The movie based on the iconic board game Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots is taking shape. Mattel Films and Universal Pictures have joined forces to develop an adaptation of this classic robot boxing game, known for its simplicity and intergenerational fun. The film promises to bring back nostalgia for childhood fans and attract a new audience. Boxing night! Vin Diesel, known for his work in the Fast & Furious franchise, will lead the cast as the protagonist and will also be showcased as a producer through his company One Race Films. Along with […]
The movie based on the iconic board game Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots is taking shape. Mattel Films and Universal Pictures have joined forces to develop an adaptation of this classic robot boxing game, known for its simplicity and intergenerational fun. The film promises to bring back nostalgia for childhood fans and attract a new audience.
Boxing Night!
Vin Diesel, known for his work in the Fast & Furious franchise, will lead the cast as the protagonist and will also be showcased as a producer through his company One Race Films. Alongside him, Samantha Vincent, his partner and frequent collaborator, will participate in the production. Diesel’s involvement, known for his charisma and physical action, suggests that the film will aim to provide an exciting and distinctive approach to the source material.
This collaboration between Mattel Films and Universal is a clear indicator of a growing trend in the film industry: the adaptation of popular board games and video games to the big screen. As Hollywood continues to seek new ways to attract audiences, brands that evoke nostalgia, such as Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, are seen as valuable properties for cinematic exploration. With a story that combines competition and light entertainment, the film has the potential to capture the essence of the game and transform it into a dynamic narrative suitable for modern audiences.
Moreover, the fact that this project is underway raises the possibility that the universe of more board games could be explored, which could receive similar treatment. Meanwhile, specific details about the plot, the supporting cast, and the release date have not yet been revealed. However, the excitement surrounding this new development in the action movie world is undeniable.
Netflix has taken a significant step towards expanding its content offering by adapting the iconic board game The Settlers of Catan. The company has secured the rights to develop a series of projects that include movies, television series, and reality shows, in both live-action and animated formats. This move
Netflix has taken a significant step towards expanding its content offering by adapting the iconic board game The Settlers of Catan. The company has secured the rights to develop a series of projects that include movies, television series, and reality shows, in both live-action and animated formats. This move underscores the growing influence of board games in popular culture and home entertainment, as highlighted by the CEO of Asmodee, the company that owns the rights to Catan.
Catan can take on many possible forms
With over 30 years in the market and more than 45 million units sold, Catan has solidified its status as a modern classic among board games. Although in 2015 they secured the rights for a movie that eventually went to Sony, the project did not materialize. However, the recent initiative by Netflix shows a renewed interest in exploiting the game’s narrative, which focuses on the construction and governance of a new home through resource exchange.
In addition to Catan, Netflix has begun adapting other popular board games, such as Werewolves, Exploding Kittens, and a Monopoly reality show, indicating a strategic approach towards content that resonates with audiences of various ages. Jinny Howe, head of fiction series at Netflix, mentioned that the intense strategy inherent in the game offers endless opportunities to build drama and narrative on screen.
The existence of novels that expand the universe of Catan suggests that there is a rich narrative foundation that could be brought to the screen, potentially providing stories that resonate with the gaming experience of millions. As Netflix ventures into this new creative territory, Catan fans eagerly await what surprises this adaptation will bring to the world of entertainment.
Board games based on video games are not only in vogue but can also be surprisingly fun, exciting, and perfectly capture – even better – the spirit of the original.
You may have never played a video game and thought, “Hey, you know how I could improve this? With dice, cards, a board, and a complex system of mechanics that is terribly difficult to understand and that I have to deceive between one and three people for a long period of time until I can master it.”
However, video game-based board games are not only popular nowadays, but they can also be surprisingly fun, exciting, and capture the spirit of the original, even better. And so you don’t get lost in the wasteland of pixels and dice, we’re going to review the top 10 that you can find anywhere. Get ready to put aside the controller and sit at a table for a while.
‘Doom’ can even be played on a printer screen, and did you think it couldn’t be turned into a board game? In this game, up to four players will control the marines and one will control the demons. Different objectives, ways to play, missions, and victories await you. And yes, indeed: it is much more fun to play as the bad guys.
9-Street Fighter II
Is it a good board game? Absolutely not. Its mechanics are simple, luck-based, and extremely boring. But… Have you taken a look at it? They are the characters from Street Fighter II in a three-dimensional city looking for a fight and winning until they face the evil M. Bison. No, it’s not exactly ‘Dune Imperium’, but it’s a little gem to have in your home.
8-Fallout Shelter
In the midst of the peak of the television series, perhaps it is time to organize your nuclear shelter by eliminating threats, gaining happiness, and making improvements little by little. Originally, this was a mobile game, but, frankly, it is better played with cards, Pip Boy figurines, and tokens. And besides, the artwork is, as usual with this saga, an absolute delight.
7-World of Warcraft
There are dozens of games based on the Blizzard franchise, from the classic Monopoly to versions of ‘Smallworld’ or collectible card games. But if we had to choose one, it would be, literally, ‘World of Warcraft: the board game’, in which you will have to choose whether to fight for the Horde or the Alliance, carefully choose your character and earn power and honor points for your faction. But without paying monthly fees or buying mounts at absurd prices, which, whether you like it or not, is an advantage.
6-Fallout
We have already fixed the shelter, now it’s time to go out into the Wasteland and see what’s going on. The most curious thing about Fallout is that you won’t see the complete board at first, but it will open up before you as you complete missions, defeating mutant monsters and surviving in an environment where only Nuka-Cola can save you at any given moment.
5-Skyrim
You can get ‘Skyrim‘ on twenty different consoles: Why not try something different by bringing it to your table? The game will allow you to create a unique character that will evolve throughout two very long campaigns. A cooperative game full of wonderful miniatures, dragons, mines, tombs, weapons and, of course, death. And the best part? Like the video game, you can also enjoy it alone. Just be prepared to roll dice non-stop.
4-Cyberpunk 2077: Night City Gangs
When ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ was released, it was a moment of absolute disappointment (and many bugs) for all those who were eagerly awaiting it. However, over time it has been fixed and playing it now is the experience you always wanted. The board game is another success in the franchise: you will have to organize your gang to gain power in the city, not only to defeat your opponents, but also to make changes in the game, for better or for worse. It is now available for sale in Spain, and you wouldn’t be wrong to give it a try.
3-Anno 1800
A board game so good that many people don’t even realize it’s based on a video game. In this case, players must compete to earn influence points by exploring worlds, making deals with foreign countries, and increasing their population, with tough decisions to make. True to the original, fun, and very European. So much so that it could easily have another name and still be successful.
2-Borderlands
You already know what you’re going to find in Borderlands: fun, humor, bad temper, and all kinds of explosions. In the case of this board game, you will have to face all kinds of enemies in a crazy campaign mode with simple gameplay that will take the video game’s principles to the end. If you’re a fan, you can’t miss it.
1-This war of mine
Of course the first one had to be ‘This war of mine’. If the video game is already as complicated as it is terrifying and desolate, the board game manages to double the experiences of it. You will have to see the B side of the war and try to survive by accumulating resources (if you can) in a game as difficult to win as it is satisfying to play. If it’s missing from your shelf, you’re doing something wrong.
Over the years, there have been hundreds of versions of ‘Scrabble’ like ‘Super Scrabble’, deluxe adaptations, or even in Braille. Now, there’s a fuss because yet another one has come out. Of course.
We are about to celebrate 90 years since the creation of Scrabble: they say that an American architect, Alfred Mosher Butts, created it in 1938, and since then more than 150 million units have been sold (not counting versions like ‘Intelect’ or, more loosely, ‘Bananagrams’). As you can imagine, over the years there have been hundreds of versions of Scrabble like ‘Super Scrabble’, luxury adaptations or even in braille. Now there is another one. Of course.
From Mattel, they have announced that this ‘Scrabble’, titled ‘Scrabble together’, will be a less competitive cooperative game than the classic one. Specifically, they have explained that it is a game for the Z generation, who wants a game where you can simply enjoy “words, language, being together and having fun”. And you may ask, “Why are there people who didn’t like it?”. Well, who knows.
In the ‘Scrabble together’ box you will find the original version of the game as well, in case you only want the classic rules, and no one forces you to accept the new features. In this case, players will have new challenges (“Make a word that has the same consonant several times” or “Play a word vertically”) and draw cards that can twist the game, like turning letters into wildcards. If you are reading this and clenching your fists, maybe it’s time to consider why.
No one is affected by there being a new way to play, just like Monopoly with a credit card didn’t affect the traditional bills or ‘Star Trek’ Catán didn’t make the classic disappear from the shelves. If you haven’t been able to adapt to the new times, maybe now is the time to try.
The latest thing has been mixing ‘Trivial Pursuit’ with Wordle and artificial intelligence. Because, of course, AI had to be involved in there.
When in 1981, 1100 copies of ‘Trivial Pursuit‘ were released to try their luck in an still evolving board game market, Chris Haney and Scott Abbott could hardly imagine that we would still be playing it over forty years later, and that their title would adapt to the technological innovations of an ever-growing market. The latest has been to mix ‘Trivial Pursuit’ with Wordle and artificial intelligence. Because of course AI had to be involved.
This new version is called ‘Trivial Pursuit Infinite’ and can be played on the official website of the board game right now. As always, it is divided into the usual six categories: Geography, Entertainment, History, Art and Literature, Science and Nature, Sports and Leisure, and there are a few new questions every day. But in this case, they will have to be answered within a time limit to prevent you from searching on Google. So far so good.
The problem is that in the middle, without anyone calling it, Artificial Intelligence has gotten involved. Throughout its history, Trivial has been a game in which you had to show your knowledge through six topics that you may not have fully mastered, but now you can introduce your favorite topic and the AI will ask you questions that can “capture your curiosity”, according to Hasbro. In other words, personalized Trivial so that you always get the right answers.
Luckily, it’s just a game mode and no one is forced to play with AI. They even hope that after trying the online version, you will buy the board game as it was originally conceived (that is, with a lot of intelligence, but little artificial). Every day, Trivial Pursuit Infinite releases new questions, with the idea of becoming a morning pastime in the style of Wordle, but expecting people to remember to answer the questions every morning is too much even for Hasbro.
Will ‘Trivial Pursuit Infinite’ relaunch the sales of a game that is already a staple in every respectable household? Will it become a new Wordle to play while you have your coffee? Many questions, few answers (for now). And it’s a shame, being the Trivial Pursuit.
The classic “I’ll trade you two sheep for one clay” has grown to become gigantic and even has its own company. But how on earth did it all start?
If you have ever played a board game other than the typical Monopoly or Trivial Pursuit, surely ‘Settlers of Catan’ has made it to the table. It couldn’t be otherwise: after all, it is about to turn 30 years old and is considered one of the fathers of modern board games. The classic “I’ll trade you two sheep for one clay” has grown to become gigantic and even has its own company. But how the hell did it all start?
Let’s go back to the 80s in Germany, where a thirty-year-old dental technician, Klaus Teuber, has a double life as a board game designer. In fact, he won the Spiel des Jahres (or Game of the Year) three times (an award given at the prestigious Essen fair): ‘Barbarossa’, ‘Adel Verpflichtet’, and ‘Drunter und Drüber’. Very successful, yes, but none of these titles allowed him to quit his day job.
In 1991, Teuber became obsessed with the history of Viking settlers in Iceland, and thought it would be a good idea to make a game about the subject. It took him four years of different prototypes trying to develop the game until he finally realized what was wrong: the squares had to be hexagonal instead of square. Only in that way could he make the most of the game’s resources.
There was only one way to know if he had hit the mark: to have some test players. In this case, his wife and children, who were forced to play with each new prototype. In the end, until he saw that they didn’t want to try anything else, he knew he had something special. In its final version, it had six resources prepared: wood, wool, grain, clay, and ore, but… no one has ever called them that. Let’s not get confused. In ‘Settlers of Catan‘ (well, that’s what it used to be called) we handle sheep, wheat, logs, mud, and stone, or whatever they’re called in each house.
The Hexagonal Success
When it finally went on sale, it became an absolute success. So much so that the first batch of 5000 copies sold out immediately and Teuber didn’t even have one for himself. The game, according to experts, was a complete hit because it forced players to talk to each other, ushering in a more social era of board games.
The time of sitting each one looking at their own cards is over. It was necessary to see what the neighbor had, what was convenient for you, how not to excessively benefit him and the best way to bet for everyone. To this day, more than 40 million have been sold, with a post-pandemic resurgence. And, of course, it won the Game of the Year award in 1995.
Over the years, Teuber did not lose his own fascination with the game and continued to play online one of the many versions that the game has. Of course, anonymously, to avoid collapsing his games. ‘Catan’ has novels, a film version has been rumored, you can play versions of ‘Star Trek’, dozens of expansions, and even an exclusive version adapted to the Hebrew Bible called ‘The Settlers of Canaan’.
At the age of 70, Klaus Teube passed away on April 1st after a brief illness. His company dedicated to marketing ‘Catán’ in all its forms and ways has survived him and it seems that it will continue to do so for many years. It is, so to speak, the new chess: it is an alternative to the usual game that everyone knows how to play. Here’s to many more years!
The legend says that Jeffrey Beslow, known for creating board games based on absurd licenses like ‘Donkey Kong’ or ‘Jaws,’ held a meeting to propose ‘Trump: The Game’ to him in 1988.
The name of Donald Trump immediately brings to mind a lot of mental situations, and not all of them are precisely positive, from the Capitol Assault to Jimmy Fallon messing up his hair (in a strange but somehow effective political maneuver). However, some time ago, the business shark, cameo in ‘Home Alone 2’ and star of ‘The Apprentice’ tried to make a name for himself, from the top of his literal glass tower, in a board game.
It wasn’t the first time that Trump put his name on something that had nothing to do with him: in the United States, they enjoyed his steaks (figuratively speaking: no one bought them) and his vodka, which, for now, is only being consumed in Israel. So, why not a board game? Legend has it that Jeffrey Beslow, a board game designer known for creating games based on absurd licenses like Donkey Kong or ‘Jaws’, had a meeting with him to propose ‘Trump: the game’ in 1988.
And we all know the former American president: few things he likes more than himself. So, without hesitation, he approved the project, which was developed with MB. Trump’s idea was to create a realistic Monopoly game, where the minimum amount to play would be ten million dollars. The manual ended up being so absurdly complex to explain something very simple that it took up 15 pages.
They released two million units to stores and barely sold 800,000 in total, of which the millionaire promised to donate 60% of the profits to charity (without the creators knowing anything). Later, in court, he had no way to prove that his promise was fulfilled. The promotional campaign was so intense that even Bob Stupak, director of a casino in Las Vegas, challenged Trump to a game of his own but with a million dollars at stake. Trump never accepted, not even when the bet became 250,000 dollars that Stupak himself would donate to the NGO of the winner’s choice.
It’s not surprising: in the ad, the big star only said two sentences (“My new game is Trump: the game” and “I think you’ll like it”) and practically doomed it to failure. Interestingly, in 2004, it was released again after the success of ‘The apprentice’ but in a much more simplified way, with a slogan announcing that you needed brains to win millions, but Trump to win billions. It was not a success either.
Ah, the game with Bob Stupak wouldn’t have gone anywhere: neither of the two millionaires had read the rules of the game because then they would have discovered that the minimum number of players is… three.
The good thing is that you have an excuse to give whatever you want for many Christmases to come. And we are going to explain to you why these 5 games are outdated… And what to replace them with. Go for it!
Surely it’s happened to you more than once: you arrive at a game night at someone else’s house and all they have are a couple of board games from the 80s, an unopened Settlers of Catan, and the classic deck of cards for playing mus. The downside is that this night might not be the most fun of your life. The upside is that you have an excuse to give whatever gifts you want for many future Christmases. Because we’re going to explain why these 5 games are outdated… and what to replace them with. Let’s get to it!
Let’s be honest: it’s always been boring. Buying streets, putting up houses and hotels, spending hours rolling dice and not getting anywhere while there’s a constant flow of money (and yawns) until some go bankrupt and others succeed. And the best way to replace Monopoly isn’t with a new version, no.
What you should play instead: ‘Machi Koro’, a game that is also about buying places, building, saving, and plundering your neighbors’ wallets, but for much less time, much better themed, and more fun. And if you like it, moreover, there’s the ever-appreciated Legacy version, where everything changes every time you sit down… forever.
Sure, yes, Trivial Pursuit will never go out of style, remaining as entertaining as it is cultural and iconic. However, if someone catches a good streak, you can spend minutes and minutes watching them answer question after question while others get bored, especially when a wrong answer sets them back in the game. Fortunately, there’s a good alternative.
What you should play instead: ‘Smart 10’, where you have to answer a question with multiple possible correct answers. One person plays first, then the other, until both fail or withdraw. Much more agile, quick, and, dare I say it, fun.
Risk
It’s not a bad game at all, and among the classic basics, ‘Risk’ is one of those that withstands the test of time best. However, once you’ve played a dozen games, you won’t want to bring it out again because it’s basically the same thing over and over. There’s a better option, in this case, without straying from the same series.
What you should play instead: ‘Risk Legacy’. Even those who are most tired of the original board game have to recognize that this is something else. A board and rules that continually change, including missiles, defeated factions, forcing you to come up with new strategies all the time. In the end, you’ll be playing something completely different from the original ‘Risk,’ and you’ll end up being grateful for it.
On paper, ‘Cluedo‘ is the ultimate game, blending logic, fun, and mystery in a delightful tabletop whodunit. But when it comes down to it, it’s about asking the same questions repeatedly and having more luck in the answers than the person next to you. It was great for its time, but nowadays, you’d be better off getting…
What you should play instead: ‘Mysterium’. One player takes on the role of the murder victim, giving other players ghostly clues by indicating images related to their death. Collaboratively, the detectives will have to figure out what happened. It’s a much more enjoyable twist, with artwork on the cards that’s sure to captivate you.
Spell out letters, form words, rack up points, reach the multipliers, and let the person next to you ruin your perfectly crafted strategy. ‘Scrabble’ continues to make waves with its iconic letter tiles and their values. However, time has passed, and there have been evolutions that might suit you much better.
What you should play instead: ‘Bananagrams’. It’s essentially ‘Scrabble’ but individual, with no value assigned to letters, just aiming to be quicker than your rivals at finding words. It doesn’t matter if you can’t create “Esternocleidomastoideo”; “uno” will do just fine if it helps you finish with all your letters before the others. A must-play.
They wanted to give us what we deserve: a ‘Scream’ board game that takes 20 minutes to play and leaves a trail of corpses behind. Do you like horror board games, Sidney?
Imagine ‘Scream,’ but with Ghostface being a fan of board games instead of horror movies. Using phrases like “Go directly to jail without passing go” and asking Trivial Pursuit questions before offing his victims. Does that sound good (more or less)? Well, Funko has decided to give us what we deserve: a ‘Scream’ board game that can be played in 20 minutes and leaves a trail of corpses behind. Do you like horror board games, Sidney?
Okay, yes, having a game based on the most famous horror franchise of the last decades is great, even if the game itself… isn’t. Besides the game pieces, it offers an app to keep track of everything happening and receive calls from the killer: if players (from 3 to 8) can discard certain cards before time runs out – or they die – they win. If someone dies or time runs out, they lose.
The creators are, as we said, Funko, so one can only hope they put more effort into it than creating the lively pupils of the dolls that made them famous. The best part? The game moves so quickly that you don’t have time to think with the pressure of death looming over you from the moment the phone rings. Yes, it’s a simple game. And yes, it will keep you excited until the end. Courtesy doesn’t negate bravery.
Throughout the game, Ghostface will call several times to kill you unless you show him certain cards. Capricious, the psychokiller. If you don’t have the cards, he’ll kill you. Meanwhile, you’ll have to keep getting cards from your fellow players to complete the scenarios where he can stalk you. Did you complete them? Great, Woodsboro is safe for another year. Didn’t manage to? Well, off to the graveyard.
It’s a perfect game for before heading out (or for staying in and watching a horror movie marathon) on Halloween. The downside is that it hasn’t arrived in Spain yet, and you have to get it through import. The good part, though, is that it costs 17 euros and comes with a beautiful figurine of the killer. For once, it’s worth getting scared.
From Essen they have decided that the images of the tickets, the posters and so on are made with AI, with some frankly ugly drawings (those smiles, those six fingers) that have covered them with a patina of unprofessionalism that can take its toll.
It’s possible that Essen doesn’t ring a bell to you. At first glance, it’s just a German city without anything special, but it hides a secret not everyone knows: it’s the place where the world’s largest tabletop gaming fair has been held since 1983, spanning across numerous gigantic industrial halls where fans, stores, conferences, novelties, signings, and even exclusives gather. The problem is that this year, four decades after its start, they have messed up. Big time.
If there’s something that sets tabletop games apart from any other hobby, it’s the fact that, if you want them to be even a bit original, they have to involve human creativity. You can’t create mechanics out of thin air; they need to have a specific art style and feel genuine. Or at least, that’s how it has been until artificial intelligence entered our lives.
When you can save a few bucks on something as crucial as the presentation of your gigantic fair, how can you resist it? Essen has decided to use AI for ticket images, posters, and other materials, resulting in drawings that are frankly ugly (those smiles, those six fingers) and have given them an unprofessional appearance that might cost them dearly.
To calm the situation, Spiel Essen has announced that they only wanted to understand the capabilities of AI and that “protecting the rights of artists is a priority.” They said this while covering the city with these deformed drawings. Could it be the worst defense ever made? Certainly, especially considering that the fair starts the day after tomorrow on the 5th, and they have run out of time to change it after the backlash on social media.
Last year, over 200,000 people attended Essen, and even more will attend in 2023. It’s hard-earned money that could have been well spent on paying an artist to create something truly original. Moreover, at the beginning of the year, it was announced that after forty years, the convention would have a mascot, Meeps, an adorable tiger created by game illustrator Michael Menzel. Now, it has disappeared from all sites to be replaced by this genuine outrage. Absolutely dreadful.
