Gale Force Nine Doctor Who: Nemesis - Board Game, Gale Force Nine, Ages 14+, 2-4 Players, 45-90 Min

I was really disappointed in Galeforce 9's last Doctor Who game, Time of the Daleks, but Nemesis more than makes up for that. You have a lot of variety between not only the four Nemesis baddies you get to play, but each nemesis has two versions (and this changes up some of the cards in your deck).You will also add two doctors worth of cards in your deck as well. These are the doctors and companions you send after your opponents, but there are a number of ways to make use of them. You can use them to block your opponent's locations, or you can set them up so you can capture/defeat them. You are not restricted as you are in Villainous, giving you more control over how you use these cards when they show up, since they are incorporated into your deck (in Villainous these decks are separated, but you have no control over what hero cards get played).Another thing to note, yes the end goals can change, but you have multiple paths you can pursue. Multiple ways to win. You are not in a situation where that one card you need to win is all the way at the bottom of the deck, making it impossible for you to win. You adapt and switch up tasks, find some other way to win (which you cannot do in Villainous).I have seen some comparisons to Flux because the end goal can change, but I don't think that is fair. Flux like its namesake, is chaotic. You cannot make plans to do anything in flux, it all completely luck based. In Nemesis, there are a number of ways you can plan and set up to try to pull off things.Plus, thematically, there is so much flavor here. While it isn't required for you to know Doctor Who to enjoy this game, it definitely helped make this game better if you do. All the current doctors are here, from 1 all the way to 13. And four of the major baddies. The Master, Daleks, Cybermen, and Weeping Angels, and they all feel different thematically.Yes, this game is very interactive. Between blocking enemy spaces, to sending your own units after their units, to destroying units either through combat or card actions, you have a lot of direct interaction. If that kind of aggressive play is not your style, this may not be your game. But what do you expect from a game called Nemesis?