The Voyages of Marco Polo - Shut Up & Sit Down Review
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- Опубликовано: 6 окт 2017
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First published on 6th October, 2017. 
Игры
Turns out I've been playing Marco Polo wrong all these years. Nobody ever told me about the bum touching part.
Probably on purpose.
I appreciate the meta-discussion on the rigors of reviewing. I wonder if there are others like me who, after acquiring a shelf full of games, face the same nagging question on every purchase now: "This looks good, but is it as good as [Tales of the Arabian Nights, Pandemic, Robinson Crusoe, Samurai Swords (yes, that one), Forbidden whichever, Secret Hitler, Orleans, One Night, etc. etc.]." The worst is finishing up the first playthrough of a new game and everyone saying "this is good, but [x] is better." Then back on the shelf it goes.
I think disappointed, dour, Northern dad is my new favorite character.
Loved the outtakes at the end. Nice to see a cameo by Paul. The review kinda leaves me on the fence about the game though, but great to hear it's available again, however long that lasts.
I need a full show about Marco Polo and his dad.
Really enjoyed the discussion in the middle, It showed your thoughts on it really well.
Very entertaining! I was happy to see all 3 of you in the video. The post credits out takes are great!
“Smoking...the universal symbol for ‘I’m done here.’” - 2017 Award Winner for Best Line in a Board Game Review. Also nominated for “Funniest Thing I Have Ever Heard”.
The most I have laughed at a SUSD video for ages- and that's saying something. also thought-provoking and wise.... top work, guys
I like how the characters do really shake up how you play and you look at your opponents and are like "your character is overpowered" while they are looking are your character and saying the same thing.
I like the puzzle nature of the game where you plan the perfect round that uses all your resources only to have someone inadvertently block you, thus forcing you to recalculate your options and you feel like you accomplished something when you are able to still able to get to where you want to go.
Finally i love the fact that this game is short, you feel like you never have enough time to do everything you want to do and when that final turn comes around and you everyone around the table is like "Oh man i just need 1 more turn!" and everyone scrambles to squeeze every last point they can.
You missed the really unique part of the game:
The rule breaking characters (which are very thematic) are THE reason to buy and play the game. They are dramatically different. And that's what no other game of this style is offering...
In my opinion even in 2017 still a reference for Euro Games!
The rule breaking gods and specialists for instance in The Great Zimbabwe are at least as dramatically different and also very thematic. But the game is a much cleaner designed puzzle. Would play this game over Marco Polo any day.
I really liked the outtakes at the end. Lovely
I have played many many times Concordia and Marco polo (2 games I own and adore) but if I needed to chose one I would chose Marco Polo over Concordia as to me it's less dry (the special powers are just incredibly fun, each game is a new challenge) and a bit shorter to play. But it's a Difficult choice! Thanks for the review.
Thanks for the review. This has been on my want list for ages, and I am thrilled there has been a reprint. Though you don't give it the Unqualified Stamp of Recommendation (tm), you didn't talk me into taking it off the list. That said, I will revisit Concordia and likely pick it up before I do Marco Polo (Great Western Trail is already in the collection). Thanks again for taking the effort to make such a good review.
Those designer photos are weird. #JustSayin Another entertaining / informative review guys, thanks.
Matt is cute but I really disagree with this review. Maybe I'm biased because this game is one of my all time favourites and has been in my top 3 since its release.
But the massive variability, the asymmetric characters and the strategic depth without being too complicated makes this game always a blast to play. Even that some of the character powers were inspired by real life achievements of these people is a hilarious sidenote. The theme works well enough, especially for a "German style" game.
It seems that this review is... Polo-rizing...
OMFGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
Great video as always!! but i dissagree with your verdict.. i own concordia , great western trail , troyes and marco polo is my absolute favourite! ! I even got my dad to play and have a blast with it!
The skits were amazing. Great job!
It was so good to see Paul in the review!
I really enjoyed placing this review in a context of the library of games you've reviewed. I think it's perfectly right for games to be judged by a 2017 standard, not that all of our judgements are going to be the same but it's important to drive those industry standards.
Also, northern Polo dad is Matt's best character, bar none. Would love him as a reference point on all future Euro reviews 😃
Thanks for reminding me to play Concordia again!
Good review. Convinced me to buy it even though you did not recommend.
been playing this occasionaly for a year now and I think it's the greatest boardgame ever made. It just keeps being fun. Every game is differend and you can choose your strategies. Super fun!
Do you prefer this over the sequel? I'm going through videos trying to decide which one to take a chance on.
See, I wonder if you had just played Concordia now, if you would still recommend it. The production values and thematics are in some ways worse in Concordia than here. This game has the vastly asymmetrical characters and variable city powers. Concordia has the card rondell action selection and multiplicative point scoring. I love both Concordia and this game, but I wonder if this game simply has the disadvantage of being reviewed now instead of three years ago.
Well said. I love Concordia as well, but the artwork is bland and it doesn't pop for me thematically. If they'd reviewed Marco Polo first, would they be saying Concordia's lack of asymmetrical characters puts it on a lower tier?
Really good review. My immediately thought was this must be an old review I've not seen before. What it blossomed into was fascinating. I'd love to hear more content on this meta-review topic.
Sounds like a variation on 30 other popular modern Euros. Good review. I like that they provide context on where the game fits in among others of its type. Good discussion about standards rising after experiencing tons of similar data points of the type.
The outtakes are still amazing!
I love this game, one of my favorites.
I suggest to try the bonus characters too.
(to get a black dice you need three camels not three coins).
Just watched "the early days", you've certainly come a long way. Thanks for the channel and your hard work, though my wallet doesn't agree. Latest purchases memoir 44 and pandemic legacy x2 (bought a second copy to play with mates after playing it with my wife yesterday... For 6 hours).
Bit OT, but when did you go to Canada and why?
I also find this game fairly underwhelming, though I would articulate why in a slightly different way from you. I'm not someone who's overly concerned about theme, so that's not really my issue. I like to say that my issue stemmed from the game feeling a bit too overdetermined/on rails. Between your player power, the dice you've rolled, and the various end game goals you're given, there doesn't feel like there's much left for you to figure out. But the interesting thing is that I love Terra Mystica, but my complaint about this game is also a common one against Terra Mystica. I'd say the difference is that in Terra Mystica to some degree I feel like I'm making a decision about which round bonuses I want to really focus on to complement the way I want to play my race, whereas in Marco Polo it felt a bit more automatic what my strategy should be, but also that there's more interesting tactical variation in Terra Mystica, whereas again in Marco Polo there are many factors constraining you. But I do worry that that might not be the whole story.
Sometimes I get this feeling like I have no idea why I do or don't like a game, and in fact the reason I made a BGG account and make a point to write up a comment for every game I play was/is to force myself to think about what I do and don't like in games. Even still though often it feels like I'll have a visceral gut reaction to a game and then later try to come up with a nice sounding reason why I did or didn't like it. Marco Polo is one of those mystery games where I feel like my objection might not really be my issue, but my real issue is something vague, along the lines of "I just didn't enjoy it, it just didn't click and didn't show any signs of clicking in the future." I think Keyflower is one of these for me as well.
I do wonder if you're at least sort of in the same boat in this regard. Though I don't mean to be presumptive, it just seems like a similar scenario, where there are other games that you like that arguably have the same issues that you're pointing out in this one. And it does feel a bit like you're not completely satisfied with your ultimate impressions, though maybe that's just me reading into it. To be clear though, I think this is a good thing; people's tastes should be a bit idiosyncratic and more based on feel than an easily organized list of pros and cons. The standards thing is an interesting point as well. I suspect not relevant for me because I played it for the first time in September 2015, and anyway I don't know about you but I'm consistently reevaluating games when I replay them and games do fall out of favor, though I guess no one's immune to these various subconscious biases. Anyway the point is that I enjoyed the review and appreciate the various discussions. It made me think. I don't know that I have any more answers now than I did beforehand, but that seems ok.
Hey! Have you tried Marco Polo 2? If yes, how do you compare it with MP1? Thank you!
Great to see all three of the crew together for the same game, if not the same room. Honest thought at 4:25 "Whose this guy playing Marco Polo's Dad? And where's Matt?"
I loved how the Lifesaver joke repeats so those of us who missed the boat the first time got a second chance to laugh. This is what I like about SU;SD. Inclusiveness.
Marco Polo is one of my favorite heavy euros. For me it has better theme and game mechanics than Terra Mystica or Feast for Odin.
I absolutely agree, although I would never call it a heavy Euro. That said, I also agree with the review that it is not quiet a good enough game (but I feel that way about most games).
Come for the review, stay for the outtakes
"Never mind Polos, those are Life Savers" - honestly, seriously, genuinely, the best puns I have ever heard.
Delighted to see my game group isn't the only one who feels this way about Marco Polo. We see all these raving reviews and were wondering what's wrong with us.
It's funny. I just bought it and your review whilst ultimately critical of the game, has sold me on it.
I didn't say they trashed the game that would be an absurd over-reaction. They were critical of the game, mildly for sure, but utlimately critical and yet I still thought the game looked good enough to buy so I did.
I think the problem is that a lot of people just look at the bottom line, the tl;dr, the score or (in case of SU&SD) whether it is "recommended" or not. Which in this case would mean "one of the best games we played". It's like saying a score of 8/10 (for reviewers that use those) is bad because other products got a 9 or 10....
I think they clearly explained what they liked about the game and what they did not so if you actually know what you like yourself, you know whether you will like the game.
Perfect! This is exactly what we like to hear.
Haven't played it, so I can't disagree. I did at first think "wow, you guys have gotten really picky" but then I realized a game shouldn't make the "recommends" list just by virtue of being popular. It could fit on an "honorable mentions" list, though.
But I get the criticism. The game was so close, just needed some better "flavoring" since the mechanics are all sound. Recontextualizing the money to act as the victory metric, or perhaps changing victory points into unique Relics you discover or something of that nature would likely be enough. And imagine the Relics figuring into an expansion where they correlate to special abilities that might cause you to lose it in pursuit of something "better". Or VP could be represented by something more nebulous like "Renown" / "Notoriety".
Personally, I'm not the biggest fan of placing rolled dice into prominent slots and such. It's fine with some smaller, simpler games. But with something more substantial that has a strong integrated theme that isn't dice-related (like a casino?) it strikes me as odd, perhaps akin to hearing a guitar that has one string just slightly out of tune.
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Meanwhile, the comments here read like video game fanboys overly upset when the game they recently bought into the hype of doesn't get a PERFECT score. Calm down, people. The game wasn't "trashed". They just didn't gush uncontrollably about how it's the _best game ever,_ bringing up legitimate criticism while also providing praise for all it does well. Basically the takeaway is: don't expect to be Wowed by this game, but you'll probably have some fun if you forgive that the designers put in just enough effort on the theme.
Yeah, it didn't really feel like they were trashing the game. It just felt like they were going "It's alright, but it could be better and there's better stuff out there."
Surprised you didn't compare this more with Troyes or Castles of Burgundy, as those seem more similar mechanically with the dice allocation and action taking/resource collecting. That being said, I respect their reviews that deviate from popular opinion because it shows that not every popular game is automatically for you. It shows another side to the coin and answers the question that if I already own something that does kinda the same thing, does that still warrant a place in my collection?
Matt's northern dad is an incredible transformation, what a chameleon!
I think the extremely different asymmetric characters and the random city cards really set this game apart from the pack. Sorry but I disagree with this review and this is a great game.
I was going to say the exact same thing. Adding a bunch of pretty well balanced asymmetric characters and a crapton of different city cards was clearly "going the extra mile" and makes the game very unique.
It's pointless complaining about theme. The people who made this game don't really care about theme, and to be honest neither do the people playing it. We light the tight euro engine, the theme is a fun layer of paint on top it doesn't have to be perfect.
TopHatPangolin Theme or not this is a great game with interesting decisions.
So you disagree with the statement that "the puzzle is really excellent" (10:42)? Because I believe that is an admission of the quality of the game.
I disagree. A lot of people care about theme so it's a valid thing for reviewers to talk about. They aren't reviewing for genre fans, they're reviewing for the average boardgamer.
Yeah I was surprised with their conclusions. Paul probably approves this game
That ending cracked me up :D
100% agree with this review. It just wasn't "sparking joy" for me, so I got rid of it, but always wondered if maybe I just didn't give it enough time. Glad to see others felt similarly.
great review guys.
I love the look and theme of the game but every time I played it so far it left something to be desired. I own this game for almost 2 years now and sadly, I only had 4 times I got to play this with friends. But in every match the whole gaming table felt the same: Voyage is VERY costly and the reward for buildings is low (especially because nobody ever managed to place 10 buildings). The player who fulfilled the most contracts always won. Always. Which was reinforced by the bonus points you get for fulfilling the most contracts. So this game felt very one-dimensional in terms of overall strategy.
I guess that neither I nor my friends seem to have fully grasped the concept of the game or are simply too dumb for it because I keep reading about the different ways to victory. Sadly that's not the experience we had until now and it may have played a role in why this game didn't get on the table very often.
It seems weird to be so critical of theme when you guys love Terra Mystica and Concordia.
I was going to say this. I love Terra Mystica but the theme is also extremely shallow (which is fine by me, theme does VERY little for me)
How did you manage to get John Lennon to play Marco Polos dad?
E by Gum Lad, since when was John Lennon from Yorkshire?
I have an OLD Marco polo board game. A bit simpler, who gets back home first type of game. Oh and it only got TWO dice and one game last only about an hour.
I lost count of number of times I've watched this video! I still laugh like a truck driver while watching! Love it! Also i so very much agree. Don't let the euro-bullies get to you. They might be the majority on bgg but in real life games like Marco Polo are just not good enough.
you guys nailed this game perfectly
I had this game for a while and I sold it eventually. The traveling part is so damn expensive, that most of the players would give up on exploring and focus only on completing the contracts. The asymmetric characters is a good idea, but some are obviously stronger than others. In the end I bought Concordia and I'm so happy I did that.
The trick is to plan ahead (like in most good euros), not just play randomly. If you play smart you'll soon realise that traveling is actually not that hard. You also have to optimize your dice placement to be able to make good combos on traveling and contracting. Sure, the dice-roll can go against you, but you always have options in your hand to mitigate that.
Last time I've spent all my camels trying to reroll a dice. 3 -> 2 -> 1 -> 2. Most of my dices were below 4.
what euro games DO you recommend?
I love the fact that you guys have high - and growing - standards. Keep it up.
I really enjoy the discussion at the end, a nice addition to your fun-scripted stuff. I actually think that you're dead on with this one, though you should acknowledge that rehashing old ideas and mixing things up just a little is EXACTLY what some people are looking for. I thought Marco Polo was clever and solidly designed, but like you it just didn't not jump out of the pack to me. I love dice placement games, but this just felt like too much of a resource juggle in a very short race.
We've got that art book!
SUSD Am I correct in assuming you have never played Colonial 2nd Edition as you've never reviewed it? Or did you dislike it enough not to review it?
Interesting.. seems like it needs a big space (our table is small)
Gosh! Complaining about theme un an Euro, is like if i complained an Ameri has too much theme. It does not seem like a good enough reason to dismiss such a fun, interesting and well crafted game.
It's very interesting how SUSD has changed over the years. Not necessarily for better or worse, but earlier they wanted ALL of the really interesting decisions possible. This game has that in spades. Now they want that plus more - no victory points! Theme! Better art! I don't need my opinions validated, but I truly wonder how all of the games with the magic pear would disappear if reviewed again today.
Probably quite a few, but I think it's to do with the "golden age of board games" people have come back into. There's new boardgames every other week these days, and with a sudden huge glut of people on the market, they need to manipulate their standards so people stand out.
This reminds me of how I've heard it was where the first real "rush" of videogame markets occurred. Production was cheap back then and anyone could toss anything on the market because hey, the internet wasn't a thing back then. There were some good games back then, and some mediocre ones, but the ones that lasted had to be special in some way because of the huge influx of games. So standards changed; it went from "look there's a new game out" to comparing things as you said. Theme, art, how it controls. And while some of the old games, both video and board, shone in their old market, the new burst of designers means some of them just might have fallen behind. Reviews are, by nature, something that expires quickly.
I haven't played this one yet, but nothing about this review leads me to believe I won't love it. Who cares about theme? I want a game dripping with mind-puzzles.
Guys, you are really funny and I always enjoyed your videos. I deeply disagree with your policy here tough. You didn't recommend this game because "there are better games out there" and the reason is that this game wants you to turn resources into points. If that's the sign of an outdated game, 90% of the BGG database is now outdated. It makes no sense. Marco Polo is a game that apparently you both enjoyed and one that has a very unique mechanism, as you also said: variable player powers that break the game in different directions. IMHO, if you enjoyed the game, it's good enough for a recommendation.
Hold on there are plenty of games they like and don't recommend. It's also pretty simplistic to say this is all about VPs. Also their review is likely more objective than any of ours as it's their job to give things a fair shake it doesn't mean that the rest of us can't buy and love a game due to personal preferences.
I understand that and, had they disliked the game, I wouldn't have said a word. What I find strange is that they enjoyed the game and yet they didn't recommend it, because the game "isn't good enough for 2017". Their reasoning behind however doesn't sound solid at all, to me of course. 1) Cities are all the same "issue". What they are saying here is basically: why didn't they go the extra mile with the artwork? I agree. It would have looked better if each city was more "themed". Yet the cities are all the same in Concordia and they look a lot worse than these. Why wasn't this an issue in Concordia then? But this is not that important. Where I really take issue with their review is the 2) Victory Point "problem". Why are merchants collecting VPs in Marco Polo? For the same reason they are doing it in Concordia. And, since we're talking about this... Why are Vikings then collecting VPs in Blood Rage? Why are alien races collecting them in Twilight Imperium? This VP argument makes no sense... and if they are going to use this argument as a reason not to give a recommendation from now on... well, I guess we won't be seeing many recommendations from SU&SD in the coming years.
Yeah but, wouldn't they be recommending a new game every review? Or practically every review? Games are designed to have fun. You're going to have fun with them on some base level, unless they royally fucked up. Like, I had fun when I played Terraforming Mars; something they haven't given a recommendation too previously. And I can see why they haven't given it a recommendation.
It can be fun, yes, but there are other games out there that do what it does and better. This isn't a homeless guy on the street corner, asking for a dollar cause you stopped to watch him squeak out "Smoke on the water" on his badly tuned guitar; they're £40-100 games, if not more. And it's not that they don't think it's worth the price, but at the same price, you could probably just get... better games.
Again, that's not what I'm saying. I'm not expecting them to give a recommendation for every game they review. I'm disagreeing with them on this one because I think their reasoning IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE is weak. They didn't recommend a game they thought was very fun because 1) artwork was good but the cities all look Chinese, which I understand the thematic disconnect but it's a NON REASON ultimately and 2) because you collect victory points instead of money. This also makes no sense. If victory points aren't good enough anymore, a staggering percentage of modern board games are now outdated... also games they like and recommended in the past!
Again fine, but you're really not answering my point. I didn't expect that people would find it so hard to understand it. So, let me try to be more clear. I wouldn't care so much if they said: Marco Polo is good, but not good enough because this and that mechanism aren't as good as they could be. That would be fine. It would be a matter of taste. Alright? That's not what I'm saying. My point is: I disagree with the idea that a good game shouldn't get a recommendation because of you gather VPs instead of money. It makes no sense, because VPs cannot be an outdated concept and IF THIS WAS THE CASE, it would imply that 80% of BGG's database would be outdated. Is it more clear now?
Was thinking this reminded me of concordia.
Man these guys love Concordia.
i still dont know why they love concordia so much, the scoring system is so bad and confusing
Plays an Euro game and wants the THEME to "come to life" ¬¬
This video makes me like the game more. I'm not kidding!
I agree with the themeless aspect of the game. But This game to me has a level of excitement when i think about it. I cant properly expain it, but i want to try my luck at Marco. I do respect SUSD but i struggle with Concordia. I just dont think too much of it, it just sort of seems boring. My circle of friends was very excited to play Concordia, so we tried it, but after thinking about it. it was just so so. As an interesting side note, i feel i am quite good at Concordia. and bad at Marco Polo. Yet, there is a good chance i never play Concordia again.
I would love to have this game but it is expensive.
I feel it's super thematic actually.
Is that a Saddleback wallet?
Qupth you guys: Marco Polo doesn't go the extra mile.
What greater indictment could there be? =)
I seriously dont get the negative section of this review. It feels more like a comparison video than a Marco polo review. Plus Marco polo Costs 30euro and Concordia, feast and Caledonia Cost 50euro. Never thought that it missed the Mark on anything. Maybe The x3 resources look like the Single ones but thats that.
Does every SU&SD review have to have "We like this game, but here is a better game" in the last quarter of their reviews?
I hate this game, played it couple times and the replayability aspect despite the randomness of different things was a deal breaker for me. Like every game you do the same, it was just.... boring!
I love your reviews because your major criteria is FUN so what you feel playing a game. And I feel tired and bored after playing Marco Polo so I'd rather play 25 other games that are similar euro style or dice placement.
Cheers guys !
Darek CZE yay someone who doesn't like the game, haha I was powering through the comments trying to find someone who had a similar opinion to me because this game for me takes away the good mood I was in and makes me feel like I've just wasted time. The only other game I have played is Lords of waterdeep which is a million times better and zombicide which was awesome next stop for me as pandemic Legacy
Me too. Going to sell it after couple of plays.
I'd buy a Big Spitting Bumpy Boys album off the name alone.
6:38... hand ok quinny poos?
I sure as hell recommend it. Expansion at Essen BTW! boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/232945/die-gefahrten-des-marco-polo
That moment when Marco Polo rips his own dad's face off and it's... Lifesavers?
Great review. Thank you guys
Well, the oft-repeated truth arises again. Tastes and opinion differ. The asymmetrical powers, the luck factor being in the sweat spot, the always tight race for the win makes Marco Polo an easy recommendation from my part. It's different than Concordia and Great Western Trail, but not necessarily in a bad sense.
Not every good game is going to be a great game. Like, it's a little reductive, but true. Sounds like Marco Polo is a great Rent title or a Give This As A Gift To Your Friend title. Something that's fun, and you play it, but ultimately you're glad someone else has it rather than you.
Best board game review I have ever seen! Awesome guys!
What about Euphoria: build a better dystopia from J. Stegmaier? it is a really good "european style" game but with a lot of theme and a similiar dice mechanism
Excellent game...
Strongly disagree with this review. Such a terrific game with so many decisions to be made and so much variety due to the random setup. I agree with SU&SD most of the time but I feel like they really missed the mark with this one.
The review agrees with you. They also think it's a terrific game with many decisions to be made and noted the variety.
It's possible for something to be good but not "literally the best I recommend you buy it if you don't like it *I* will pay you money".
Wow, I think Marco Polo blows Concordia out of the water.
These have an Unnecessary amount of wit for simple board Game review. Honestly I'm just tired of epxlaining to guests why i've got your videos on in the background.
That polo/lifesaver joke at the end just wasn't good enough. At this point in 2017, if you are going to go with a joke with as little flavor as a candy pun it needs to be airtight. It can't require an explanation to make the joke clear.
But thanks for saving me on the Marco Polo. I've had it on the want list since 2015, but it always had the feeling like the bland theme was an issue. I love Concordia though and it's bland and it's amazing. So saying that this isn't Marco Polo and to just get Great Western Trail really makes sense.
SUSD really missed the mark of what a big difference the player powers make. Each one hugely breaks the game so your strategy changes a lot depending on which character you use. That's literally the whole hook of the game and they barely mentioned it so it's hard for me to take the review 100% serious. I own Concordia, Great Western Trail and Voyages of Marco Polo. They're all great games but there's really not a ton of overlap between them besides resource management and traveling around a map. The theme in Marco Polo is less bland than Concordia but that's a really low bar to clear haha.
This game and Great Western Trail are dramatically different and a direct comparison between the games wouldn't do you much good. Personally I much MUCH prefer Marco Polo to Great Western Trail.
I recommend watching some other reviews first that go deeper into the game before making any decision. For the life of me, I cannot see what sets Concordia and a Great Western Trail apart from Marco Polo. All are great games and offer something different.
Aren't you saying that the games feel very different from each other?
If so, I'm not sure this makes much sense:
"For the life of me, I cannot see what sets Concordia and a Great Western Trail apart from Marco Polo."
Bryle They each play differently mechanically, but what I mean is that I cannot see anything that that sets GWT and Concordia above Marco Polo outside of their specific mechanisms. Regarding theme, component quality, artwork, weight, interaction and innovation they are all roughly the same. All three games take existing mechanisms and build on them in a different ways to make them a valued game in anyone’s collection. The only reason to prefer one over the other would be down to a preference of say card drafting over dice placement.
The game didn't feel exciting. Especially the limited playtime turned us off. We like to decide on our own how long or short a game will run.
If only the game a had a different theme, I don't know much about Marco polo or care too.
These reviews are starting to feel like you working backwards from your opinion to find the basis for it. Marco Polo could certainly be rethemed to be pretty any resource conversion game you might imagine. But so could Great Western Trail. Just own up that you happen to prefer one conversion engine with different wrapping paper. It is okay.
As always your video is cleverly done but I'm finding that more and more often I disagree with your reviews, this is another of those times. I like theme in a game and I often appreciate when the theme is very strong but the gameplay isn't. I feel that the balance and tension in tactical decisions that this game brings to the table more than make up for it's lack of theme.
This is probably your most confusing review for me. It seemed like you enjoy the game... but not really? That it deserves its praise... but not really? You recommend the game... but you don't? :/
Yes that is exactly it! Marco Polo is like the "The Force Awakens" of resource conversion Euro-games. I will likely always enjoy myself while playing it, but it won´t get me laughing out load, it won´t generate any hour long post-game discussions, it won´t get my palms sweaty from the in-game tension and it won´t make me spend days/weeks thinking about when I´ll get to play it again and what I´ll do next time.
5:59 you may spend 3 camels for one black die (once per turn), not "3 coins"
Is this the end of SUSD? Not at all. It's natural that your standards should elevate as your experiences grow and with the high quality of production and content over the previous two years. What has always separated this channel as reviewers isn't your opinions of a game. It's your passion for sharing games and having fun with your friends. Also, your videos make the viewers laugh, reiterating the previous point. Continue doing what your passionate about.
So many factors can influence an opinion of a game. Who you play with, gaming style preference, player count, randomized set up, previous game experience, fatigue/interest level, sobriety, etc. It must be difficult to provide a for reviewers to provide detailed while objective opinions. Viewers always demand more and more videos. This forces reviewers to give their opinions of games based on very limited play counts. Does 1-2 plays of a game truly merit an authoritative opinion?
but Polos don't come in fruit flavours, do they?
I completely agree. No reason to play an ok game in a sea of much better ones.
zangiefs haha niceee