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Blood Bowl trailer channels Madden + Warcraft
Tabletop gamers are no strangers to the game Blood Bowl, which we mentioned back in November. The game has spanned 22 years, multiple editions and several expansion sets. The basic concept is "fantasy" football, literally. As in orcs, trolls, elves and the like playing an organized team sport where they try to tear their opponents' heads off. Check out the newly released, Warcraft-tastic trailer after the break.
Japan to boldly play Go where no man has played Go before (WiiWare)
Next week, Silver Star Japan's Saikyou Ginsei Shogi will be joined on Japan's WiiWare service by a sequel of sorts. Another of their board game simulations (Silver Star is planning a series of six), Saikyou Ginsei Igo will be released as a download by EA Japan. Like Ginsei Shogi, this new game will be a Wii version of a traditional board game: this time, Go. It features 1-2 player modes, customizable board sizes and difficulty levels, and a hint option to help new players.If you'd like to see a virtual board game being played, a trailer is available at the game's website. We're hoping for Saikyou Ginsei Crocodile Dentist next.%Gallery-25566%[Via Inside-Games]
Chess Crusade campaigns its cuteness
Since free versions of digital chess are easy to come by, it's hard for gamers to justify purchasing titles that feature the classic board game -- we're sure this is one of the many reasons that Nintendo's Wii Chess bombed. In order to compel buyers, chess needs to bring something different to its virtual table.The developers behind Chess Crusade seem to have gotten the message, as the game looks positively adorable. The cutesy medieval chess pieces serve to soften our embittered hearts, and add an interesting, colorful take to an often bland-looking game. What's even better is that the chess pieces actually attack each other on the board, à la Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The title does fall a little short when it comes to multiplayer, though. While you can either play against the computer or against a friend locally, Chess Crusade has no WFC options. In chess, your opponent is such a vital aspect to your enjoyment of the game, so we're not sure if this is a sound decision. Perhaps it would have been better off as a cheaper, WiiWare release.Yet, if online play isn't an issue for you, Chess Crusade is coming to North America in two weeks for the budget price of $19.99. There will also be a DS version available for $5 less.
Atlus hates friendship, announces Dokapon Kingdom
Last week, Atlus sent out a cryptic, humorous "apology" letter from "Player 4," asking forgiveness in advance for humiliating other players in some unannounced game. As it turns out, the teaser was for a localized version of Sting's Dokapon Kingdom, announced today for Wii and PS2. Dokapon Kingdom is a four-player board game/RPG that emphasizes shifting alliances and betrayals between its players, being dubbed a "friendship-destroying party game."The Dokapon Kingdom website features wallpaper, a description of the game's story (in which monsters attack and heroes vie to save the kingdom and earn money from the king), and introductions to three of Dokapon's venal characters.Dokapon is scheduled for an October 14th release, for $40. After the post break, we've got a trailer and a larger version of the image used in the boxart.%Gallery-20121%
Sugoro Chronicle: Monopoly with monsters
Sugoro Chronicle: Migite ni Tsurugi wo Hidarite ni Saikoro (Sugoro Chronicle: Sword in the Left Hand, Dice in the Right) is another hybrid board game/RPG, though unlike Dokapon Kingdom, this one seems to be original for the Wii. Sugoru Chronicle, developed by Compile Heart, uses 2D character portraits of its characters, as well as 3D models in battle. The game is a Monopoly-like competition for acquisition of money, with a few interesting RPG-based modifications, most notably battling between characters. There are over 100 jobs the player can choose from, which seem to affect abilities in battle. Sugoro Chronicle will be out in Japan this August. Their only Wii game to date, Sharuui Takoron, was localized as Octomania by Conspiracy Entertainment, so that would be the most likely avenue of stateside release.
Yakuman Wii's weird non-Mii players
Normally, a bunch of screenshots of something like Yakuman Wii: Ide Yousuke no Kenkou Mahjong wouldn't be terribly interesting. Even if it's a new WiiWare game, mahjong is happening in most of these screens, and that doesn't translate into compelling preview content even for fans of the game.But we're fascinated by Nintendo's decision to use not-Miis as its AI opponents, in a game that includes Miis. Why do that? Why design characters that look sort of like Miis, have similar proportions, but aren't Miis? We understand why the Ide Yousuke character doesn't necessarily adhere to Mii guidelines (to more accurately depict a person), but even he's more Mii-like than these alternate-universe Miis.Each of the characters has a different play style, which is described in the profile next to the name. Atsuo, here, is a "defender." The stars, we believe, indicate a difficulty level. There are lots of other screens available at GAME Watch, ranging from mahjong happening to mahjong about to happen (Wi-Fi setup, lessons from Ide Yousuke) to mahjong just happened (multiplayer results).
Family Game Night is fun for the family
Remember when your family used to put one night of the week aside to play board games, so that you'd grow closer to one another amongst bouts of innocent fun and mayhem? Yeah, neither do we. Hasbro does, though, which is why the company is bringing six of its most popular board games to the Wii, in one small package. Called Family Game Night (not to be confused with Wii Fanboy's Game Night), this title includes the following classics: Connect Four Yahtzee (not the one that curses a lot) Battleship Boggle Sorry! Sorry! Sliders (who wants to tell EA and Hasbro that this doesn't count as a "sixth" game?) We know that going digital is the wave of the future, but is anyone else slightly against the entire "board games turned video games" genre? Call us old-fashioned, but when we cheat at Battleship, we want to cheat with style -- not by looking at a TV screen. If you think differently, though, keep an eye out for Family Game Night, which will hit European Wiis this fall. [Via press release]
Surprise mahjongg game hits Japanese WiiWare next week [update]
[Update: fixed the title. Thanks, Patrick!]Out of nowhere, a new WiiWare game showed up on Nintendo of Japan's WiiWare page. Yakuman Wii: Ide Yousuke no Kenjou Mahjongg (Ide Yousuke's Healthy Mahjongg) is a Nintendo-developed, multiplayer mahjongg game with Mii integration and online play. It also features hints from a Mii of Ide Yousuke (who is apparently a famous mahjongg player, and whose name appears in countless mahjongg game titles).Even though we just found out about it, Nintendo plans to launch it in Japan next week, at a cost of 1,000 Wii Points. However, because it's a mahjongg game, we would be even more surprised to see it released elsewhere. [Via Gamespot Japan]
EA brings Monopoly to the Wii
People who love a nice, long bout of Monopoly but don't trust the dirty, sneaky banker not to cheat might be interested in EA's decision to bring the beloved board game to the Wii. The title will include multiple game boards to "pass Go" on, including the classic board and the new one from Monopoly Here & Now: The World Edition (see the semi-related Stephen Colbert skit posted after the break, just for fun).There's also a new mode you can play called the "Riches Mode," which is a faster and more party-friendly way to get your Monopoly on. It starts out with a minigame (which, in the Wii version, will utilize motion controls -- think sawing yourself out of jail, for example). Whoever wins gets to choose how many pieces they'd like randomly dropped onto the board. If your piece lands on an unoccupied space, you come to own it. If you land on someone else's space, though, you have to pay them. There's no money involved, so you just end up giving them a property or something of the sort. Meanwhile, if your piece lands on a space like Chance, you have to do whatever the card tells you.One downfall, however, is that the Wii version (like the PS2 game) will not have online play. You'll have to turn to the Xbox 360 version for online multiplayer.Don't forget to check out why Monopoly is a threat (via Stephen Colbert) after the break.
AoC board game miniatures revealed
If you just can't quite get your fix of Age of Conan this spring when it releases in online form, there's hope yet! I mean, what would you do if the internet was down, or the power went out? Read a book? Psshh! You'd play the upcoming Age of Conan board game by candlelight, of course!Described as a "massive new strategy game" (see what they're trying to do there?), the AoC board game will feature several miniatures based on the visuals created by Dark Horse Comics. So far, we're shown two new prototypes: the Stygian Emissary and the Hyperborean Army figure. The game developers, Roberto Di Meglio, Francesco Nepitello and Marco Maggi of Nexus Games said they've chosen the Dark Horse Comic style for their miniatures because those are simply the ones they liked the best, despite the many other interpretations in the past.
Othello ... with a story mode!
Othello de Othello DS is notable for more than just the fact that two of the four words in its title are "Othello." It also features a story mode! No details on the story have been released yet, but we can see from screenshots that there's an RPG-like town for your (quite ugly) character to traverse. Hey, it worked for Puzzle Quest! Being a DS game, Othello de Othello DS also features a training mode, designed to test your knowledge of the game. The "Jibun no Jitsuryoku Check" ("Your Own Ability Check") features 150 questions about the rules and history of Othello.
Take a trip to Dokapon Kingdom
Usually our irrational love for hybrid games is sated on the DS, but not the Wii. In the instance of Dokapon Kingdom, though, gamers (with Japanese or modded Wiis, at least) can experience a quirky mix on Nintendo's non-portable system, too.So, what particular combination does Dokapon consist of, you ask? Simply enough, this title is a board-game meets RPG. From what we can tell, the Wii version is actually a port of the PS2 game that was released last November, but it's probably safe for us to assume that most of you never played it the first time around. Should you be interested, the game releases in Japan this June. If you don't have a Wii capable of playing Japanese games and are worried that Datel's Freeloader might not work, though, you can look into the non-port DS version of Dokapon instead.In any case, we've made a gallery of Dokapon Kingdom for your viewing pleasure (aren't we just the greatest?), and also posted some Famitsu screens that can be seen beyond the break.%Gallery-20121%
Dokapon Journey! Make Friends and Fight and View Screenshots!
Though Dokapon's title immediately invites comparisons to similarly named releases, like Patapon, Pokemon, Goemon, or any other Something-mon games, this board-game/RPG hybrid has little to do with pocket monsters, rhythm tactics, or mystical ninjas. As you can see from the the new batch of screenshots we've dropped into the gallery below, however, Dokapon's art direction is just as cute as its superficial contemporaries.Developer Sting has launched its official Japanese site for Dokapon Journey! Nakayoku Kenkashite (Make Friends and Fight!), posting previews of the game's RPG-styled combat, board-game movement, and adorable sprites. Will this have a chance in hell of ever seeing an English localization? Maybe! Atlus had no argument against publishing Sting's two previous handheld SRPGs, Riviera and Yggdra Union, in the states. Dokapon Journey! could be next on the list!Expect Dokapon Journey! to ship to stores in Japan this June 27th.See also: Take a trip to Dokapon Kingdom (Wii)%Gallery-20125%[Via GAME Watch]
The best board game/RPG hybrid you've never heard of
Dokapon games seem to alternate between two different genres: dungeon crawlers mixed with Pokemon-style combat, like the Dokapon Game Boy Advance game released in the U.S., and board games mixed with Pokemon-style combat, like this new DS game, Dokapon Journey! Nakayoku Kenkashite (Make Friends and Fight!)Players compete against each other to defeat monsters around the town and earn money. They can also fight one another and steal their junk in what has been hilariously labeled a "friendship-destroying game."New additions for the DS game include extremely silly minigame-based money-earning methods, including scratch-off lottery tickets and some kind of exercycle game.
Momotaro Dentetsu goes online, stays in Japan
The latest in Hudson's long-lived Momotaro Dentetsu (Momotaro Railroad) series of travel-themed board games features similar components as its predecessors: locations based on Japanese geography, Monopoly-style property acquisition gameplay, and a familiar (to Japan) cast of wacky characters loosely based on the traditional Japanese Momotaro story (but with more trains). But Momotaro Dentetsu 20th Anniversary also brings a significant new aspect to the series: online play. Taking the beloved board game and putting it online is a great way to celebrate a milestone! The new game will be out in Japan this December, and, given the history of the series, we're pretty sure that's where it will stay.
Blizzard and dealing with the expanded WoW universe
Zv of Destromath has an interesting argument on the forums -- he says that Blizzard has overextended themselves, and that by producing everything from trading cards to credit cards to WoW minis, the board game, and the upcoming movie (and he even forgot the FigurePrints and Dell deals), they've lost sight of what they should be working on: the game itself. While Zv does admit on the second page what Bornakk points out on the first (that it's not the same people or even the same company working on all of this stuff, and that the devs are still working on designing the game, not writing a script for the movie), there is still the same old argument here when anything goes mainstream and starts selling a brand: has the original material been neglected?It's up to you, of course, whether you think that's the case or not, but there's no question at all that Blizzard is a completely different company because of World of Warcraft. Before this game, they were a popular-but-still-boutique games studio famous for just a few quality titles in even fewer franchises. But now, they're part of not one but two multinational corporations (one of which shares their name), and they oversee a global empire not just of rights and license releases, but of millions of players and financial interests all over the place. As Zv says, why are they making more deals for expensive swords when they still claim they don't have the manpower to let us use flying mounts in Azeroth?The problem here is that you can't really second guess Blizzard -- despite the fact that you may agree or disagree with the decisions they've made, there's no question that they've got a successful game on their hands and that they've done nothing but make money with it. But though the Warcraft licensing universe seems to be growing at an exponential rate, we hope (and we'll find out, we guess, with the release of patch 2.4 and the expansion), that the core game is still as strong as ever.
Oxygen reveals Hurry Up Hedgehog
Oxygen has revealed a new game headed to the DS in Hurry Up Hedgehog. While the thought of speedy hedgehogs often leads to a certain iconic gaming character, this title instead offers puzzles and is based on a board game. The title is currently scheduled for a March 28th release in the UK.Head on past the break for the press release and hit up our gallery below for screens.%Gallery-16977%
A history: Video games to board games
If you think video games based on movie licenses are bad, did you ever check out board games based on video game licenses? Professional blogger Yehuda has compiled a great little trip through the land of video game to board game conversion. He begins with the early games like Berzerk, Pac-Man and Donkey Kong (pictured). Quick recap of a few of those game's gameplay mechanics: In Berzerk you would flick the back of your guy and his arms would swing up knocking over the bad guy in the next tile; Pac-Man you pressed as hard as you could over marbles to make them pop into the protagonist, and in Donkey Kong there was actually a rubber band inside the arm to drop barrels -- if you got through a full game without a malfunction you were very lucky.Yehuda takes us all the way from the strong beginnings in the '80s to the modern seventh generation in gaming. Definitely a gasp-inducing bit of nostalgia for any kid whose parents thought buying the board game was a reasonable equivalent to the video game.[Via Raph Koster's Website]
Wii Chess looks comfortingly like the real thing
We find it inherently amusing that Wii Chess is -- minus a few frills -- the same game as countless other titles on the market, many of which can be bought with a small handful of spare change. Despite this, we still suspect Wii Chess' no-nonsense approach to the world's favorite strategy game could be a commercial hit for Nintendo; certainly, the budget price tag won't harm its chances. There's a couple of things to note about the above video, however. One: that elevator music is freakin' hideous (and on that note, we'd really like MP3 support in this please, Nintendo). And two: where are the optional Nintendo-themed pieces?! To have Mario and Peach playing the king and queen would have been an excellent little touch. Other Nintendo games get outstanding fan service, so why not this? Two words: Missed. Opportunity.[Thanks, Troy!]
New details on Wii Chess remind us that the game exists
Considering it's a Nintendo game, there's been astoundingly little fanfare for Wii Chess. The game's Wikipedia page is absolutely barren, while a release date has only just appeared (January 18th), and then only for Europe. Despite the lack of information, Nintendo obviously reckons this could have broad appeal, as it's slapped the "Touch! Generations" logo on the corner of the box, which roughly translates as: "Your Gran and her friends will like this."Anyway, further details finally emerged on the title today, with CVG reporting that Wii Chess is to retail for a budget price of £20 / €30 (we'd presume the game's budget status will be preserved if and when it reaches other markets -- our educated guess would be $30 for the U.S.), and that it will support both local multiplayer and games played over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. We're also promised a number of graphical styles, which hopefully means Nintendo-themed boards and pieces, including Goomba pawns and knights that look like Yoshi.And yes, that is the German boxart. We travelled the seven seas of the internet searching for an English version, but returned empty-handed. Still, at least you now know the German word for "chess." Never know when that might come in handy.
