Ntctiawc 2005 blog

Excellent game of strategic planning, but quick too. My son got this as a birthday gift and we’ve had a lot of fun with 3 generations playing Connect 4 x 4 together. It is packaged nicely, you can discard the box as all the game pieces fit inside the game and the legs fold up. There are plastic slides/rails top and bottom that keep the pieces from falling out. The one on the bottom is also the release for the pieces when a game is over…kind of a little fun thing for kids as they slide the release rail and all of the pieces fall out in a pile. The self contained packaging makes it a great compact game to take on trips. The game can be broken by stepping on it, or forcing the legs for example, but is fairly well made by today’s standards.

Adding an extra layer keeps everyone on their toes weighing the possibilities. Its pretty easy to see the game pieces on both sides from a single sitting postion. Having double width blockers, in limited quantity (2 only) was also a stroke of genius. I disagree a bit with one review that following a weaker player provides a big advantage. The nature of the game, if you are playing w/ 3 or 4 players, is other players will chime in and alert you to possible mistakes that will allow someone to win. This is specifically allowed in the written rules, so it makes for a social game that almost all ages can play. The politicking comment was spot on. You may encourage a player to use their blocker to prevent somone from winning. They in turn might say, I’m using my single to block him here, YOU use YOUR blocker to block them there. Once in a while a player may have to decide who he is going to let win, as he has to decide which other player he is going to block, but that situation wasn’t the norm. Usually a player can block the next player who then blocks the following player.

Another nice twist that keeps things interesting is that the game and game strategy really changes with the number of players. Playing with 2 players is completely different than playing with 3 for example.

Overall a pleasant surprise in a nicely thought out package.

A phenomenal update.. Connect 4×4 is a sleek, stylish update to the timeless, albeit simple, classic game. The ability to play on multiple planes adds a welcome level of complexity. And playing with more than 2 players makes it much tougher to force a win, which is helpful because it takes a lot more work (or one of a player’s precious few Blocker pieces) to block a win as well.

My only misgiving about this game is that in an unbalanced play group, a poor player will give a massive advantage to the player following him. But even with this setback, it’s a surprisingly intense experience that I would highly recommend. If the idea of a thinking man’s Connect Four appeals to you, this is a dream come true.

New & Improved = Addictive. My husband made fun of me when I asked him to buy this. But now he loves to play! It’s completely addictive! I love the new double layers, it adds excitement and another level of difficulty to the game. You really have to keep on your toes and pay attention! It’s fun whether playing 2 or 3 or 4 players and never gets old!

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