Fallout: Wasteland Warfare is not available on consoles
GameCentral looks at some of the best, and most unlikely, board game tie-ins, including a card game version of God Of War and Super Mario chess.
The sheer amount of board games on the market can be overwhelming, so it might make sense to start out playing a game that seems more familiar. Board games based on well-known video games can be a great introduction to the concept and a new way to enjoy your favourite franchise.
The commitment shown by board game makers in translating the original play mechanics and stories is commendable, but then often these games are made by players who love the original video game so they end up being very faithful to the source material. With a similar price point you will probably get even more replayability from the board game version, making them great value for money.
The use of high quality video game artwork also helps and it feels great to hold physical miniatures of characters and enemies that youve only previously been able to interact with virtually. Board games give an opportunity to take these characters on new journeys and also to introduce them to your friends and family, who might not be as video game savvy.
A great introduction to a worthy pursuit, even though its sometimes more Bowsers Fury than the Queens Gambit when you mistake Princess Peach, who represents a bishop, for your queen. Luckily. the name of the piece is written on the base. Pieces are divided into good/evil, with King Mario vs. King Bowser and coins vs. Koopas. The chess board is very simple and folds conveniently into four, with a metal tin that acts as a cool display case.
The chess pieces are very high-quality plastic, including the Koopa pawns; the colours and detail are totally on point for the Mushroom Kingdom and your kids will love it. You could even play with the pieces as toys if you wanted to, making this set multi-functional and well worth the price.
RRP: 50, Ages 3+
Cant wait for Horizon Forbidden West? Well, by the time you finish Zero Dawn: The Board Game it might have been released. This is a long game, so set aside a day with your best friend as this is best played with one other player. A semi co-operative tactical action game, its designed so you can immerse yourself in Aloys world, where sentient machines run wild.
For the board game though, the narrative has been put on the back burner in favour of action. You choose a tribe and a class to fight a variety of machines and pop-up events, until you take down a huge Sawtooth in a boss fight. The more Glory you obtain at the end of your hunt, the better your Sun Token will be. The player with the most points from Sun Tokens at the end of the campaign wins the game.
The quality and level of detail for the robot animal miniatures is worth the price, as they tower above your Aloy character replicating faithfully the scale of the video game and your place in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by savage machines.
RRP: 65, Ages 14+
Resident Evil 2 is a co-op board game that takes players through several scenarios inspired by the video game. Just like the impressive last gen remake, the board game takes us back to Racoon City, as Leon, Claire, and Tofu team-up as they attempt to escape the hordes of undead stalking the streets. Theres also plenty of other enemies to keep you on your toes, in the form of giant crocodiles, long-tongued lickers, and the seemingly invincible Mr. X.
Tread carefully though as, just like the video game, resources can be scarce and its easy to get overwhelmed. Dont forget to leg it if you feel you might get overrun by the horde.
Theres an impressive variety of scenarios to play through here and it replicates the tension and jump scares of the video game very well. A must for both fans of the video game franchise and horror board games.
RRP: 60, Ages 14+
A hefty game with a hefty price tag! Its hard to expect anything less than total domination from Games Workshop and this game has huge depth and some compelling storytelling and characterisation, built on the foundations of the Hive World introduced in the early 90s. The darkness and claustrophobia of the video game reboot Underhive Wars is captured in the plastic modular scenery (previously made from cardboard) and the price reflects the weight and quality of the accessories.
The huge box contains everything you need to play, including enough scenery to create a convincing hive in your living room. There are two complete gangs included the twisted Corpse Grinder Cult and the indomitable Palanite Enforcers and also a rulebook, cards, rulers, and some radioactive-looking bright orange dice. Building up your gang or enforcer patrol with battle experience and upgrades from mission to mission proves to be a lengthy commitment in a game that, despite price, does provide very good value for money.
RRP: ~139, Ages 12+
You Died. Just like the famously difficult video game, Dark Souls: The Board Game is relentlessly hard, just as the fans that helped raise $5million on Kickstarter wanted. Be prepared for some serious time commitment, as while this doesnt take long to set-up it certainly takes a long time to beat, with lots of exploration and an impressive sense of foreboding and danger.
The monsters that inhabit this dark and complex world are punishing to fight and the boss battles capture the frustration and thrill that make the Dark Souls video games so successful. Manage your stamina and plot your strategy carefully, before facing any enemy.
However, your fate is often in the hands of the somewhat whimsical treasure deck and the items you receive and equip. This can be frustrating but theres enough room for tactical play and changing enemy behaviour to counter this. Great to play solo, this is definitely a board game for fans of the video game, who wont blanch at coming face to face with an impressively sized miniature of Executioner Smough.
RRP: ~80, Ages 14+
Developed by London-based Modiphius, Dishonored is a tabletop role-playing game based on Arkane Studios video games and manages to convey, with suitable flourish, the sinister and decaying Victorian aesthetic of the video games. The rules come in a stunningly designed 300-page hardback book, which includes a wealth of information on detailed locations and the stories of their inhabitants. These details are a godsend for Games Masters trying to run an accessible campaign, while setting the scene and providing support for almost unlimited adventures.
Players can take on the role of a pre-made character or create an original one in the Empire of the Isles, the setting of Arkanes stealth adventures. Complex and inspirational, the impressive world building gives this role-player a sense of agency and consequence.
RRP: ~40, Ages 14+
If you miss your Revenant Kingdom, after building it up in the video game, this board game is a good way to immerse yourself in fond memories of time spent with the Higgledies. Its a co-operative, luck-based game played over five rounds as your favourite characters, such as Evan, Roland, and Tani. You must complete quests, defeat monsters, and build up the kingdom in an effort to overcome Doloran and The Horned One.
Its a fun, light intro to worker placement games for younger players, where you place characters, fight, collect resources, and buy and build things. Its a stunning game, just like the Ni No Kuni games and the Studio Ghibli movies the games art style is inspired by. You might even take the time to paint the miniatures, to capture the vibrant world and cartoonish design.
Ni No Kuni 2: The Board Game doesnt take a lot of time to setup and has just enough depth to fill an enjoyable afternoon. This is a great game for solo players, younger gamers, and fans of Studio Ghibli.
RRP: 35, Ages 14+
Coming out of lockdown, youd almost expect London to resemble a Fallout video game, full of wrecked cars and empty buildings. To prepare yourself for venturing outside, Fallout: Wasteland Warfare has you building your own crew from a selection of 32 miniatures belonging to a range of factions such as survivor, raider, super mutant, and Brotherhood of Steel.
The miniatures of these characters are well made and as soon as you invest in some terrain you can almost feel the radiation start to burn, as you travel through familiar locations, from the decaying Sanctuary Hills to the Red Rocket refuelling stations.
Fallout: Wasteland Warfare really feels like a Fallout video game with nuanced tactical play and plenty of exploration. The wargame format manages to present combat in a well-structured narrative campaign and while set-up may take a while its well worth it. As you commit to playing with a dedicated group though youll probably want to invest in additional character expansions or even a 3D printer and print them from the expansions available on the Modiphius website.
RRP: 60, Ages 14+
What you playing, boy? In God Of War: The Card Game you take on the role of the Norns as you try different combinations of heroes and events in order to stop Ragnark. A cooperative strategy game that uses deck building mechanics, you constantly add cards to your deck, trying to make it stronger to give you additional, and increasingly valuable and focused, abilities. You then have to use your hand of cards to fight through a series of quests and complete related scenes to fight a final boss.
The scenes are the foundation of the game and visually support the epic Norse narrative. Each scene uses eight or more cards arranged to build a picture, with a variety of interactive elements. The cards are double-sided and when enemies are defeated you flip them to change the story, which is a clever mechanic. A must buy for anyone impatiently waiting for more news on the new video game.
RRP: 30, Ages 14+
Not the most obvious video game to adapt as a board game, but it works surprisingly well. Inspired by the Siege of Sarajevo, you play as an everyday person trying to survive in a seemingly never-ending war. Just like the video game, you have to make impossibly difficult decisions just to survive, as you choose whether to give away your own food or take it from other survivors knowing that they will likely starve as a result.
This War Of Mine: The Board Game takes the desolate and unrelenting nature of the video game and explores the survivors narrative through resource management and exploration, but in such circumstances the journey is neither quick (stretching to 6+ hours) nor easy.
The game art manages to capture the dark, gritty 2D aesthetic of the video game and creates an environment where serious tension builds during each round, with survival never certain but always hoped for.
RRP: 65, Ages 14+
By Lucy Orr
Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, and follow us on Twitter.
MORE : The 11 best board games to try on lockdown movie tie-in edition
MORE : Fantasy board game Christmas gift guide 2020 from Pokmon to Dungeons & Dragons
MORE : Cyberpunk Red game review real-life Cyberpunk 2077
Follow Metro Gaming on Twitter and email us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk
For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.
Read the original here:
The 10 best board games and tabletop RPGs based on a video game - Metro.co.uk
- FIDE resumes the Candidates Tournament - Chessbase News - February 20th, 2021
- Family of victim wants answers in Jan. 24 shooting death - WLBT - February 20th, 2021
- More protests in Spain over jailing of rapper - Yahoo News - February 20th, 2021
- EF3 tornado killed 3 and injured 10, touching down in NC neighborhood near Wilmington - CIProud.com - February 20th, 2021
- KELOLAND On The Go Thursday, February 18 Toggle header content - KELOLAND.com - February 20th, 2021
- 02/18/2021: Another round of snow to end the week - NEWS10 ABC - February 20th, 2021
- Chess: mate Blacks cornered king in just three moves - Financial Times - February 17th, 2021
- Yu-Gi-Oh! 10 Games From The Manga More Interesting Than Dual Monsters - CBR - Comic Book Resources - February 15th, 2021
- Amid a global chess boom, shogi eyes its own winning moves - The Japan Times - February 10th, 2021
- The king is a strong piece - Chessbase News - February 10th, 2021
- Family, friends hold vigil to mourn the loss of mother and 2 daughters found dead Thursday - fox2now.com - February 6th, 2021
- 'It is a huge departure from how we try people' COVID's impact on the justice system - fox2now.com - February 4th, 2021
- Tech Talk- Nano Diamond Battery technology claims it never needs to be charged - fox2now.com - February 4th, 2021
- Tripuras 10-year-old chess player awarded with Bal Puraskar - Times of India - January 28th, 2021
- The Morning Watch: 'The Queen's Gambit' Chess Analysis, Stuntmen React to 'Hard Target' & More - /FILM - January 25th, 2021
- Be well prepared - with the ChessBase Magazine - Chessbase News - January 15th, 2021
- Nine Attention-Grabbing Inventions Unveiled at This Year's CES - Smithsonian Magazine - January 15th, 2021
- Canadian chess master Ross Siemms pleased with new interest in the game - Toronto Sun - January 13th, 2021
- CES 2021: check out the world's craziest new gaming and consumer tech - Happy Mag - January 13th, 2021
- A Black Repertoire versus the Anti-Sicilians - Chessbase News - January 13th, 2021
- 'The Last of Us' prologue easter egg discovered after seven years - NME - January 13th, 2021
- Trolling the Great Outdoors - The New Yorker - January 13th, 2021
- Good, bad, and ugly 2020 - The New Indian Express - December 29th, 2020
- DeepMind's New AI Is Able To Learn The Rules Of A Game As It Plays - Unite.AI - December 27th, 2020
- Chess captures new fans thanks to the pandemic and 'The Queen's Gambit' - CBC.ca - December 27th, 2020
- Bridgewater Man And Woman Arrested In Connection To Stabbing On Christmas Eve - Yahoo News - December 27th, 2020
- Off Their Game Week 16 - Robby Anderson - Yahoo News - December 27th, 2020
- Five Tips To Become A World Chess Champion: Vasily Smyslov's Story - Chess.com - December 27th, 2020
- 20 top TV moments of 2020: From 'Jeopardy!' to 'Tiger King' and that wild election - USA TODAY - December 26th, 2020
- The Westbridge Anand Chess Academy will train five of India's biggest talents - Chessbase News - December 23rd, 2020
- Chess sets are in-demand on LI right now - Newsday - December 23rd, 2020
- Elliot Page Was Supposed to Star in The Queens Gambit - Rare.us - December 22nd, 2020
- Are computers killing the mystery of chess? video - The Guardian - December 20th, 2020
- From Bake Off woes to Zoom fiascos: 2020 in lists - The Guardian - December 20th, 2020
- KCF University Cup to be played online in February - Chessbase News - December 20th, 2020
- 2020 smartphone mega shootout: The best camera phones tested - Android Authority - December 20th, 2020
- The best websites to play chess after watching 'Queen's Gambit' | Tech | December 17, 2020 - Explica - December 17th, 2020
- Barbara Kay: The glaring flaw of 'The Queens Gambit' that no one wants to mention - National Post - December 12th, 2020
- Best of 2020: How The Queen's Gambit made its chess look real - Entertainment Weekly - December 11th, 2020
- 5 Easy Steps That You Need to Follow To Become A Micro Influencer - Vizaca.com - December 11th, 2020
- Omena, Miguna and onions most googled in 2020 - The Standard - December 11th, 2020
- Pegasystems' Trefler on leadership and strategy - learned from chess - Financial Post - December 8th, 2020
- Inuit-designed board game Nunami hits the shelves - Nunatsiaq News - December 8th, 2020
- How to play chess like Beth from The Queen's Gambit - The Spectator US - December 5th, 2020
- INTERVIEW: Video creation app Firework insists it is more than a TikTok rival as it woos publishers in India - Business Insider India - December 3rd, 2020
- Meghan and Harry are in hot water over The Crown and their Netflix deal - NEWS.com.au - December 3rd, 2020
- The Cord's Best of 2020 The Cord - The Cord - December 3rd, 2020
- Madonna Shared a Rare, Festive Family Portrait Ahead of the Holidays - HarpersBAZAAR.com - December 1st, 2020
- 'The Queen's Gambit' got you feeling chess? The best websites to play on - Film Daily - December 1st, 2020
- Mr Beast teases chess match with grandmaster Hikaru - Dexerto - December 1st, 2020
- The 42 Best Black Friday Smart Home and Kitchen Deals (2020) - WIRED - November 29th, 2020
- Black Friday 2020 Live Update: A later Black Friday boost; hot holiday gifts: Legos and chess sets - CNBC - November 27th, 2020
- Chess championship: A 10-year-old Filipino takes over global stage - Yahoo News - November 27th, 2020
- Netflix, HBO Max Battle Over 'Godzilla' Rights, Disney Plus Performs 'On Pointe' - The Streamable - November 27th, 2020
- A game-changing moment for chess - CNN Video - November 26th, 2020
- Carlsen on The Queen's Gambit: A little too unrealistic - Chessbase News - November 26th, 2020
- Understanding before Moving 2: How to improve the activity of my pieces - Chessbase News - November 24th, 2020
- Gurgaon girl to represent India in World Youth Chess Championship - Times of India - November 24th, 2020
- ChessBase 16 - The new features (Part 5) - Chessbase News - November 20th, 2020
- The Queen's Gambit: How a Netflix show is increasing the popularity of chess - CNN - November 20th, 2020
- Cybercrimes can cost companies money, customers, and employees. Here's what types of cybersecurity protocols e - Business Insider India - November 18th, 2020
- Politicians are conquering the world of video games - Metro US - November 18th, 2020
- ChessBase 16 - The new features (Part 4) - Chessbase News - November 16th, 2020
- How "The Queen's Gambit" is inspiring a wave of new chess fans, especially women - Salon - November 16th, 2020
- 5 great shows to watch on Netflix this weekend - Netflix Life - November 8th, 2020
- Chess and scientific research - Chessbase News - November 6th, 2020
- Harry Melling on 'Queen's Gambit' and His Haunting Liam Neeson Team-Up - Hollywood Reporter - November 5th, 2020
- Darrell Hammond on Sean Connery Impression: "The Single Most Successful Thing I Ever Did As a Performer" - Hollywood Reporter - November 5th, 2020
- Win or lose, with Trump, prepare for the unimaginable after the election - CNN - November 1st, 2020
- VIDEOS - Play Chess with Friends - October 31st, 2020
- Play Chess Online - Free Online Chess on GameKnot - October 31st, 2020
- Chess videos | chess24.com - October 31st, 2020
- Gillian Jacobs Talks Improvising for the First Time on Dont Think Twice - Yahoo Lifestyle - October 31st, 2020
- TikToker Abby Roberts reacts to bizarre theory shes not really British - Dexerto - October 31st, 2020
- New Movies + Shows to Watch this Weekend: 'Borat 2' on Amazon Prime Video+ More - Decider - October 24th, 2020
- Premiere: Sweet Crude Reaches Their "Ultimatum" - Popdust - October 23rd, 2020
- Gordon Ramsay Sipped Ocean Spray In His Latest TikTok Tirade, Referencing The Viral 'Dreams' Video - Delish.com - October 23rd, 2020
- 'Roger Federer is always out-thinking you and ready to embarrass you," says former US Open opponent - Tennishead - October 21st, 2020
- 'The Queen's Gambit' Cast on How the Netflix Drama Goes Beyond the Chess Board (VIDEO) - TV Insider - October 17th, 2020
- Norway Chess: Carlsen clinches with a round to spare - Chessbase News - October 16th, 2020