May 2011 Notable Toys — Board Games

The path is filled with excitement and danger: will players master the four constructs that they need to defeat Parallax? Once players have the constructs- and the Green Lantern ring- go to the lantern and see if the ring comes up lit. If it does, players light up their ring and win. "Based on the upcoming Warner Brothers feature film, Green Lantern, this game includes an exclusive Green Lantern light-up ring," Jim Pressman, President of Pressman Toy Corp, told TDmonthly. Launch date: March 2011.

Say Anything Family has 350 family oriented questions that allows families to enjoy the laughter and fun of the original party game. Ask a fun opinion question, everyone else comes up with an answer, secretly pick which one you like the most, everyone bets on what they think you just picked. Reveal the answer and score. "This game is fun for both parents and kids, while helping kids develop social interaction skills," Luke Warren, a rep for North Star Games, told TDmonthly. Launch date: March 2011.

The Laser Game Khet 2.0 has arrived. The completely redesigned game for 2011 combines lasers with classic strategy for an experience enjoyed by players ages 9-99. Players alternate turns moving Egyptian themed mirrored pieces, after which they fire their real, eye-safe laser with the goal of illuminating their opponents' pieces and winning the game.

Exercise your mind and outwit your opponents with Mosaic 4, the new fast paced 4 in a row abstract strategy game! Mosaic 4 is set up on a board of movable squares. Two to four players compete to be the first to get 4 tokens in a row. On their turn, each player can either place a token on the board, or shift an entire row or column of movable squares over by one space. The rules are simple but the game gets increasingly challenging. Mosaic 4 comes with instructions in English, Spanish, German and French. "The movable board squares add an extra challenge," Mary Lin from Gridly Games told TDmonthly. Launch date: April 2011.

Mysterious Creatures the Game was created to engage player's curiosity in the mysteries of nature that exist across the world. The game takes each player on an adventure/race across the globe in search of their creature's evidence cards. The first player to collect all 3 evidence cards and make it back to their creature's country of origin wins. Along the way players will learn geography, country flags, and a multitude of info about creatures that may or may not exist. All the card art for each creature incorporates the flag of its native country. Other features include the set-backs for natural phenomena like the Bermuda Triangle.
Watch video from Toy Fair 2011

One player draws a construction card and builds the structure shown. Next, an opponent loads an Angry Bird onto the launcher and catapults the bird to knock down structures and pigs. The player with the most points and knockdowns wins. Features three Angry Birds, four green pigs, one slingshot-style launcher, structure pieces and multiple mission cards. For one or more players. Launch date: May 2011.
— As of 12/17/2012 this product had 3.9 out of 5 stars from 252 reviews on Amazon.com. Pros: Great alternative to the app for parents who want to reduce kids' screen time; fun for the family to play together; helps kids develop dexterity and patience. Cons: Certain structures are too elaborate to build and don't seem to be grouped in the correct level of difficulty; kids with short attention spans may lose interest in building the structures; structures are easy to knock down, which can be frustrating for younger players.

Zelosport has transformed the age-old pastime of paper football into a series of Finger Sports games for all ages. Now sports fans can enjoy football, baseball, golf, and soccer on the kitchen table. "There is nothing like it on the market," Sara Eddy, project marketing manager at SCI, told TDmonthly.

Fur-Ever Home, the Animal Rescue Game is a family friendly board game of chance and skill where players take in dogs and cats, care for them, and adopt them out to loving “Fur-Ever Homes”. The game ends when all players have worked together and there are no more pets in Straytown. The player with the most points from placing dogs and cats in Fur-Ever Homes wins. But, players have to make decisions about money to stay in the game. "It is the first board game on the market where players get to test their skill at running their very own animal rescue, and adopting out animals to Fur-Ever Homes," Carianne Burnley, CEO of Petsapalooza LLC, told TDmonthly.

Mahjong Junior is an introduction to the classic game of Mahjong.  It’s not only fun, fast, and easy to learn, but the game teaches sequencing, odds, evens, patterns, promotes planning, strategy, organizational skills, and taking turns. The game offers players both an element of history and another culture. Mahjong Junior is a socially interactive game that lends itself to connecting people to people. It is challenging for both children and adults, and places varying ages at equal playing level. It is also an eco-friendly, fair trade produced game.

In the Tetris Link game, players battle to score the most points by linking colored Tetriminos, the iconic Tetris playing pieces, into an upright game tower while attempting to block competitors from linking their game pieces. The Tetris Link game is a strategy game that takes just minutes to learn and15 to 20 minutes to play. Each player begins by choosing a color and collecting all of the Tetriminos in that color. Players then take turns rolling the die and dropping their color Tetriminos into the game tower, attempting to link Tetriminos of the same color to earn points while blocking opponents from scoring. Earn three points for the first three Tetriminos linked, and score one point for each additional Tetrimino linked. Players can lose points for any holes that are left in the game tower. Players track their points in real-time with the built-in scoring markers and, when the tower is full, the player with the highest score wins the game. For 2 to 4 players. Launch date: Spring 2011.

In anticipation of Columbia Pictures’/Sony Pictures Animation’s 3D release “The Smurfs,” in theaters August 3, 2011, Pressman Toy Corporation announces a licensing deal to create games and puzzles based on the movie. Pressman Toy’s games and puzzles will be available for purchase at mass and specialty retailers nationwide in July 2011. Race to Smurfs Village is a board game where players choose their favorite Smurfs character and try to be the first to get to their village. Special spaces help players get closer to the village, while others will set them back. Launch date: Summer 2011.

This game of skill features Erik balancing atop of blocks of ice that must be carefully pushed out one by one. Pressman Toy has partnered with Warner Bros. Consumer Products to produce a line of board games and puzzles based on Warner Bros. Pictures’ highly anticipated computer-animated family film Happy Feet 2. A follow up to director George Miller’s 2006 Academy Award-winning Best Animated Feature Film, Happy Feet, Miller’s Happy Feet 2 will be presented in 3D and 2D and IMAX, and will make its theatrical debut on November 18, 2011. Launch date for game: Fall 2011.