Risk Coming to XBLA!

[modeps]

You may have been upset to learn that Zombies!!! was put on hold temporarily, but how about a classic board game instead? Electronic Arts has announced that they're bringing Risk to Xbox Live Arcade early this year. No firm date, but I'd guess early is within a couple months. Even better news is that it's being made by the same folks that did Magic The Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers. They're super competent.

The EA Play Label of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) today announced that it is bringing Hasbro’s (NYSE:HAS) globally popular strategy game, RISK, to Xbox LIVE® Arcade (XBLA) in early 2010. Featuring outlandish factions, a unique art style, new gameplay twists and off-beat humor, RISK: Factions promises to challenge and captivate both new and seasoned RISK fans on their quest for world domination.

“For the past half-century, millions of RISK fans have been consumed with ruling the world, underscoring the board game’s enduring appeal,” said Chip Lange, Senior Vice President and General Manager of EA’s Hasbro Division. “We’re now going to bring that masterpiece experience to life and add other amazing layers of XBLA-style gameplay that will take conquests to a new level, including the ability to battle players from around the globe for the first time, truly giving new meaning to the phrase ‘world domination’.”

Please have DLC support for alternate versions. I'd love to play Godstorm or even the Halo branded Risk.

[Albinobees]

i've been telling my wife since the halo risk came out that i wanted it for my birthday or christmas or something... and i still dont own it......

[Earth Djinn]

PLEASE have a solid online community.

I'll be all over this.

[Zander]

i've been telling my wife since the halo risk came out that i wanted it for my birthday or christmas or something... and i still dont own it......

It's actually not half bad and I'm not a huge Halo fan. I thought it would be the typical one-to-one replacement with some Halo units making up the normal Risk pieces and rules. It's not, there are a bunch of little changes that really add up to the game playing quite differently than normal Risk (a much better replacement to the card matching system, usage of Hero units, gaining in-game bonus abilities for reaching certain goals during the game, no pure 5 player but instead a 2 vs 2 vs a high powered 1). Not everything I liked, but after playing hundreds of Risk games in the last thirty years it was cool playing with some variation.

On topic. Very cool. Will be checking it out. Was always very partial to Castle Risk myself.

[Demo_Boy]

Only interested if Godstorm is available with or as DLC.

[PathMaster]

Want a classic version included please!

[Illuminus]

Been playing Risk on my cellphone :D. AI can be predictable though and 3 out of 5 times i win because i camp in Australia :P.

[TDiddy]

The new OXM has a partial page preview of this. Spring 2010. Five factions, of which only one is Humans, while the other two revealed are zombies and and army of cats. And there will be goofy cutscenes introducing the factions.

[grognard66]

I really wish they had stuck with a straight-forward classic version of Risk. The OXM preview has me concerned about how this game will turn out - it reminds me of all the terrible "Xtreme" games from a few years ago. Why mess with a proven formula?

[CalmPengiun]

I would love to see classic risk with perhaps a few alternate rulesets that shorten or speed up the games for quick online play.

[senorduck]

Please have DLC support for alternate versions. I'd love to play Godstorm or even the Halo branded Risk.

Or, you know, just include it in the version you are paying for already.

[Johan]

PLEASE have a solid online community.

: whispers :

PC.

XBLA online play dries up within several months to a year for most titles. Sad, but true.

i've been telling my wife since the halo risk came out that i wanted it for my birthday or christmas or something... and i still dont own it......

I'm looking forward to getting that one as well. :)

[Odinsson]

I'll be sure to pick this one up, I've been a longtime fan of the game, and I also hope Godstorm is included (guess which faction I play heh). For others who are big risk fans, I've been playing risk via a website called warfish.net It's invite only and free to play. Subscribers can make their own custom maps and tournaments. You are sent an email when it's your turn in a game. Tons of fun, been playing for over a year now. If anyone is interested in an invite feel free to send me a message.

[Odinsson]

Here's a custom match I was in not too long ago. The site has some cool features, like dice rolling stats and a cool movie plugin that allows you to share game historys, like this,

http://warfish.net/gm/21180305/gary20080520192832

[bean19]

A few things:

1. We never used the cards and I don't remember how they work. I wonder if they'll have a "no card" option or if they are fun. Not sure why as a child these were house-ruled out.

2. I've never finished a game. The victor is known hours before they take over the world or even meet the win objectives in the board game rules. I wonder if they'll let games end when the winner is known.

[Deunnero]

Hell yes! As long as there is an original version available (even if it is DLC) then this will be AWESOME!

Let's hope they have plans for Axis and Allies somewhere down the road!

[Rangoth]

Is this a 360 exclusive? Since it is EA I have a hunch it will come out for EVERYTHING...which would be awesome as I have a buddy in Japan I would like to destroy. :)

[Syl]

Risk is a bit too much luck based for me. Something like Axis and Allies is much more my forte.

[bean19]

Axis vs. Allies is all about buying up foot - soldiers. Their buy amounts are so low vs. everything else. I think the ratio of a plane to a soldier is 10:1 and the odds of rolling a "1" with rolling ten dice are much actually better than rolling a 4 or lower with one die. Plus, you can choose which of your units die first so soldiers are also awesome as cannon fodder.

The only time you don't load up on foot soldiers is if you are having to make a beach landing against a fortified country and if you do that you are playing to lose due to the high cost of making transports and organizing a force large enough to do a "D-Day". Much easier to attack through Africa. . . As Axis, it is even more simple as you can go almost pure ground war.

[PathMaster]

Via Joystiq (http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/12/risk-factions-re-inventing-risk-on-xbla-in-early-2010/):

"You can absolutely play the classic board game if you like," an EA representative told Joystiq. "There's also the Risk 2008 ruleset." We'll hopefully have some assets and more details about how save games will be handled for the classic version soon. The game is also a standalone app and is not part of the Hasbro Family Game Night.

[Mysterio]

Via Joystiq (http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/12/risk-factions-re-inventing-risk-on-xbla-in-early-2010/):

The game is also a standalone app and is not part of the Hasbro Family Game Night.

Thank God!