Oceans Review - with Tom Vasel

Tom Vasel takes a look at the next game the the Evolution line! Oceans!

00:00 - Introduction
01:23 - Overview
09:00 - Final Thoughts

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[NorthStarGames]

Thanks for covering our game Tom. Cheers!

[getyourgameon]

I have Oceans. I love it, love it, LOVE IT. It is not as mean as Evolution, because you cannot wipe out other's species; they will get another turn to rebuild before any of their species go extinct. But know that there is more downtime in Oceans because the decisions are weighty. Instead of worrying about your own engine, the entire table is one big ecosystem. That makes the implications for every move exponentially deeper (yes, deeper ha ha) because every action could interlink with almost every player at the table. IMHO, this game shines at lower playcounts; 2-4 (my version plays up to 6 people). On the other hand, if I have 5 or 6 players, Evolution is actually simpler and faster (and meaner too). I choose to keep both games. No regrets.

[lukasm]

@5:30 you can draw deep cards before the Cambrian explosion, you just can't play them until the explosion

[malcolmsmith]

“Every card here is different” (heads over to amazon)

[Rkm]

I'd argue that Oceans is less mean than regular Evolution. Mostly because when someone attacks you, you don't immediately go extinct. You still get an opportunity to save your species. I'll agree that no one really needs both games. I have both, and I'd almost always pick Oceans. The only downside for me is that certain combos of deep traits can be downright broken.

[Monkeyby]

It seems the artwork is very nice. Then I saw Isaac Fryxelius as one of the artists.
Yes, the same one that does some artwork for FryxGrames (Terraforming Mars).

[blacksheep]

Waiting for my Kickstarter copy. I managed to resist backing the super blinged out version, but now I'm wondering if I should have gone for the bags...

[BrownEagle]

Turns felt more streamlined than Evolution! And I liked trying to sustain a giant school of 4+ different fish rather than just 1-3 strong species at a time in Evolution

[dangerousbeans]

Ooh, I really like Evolution. We mainly play it 2 player with Climate and Flight mixed in (yes it can be done if you remove/replace certain card sets with others) fantastic game.
I’ll definitely be buying Oceans. Thanks for the review Tom.

[ccggenius]

If you can get your hands on it, the Kickstarter deluxe edition has acrylic fish, and player bags to replace the shields, which address both of Tom's component complaints. Alternatively, they should be available through North Star's webstore. Also comes with sleeves, which should mitigate foil curling. (He didn't mention this, but they're foil cards, it's what they do) Maybe wait a bit though, they're supposed to be adding 3 additional deep trait packs to the store at some point, and combined shipping is just good sense.

[GregsWildlife]

Impatiently waiting for my Kickstarter to arrive.

[xenothonstelnicki]

To me, evolution is a pretty good game but oceans is absolutely phenomenal! Wow some of the design principles are similar the execution is dramatically better here. The lack of direct PVP extinction makes a radical difference, for instance.

[danorris]

This game is way more mechanically intense than Evolution. To me that's a plus, but fair warning to others: If you don't like games that require a lot of fast counter strategizing, brutal theft, or rules layered on rules with frequent exceptions based in whatever card is out you're likely not going to enjoy this. And as advertised: the art is awesome!

[HalloikbenJim]

Where is the original review of Evolution went to Tom and Sam did?

[GreenGlassScarab]

Odd that Tom claims the rules are almost the same as Evolution when all the other reviews I've watched talk about how different the rules are! I tried a print and play copy and found it very different to Evolution.

[searose]

I LOVE evolution. It is the most thematic game as far as game mechanics I’ve ever played....it genuinely forces you to evolve according to the circumstances, just like evolution. I have been really excited about Oceans, but this seems slightly underwhelming. Beautiful, but not quite what I expected....though I think that is because (no offense) how gameplay actually unfolds was not very clear here. I think I’ll go see if Rodney has a tutorial up yet for this and try to get a real feel for it before buying.

[MeepleMentor]

I got to play this recently. It is very much like Evolution in how it's played. Basically, if you like the gameplay but prefer ocean life- this is the one for you.

[tidehollowcat]

This game looks amazing! The one thing I'm worried about is the foils in the deep deck. I really hope this doesn't become a collectible thing. It's not that I don't like collecting things, but having something be collectible via being shiny isn't a good thing, in my opinion.

[DJeremyCharles]

I love this game and I love your review however ; Oceans is not only better because of the theme but also of the way the carnivores works. It feels more natural and less « mean » to your opponent. There is way more predators made in our games of oceans than in evolution, simply because we worry less about them, they can’t « kill » a specie!

The mechanics are better, and players you like evolution will love Oceans 🌊😇

[Chull-uktd]

I see a lot of people saying that unlike evolution you can't immediately wipe out a species by attacking it. I'm going to be changing that