Name: Hasbro Family Game Night: Yahtzee
Genre: Board, Strategy
Platform: Xbox Live Arcade, PS2, Wii (Reviewed on Xbox Live Arcade)


There was one Family Game Night title that I wasn't looking forward to that much: Yahtzee. I didn't really play much of it in the past, and I didn't really like it that much. Writing down numbers and stuff didn't bother me in Scrabble, but there was simply too much math in this game, and I could take it or leave it. I'd rather just play real poker instead of one that I needed to do addition in. When I loaded it up I realized that, while I still didn't care much for the core game, this is definitely a fine edition.

Just as with the rest of the Hasbro Family Game Night titles, the style is authenticity, and there’s nothing in the game’s presentation that can’t be found in a retail version of the classic game. Granted, they decided to choose the deluxe edition, with slots for dice, as opposed to the $9 classic one, but it’s essentially the same thing. Players take turns rolling dice and essentially playing poker with their numbers. Matching threes, getting a full house, or pulling off five of a kind reward different numbers of points, which are automatically tallied. It's faster paced than the tabletop version, since the game takes the role of calculator and score keeper, and it's extremely simple to pick which die to keep, which to discard, and to move on.



A few new game modes add more to the traditional formula, like items and a shared score-sheet, but neither are much more engaging than regular Yahtzee, if you're the type of person engaged with Yahtzee. The main benefit over the traditional version is the ease, as there’s no need to use a pencil and paper, there’s no chance of running out of sheets, and there’s no calculations needed. It’s a no-hassle version of a nearly no-hassle game, and it makes the experience, on the whole, much better.

On the other hand, it loses the party atmosphere that makes Yahtzee fun for many people. Much of the allure of playing Yahtzee is shaking the cup full of die – the actual tangible feeling, before dumping them onto the table. The game allows you to, for as long as you want, shake the cup with the analog stick, but it isn’t the same. It can’t be the same. It’s only slightly harmed, but if that doesn’t sound like an issue than it most likely wont be.  Even more so than the other Hasbro Family Game Night titles, this is really for fans, and should please anyone who considers Yahtzee to be fun.

 

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