Fasten your suspenders and pull up your knee-high socks, it’s about to get nerdy in here.
Nothing says “game night” like collector’s edition Monopoly boards in the absolute geekiest licenses, and thanks to USAopoly, in partnership with Hasbro, you can rule Hyrule, catch ‘em all, and blast off in the Serenity, all while shamelessly bankrupting your friends.
Known for producing high-quality, officially licensed board games featuring popular franchises, USAopoly has expanded its pop culture portfolio to include Collector’s Edition Monopoly games in Firefly, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Pokémon, and The Legend of Zelda. Each game comes complete with a highly stylized box, a unique game board, customized currency, special house and hotel pieces, customized chance and community chest cards, and sculpted tokens.
The rules of the game work exactly like classic Monopoly, so most kids and adults will be able to play right out of the box—unless, of course, you never open the box and keep the games forever encased in their precious plastic wrap (which, I do not recommend, because then you are missing out on a lot of awesome features).
Each of these properties is a cult classic—especially Firefly, the space western brainchild of Joss Whedon that Netflix has graciously made available to all of us, despite the series cancellation after just a single season. Fans of the series will love the collectible zinc tokens featuring iconic ships from the series, including Serenity itself. The game board also features all of our favorite characters, including the ever-wise Captain Malcolm Reynolds and the creepy—yet beautiful—River Tam.
Pokémon celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, and fans can get in on the birthday action with the Pokémon Kanto Edition Monopoly board game. The game is artfully designed to depict the Kanto region, and the classic imagery will stun all Pokémon fans. Though now there are hundreds and hundreds of these fictional characters, this game properly pays homage to the handful of classics that never go out of style, including Pikachu, Charmander, Squirtle, Eevee, Bulbasaur, and Jigglypuff.
Speaking of classics, the heroes in a half-shell have taken on so many forms since their first inception in 1984, from live action to CGI animation. But USAopoly is kicking it old school with the brand new TMNT Monopoly, featuring the turtles in all their traditional, pizza-loving glory. The game board is styled after the comics and TV series from the ’80s, featuring fun fonts, tons of vibrant color, and all of the classic villains, such as Krang, Rocksteady, and Dirtbag. Best of all, the game includes six custom-sculpted tokens, including all four turtles, Splinter, and Casey Jones. The tokens are absolutely marvelous, sculpted with attention to detail that collectors can appreciate.
The world of Hyrule is vast and beautiful, and the Legend of Zelda Monopoly game depicts it perfectly. Players can take a trip through time and play as one of Link’s many weapons, including the bow, Hookshot, Boomerang, Slingshot, Triforce, and Hylian Shield. The packaging is so simple—with the iconic emerald green and gold and subtle detailing—perfectly reflecting the gaming franchise’s old-timey feel. The properties feature iconic elements of Hyrule, such as the Faron Woods and the Tower of the Gods, sure to inspire feelings of absolute giddiness in gamers of all ages.
So, why play classic Monopoly when you could have a game that completely encapsulates whichever fantasy world you love the most? If nothing else, the packaging makes for a great piece of room décor on a bookshelf or in a man cave. Please join me in a collective “thank you” to the geniuses at USAopoly who continue to crank out all of this geeky goodness. Also, stay tuned for Game of Thrones and Jurassic World editions later this year.
