Many times, the games that I enjoy the most can only be found at hobby stores or online shops. But there are some great games that can be found easily at mass market retailers like Toys R Us and Wal-Mart. Here are my picks for the best mass market games of 2004.
1. HeroScape
HeroScape's subtitle is "The Battle of All Time" and it certainly is. Everything about this game is well done: the figures, the terrain, the rules, the scenarios. If you're at all interested in the theme (battles between warriors from many different ages -- from ancient armies to futuristic aliens), I strongly recommend that you try HeroScape.2. Perilous Parlor Game
This game, based on one of the "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" books, is wonderful fun -- if you like that sort of thing. Although it's relatively simple to play, it does capture the feel of the books quite well. One player is Count Olaf; the others are the Baudelaire orphans. Olaf's job is to kill The Guardian, while the children are trying to protect him.
3. Super Scrabble
Scrabble on a bigger board: That's Super Scrabble in a nutshell. Where the original game is played on a 15x15 board, this edition features a 21x21 board. It also adds quadruple premium scoring squares (the original only went up to triple) and has 200 letter tiles with a new distribution.4. Scene It Jr. / TV / Disney / Bond
The original Scene It? spawned an entire category of board games -- DVD-based games. This year, several new editions were published: Junior, Television, Disney, and James Bond. Each is a strong game, building on the foundation of the original. If you're interested in the subject matter, it's hard to wrong with a specialized edition of Scene It?.5. Atmosfear
Back in the mid-1990s, Atmosfear was a board game that relied on a videotape for gameplay. Now, it's been updated to the DVD format. It's both a horror game and a race game, as players work to be the first to collect a set stones and make it into the hub. The original became a kind of cult classic and spawned at least three sequels and a card game.6. Family Feud DVD
The only real negative about the Family Feud DVD game is that television host Richard Karn isn't prominent enough. Otherwise, it's a great game for fans of the Feud. The DVD includes more than 800 questions and the game rules have been modified to allow everyone to play while keeping the flavor of the game show.7. In a Pickle
This party game should appeal to many of the same people who enjoy Apples to Apples. Players are dealt a hand of cards (each of which contains one noun), and four other cards (also nouns) are placed face-up on the table. On a turn, a player places one card next to an existing card on the table, so long as the item on the new card either fits inside the existing item, or is larger than the existing item. In a Pickle allows for some very creative and often funny gameplay.8. The Perfect Ten
In this team-based trivia game, players try to find the correct answer in ten categories. The Perfect Ten combines elements of Mastermind with a trivia game, an interesting concept.9. Trivial Pursuit SNL / LotR DVD Game
Although the first Trivial Pursuit DVD game (Pop Culture) was sub-par, they seem to be getting it right with the Saturday Night Live edition. The game includes more than 2,000 questions -- more than 25 percent of which are on the DVD. Many skits and characters from the 30 years of SNL are represented. This link takes you to price comparisons for the SNL edition, but a Lord of the Rings DVD edition is also available.10. Trump: the Game
Originally released in 1990, this game made a comeback based on the popularity of Trump's television show The Apprentice. The rules have been streamlined, and although some gamers have indicated a preference for the original game this remains a solid choice for families who want a negotiation game.