Classic Board Game Remakes that Actually Worked

If you take a walk down the game aisle at Target or Walmart, all you’re likely to find are licensed or cheapened versions of your childhood favorites. Today, we’re going to present some updated classics that are actually worth your time.

The Game of Life Card Game

Over the past several years, Hasbro has been publishing card game versions of their classic properties.  Today you can see their newest games, and it all started back in 2002 with the Game of Life Card Game.  Unfortunately, the this game is now out of print, but used copies can be found online.  It’s still a great remake though, so it makes our list.

Why It Works: As much fun as the original Game of Life is, it’s hard to even qualify it as a game.  When you think about it, the strategic choices exist, but are few and far between.  Although it is pure fun getting to the end, the original usually comes down to pure luck.  The card game version of this classic works because it retains all the fun of the original while adding some real competition into the mix.  I don’t think I’ve ever played a game of Life where players immediately demanded a rematch, but it’s happened with the card game!  Don’t worry though, the lighthearted nature of The Game of Life franchise keeps people from getting too into it.  Although it’s competitive, the games never get cutthroat.

How to Play: Players still get to chose between college or career, and their profession gives them a certain amount of time and money to spend each turn.  Most of the cards in the game represent lifetime accomplishments or personality traits, each of which require a certain amount of your limited time and money.  Some cards have very specific prerequisites as well, posing a tough decision whether you should hold onto a high risk/high reward card, or chose to discard it.  The game is built along this theme of resource management, while mixing in the occasional special card that allows you to bend the rules in your favor.

Clue FX

As an electronic version, this is exactly the type of game that is easy to dismiss as a cheap attempt to update a classic.  Show me one true Monopoly fan that actually prefers electronic banking!  We’ve played Clue FX, though, and were pleasantly surprised with the results.

Why it Works: Clue FX works because unlike all of the other electronic updates, the ones found here actually add to the game instead of attempting to simplify it.  Also, the board and  player pieces beautifully made.  The board itself is 3D, to allow for the electronics housing, but does not overdo it, while the player pieces are sculpted characters, each of which is well-painted.

How to Play: Clue FX is not much different than Clue, and that’s a good thing! Travel the board and question your opponents to deduce: the identity of the killer, the murder weapon, and the location of the crime.  There are some small twists, such as evidence that moves from one location to another throughout the game.  These moves are usually tipped off with an audio sound effect hint, which players must relate to the proper room on the board.

Scrabble: Diamond Edition

The fact that we already owned three versions of Scrabble and still felt the need to purchase this game is a testament to why it deserves its place on this list.

Why it Works: This game works because it’s still Scrabble; it is a great game where Hasbro did not change a thing.  What you will find are several features that players are used to seeing only in expensive deluxe editions, all for a much more appealing $40 price (it can be found cheaper).  First, the game board itself is great.  Scrabble Diamond Edition is a suitcase type game, where the game box itself folds open to reveal the playing surface.  The surface is overlay with a clear grid, which hold all of those tiles perfectly in place as you spin the board using it’s built in wheels.  These wheels work just as well, if not better, than any of the “Lazy Susan” Scrabbles we’ve played.  The curved letter trays prevent peeking, and their translucent red design matched with the all-black wooden letters is a visually impressive change.

How to Play: You already know how to play!

If you are truly tired of all the remakes and licensing, though, there is one line of games we must recommend:

The “Classics” Series by Winning Moves

This series of games presents a faithful recreation of many classics.  Check out Monopoly, Clue, Risk 1959 Edition, or the 3oth Anniversary Wooden Rubik’s Cube.  It’s nice to know that as much as we may enjoy some of the remakes, there is somebody out there making sure we can still go back to the classic.