Can you believe there is probably a whole generation of kids who haven’t watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Or even know that the director of The Avengers created this fantastic series? It seems incredible, since the show was such a game changer.
It took me quite a while to realise that the show was so good; I’d been avoiding it because I thought it was another 90210-style American teen show. I got quite a shock when I finally watched it and realised how clever and witty it was. American TV doing sarcasm, irony and witty banter? Surely not! Soon after I was sick with the flu and sat down with the first couple of seasons and watched them straight through, and I was amazed by how good it was. In fact, several years later when I met the love of my life, she went through this particular rite of passage when she was sick with the flu as well. I think you can only really appreciate how good the series was if you watch the shows in a series of marathon sessions. It’s kind of like Battlestar Galactica: you always want to watch one more …
Of course things dropped off in the later seasons as Joss Whedon got less hands on, and for a while there I much preferred the spin-off series Angel. But both shows had some incredible, iconic moments; some unforgettable drama and some hilarious comedy. American television was never to be the same again.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Game (there was another Buffy game made, but it was a terrible kid’s game) is a surprisingly enjoyable treat for fans of the show. You’ll notice the names Craig van Ness (Heroscape, Battleship Galaxies) and Rob Daviau (Heroscape, Risk: Legacy, Betrayal at House on the Hill) among the credits.
If you’re at all interested in the theme and enjoy a light, fun, thematic game, I recommend picking up a copy of Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Game on Ebay.
The Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Game rules summary and reference has been updated to v1.2. Several typos and inconsistencies were fixed, and the background graphic was lightened up a bit.