Mario and Bowser talk financial smack in this board game.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/impressions/26701
Fortune Street is, as far as I can tell, a Mario-infused version of Monopoly. The basic premise is that up to four players move around a board with different purchasable properties and try to amass the greatest fortune. Along the way, players can get promotions, play mini-games, and buy out people's properties. The other twist to this game is that it stars Mario and Dragon Quest characters.
This all might make a little more sense if you know the game's history. Called Itadaki Street in Japan, it was created by Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii in 1991, and debuted in 1991 on Famicom. The game has appeared on numerous systems, and also featured Final Fantasy characters in other iterations.
The demo at E3 2011 wasn't too engaging, and the game straight up doesn't demo too well because of its slow pace. However, it seems like it could be fun in a Monopoly-like way. Each turn, you roll a die to see how far you can move, and then you move around the board. If you land on an unowned property, you can buy it. If you land on an owned property, you can buy it from the owner. There are also mini-game and bank spaces on the board. Land on a mini-game space and you enter a brief mini-game that is usually single-player and finance related. One mini-game has you betting on a Slime race. Land on the bank and if you collect enough suits, you can get a promotion, increasing your funds. Suits (think playing cards with clubs, spades, hearts, and diamonds) are acquired by landing on other spaces that give you them. There is also a stock investment side of the game that wasn't playable.
Paired with this somewhat obtuse financial setup are the characters. They routinely have text that colors the events of the game. I believe Mario said something about how his assets need a Super Mushroom, and Bowser complained about how Slime bought his property. I never thought I'd see Mario characters bicker over finances. It makes for a peculiar aesthetic that I think works. I believe only a small amount of fans will enjoy this game, but the ones that do will probably really dig it.
Fortune Street is set for a 2011 release on Wii.
Topic: Fortune Street Impressions (Read 988 times)
