2003 was a good year for mass market games, which I define as those available in retailers like Toys R Us, Wal-Mart, Kmart and Target. These aren't always the "best of the best" -- but these are the games that the majority of people (Americans, at least) choose from when buying for their family and friends. Here are my picks for the 10 best games published in 2003 and widely available in mass market retailers.
1. Scene It?
Movie trivia games have never benefited from players being able to actually see the subject of the questions, until now. In Scene It?, there are eight question categories. Three of them require the included DVD, including watching a movie clip and then answering a related question, and identifying a movie from a single frame in which the actors' faces have been removed. A great game for movie fans.2. Battleball
Roaring good fun for players who won't take it too seriously, Battleball (aka Battle Ball) is a beer-and-pretzels game -- light and quick, but with some strategy -- with great plastic figures representing the football players. It's a great game for children who like football, and one that's likely to be a favorite on college campuses.3. Clue FX
Clue FX -- or, more fully, Electronic Talking Clue FX, is a great update to Clue. It does away with the die rolling to move from room to room, so you're almost always able to do something on your turn. There are two new suspects, for a total of eight, and they move from room to room (the rooms and weapons are also new). When you enter a room, an electronic "butler" tells you who's there -- and, thus, whom you can get a clue from. I see this as a definite step up from standard Clue.
4. Break the Safe
Break the Safe is a unique game, as players work cooperatively to deactivate a safe's self-destruct mechanism in 30 minutes or less. Players infiltrate the Evil Guy Complex to obtain secret plans. Moving through the EGC, they use each other's tools to disarm booby traps and find four keys while avoiding the guard and dog. It's a fantastic game for families.5. Lord of the Rings Risk - Trilogy Edition
An edition of this game was published in 2002, but the "Trilogy Edition" is new in 2003. Either one is a good choice for fans of Lord of the Rings who also enjoy strategy games. Some of the changes from standard Risk include: all territories are from Middle-earth; mountains and rivers create impassable barriers; armies represent Elven Archers, Orcs, the Riders of Rohan, the Dark Riders, the mighty Eagles, and Cave Trolls; each player has a Leader, which adds 1 to any die roll.6. Transformers Armada
The gameplay in Transformers Armada: Battle for Cybertron is based on the fantastic system developed for Star Wars Epic Duels. Each Transformer has its own customized deck of cards, used to attack other players and defend from attacks. The game, almost always a roaring good fight, often comes down to who manages their cards the best.7. Beat the Experts
Beat the Experts challenges players to do better than experts did answering the same 10 trivia questions. For example, Dr. Ruth answered questions about sex and Steve Young answered questions about football. In all, the game comes with 150 expert quizzes (1500 questions). Beat the Experts is a terrific new trivia game and should appeal to fans of the genre.8. Perilous Parlor Game
For some reason, games published by Mattel are more difficult for me to find in stores than those published by the likes of Hasbro and University Games. The Perilous Parlor Game -- based on the Lemony Snicket "A Series of Unfortunate Events" books -- is worth tracking down, particularly if you enjoy the books.9. Mission Command - Sea
Of the three Mission Command games published this year (Air, Land, Sea), Sea is the best. Based on the classic game Carrier Strike, Mission Command: Sea is a basic two-player naval wargame. Each player has an aircraft carrier, two destroyers, eight fighter jets, and 14 missiles.