Top 10 Mass Market Board Games and Card Games of 2003

Top 10 Mass Market Board Games and Card Games of 2003

2003 was a good year for mass market games, which I define as those available in retailers like Toys R Us, Wal Mart, Kmart and Target. These aren't always the "best of the best" but these are the games that the majority of people (Americans, at least) choose from when buying for their family and friends. Here are my picks for the 10 best games published in 2003 and widely available in mass market retailers.

1. Scene It?Movie trivia games have never benefited from players being able to actually see the subject of the questions, until now. In Scene It?, there are eight question categories. Three of them require the included DVD, including watching a movie clip and then answering a related question, and identifying a movie from a single frame in which the actors' faces have been removed. BattleballRoaring good fun for players who won't take it too seriously, Battleball (aka Battle Ball) is a beer and pretzels game light and quick, but with some strategy with great plastic figures representing the football players. Clue FXClue FX or, more fully, Electronic Talking Clue FX, is a great update to Clue. It does away with the die rolling to move from room to room, so you're almost always able to do something on your turn. There are two new suspects, for a total of eight, and they move from room to room (the rooms and weapons are also new). When you enter a room, an electronic "butler" tells you who's there and, thus, whom you can get a clue from. I see this as a definite step up from standard Clue.

4. Break the SafeBreak the Safe is a unique game, as players work cooperatively to deactivate a safe's self destruct mechanism in 30 minutes or less. Players infiltrate the Evil Guy Complex to obtain secret plans. Moving through the EGC, they use each other's tools to disarm booby traps and find four keys while avoiding the guard and dog. Lord of the Rings Risk Trilogy EditionAn edition of this game was published in 2002, but the "Trilogy Edition" is new in 2003. Either one is a good choice for fans of Lord of the Rings who also enjoy strategy games. Transformers ArmadaThe gameplay in Transformers Armada: Battle for Cybertron is based on the fantastic system developed for Star Wars Epic Duels. Each Transformer has its own customized deck of cards, used to attack other players and defend from attacks. The game, almost always a roaring good fight, often comes down to who manages their cards the best.

7. Beat the ExpertsBeat the Experts challenges players to do better than experts did answering the same 10 trivia questions. For example, Dr. Ruth answered questions about sex and Steve Young answered questions about football. In all, the game comes with 150 expert quizzes (1500 questions). Beat the Experts is a terrific new trivia game and should appeal to fans of the genre.

9. Mission Command SeaOf the three Mission Command games published this year (Air, Land, Sea), Sea is the best. Based on the classic game Carrier Strike, Mission Command: Sea is a basic two player naval wargame. Each player has an aircraft carrier, two destroyers, eight fighter jets, and 14 missiles.

10. Harry Potter Halls of HogwartsHarry Potter Halls of Hogwarts is the best of three games from Mattel that were competing for this final slot in the top 10. The other two are Batman Gotham City Mystery and Justice League MegaClash.