Five times the fun

The Xbox Live Arcade is great. It offers fun titles at cheap prices, many of which have online play and leaderboards. Of all the unique and original games, though, the one that's probably taken up the most of my time is Uno. You remember that game, right? Of course, you do; everyone does. That's what made it such a perfect title for the Arcade. For only $5, we could all re-live a part of our childhood, even when seperated by hundreds of miles. But Uno certainly isn't the only game I played in my youth, and I've been hoping that some of my other favorites would find themselves on offer. Well, it's now been confirmed that, come mid-March, that dream will become a reality.

Hasbro Family Game Night has been known about for a while, but only now have we gotten specific launch dates. For those unaware, it will be a new channel within the XBLA that will offer a selection of classic board games, which can be played inside one's very own virtual lounge. New stuff can be unlocked while playing, to decorate this gaming space as you desire. So what can we expect to see? The first four games will be Scrabble, Connect Four, Battleship, and my personal favorite: Yahtzee (no, not that Yahtzee).

These will be followed at a later date by Boggle, Sorry!, and Sorry! Sliders. However, no there has been no mention of the oft-rumored Monopoly. Monopoly seems to be the title that everyone thinks of when talking about board games on XBLA, so I guess I'm the only person who thinks it's a terrible idea. I mean, games of Monopoly can go on for a long time, and I don't want to find myself all alone after everyone else quits, two hours into a round. Even Scrabble can go on for quite a while, which is why I think Yahtzee is ideal. With games that take just 5-10 minutes, there's no fear of everyone getting bored and going off to play Call of Duty instead.

Avatars will be supported, but there's no mention if the Vision Cam can be used to see the look on your buddies face when you hit the third Yahtzee of a round. It's a shame, as I bought my Camera to play Uno, but there has been virtually no support for it since, and this seems like an ideal application for it. Maybe they're worried that Vision Cam support would negate the whole Family part of Family Game Night. The last think worth mentioning is the price. Unfortunately, the games will each set you back 800 MSP ($10), which is quite a lot considering Yahtzee consists of just 5 dice and a scorepad, but the inclusion of online play could make it a worthwhile purchase.

Hasbro Family Game Night will be launching this March. Now I just have to cross my fingers in hopes of another of my favorite childhood games: Come on Virtual Pass the Pigs!