"There's two seats in the escape pod!" "I like to keep my feet up."

My first game of Nemesis ended with me getting my head bitten off by an alien as I desperately wheeled my way towards the escape pods. The alien that killed me went after the pilot next, who was waiting for me in the pod room. She unloaded her shotgun into it, threw a grenade at dangerously close range, executed an emergency course correction to make the ship jerk violently to throw off an attack from the alien, then finally beat it to death before getting into the pod one turn before the self destruct went off.

Not that either of you will read this comment, but god damn guys this review in particular was *magical* in atmosphere. I mean - I'm not sure if that's even the point, the point of the review is to, review the board game, but... The oppressing, gnawing, uncomfortable ambiance and the fantastic shots, subtle zooms and pans, dim lighting, it all just made for a big impression. Very impressive. Literally.

Got my wife and almost 70-year old mother-in-law to play Nemesis last night. So much fun! I tried to go all Ripley and ended up dying like 5 rounds in. They made it another 3 or 4 until ship ultimately went up in flames. Best of all - they want to play again. Tonight! Thanks for the review fellas!

Tom has really grown into a natural part of the show, and I love the vibe he brings. I’m so pleased he’s part of the regular reviewing crew now.

Quick thing: been playing this game with the same group for the last few months, and one of the people in the group has just never gotten into its possible traitor mechanic. He doesn’t see the point, and would rather it wasn’t there. So slightly reluctantly we tried the fully cooperative mode the game has a section for in the rules, expecting it to feel like all the bite had been taken out of the experience. Gotta say, pleasantly surprised. While I don’t want to play the game this way every time, the fact that it uses a different objectives deck and you only win if EVERYBODYS objective has been completed by the end of the game creates a COMPLETELY different but extremely fun experience. Actually ended up being the most fun game we’ve had, and ended with all of us working on a couple of objectives that involved destroying the ship and then a mad group sprint across the board to the escape pods while dodging 5 different aliens along the way. Finished the game with both time tracks on the final step and only a few cards away from failure. Highly recommend giving it a shot. Found its a much easier way of nailing down the specifics of the rules too before going back to the normal mode.

"Rolling for noise" isn't a player making noise as they move about, it's the noise THEY HEAR when they move about. This is why you don't roll for noise when moving into a space already occupied by another player - The noise has already been heard, no new noise to hear. This seems to be the most common theme mix-up in Nemesis reviews.

“I didn’t know Disney owned the rights to Alien?” Matt: “of course they do... it’s a film!” Hahaha!!!! They own everything!!!

"As soon as you stop caring about whether or not you live or die everything just becomes much more fun!" -Matt 2020

He hit it on the head when he said that a bit of the fun is determined by how willing you are to die in the service of telling a great story..... That is what it felt like to us. The story it told was so cinematic... it was EPIC! It was like watching a brand new Aliens movie where you got to be characters.... it was incredible. I wish they fixed the noise mechanic a bit... but otherwise it is great.

And now, after all these years, retaliation has cardboard standees!

"... in Nemesis, you're accepting the sad reality of locking Steven in a room so he'll get eaten by an Alien." "Let's stay in tonight, light some candles, murder Steven!" Hmm... I am sensing a vendetta here... Is there an aggrieving Steven in SU&SD's and No Pun Included's mutual gaming circle? I shall have to bring this up at the next Secret Steven Society gathering.

"Can't really recommend it. Can't stop recommending it. Love it. It's a mess." That resonates with so much of life.

it's 2023. he's finally free

"you were trapped in a room with an absolute unit" and just like that the intern becomes the master

Honestly speaking, this is probably the most beautifully insightful review you folks have written. Two years later and this still speaks not just of Nemesis, but transcends it in a way that touches on things we don't analyze very often in board games. The bit about "coercion and cooperation" is still so profound lol

That intro is probably one of your best. The followup article you did when the official Aliens game was announced made it all the better.

And here I was thinking the whole silent "narration" of the "Betrayal" game was a magnificent stroke of genius.

Thank you for your opinion on Miniatures. They're cool, sure - But i feel like there's way too many games cramming Minis in to justify an exorbitant pricepoint. When i'm playing a game, i want to play the game. Just give me a budget version version with standees for the common folk and a premium version for the hypetrain

I see how it is. The friendly alien that burst out of a legally distinct area of the body gets a kiss from Matt, but Big Bin Barry just gets scorn until his untimely and suspicious death. I'm onto you, Matt.

33:04 "I can't really recommend it, can't stop recommending it" That's exactly how I feel about Mage Knight.

So, I bought Nemesis about 6 months ago. So far, I have played it once. But I've painted a few of the minis, so I call that a win. I have the space, and it makes me happy just to have it.

This must be the most reluctant SUSD recommendation ever.

just spent over 30 min. watching a review of a game I will probably never buy.... and it was worth every seconds!

My friends and I love this game! I coughed up the money for the big purchase and it looks like it keeps rising. It’s been absolutely worth it to me. He is right about the highs and the lows. Yeah you rarely get to win even if you play it perfect, but it makes winning so much more satisfying and the way you lose ends up enjoyable too. If you like the alien franchise at all you will love this game. Play the alien soundtrack while you play and it makes the game even better lol

Quinn would probably get caught and eaten trying to lug around his copy of twilight imperium off the ship.

This is one of my favorite videos that SU&SD has done. The lighting, the b-roll, the facial expressions, the script - perfection! I have watched it at least 5 times just because I enjoy the delivery of this review so much.

"sending Goofy round to break our legs" Ha!

Nemesis is one of my favorite board games I own. My game group loves it and we played it many times! If you are thinking of getting this game, it will be worth it. The game mechanics are awesome. SU&SD... you guys did a great, unbiased, and thorough review! Thank you!

I haven't played this game, but I've heard a lot of buzz about it, and I genuinely did not expect it to get the SU&SD recommends badge. Just when I thought I had figured y'all out, you surprise me. I guess I'll have to keep watching your videos, and go throw out all my SU&SD Recommendation Prediction Equations and Analytical Charts.

End-of-review-comedy-character-turn-around got me good, wp

Nemesis is a thrilling game - but trust no one!! I've played it twice now and both times were loads of fun.

I have won this game twice. And both times were excruciatingly exciting! First win: It was the final round. Escape pods had unlocked because another player met a grisly end two rounds before. I made it to the escape pod room with 3 noise tokens adjacent. I rolled for noise as I entered the escape, and spawned an intruder. Time to draw a token from the bag to see what was going to stop me from escaping. Blank! No intruder showed up, and I was able to get out, literally on my last action! The other remaining player, he was going for the cryo-sleep chamber, and got there as he ran out of cards, meaning he was 1 action shy of being able to get out and win as well. Second win: I manage to escape in a similar fashion as the first win, only 2 rounds earlier. But, my objective was for 1 other player to die. And he was still alive. He wasn't in great shape, but he still had a chance to get out. It was all up to fate at that point. I watched as he fled an intruder, gun out of ammo, trying to get to one of the remaining escape pods. The intruder followed him. He escaped again. Another intruder came after him, and he was unable to get to the escape pod in time, and turned into a red paste on the wall as the ship jumped to hyperspace. This game is all about those tense moments and never being certain you'll survive, let alone win.

This has to be one of the best produced board game reviews I've every seen. The editing and lighting were truly superb. I decided about 5 minutes in that I have zero interest in this game, but kept watching all the way to the end purely because it was cinematically stunning.

Oh my God. I've watched this video well over a dozen times, and I can't believe it's taken me THIS long to realize this... He's an au-Tom-aton!

Played this a few times. It's a lot to setup, and it is indeed expensive. But man, this game is such an experience, it really feels like an alien movie in board game form. As few times as I've got it out, I love it each time.

SU&SD Plays Nemesis is something I would love to see! This game is one I would probably not play, but getting to experience the Salt vicariously would be a lot of fun...

Gumming up the works? Now we're talking...

We”re due for another Twilight Imperium stream. I wanna see that Twiglets Cup change hands.

This review was filmed so nicely!

This review is just amazing! You guys are my top board game channel. HANDS DOWN!! You guys review games fairly and do such a good job with Nemesis! I just unboxed and played for the first time this week. I love this one

I saw the video before it was re-uploaded so the Betrayal story didn’t have sound. I thought, “this is bold. They’re playing off, ‘in space, nobody can hear your game review’. Groundbreaking narrative storytelling!!” Then they went and cocked it all up by adding sound.

Matt, the lighting work in this video was beautiful!

puppeteering rule 1: the mouth of the puppet should open and close once per syllable.

“I didn’t WANT you to die, it was just...CONVENIENT!?” (and lots of other hilarity etc!) Great review guys!!

"Matt, Matt, can I come around to your house and play Nemesis?!" *video published March 5 2020* COVID19: It's gonna be a no from me, dog.

Players MUST cooperate in two areas: repairing damages and extinguishing fires. Otherwise everybody will meet painful death, rather sooner than later. Once all malfunction or fire tokens are on board, ship is destroyed. This fact can be used to fuck someone up - just damage ship right before leaving in escape pod. Mechanic is great in repairing/damaging. :P

"If you've given up on hope, you've given up on life! And that's our review of Nemesis!" -Matt 2020

I've watched nearly every video review you guys have ever made, and this might be the very best one yet. I knew nothing about this game before watching the review, and I now feel like I know exactly the kind of experience I'll be getting out of this game. Keep up the good work lads!

25:18 X,D zomg this is too perfectly done

Oh my gosh, that ending. I love it!

Betrayal: The Git Chronicles was hilarious.

"There is scope here for doing some really cool expansion stuff that doesn't add tons of new minis" Oh no... should we uh... tell him?

Tom really came into his own with this video. Great job.

It would be interesting to see the card board standees as an alternate version.

The writing for this review was next level, well done to the team at SD&SU.

Matt's only a couple weeks away from being free to play Nemesis again!

I just watched this review, glad your friends will be able to come over and play this year

Thanks for adding that music track from incubation. Yeah, I noticed. You absolute legends ❤️

Amazing review, both for pure entertainment and excellent critiquing. I really love Nemesis but I've always wondered if it's just a bit crap. I never cared about winning and it was always the unfolding stories that I adored about the game so I have to thank Matt and Tom for articulating this in a way I hadn't yet made sense of myself. I know everyone likes different games but it still feels really good to have your own opinion vindicated by a pro.

You guys do the best bg reviews in the whole Internet. And this particular one is the best I've seen ever! I love how unbiased and critical and factual you are. With tons of humor and stupidity XD

Can't wait for the Nemesis movie where ChestPoppers grow into the intimidating LegallyDistinctMorph

Loved the fact that the Three-Eyed Raven-Glove did the chest-bursting routine...

Some tips for people who think the game is too hard: - Never attack an alien whenever it enters a room unless it’s a larva (possibly creeper if you’re feeling brave), instead make an escape and hopefully it’ll miss the attack. If it doesn’t you can search for medical supplies or make your way to the ER. - There’s always a COOP mode! (Which I recommend for new players as you don’t have to worry about betrayal) -Splitting up isn’t actually too bad. You just have to be careful once there is a lot of noise - I truly don’t recommend searching for items unless you need it to complete a mission or to save your life (stated in the first tip) - You should mostly pass with 3 cards because it eliminates the chance to be surprised attacked by an adult (one of the most common lethal alien). - intruder weaknesses should only be found if you need an objective or if its convenient. I say this because the weaknesses don’t really improve your chance of surviving an attack so you shouldn’t dwell on finding these. and lastly I do see a lot of people agreeing with the miniatures making the game overpriced. But these types of games aren’t for everyone. This seems like a game for people who like to be immersed inside of an alien movie themed world. All of the art work and miniatures really help drive that feeling you get playing the game. I know some people just want to play it and that’s that. But it’s not that type of game. It’s a RP game where you have to accept the fact that there is a lot of RNG. but the best way to do so is by getting everybody engaged, making it feel more realistic rather than unfair. (Hopefully this makes sense) But anyways; I really hope this helps some of the newer players and this video was a very good and honest review. But I 100% recommend this game if you’re a fan of the alien movies

Ah Matt, I can tell you, you’re not the only one who thinks this game would be just as good without the miniatures. My group is a bit mini crazy and one of one brought Nemesis to play with us. And when I suggested (after the game was over) it could just as well be cardboard instead of minis, everyone stared at me like I was crazy.

I love Nemesis, played it while it was only on TTS... Looked at how much the Irl game cost... price... 300 yeesh

Loved the video, quite informative and you guys are very entertaining and expressive! Fun stuff. It is well filmed as well. Subbed!

Looks great! Love to play it! Can't afford it! Pretty sure my friends would hate it 😂

Great review. Confirmed original thoughts, and highly entertained at the same time.

Around 11:00 I figured, well that was fun, it seems it is wrapping up. Only to discover I got another 20 minutes left! Love it!

Your videos make me laugh. Definitely doing good work spreading the hobby. Keep it up

The "miniatures" should be sold separately as some sort of "embellishment" pack.

Ah, the story in the middle makes more sense now! The first time around I thought my headphones had suddenly died :P

Best game ever. Played it 25 times and won 7 times. Absolutely love the semi co-op! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

(33:45) Nice to see that the reference pear is getting cared for. At this time of year, it's still a bit chilly, so knitting a warm sweater was the right decision.

That’s an amazing review. I think you really touched all bases here, no one should buy Nemesis without watching this! I just had my copy a few weeks ago and I really love this game, even knowing it’s not for everybody. It’s definitely too expensive, but it rewards with such great moments and stories to tell that every stable group of boardgamers should have one for special occasions.

It’s 2023 now Matt, time to play

This was such a great review, thank you. Appreciate the balanced look at it.

The part that was silent in the first upload (Betrayal: The git chronicles) starts at 18:30, for those who caught the broken version.

Thank you for this review. There is a campaign for the third expansion for this game and this review has convinced me that I do not need it. This is a game I would love to play, but it is not a game I need to own.

Love this game for the little stories it can create. The biggest betrayal I've been on the receiving end of came late in a long game which had been up to that point pretty cooperative. Heading back to the hibernatoriam in a group, I'd all but forgotten about the secret objectives when my 'friend' moves in to the next room only to spin around and close the door behind him. It took days to let it go

really fun video! tom and matt you're both brilliant and I really enjoyed watching - i love the amount of tension and fear that seems to go with this game, and hopefully I can play with some friends at some point and cry when i make too much noise and the aliens come kill us all

Man I loved my first (hopefully of a long row) Nemesis game. It’s true that rules can be introduced gradually. I’ve been positive surprised at how smooth the gaming experience can be. The characters are absolutely charismatic. I played a convict looking like Hannibal Lecter prone to punching xenomorphs in their … well… face?😂

hilarious review. Loved it!

This is an excellent review/video.

One of your best reviews;)

I love the dropping the mic from orbit sound! Very realistic

Never before have I clicked this hard on a board game review! 👽

“Nuke anyones picnic” lol I’m gonna use that

Cool video, hope all of you keep up the good work.

Great review, seemed like a difficult game to review. It got me excited to play!

There is a board game shop in my town I go to a lot to play games if I could and see what’s new. The owner and I were chatting and on the top of the shelf he had this game. He said to me that this game was being purchased to hell and back and told me to watch some reviews and play throughs. He’s keeping it on the back with my name incase I decide to purchase it. I said I would think on it this weekend. I have to say, besides the fact that I am a huge aliens fan, this game does something that I really want in a game. Makes it so being a team is not always the ideal choice. That every move you make you have to think about your own well-being and being a friend may be fleeting in a stressful situation. That feels so raw and so real like your actually in the movie itself. I’m convinced, I’m going back to the shop. This is brilliant.

Nice review! Well done

Literally LOLed when Big Bin Barry showed up

I really aprreciate and watched with pleasure this review :)... Nicely played

OMG... "Englishman in New York"!? Wow...great choice while that legal alien shows up. 8:10

Great review, great game! Surprise hit in our group and one of my most successful kickstarters (I paid 70 pounds in the kickstarter and that included two expansions) :k

The direction of this review at the start had me quite bummed. I bought it on Kickstarter and have yet to play it. But after the U-turn midway through, wow! I can't wait to play this now. Great writing. Great review.

A perfect example of how good SUSD is. Fantastic review, stating clearly both positive and negative points.

trimmed down, cheaper version without minis would be great ,i agree👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼