Games of Christmas 2014

It's time again for my annual post about the games which I played over the Christmas / New Year's holiday.  It's a long list again, and that makes sense.  I am a gamer.  I have raised children who like games.  Sherry and I almost always start our vacation already in the middle of playing a video game, and we set aside three days before the New Year specifically for gaming with the family and Uncle Paul, and this year we were joined by Uncle Mike, too.  (See 2009,  2010, 2011, 2012, 2013)

Without further ado, let's start with ...

Games New to Us This Year 

Splendor has to top the list.  It is one of nine (Nine!) new games I received for Christmas.  It is a resource acquisition game.  In many ways, it's similar to Bazaar, which I have discussed several times over the years.  But as much as I like Bazaar, I think Splendor is better.

The design is elegant, with a little randomness, but plenty of room for planning.  After playing it four or five times, I can already see more experienced players using a combination of defensive tactics along with their acquisition strategy, but it appears that a new player will have fun going through the process, and will still have a decent chance to do well.

Love it.

Sushi Go! is one of five games Sherry got for me, and one of the four of those which are planned to be a part of TableTop Season 3.  (Sherry gave me Splendor, too, but as far as we know, it's not one of the TableTop games.) We did not play the other three because the rules for those other three were long, and we try not to take a lot of time reading rules when we have so much gaming to do.

Sushi Go! however, had a very small rule set, and it was quite easy to learn and teach quickly.  As the box says, this is a "Pick and Pass Card Game" where players are trying to collect sets of sushi items as they play through three "courses" at a sushi restaurant.  I think I won once, and I lost, badly, most of the other times I played.  And I still had much fun!

The Resistance is a very tense, political game, likely to cause stress and distrust.  In that way, it's very similar to Diplomacy.  Each game consists of five "missions" which the members of the Resistance must undertake in order to win.  But each mission is undertaken by only a subset of the players, and one or more of the players is a Spy, who can force a mission to fail.

Thus, of course, every player SAYS they are working for the Resistance, but some of them are not.  If the Spies can cause three missions to fail, by convincing the Resistance members to bring them along on the mission, then Resistance fails.  So, lying and misdirection are key to the game, and other than the randomness involved in deciding who among the group are Spies, the game is all about trying to suss out (or conceal) the Spies.  Tense!  But fun!  Thanks, Adam and Marisa!

The Red Dragon Inn 2 is the second (duh!) installment of a game I bought myself.  I had played it only once with The Dudes, but I knew I wanted even more options for the game, so I asked for this as an expansion, and my parents gave it to me.  (Thanks, Mom and Dad!)

In this game, each player takes on the role of an adventurer who has spent the day roaming around dungeons, but now the group is relaxing at The Red Dragon Inn.  The winner of the game is the one who is not drunk or out of money.  It's pretty funny, and the characters provided in 2 seem quite balanced with the characters introduced in the original.


I think that's it for the games which were strictly new to us.  So now it's on to the long list of ...

Games We Had Played Before

Superworld  is the traditional game of the holiday season at the Will house.  We've been playing this Superhero Role Playing Game for over 20 years on or around New Year's Eve. This year, our group of heroes was sent on a mission beneath the Alaskan Highway, to retrieve a device which The Good Guys need to have a chance against some Bad Guys who are able to become immaterial.  The team included Anastasia, Foil, Solo, Toymaker, Phoebe, Phoenix (no, not that one) and Icebird, as usual, but we were also joined by Widget (he might technically be Professor Widget, but he's a teenage kid, so I have trouble calling him "Professor".)  We were all grateful that, despite having The Semester From Hell, our game master, Paul, was able to put together a scenario.  It was fun, and tense, and a bit scary and I got to run over a super-villain with a truck!  (OK, well, Icebird did, but that's basically the same thing.)

Magic: the Gathering.  Though this is one of the favorites for many of us, we do not typically get to play many games of it over the break, because it does not involve enough of us.  That was true again this year for the times when a large group of us was around, but there were several times when fewer people were available, and then some of us Magic players played.



The Great Dalmuti - Again, a New Year's Eve tradition. It's not fair, but then again, life is not fair. And we all play for fun.  We were happy to have Mike with us this year so he could join us in the traditional  Huzzah! when a person earns the spot of Great Dalmuti.  I actually started in the spot this year, and stayed there until Kevin deposed me as we decided to stop.




Skip-Bo is an old stand-by and must be played every New Year's Eve. We had a couple of 6-player games, and a 4-player game or two.

Strangely, I don't think Sherry won any games this year. I think cheating must have occurred!  (Kidding.)  [Correction: Sherry informs me that, partnered with Troy, she won the first Skip-Bo game played during the break.  I stand corrected; thanks, Sherry!]



Funglish has now been played in four of the last five years (somehow it was not played in 2012.)  I'm glad it made a comeback. It is really funny, as long as you're not too terribly interested in who wins.

Lucas won.  Try not to look so surprised. (Kidding again.)

Ticket to Ride Switzerland -  We gave this to Kevin for Christmas, and this version came with two maps - Switzerland and something else I forget because I didn't play it.

Leah won handily, though I felt like I was pretty close until the scores were talied at the end.


Whoonu - Making its return again this year, with a couple of brand new players in the house, this party game helps you get to know your friends and family. Mike and Kevin, the new players, seemed to have fun, even though they did not score as many points as others.  And is anyone surprised that Lucas won?  I thought not.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.  As I mentioned at the top, Sherry and I are almost always in the middle of playing some video game around Christmas.  This year it was the excellent Skyward Sword chapter in the Legend of Zelda series.

If I recall correctly, we were not quite done with it when Leah arrived home, but we definitely finished it before the big events happened.



Nintendo Land is the game which came with the Wii U when I bought it.  It's fun for several players at once, particularly in the games where the controller of the Wii-U tablet can play against, or cooperatively with, the other players.  We mostly did the games where one side runs away and the other side tries to catch them (a video game analog to "Tag") but we also discovered the cooperative game based on Pikmin, and that was cool, too. 




As I copy and paste from previous years, I am surprised to find that I don't have the following to copy.  I mean, we must have played them, right?  Well, certainly.  Except for the first one -- Adam hates the first one.

Apples to Apples - Yes, it's subjective.  Yes, it often seems like you have submitted the best answer and someone else's gets chosen for reasons known only to the controlling player.  But hey!

That's the game!

Outburst is a game we've owned for many years.  Sometimes we don't have as much fun with it when the younger generation is playing, though, because so many of the cards are old, and to be honest, not many of us "mature" players know 10 John Wayne movies, either.

But we pulled it out and had some fun.

Catch Phrase is another party game I thought we had played over previous Christmas gatherings.

We've certainly played it before in large groups, and the kids seemed to remember it well, so I think I just missed documenting it in previous years.

Careers is a game we played when I was a kid, and Leah remembers playing and enjoying it, so she suggested we introduce it to Kevin.  As usual, I picked too much Fame in my victory conditions, and ended up quite far away by the time Sherry won.  Leah was set to win on her next turn as well.  A fun old game.

Dungeons and Dragons is not typically a Christmas / New Year's game, but as it happened, the DnD gang wanted to get a chance to see Leah while she was in Rochester, and I had some non-adventure stuff to do with the players, so we all gathered, with families, for a dinner and then the players and I gathered around the table to get some treasure sorted out.


Pikmin - Since Sherry and finished the Zelda game, we had to start something else as the vacation wound down, and we chose Pikmin.  We also finished it before the vacation ended, setting a record for most Pikmin grown and least Pikmin lost.  That series of games is so fun, it's hard not to play them over and over.





So, that's 19 games I personally played.  And that total is only below 20 if you don't count:

Forge of Empires - I am still playing this game, because two family members and two Dudes are playing it.  I've completed all of the ages which have been released to this point. (Contemporary Era is the last one so far.)  I mentioned this game in late January, 2013, so I guess I have been a part of the game now for about two years. 

Dave and Buster's hosted the Will Family gathering the day after Christmas again.

I played fewer games this time, but this event is more about socializing than gaming, and we definitely enjoyed ourselves with the games we played.



I'll mention again that I am no longer involved in every game that gets played during the holidays.  There are too many of us to play the same game each time, so here are other games which I saw played, or which Leah told me were played:

• Star Fluxx
• Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries
• Ticket to Ride: India 
• Ticket to Ride: Africa
• Othello
• Battleship
• Lord of the Rings: Card Game
• Blokus
• Where's My Water?  (I don't know what this is!  I think Leah is kidding around.)

So, there it is.  The list is done.  Thanks to everyone who provided games and/or participated.  I still look forward to playing some of the games which were brought over, but which just didn't get in my mix.  I'll try to get some of them played before next year!

Pikmin 3 - Playthrough 3

C'mon, guys.  By now you know we're always playing some game.  And after recently finishing Pikmin (twice) and Pikmin 2 (on vacation) then what could be next?  Pikmin 3, of course.  This is the third time we've played it.  The last time was in March.

While we were playing, I felt I was not doing well, but when we finished, we found we had completed the final quests faster than either of the previous plays through.  I am tempted to start again soon, because I can remember several points at which I could have been more efficient.

Other than wanting to improve my records, I also want to play again because of the improvements in the game.  During this play through, I discovered a feature which allows me to "lock on" to things (creatures, items, etc.) and then tell the Pikmin to "go" -- which can really speed up dealing with various obstacles.  But I didn't start using that capability until well into the game.  I'd like to try it from the beginning.



For the record, we completed on June 28.

Oh, and we're moving on to other games now -- putting Pikmin away for a bit.  

Pikmin 2 - A New Way to Play

After recently completing two plays through of the original Pikmin, with different goals in mind each time, Sherry and I decided we should try another run through Pikmin 2, again changing our goals from the previous attempts.

You see, in Pikmin 2, most of the records which are saved by the game are related to numbers of Pikmin used in the game, and the "best" records are those where the fewest Pikmin have been lost, and where the fewest Pikmin have been grown.

Yet, in the previous times we have played, Sherry and I have always worked to complete the game in as few "game days" as possible.  That, after all, is the biggest, and most noticeable record in the game.

Still, after playing the original Pikmin to work for a different goal, and enjoying that experience, we figured trying something new with Pikmin 2 would also be fun. 

It was.

In both games, it's relatively easy to grow a lot of Pikmin to help you in your quests.  Almost everything you defeat in the game can be used as resources to grow more Pikmin.  If you just let your Pikmin carry back the carcasses of the creatures they defeat, more Pikmin will be available.  It's pretty darn easy.

So, trying to avoid growing Pikmin, in order to set records in Pikmin 2, is actually quite unnatural.  It requires more vigilance on the part of the player, because left to their own devices, Pikmin will try to carry the battle detritus back to the ship and create more Pikmin.  Since we wanted to limit Pikmin growth, we had to pay closer attention, and keep Pikmin under tighter control.

Then of course, there's the issue of trying to get through the game, which means defeating creatures, which means having Pikmin to fight for us.  Pikmin are designed for specific tasks -- Red Pikmin are fireproof, Yellow are electricity-proof, and Blue can go in water.  When fighting, it's important to have the types of Pikmin fit for a specific battle.  Hence, while we did not want to build too many, we always needed to have enough.

In the end, we definitely set our record.  We grew 185 fewer Pikmin than ever before (397 vs. 584 ) and we lost 66 fewer as we did it (258 vs. 324).  Now, it took us 18 game-days to finish, and we've done it in only 15 before, but we were using more Pikmin.  I expect we will play the game again (it's too much fun!) so, when we do, we will have to decide which records to attempt to break.  If we decide to go for fewest Pikmin again, I have some ideas how we can improve.

I just love games with high replay-value.  The Pikmin games fit that description very well!

What? Pikmin Again? (Record time)

No, this is not a reprint!

Though we just finished Pikmin a few days ago, we had such a good time playing, that we played it again, right away.  This time, we decided we would, for the first time ever, try to see the record for "Surviving Pikmin."  You see, in the game, there are only three metrics (scores) kept to help you judge how well you did, compared to other times you've played: Fewest Number of Days (our record is 15 days), Most Surviving Pikmin, and Fewest Pikmin Lost.

In our (many) previous games, we've always tried to complete the game as "fast" as we could -- collecting all 30 missing pieces to the spaceship in as few days as possible.  Well, as you might expect, when we have fewer "game days," we have fewer days to accumulate Pikmin.  So this time, we decide to use all 30 of the "game days" which the game gives us.  That meant we had to average one spaceship piece per day, and we could spend any extra time just focusing on growing Pikmin.

Last night, May 28, we completed the game again, with the goal of having as many Pikmin left as possible. The results were impressive.  Where our previous high score for Surviving Pikmin had been 1165, we blew that record out of the water: we had 4043 Pikmin at the end!

Somewhat surprising to me, we also scored second (lowest) in number of Pikmin Lost, with only 292.  Sherry, who watched and coached as I played, was not surprised at the low total of Pikmin Lost, and once she explained, it made sense.  By not rushing to get spaceship parts, I was free to be more careful in my battles with the indigenous monsters, so she noticed I was losing fewer than normal.

Anyway, that's the update.  We finished the game six days after finishing it last.  What will we do next?  My guess: Pikmin 2.  But it's just a guess.

For No Records: Pikmin

We completed Pikmin again on May 22, 2014.

I find it hard to believe we haven't played it since this post from 2012.

In fact, I am pretty sure I just didn't blog about it the last time (or two) we played it.

On the other hand, we did not set any records this time, as we did that time in July, 2012.  We finished in 17 (game) days, and had only the 5th best score for Pikmin sprouted and lost.  So maybe it's not worth even blogging about.

But hey, very few people look at my "Favorite Foto Friday" photo entries, and I do like to remember what games I've been playing, so today's Friday entry is about a game which has been excellent fun every single time I have played it. 

Have a great weekend, everyone.  And for those of you in the US, enjoy Memorial Day: remember what it's for.

Pikmin 3 Complete - Again

Well, it's done.  Again.  On Friday March 14 (well, technically, very early in the morning of Saturday March 15) we finished playing through Pikmin 3 for the second time.

If you've been following this blog for a while (or if you've lived in our house for more than a day) you know that Sherry and I always seem to be in the process of playing some video game.  We gravitate towards games which require me to control the game, but which also give Sherry the opportunity to participate in strategy, tactics and puzzle solving.

All of the Pikmin games provide plenty of opportunity for Sherry to help, and give me a chance to hone my fine video-motor skills.  (If you're curious about what's involved in Pikmin 3, just read my first "Complete" blog on the game.) 

On our first play-through, we just went from game day to the next game day.  We did not replay any game days trying to do better.  We figured we were probably good enough to win the game without replays, and we wanted to see what playing "hard core" would be like.  It was fun, but one of the factors which makes this game so high in replay value is the chance to set goals for improvement the next time. 

So, for our second playing, we knew some of what was going to happen in the story.  This allowed us to prepare for the second phase of the game.  As it turns out, that preparation made for some truly spectacular game days. 

This next bit might not really mean anything to you, dear reader, but I want it recorded for posterity.  (And because my memory might drop this bit of information, and I want to be able to remind myself.)  In the game, the three player characters are trying to retrieve sixty-six pieces of fruit, which they juice -- both for their own sustenance and to bring home to their home planet.  Well, of those sixty-six fruit, we had one game day in which we retrieved ten of them.  Ten!  And the final three were collected with only a couple of seconds remaining in the game day.  It was super fun -- and we didn't even do that on a day we repeated.  It was done on the first try, because we had prepared so well.

Anyway, I am tempted to play this again soon.  It's a fun game, folks.  If you have a Wii-U, and you like video games with minimal violence, I can't recommend this highly enough.

Pikmin 3 - Complete

Well, it's done.  We finished playing through Pikmin 3, which we bought a few weeks ago, on Saturday.

Did I love it?

I loved it!

Everything I mentioned in my initial review remained true.  The puzzles were challenging, the use of the new mechanics was thorough and integral to the game.  The creation of the ability to tell each of your three party members to "move here" while other leaders did other things - this was very useful in many of the challenges, and I think was absolutely critical to making our way through the final "world."

What kind of a game is Pikmin 3?  Well, I'm going to assume you don't know what Pikmin is like, as a game.  If you know what Pikmin is like, this is more and better.  But if you don't, here are the basics.

You play as an explorer on an alien world (which looks remarkably like Earth, but you're tiny, and the creatures you run into don't really map to Earth creatures.)  You have a goal.  In the first game, you are trying to collect enough of the parts of your spaceship (which have fallen off) to get you back home before your breathing apparatus is depleted.  In the second game, you have to collect treasure.  In this third game, you are after fruit.

However, your explorers are not big enough to carry any of these things.  Fortunately, they quickly make friends with these even-smaller creatures called Pikmin. The creatures follow you around, if you keep them under control with a whistle.  And these creatures seem to love to carry things for you and fight monstrous creatures for you. 

Each pikmin has a color, and the color determines its abilities.  Red Pikmin are fireproof and are strong fighters.  Yellow Pikmin can be thrown higher, are impervious to electricity, and move faster.  Blue Pikmin are at home in water, whereas other Pikmin drown.  And so on.

The "worlds" which you encounter require significant planning in order to use your Pikmin wisely, and you must finish your work in "daylight" -- so there is a running timer for each day, forcing you to get efficient in your movements.  And, of course, there are "bosses" which must be faced, using those friendly Pikmin as your forces. Where the original Pikmin game had one explorer, Pikmin 2 added a second, and Pikmin 3 adds a third. 

We played each of the first two games many times -- at least five times each, and probably more.  The first takes around 8 hours of play time.  The second about 15 hours.  This one took over 24.  I'm sure I will get better at Pikmin 3 as I play it more, and I will play it more.  But for now I simply have to give this a very high recommendation.  It's fun, it's completely family-friendly, it's very pretty, and it's challenging.

Pikmin 3 - It's Here!

While we were Down Under, Nintendo had a stealth launch of the most anticipated game in the Will household.  Pikmin 3!

[Why was it a "stealth" launch?  Just because I didn't know it was happening.  Why was that?  I hadn't been paying attention.  But "stealth" sounds cool.]

 On Sunday, Lucas informed us that Pikmin 3 had been released, so we went out, bought it, and started playing.

And how is it?

It is Great!

Already we can see the advancements from Pikmin 2, and every single one of them makes the game better. 

• New Pikmin types: the Rock Pikmin come into the game very early and provide a good new option. (We have not seen Flying Pikmin yet.) 
• An easier way to multi-task with multiple leaders - a "Go Here" feature which allows leaders to move without direct player control.  
• An improved method of gaining control of Pikmin - while it's taking me some time to get used to the targeting of the "whistle" it is far more powerful.
• More sophisticated puzzles and maps - made possible by enhancements such as one leader being able to toss another leader in the same way leaders toss Pikmin.

Nintendo - this proves that you know how to do 3D games.  This proves that you can continue to make sequels which are every bit as fun as the originals, while making them more fun and more challenging.  Bravo!  [Now please prove it with a new 3D Mario game. Please!]

The only "negative" I have about this game is its weak use of the Wii-U controller. I know the Wii-U controller concept has potential for some kinds of games, but for this one, it's too often used in a way that just forces the player to look down at the controller for a moment.  Maybe this is good for the eyes or something, but it doesn't enhance the single-player experience, and in fact it detracts when the player has a spectator -- as I always do.  I find myself having to read the words on the controller out loud so Sherry can get the information or hints I'm being shown.  But, while I think this is less than optimal, it's not a big problem.  And perhaps, as we advance in the game, we'll find other ways in which having a controller with more options is better.  It remains to be seen.

Anyway, I am excited to finally have another Pikmin game, and exceptionally happy with the improvements so far.  Well done!

For the Record: Pikmin

Every once in a while, we feel like playing a video game.  Among the games which we re-play is Pikmin.  We did it again.  Sunday afternoon, we started it.  Monday night, after a full day of work, we finished it.

And I set personal records this time.

Complete in 15 "Game Days" - fewest ever.

Number of Pikmin lost - fewest ever.

As I have remarked before, one of the key attributes of a game which makes it a success for me is Replay Value.   At this point in my life, I own many games which have significant replay value.  Board games, card games and video games.  Shortly before playing Pikmin, we played Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword again, and its replay value is high, also.  But it's different. 

Zelda games are long, so replaying them requires an investment of quite a bit of time. Pikmin clearly can be completed in just a few hours of play time -- I'm guessing approximately six for an experienced player.  One of the aspects which makes replaying Pikmin fun is the chance to improve from time to time.  I remember distinctly when we beat the game in 18 "Game Days" and feeling like we'd never improve on that.  Yet we have.  A couple of times.  Zelda games, by contrast, don't really have that attribute.  You can choose to do more of the quests, or fewer, but improving on prior "records" doesn't really exist. 

Neither the playtime of the game nor the ability to shoot for new records would be enough, though, if the game play itself caused boredom.  Pikmin is fast-moving, intense, and FUN. 

This might be the last time I blog about this game -- but I bet it won't be the last time I play it.

I want Pikmin 3!

[Pikmin is a Nintendo GameCube game, which can be played on the Nintendo Wii.]

Games - Yes, I'm Still Playing

In my planning for what to write about NaBloPoMo, [which I clearly wasn't doing ahead of November] I decided I should make an attempt to post at least once during the month on each of the topics that are typical in my blog. And what does my blog heading say?

My most frequent topics are family, TV, movies, games and writing. But since I post every weekday when I'm not on vacation, I delve into other things too: religion, words, news items, quotes.

And have I written about games yet? No! [Well, technically, yes, but the kinds of game I wrote about was a spectator sport, not a game I actually play.] And, since I am a game player, I cannot have you thinking I have not been playing games, or thinking about them.

Yes, we've been running through Pikmin 2 again. Thank goodness Nintendo made it possible to play Gamecube games on the Wii, so I don't have to have two game systems set up at once. For reasons neither of us will probably ever be able to pin down completely, I like playing this game again and again, and Sherry likes watching me [and giving me advice, and reminding me what the plan was, and expressing appropriate appreciation if I dispatch a frog without loss of {Pikmin} life.]

By the time this entry hits the blog, it's likely I will have completed the game again, and it's looking like I might even beat my old record for the fewest "days" that Captain Olimar, Louie, and The Boss required to complete their treasure hunting and return to planet Hocotate. [Yep, it happened. We completed the game in 16 "days" on 11/18/09 - setting many personal records. What fun!]


I bought Civilization IV in March, and it's been a near-constant source of joy [and temptation] ever since. The Civilization series of games, along with the Heroes of Might and Magic games, are the kings of JOMT -- Just One More Turn. Once I start playing a game, it is hard to do anything else with my TV time than advance my civilization and [usually] conquer the misguided civilizations who share the world with me.

Well, in September, I started a game, but the barbarians were just too much, and I gave up. I decided I would put the game away for a while. I did. For a month. Then, in early October, I started a new game. It was a source of some good diversion on my trip to Japan and China, but I have not finished the game. Thus, it has been sneaking into my TV time again.

Once upon a time, Mike bought me Marvel Ultimate Alliance. [What a guy! What a friend!] I had such fun with that! I played through it on my own, but the most fun was playing it in groups. The boys and I played through it twice, and I'm pretty sure "The Dudes" and I played through twice as well. We certainly played through it once.

So, when Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 came out, I had to have it. I've recently played with the boys [all three, now that Troy is among that group] and with "The Dudes" as well. None of us have finished it yet, but we are enjoying it just as much as we did the first game. For cooperative game play, it even beats Diablo II, in my book. It's very similar, in fact, to Diablo II in format, but we're superheroes, not fantasy characters. And the advancement, though similar, is more flexible. [You can choose to remove advances from one power to shift it to a new power, if you want.] Plus, there are special powers that are only available as combinations of powers from two heroes. Quite cool! [At the moment, Lucas is playing as Gambit, Adam is Spiderman, I have moved from Captain America to Iceman to Jean Grey and now to The Thing, and Troy joined in as The Human Torch. The screen is awash with mayhem and the flash of super-powers!]


Though I haven't played it much recently, I did play some Magic: Online last month. And more importantly, I gave Troy some real Magic: the Gathering cards so that he will be able to build decks of his own for playing this holiday season [which begins very soon, since he and Sarah will be with us over Thanksgiving.]

I doubt that's even a complete list, but certainly those are the four games that have been most on the forefront of my mind lately.

Mushroom Impulse

Sherry and I are playing through Pikmin 2 again. This, shortly after playing through Pikmin again. (And getting high scores in almost all categories, thank you very much.)

I enjoy the replay, obviously, but I really, really wanted a new Wii game.


So, there I was, roaming Best Buy's aisles today at lunch, and I spotted "Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars."

Now, I have purchased video games sight unseen before and been disappointed. And that might happen again, but at least this game has been reviewed by IGN and seems to have some fun attached to its beauty.


I really hope we enjoy it. Enjoyment, after all, is the point. We'll probably finish Pikmin 2 first (we're going for the records in that, too.) That means we'll have a few days of anticipation before starting "Mushroom Men." And, as I've certainly learned in my life, anticipation can be part of the fun in many activities.

Ah, anticipation!

[Does "Anticipation" remind anyone else of ketchup commercials? Talk about showing my age...]