Alas I am here my fellow friends! I come down from the ashes through a whirlwind of fire, spew from the jaws of multiple fire breathing dragons all strung together as if they are one. For my first review as a non-official critic/blogger I will review Halo ODST, Batman: Arkham Ayslum, and…well how about I review a broader game, one that people gather together inside and outside to compete against one another. The game I am referring to is the game of chess.

Chess is a new game which was created around 1995 by a man name John Chess. In this game there are pawns, rooks, knights, bishops, a king and a queen. Now before I explain how the game works, let me point out that these pieces are not actual knights, kings, etc., they are actual small wooden (in most cases) artifacts that don’t resemble their name. For example the rook looks like an electric cigarette lighter and even more ridiculous is the knight, which resembles a horse. Now you must be thinking, “Why is this?”, well if there was more information on why this is I certainly would share it with you. The board used in the game of chess is checkered, basically it is the same game board as the way more famous game of checkers which I’m sure you’ve all heard of. There are two players (I have tried one player chess, which is also entertaining) and each player rotates between turns. Each piece can only move a certain way, and basically the queen rules all followed by the rook. If your friend has 3 rooks, a king, and a queen left while you have 3 queens, 1 rook, and a king, lets just say you might have chess skills.

Unlike Halo 3 ODST, the game of chess takes time, unless of course you suck. Strategy, focus, and concentration are huge elements of the game and sometimes the element of fun also comes in. I must say, while waiting for your friend to make his move can be frustrating, don’t forget to use that time to be strategical and plan your counterattack as this can be crucial to winning the game outright. Another important tip when playing chess is to have food and most importantly a drink at your side so you can stay awake and not go hungry during your hour long plus game. It is also important to have a chess simulator on your phone or itouch device that will tell you the best move you can make at the time (of course pretend like you are texting instead of cheating, nobody likes a cheater!).

There are many rules in the game of chess to go by if you want to play it correctly and I suggest reviewing a chess instruction manual to correctly play this game. Chess is a game of simplicity and advancicity with a modern touch of checkers. Although not as fun as checkers, it still has the staying power to bring you crawling back time and time again. If you’re looking for a bit of fun on a late Friday night, forget the clubs, forget the bowling alley, remember chess!

8 Multi-player: This game was designed mostly for mutli-player use, though single-player has its moments. If you remember to keep a drink and food at your side you and your buddy can play this all night long.

8.5 Graphics: The horses, king and queen pack enough punch to have you staring at them for hours without having to hopefully look at the bleak and boring game board it uses.

9 Staying Power: Single-player, a great multi-player, and beautifully designed game pieces make this game one of a kind with thrills, chills, and lots of kills!

OVERALL: 8.5
-admin2/newguy

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