10:44 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says...
Creepy Freaks creep ever closer

Another Creepy Freaks preview figure is on display at the WizKids site. This time we get a look at Patches, a demented zombie teddy bear straight out of Akira. Of the figures we've seen so far, I prefer Jar Head. Can't go wrong with a brain in a jar.

So, having tried a demo of Freaks at Gen Con last month, I'm of two minds on the game. On the one hand, the figures look cool, have a high production value, the system is very straightforward, and they'll have that Dannon yogurt promotional tie-in to help push the game. On the other hand, the visually appealing nature didn't extend to the chessboard playing mat, which really should have been given some semblance of style, and there's already over thirty CCGs, RPGs, and new anime imports trying to capture the attention of the same target audience this fall.

Still, if my daughter were a bit older, I could see her being interested enough to give Creepy Freaks a try. She already plays with the sample figure I brought back from Indianapolis, the Monster Under the Bed. She might not stick with the game, but she'd give it a whirl, and anything that gets kids thinking and strategizing sounds good to me.