Review Details

Space Alert

Product Rating:

Product Review (submitted on August 10, 2009):

There are a lot of options out there for someone wanting to purchase a co-operative board game. For a few reasons, I think Space Alert is one of the better co-ops available, and is perhaps the purest example of co-operative gaming. Below are a list of what I consider to be its strongest attributes, followed by one aspect that leaves me wanting more.

Positives:

1) "There is no 'I' in 'team'"

It is crucial that the players all work together, or the team has zero chance of victory. Each player's actions can directly influence what everyone else can or cannot do on their actions. As such, the players need to be in constant communication (unless communications go down...). You need to listen, and you need to tell people what you are doing. This is what I'm referring to when I say Space Alert is pure co-operative gaming.

2) The clock is ticking...

The usage of real-time occurrences for the planning phase is brilliant, absolutely brilliant. It adds so much tension as your group is scrambling to try and organize responses to the disaster that are piling on every few seconds.

3) And release...

Whether your team was a well-tuned machine or a complete Gong Show, win or lose, watching all your frantic planning unfold is about as fun as gaming gets.

4) definitely not the same old, same old

It's not the first game to mix media types, but it's a unique enough approach to table-top games that it feels fresh. I appreciate that in an industry in which many games are simply reconfigurations of the same old mechanics that have been used in a dozen other games. You have nothing else quite like Space Alert in your collection.

Negative:

1 and only 1) Where's the story?

My favourite games have a strong narrative. There are characters with specific skills and attributes, as well as an overarching plot that advances throughout the game. I think Space Alert misses the boat here. I would prefer characters instead of player colours. I would prefer a more prominent story element rather than a series of random situations. Does this lack of story and character make it any worse of a game? No, but it keeps it from reaching its full potential in terms of my personal expectations of what the BEST games should contain.

Overall, I think the game is a blast -- not among my very favourites, but certainly not too far below. Anyone interested in venturing into co-op gaming should definitely consider it.