LOS ANGELES — EA remains the fan-pleasing factory of gaming titles to entice both new and hardcore gamers alike. At this year’s E3, there weren’t any huge surprises, other than Crysis2 not sucking. (because, admit it, we all thought C1 totally did.)

I had the chance to demo a few games, and was escorted to “family games” before I got a chance to get my hands on the beef.

Some of the family-oriented games, like Monopoly and Hasbro Family Game Night 3, are right on cue for ages 4-444, with bold graphics and customizable characters based on your Mii or XBLA avatar so any member of the family can own their pwnage. A newer version of the classic Risk was on show as well.

One rising star in the all-ages genre is a new game by EA Bright Lights, the team responsible for the newest title in the Harry Potter series, Spare Parts. Part WALL-E -meets-Spyro, it will be one that kids play and awaken the inner-gamer in mom and dad. (Yes, I do want to play it; no- it has nothing to do with me being a girl. Shut it!) It may become the secret guilty-pleasure for many gamers. Who doesn’t like Robots? EA dubs this a “cooperative action adventure”, trending toward the online co-op capabilities that is becoming the norm these days in the gaming scene.

The Need for Speed franchise made a comeback with a return to it’s roots- a classic cop-chasing-bad guy game, complete with Lamborghini cop cars in Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. The cars are typically unrealistically hard to handle, but what do you expect from a memorizable game? In the realm of graphic quality I’ll hand it to them, however. The cars are rockin’, and the hot rod shown at E3 to catch our attention was one hot tamale.

When the boys finally let me come to the yard, I have to admit, I totally got schooled in the Medal of Honor demo. I was just too distracted by how fast and smoothly the game rendered, a sign of a great engine, and well thought out gameplay. I was happy to sit back and watch the diehards go at it, and contribute to the death of an insurgent or two. Electronic Arts los Angeles is handling the single-player action, but DICE stepped it up for the online co-op. You die fast and hard, thanks to what DICE calls “faster bullets.” Remind me to thank them for my lesson in humility.

Crysis 2 is a vast improvement on the original, but I have to shame the developers in picking NYC as it’s location of destruction. As much as I love the idea of NYC as the futuristic dystopian gamer’s paradise, it is, perhaps, too soon to see iconic New York City fall to the ground in a blaze of alien-gutted glory. The gameplay is rich, thrilling and maybe this will be the redeeming title for the still neophitic development team of Crytek who didn’t quite walk the walk with Crysis the first time around. The big news with Crysis 2 is the expectation of 3D capabilities. The gameplay is engaging and frenetic, adding to the overall atmosphere of doom and destruction; AI placement has been done well, and those aforementioned icons of NYC are easily recognizable with a nice depth quality.

All titles will be released between the fall and holiday seasons. Family titles will be available for about $39.99.

Other titles expected for release include sports giants like Madden NFL 2011, FIFA 2011, NCAA Football, and NHL/NHL Slapshot. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Pt 1 — which grew up with the apprentice sorcerer into something close to a third-person shooter — and the Sims3 round out the mid-range, with killer titles like Dead Space 2 and Bulletstorm rounding out the hardcore gamer genre, and are expected to be well received, leaving EA living up to its reputation as a powerhouse publisher.

Well, it seems like ol’ timey Monopoly is getting a proverbial new coat of paint, in Monopoly City. Now available via download at Pogo.com. Monopoly City follows the same rules as the board game of the same name, except now you wont have to do all of that annoying math (and I won’t have to count on my fingers!) when you’re calculating the money.

As players move around the board, fully represented in 3D, they can buy districts and build a variety of residential and industrial buildings, all of which are fully animated during the construction process. Unlike classic MONOPOLY, this version allows players to construct buildings during every turn. Players are also not required to land on the property they wish to develop, keeping players on their toes at all times.

Adding a layer of competitive tension to the game, MONOPOLY City provides more opportunity to disrupt opponents’ plans than the standard game. Players can build a hazard building like a prison, sewage plant or power station on opponents’ land, rendering residential properties worthless. The owner can demolish the harmful structure for a price or completely prohibit its construction by creating bonus buildings like schools, wind farms and parks within his or her districts.

Ever since Electronic Arts snatched up the Monopoly license for video game adaptation in 2007, it has been churning out title for many systems and mobile devices, but today EA takes the classic Hasbro game for a spin in a different and ambitious direction in 3D.

The publisher today announced Monopoly Streets, a game that is said to feature “a fully dynamic, living, 3D world that continuously evolves,” when it arrives later this year for PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii.

EA has not clarified as to how it will achieve this, only saying players will “experience the game at street level.”

“We’re taking Hasbro’s No. 1 family game brand and masterfully striking the balance of offering the classic MONOPOLY play experience and adding a spectacular new visual treatment as we bring the classic board to life with players walking the streets of MONOPOLY,” said Chip Lange, General Manager and Senior Vice President of EA’s Hasbro Division. “MONOPOLY Streets will bring people together and connect families all over the world by offering online gameplay through their gaming consoles. We think this unique, combined offering will bring families together around the TV this holiday season for a classic family gaming tradition they’ll remember for years to come.”

Recognizing and acknowledging the fact that everyone plays differently, EA has decided to allow for “house rules.” So yes, you’ll be able to tinker the game to your liking, though how deep that fine-tuning stretches, was not noted  in the announcement.

Additionally, Xbox 360 gamers can play as their Avatars and Wii players as their Miis. Other features will include online multiplayer and downloadable content in the form of game-boards, extra characters and tokens.

EA’s press release was vague, but one thing’s for sure. If you’ve ever wondered what Park Place or Water Works actually looked like, this will be your chance!

The Monopoly we know and (mostly) love, is getting major makeover.

To celebrate the game’s 75th Anniversary, Hasbro is streamlining the board game experience by making the game board circular and removing paper currency.

This will be fun?

Where did the money go? It’s still there, but you’ll have a credit card to keep track of every transaction, thus nullifying the ability to say “hey look over there” and steal a couple bills from your brother.

The game itself remains unchanged, meaning 4-hour sessions ending in the dead of night will still happen, but the genre “board game” might need to change to “bored game.”

The new, circular Monopoly will hit shelves later this year.

Source: Wired

Some of the early CD-ROM classics included Battleship, Monopoly, Risk and The Game of Life (still the best PSX board game title).

Now EA is bringing the tabletop and toy titles back to the video game universe — including Nerf!

“EA and Hasbro want to give families new ways to enjoy games; we want give them a new way to come together, connect, spend time and have fun around the TV or online,” said Chip Lange, Vice President and General Manager of EA’s Hasbro Studio. “Bringing the spirit of these games to life as video games has allowed us to create really unique and creative experiences for families and friends of all ages to enjoy together at home or online.”

Games include:

Littlest Pet Shop: Wii, DS and PC
Fall

Littlest Pet Shop brings the magic of owning your own pet shop to your home. EA brings the quirkiness and cuteness of the popular Hasbro girl’s brand to life in a new digital world. Players can explore three unique environments as they unlock new pets, playsets, accessories and more.

Players will discover magical moments of delight as they build relationships with their pets. This game is the next must-have addition to fans growing Littlest Pet Show collection. Add to the ultimate Littlest Pet Show collection with three different versions of the Nintendo DS game; each with unique pets.

NERF “N-Strike:” Wii and DS
Fall

Become the master of mayhem in the first NERF blaster action game. In a world created to be the perfect landscape for NERF pandemonium, players can wreak havoc and perfect their blasting skills or challenge friends to clashes with both single and multi-player game modes. With the brand new custom NERF blaster, players can then take the action outside as their controller transforms to fire actual NERF darts!

EA MOBILE

Scrabble: mobile phones
Currently available in North America

This exciting update of the classic board game now includes flexible difficulty levels, built-in word list, dynamic animations, scrolling and full-board views. Easy-to-use controls allow for alone play, a challenge with computer in a phone, or enjoy pass ‘n play with a friend. Easily keep track of game scores and statistics. Fun new features appeal to both wordplay mavens and casual gamers. Test word wits with Scrabble!

Monopoly Here and Now: mobile phones
March

Monopoly Here and Now, a modern makeover of the world’s most popular board game. Buy and sell destinations around the U.S. as you compete to own it all and win! Unique player icons, sound effects, vivid graphics and easy-to-use, one-button controls deliver all the excitement of the beloved game.

Yahtzee Adventures: mobile phones
April

Play the treasured dice game on your phone. Travel the globe, meet new characters and challenge them to a game, roll the colorful dice and be the first to score a Yahtzee! Enjoy Classic, Duplicate, Rainbow and Battle modes. Pass ‘n Play with your friends, or try your hand at a Yahtzee single-player adventure. Dynamic, exciting gameplay, easy controls, automatic scorekeeping deliver terrific mobile entertainment for you, your friends and family.

POGO.COM GAMES

Yahtzee: online
Summer

Shake, Score and Shout Yahtzee with family and friends online! There are two ways to win in this fun and addictive game from Pogo.com. Compete for the top score on a real-time leader board as you and up to 19 people roll the dice in a series of timed rounds. Show your team spirit as you collaborate with other players to advance your team goal and earn bonuses for scoring Yahtzee together. Take the Yahtzee fun online!

Monopoly Here & Now: World Edition: online
Fall

Risk it all to own it all online! Jet set across the globe and buy and sell property in the most desirable cities in the world. Play alone or wheel and deal with up to 3 people using one of three sets of rules or make the game more challenging by customizing your own game. The unique player icons, sound effects and graphics deliver all the excitement of the beloved game. Will you be the next the next online billionaire?

Trivial Pursuit: online
Fall

Get your daily dose of trivia fun online! Challenge your daily trivia knowledge with an easy to access, interactive online trivia game. Answer the trivia questions correctly and earn points towards your wedges in pursuit of completing your pie collection by the end of the week. The player with a full pie wins! Not a trivia expert? Take a stab at it. There’s something in it for everyone!

Operation: PC/download
Fall

The medicine is madcap and YOU are the M.D. as the ER goes arcade-crazy in Operation. Your role: emergency surgeon. Your challenge: diagnose and treat patients by successfully performing operations, each one a mini-game. Resources are limited and the clock is ticking, so you’ve got to heal ‘em up and move ‘em out…. Do well, and you earn points and upgrades for your hospital. Do poorly, and you’ll face malpractice lawsuits from angry plaintiffs with glowing noses. Either way, Operation will have you — and your patients — in stitches!