Monopoly Streets Video Game Review

Since its inception during the Great Depression, Monopoly has grown to become one of the world's best-loved board games. Numerous editions have been released over the years, including kids' edition Monopoly Junior and several versions based on pop culture subjects. In addition to the physical editions, the game has also been adapted into video games several times.

Monopoly Streets is the latest video game adaptation of Monopoly, released in late 2010. Thanks to Monopoly's reputation as a classic game and family favorite, this was a popular gift during the 2010 holiday season. Versions of Monopoly Streets were published for the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii. Each of these consoles already had a Monopoly game among its titles, which has left many gamers wondering whether or not they need another.

I tried out the Xbox 360 version of Monopoly Streets. Both this and the PS3 version feature online gameplay, while the Wii version is strictly offline. The Xbox 360 version also features the console's Achievement Points, with 40 achievements available. I've also played Monopoly for Xbox 360, so it was easy to draw some comparisons. This game holds an ESRB rating of E, and features simple enough controls that it really is playable by the whole family.

The main feature of Monopoly Streets is your ability to play the game in a "city" instead of a simple game board. As you go around the board, the various properties look like 3-D addresses instead of just squares on a board. Free Parking looks like a parking garage, for example, and the "Go" space features a scrolling marquee. This does add an element of depth and interest to the game, but it's somewhat lacking. The houses and hotels for each color group are the same for each property, for example. It would have been really nice to see similar, yet unique styles for each property, even if only at the hotel level. The game also features only 2 playable "cities," which didn't seem like enough to me. There are several alternate boards (including the "Cheese Board" from the other version of Monopoly for Xbox 360) available for play, so seeing more of these rendered as 3-D cities would have also been a welcome addition.

Monopoly's mascot, Mr. Moneybags, is featured prominently in Monopoly Streets. He delivers your money when you land on Go, as well as Chance and Community Chest cards. He also offers commentary throughout the game, from funny quips to suggestions on what to do when you land on an unowned property. Though this is cute for the first few minutes, his chatter quickly grows annoying. There are no specific reasons you need to play this game with the sound on, however, so this is pretty easy to avoid.

The city games of Monopoly Streets also contain another noisy potential annoyance. This comes from the characters playable in this part of the game. Though the city versions still use the classic Monopoly game pieces, each piece also has an associated character. The wheelbarrow is pushed around by a country-fried girl with braids, while the top hat is worn (and kicked down the street) by a boy in a suit. These characters make noise when they roll the dice or move throughout the game, and this can also be a little grating to listen to after a while. It's also worth noting that while these characters add a cute touch, they don't add any real depth or difference in the gameplay.

By default, the game is played using Monopoly's official rules. Unlike many video game variants however, Monopoly Streets does allow players to adjust some settings to "house rules." So if you play with rules like storing money under the Free Parking space or disallowing property purchases before completing a trip around the board, this version will be able to accommodate your usual Monopoly ruleset. Some of the achievements for this game even require you to play under house rules, making for a slightly more interesting experience.

Aside from the city versions, the other boards are much the same as the other version of Monopoly for Xbox 360. For gamers who aren't interested in the "Streets" portion of the game, there's no real reason to purchase this if you already own the other version. Those who own neither would probably do better to buy Monopoly Streets, if only because of the added features. This will help you get more out of the game, for a difference of only a few bucks.

Most of the best-known gaming review sources (such as IGN and Gamespot) ranked Monopoly Streets with a middling score, between 5 and 8 out of 10, and I'm inclined to agree with those scores. Though this game is just as much fun as playing the board game version of Monopoly, it just doesn't have enough oomph. The city play quickly outgrows its novelty, leaving this to be just another way to play Monopoly. Though this is great for Monopoly fanatics (like myself), it just doesn't seem innovative or special enough to really wow players. That being said, it still provides the Monopoly experience so it does deliver on its promises. Monopoly Streets is still the fun, classic game we're all used to, just with a fresh coat of paint.