It's two years since we originally featured Blockbuster (Big Potato) on Board's Eye View. We had a lot of fun with it. It's a great game for movie buffs but it's a versatile package too that incorporates mini-games and variants that, as it says on the box, are 'for anyone who has ever seen a movie'. No surprise then that the standalone expansion Blockbuster Returns offers more of the same...
The original game came in a box made to look like a plastic VHS cassette box. Big Potato have continued this clever conceit with Blockbuster Returns by packaging this game to look like a VHS cassette in a cardboard sleeve box. There's a board included, smaller but otherwise identical to the board in the original for use in the 'Triple Charades' main game, but there's no timer in the box. To play Blockbuster Returns as a standalone game, you'll need to download Big Potato Buzzer app to your phone. It's free and it's available for both iPhone and Android phones.
If you've already got the original game, you can just mix the cards from this game in with that. They'll expand the game - not least because designer James Vaughan has introduced four new categories of movie cards - 'Heart Warmers', 'From Another World', 'Not for Kids' and 'Remakes & Reboots' - and they'll help to bring the game up to date with 100 new movie cards.
Tho' the full 'Triple Charades' game is fun - especially if you have enough players to organise into effective teams - we've found ourselves getting more play out of the Head-to-Head game, which can be played on its own with just two players. Again, whether you play it on its own or, as the rules intend, as the set-up round for the full 'Triple Charades' game, you'll appreciate the 30 new Head-to-Head cards that come with Blockbuster Returns.
We're just left wondering what direction Big Potato's design department will go for any future additions to the Blockbuster game. Should we be looking forward to an expansion packaged in a DVD case?