The partnership between EA and Hasbro may at times come off as something that younger gamers will benefit from the most, but there are some gems for all ages included in Hasbro’s vast catalog of games. Trivial Pursuit is one such game, and the two companies recently released it across the major consoles.

While they could have been forgiven for simply making Trivial Pursuit a digital experience rather than one you play on your coffee or kitchen table with friends, there was more work put into it than that, and to the benefit of the player. Rather than just re-create the classic style of gameplay and call it a day, two new game modes were introduced, as well as a few other nifty features that fans of stat tracking and leaderboards are sure to enjoy.

The classic game mode is here, and it works very well. Up to three friends can play along with you, just like you are playing the actual board game, only now everything is done on your television. You can waggle the Wii Remote to roll the dice, or you can just press A to accomplish the same goal. Moving your puck is performed with the IR pointer of the Wii Remote, which is efficient; it also helps that the game board only highlights the spaces you can move to with each roll, so you don’t have to count and can make quick decisions about your next move. The only part of the experience that is grating is the announcer, who has a variety of things to say, but repeats very often. Luckily he’s pushed to the background on a volume level, so he’s easily ignored.

If you’re looking for something a little different from Trivial Pursuit than the classic gameplay, you have the Facts & Friends mode. This is also with up to four players, but there is a twist. First of all, you do not need to land on the wedge space in order to acquire the piece; instead, you can answer a certain number of questions to earn points for each category, which in turn leads to a wedge. There are also bonus spaces where the roll again spaces used to be, and these can earn you wedges if you’re lucky enough to roll that option. When a wedge is acquired in this mode, either through points or ‚ bonuses, that category disappears from the board; those two things help to speed the game up considerably.

This isn’t the only change to the core game though. Now, your friends can bet on whether you know the answer to a question or not, and can also back up their confidence by saying they know the answer. If you answer in the way they bet you would, they get points, but they can also steal the points by guessing correctly if they claimed they knew. This hurts people who get through Trivial Pursuit by randomly guessing, but should make just about everyone else who actually knows trivia well happy.

There is a single-player mode, so you can enjoy the core experience of Trivial Pursuit with some added twists that make it worth your while, and give the game plenty of replay value even outside of playing with buddies. This mode is called “Clear the Board”, and the objective is to land on spaces in order to “clear” them from the board. You don’t need to answer the question correctly in order to clear the space, but you add to your multiplier and overall score if you do. Each correct question for a category gives the wedge space a boost to its multiplier (up to 10 times), and there is no penalty for answering a question on a regular space wrong, outside of losing the chance to score points on it. If you answer incorrectly on a wedge space though, you lose a multiplier for each response.

Each time you answer a wedge space question correctly, it erases all of that category from the board, making it smaller and easier to navigate. Once you have all of the wedges, you are asked a random final bonus question, the winning point total of which is multiplied by the total multiplier you have remaining. Each incorrect response here also takes off a multiplier point. You can replay this game just for the fun of some trivia, or to achieve a high score or fastest completion time. There are also objectives to complete, which are awarded based on how well you do in different categories, which gives you the ability to try to tackle the game different ways in order to clear them all.

I’m a big fan of trivia games, and though there are many different options out there in both the digital and board game worlds, Trivial Pursuit has been a longtime favorite. This edition is both a nod to the classic board game as well as loaded with options that should make even the most die-hard board game enthusiast intrigued. Let’s not forget that this game costs just $40, which is less than your standard retail game and also about the same price as the actual board game, despite having more options and game modes.If you’re looking for something to play with your friends or family that doesn’t involve exploding zombies or headshots, then Trivial Pursuit will more than fill that need.

I know a lot about a little and a little about a lot and have loved trivia games since I can first remember.‚  A birthday present ‚ years back “The book of useless information” fueled my love of random trivia and today I can name anything from a background character in a sitcom or the homerun leader in 1996 (Mark McGwire, 52, with the Oakland A’s).

Electronic Arts announced today that Trivial Pursuit, the epitome of all things trivia, and one of America’s favorite board games has gone digital and is available on every major console.

New categories, questions and modes of play complete with dynamic visuals and social interactivity round out this new version of the 25 year old board game.

Trivial Pursuit features three methods of play, “Classic,” which is straightforward Pursuit as you so well remember it, “Clear the Board,” a single player experience racing against the clock for the highest score, and most intriguingly “Facts and Friends,” a socially overwhelming multiplayer game mode where scoring is based on team responses and the ability to guess the opposing teams answers.

Furthermore, statistics ranging from the number of games won to the percentage of questions answered correctly can be accessed and analyzed (no one wants to team up with Joey, his winning percentage is .350) And to keep game-play moving along and interesting, a real-time ticker will scroll on the bottom of the TV, keeping players actively aware of how they stack up with opponents.

The grimy, dusty old board game looks to have received a total facelift and will bring the family together around the TV rather than the table, tables are for eating anyway.

“The TRIVIAL PURSUIT brand is celebrating 25 years of testing the knowledge of multiple generations based on the millions of families who have played the game over the years,” said Mark Blecher, General Manager of Digital Media and Gaming at Hasbro. “EA’s re-imagination of the time-honored classic for the digital consumer is nothing less than over-the-top fun that’s expected to be a big hit with scores of long-time as well as new TRIVIAL PURSUIT fans.”

Trivial Pursuit is the latest in EA/Hasbro collaborations, with the action figure turned action game G.I. Joe releasing later this year.‚  What will Hasbro hand over to EA next? Personally I’d love to play a first person shooter Mr.‚  Potato head title, where all hell is exacted on french fry lovers, but that may never happen.

Trivial Pursuit is currently available for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii for 40$ and 30$ gets you the PlayStation 2 version.

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!