Monopoly Streets Review

The classic game of chance's board is turned into a 3D city to explore, but will it hold your attention anymore than the actual board game in your attic did?

Monopoly is one of, if not the, classic board game that almost everyone has played. Whether you played to win or just liked to be the bank so you could hold all that paper money, you probably have played a game or two in your life. Monopoly Streets takes the game and turns it into a 3D world to explore on consoles.

The basic principles of Monopoly are all here; buy property, build on that property, and force players to pay you rent until they break the bank, all while avoiding going bankrupt yourself. You may want to brush up on your skills before diving into the game, but if you don't a tutorial is available to get you through the basics. You can turn the tutorial on or off during any game, so if a friend of yours is jumping in next and needs a refresher course, it's always available.

Game modes vary from Classic Rules to Speed Dice, which adds an extra die after so many turns to speed up gameplay. In Bull Market, the game starts with players bidding on all properties first and the winner is established by who has the most money after the a player goes bankrupt.

There is also the option to set your own rules regarding die tosses, properties, fine prices, and just about anything else in the game. Everything is adjustable to your liking, which not only is a nice point of customization but it also extends game time as there are dozens of variations to be made.

Speaking of long games, there is an auto save feature that saves between every turn, so you never have to finish a game in one sitting. You can load a game at any time from the last turn, which is definitely appreciated. You can also speed up the game by turning on an option to skip movement, so you don't have to watch a character mosey over to the next space but rather just appear there. Again, in a game that is notoriously time consuming this is great for the player who wants a quick game but doesn't want to watch their afternoon disappear.

There are given characters for the game that correspond with each piece. Choosing the ship will have you play as a captain or the money bag as a bandit to name a few. The characters are bland at best, with their constant vocalizations but lack of real words becoming a bit annoying as you progress through a game. You don't have to play as these characters though, you can choose your own Xbox avatar to be your on board character, which is far more personal and charming.