Nowadays, it feels rare to buy a video game that doesn’t offer you the option of supersizing it. Bundles come with season passes, statues, and assorted wearables. Sometimes there are Loot Crates, and Bethesda even offered a specialty beer and Nuka Cola leading up to the release of Fallout 4. Just as often, video games inspire other forms of media, be it film, comic, or art. This gallery is specifically dedicated to 8 video games that have jumped from screen to table – 8 board games inspired by video games. Did we miss your favorite? Let us know in the comments!
The Witcher Adventure Game
The Witcher Adventure Game is a board game that was inspired by a video game that was inspired by a book series. Funny enough, it also inspired a new video game, based off the board game, which was inspired by the video game, which was… you get it. In The Witcher Adventure Game, you assume the role of one of four players – Geralt of Rivia, Triss Merigold, Yarpen Zigrin, or Dandelion – each with their own unique set of skills, a variety of quests, character development, and the choice to help your friends or help yourself.
Assassin’s Creed: Arena
I have two words for you: competitive assassins. In Assassin’s Creed: Arena, assassinations and other random tasks earn you points, patrolling guards pose an increased threat, and up to three other equally capable people are trying to take you out as you navigate Constantinople. You have your choice of characters Shahkulu, Odai Dunqas, Oksana Razin, and Anacletos from Assassin’s Creed: Revelations.
Super Mario Bros.
It’s hardly a surprise that Nintendo’s suspender-clad hero got his own board game adventure. In fact, he’s had many: Mario has a chess game, a checkers game, a monopoly version, an even an awful Mario Kart game. But that bad boy up there is the 1992 Super Mario Bros. board game. An earlier Mario board game featured a single Mario piece, with players “battling” for control of him. In this version, there are two Marios and two Luigis, along with Princess tokens, “the Princess is not here” tokens, brick counters that can take a life, give you coins, or move you on the board, and extra life tokens.
Bioshock Infinite: The Siege of Columbia
BioShock Infinite: The Siege of Columbia takes place during the same series of events as the video game. None of the 2-4 players will be controlling Booker or Elizabeth, rather they will assume roles within the Founders and Vox Populi factions in an effort to seize control of Columbia by claiming territories, building their armies, and handling cards that all have different values for Influence, Combat, and Silver Eagles, along with special abilities.
Street Fighter Deck Building Game
I love fighting games. So when I first heard about the Street Fighter game, I was trying to figure out how they implemented that passionate, fast paced, strategic brawling into a board game. Well… they didn’t. The Street Fighter game is a turn based card game. However, it was quite a surprise – it actually worked really well. You can play as Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Balrog, M. Bison, and so on. You’ll be crafting your deck, increasing your power, taking on bosses, and gathering Victory Points.
XCOM: The Board Game
XCOM: The Board Game is all about the companion app. You’ll be assuming a role within XCOM, along with up to three friends, where you’ll be working together in order to face down an alien invasion. Rounds are timed – this is where the app comes in – and are spent prioritizing a variety of tasks while aliens are assaulting your base and the world is falling into panic. The app is a critical part of the game – every round, the Central Officer starts the app, and is solely responsible with communicating what’s happening, forcing the players to make frantic decisions with limited information, within a certain time frame.
World of Warcraft: The Board Game
Keeping with the theme of “massive,” the World of Warcraft board game is a hefty chunk of tabletop entertainment. The game consists nearly 1000 different cards, figures, tokens, and more, and takes hours to work through. You can be a paladin, shaman, priest, warlock, mage, rogue, and more as you increase your experience, gather loot, and try to defeat the Overlord – or be the last faction standing.
Published: Feb 8, 2016 08:00 pm