GameSpot editors' review
-
CNET editors' rating:
stars
Mediocre
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 12/17/1997
- Updated on: 05/02/2000
- Released on: 10/31/1997
How many times have you sat with your family after Thanksgiving dinner, digesting turkey over your hotels on Boardwalk and Park Place, thinking, "If only there were a PlayStation version of Monopoly, I could play by myself and at the end of the four hours, the AI wouldn't be nearly as drunk as Uncle Jim?" Okay, unless you're a true Monopoly fanatic (if there is such a thing), probably never. Nonetheless, Hasbro Interactive has ported the ancient game of ruthless real-estate wheeling-and-dealing from the board game world to the PlayStation. The result is successful as a novelty, though it poses little threat to bankrupt the board-game industry.
Anyone not already familiar with the original Parker Brothers game will probably not bother with the PlayStation version. Nonetheless, the gist of the game is as follows: roll the dice and circle the board, buying or trading properties, building houses and hotels, and charging rent when your opponents land on them, in an attempt to bankrupt them. The more expensive a property is to buy and to build on, the more rent you can charge (or be charged) for landing on it. Oddly, players are also trying to stay out of jail (for crimes unknown). Once there, they attempt to get out without paying their bail. It works just the same on the PlayStation.
Remember handling all those little, plastic roman numerals in Risk? As with so many classic board games, much of the pleasure in playing Monopoly is derived from the nostalgic familiarity of the game's physical components. Designers Gremlin Interactive imbued the PlayStation version with near-perfect simulations of those elements. From the look of the board itself; to the thimbles, top hats, and statues used as pieces; to the deeds' precise color and typeface, the utmost care has been taken to preserve the game's familiar image.
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Monopoly (PlayStation):
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