Board Game News

America has voted. No, not that overblown political thing on November 7th. We’re talking serious fun here. Board games. Specifically: Monopoly!

Earlier in the year, Hasbro asked players to vote for their favorite landmarks to be included in a new “Monopoly: Here & Now” edition. Americans cast more than 3 million online votes to shape the new edition’s game board and determine which landmarks from 22 cities made it onto the board, as well as the location of those landmarks on the board.

Now, the votes have been tallied, and here are the results:

• America has elected New York City’s Times Square to occupy the highest rent property space (traditionally home to Boardwalk) on the game board of the new edition. The Big Apple shares the coveted blue property color group with its northern neighbor Boston, which landed its Fenway ballpark on the space traditionally occupied by Park Place.
• The rest of the high-rent district (which includes the green color group) features the White House (representing Washington, D.C.), Chicago’s Wrigley’s Field, and the neon-glittering Las Vegas Blvd (aka “The Strip”).
• Orlando’s Disney World occupies the red space traditionally known as Illinois Avenue, which has proven to be the most landed-upon property space on the board during a game.
• Cleveland’s Jacobs Field and Dallas’ Texas Stadium are the most affordable properties for real estate moguls to purchase, occupying the dark purple spaces.
• Beyond the new property landmarks, the new game has newly appraised property values and rents (players who land on Times Square with a hotel will pay $20 million), larger currency denominations, and airports replacing the railroad spaces.
• The game tokens have also been updated, and now include an environmentally-friendly hybrid Toyota Prius, a New Balance running shoe, McDonald’s French Fries, a Motorola RAZR cell phone, an airplane, and a laptop computer.
• The Chance and Community Chest cards, too, have received updated scenarios. For example, winning $10 in a beauty contest has changed to winning $100,000 in a reality TV show, and players are sent directly to jail (without passing GO) for such misdeeds as identity theft and insider trading.

View all Monopoly editions

Legacy Interactive has announced its first downloadable game based on a television franchise, Law & Order Criminal Intent: The Vengeful Heart.

The world of the hit television show Law & Order: Criminal Intent comes to life on the PC as players take on the role of Detective Robert Goren to investigate a murder case. In The Vengeful Heart, the first episode of a four-part series, players scour the crime scenes for evidence, interview witnesses and interrogate suspects in hopes of tracking down the elusive killer. With beautifully rendered graphics and voices and likeness from members of the show’s cast, this thrilling third-person mystery/adventure game will have players feeling like they’ve stepped into an actual episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent. And while players may think they have solved the first case, this dark and sinister tale isn’t completely solved until the fourth and final murder.

The game features celebrity voiceovers from Law & Order: Criminal Intent stars Vincent D’Onofrio (Det. Goren) and Jamey Sheridan (Capt. Deakins). You control Det. Goren’s movements throughout the highly detailed environments as well as direct his unique and psychological interrogation techniques. Creative and innovative puzzles are fully integrated into the storylines.

The Vengeful Heart is the first of four episodes to be released by Legacy Interactive.

About Law & Order: Criminal Intent

Law & Order: Criminal Intent, currently in its fifth season, takes viewers into the minds of its criminals while following the psychological approaches the Major Case Squad uses to solve the crimes. In addition to Detective Logan and his partner, Detective Barek (Annabella Sciorra), the Major Case Squad follows Detectives Robert Goren (Vincent D’Onofrio) and Alexandra Eames (Kathryn Erbe). Courtney B. Vance and Jamey Sheridan also star.

Law & Order: Criminal Intent is a Wolf Films production in association with NBC Universal Television Studio and is Dick Wolf’s third installment of the Law & Order brand, the second-longest running drama series in the history of television. Wolf, Rene Balcer, Fred Berner and Peter Jankowski are executive producers. The game is developed through a licensing agreement with Universal Studios Consumer Products Group.

Source: Legacy Interactive Announces First Episodic Game Based On Hit TV Franchise.

Download Law & Order Criminal Intent: The Vengeful Heart (99MB)

Each year, the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design (AAGAD) presents the Origins Awards recognizing the gaming industry’s top achievements and products released during the previous year. 2005’s nominee list included games from both large and small companies across the industry. Winners of the 32nd Annual Origins Awards have been announced and include the following:

Board Game of the Year

Parthenon: Rise of the Aegean – Immerse yourself in an exciting, competitive world filled with aggressive trading, perilous voyages, and the construction of grand monuments. Parthenon is a game of commerce for 3 to 6 players set in the islands of the Aegean Sea. The time is 600 B.C. and mainland Greece stands on the threshold of glory. The Aegean attempt to share in that glory and to thrive in an increasingly profitable (and dangerous!) world.

Gamer’s Choice Best Board Game of the Year

Shadows Over Camelot – A unique collaborative game featuring a malevolent twist! As the incarnation of the Knights of the Round Table, you join forces against the game itself in an attempt to protect Camelot. Your victory hinges on the successful completion of legendary Quests, such as the search for Excalibur, the Holy Grail, or Lancelot’s Armor; the tournament against the Black Knight; and numerous wars against the Saxons and Picts. But beware … all is not as it seems among these noble Knights. One of your number might yet turn out to be a traitor-in-waiting, biding his time while sowing havoc and destruction from the Shadows!

Read the entire list of award-winners in categories including Collectable Card Games, Traditional Card Game, Role-Playing Games, Miniatures Games, Historical Games, and many more.

Winning Moves Games, known for award-winning, high-quality new and classic games for all ages, has recently introduced a number of new games:

• 25 Words or Less: People, Places and Things Edition – The award-winning 25 Words or Less is back with an all-new People, Places and Things edition to celebrate the game’s 10th anniversary. Players have just one minute and 25 words or less to get their teammates to guess the five words on their card – and every word counts. It’s a fast-paced, fun game that makes any party or get-together a hit!
• Across Words – Across Words™ brings the fun of Scrabble and crosswords together with the excitement of a game show – complete with an electronic talking host. One-on-one players or teams of players try to solve crossword-type clues and drop the correct letter-tile in place before their opponents do. If players are stuck, the electronic host is there to help with more clues.
• Beat The Count – In this new, fast-paced, easy-to-learn card game, players compete to “Beat the Count!” Cards are numbered from 1-10 with “Go For It” and “Knockout” cards to shake things up during game play. Players can bluff their way through each round and be the first to play all of their cards to win the game.
• Easy Money -“Buy it, build it, get rich quick!” This new rendition of the classic Easy Money board game, originally released in the 1930s, will transport your whole family back to the future. Players buy and sell properties, collect rent, build houses, and mortgage their properties when extra cash is needed. The player with the most money in cash and property value in the end wins the game.
• Rubik’s Sudoku -
  It’s Sudoku without all the erasing! Players try to fill a nine-by-nine grid so that each row and each column contain the numbers 1 through 9, and also that each three-by-three grid contains each of these numbers. Instead of a pen, moveable pieces with numbers and in nine different colors are set on the board and the number finding process can begin! A storage tray and a 40-page booklet with 100 starter puzzles makes this a take-anywhere, play-anytime puzzle.
• Stay Alive – The classic skill and action game is now available to go – in a fun travel size version! Players try to keep their five marbles from falling through the grid to “Stay Alive” and be the “last man standing.”

Board Game Central is pleased to offer a new online Mahjong game, Mahjong Time.

Mahjong Time is an online version of the traditional Chinese game of Mahjong. This is not the solitaire type of mahjong, in which a player tries to take pair of tiles away from the board. Traditional mahjong is played by 4 players, where the objective is to assemble a hand of certain combinations. At Mahjong Time, You can play against other players 24/7, no download required. Compete in tournaments (or create your own!) and win money + prizes! You’ll receive $20 in free game credits to get you started.

MahjongTime.com is the first online mahjong club where the worldwide community of mahjong players can play mahjong anytime, anywhere without downloading any software! MahjongTime.com also offers a state-of-the-art, live multi-player mahjong tournaments where members can play this skill-based game against other members to win cash and prizes.

You can play for fun (no cash & prizes) for FREE or you can participate in tournaments with entry fees starting at $1.00 and win cash and prizes!

Play Mahjong Now

Global warming has melted the great ice sheets. No Polar caps remain. The oceans are free. Icebergs are only a memory. The waters have risen more than 80 meters. Gone are the magnificent harbours that once dotted the shores of every land.

But land is everything! Millions are starving. Fertile plains are no more. The great grain belts of the world have been tightened. Tension runs high yet there is hope. There is a new continent to explore and cultivate. But who will lay claim to this new land?

Four rallying hosts prepare in haste. One dominion can save but a few … the race is on. Armies are raised with every man coming forth. Unite and fight … conquer or be lost. Combine your forces, assemble your fleets and breach the storms. Clouds clear for one last stand. The prize is yours … Antarctica!

Antarctica Global WARming is a new game from the father and son team of Peter and Frank Zuuring, at Savita Games.

This futuristic game of global survival features an innovative rotating weather map, which allows storms to move around the game board affecting game pieces with a roll of a dice. (see illustration).

If you’re a fan of strategy games such as Risk, or are interested in the possible effects of global warming, you’ll probably enjoy this game. Now that Antarctica is free of the ice that has trapped it for millions of years, it’s a whole new world to explore and conquer!

After a 40-hour game-playing marathon, members of American Mensa named five new games as Mensa Select®. In alphabetical order, this year’s winners are:

• Deflexion – Players alternate turns moving Egyptian-themed pieces with mirrored surfaces. At the end of each turn, the player fires a built-in laser in hopes of illuminating the opponent’s pharaoh. (Deflexion, www.deflexion.biz)
• Hive – Nature’s chess game. The object is to surround the opponent’s queen bee. Each player gets 11 tiles of five different insects. Each insect’s move is different. (Smart Zone, www.smartzonegames.com)
• Keesdrow – Identify words within a maze of letters using three different colored pegs. Earn premium points by building on opponents’ words or by using a letter more than once within your own word. (Pywacket, www.pywacketgames.com)
• Pentago – Create a row of five marbles, any direction, on a game board that consists of four twistable game blocks. (Pentago, www.pentago.com)
• Wits & Wagers – A trivia game you can win without knowing any trivia. How? By betting on answers provided by your friends. (North Star Games, www.northstargames.com)

Mensa Select winners are chosen annually at the Mensa Mind Games® competition. During the competition, Mensa members play and rate new board and card games. The five games that rate the highest are named Mensa Select and may display the Mensa Select seal on their packaging.

“You don’t have to be a genius to enjoy these games — you just have to enjoy a challenge,” said Pam Donahoo, executive director of American Mensa. “This year’s winners include something for everyone — strategy games, a word game and a party/trivia game. They’ve earned the Mensa Select seal because they are well-designed, original and, best of all, fun to play!”

This year’s Mind Games competition was held April 21-23 in Portland, Ore. One hundred ninety-eight players from every corner of United States reviewed the 62 game entries. During the event, Mensa members also filled out thousands of comment cards, which will be returned to the manufacturers. Suggestions from the comment cards are often used to improve the games.

Based in Arlington, Texas, American Mensa is an organization open to anyone who scores in the top two percent on an accepted, standardized intelligence test. More information about the organization may be found at www.us.mensa.org. More information about Mind Games may be found at www.mindgames.us.mensa.org.

See Also: Mensa Select winners from previous years.

Source: American Mensa Names Mensa Select® Winners. Mensa Select®, Mensa Mind Games®, and the Mensa Mind Games logo are registered trademarks of American Mensa.

All of the mystery and intrigue of the famed Mona Lisa is captured for the first time in a board game. Would-be sleuths of all ages will enjoy seeking the answer to the big question: “Who has Da Vinci’s Masterpiece?”.

Become an art detective and travel back in time to 1911 when the real Mona Lisa painting was stolen in Florence, Italy. Now it’s up to the players to determine which painting is the real one and which are forgeries. Players bid to earn valuable appraisals from an interesting cast of art “experts.” Some experts are a little shady and may try to sabotage you. Precious gems are used to influence the market value of expert guild ratings. Players hire these “experts” to decode paint strokes, paint styles and more, to help them solve the Mona Lisa Mystery.

The beautifully crafted, cleverly playing Mona Lisa Mysteries captures the intrigue and suspense of the events surrounding the caper. The game features 5 Mona Lisa player-painting boards, hand illustrated bid and expert cards, glass gemstones and the history behind the real Mona Lisa heist.

Mona Lisa Mysteries is designed for the age group teens to adults and can be played with 3 to 5 players.

Mona Lisa Mysteries is produced by Winning Moves Games, a leading maker of classic card games, children’s and family games. Founded in 1995, Winning Moves makes special editions of many of the world’s most popular games and creates new, original game concepts for all ages to enjoy.

Mona Lisa Mysteries is available now at a list price of $25.95.

The popular board game Monopoly is getting a makeover and U.S. fans of all ages are deciding what the new layout will be. Hasbro is asking players to vote at monopoly.com for their favorite landmarks to be included in the new “Monopoly: Here & Now” edition, which will be available in Fall 2006.

You can vote for your favorite landmark in 22 major American cities. Your selections are going to end up as properties on the new board, Hasbro says. In addition to updated landmarks and sites, the 70-year-old rents will reflect 2006 rates and the railroads will be replaced by airports. The online poll will be open from April 24th through May 12th, with the final results remaining secret until the game hits store shelves, Hasbro said.

More than 250 million Monopoly sets have been sold in 80 countries and 26 languages since the game debuted in 1935. There are currently hundreds, if not thousands, of specialty Monopoly editions available. The “classic Monopoly” is the Atlantic City Edition, featuring such familiar landmarks as Park Place, Boardwalk, and Baltic Avenue, which will continue to be available.

Vote now!

NinjaLab Studios is proud to announce their latest game, Reversi Deluxe. Reversi is a classic board game for two players. While the origin of this old game of skill is unknown, the modern implementation of it has never been better than Reversi Deluxe. With multiple game modes and a variety of difficulty levels, Reversi Deluxe can challenge anyone from novice to master.

Being specially created for grown-ups, Reversi Deluxe challenges you to reveal your intelligence and logic to win. 4 levels of difficulties, 4 game modes and a dynamic rating system are available. An optional cooperative model lets two gamers play together in the game.

By selecting the difficulty level you can easily play against a computer opponent on equal footing. There are four game modes included with Reversi Deluxe, including a variety of tournaments and a time trial game. In the time trial there is only two minutes per game, making fast thinking as important as fast acting. Reversi Deluxe features a dynamic rating system to track player progress and indicate skill level of players.

Key Features at a Glance:

• 4 game modes
• 4 difficulty modes
• Dynamic rating system
• High level of intelligence

The game play is easy to learn, absorbing and highly addictive.

More information and free download of Reversi Deluxe