point or so just by listening to what others are saying about the game pre-scoring (except for you Wendy ;) ), but that's life. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read this and I hope you give some consideration to this suggestion.
I understand that, but I'll tell you it definitely surprised all of us. We didn't coordinate ratings, but we did all mention that we had a number locked in when we went into recording for this particular review.
Ok. Well that's pretty wild. But what do you think of my idea? I mean everyone loves surprise reveals. Or don't they? Either way, thanks for the reply Chris. You and Wendy both have been a great addition to the crew.
@@SoManyGames I do like the idea. No joke, we were actually discussing something really similar with white boards. Great minds, right? Haha. Thanka for the nice words, and tha ka for enjoying the videos! If there's anything we strive for, it's definitely being genuine, so hopefully that comes across!
Wow. The 2nd time in 2 days that I've been told that. I truly must have a great mind! Especially coming from you, haha... And no I never questioned you guys being genuine. I didn't mean for it to come across that way, if it did. I was strictly speaking about the subconscious. Well thanks again and keep up the great work! Oh, and push for those score reveals. I think it'll be a hit.
@@SoManyGames No problem, I didn't take it that way. Also, could you email me at chris@ dicetower.com about the video you're referencing? Curious about it!
Whelp appreciate this a lot. There are so many games coming out now and this is one I might have bought and I now can buy something that might be a better fit
I almost backed this but decided not to. Looks like that was the right call. Thanks for pushing through this guys, really appreciate the work on this one.
Yup, I was under the impression this would be the case. Saw it a mile away… After inspecting the campaign page, playthroughs, previews, price, etc, I was getting ever farther and farther away from pulling the trigger. Never even got close to begin with, to be honest. I feel bad for the designers, the publisher, the backers and, honesty, for the reviewers!.. it ain’t easy to give such an honest negative opinion. Thank you so much for the review! Don’t feel bad, these are really important to remember us to keep the bar higher. Great job, guys.
I am a backer and will take this as a learning experience. Never buy from a new company in crowdfunding. Unless it is just a reprint. I guess I just need to buy from trusted publishers fromnow on
Even though I completely disagree with this assessment, it's a good sign that Dice Tower is willing to give an honest review of a game that isn't just over-the-top enthusiasm. I do wish there would be a different perspective review because I'm playing it with my wife and 2 of my sons and while it's not our favorite legacy game, we're definitely enjoying it greatly. And the worst legacy game by far is one that Dice Tower absolutely loves, so while it's nice that they tried to figure out who would like this game, it's disappointing they came up short when our experience has been universally a positive - not perfect, but positive - one.
I did kickstart this game and I’m still excited to play it. I have played a lot of legacy games and am always excited to see what different companies can come up with. I think this review is fair. But I do think this game may be for someone and until I play it I can’t make that determination. My gaming group even enjoyed sea fall and that is considered bad by most. But we still enjoyed it. I think what I’m saying is a lot of people have not even got there copies yet and we don’t have many reviews to go on yes this is reputable but rather than lament the loss if you already bought it give it a shot I know I will. And if they are right then nothings changed.
If they are right (extremely likely considering they have different tastes in games) you would have wasted at LEAST 10 hours, I'm going to assume from this review a session takes over 2 hours so you would have wasted at least 20 hours which for me in my life is not okay.
The lesson here is more related to the nature of backing Kickstarters. It is obviously a gamble. You can't win all the time, sometimes you loose. In this case you lost.
A couple of moments in this review were the first time I’ve seen Mike look genuinely angry. If I saw Mike with that look on his face IRL, I’d back off, give him some space and come back later 🤣
He confirmed in the Qand A that he hasn't touched it, and is still planning to with his family. He hasn't watched this review as he wants to make his own opinions
My favourite feeling in a boardgame is feeling very powerful but in a situation that is extremely dire. Without feeling that I can influence the game it's hard for me to invest in what's going on.
Did you guys even mention the price point? That's what initially gave me pause. I'm so glad I passed on this KS. Prospero Hall is probably one of my fave design teams and I just saw so many red flags on this one.
So on the Kickstarter page, the positive quotes from people are 48% Jurassic Park media (not gamers) saying it's well themed, 48% gamers saying that it looks pretty, and 2% Becca Scott saying it's a fantastic game. 🚩
Sounds like y’all just came out of Jurassic park then played it. The most hilarious part of this review is how many times y’all sounded like the people in the movies describing the actual park! Great review though. I was scared to back this and I’m glad I saved my money. Hopefully they can either fix or reimagine this game because I still want a Jurassic park legacy game
Wow, do you remember that time when we used to look forward to Prospero Hall games? Seems those days are now behind us, It's been downhill for a while now... 😕
To be fair, most companies have a dip and then even out. It tempers expectations to more manageable levels. There are very few companies with more than 10 games where all of them are hits. Eventually every company hits that lull and generally come back. And that's not just board game companies. Most companies need a setback to refocus to what their strength is after serious success.
Wow, I almost backed this. Thanks for the informative and honest review. Like Chris, I love JP as well and this is a big let down, but glad I saved my money and time.
it was going to be $120+ shipping to get the game like around the same time as retail AND only until they got bullied into it they added like 2-3 KS exclusive stuff. the whole thing was essentially a giant preorder and not really a KS campaign
@@whitestrips1 Raw Kyle likely meant the opposite. Some word habits are easy to pick up depending on where you are from. It's like using phrases like "irregardless of" or "I could care less", etc. I have to double-check myself from time to time due to being raised in the Midwest and some dialect choices common to the region. lol
I bought this but I will probably not open it because I'm kind of intimidated by the fact that you have to damage the game to play it, doesn't that destroy the resale value of the game, so I'm just going to have the game just as a collector, so the attended audience for this game is mostly for collectors it looks like, the game looks beautiful and I love the concept of the game, but I don't have a gaming group that would have the patience to read through all that directions and I cringe at the idea of damaging components to the game to continue playing, I guess my only hope is that this game will be worth something in the future, that's disappointing and sad, but I collect Jurassic Park games so I'm happy I have it in my collection, even though I'm disappointed that I'll never play it.
All it is is scratch cards. You don’t have to tear up anything. But yeah, no it’s a legacy game - it isn’t going to be worth a lot after playing. Maybe if you wait 50 years and you have Blue.
Watching this review and watching BoardGameCo review of this game looks like they are reviewing different games. How the reviews can be so different? (And I am not just talking about the score)
Thats what I am asking! I bought based on boardgameco (not blaming anyone) and I was thinking worse case everyone gives this a 5, and someone like Chris will give it a 7. All 3s. Jesus.
@@MichaelAW17 One like and the others don't like that is normal but stuff like BoardGameCo says it's good for entry players but before I heard what they said and I think I agree with the Dice Tower guys, it doesn't seem very entry player game.
Think BGC likes the very procedural and puzzly stuff more than most reviewers. Didn't BGC have to stop playing after three or four sessions or something because of his schedule?
Thanks, Dice Tower, for giving your honest opinions. I'm sure it sucks having to give a bad review, but it's of course for the best to steer people in the right direction.
Very disappointed to hear this.... And I backed the game, too. As a life long JP fan I *really* was looking forward to a good JP cooperative game....It can't be that hard to do. What a shame. As it is, the only JP games worth owning are the Danger! Game from Ravensburger and the Unmatched sets. Probably going to have to sell my copy as well. I highly doubt I'm going to enjoy this, especially as I was probably going to play this solo...😔 Thanks for the honest review!
Prospero Hall is a great company. I have good few of their games but despite my love for Jurassic Park I couldn't find any interest there...The gameplay was simply boring from a get go. I'm glad I did not back it up. Fingers crossed for their new venture and I hope it's a co-op game, because Prospero is the best at that.
@@cthulwho8197 Either that or people disagree. I don't agree with loads of Dice Tower reviews. Admittedly, this one is -really- low and I usually disagree with 6 and 7s which I think are better than this, but my point stands.
Yeah I hated what I saw in the play through they did. I admit I expected them to like it and it would be a “me” thing as I’m not fan of pasted on mini games.
I was flabbergasted and shocked by the price tag. Looking back, Funko did me a huge solid by setting a hysterically bold price point. I feel for all of the KS backers. The campaign was chock full of red flags and Funko actively gave backers reasons not to back this. Despite all of that, way too many people rewarded them with their hard earned dollars. And their reward is a clunker if a game. I do feel incredibly disappointed that you guys didn’t even mention the price here, which again is unjustifiable to the point where it’s almost predatory. $120 for what looks like $75 worth of content at most is just such garbage.
Crowdfunding is a risk and those risks keep getting more expensive. If people keep backing, this trend will not change. Had this game been a 9, I doubt the price is as much of a sore spot.
That's really too bad that this game didn't turn out as good as I was hoped. I truly believe that you all tried the give this game a chance and I appreciate the honest review.
I'm guessing this was recorded quite a long time ago and they just kept it in the old format. The ticker behind them is showing 5 thousand less subscribers than the current number. Maybe a review embargo was set because the publisher knew the game wasn't good?
@@SquareJay I agree with everything you said. Though just for fairness' sake, most game have review embargoes, good or bad. It helps so everyone has a chance to fully play the game before reviewing so they aren't giving a half assed review just to get out before everyone else and get the views. Now it's very possible that this publisher DID know it was bad, but for anyone who thinks review embargoes in and of themselves are nefarious, they aren't. They are actually helpful for the hobby for the most part. And this happens with many industries- like video games.
@@pjpaella Since gencon almost all reviews are group reviews... not necessarily 4 people, but group reviews. so no need for the name that anyway came from lockdown days... and before that it was 'miami dice' until Sam left... So no matter the name, group is group is group.
Glad we didn't back this one, the price was the original turn off and sounds like the game itself wasn't done well, basically an IP cash grab. Which is disappointing because those who don't know the hobby or are new but like the IP will be the target audience and be turned off by the hobby.
Prospero Hall has very few misses. It's unfortunate that this is one, especially with the amount of hype involved. Hoping they learn from this for the future.
I feel like this IP is cursed... I've played every JP board game there is, and everyone had been bad... I was hoping this one would be "the one"... well... I guess we keep waiting.
Thanks for saving me from buying this. I thought the components looked amazing and was excited for this game. Too bad the gameplay is so bad it's painful.
![โอ้เธอช่าง... - บี้เดอะสกา ft. ต๋อง เทวัญ (Prod. by ป๋าเพชร) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/zbWhiLFmVL0/mqdefault.jpg)
Never feel bad for negative reviews. They are extremely valuable to those who have limited budgets.
Exactly. Limited funds and limited shelf space
I agree. It just hurts for people like me who bought the Kickstarter and are now seeing how screwed we are :')
Negative reviews are SO important, especially when it's such a hyped game.
@@WolfanTerror better to know now than later brother. We will sink in this ship together.
They feel bad because some people are likely fans of the game
So sorry Chris… sounds like the publisher was so preoccupied with what they COULD do to milk the IP they didn’t think about what they SHOULD do…
Winner
I suppose that could be the case but it felt very much like they weren’t lazy at all and it just turned out to be bad. I think the review would’ve been a lot easier for everyone if it was low effort garbage.
I see what you did there
Prospero Hall was the design team on the game and they have a long track record of making great games. I think this is just a case of them missing the mark.
I know you all like to avoid touching costs, but this is was also a $120 (plus shipping) Kickstarter.
One thing that didn’t come up was how expensive the game is. I remember thinking during the campaign how off Prosperous were with their MSRP and vowed to myself that unless the dice tower preview play through blew my socks off I wouldn’t back it. I saved myself a lot of money and heart ache then and you four have just done the same for me now. Many thanks for your excellent review.
Yeah I think the price point should heavily factor into reviews for this honestly. I have seen some people say it's a fun game but I am doubtful it's a $140-$150 worth of fun.
Wow, dodged a bullet on this one. Was so close to buying. Glad I didn’t!
It's a testament to the team how heartbroken everyone was to give it the rating they did. Also a testament how hard you all worked to find ways to like it and avoid a negative review. Glad you stuck with your hearts though, it's what we hope for...a little truth in board game content!
Excellent review everyone! I watched the playthrough with you all did with Adam five months ago and although the box and components and artwork looked so cool, I didn't see anything super exciting in the actual gameplay. The KS campaign never came through with the big hook that finally pulled me in, so I decided to wait for retail and post-play reviews. I sure appreciate you all taking one for the team so I can keep my money for something better!
Same. I loved the artwork and minis, but the gameplay did not pull me in. Wish i could get some of the artwork in poster form and call it a day
I hesitated bringing this to my table for months--partially because of this review. Finally, on a snowy day with three friends, we cracked it open. The prologue didn't do the game any favors, but after playing the first two chapters, I was hooked. I think it's a pretty decent legacy game. It's very stingy on moves, and you pretty much need to do everything right to win. When you lose, you unlock something in the next game that will make it easier to play. If you keep winning, you unlock some things that make it harder. You also have a budget every round that can help you buy barriers and roads to assist you in completing objectives. I absolutely love the theme and am curious that I have five more games and only three more movies. My friends and I can't wait to crack open a few beers and play the next two chapters. I've played a lot of legacy games and would give it a 7/10
Just finished adventure 6 of 11 - 3P, one of the BEST experiences at the table! No way this is a 3. Sure, they each didn't enjoy the game. Totallly cool. But a comment like 'I had to read six new rules cards' .... really? The rules cards are super easy to follow, took minutes to read. This video totally feels like a 'bad game day vibe'. Seen this a lot in the hobby. Mood drops, people don't click with a game and then they say they are not fans. I always wonder is it the game or just an off experience at the table. Not mixing up the mini games? Another really? The games literally change just when they should change. Rails? What game are you playing? The core game involving managing the dinos is totally different each adventure. Super co-op and tight. The theme is spot on! We literally watch short clips from the movies that are what we just did in the game! I love the DT, but this video is waaaaay off.
Agreed
For whatever it’s worth, we have enjoyed it quite a bit actually! Maybe an 8/10 or so for us.
I have been enjoying it as well.
We loved it
Likewise. I’d say it’s an 8 too.
Feeling optimistic at reading this and those who have agreed with you thus far! I missed hearing a bout this game and the Kickstarter and simply stumbled upon a 'how to play' video on Geek & Sundry by Becca Scott. I loved the artwork so much that instead of checking for a DT review, I decided I wanted it for my game collection and found one brand new on eBay for $96.00 and free shipping. Then I decided to see what DT had to say and discovered the play-through video and this four square review. The comments expressed by Zee and the gang made me feel like I made a big mistake and that I just purchased a huge and expensive paperweight! But your comments and others commenting positively on your comment give me hope that I'll end up being glad I purchased it too. If not, I still like the art style and as far as game play... a bad set of rules has NEVER stopped me from "fixing" a game by taking out what I don't like and rewriting the rules to make it work for me and my family and friends. I've salvaged A LOT of poorly received games that way, but will generally only put in that effort when the components are nice. Anyway, thanks again! I'm glad I didn't invest in the KS (although I wasn't even aware there was one!) because I see that I saved a little bit by purchasing it on eBay. I might try to hunt down the exclusives if the selling price(s) are right.
8/10 is exactly how I rated it on BGG. Not the best legacy game - not even close - but waaay better than the worst and probably solidly in the middle of a pack of very good games as a cohort.
Just read a bunch of post video comments, seems like mostly people that have not played saying wow they dodged a bullet by passing on this game. Might be spot on, but also might be a huge miss to pass on a game based on how the DT felt about it. In the video the comments were, what did they miss? This is a legacy game that kinda works when all players are invested. Does make sense if you are playing a game to then do a video review, sure share and tell it like it is - based on how it went. For seasoned gamers like the DT, saying they are not sure who the audience is? That is what is odd to me. Again, huge fan of DT. Just saying, is Pandemic so exciting that it is a great game and herding dinos kinda like how you put out fires in Pandemic is so vastly different? I much prefer to herd dinos that level up, change as the games progress, fit the theme of running a dino park instead of pushing cubes around trying to stomp out a virus. I like Pandemic, but just wondering how playing JP does not in some way feel a bit similar to another great game with similar mechanics. Similar mechanics, and way improved legacy and movie elements. Solving puzzles is a dread? So, skip the puzzle and herd dinos, let another player handle puzzles. The game broken because there are puzzles each session? If the design went deeper and more complex it would likely turn off more than get people to give it a try. The game is not hard, it just takes some investment. Some time to plan out, prep the group for what the game is, not what everyone expected and hoped it was. It is thematic. It's not a full sandbox open ended game like Western Legends that lets you almost do anything. Zee, it's got Pandemic elements, why not mention that? Putting out fires, and figuring out how to manage your actions and objectives. Is it on rails? Is Pandemic on rails when you need to decide which way to play to address threats? The rounds are somewhat short, which mostly works by helping keep the game from going long. You need to think about stuff, we use pretty much every item, every action and talk quite a bit about what we are doing. I can see many times where we could approach things from another angle vs. having only one way to go. At times yes, you pretty much need to use what is going on in that board or game state to try and math it out, a bit like Mage Knight. When you do, and it works, feels awesome. If you lose oh well, fail forward and play another adventure. Short rounds, cool new stuff to open and look at. Some managing the island in between games, buying upgrades, tech tree somewhat with characters. Yeah, lots of stuff, the sum is kinda epic. Like everyone said in the video, the production is cool. Not just cool because the artist was solid, which they clearly were, great art here, but you can see someone really cared making this game. People played this game and you can see where stuff happens and feels like they did that or made that happen based on playing and staying thematic. Perfect, nah, but cool and something to mention for people wondering what is this game. Who is the audience: gamers that like thematic experience games, and are used to how legacy works in gaming. Euro gamers - maybe prep them before playing so they know what they are getting into. Bottomline, don't spring this game on random gamers thinking they will just like it. It's not a game like Horrified that is sold at Target and kinda meant to be played by a wide audience. Isla is an acquired taste a bit. I feel passionately about this game hoping we see more productions like this in the future. Our friend in our group - huge Jurassic fan, by far this is his favorite game by a mile. And he plays lots of games, mostly story driven, and runs D&D games. He has helped elevate the theme for the rest of our group playing. I like and appreciate Jurassic Park - the movies and stuff way more now. I know characters, plot points etc. If someone prepped the DT and kinda helped with some expectations, kinda like the intro video they did a while back, I wonder if the comments might be more detailed vs. it being a huge miss for all four? Maybe not, seasoned gamers after many years and many games played know what they like and what they don't. They also know or should know how to align a game for the table. So, end of the day, in total respect and fun (like a Tom you are wrong video), the four, you are wrong about Isla. ; )
The puzzles do suck. That’s why I put the mats in front of my husband and my excuse is I’m managing all the tokens. Plus I’m Muldoon, I have to run at carnivores, not sit in lab. Have you seen my calves? 😂
Wow... think this is lowest-scoring Four Square review I've seen. I've been on the fence about this one, but the review certainly resolves that dilemma.
I'm Chris in this scenario. Huge Jurassic Park fan, huge fan of dinosaurs in general, my wife would have absolutely played the entire thing with me, and I was so close to backing it.
I just couldn't justify the funds at the time and figured I'd get it on sale at Target in a year or two. This puts that idea to rest.
I also never loved the look of the board or the plastic busts of the dinosaurs so that didn't help, but I assumed they couldn't show us the good stuff and I overlooked those parts. Sounds like that wasn't a thing either.
I’m sure this is the next “Seafall”…there will be people who like it but..in a few years, it’ll be on Amazon flash sale for $20.
Hey, I got some nice metal coins for my preorder of SeaFall. Very expensive metal coins, though.
I dunno, even with the negativity behind Seafall, I still heard reviewers say there is something here for the right group. This sounds like they really tried to figure out who that group was. Its probably Chris, and he still strongly disliked it.
Although this sounds like it will be less popular than seafall
😂 Seafall is solid... it can be a bit slow granted, but there's some good stuff going on in that box! If we're talking legacy games I'd play Seafall over Charterstone and this abomination any day. 👍
I got seafall on Amazon for $14. Still haven’t played. Heard bad things but was willing to try for that low price
Thanks for the review. I'm sure it doesn't feel good to tear a game down but negative reviews are important
So much potential. Co-op legacy with Jurassic Park would be right in my wheelhouse, but watching the tutorial play though earlier I decided not to back. It just looked boring and tedious. I am glad I didn’t as it seems like I was right about how it looked.
This was a quite expensive KS game, and I guess we can see why they went to KS, so that they could have sales without people getting to play the game.
Yeah, I like Prospero Hall, but they wanted $120 for this one. I’m glad I passed.
@@BoxOfFear yea I backed this. And I kinda feel bad about it. Maybe it being the KS version I can get my money back.
Yeah it's definitely going to be damaging for everyone involved tbh.
Also, hey Richard!
Thanks for this great and informative review. I appreciate the honesty. Saved me some money as I canceled my pre-order, as the issues you brought up about the game were concerns I had watching the playthrough. I just kept hoping that the game got better as the campaign went on, because... dinosaurs! But, alas, I'm sure I'd feel the same way as you four did, so I will sadly pass. I was hoping for something so much better with this game. Oh, well!
I am definitely in Chris’s position here.
1. Jurassic Park is one of my favourite movies. Saw it in the cinema when I was 9 and it’s one of the most important films to me ever.
2. I love coop games. Pandemic, Arkham Horror LCG, Gloomhaven JOTL.
3. Big fan of legacy games. Absolutely loved Pandemic Season 1 and Clank Legacy.
4. Have enjoyed games from Prospero Hall: Jaws and Horrified.
I should be the absolute target audience for this game.
I backed it on Kickstarter and now I’m dreading it.
I’ve started writing my eBay listing already.
Great review, thank you guys.
Problem is that all of us backers will be on ebay. Lol. 1000 listings I can forsee.
Completely agree with 1-4. Also Jaws was a great little game that seemed to go under the radar.
@@MichaelAW17 hah you’re right, I’ll be happy if I can make £10 from it I think 😬😅
“started writing your ebay listing already???” 😂 at least try it first lol
Thanks for this honest review! It is unfortunate that this fell so flat.
@@steverigatones7264 I don't think most people associate negative with honest, but these days, there are a lot of shill reviewers of products and media that are afraid to do much but to heap endless praise so that they get more free product or invites to events from the creators of the product. Tom and the DT studios haven't shied away from filming negative reviews or reviews that are not all positive. I may not agree with some positive or negative points they make but they are clearly defined and a great reference for me. Thanks again Dice Tower peeps! :)
I had a feeling this game was not going to be good. I did not back it and this review confirmed it. I do however feel bad for those that did back it and may be highly disappointed when they get their copies and play it.
The most impressive thing about the KS campaign was how they started with "Legacy Jurassic Park game by Prospero Hall" and only ended up with half a million dollars.
Thank you for the review guys! I appreciate hearing your reasons, especially since I know from other reviews that you all tend to have varying opinions.
It's my birthday today, and Chris, you made me laugh so hard with, "I would like to ride a velociraptor with a shotgun and a chainsaw now." Thank you!!!!!! XD XD XD Soooo good!!!!!
Happy birthday!
We've just finished a 2-player campaign of this and found it pretty good. We enjoyed most of the legacy aspects, especially two of the later unlocked things. My rating would probably be an 8/10. I didn't mind that most rounds was a new problem that had to be dealt with, and the puzzle was how to best use our actions to deal with that plus everything else going on. In the first half of the campaign it felt very tight fit with how to use your actions, but in the later half, we had accumulated so many ways to get extra free actions that most things was almost too easy to do. As a 2-player expirence it felt very cooperative and you get to do a lot. With 4-players you'd get half as many actions and I honestly don't think that would be fun. 3 players might be fine. Lastly I just want to say that we did the end of adventure step AND the prologue for the next adventure before ending the game session, so that we could dive straight into gameplay at the next game session, which worked great. I don't think the amount of extra rules per new adventure was a big deal (for non-casual gamers).
Lol I sensed garbage and indeed it turned out to be garbage 😅 any bad game deserves a bad review! And it’s probably the first four squares review in ages without a seal! In fact a 3 would make me more angry than this, you guys need to get angry, no holding back 🤪 don’t be afraid of 1-2s. There Are games revered by many that drive me angry enough for a 1-2.
This is such a bummer to hear, as I was really excited for this one. But, your honesty is very much appreciated!
not a fan for the theme but just want to say with so many games to review, to push through something like this is what we as audience should appreciate you guys for. Playing all the new hot and fun games sure is easy, but to give every chance for such a rating is just why I love watching your videos. Keep up the work guys. this is not only informative for consumers but also to publishers too.
I'm just glad that they didn't pull their punches, that they gave honest feedback regardless of which designer's feelings they might have hurt, or which TH-cam-watching, Jurassic Park-loving, board game enthusiast can't hear a word that they said.
I had a lot of fun with this game. Love the IP which helps. Played two player controlling two characters each which is a big help. But the stuff that happen was so much fun. We had so many predators, are Brachy was such a drep it was funny, and building the park was fun, enjoyed it if a huge fan and ok with a lighter experience I recommend. Also we made a small rules change if in a space with a building you can enter and exit for free, just felt better.
I get you didn't enjoy it, but it is not a three for me in any stretch of the imagination. That seems harsh. How many games did you win out of the 12 out of interest?
I wish you could have reviewed this during the Kickstarter. It would have saved me a lot of money. I figured Prospero Hall hadn't let me down before, and the Legacy aspect seemed like a good fit. Oh well. It's SeaFall all over again. I feel like a sucker. 😞
I'm right there with you. I've been so excited for this one to arrive, and now I'm just so disappointed.
How could they have possibly reviewed this during the kickstarter lol. I guess spending that much money on a game you've never played is basically gambling, and no one else is to blame except the person who swiped the credit card.
@@Dragonrstorm You are right, it is on us the backers. But prospero hall could have released pre production copies to have them reviewed. Sure we should have pushed for more transparency, but the company itself is also responsible to a degree. Not a refund demanding degree though.
@@MichaelAW17 Kickstarters almost never allow reviewers to hold a review on a game currently being funded. They mostly only allow paid previews. This is also a legacy game straight out the bat, mind you. A bad game is also never refundable, so even if the game was a 0/10, the onus is entirely on the buyer, not the seller. It's literally in the Kickstarter terms and conditions.
Constructive candor always gets the thumbs up. After all.. we all want the world to keep having better games. Thanks for helping.
I'm happy you got the full 4 squares involved. I've seen the flops of kickstarters with one person where people cry that "why didn't x review it? It would have been a higher score if they had!"
Now there seems to be complaints that you maliciously waited on the review, which is not where I had expected those people to go.
Not gonna lie. In a bit of a rush and I jumped straight to the "Final Scoring" on this one to see how good it is. And when Chris said 3, I was completely shocked! 😯 But, to further that shock, not a single person acted surprised! They just sat there, nodding in silence...it was as if I just jumped into a funeral. Dang. I Iike Dinosaurs. If this would have gotten a consensus 8 or 9 from the group, I might have been tempted to buy it (a tall order, considering I have too many games right now)...but, a 3?!?! That doesn't even sound like a game. I mean...for the quality and sales pitch it had coming out, I thought this was going to be the $h!t 😕 Ok, maybe I was right: it did turn out to be $h!t.
Same here. I was floored. Lol
Thank you so much for saving me from buying another Seafall! Whew!
Someone said they enjoyed Seafall!!! Hahahahhaa
The pain feels real for this review but thankyou for the honesty. I could never figure out why I didn't back this KS due to a feeling I had, so have never felt more validated.
It's always a wave of relief when you sort of go back and forth on backing something and months later you realize how good of a decision you made - no matter what way you went.
I was going to back the Monumental reprint/expansion and decided to pull out my money at the last minute and, given the current problems at Fungorge, am happy I made that decision.
I also was going to back the Matchbox Collection and decided against it.
Adding this to the list of bullets dodged.
@@LegoAssassin098 yeah I hear ya. I did back the monumental expansion but some do forget that kickstarter does still have an element of risk on many levels. It's all part of the game I suppose
@@mystemo1980 Exactly. Crowdfunding has aspects that are inherently anticonsumer. And there's not really anyway to get around them. You don't have a tested project, you can't opt out easily you cant get a refund easily, etc.
I urge people to research the company involved more than the product, since anyone can make a cool-looking page.
You've got to be careful where you put your money and its inevitable that you'll get burned - but in my opinion, it is always better to feel disappointed that you missed out on something great, than to feel disappointed that you wasted your money on something bad.
Moment of silence for the people who kickstarted it (pre-order).
Wow this review probably saved me $100 or whatever the retail price will end up being for this thing. My wife loves legacy games and I love Jurassic Park, so seemed like a no brainer. Glad I didn’t back at the Kickstarter stage.
As someone who isn’t a huge gamer (I mostly stick to video games, but I used to play table top Warhammer Fantasy/40K & DnD) and have only recently got into board games through playing Ten Candles with some friends and picking up the Gargoyles board game from Ravensburger, I backed the KS largely because of how much I love JP. I am now really bummed. I’m still excited about getting the game in and sifting through all the stuff in the game, but my group of friends and I are probably going to skip actually playing. It sucks, because the idea that it’s just going to be a game that collects dust on a shelf somewhere is really sad.
That said, maybe the feedback will help them in the next game they put together at Prospero Hall. I just picked up their Rear Window game, and that seems pretty stellar by comparison.
I was not sold on the game when they did the playthrough months back in fact i cancelled my pledge after i watched it. I even tried to talk myself into backing the game again since I'm such a huge fan of Jurassic Park, but in the end I couldn't do it. I'm glad I waited to see how this played out. Something wasn't right and I'm glad I trusted my gut.
Same, I was like I didn't know they were making a Jurassic Park game. And while I was watching them play, I was like well this isn't it either
Same boat. I was interested because I love the IP so much, but the cost was ridiculous for what you were getting, the miniatures were kinda yucky, and the mechanisms felt super limited from what I saw of the play through. I backed IMMEDIATELY when it came up, skimmed the page, and immediately canceled my pledge. It’s really a shame they did t cancel the campaign based on the feedback and develop it further.
Yeah that play through was everything I didn’t want in a game. Pasted on theme for mini games, really? And to hear they are just rehashed the whole campaign is mind boggling.
Wow. I backed it and now feel cheated, haven’t even received it yet. It’s not the money loss for me. I accepted the risk. It’s the gut punch disappointment of this apparently terrible game of 1. an IP I love 2. Great production and art 3. Supposedly adds story to the canon.
Have to remember it’s just a review. I don’t think you should feel cheated until you receive it and play. I like games reviewers don’t like at all and also dislike some reviewers rave about. Just saying wait and give it a shot before feeling cheated.
or don't waste your time after spending the money. time is more valuable.
@@jbarr4184 This is a ‘3’ KS review from DT from all four people- nope, not wasting my time with this game. I hope Funko/Prospero Hall acknowledges this miss and next time invests in game play design & testing. They lost trust with me as a consumer this time.
@@jackiejlw5493 I mean... There are other people who've played the game who have thoroughly enjoyed it, sharing their experiences on bgg.
I backed the Kickstarter as well, and personally, I'm just going to try the game and see if I like it. I've enjoyed a lot of games that dice tower hasn't in the past, so I'm hoping this will be similar
I am loving the game so far. Half way through
First of all let me say that I love the 4 Squares reviews (always looking forward to them) as well as the reviews with more than one of y'all reviewing together. Ok, I love all the reviews. That being said, I just finished watching another content creator's video on the topic of biasness in the industry. Covering all types of bias, he gave an example of this particular review and asked how it was possible for all 4 of you to give the exact same score out of 19 possible scores ranging from 1 to 10. Now you all obviously felt that the game sucked. But the question is what the likelihood was that after the 1st score the subsequent scores not being biased/influenced by that score, even if subconsciously. Some may have had an initial score in their minds of 2, 2.5, 3.5, or even 4. But because it was receiving steady 3's the later scores could have been a case of "Ok, then I'll also rate it a 3". Now I may be wrong, but I believe that I've recently watched you Tom move your initial score 1/2 a point up based on the feedback from the rest of the table. Not to say that there's anything wrong with that, but it did show how a score could be influenced by what others say... Now if I may offer a solution in lessening the likelihood of 4 identical ratings on subsequent 4 Squares reviews from happening in the future, I think it would be a neat idea for you all to write down your scores (Jeopardy style) on a dry erase board or something and then reveal them one by one. I think that this would add an extra fun game show type element to the review, and leave no room for doubt on how you really feel about the game. Now biasness can never be completely eliminated. Some may adjust their initial thoughts on a score by 1/2 a point or so just by listening to what others are saying about the game pre-scoring (except for you Wendy ;) ), but that's life. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read this and I hope you give some consideration to this suggestion.
I understand that, but I'll tell you it definitely surprised all of us. We didn't coordinate ratings, but we did all mention that we had a number locked in when we went into recording for this particular review.
Ok. Well that's pretty wild. But what do you think of my idea? I mean everyone loves surprise reveals. Or don't they? Either way, thanks for the reply Chris. You and Wendy both have been a great addition to the crew.
@@SoManyGames I do like the idea. No joke, we were actually discussing something really similar with white boards. Great minds, right? Haha. Thanka for the nice words, and tha ka for enjoying the videos! If there's anything we strive for, it's definitely being genuine, so hopefully that comes across!
Wow. The 2nd time in 2 days that I've been told that. I truly must have a great mind! Especially coming from you, haha... And no I never questioned you guys being genuine. I didn't mean for it to come across that way, if it did. I was strictly speaking about the subconscious. Well thanks again and keep up the great work! Oh, and push for those score reveals. I think it'll be a hit.
@@SoManyGames No problem, I didn't take it that way. Also, could you email me at chris@ dicetower.com about the video you're referencing? Curious about it!
Whelp appreciate this a lot. There are so many games coming out now and this is one I might have bought and I now can buy something that might be a better fit
I almost backed this but decided not to. Looks like that was the right call. Thanks for pushing through this guys, really appreciate the work on this one.
Is it better then Seafall?
Yup, I was under the impression this would be the case. Saw it a mile away… After inspecting the campaign page, playthroughs, previews, price, etc, I was getting ever farther and farther away from pulling the trigger. Never even got close to begin with, to be honest.
I feel bad for the designers, the publisher, the backers and, honesty, for the reviewers!.. it ain’t easy to give such an honest negative opinion.
Thank you so much for the review! Don’t feel bad, these are really important to remember us to keep the bar higher. Great job, guys.
I am a backer and will take this as a learning experience. Never buy from a new company in crowdfunding. Unless it is just a reprint.
I guess I just need to buy from trusted publishers fromnow on
Big question... How does it compare to another Legacy game highly anticipated and poorly received? (Seafall)
Even though I completely disagree with this assessment, it's a good sign that Dice Tower is willing to give an honest review of a game that isn't just over-the-top enthusiasm. I do wish there would be a different perspective review because I'm playing it with my wife and 2 of my sons and while it's not our favorite legacy game, we're definitely enjoying it greatly. And the worst legacy game by far is one that Dice Tower absolutely loves, so while it's nice that they tried to figure out who would like this game, it's disappointing they came up short when our experience has been universally a positive - not perfect, but positive - one.
Bryan Draked reviewed it.
Glad I didn’t back this. I was so close back when you played it too. Best wishes to those who bought it.
I did kickstart this game and I’m still excited to play it. I have played a lot of legacy games and am always excited to see what different companies can come up with. I think this review is fair. But I do think this game may be for someone and until I play it I can’t make that determination.
My gaming group even enjoyed sea fall and that is considered bad by most. But we still enjoyed it. I think what I’m saying is a lot of people have not even got there copies yet and we don’t have many reviews to go on yes this is reputable but rather than lament the loss if you already bought it give it a shot I know I will. And if they are right then nothings changed.
If they are right (extremely likely considering they have different tastes in games) you would have wasted at LEAST 10 hours, I'm going to assume from this review a session takes over 2 hours so you would have wasted at least 20 hours which for me in my life is not okay.
The lesson here is more related to the nature of backing Kickstarters. It is obviously a gamble. You can't win all the time, sometimes you loose. In this case you lost.
A couple of moments in this review were the first time I’ve seen Mike look genuinely angry. If I saw Mike with that look on his face IRL, I’d back off, give him some space and come back later 🤣
Haha I guess you didn't watch the Last Aurora playthrough.
Bullet dodged. Thanks. Important question: Did Tom complete the campaign? 😁
He confirmed in the Qand A that he hasn't touched it, and is still planning to with his family. He hasn't watched this review as he wants to make his own opinions
@@LegoAssassin098 thanks. I almost feel bad that he may suffer through it and drag his family along just to stand by his word to finish the campaign.
My favourite feeling in a boardgame is feeling very powerful but in a situation that is extremely dire. Without feeling that I can influence the game it's hard for me to invest in what's going on.
Shame you didn't get this uploaded before the kickstarter ended.
Did you guys even mention the price point? That's what initially gave me pause. I'm so glad I passed on this KS. Prospero Hall is probably one of my fave design teams and I just saw so many red flags on this one.
They almost never include price in their reviews, since price affects everyone differently.
So on the Kickstarter page, the positive quotes from people are 48% Jurassic Park media (not gamers) saying it's well themed, 48% gamers saying that it looks pretty, and 2% Becca Scott saying it's a fantastic game. 🚩
What happened to the last 2%?
OMG, what a flop... I fell for this one unfortunately... That is over $120USD I will certainly wont recover... Damn
Same man. Same.
Same, and it wont be any easy flip as everyone will be trying to get rid of it.
The KS exclusives are also very meh.
Sounds like y’all just came out of Jurassic park then played it. The most hilarious part of this review is how many times y’all sounded like the people in the movies describing the actual park! Great review though. I was scared to back this and I’m glad I saved my money. Hopefully they can either fix or reimagine this game because I still want a Jurassic park legacy game
Woooooooow. Man am I glad I avoided this one. The play through done on DT a few months ago just didn’t look promising, and made me pull my pledge.
And all that for just 120 dollars! Yay, the excitement!
Wow, do you remember that time when we used to look forward to Prospero Hall games? Seems those days are now behind us, It's been downhill for a while now... 😕
To be fair, most companies have a dip and then even out. It tempers expectations to more manageable levels.
There are very few companies with more than 10 games where all of them are hits. Eventually every company hits that lull and generally come back.
And that's not just board game companies. Most companies need a setback to refocus to what their strength is after serious success.
Wow, I almost backed this. Thanks for the informative and honest review. Like Chris, I love JP as well and this is a big let down, but glad I saved my money and time.
Really bummed. I was looking forward to this
it was going to be $120+ shipping to get the game like around the same time as retail AND only until they got bullied into it they added like 2-3 KS exclusive stuff. the whole thing was essentially a giant preorder and not really a KS campaign
love these 4! excellent personalities and breadth of opinions
Oh well.. I backed this after I saw the theme. We’ll still probably play it, ill adjust my expectations now.
A brave review. May end up being one of the most infamous reviews in the Dice Tower history, which is interesting considering Tom isn’t around in it…
Infamous? Are you sure you are using this term correctly?
@@whitestrips1 Raw Kyle likely meant the opposite. Some word habits are easy to pick up depending on where you are from. It's like using phrases like "irregardless of" or "I could care less", etc. I have to double-check myself from time to time due to being raised in the Midwest and some dialect choices common to the region. lol
I bought this but I will probably not open it because I'm kind of intimidated by the fact that you have to damage the game to play it, doesn't that destroy the resale value of the game, so I'm just going to have the game just as a collector, so the attended audience for this game is mostly for collectors it looks like, the game looks beautiful and I love the concept of the game, but I don't have a gaming group that would have the patience to read through all that directions and I cringe at the idea of damaging components to the game to continue playing, I guess my only hope is that this game will be worth something in the future, that's disappointing and sad, but I collect Jurassic Park games so I'm happy I have it in my collection, even though I'm disappointed that I'll never play it.
All it is is scratch cards. You don’t have to tear up anything. But yeah, no it’s a legacy game - it isn’t going to be worth a lot after playing. Maybe if you wait 50 years and you have Blue.
Watching this review and watching BoardGameCo review of this game looks like they are reviewing different games. How the reviews can be so different? (And I am not just talking about the score)
Thats what I am asking!
I bought based on boardgameco (not blaming anyone) and I was thinking worse case everyone gives this a 5, and someone like Chris will give it a 7.
All 3s. Jesus.
@@MichaelAW17 One like and the others don't like that is normal but stuff like BoardGameCo says it's good for entry players but before I heard what they said and I think I agree with the Dice Tower guys, it doesn't seem very entry player game.
Think BGC likes the very procedural and puzzly stuff more than most reviewers. Didn't BGC have to stop playing after three or four sessions or something because of his schedule?
Does BoardGameCo give anything popular less than a 4/5? while giving small names low.
Thanks, Dice Tower, for giving your honest opinions. I'm sure it sucks having to give a bad review, but it's of course for the best to steer people in the right direction.
Hard to get all of you to reach the same rating. Impressive!
Prospero Hall does some ok stuff. I've yet to play one of their games that I didn't think was just ok at best.
Very disappointed to hear this.... And I backed the game, too. As a life long JP fan I *really* was looking forward to a good JP cooperative game....It can't be that hard to do. What a shame. As it is, the only JP games worth owning are the Danger! Game from Ravensburger and the Unmatched sets.
Probably going to have to sell my copy as well. I highly doubt I'm going to enjoy this, especially as I was probably going to play this solo...😔
Thanks for the honest review!
Don't back games on Kickstarter based on billion dollar IPs
Prospero Hall is a great company. I have good few of their games but despite my love for Jurassic Park I couldn't find any interest there...The gameplay was simply boring from a get go. I'm glad I did not back it up. Fingers crossed for their new venture and I hope it's a co-op game, because Prospero is the best at that.
What's really effed about it are the positive reviews on the campaign page, with one reviewer in particular stating that the game is "brilliant". Smh
Unfortunately that's more likely to be a Paid Preview rather than a Review, and as such not worth the data it's downloaded on. 😄
@@cthulwho8197 Either that or people disagree. I don't agree with loads of Dice Tower reviews. Admittedly, this one is -really- low and I usually disagree with 6 and 7s which I think are better than this, but my point stands.
Saw this a mile away, thanks for the interesting review
Yeah I hated what I saw in the play through they did. I admit I expected them to like it and it would be a “me” thing as I’m not fan of pasted on mini games.
I was flabbergasted and shocked by the price tag. Looking back, Funko did me a huge solid by setting a hysterically bold price point.
I feel for all of the KS backers. The campaign was chock full of red flags and Funko actively gave backers reasons not to back this. Despite all of that, way too many people rewarded them with their hard earned dollars. And their reward is a clunker if a game.
I do feel incredibly disappointed that you guys didn’t even mention the price here, which again is unjustifiable to the point where it’s almost predatory. $120 for what looks like $75 worth of content at most is just such garbage.
Crowdfunding is a risk and those risks keep getting more expensive. If people keep backing, this trend will not change. Had this game been a 9, I doubt the price is as much of a sore spot.
I'm big on themes can anyone recommend a good competitive dinosaur themed game? I should mention its usually 3 of us playing, sometimes 4.
The Unmatched Jurassic Park sets are pretty good. Or Raptor.🙂
@@Mr23BK thanks so much.
For 3 I'd suggest Dinosaur Island.
@@Vorago12 Thank you sir.
I wonder if some house rules would improve it? I backed this game and am now regretting it.
That's really too bad that this game didn't turn out as good as I was hoped. I truly believe that you all tried the give this game a chance and I appreciate the honest review.
This is the kind of game that feeds the narrative that Kickstarter/Gamefound is a big bubble ready to burst.
4 squares is still a thing post-gencon?
What's the difference between it and all other group reviews?
I'm guessing this was recorded quite a long time ago and they just kept it in the old format. The ticker behind them is showing 5 thousand less subscribers than the current number. Maybe a review embargo was set because the publisher knew the game wasn't good?
I believe this is the final "4 Squares"
@@SquareJay I agree with everything you said.
Though just for fairness' sake, most game have review embargoes, good or bad.
It helps so everyone has a chance to fully play the game before reviewing so they aren't giving a half assed review just to get out before everyone else and get the views.
Now it's very possible that this publisher DID know it was bad, but for anyone who thinks review embargoes in and of themselves are nefarious, they aren't. They are actually helpful for the hobby for the most part. And this happens with many industries- like video games.
Why no more 4 Square reviews? They're my favorite.
@@pjpaella Since gencon almost all reviews are group reviews... not necessarily 4 people, but group reviews. so no need for the name that anyway came from lockdown days... and before that it was 'miami dice' until Sam left... So no matter the name, group is group is group.
"Remember this?" -wink
"Remember this?" - wink
Sounds like every modern movie reboot and sequel... so annoying
Inwatched the prologue and the minute they displayed the board and busts, i was out.
I guess when it gets here, I will just keep playing the preview over and over. Umph.
Soooo you're saying this is a must buy for new gamers. ;)
Sooooo glad I didn't back this. Thanks for the honest review.
Glad we didn't back this one, the price was the original turn off and sounds like the game itself wasn't done well, basically an IP cash grab. Which is disappointing because those who don't know the hobby or are new but like the IP will be the target audience and be turned off by the hobby.
phew dodged a bullet on this one....glad I didn't back the kickstarter.
Y'all need a seal of Hot Garbage, lol
Prospero Hall has very few misses. It's unfortunate that this is one, especially with the amount of hype involved. Hoping they learn from this for the future.
4 x 3? Thats a 12/10 wow
12 out of 40.
I felt very wary of this one and stayed away.
Never hesitate to give a negative review, as long as is deserved, and you explain the "why's".
phew!!!! You guys just saved me $120!
Super chat incoming :)
I feel like this IP is cursed... I've played every JP board game there is, and everyone had been bad... I was hoping this one would be "the one"... well... I guess we keep waiting.
Unmatched Jurassic Park sets are pretty cool.
I second that. I like the velociraptors. Inspires velociraptor LARPing. Eviscerate!
Thanks for saving me from buying this. I thought the components looked amazing and was excited for this game. Too bad the gameplay is so bad it's painful.
Oh joys, not looking forward to receiving this after backing it. But will play it anyway and hope for the best.