The Uncanny X-men Alert Adventure Game!

Though I don’t have the sales numbers in front of me, I think it’s pretty safe to say that board game sales just aren’t what they used to be and really, why should they be? Considering how powerful video game consoles are, board games have become antiquated, cute, and perhaps collectable, but they are no longer relevant. The Wii has effectively come along with its accessability to young and old alike and destroyed the last advantage that board games held over video games.

Before the Wii, video games were viewed as kids stuff only; video games were marketed towards kids and there was a stigma attached to them that made video games seem far too complicated for adults (let alone the elderly). Then, the Wii came along with a marketing campaign that wasn’t exclusive to one age demographic and suddenly everyone wanted the system and family gatherings haven’t been the same since.

Pre-Wii years are an almost distant memory now, but I can remember getting together with my family during holidays and playing Yahtzee, Monopoly, or Nuts (which is a game that has a dozen different names and everyone has played whether they realize it or not – it’s essentially four person solitaire, but it moves really fast). Yahtzee has always been my least favorite because there isn’t any skill involved, but considering that there is no upper limit for how many can play, it’s a game for everyone. Monopoly wasn’t as common because everyone would get frustrated (at least I would). Nuts was a game I hated as a kid, but now that I am older and faster, I like playing it. My grandma is really competitive and she sometimes punches her partner, so that’s always fun to watch.

This past weekend, my family got together for a fish fry and to celebrate May birthdays. After dinner, we didn’t pull out cards or a board game, we turned on the Wii. Of course, I enjoy shooting targets in Wii Play with my cousin Cole, and I like beating everyone in cow racing, but that same magic that happened during cards just isn’t there. My family doesn’t fight for a controller for the Wii. In fact, many of them pass on the opportunity to play while Nuts is a fast and furious game.

This post has gone a completely different way than I anticipated.

When I was in second grade, I was given the best board game I’ve ever played which was The Uncanny X-Men Alery Adventure Game. The X-men cartoon was in its first season at the time, so I was living, breathing, and eating X-men at the time. I absolutely loved everything to do with the X-men and this board game is actually better than any video game that has been made.

First off, check out the sixteen playable characters available:

Each character has unique abilities that change the flow of combat so that team combinations can be significantly different from one game to the next. Some of the characters are significantly overpowered (both Iceman and Banshee can kill enemies in one lucky dice roll, while Wolverine is essentially unkillable) and others are absolutely useless (I have a house rule where anyone who is initially given either Jubilee or Professor X can draw a different character), but there is a sense of variation between characters.

The game is relatively simple: there are three combat zones to choose from that can either have an evil mutant to fight or another X-man to recruit. Each evil mutant defeated allows for the player’s marker on the experience track to move and the first experience marker to reach the end of the track wins. Along the way, players may pick up Training and Luck cards that can help them or hurt them (think the Chance cards in Monopoly).

Since second grade, I’ve played this game hundreds and hundreds of times. In high school, I used to have big New Years Eve parties where my friends would come over and we’d play games all night. Andy Potter brought his X-box so we could all play Hunter together, and in the end, we all decided to play X-men. People fought to get into the next game. We held tournaments with one another. We argued and nearly role-played the ebb and flow of combat.

In short: this is the best board game ever made.

It may just be a bunch of dice rolling, but the variation of characters, the great artwork for the heroes and villains alike, and the intense game play that can change in a heartbeat makes this game absolutely wonderful.

When Sam and I first started dating, I was astonished to find that she also owned the game and that she and her brother had painted all of the silver figures so that they were in their X-men costumes. That might have been the moment I realized that I was in love with her.

I suppose this game is a little different than the games I used to play with my family, but I still miss cards and sometimes I even miss Yahtzee. While my family hasn’t really changed, I feel that the Wii has altered our dynamic and it bothers me.