Strollerderby : Board Games

Battleship – The Movie? Really?

SunnyChanel — Fri, 29 May 2009 17:30:00 GMT

There was the cinematic ode to Clue, there is currently a Monopoly movie in production (directed by Ridley Scott) and now another film based on a classic board game may be in the works – Battleship: The Movie.

Peter Berg who directed the action film Hancock is in supposedly in negotiations to direct a film version of the fun and excitement that is the game Battleship. Two hours of people saying “B2”, “A8”, “D4”? Yes, the “you sunk my battleship” action will be much more thrilling but how will this film differentiate itself from the regular everyday Naval adventure epic? Will the sea be a grid of squares? Will the protagonists of the film be two elementary-aged school boys hanging out in their basement playroom?

Regardless, I think this is a pretty big stretch of the imagination to actualize the game just to create some name recognition with the Hasbro franchise. I think a film version of Candyland, which is also in the works, will be a much more delicious and watchable endeavor.

When Board Games Become Major Motion Pictures

Jen Chaney — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:28:00 GMT

Toys have been turned into movies before. It happened with "Transformers." Same deal with "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl."

Still, I find something particularly odd about making a film based on a board game. But that's exactly what Hollywood plans to do with ... wait for it .. Monopoly.

As mentioned recently in the Hollywood Reporter, the production of the Monopoly movie is moving forward and ... wait for it again .. Ridley Scott has officially decided to direct. Yes, THAT Ridley Scott, the same guy behind "Alien," "Blade Runner" and "Gladiator." Honestly, what's next? Martin Scorsese signing on to helm "Hungry, Hungry Hippos"?

Apparently Hasbro, the company behind Monopoly, has other motion picture plans in the works, including film versions of "Ouija Board" and "Battleship." (We can all guess what the climactic line of dialogue will be in that last one, right?)

To be fair, Monopoly doesn't mark the first time a board game has inspired a movie. We all remember the big screen version of "Clue." (OK, some of us do. Vaguely.) Still, somehow this concept feels like a new low for movie ideas. Then again, perhaps I am wrong.

Maybe Americans are simply dying to see another classic "Kid MovesThimble Around Board, Kid Tries to Buy Park Place But Realizes He Has No Money, Kid Gets Bored and Ditches Monopoly to Play Video Games Instead" story. It's so cliche, though. I mean, that's basically the same exact plot as "No Country for Old Men."

You tell me if I'm wrong. Seriously, I know you're capable of doing that based on the stick incident. Does the "Monopoly" movie sound like a great idea? Would you take your kids to see it? And who should play that dude with the monocle?

Unusual toddler gifts

Brett Singer — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:00:00 GMT

From mommyq.com (via kirtsy) comes this collection of, "The Coolest Toddler Gifts You Don’t Know About." Additionally, "you’ll feel good about giving these hip gifts because they’re educational too." Hm. Hip and educational. Perhaps… Let us see…

My Pet Lamp

Specifically this is the "Offi My Pet Lamp - Howee Pup." It comes from Hong Kong; personally, my guess would've been Japan, where they tend to dig weird looking stuff like this. It's made of "non-toxic plastic" (have you ever seen something advertised as being made out of "unsafe toxic materials"?) that allows your toddler to scribble on it using the included washable marker. Of course, no toddler would EVER use said washable marker on any substance other than the lamp. Never! Also, I have to admit that at first glance I thought this particular Pet Lamp looked kind of like a boobie. Looking at a slightly larger version of the image, I think it looks like a pup, albeit one from a distant planet, and the markers look like alien pup waste product. A bargain at $59.

Wheely Bug

Again, totally non-toxic dude! MommyQ says that these "ride-on critters are quickly becoming 'the' gift-to-give for youngsters." Also: "They may look wooden, but the leatherette seat has a layer of foam underneath so it’s soft." Like our political candidates! Sort of.

Cooking Utensils Set

I'm not sure how these are a gift you've never heard of, but in my opinion this one is the best of the bunch. One of my youngest son's favorite toys are cooking things; we have a wooden pizza kit that he loves and he has also been known to put all sorts of things in a real salad spinner. These are nicely priced at $16.20 (weird number, but whatever) and include "a frying pan, spatula, a pot with lid, serving spoon and saucepan." That's plenty for the budding Emeril, Rachael Ray, or whoever is popular these days.

Get their full list here. Personally, I'm going to stick with board games and those Melissa and Doug toys until somebody comes up with something better.

Image/Source: mommyq.com, via Kirtsy

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Bored games

Brett Singer — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 20:30:00 GMT

They're meant for kids, but sometimes I wonder if even they enjoy these dull gaming concoctions.

	Clue Jr.: When I was young, I played regular Clue. (My mother used to torture me with the cards in a way that has scarred me for life, but that's another story.) Clue Jr. is actually more complicated, and also less satisfying.
	The Game of Life: If actual life were as dull as the Game of Life, our nation's suicide rate would quadruple. You spin. You move. You do what the space says. You spin. You move. You do what the space says…Hm. Maybe it is like real life. Only much more boring.
	Candy Land: With little children, this is fine. But once they can string a sentence together – "Candy Land sucks, can we play something else?" for example – it should be time to move on.
	Monopoly Jr.: What, pray tell, is wrong with regular Monopoly? They even make different versions now in order to satisfy even the most media-addled brain: Star Wars Monopoly, Your-Favorite-Sports-Team Monopoly, Marvel Super Heroes Monopoly. In Monopoly Jr., you build lemonade stands, presumably because hotels are too complex a concept for young minds. In our house, my youngest seems to have lost the game board for this one, so he and his older brother were "making rain" with the lemonade stand pieces. That seems like a better use of them. (I skipped an explanation that in the rap world, "making it rain" has a slightly different meaning.)

There are probably more, but I have to get back to a marathon 'Clue Jr.' session. Isn't it time for school to start?

images: theair1morningshow, Amazon.com

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When Bad Things Happen to Good Board Games

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 20:35:00 GMT

Gamemaker Hasbro has updated its formerly fabulous murder mystery game Clue. While hoping to making Clue hipper to a new generation raised on celebrity worship and faster-acting weapons, Hasbro has succeeded in making the purists amongst us bemoan our lost childhoods. (Colonel Mustard, you'll never change in my eyes!)

The new crime scene is a party for the rich and famous, held at a mansion including such modern luxuries as a spa and theatre. (Maybe that, curious Jezebel writer, explains the reason for the woman with a disconcerting resemblance to Catherine Zeta-Jones on the box.) The deliciously sinister lead pipe has been replaced with a preppy trophy, while the old school revolver is now a sleek pistol. And remember the refreshingly nerdy Professor Plum? He is now a dot.com billionaire. Colonel Mustard is now a football star.

Worst of all, Miss Scarlet has been given a sexy first name: Cassandra. The old Miss Scarlet may have been a vixen, but we had to imagine her that way.

Hasbro, it's not just the game you're messing with; you’re putting me through changes as well.

Photo: NPR

Board Games Alternatives: There's More to Games Than Candyland

Karen Murphy — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 20:24:00 GMT

There were some wonderful comments to my recent post about board games that were insightful and absolutely correct and that have inspired me to throw open my own game cabinet for all of you and share what my kids have loved over the years. (Hint: we're not talking Candyland here, although we own it).

Toddler/Preschool: The Ravensburger games we own are perfect for this age. Snail's Pace Race (where you race, uh, snails, and you root for all the snails so there are no big tears for the loser if it's you) and Picture Perfect (guess the shape in the bag! and match the shape to the cards!) are wonderful first games, and Mystery Garden, a kind of twenty questions game, is great for slightly older kids. (Note: Ravensburger also makes some wonderful games for older kids as well as a huge variety of stunning jigsaw puzzles)

Preschool: We have some great games by Haba that fit this category: Chubby Cheeks and Bauer, Schnell! (the Farmer Game) are both cooperative games where everyone works together to complete a task (gathering food for hungry hamsters; feeding all the animals at the farm) before a deadline.

Ages 5 and Up: Both my 7-year old and my 11-year old love all the games by Family Pastimes, a maker of really unusual cooperative games. The hands-down favorite has got to be Caves and Claws, where the game is different every time because you set up the board differently every time. Funny Face is a miming game a little like Charades; Round-Up and The Adventures Of Harley will have you rounding up horses or searching for a dog's favorite things; Harvest Time pits you against nature as you struggle to plant and harvest a crop before winter, and The Secret Door has you strategizing together to solve a mystery. We also own Maze, which is vaguely chess-like but again requires you to set up the board beforehand in some configuration (different every time) while working together to strategize.

Another great game we owned but haven't actually played yet (still being squirreled away for future presentation) is Carcassonne, a wildly popular strategy game found along with a lot of other great games at Funagain Games. I could go on and on. Chess, Go, Risk, Backgammon... What games does your family love that are somewhat "out of the box"?

"I Get 11 Points for the Word Quagmire"

MetroDad — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 14:14:00 GMT

When I was a little kid, family games consisted of old classics like Boggle, Monopoly, and Yahtzee. These days, one might assume that with so much advanced electronic entertainment technology (Sony's PS3, Nintendo's Wii) dominating the industry, traditional gaming options might not be able to compete in the marketplace. However, to the surprise of many in the gaming industry, traditional-style board games continue to remain strong in the industry.

The reason for their continued success has much to do with the fact that, instead of marketing to mainstream consumers, some board game manufacturers have begun targeting customer niches with special editions of hit games (like the "Lord of the Rings" version of Trivial Pursuit), while others have been developing new games for the specific interests of pocket groups.

I guess it's the pursuit of the latter that best explains the newest and hottest hit board game, "The War On Terror."

According to the game's manufacturers, the goal of "The War on Terror" is to "liberate the world, ridding it of fear and terrorism forever. Naturally, only the biggest and strongest Empires are up to this task and so a certain amount of dominance needs to be shown. Alternatively, you can play as the terrorists, fighting for a world without empires...It's a a bizarre and macabre game where lying, duplicity and inconsistent morals are the instruments of winning and the rules are made up by those in the lead."

I find it highly amusing that the makers claim "The War on Terror" is a great family game suitable for all ages.

But what I find even funnier? The French version of the game will be released next year. Hah!