Board games have just about gone the way of the dinosaur. The tabletop activity that was once the go to choice of rainy days was given a righteous beatdown at the hands of Nintendo decades ago, and video games now taking their place. That is, until you reach drinking age and inebriated hands transform a simple game of Jenga into a blurred line between a tolerable hangover and alcohol poisoning, but that's a whole other topic.
Rather then throw in the towel, board games are still ticking along by riding the video game wave. The latest to get in on the action is Hasbro, a name you might recognize if you happen to look at the fine print on any of your pokémon toys. Know what else they own? Only the best selling board game of all time - Monopoly. That game has been rebranded with just about everything under the sun, and now, Pokémon and The Legend of Zelda are the next in line.
The American International Toy Fair was held late last month, and there, manufacturer USAopoly
announced the beloved Nintendo properties would be getting their own sets, both of which would be due out in September for $45.
I can almost see the Community Chest cards now:
- Hey! LISTEN! You have been elected Hero of Time - Smash a pot of each player
- It's Dangerous to Go Alone, Take This! Collect 500 Rupees
- Get Out of Snorlax's Stomach (Get out of Jail free)
- Play Song of Epona, Skip Ahead 3 Spaces
- A Wild MissingNo Appears! Game Over
The Pokémon set will feature the Kanto region of the recentPokémon X and Y games, while Hyrule will be the obvious setting for The Legend of Zelda set. On a similar note, "CONNECT 4: Super Mario" is also on the way, due out in Spring for $25.
