The Game of Life

Well what hasn't been said? This is a solid title in a somewhat mixed bag of board games on PC. The Game of Life comes through with fun, replay, and lots of cheesy jokes. If you find time between the action packed fall releases give this game a try. And if not.. Well, I guess that's life. ;)

A very good translation of the board game to be sure. The presentation is a thing of beauty as you traverse through the game from a rather stylish first person perspective. The attractiveness of translating board games to consoles is the fact that one person can now play them and set up the computer to act as the other players, but the original intent of these games still hold true...they are made to be played by a bunch of people and Life is no exception. It makes for a nice party game and it's a whole hell of a lot easier than setting up all the pieces of the original board game!

The Game of Life just isn't better than the real board game. While the game isn't awful or really bad in any one area, it just seems to me at least that I don't want to pay more for a version of something that you can not only get a better version but also a cheaper one. Fans of The Game of Life apply.

As simple as it is, Life is truly and entertaining game with few flaws. Gameplay could have been sped up a bit when playing against computer opponents, but overall Life is a solid game. If you enjoyed the original board version or if you just need a break from the fast-paced blood-baths that dominate the computer game market today, then you might want to check out Life.

So here we have a game in which not much choice is offered and from which the set path cannot be deviated: You go to school, you get a job, you get married, you have a baby, you endure things like having your tattoos removed or watching your stocks soar, and then you retire, to a lovely estate of course. No wonder I promptly forgot all that Milton Bradley tried to teach me in Life when I was little; in the words of an old English crooner, "It says nothing to me about my life..." For those who have found themselves traveling along this path, Life will probably play more like the harmless diversion it is while evoking some pleasant nostalgia.

Under the proper circumstances (a group of friends who want to interact socially while occasionally moving a piece around a board) this is a decent way to hang out. If you play it with higher expectations (for example, if you pay money for it), you will be disappointed. This is a much better rental than a purchase; play it at a party. Otherwise, try this game at your own risk.

Mir gefallen an der Umsetzung die unterschiedlichen Zeitperioden am besten. Von den 50ern bis hin zum Jahre 2000 erhalten Sie andere Autos und zur Epoche passende Musikstücke. Die netten Render-Sequenzen zu den einzelnen Ereignissen erfreuen ebenfalls, zumindest bei den ersten 20 Runden. Allerdings ist das Spiel mit zwei Personen innerhalb einer halben Stunde vorbei, außerdem fehlt mir das Herumhantieren mit den schönen Plastikfiguren und dem Spielgeld. Schließlich gestalteten die Grafiker die Karte dermaßen bunt, daß man kaum das eigene Auto wiederfindet. Davon abgesehen macht die Umsetzung aber Spaß und dient außerdem dazu, mal die gesamte Familie vor dem PC zu versammeln.

One gripe is the perspective -- you're too close to the board, so you can't see all of the spaces around your car. While you can look at a map, it's positioned too far away! The default view should be somewhere in between with a camera zooming in as your car starts moving. Otherwise, LIFE plays just like the board game from which it was based. Although it's not very exciting for those looking for a healthy amount of strategy, the game's a harmless diversion meant to satisfy undemanding children.

The only real plus about the Game of Life is that it's a six player game, which makes it very "party friendly." And unless you have five other humans to crawl around the screen, this isn't a game you want in your library.

Classique jeu de société édité par MB (sous le nom de Destins en France), et après avoir connu de nombreux remaniements en 1866, 1959, 1961, 1978 et 1985, Atari nous en a fait une sortie PC (et Playstation) en 1998. Malheureusement, tout jeu de plateau n’est pas fait pour être informatisé, et The Game of Life est très loin de la réussite d’un Monopoly ou d’un Cluedo pour ne citer qu’eux.