Zynga is making the move from your digital life to your living room with a new line of real-world board games based on popular Zynga franchises.
The product of a partnership with game giant Hasbro, the collection will include real-world versions of Words With Friends, Draw Something, CityVille and FarmVille. Priced between $9.99 and $39.99, depending on the game, each title also comes packaged with a little something –- such as $50 in Farm Cash –- that you can use in the digital version of the game.
We were able to get an early preview of some of the games, set to hit store shelves this month, this past week in our San Francisco office.
Draw Something
Of the bunch, Draw Something was the biggest hit in our office. While the game is definitely based on Pictionary, gameplay is different enough that it feels like a new game. Players draw a card — the game comes with 180 — and select whether they want to draw a picture for one, two, or three coins.
Once a word has been selected, the card is turned over and placed on the top of the player's drawing pad for other players to see. Each card has letters printed on the back that are included in whatever word is trying to be guessed, so players can use those letters to help them make more educated guesses.
Unlike Pictionary, there's no time limit for how long you can draw or how long you can guess. The only rule? You can only use one sheet of paper.
Much like the digital version of the game, if someone guesses a drawing correctly both artist and guesser earn coins. If everyone gives up, the game just continues to the next person at the table. The first player to 15 coins wins.
Draw Something sells for $19.99.
Hungry Hungry Herd
Much like its name suggests, Hungry Hungry Herd is a new take on Hasbro's Hungry Hungry Hippo game, featuring farm characters from Zynga's FarmVille. Players can choose between Gobbling Horse, Munching Pig, Snacking Sheep, or Chomping Cow to get their snack on, and game play consists of counting down -– the rules actually say yell "1,2,3, Go!" — and then trying to gobble up more snack that your opponents. The winner gets to select what animal he or she plays with next.
In official Mashable testing we had a ton of fun playing the game, but also ran into a few issues. The animal's necks, for instance, are designed so that they lock in place when you store the game. Unfortunately, that locking "feature" also sometimes happens while you're playing, sudden death if you're in a heated battle for the last few marbles at the time.
The game also has to be assembled every time you want to play it –- or never put back in its box –- while it's not terribly hard to put together, it is somewhat difficult to pull apart. Our careful adult hands definitely came close to destroying the thin plastic the game is made of in the process, so enthusiastic and frustrated little hands are bound to do some damage.
Hungry Hungry Herd sells for $22.99 and comes packaged with 50 Farm Cash for parents or older children to use when playing FarmVille.
CityVille Monopoly
CityVille Monopoly is a new take on the traditional game of Monopoly. Rather than trying to bankrupt all of the other players, the main goal of the game is to build four different skyscrapers. Essentially the hotels of CityVille, a skyscraper is built by buying three buildings, stacking them on top of each other, and adding a skyscraper top to it.
Not just houses, buildings in the game are different colors based on the type of building they are. For instance, red buildings are houses, while blue buildings are businesses. Decoration cards found in the game can also be added to properties to increase their value. For instance, you might put a Tiered Fountain card under your property card for the Tonga Room in order to collect more from players who land on it.
The skyscraper goal makes gameplay fly by much faster than it might with traditional Monopoly, and makes the game a bit easier for younger players or those with shorter attention spans.
CityVille Monopoly is priced at $24.99 and comes with $85 in City Cash for parents or older children to use in the traditional digital version of the game.
Words With Friends
Of all of the games, Words With Friends is going to be the most familiar. Much like the digital version of the game, Words With Friends has a Scrabble look and feel. Game pieces are translucent, with backing on the rear to prevent your opponent from seeing through them. Unfortunately, out of the box some of our pieces had the lettering already scratched a bit off. If you're using this game a bunch, that likely means the letters won't be able to stand the test of time.
The traditional version of Words With Friends is $19.99 and comes with a code to redeem an unlimited play pack for the digital version of the game.
Zynga is also offering a "Luxe" version of the game with a nicer game board and a place on the tile rack to hold your mobile phone, and a "To Go" version of the game for traveling.
But Wait, There's More
In addition to the games we were able to play, Hasbro and Zynga are also launched some FarmVille-based card games this month. Priced at $9.99, the games each come with their own animal and include Disco Sheep's Memory card game, Rockstar Cow's 'Old Maid' card game, and Groovy Chicken's 'Go Fish' game.
A CityVille Skies blimp will also launch on Dec. 1 and will allow players to fly over CityVille on their iPad by dragging the blimp across the screen and downloading a special CityVille Skies app.
What do you think of Zynga and Hasbro's partnership for real-world games? Can you see yourself buying any of these titles? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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