Lately, I have been really into timeless board games like Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit and Clue. There is nothing better than throwbacks to your childhood. Monopoly was not really on my list of games as a kid, but I’m pretty sure my not playing the game correctly had something to do with this, so I played with an open mind. Turns out, I was almost as confused with the Monopoly for Wii version as I was as a 6 year old fighting over who gets to be the Scottie dog game piece.
Back in the day when I had a CGA computer that had about 16MB of ram, I also had the Monopoly game for PC. It was kind of boring and the colors where only purple, white, and gray. The graphics were ok as you wandered around the board as either a top hat or some other board piece. Fortunately the version for Wii is a lot more colorfu,l but sadly not much better… To begin, Mr. Monopoly (the mustached, top hat wearing mascot) is a little slow with the directions. As he dictated the rules of the game, I was already well along to the next step. However, moving on didn’t stop him from talking. He kept going until he was good and ready to be done. The board was also small and hard to read. I have bad vision to begin with, but having to literally walk over to the television every time I landed on a new street was beyond absurd. The lettering did expand once your game piece landed, but there was no way to determine where you would land prior to landing.
But being this is a video game version of Monopoly, they do include a faster version of the game as well so those around you don’t fall asleep while holding their Wii remote as you become a tycoon and laugh in their faces. The faster version will let up to four players simultaneously play mini-games to see who becomes richer faster. You will also over time be able to unlock Monopoly boards from around the world.
Rolling the dice is a rewarding experience, the Wii remote makes noise as if you were throwing actual die. You hold the “A” button, shake your hand and release. This, being a boardgame, was just about the only physical movement your body is subjected to. Because of the lack of motion, this game really could be played on any game console, as most of Wii’s appeal is moving with your game.
Conclusion:
As a whole, I would say that this game is better the old school way – as a board game. There are some classics that should remain as they were and don’t translate well into video games. This is definitely
one of those classics. Monopoly for Wii retails for $39.95.
The Good: Cute graphics, will certainly entertain those Monopoly fanatics
The Bad: Gets boring quickly and in the end you won’t care how many hotels you own.
