Monopoly Streets Wii game

 

Does that look like the old Monopoly board game?!  To me, this version of Monopoly is way more fun and entertaining than the old board game version, which pales in comparison.  I always got bored and quit Monopoly before the game was over.  With the Wii version, you can save a game and come back to it later, without having a board and pieces laying out somewhere!

Yes, we are LOVING this game at our house.  I’d say it’s our new Wii favorite this season.

Here’s some information about Monopoly Streets, direct from the manufacturer (EA):

To celebrate its 75^th anniversary, the world of Monopoly comes to life through a living, breathing city that you can build, own, and monopolize. MONOPOLY STREETS has everything you love about the board game, presented as a street level tour of Mr. Monopoly’s fully animated world. Engage in a head-to-head race to evolve the surrounding city, accumulate the most wealth and own it all! Play against your friends and see their Miis populate your world! New features, such as property auctions, add new excitement to the classic play. From the cheap motels on Baltic Avenue to the luxurious Boardwalk suites, there is excitement around every corner in this remade classic.

And some of the features that make this game so much fun (with my notes provided in green):

• The board comes alive—See your city grow from the ground up as you buy and trade classic Monopoly properties! From fun animations of the classic tokens to the ritzy hotel you can build on Boardwalk, experience Monopoly in a whole new and interactive way (We love these features!  It’s so much fun to watch your properties getting built up and the animated characters are hilarious to watch!)
• Mii integration—Play as your own Wii Mii, and see your city filled with personal Mii creations stored on your console (OK, who knew?!  You learn something new every day and we had not figured this option out.  Hmmm . . . guess I need to go and play now!)
• Streamlined play—An extensive house rules system allows you to play a game in however much time you have (This is a nice option when you’re pressed for time, but wanting to be able to finish a game.)
• Auction properties—Add competition to the game by auctioning properties with your friends. See if you can snatch a great deal, or break someone’s bank! (Should I confess that Gracie and I have a little “auction deal” going on?  When one of us lands on a property, we select the auction option and  buy it for $1!  LOL  It saves us money and makes the game last longer that way! Brian says we are cheating, but I call it adapting.)
• Play on multiple boards including “Monopoly City” ,“Landmark City” and Classic Boards as well (So far, we’ve only done the Monopoly City option, but we’re anxious to try some of the others.  We haven’t figured out how to unlock them yet!)
• If you’re looking for a new Wii game to add to your collection this holiday season, might I recommend Monopoly Streets?

NOTE: I received a free copy of this game in order to write my personal thoughts on it.  The opinions expressed  above are those of my family.

Christmas Idea #10 – Wii games from EA

If you’re looking for some new Wii games to add to your collection this year, here are a few you might want to check out (all are available from EA Games).

Hasbro Family Game Night 3

In Family Game Night 3, discover endless family fun at the Family Game Night Theme Park!

Spin the wheel of fate in the GAME OF LIFE, find out “whodunit” in CLUE, get your groove on with TWISTER, trigger crazy chain reactions in MOUSE TRAP, or try your hand at YAHTZEE HANDS DOWN.

Enjoy classic and remixed versions of your favorite games, play with your own customized avatar, and challenge family and friends in online multiplayer (360 & PS3)!

Heidi Says . . . We previously tested reviewed Hasbro Family Game Night 2 (you can read our thoughts here).  I think that Family Game Night 3 is MUCH more fun!  We absolutely LOVE the Game of LIFE.  It’s probably my favorite as it’s very much like the traditional board game that I loved as a teen.  Mouse Trap is also fun, though it took me a little while to get onto it (we had never played that actual game version of this, so I wasn’t sure what the premise was).  Clue seems better left to a board game version.  Twister is more of a dance game this time around.  And Yahtzee Hands Down – well, I don’t really care for that one (but I think it’s because I’m a huge fan of the original Yahtzee dice game, so I would have preferred to see that version replicated for Family Game Night 3). 

I would have been willing to purchase this game package for LIFE alone.  One of my favorite features is the fact that after every turn it calculates your worth (financial total).  Though a typical homeschool mom may prefer to have her children tally their own money at the end, this busy mom is all about ease!

Ashley’s 2 cents . . . I like this game.  It’s much better than Hasbro Family Game Night 2.  My favorite game on this is LIFE.  It’s a lot like the real game and an old computer version of LIFE that we used to have and love.  I’d recommend this game to others.

Gracie’s thoughts . . . This game is pretty good, although Clue takes forever (even when you choose the Quick option) and Yahtzee Hands Down is confusing.  I like Clue (even though it takes awhile), LIFE, and Mouse Trap. 

This game can be purchased online at Amazon.com.

Monopoly Streets

To celebrate its 75^th anniversary, the world of Monopoly comes to life through a living, breathing city that you can build, own, and monopolize. MONOPOLY STREETS has everything you love about the board game, presented as a street level tour of Mr. Monopoly’s fully animated world.

Engage in a head-to-head race to evolve the surrounding city, accumulate the most wealth, and own it all! Play against your friends live and online on Xbox 360 and PS3! Fresh takes on classic features such as property auctions, add new excitement to the classic play.

From the cheap motels on Baltic Avenue to the luxurious Boardwalk suites, there is excitement around every corner in this remade classic.

Heidi Says . . . I totally love this game!  My expectations were not very high, as we once had a computer Monopoly game that was horrible.  This Wii game is a blast!  When you first play it, you can choose between the Classic  board game or the Monopoly Streets version.  We’ve chosen that one every time we play and it’s a blast!  You can pick your game piece (a person is associated with each game piece) and as you watch them move around the board it’s so humorous.  We just sit and laugh! 

This game is a great family game.  There are lots of other game board options that you can unlock.  We’ve played several times now and have yet to unlock any of them, so I’m not sure when we’ll get to that point.  You can also unlock more game pieces/characters. 

I will definitely recommend this game.  It would make a great gift for a Wii-playing family on your Christmas list!

Gracie’s thoughts . . . I really like it.  The only thing I don’t like is that you cannot play it by yourself (there is not an option to choose to play against a computer player).  Sometimes nobody else wants to play, and I would like to play alone.  I like playing this game with my mom.  I like the Monopoly Streets version, but I wish we could get some of the other game board options unlocked. 

This game can be purchased online at Amazon.com.

Create

In Create, use your creativity and imagination to unlock a world of play!

Create tracks your creativity and rewards you for it. The more you create, the more you unlock rewards and exciting challenges to play, opening a world of fun as you go.

Let your imagination run wild, as you create cool environments with easy-to-use tools, including animating objects, textures, and designs that bring your scene to life!

It's a limitless experience of creative expression paired with exciting and even wacky challenges that have you thinking on your feet to come up with creative solutions.

Gracie’s thoughts . . . This game is unlike any other games we have. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect with this game.  So far, I’ve only played this game twice; but it’s quite a challenge.  The tutorial is helpful, and gives you a good idea how to play the game. 

Heidi Says . . . I haven’t tried this one yet, but I’ve watched Gracie play and have tried to offer a few solutions for her.  This game looks like quite a challenge and seems like it will be the type of game that will grow with your child.  I’m looking forward to seeing how interesting this game can become!

This game can be purchased online at Amazon.com.

NOTE: I received free copies of each of these games in exchange for our use and honest review of them. I received no other compensation.

My Sims Agents (DS)

The Sims seem to have taken the world by storm.  I remember first hearing about them a few years ago - some friends were talking about a Sims p.c. game that they just loved.  Recently, Gracie has taken an interest in the Sims games for Nintendo DS.  Needless to say, we were both excited by the opportunity to review My Sims Agents by EA Games.

In MySims Agents players take on the role of a special agent on a mission to uncover and foil the sinister plans of Morcubus, the corrupt CEO of MorcuCorp. Players will search for clues and solve cases across the city and far beyond as they piece together his nefarious plans.

Armed with a set of increasingly sophisticated gadgets, players will track footprints, pick locks, hack into computers and do molecular forensics.

They will jump, climb, balance and build their way to follow cases no matter where they lead, even taking a private jet to reach an ancient temple, a spooky mansion and an icy mountaintop chalet. Along the way they meet MySims they can recruit to build up their own team of agents, and unlock rare items they can use to deck out their headquarters.

I have not had opportunity to play this game, so I'm going to leave this review primarily up to Gracie.  I will say that we've priced this game at our local Walmart and Target and both were selling it for $29.99.  I just looked a Amazon.com and was surprised to find it for only $14.99! This game is also available for Wii (for $24.99).

This game is really, really hard! I've played My Sims and My Sims Kingdom and this one is much harder than the other two. My Sims Agents requires you to do much harder missions. Some of the things that you have to do on this game are feed animals so that they will trust you and do things for you, play mini games, make buildings, and other things. Your character is a secret agent who is supposed to find a hidden treasure somewhere in the town.  Someone sends notes saying that he is going to find the treasure before you/your character.  After awhile, you know who he is, but you have to find his hideout.  It's a bit tricky. I got to the end of the other two Sims games I've played; but I can't seem to get to the end of this one.   I do like this game.  I'd like it better if it wasn't so hard; there are a lot of mini games to unlock, but I can't seem to do it. Mom says that's good!

***NOTE*** This review was written for EA Games. Free product was received in exchange for sharing my thoughts and opinions on the game.

Charm Girls Club - My Fashion Mall (DS)

I love shopping and I love the mall!  So far, though, I haven't been able to transfer that love to Gracie.  That is, until Charm Girls Club - My Fashion Mall game for Nintendo DS (from EA Games) came along!  Lately, all Gracie talks about is the mall.  Here's why:

Charm Girls Club™ My Fashion Mall takes girls through a series of mini-games and “mall drama” that allows them to make it the most fashionable mall ever! Emilie’s uncle just opened the new Teen mega-mall but it’s so not cool. As the experts on what’s “in”, you and your BFFs are called in to transform the mall from drab to fab! 10+ mall mini-games including make-overs, mani-pedis, serving food & drinks, accessory sorter, pet pampering and more! 4 mall areas including Snack Court, Fashion Zone, Beauty Block and Gifts Galore. Earn over 50 virtual charms!

I would have gone crazy over a game like this when I was a kid!  As a matter of fact, I've had to pry Gracie's DS away from her a few times over the past couple of weeks so that I could get a chance to play with my very own charm girl (what a blast it was creating her and playing the various games!)  I've even earned a few virtual charms!

The Charm Girls Club is actually a series of games, which includes (to date) 3 other games - My Perfect Prom, My Fashion Show, and Pajama Party.  Games are available for both Nintendo DS and Wii systems.  We've priced the DS games in stores and they seem to run about $29.99.  Gracie loves them and would like to have the whole series!  Purchasing from Amazon is quick and simple, and this game is eligible for free super saver shipping (love that!)

I really like this game because it has lots of different activities.  My favorite activity is called "Hugs and Mugs". In this game, you have to make  coffee for the customers in the food court at the mall.  I like earning the charms as I play the games. So far, I've earned 21 charms. Some of them I won't be able to earn unless one of my friends has the same game and we can compete against each other in quizzes and stuff.  The more you play, the more activities you can unlock.

I have lots of Nintendo DS games and this one is definitely one of my favorites.  I didn't think I would like this game because it's about the mall and I'm not really into shopping; but I was wrong.  I think other girls would like this game too.  I would like to get all of the Charm Girls games!

***NOTE*** This review was written for EA Games. Free product was received in exchange for my honest opinion.

Hasbro Family Game Night 2 (Wii)

Did you have the Operation game when you were a kid?  If you did, I'm jealous. I always wanted that game!  What about Connect 4?  Are you a Jenga fan?  Do your kids love Bop It?  Did you get Pictureka for Christmas?  These games are a variety of old and new favorites.

My kids were thrilled with the opportunity to try out Hasbro Family Game Night 2 by EA Games.  It's a whole new way to share in family game night, that's for sure!

Mr. Potato Head (a favorite in our family) serves as the host of Family Game Night 2.  Up to 4 players can compete at once (I'd suggest having a seperate Wii remote for each player for ease of use).  There are so many different game modes available that you will probably never play the exact same game twice.

You're first  greeted with a selection screen, where you can choose to play one of the individual games or to play as a Family Game Show (which is done like a game show, where contestants spin the wheel to decide which game to play and modes are selected randomly).

The "original" versions of each game are far from original! Though they look a lot like the regular game, play mode is much different and using your Wii remote to play brings a whole new dynamic to the games.  Along with the original versions, there are numerous "remix" versions of each game available also. 

We've played this game a few times now and I have to admit that I stink at it!  The girls are both much better at it than I am.  But, that doesn't stop me!  It's fun and it's a challenge, and I enjoy a good challenge now and again.  My favorite game (or the one I'm best at) is probably Operation (original version).  Poor Ian, though, is downright terrified of the Operation game (I think it's something about the skeleton image when Cavity Sam is under the x-ray machine.

We've seen this game for sale at both Walmart and Target for $39.99.  Amazon has it for a few dollars less, and it's availabe with FREE shipping; so I'd recommend that option.

This isn't my favorite game.  It's ok, just not my favorite. I guess that's because it's a little hard to get used to, or to get the hang of how to play the various games.  My favorite game is Bop It!  I can beat the whole family at that one!

I'm best at the Operation game.  It's fun and I'm really good at it. I like the play the games regular better than doing the Game Show mode.  My least favorite games are Jenga and Connect 4.  Maybe that's because I haven't totally figured out how to play them.

***NOTE*** This review was written for EA Games and is my own personal opinion. Free product was received in exchange for my honest review.