Hasbro Family Game Night Message Board

Because no blockbuster film can apparently exist without some kind of video game adaptation that may or may not bear any real resemblance to the film in question, Activision and developer Double Helix have today announced that they will be teaming up with Universal Pictures to bring an extremely loose interpretation of the studio's upcoming sort of adaptation of Hasbro's classic boardgame Battleship to video game consoles everywhere.

Man, it's EXACTLY how I don't remember playing Battleship as a kid!

Undoubtedly you've seen the myriad ads for the Peter Berg-directed film, which features innocent battleships suddenly caught in a massive alien invasion that looks more or less like an accidental Michael Bay parody. The game will apparently follow a storyline wholly separate from the one that features Taylor Kitsch, Rihanna, and Alexander Skarsgaard fighting aliens (and also Liam Neeson collecting yet another paycheck.) Instead, you'll play as Cole Mathis, some manner of demolitions expert who is not on a battleship, yet is somehow capable of commanding a number of battleships while fighting off the aforementioned ocean aliens.

The game will split its battles into first-person shooter sequences and tactical "Battle Command" sequences, where you tactically position ships into tactical situations to tactically defeat the alien enemies, presumably while using tactics.

"With a BATTLESHIP videogame, we have an amazing opportunity to take our beloved property and give it a modern-day spin," said Mark Blecher, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Digital Media and Marketing at Hasbro, and also a guy who apparently forgot EA already made a version of Battleship for Xbox Live along with a bunch of other Hasbro properties, and thus likely will be getting a very irritated phone call from them later today.

"The merging of tactical and action elements immerses players in an epic maritime conflict. Activision is completely up to the task of delivering a high-intensity thrill ride that's perfectly suited for today's console owners," he added, clearly unaware that the makers of last year's generally disliked Green Lantern game, as well as the universally reviled G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra game would be developing this.

Battleship will be coming to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this April in Europe, and May in North America. Separate adaptations for the Wii, 3DS and regular old DS will be coming later down the road from developer Magic Pockets, makers of the GBA version of that horrible Catwoman game, and Petz Dolphinz Encounter, which is something that exists, apparently.

If you can get past the ill-advised headline in Microsoft's announcement of a handful of Black Friday-timed sales -- "Xbox 360 Rings In The Holidays with Can't-Miss Black Friday Deals for Halo: Reach, Fable III and Xbox Live Marketplace" -- you'll find some hot deals on Xbox Live games, movies and DLC (which, as digital offerings, don't require you to be trampled to death by people shopping for cheap towels).

Of the week-long "Black Friday" deals -- featured daily, beginning tomorrow, November 23, through Monday, November 29 -- 'Splosion Man for two dang bucks is the clear standout. Other "samples" from the promotion include savings on additional XBLA games, like Portal and The Secret of Monkey Island; Xbox Originals Halo and GTA: San Andreas; and a few Zune movies. (Check out the full list of currently-announced offers after the break.) Throughout the Thanksgiving week, Microsoft will announce each day's deal on Xbox.com.

Oh! And don't forget: Microsoft is still hosting its ongoing, "regular" Xbox Live Deal of the Week, offering the Hasbro Family Game Night games for half-off ($5 each) today through Sunday.

Okay, so maybe you were waiting to learn about this critically important Supreme Court video game case until you could hear The Daily Show's take on it. And yes, for that, you should be deeply ashamed. But here it is -- just after the break!

In the clip, correspondent John Hodgman solves the violent video game problem through flattery, clever marketing and generous application of Ira Glass.

Once again, it's time for us to play a quick round of "One of These Things is Not Like the Others!" Our contestants are the five titles that will be added to your ever-burgeoning collection of digital board games this fall, with the release of Hasbro Family Game Night 3 for Wii, 360 and PS3. Okay, here goes: The Game of Life, Clue, Mouse Trap, Yahtzee Hands Down and ... Twister. We'll give you a second to think. Here's a hint: We separated the weird one from the other ones using an ellipsis.

Twister? We can logistically see how the other four games could be adapted into a video game format, but ... Twister? Will Hasbro Family Game Night 3 come bundled with a polka-dotted floor mat peripheral? Regardless, we'll have to find out when Game Night 3 releases this fall, as the games will come bundled in a single retail package this time around, and, well -- we just have to get our hands on a video game version of Mouse Trap.

EA's Hasbro Family Game Night collection on XBLA will receive three new titles this summer: Pictureka!, Connect 4x4 and Jenga.

It's relatively easy to imagine how the Xbox 360 interpretations will work with Pictureka! and Connect 4x4. Pictureka! is a hide-and-seek visual game, whereas Connect 4x4 is a twist on the classic title, which supports more players and includes a "super squares" mode with power-ups on the board. As for Jenga -- and its real-world repercussion of creating a mess once your block tower topples -- EA might just capture some of that Boom Blox magic in HD. Although, we still posit that playing Jenga on a computer screen is about as suspect as clothed Twister.

Upcoming holidays give families new ways to play.

Connect 4, Battleship, Operation, and Bop It.

The entire family can get in on the fun – all two of you!

Update: We've confirmed with Major Nelson that Sorry! should have been priced at 400 as well. The price will be updated on XBLM "very soon." . Just a quick reminder here to let everyone know that this week's XBLM Deal of the Week is discounted prices for nearly all of the Hasbro Family Game Night collection on Xbox Live Arcade. All this week, Gold Live members can pick up Boggle, Scrabble, Battleship, Yahtzee, Sorry! Sliders or Connect 4 for 400 ($5) each (half off the usual 800). Curiously, one game, the original Sorry!, has not been discounted and remains at 800. Still, if you've been waiting for a reason to pick up one of the other titles, this week looks like a good time to take the plunge. Browse the Hasbro Family Game Night collection on XBLM (sign in to see discounted prices)

Just a quick reminder here to let everyone know that this week's XBLM Deal of the Week is discounted prices for nearly all of the Hasbro Family Game Night collection on Xbox Live Arcade. All this week, Gold Live members can pick up Boggle, Scrabble, Battleship, Yahtzee, Sorry! Sliders or Connect 4 for 400 ($5) each (half off the usual 800). Curiously, one game, the original Sorry!, has not been discounted and remains at 800. Still, if you've been waiting for a reason to pick up one of the other titles, this week looks like a good time to take the plunge. Browse the Hasbro Family Game Night collection on XBLM (sign in to see discounted prices)