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Benjamin Franklin said only two things are certain in life: death and taxes. Not very uplifting, is it? Well, if he was around today, he may add two other certainties. The first is that pretty much everyone has heard of Monolopy or has played it at least once. The second is just about everyone has at least heard of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. So, why not put 'em together? Instead of trying to cover the various incarnations of Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird's popular franchise, the board game celebrates the classic 1987 animated series!
A game of Monopoly has the potential to last a decent amount of time, so a good portion of the fun comes from picking your character. You're stuck with 'em the whole time, after all. We all have our favorites from the regular edition of the board game, but now you get to pick your favorite turtle or two of their allies. Selecting your favorite character is sure to give any TMNT fan a good dose of joy. Sometimes it's the simple things in life that we enjoy the most, you know? If you're playing with other TMNT fans and you happen to have the same favorite character, you'll just have to come up with creative ways to decide who gets their top choice. Or, you know, you can just play rock, paper, scissors. There's going to be a lot of people out there trying to figure out who gets Raphael or Mikey!
There's six characters to choose from and each are, according to the box, "custom vinyl figures." The attached weapons tend to bend a bit, so don't be rough with these figures. Then again, it's Monopoly, so why would you be knocking them around and what not? Well, unless you have a friend who's a sore loser, but you should avoid playing with them anyway. Aside from that, they're cute collectibles. When you're not playing, you may want to leave them on your desk or a bookshelf.
You can choose from Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, Michelangelo, Casey Jones and Master Splinter. What about April O'Neil? Seeing as she has a full-time job as a reporter, let's just assume she's busy and doesn't have time for games. It's disappointing she isn't an option, but that's a minor complaint.
Gone are standard houses and hotels. They've been replaced by delicious pizza slices and pizza boxes (which shouldn't be consumed, so buy real pizza if you have a craving, people!). A TMNT game of Monopoly could have various locations from the show, but instead of that, they're using the various villains (22, to be exact!) and vehicles from the earlier years! All of the fan favorites are there (e.g. Bebop and Rocksteady, Krang, Shredder, Rat King, etc.) but they also have plenty of less popular choices like Lord Dregg, Antrax, Scumbug, and many more. Even Pizzaface is in there!
Considering it's pretty easy to learn the basics of Monopoly, this means you -- who we can only assume is a big TMNT fan if you're reading this -- can enjoy this game with people who aren't all that into TMNT. In fact, that makes it way more entertaining! Watching your parents debate about whether they should buy Lieutenant Granitor is amusing for everyone involved. They enjoy it because the names and characters seem silly, and you have a blast watching them ask questions about these characters and watching how they react to the names. "It's fun for the whole family" is such a cliche saying, but it really does apply to this game.
The game currently costs $43.33, but if you're a fan of the cartoon and like board games, this is going to be worth every penny or should be added to your holiday wish list. Totally honest, I'm not even the biggest fan of Monopoly and I had a terrific time spending a few hours playing this game with my family. There were plenty of laughs and a whole lot fun. It's easy to set up, simple to learn, and -- assuming you like the franchise -- a great way to spend some time with your friends and family. Not everyone will know who all of these characters are, but that just adds to the entertainment and is sure to get some really funny conversations going.