As you've surely noticed, this week Gamervision has reviewed all of the Hasbro Family Game Night games, but purposefully didn’t go into detail on the Game Night channel itself. However, in order to play any of the Family Game Night titles, you first need to download the free client, where all of the games are launched from. With Mr. Potato Head as a host, all of the games’ events take place in a large room, with silly objects, a table to play on, and a large wall covered in screens that display the downloaded games.

But first, as a recap, the reviews for each game are listed below.

Battleship:



"When compared to Scrabble, which has secondary game modes which will likely be left unplayed, Battleship’s are genuinely fun and inventive... Online multiplayer is included, and local play, although a bit silly, also works as long as the players are willing to look away while their opponents place their ships. There’s a singleplayer component as well, but no way to set the opponent’s difficulty (if that would even be possible). This is nitpicking, though, and there’s really nothing wrong with the game."

Connect Four:

"For the most part, though, this is nothing new. It’s the same game you’ve always played, but with a few shiny bells and whistles. Is this a bad thing? Absolutely not. If you liked it then, you’ll like it now, especially considering it costs less to buy on the Xbox Live Arcade than it does to get the actual board game. Being able to play with friends locally is fun, but online play is great as well. Those friends I used to play with in college? They’re spread all across the world now, and if something as simple as this could bring us together again, then that's reason enough for me to spend ten bucks."

Scrabble:

"Featurewise, the game doesn’t support play against computer opponents, which is especially interesting considering Scrabble on the DS’s focus on the singleplayer campaign. Multiplayer, however, is executed wonderfully. Locally, the game supports up to four players in competitive play. Since everyone shares a screen there’s no real way to hide tiles, so everyone knows what their rivals are holding. Usually, this means groans when a player pulls a Q or laughter when they receive a surplus of vowels, adding even more of a social element to the experience... Online multiplayer is also included, allowing for players to enjoy the game with friends from all around the world with secrecy intact."

Yahtzee:



"A few new game modes add more to the traditional formula, like items and a shared score-sheet, but neither are much more engaging than regular Yahtzee, if you're the type of person engaged with Yahtzee. The main benefit over the traditional version is the ease, as there’s no need to use a pencil and paper, there’s no chance of running out of sheets, and there’s no calculations needed. It’s a no-hassle version of a nearly no-hassle game, and it makes the experience, on the whole, much better."

From inside Game Night, you’re able to download more games and switch between them without leaving and reentering. To some, it may never be anything other than an extra step in-between turning on the Xbox 360 and playing a game of Scrabble, but to others, it can be more than that. The core of Family Game Night, aside from the actual games, is included is right in the name: Family.

It’s obvious that the hub section is for the the much younger (or much older) generation, for those who generally aren’t as interested in video games. Sure, you might not care about unlocking Battleship slippers or a Scrabble clock, but to a non-gamer that might be all the inspiration they need to try and learn the game better, play online, or invest more time in one of the titles. In that, it actually manages to capitalize on the promises of PlayStation Home, by rewarding players with items out-of-game for their accomplishments in-game. Already there are different styles to download in order to change the room’s style, and odds are EA will continue pumping them out for a price. As a free download, Hasbro Family Game Night is a fine launchpad, and serves it function well. 



The only section that’s actually a “game” is Party Mode, which pulls from the already downloaded HFGN titles to create small minigames that can be played in rapid succession. Some have more to do with the mechanics of the games, like needing to bomb a ship in Battleship, while others pull from the basic concepts, such as shaking the bag of tiles in Scrabble to “heat them up.” If nothing else, it’s something to do to break up the monotony of playing Yahtzee over and over again, but will only ever really be worthwhile for anyone who is planning on consistently downloading the Family Game Night titles. All in all, there's really no reason to dislike the Game Night channel, and hopefully it's supported more in the future with even better games and new modes.

Related Articles:

Review: Trivial Pursuit - Xbox 360

EA Brings Hasbro Family Game Night Channel to XBLA

Review: Scrabble - DS