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'Darkest Dungeon II' early access is coming in 2021
Red Hook Studios also created a board game version of its dungeon crawler.
A Pac-Man edition of 'Monopoly' includes a mini arcade game
Gobble up ghosts and earn points whenever you pass Go.
'Overwatch' action figures and Monopoly are coming this spring
Hasbro is about to give you many, many ways to flaunt your Overwatch fandom beyond the occasional Nerf gun. It's launching a series of toys and games themed around the character-driven shooter, including Monopoly Overwatch Collector's Edition. The $50 board game turns maps into properties, cards into loot boxes and player pieces into familiar characters like D.Va and Winston. However, that's really just the start of the collection -- the action figures in particular stand out.
In 'Fortnite' Monopoly, Tilted Towers is the new Boardwalk
How do you get Fortnite-obsessed kids to play an old-school board game? By putting Fortnite in the board game, of course. Epic and Hasbro have revealed a Fortnite version of Monopoly that replaces the usual property trading with elements from the battle royale shooter. Island locations replace buildings (popular drop point Tilted Towers is the new Boardwalk), while health points replace money. Don't just call it a cosmetic change, though -- there are genuine changes to the game mechanics.
'Mario Kart' Monopoly will have you racing to buy properties
Hasbro's Super Mario Bros.-themed Monopoly looks delightful enough as it is, but it might feel a bit lacking if you prefer the kart-driving version of the beloved Italian plumber. The good news is that you won't have to make do with the ordinary Mario Monopoly -- not when toy and board game giant has released Monopoly Gamer: Mario Kart. Like its predecessor, it incorporates Kart characters and twists into the game. You can choose from the Mario, Princess Peach, Luigi and Toad Mario Kart tokens, which all have specific powers and abilities. When the Toad token player rolls a Power-Up Boost, for instance, all players must pay them one coin.
PlayTable combines blockchain and board games for peak nerdery
Whether they're taking over a section of your local Target or dominating the list of Kickstarter's highest grossing projects, board games are booming right now. And, while traditional board games still have their place, plenty of companies are trying their hands at augmenting tabletop play with websites and apps, or building products that incorporate physical pieces into video games. Blok.Party's PlayTable takes all of that a step further by building a giant tablet to serve as the game board and letting users create their own RFID-enabled pieces that incorporate blockchain tech for a truly personalized gaming experience.
You wanted more Switch games, so you got 'Monopoly'
As the Nintendo Switch was gearing up to launch back in March, fans worried that it would go the way of the big N's prior consoles: Spectacular first-party games with minimal third-party support. But after a tenuous few months when Zelda: Breath of the Wild seemed like the only thing worth playing, the floodgates have opened. Titles of all stripes are coming to the console, from Doom to Shin Megami Tensei V -- and so, it seems, has Monopoly.
'Fallout' is bringing the wasteland to tabletop gaming
Multiplayer in Fallout on PC and consoles probably isn't going to happen. So, if you want friends to join you in the wasteland you're going to have to go old school. The folks from Fantasy Flight Games have devised a tabletop board game that's suitable for up to four players. You can apparently play solo too, according to Game Informer. There's a heavy emphasis on decision making (a callback to the older Fallout games on PC), and newer elements like the VATS system for combat are on offer as well.
'Pictionary' comes to phones five years after 'Draw Something'
It has taken its sweet time, but Pictionary (with all the appropriate copyright branding), has landed on iPhones, Android devices and, oh, even Amazon's app store. The game has two modes. For one, you're given plenty of time time to draw overelaborate masterpieces in a turn-based game, while in the other you're playing in a real-time, two-vs-two challenge, which is obviously why you downloaded the app, right? Categories cover people, places, animals, objects, actions and a spicy "Difficult" category, while you can pick and choose from pencils, crayons, paintbrushes and more to communicate that this is obviously an olive tree, why can't you see that? Stares and stern pen-tapping noises are currently are not supported.
The internet picked a T. rex as one of the new 'Monopoly' tokens
Tasking the internet to pick something for you can go horribly awry. Just ask Boaty McBoatface. When board-game maker Hasbro asked for suggestions to update the Monopoly game pieces, it likely didn't expect that the hivemind would pick a trio of, well, rather tame new tokens to update the capitalism training simulator.
Harmonix and Hasbro's new card game mashes up hit music
The heyday of music games may have passed, but that hasn't stopped Harmonix from experimenting with new ways for you to experience your favorite tunes. Sure, there's a new Rock Band coming to VR, but for those who prefer something a bit more old school, the company's developing a new card game with toy company Hasbro. Dropmix is a music-mixing game about outscoring your opponent, building an awesome song collection and creating the dopest beats.
'Beasts of Balance' is Jenga evolved
Hybrid board games are not a new concept. There's only so much you can track with paper, dice and pen before it becomes 'Spreadsheet: The Game.' A companion smartphone or tablet app can, under the right circumstances, be a useful scorekeeper or dungeon master. Beasts of Balance, a new game by Sensible Object, takes this concept one step further with a deeper, more dynamic digital experience. While you stack objects on a podium, a real-time strategy game takes place on-screen. Both affect one another: The situation in the virtual world encourages you to play certain objects. Likewise, the beasts you position on the tower have ripple effects in the digital game. Mastering both is the key to a dazzling high score.
Unboxing and playing the 'League of Legends' board game
Mechs vs Minions is League of Legends fanfiction presented in the style of Dungeons & Dragons or Descent, with just a hint of Fireball Island thrown in for good measure. It's a cooperative, programmable, card-wielding board game set in the League universe, starring League characters, but nothing about it feels shoehorned into a tabletop format. This could easily be a standalone game on the shelf at Target, no outside video game connection required.
Ben Heck's Hackmanji board game, part 2
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Ben, Karen and Felix continue to work on the Hackmanji board game puzzle. In particular, they've attempted to make it educational, with electronic logic gates ranging from AND, OR to XOR. Ben breaks down the solutions to the logic puzzles while Felix solders the logic chips. Get in touch with The Ben Heck Show team to be involved in the build of logic puzzles for the game, and create an account with element14 to join one of the largest online communities for makers and engineers.
Ben Heck's Hackmanji board game
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){} With a bit of laser cutting for the box and some 3D printing for the pieces, cogs and arms, Ben, Karen and Felix build a new version of the board game Jumanji. (Yes indeed, it's on based on the 1995 Robin Williams film.) Also in this episode, Karen and Ben get a hold of the original Nintendo Power Glove to hack for a future installment. If you have any show ideas of your own, or simply want to engage with The Ben Heck Show team, visit the element14 Community page.
Google's DeepMind AI will take on a Go champ tomorrow night
Google's DeepMind AI is already the first computerized system to best a champion Go player, and you can watch its next big game in less than 24 hours. The AlphaGo program will take on Lee Se-dol in the first match (of a planned five game series) at the Four Seasons hotel in Seoul, Korea tomorrow, at 1PM local time (10:30PM ET). The match will be broadcast live on YouTube, and you can find the stream right here.
'Rock Band 4' and 'Guitar Hero Live' are basically board games
The puppies always get excited when I open the hall closet. As the heavy, wooden door slides open with a twist and a pop, my two tiny dogs run over, tails wagging, because opening that closet means one of three things: The pups are going for a walk, I need to sweep, or it's time to play Rock Band 4. My boyfriend and I store the plastic guitars in that closet, and as I slide them out, brushing past jacket sleeves and cardboard boxes, even the puppies understand what's going on. We're having a party.
Homemade 'Castlevania' board game looks beautiful and fun to play
If you style yourself as a fan of Castlevania, you have nothing on Reddit user XsimonbelmontX. He's created a board version of Nintendo's classic NES game that looks like a hoot thanks to well-thought-out gameplay and stunning craftsmanship. It features 11 characters with upgradeable weapons, 100 items like special armor and over 100 monster cards. The board layout pays homage to the original version of Castlevania, with players battling together through five levels in order to resurrect (and then re-murder) Dracula himself.
Shambling undead invade your gaming table in Risk: Plants vs Zombies
Fertilize your pea shooters and gather as much sun as possible: Plants Vs Zombies is making the jump to a strategy boardgame in Risk: Plants Vs Zombies. Those familiar with Risk should quickly feel at home in the Plants Vs Zombies iteration of the game. Instead of human armies capturing countries of various sizes, Risk: Plants Vs Zombies pits ravenous corpses against deadly anthropomorphic plants. "This completely customized take on two-player Risk offers a double-sided gameboard and three head-to-head ways to play: Tower Defense, Mission Objective, or Total Domination," states PopCap's official description. "With a detailed map of the original town of Brainsborough on one side and the familiar Plants vs. Zombies backyard from the video game on the other, players opt to be plants or zombies and then pick their battlefield. Fighting for their very survival, players engage in skirmishes, battle for three different victory conditions, and play the classic Risk game mode, vying to take over the whole board." Risk: Plants Vs Zombies has been approved for players age 10 and up. It features a $30 price tag, and is currently available on the Plants Vs Zombies online store.
Daily iPad App: Agricola is Playdek's great adaptation of the board game
Agricola is one of the most popular board games around these days -- it's sort of a farming simulation game, where you can take two turns every round, and then periodically get rewards paid off in a harvest. Playdek is an up-and-coming iOS developer that's mostly done card games so far -- they're behind the Penny Arcade card game, as well as the excellent Ascension and a more complicated one I really like called Nightfall. Now, Playdek has teamed up with the creators of Agricola and Lookout Games to produce this iOS adaptation, available right now on the App Store for US$6.99. The way the game works is that every round, you send out a family member to perform some task for you, including growing crops, bringing in resources or building fences for animals. During the game, you can add more members to your family, which means you'll have more chances to bring in resources, but you'll also have more people to feed when the harvest comes around. The game is complex, but the core idea (of building up your farm bit by bit) is strong, so after playing through the tutorial and seeing the process for a while, it's easy to start building your own strategies and plans. Just as with the rest of their titles, Playdek has done a great job here in the presentation -- the game's stark but beautiful music goes well with the theme of fighting just to have enough, and all of the title's various processes and features are clearly displayed with charming and iconic touches. The game uses a top-down 2D drawn style, which might not have been quite as impressive as a full 3D farm environment, but works very well in getting all of the information you need across clearly. Plus, in addition to four gameplay modes, there's online or offline multiplayer, including a pass-and-play mode which is always a nice. Playdek knows well how to translate card games over to iOS, and this title proves they've been able to bring that expertise to board games as well. Agricola might be a bit pricey for those unfamiliar (or uninterested) in the original, but if you're looking for a full-featured, well-made adaptation of the popular board game, this is definitely it.
