Escape Room Reviews: Déja Vu

Company: Escape Era San Diego
Room: Déja Vu
Date Played: 2/19/17
Player Count: 2, which was just right.
Success:  Success!

Premise: You’ve received a package telling you to be at a certain place at a certain time. And the package is from… you!

Immersion: Middle of the road. The room feels a little bit cluttered, with a lot of stuff packed into a small space, and it's in no danger of being confused for the "real thing."  All of the props looked good though, and one element half way through is especially effective at drawing you into the story.

Highlights: I came out of this one riding high because I caught a few good solves in a row. (Unfortunately, that's because some of the puzzles are fairly single-player affairs.) There are some puzzles I haven't seen anywhere else, one of which is especially delightful because you'd think it would be everywhere. But it's not. It's just here. Along with a fair mix of locks and tech objects.

Lowlights: HUGE sequence breaking is possible in this game. Almost a third of the game is a chain that culminates in a hint for a puzzle that is available and solvable early on. We just happened to backtrack a little in the name of exploration, which turned out to be a waste of time. Actually, there was kind of a lot of backtracking. 

And Finally:  We did this room and The Diner in one afternoon, on the drive back from San Diego to Los Angeles from a DDMTA screening. On the day, my attitude towards both rooms was influenced pretty heavily by my own performance. If you've only got time for one or the other, The Diner is the better bet, but I'm still looking forward to Escape Era opening their awesome-sounding Video Arcade room. Out of 20 games played, this one clocks in at #10.

How to book this room yourself: Visit http://www.escapeera.com

#2,330: Gods of Egypt

Assassin's Creed - ★☆☆☆☆
I'm happy for Michael Fassbender and his new boat. I thought this was reasonably well directed, in that I generally could tell what was happening on screen, but badly written, in as much as I never had any idea what was going on in the movie.

Silence - ★★★☆☆
It may well be the point, but this is a tough movie to love. It sure doesn't help that it's being sold as a kind of 'men on a (ahem) mission' adventure, but I guess no one's going to line up for 'a catalog of incessant cruelty!'

JFK - ★★★★☆
Welp, I'm convinced!

Costner is good in his role as the engine of the thin veneer of plot Oliver Stone wraps around all of the 'evidence' he wants to lay out. Also, I've heard the John Williams theme to JFK for years, but the film itself turns those snares into something sinister...

Gods of Egypt - ½☆☆☆☆
It seems like right now everyone is going nuts for Hidden Figures. And while Hidden Figures is fine, and I'm glad we found out about those women and their story, it's not a great movie. I mean, it's not a Great Movie. It's good, there's nothing wrong with it. I just think that the average person going crazy for it doesn't see that many movies.

Likewise, when someone says that Batman v Superman is the worst movie of the year, or decade, or whatever; certainly it isn't a Great Movie either. Maybe it's even not-that-great of a movie, but those people aren't seeing everything that comes out. They might be vaguely aware, at the time it was released, that Gods of Egypt IS a movie, but of course they didn't see it. They just don't know how wide the gamut is. That 7/10 is the best movie you've ever seen and that 4/10 is the worst, but listen: the scale is from 1 to 10. Movies get even better. And so, so much worse.

Set List: Googling for Ham

Set List at the Pack is brought to you by googling for pictures of ham!

I can't explain how, exactly. It just is. The show wouldn't be the same without it.  Look at those hams. Just look at them.

Escape Room Reviews: The Diner

Company: Quicksand Escape
Room: The Diner
Location: San Diego, CA
Date Played: 2/19/17
Player Count: 2, could easily be 4
Success:  Success!

Premise: You’re running with a wild crowd, baby, and if you’re gonna act like a mob goon, you’re gonna have to rob a place now and then.  A place like this diner!

Immersion: This diner looks great! Like a peppermint sundae. Like so many escape rooms, it's set in the past, and nothing weirdly anachronistic is going on here. There are dozens of locks, and by and large the puzzles lean more toward reasonable and real things that could be in this setting to secure items or pass messages, and away from games and puzzles included for their own sake or to make the room longer.

Highlights: I won't say more than this about it, but the end game is super fun and exciting. The puzzling was a good mix of the easily understood that just requires a little elbow grease, and the 'flash of insight' variety that are so satisfying when they click in.

Lowlights: I think when we first stepped out of this one, I was a little bit down about needing a couple of hints. Our most commonly received hint is 'keep going!' Especially in a room with a lot of Spot Hidden challenges like this one, and especially when playing with a very small group. (More eyes means faster finds!) One puzzle that I took point on, I took it in a totally wrong direction until a clue put us back on track. 

And Finally:  Pain is temporary! Those light wounds to the ego pale when I look back over everything The Diner has to offer and how well designed it is. Like a movie that doesn't waste a scene, where everything turns out to be important sooner or later. It's easy to see why this room is so highly ranked in the San Diego area.  Out of 19 games played, this one comes in at #4. 

How to book this room yourself: Visit http://www.quicksandescape.com/the-diner.html

Bat Night 5! This Friday!

It's our special Bat Night show, which is comedy performed in environmentally-friendly Complete Darkness! Starring Chaz Dean and more!