board game
Latest
Hexagonal interactive OLED gaming tiles likely to cost a bundle, would sure spice up our Wednesday nights
We've seen plenty of ways for board games to be revitalized with large touchscreens, but a new concept from the Human Media Lab at Queen's University in Ontario puts the screens and interactivity onto the gaming pieces themselves. The idea would be to use slim, networked touchscreen hexagonal tiles with edge-to-edge OLED displays. The proximity of the tiles to one another, along with gestures performed with the tiles, provides the interactivity, and the occasional branching touchscreen menu selection keeps play humming. Unfortunately, that enabling tech isn't all there yet (at least in university-affordable forms), but the video demo after the break is pretty convincing in its presentation of these ideas in a top-down-projection simulation. Certainly promising, but we're sure not expecting to see this sort of gaming priced within reach of your average Sorry! board anytime soon.
First Risk: Factions screens released, surprisingly cartoony
Click to Kitty-size Usually, when playing the physical, real-life version of Risk, we like to pretend that we're bloodthirsty conquerers -- ones capable of forging (and betraying) alliances with hated enemies, and eradicating the military forces of neighboring nations with extreme prejudice. We don't think we've ever envisioned ourselves to be person-sized felines during a heated global bout. Not that we have anything against the idea, per se -- it's just never occurred to us to try. The first batch of screenshots from EA's upcoming XBLA version of the strategic board game, Risk: Factions, depicts the scenario mentioned above in an unexpectedly animated fashion. If said fashion looks familiar, you've probably played the Penny Arcade Adventures series -- Powerhouse Animations, which brought Gabe and Tycho to life in those Hothead-developed adventure titles, also did the cinematics for Risk: Factions. Judging by the extremely Penny Arcade-looking soldiers seen above, we're guessing they had some input on character design, as well. According to the press release which accompanied the images, humans and cats are just two of the five factions featured in the game. Anyone wanna place bets on the remaining three? Our money's on Spartans, Huns and puppies. %Gallery-83207%
Capcom employee recreates Fable II's Fortune's Tower pub game
This has to be the most endearing display of cross-developer love we've seen during our games writing careers. Capcom's Shawn Baxter (a.k.a. "Snow,") recently posted on the company's community blog about his latest D.I.Y. project -- a real-life version of Fortune's Tower, one of the pub games featured in Fable II. Oh, and in Fable II Pub Games, though you probably didn't need us to tell you that. Words can't really describe this two-month, $400 project as well as pictures, so hop on over to Capcom's blog and check out the delectable fruits of Baxter's labor. If you're of a crafty ilk, the post also contains a few blueprints you can follow to make your own Fortune's Tower set. We probably won't post about yours, though. This is a one-time thing.
Official Settlers of Catan out now on App Store
Just in case you missed it, I got my wish from a while back: there is an official version of the classic board game Settlers of Catan, called just Catan, on the App Store right now. I'm still playing Kolonists, the unofficial knockoff that got kicked off of the store for infringement, but if you've got wood for sheep, this official version should get you your portable fix. If you're unfamiliar with the Catan juggernaut, check out this thorough piece from Wired.com. There's hot seat multiplayer gameplay (I assume you just can't cheat by looking at what resources other people have), or a few AIs to tangle with if you don't have friends at hand, and the game includes a scrollable board to play on, game stats to track, and a tutorial for those of you who haven't rolled the dice and tried to build the Longest Road yet. The game is created by United Soft Media, a German company that's also ported the game to the DS, and while it's not quite as shiny as the Xbox Live port (my personal favorite version of the game, outside of the real thing, of course), the reviews on iTunes say it gets the job done, at least while you're waiting for the next board game night (and while we're talking about board games, can I recommend Dominion? Best table game I've played in years). The game is $4.99 and available right now. Anyone have any ore?
Breakfast Topic: Have you played those other games?
One of the things I got to do at BlizzCon 2009 that ended up being a whole lot of fun was sit down and play a few rounds of the World of Warcraft TCG at the Upper Deck Booth. I actually plan to write a bit more on that later, but for now, my main thought on it was that it was pretty fun. As a former Magic: The Gathering Player way back in the early 3rd edition days, I've always held a soft spot in my heart for a good solid card game, and I've been meaning for the longest time to check out the TCG as something more than a silly thing that refuses to give me a mount. I have to say, if anything, that I probably enjoyed it too much. Not only did I catch onto the rules pretty quickly, but I was transported back to the old magic days, and I'm halfway tempted now to perfect a good solid deck and go out to my local gaming store in a couple weekends to see if anyone else plays. On the other hand, I'm trying to avoid that temptation, because I just know it'll eat up my life like Magic did back in the day.
Panzer General: Allied Assault attacks XBLA this fall (no Dragoon in sight)
Ubisoft announced today that World War II-themed card game Panzer General: Allied Assault is ready to draw from a deck of destruction this fall on XBLA. The game is being developed by Petroglyph and is a different take on the strategy game classic, to which Ubisoft apparently gained the rights after the most recent installment back in 2000. Along with the digital game, Petroglyph will also release a physical board game with 240 action and unit cards. The game is being called a "lite" WWII game and will also be available this fall for $60. We're currently following up with Ubisoft to see if the game will be playable at GamesCom. %Gallery-69972%
WoW and its partners at Gen Con 2009
Gen Con Indy 2009 is just around the corner (it's the weekend before BlizzCon), and if you're headed out for the "best four days in gaming," keep an eye out there for some of this Warcraft stuff. Blizzard won't actually be there, as far as we know (it's more of a convention for board games and roleplaying than video games), but lots of their partners will. Upper Deck will probably have the biggest presence -- both the WoW TCG and the WoW Minis games will have setups where you can sit down and play either one, and they'll be running the Continental Championships as well, where they'll crown some of the best players in the country. And there'll be other tournaments and gameplay for both games going on as well -- the guys from wowtcgscrub.com are organizing a tournament of their own, and Upper Deck will have other ways for you to compete at all levels all weekend long.Fantasy Flight Games, the makers of both World of Warcraft: The Board Game and World of Warcraft: The Adventure Game, will also be in attendance. They haven't announced anything special for the Warcraft games, but they'll likely have them out and playing in at least one demo space. And Warcraft will be there in attendance through the fans as well for sure.In fact, I'll be there for the first time this year -- my friend and I are going to be checking out the show on Saturday. I have no idea what to expect, but i've heard from a few readers that are going already, so if there's interest, we might try to schedule a WoW.com meetup that evening. So if you're headed for Gen Con this year, keep an eye out for the World of Warcraft there.
Award-winning board game Zooloretto in the App Store now
Chillingo is not kidding about iPhone releases lately -- it seems like every other day they're premiering a new download in the App Store, for better or worse. Their website calls them "The Leading Publisher of iPhone Games," and it seems like they're definitely pushing for quantity. But there are some good gems in the mix (have you tried Zen Bound yet?), and Zooloretto looks like it might be another. The $4.99US game is based on an award-winning board game in which you have to balance zoo animals of varying sizes with pen space, all while bringing in as many visitors as possible. Like all great board games, it looks pretty simple to start out, but more and more complicated as you go along. And the fact that it's turn-based makes it perfect for the iPhone, when you can play in small spurts and keep a strategy rolling over time.If there's a drawback, it's that the game might be too simple -- it's meant as a family game, so really hardcore strategy geeks might not find enough here to dig into (it's too bad we haven't seen a quality Settlers port, or maybe even a version of Puerto Rico). And it's too bad there's no lite version to try before you buy. But if you're looking for a nice little strategy game to play around with occasionally, and enjoy a well-designed board game, Zooloretto is worth a look.
Square Enix announces Dragon Quest Wars for DSiWare
Square Enix has revealed the Dragon Quest Wars whose title was trademarked last month. Anyone expecting some kind of MMO tactics game will be disappointed, because while the new game does feature online play, it's nothing quite so grandiose. In fact, it's a 500-point DSiWare download.Dragon Quest Wars is an online-capable board game for up to four players. Each player creates a team of four classic Dragon Quest monsters and participates in "simple battles" against up to three other AI or player teams. The small game has some decent strategy game cred: it's being developed by Intelligent Systems, the Nintendo second party responsible for both the Fire Emblem and Advance Wars series. Dragon Quest Wars will be out in Japan this June.[Via 1UP]
Zombies!!! looking for new developer
It appears that Zombies!!! is in search of new brains to develop its video game adaptation. Speaking to Big Download, Zombies!!! license holder Twilight Creations stated it is currently looking for another company to develop the game and "cannot disclose the status of [former developer] Big Rooster."Wait, what? Who asked about Big Rooster?Big Rooster is the Madison, Wisconsin, developer that had the video game adaptation of Talisman pulled from it, publisher Capcom later stated there was a "misfire" in its development. We've reached out to Big Rooster to find out if the company had any comment, but apparently Big Download had the same experience contacting the developer as we did, with emails yet to be returned and the phones being "disconnected." [Image: BoardGameGeek]
GDC09: Paper prototype of Aperture Science + Left 4 Dead
Game designer Stone Librande works at EA/Maxis as a game designer, and we mean he designs games quite literally. Whenever developers run into problems, they'll bring Stone in to create paper versions of the project in order to solutioneer a fix. He worked on Spore in the early days of the Cell Stage development, and had so much stuff rattling around in his head that he created a cell level game on the side of his refrigerator. For free.He said they might not always turn out to be fun, but they do aid as a tool in the development process, especially since it's hard to get everyone to gather around a computer screen to check a problem out... but they'll actually come out of hiding to check out paper gaming pieces. We want to design a board game to fix issues at Joystiq, and then fight over who controls the pewter Justin McElroy gamepiece. Check out his "Aperture Science meets Left 4 Dead" board game above, and a gallery of more of his creations below. Just imagine what his board game collection must look like.%Gallery-48716%
Mr. Potato Head presents: Hasbro Game Night Achievements
A list of Achievements has made its way online for this month's release of Hasbro's Family Game Night collection of Xbox Live Arcade titles. The list of 70 milestones totals 1400 Gamerscore points, which may seem like a Gamerscwhore's dream, but know that the sum is calculated using all seven separate XBLA games. Mathematically, that's seven classic board games (which we're told will cost 800 each) multiplied by the Arcade's standard 200 Gamerscore, which gives us the 1400 total. That said, Evel Knievel Mr. Potato Head still approves of the digital board games.
Trivial Pursuit to allow safer family get-togethers starting March 10
If you've had the extreme misfortune to attend a social gathering in which some unsavory individual busts out the unsinister-looking Trivial Pursuit board game, then you're well aware of the destructive properties that lie within that accursed box. It starts out harmless enough, but as your hollow pies continue their endless revolution around the rainbow-toned board, tempers inevitably flare. Razor-sharp question cards are flung across the table at frightening speeds. Dice are swallowed out of protest. Wedges become irrevocably lodged within eye sockets.Fortunately, EA Hasbro will bring the game to a less tangible -- and therefore, less perilous -- format on March 10 for all the major home consoles. Wii, PS3 and 360 owners can pick it up for the reasonable price of $39.99, while PS2 owners can grab it for $29.99. It'll include a few interest-piquing gametypes, including Classic mode, a single-player mode titled "Clear the Board," and a casual, speedy "Facts & Friends" mode. Best of all, it seems the "Awkward Trip to the Emergency Room" mode has finally been removed. Huzzah!
Blood Bowl developer: making PS3 version 'a bit risky and expensive'
If you're a PS3-only gamer who happens to be a fan of vintage tabletop gaming, monsters, and football, then you are probably acutely, painfully aware of the lack of Blood Bowl video games in your future. Cyanide is making an Xbox 360 version -- why not use the same assets and codebase for the PS3 like so many others? What's the deal? Does it hate the PS3 or something?In an interview with Destructoid, the developer explained its apparent snub on the platform. "Cyanide is a small company," a representative said. "We have no previous experience on that platform [and] it would have been a bit risky and expensive for us. But, we are hoping to do a PS3 version if the game is selling well."So, rather than a lack of faith in the platform, Cyanide has somewhat of a lack of faith in its own ability to develop for it without killing the budget. It still means no PS3 version for now, but it also means no janky, poorly ported PS3 version for now. That's ... something. And if the other versions of the game, coming out in Q2 of this year, are successful, we may see a (good) PS3 version yet.[Via VG247]
Atlus announces Dokapon Journey, delays
Last year, developer Sting announced two new games in their Dokapon board game/RPG series: Dokapon Kingdom for Wii and PS2 and Dokapon Journey! for DS. Atlus picked up Kingdom and released it in October, seemingly leaving the DS game behind. Apparently, Wii and PS2 owners bought a sufficient number of copies of Dokapon Kingdom, because Atlus has announced that they're localizing Dokapon Journey, for release on April 14 -- just as Amazon.ca "predicted"!In another press release, Atlus announced delays for some of their upcoming handheld games. The mindblowingly awesome-looking Tokyo Beat Down is now coming out March 31st, The Dark Spire is scheduled for April 14th, and Steal Princess is out April 21st. We don't mind having all the Atlus releases spaced out a bit, really.%Gallery-20125%
New Blood Bowl trailer pits rats against lizards
Like you, we've spent a good deal of time in our backyards, wrangling together neighborhood mice and lizards and forcing them to play miniature games of football. Now, a new trailer for the video game re-imagining of tabletop favorite Blood Bowl looks to bring that fun indoors, as the rat-like Skaven skitter about down field against brutish Lizardmen. That's something you won't see in Sunday's big game.In development at Cyanide Studio, Blood Bowl is expected to take the field for the PC, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS and PSP in the second quarter of 2009. Finally, we'll be able to settle the age old question of which is better at tossing around the pigskin: reptiles or stupid, stupid rat creatures. Download Blood Bowl Skaven vs Lizardmen Trailer HD (36 MB)
This Wednesday: FunTown Mahjong melds tiles on XBLA
After originally being announced last Wednesday, only to be delayed seven days, the ancient Chinese tile game, in the form of FunTown Mahjong, is now available for download on Xbox Live Arcade. This 800 (yowch!) version of mahjong features one-player local or four-player Xbox Live play, a game tutorial, "vivid audio and visuals" as well as the option to "change background images and tiles." Even better: you can expand the tile fun with a Chinese Festival DLC expansion for 160 points. Why aren't you playing yet?Download FunTown Mahjong from the XBLM
Want to control the Flood? Play Risk: Halo Wars
Last week, the folks at USAopoly revealed that they had nabbed the Halo license and planned to release a special, themed edition of the board game Risk, soon after the retail release of Halo Wars. Set to hit the street in July, Risk: Halo Wars features three playable factions (UNSC, Covenant and that pesky Flood), 42 territories with six sectors and 250 plastic playing pieces that represent each of the three factions. The themed set has a MSRP of $39.99. It may not be the new Halo announcement many were hoping for, but a Halo-themed Risk set has, "Yes, please," written all over it.[Update: Image gallery now includes a snap of the game board and pieces.]%Gallery-43278%
Dokapon Dealdom
Amazon has had a bunch of Atlus games on sale for the last week or so, but they've temporarily dropped the prices of a few of the company's Nintendo system releases (and a few from Majesco as well) as part of the "15 Days, 15 Deals" promotion. The sole Atlus Wii game on the list happens to be Dokapon Kingdom, which just came out in October, but is now available for just $15. The party board game RPG is all about accruing cash, so it's appropriate that you can buy the game today and still hang on to your pile of money. It's also about being a jerk to your friends, but you should definitely keep that in the game.The other Wii games included in the sale are Goosebumps: Horrorland and Ultimate I Spy. Dokapon is really the star of the show here, along with some lovely DS deals.%Gallery-20121%%Gallery-27715%
Beloved toy of our youths coming to WiiWare
Warning: you are now entering a Wii Fanboy nostalgia zone; if we get wrapped up in jabbering about our wholesome childhoods over the next 200 words, you've been warned. The cause of this trip down memory lane? The announcement that Tomy would be bringing a Pop-Up Pirate game to WiiWare. Yay!Pop-Up Pirate Wii will emulate the pop-ular children's board/party game, in which players would hold their breath (that bit is optional, but helps) while inserting plastic swords into a plastic barrel containing a pirate. If you chose the wrong slot, the pirate would spring out, startling everybody. As dull as it sounds now we've written it down, it was all the rage back in the '80s, before those damn computer videogame whatchoomacallits came along and ruined everything.Like other board games of our childhood that relied on a steady hand (such as Buckaroo and Operation), we're not yet certain that a videogame version will capture the same ridiculous levels of tension, but still, three cheers for Tomy for at least trying! The chunky, colorful visuals are a great start, in our opinion.Also on Nintendo of Japan's WiiWare page: Simple Series Vol. 2 The Number Puzzle Neo. If ever a series was designed especially for WiiWare, the cheap-but-cheerful Simple series would be it. Both of these will launch next Tuesday in Japan for 500 Wii Points each.%Gallery-37658%[Via Siliconera]
