THE BULLETIN • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011
GO! MAGAZINE •
PAGE 9
gaming
‘Fortune Street’ hits the jackpot • Board-game enthusiasts will find a lot to like in Nintendo’s ‘Monopoly’ clone By Ph il Kollar Ga me Informer Magazine
T
he “Fortune Street” series has been running in Japan since 1991 under the name “Itadaki Street,” but if I didn’t know any better I could swear it’s a direct answer to our constant criticisms of Nintendo’s always disappointing “Mario Party”/“Wii Party” games. The latter makes a mockery of board-game design, filling each iteration with random, makeor-break nonsense that removes any sense of strategy. “Fortune Street,” on the other hand, takes its cues from “Monopoly,” popuMcClatchy-Tribune News Service lating a cerebral world of prop- Board-game fanatics should ignore the “Mario Party” resemblance and buy into “Fortune Street.” erty ownership and stock buying with characters from the “Mario” and “Dragon Quest” series. you have to make. ‘FORTUNE STREET Though you play on over a This deceptively simple system With the addition of 8.5 (out of 10) dozen different boards, the core makes room for smart players to both local and online gameplay is always the same: manipulate their opponents into multiplayer, “Fortune Four characters vie for economic earning them money. Even if you Wii control by rolling a die and mak- start off with some bad rolls and Street” is a much Nintendo, Square Enix ing their way around the board. miss out on the best property, you ESRB rating: E for Everyone smarter, infinitely more Land on an empty property and can play the stocks smart enough playable title. If you’re a you can choose to buy it with that you win in the end. whatever cash you have in hand. At one point an opponent upfan of board games, it If other players land on it in the graded his property to max level area over and over again, either future, they’ll need to pay and ended up giving me trying to get into one of these deserves your support. REVIEW 300 gold and putting me side areas to collect a suit symbol you money. Collect four card suit symbols spread in the lead. A system with or trying to get back to the bank. around the far corners enough granularity to A special arcade square tele- players rotate through the top of each board, and you can pass piggyback off your enemies and ports players to one of a handful spot consistently. the starting point for some bonus into the lead or make you sec- of possible minigames, but these Whatever its minor quirks, I bucks. ond-guess whether you should are generally very quick and can’t overstate my satisfaction This foundation is a clone of upgrade your own buildings is easy and have much less of an with “Fortune Street.” Though it’s “Monopoly,” but things get more much more interesting than the impact on the overall game than technically developed by Square interesting with the introduction average luck-based party game in “Mario Party.” Enix, Nintendo’s choice to fiof a stock system. Every time fare. Though it’s clearly inspired nally publish this series in North you pass by the bank, you can That’s not to say no luck is in- by “Monopoly,” “Fortune Street” America shows some awarepurchase stocks in different sec- volved. As with any board game wisely avoids that game’s no- ness on its part. The publisher tors of the map. that operates on dice rolls, I oc- toriously never-ending game seems to have heard the persisA sector’s stock rating goes up casionally had a bad run where sessions. Rather than waiting tent whining of board-game fans whenever property in that region I kept hitting undesirable num- for each player’s cash to slowly, bored to death with brain-dead is upgraded or whenever a player bers. Each board has its own painfully drain away, each game “Mario Party” releases. With the purchases 10 more stocks. Own- gimmick, and there are a few in of “Fortune Street” has an end addition of both local and online ing stocks in a sector also allows particular where certain parts goal from the start. Hit the de- multiplayer, “Fortune Street” is you to receive a cut of any mon- of the board are accessible only sired amount of cash and make a much smarter, infinitely more ey paid by players who land on by pipes or special switches. I it back to the bank, and you win. playable title. If you’re a fan of property in that sector. You even sometimes found myself stuck in These rules make for faster, board games, it deserves your get a commission on payments a loop of going around the same tighter games, where the best support.
TOP 10 ON THE PS3 The editors of Game Informer Magazine rank the top 10 PlayStation 3 games for December: 1. “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” (Bethesda) 2. “Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception” (Sony Computer Entertainment) 3. “Battlefield 3” (Electronic Arts) 4. “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3” (Activision) 5. “Saints Row: The Third” (THQ) 6. “Assassin’s Creed: Revelations” (Ubisoft) 7. “Rayman Origins” (Ubisoft) 8. “Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One” (Sony Computer Entertainment) 9. “Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure” (Activision) 10. “Metal Gear Solid HD Collection” (Konami) McClatchy-Tribune News Service
Weekly download ‘ZOMBIE GUNSHIP’ Reviewed for: iPhone/iPod Touch/ iPad (universal app) From: Limbic Software iTunes Store Rating: 9+ (infrequent/mild realistic violence, infrequent/mild horror/fear themes) Price: $1 It’s hard to be mystified by the explosive popularity of mobile gaming when games like “Zombie Gunship” — which takes one of the most popular mission styles from a $60 “Call of Duty” game and practically gives it away — keep springing up. “Gunship” puts you at the controls of an AC-130 gunship, and if the aircraft needs no introduction, the game’s presentation — a semi-blurry, night vision-esque visual filter, presented from an altitude that makes zombies and fleeing humans look like ants — won’t need one, either. The customary weapons are at your disposal, and the object is simple: Help humans reach the bunker safely before zombies overwhelm the perimeter. “Gunship” doesn’t aim much higher than that. You’re playing essentially for high score, and the game’s two maps aren’t tied into any kind of narrative. But that’s plenty good enough for the price. — Billy O’Keefe, McClatchy-Tribune News Service