Fortune Street

 Review

Common Sense Media says

No frills Monopoly-like game is more complex than it is fun.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

Find out more

Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

Find out more

Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Fortune Street is like a deeper, more complex version of Monopoly. In addition to collecting properties ("shops") and investing money to make the rent at each shop more expensive, players can buy and sell stock attributed to groups of properties, allowing them to also collect money when someone else is paid, or when someone else invests money into a shop. There are numerous strategies for players to develop. When playing against computer opponents, players are presented with an onslaught of comments that are usually arrogant or mean-spirited in nature, though not overtly harsh or obscene. Because of the complexity of the gameplay, this game skews older into the teen range.

  • While this game is presented as a board game and thus should be treated with a spirit of good, fun competition, when players compete against computer opponents, there is a fair amount of trash-talking that occurs. Computer characters will gloat when something in the game goes their way, talk down to players when they're in the lead, and make egotistical comments about themselves. These comments appear every time a computer player rolls the die, which means that this bad sportsmanship becomes a large and unavoidable part of the game. Also, to win in this game, players need to buy, buy, buy. Players build shops in vacant spaces on the board and then collect money every time another player lands on one of those shops. There is no particular product or trademark that is promoted in the game, but there is a message of spending as much money as possible.
  • Although Mario and his jovial cast of characters appear in this game, the unsportsmanlike comments they make in between turns is uncharacteristic of most of them. None of the comments is especially harsh, but they are occasionally biting and go against what should be a good-natured competitive spirit.
  • This is a complex strategy game that will only appeal to a very niche group of players. The basic concept is the same as the classic board game Monopoly -- players buy unowned properties ("shops") and then collect 'rent' every time another player lands on one of their shops. In addition, if players own additional shops in the same color group, their shop value increases, in similar fashion to players collecting all the same-colored properties in Monopoly. However, this game goes much deeper, allowing players to buy 'stock' in each of the color groups, collect dividends on rent even when the rent is paid to someone else, steal shops from other players, invest money into individual shops to manipulate the stock price, and devise strategies on how to navigate the winding, twisting board. This results in an incredibly nuanced game with a very steep learning curve. All of that being said, there is also an "Easy" version of the game that nixes the stock mechanic and makes it slightly more accessible to players, though this version has its own unique set of nuances and strategies.
  • Not applicable.
  • Not applicable.
  • Computer opponents sometimes talk down to players and use "trash talk" during the game, though there is no specific comment that is especially harsh or obscene.
  • Not applicable.
  • Minor safety concerns. It is possible to play this game online with other players, but this interaction is limited to drop down menus of prepared chat to prevent players from being exposed to unfiltered chat or other inappropriate content.

What's it about?

The easiest way to describe FORTUNE STREET is to say it is like the classic board game Monopoly, just lots more complicated. Players roll a die to move around a board and purchase unowned shops. If players land on a shop that is already owned by someone else, they must pay the shop owner. The winner is the first player to reach a pre-determined monetary goal. There are numerous layers of strategy that include buying and selling stock within each group ("district") of shops, stealing other players' shops by forcing a buyout, and correctly navigating around game boards that have winding paths and non-linear progression. The game includes characters and themes from both the Mario franchise as well as the RPG series Dragon Quest.


Is it any good?

 

Fortune Street will appeal to an extremely select group of players. Its nuanced strategy requires brain-bending critical thinking and the ability to adapt to constantly changing circumstances. The game is captivating from a cerebral level only. The graphics seem outdated; and there is no other content to keep players entertained. There is one space on the board that lets players compete in a mini-game, but there are only four mini-games to cycle through. This is definitely a no-frills game. For those who appreciate the deep and complex gameplay style, it can be a fun and entertaining experience. For anyone else, which is probably a much larger audience, the game's hours-long, turn-based, complicated presentation will be off-putting and not worth their time.


What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about this game's emphasis on cunning and strategy. What are the best strategies to win in this game?

  • This game lets you steal other players' shops. Do you think this is fair?

  • What would happen if you tried to manipulate stock prices in real life?


This review was written by Mark Raby
Teen, 17 years old
December 22, 2011
 
Didn't like this game.
It wasn't inappropriate, it was just really boring. If you like monopoly then you will probably like this.

Flag as inappropriate 
Kid, 10 years old
December 27, 2011
 
Monopoly lover loves Fortune Street
My 10 year old got this for Christmas. He's a monopoly nut, so he really likes it. I actually found it a little boring myself, but he was still engaged after playing with me against the computer for more than 2 hours. Only concern was the trash talking. We don't allow that in our family and my son has enough trouble refraining from trash talk without it being promoted by a game. We ended up muting it after awhile, which made the whole experience a lot more fun.

Flag as inappropriate 

This review was written by Mark Raby
Platforms:Nintendo Wii
Available online?Not available online
Genre:Strategy
Developer:Nintendo
Release date:December 5, 2011
Price:$49.99
ESRB rating:E for Comic Mischief

This review was written by Mark Raby
 

Review It

Share your review with others

Hang on! You need to be a member to post your review.
A safe community is important to us. Please observe our guidelines.

Screenshots


Register now to save reviews and advice articles to your personal lists!


About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

Great alternatives handpicked by our editors

 

vote now

Will you play Fortune Street?


Already played it? What do you think?

 

Been There? Tell us about it