A playthrough of Parker Brothers' 1991 board-game adaptation for the NES, Monopoly.
Since the games go quickly, I've included two in this video. The first is a four-player game with me playing against Penelope, Gertrude, and Maude. The second, beginning at 30:20, is an eight-player game.
Six years after the first licensed Monopoly video game had been published for British microcomputers, Parker Brothers released a rendition developed by Sculptured Software in 1991 for the NES, and it brought the game to life more vividly than any prior attempt had dared. Its inclusion of animated player pieces, digitized sound effects, eight-player competition (with optional AI-driven opponents if seven friends weren’t able - or willing - to participate), and customizable game scenarios all served to provide a platform for one of the best board game adaptations ever produced on a home gaming console. Like the original, winning depends on your ability to wheel, deal, and dominate with the intention of being the last one standing.
Though the NES version does not allow for all “house rules” style games, you can modify settings to allow for a game to begin with pre-distributed properties, starting cash totals different from the traditional $1,500, and/or a time-limit if you've got other pressing business to attend to. There are also eight pre-configured scenario-style games if you're looking for a more focused challenge.
The original game is accurately reflected in this digital version, but the real strengths of the NES Monopoly lie with the style on which everything plays out. Each of the classic player tokens are brought to life with personable animations: the cavalryman holds on to the reins as his horse rears back, the thimble hops under the steam of a hidden bunny, etc. Each of the Community Chest and Chance cards feature an animated version of their classic card illustrations. The Go space showers you with cash as you round the corner, and everytime some pays a debt, a cash register swoops in to chomp the bills.
The audio is an excellent match for the graphics, too. The game is loaded with digital samples - a loud train whistle blows when you land on a railroad space, the auctioneer shouts "SOLD!" as he bangs his gavel, and you're warned with a “Don’t be coming back now!” when you are released from jail - there are tons of examples, and they all sound pretty good for the NES. The soundtrack is an assortment of cheerful big band and bluegrass-style themes and ditties that suit the action perfectly, and if given the chance, will lodge themselves deep in your long-term memory. I remember the theme song being used in radio commercials, so it seems like I'm not the only one who was a fan.
It's thirty-one years old now, but it's still more engaging, personable, and fun than any of the Monopoly products Electronic Arts and Ubisoft have shoveled out over the years. Parker Brothers' Monopoly for Nintendo’s 8-bit machine is, in my opinion, one of the absolute best board-to-video game adaptations ever made, and it's one of the best multiplayer games on the NES.
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
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