How does one get his or her Halo fix when the power goes out? Sure, one can rearrange, dust, catalogueand possibly even play with officially licenced action figures. You could even mess about with Halo ActionClix, but if you're looking to sling epithets and trash talk at the kitchen table, you may want to keep your eyes peeled for the official Halo board game, coming to storeshelves this September.

Genius Products and B1 Games are releasing the Halo Interactive Strategy Game, a product Trevor Drinkwater, President and CEO of Genius Products, says is "an incredibly innovative game that mirrors the hit franchise and will truly resonate with fans". We say that Drinkwater is a truly awesome last name.

Further details on the gameplay, characters and bonus goodies — there's an "unseen exclusive DVD" included — are all in the press release.

Electronic Arts' casual label showed off their upcoming collection of virtual Hasbro games at the gathering in LA last week.

Hasbro Family Game Night will include Wii-friendly versions of Connect Five, Sorry, Boggle, Yahtzee, Battleship and Sorry Sliders.

The games are all played on a table in the Hasbro Family Game Night living room, which can be decorated with unlockable themes and items.

I had a chance to check out two of the games during the presentation.

"A game is a game is a game" — are they? The plethora of popular card and board game adaptations — and their popularity — would seem to indicate 'yes.' Over at the Escapist, Scott Jon Siegel muses on the future and potential of adaptations on a number of levels. Especially when one considers the casual market, familiar electronic adaptations make for potential casual hits:

The last time I played Risk was New Year's Eve, 1999, which I spent with some folks from the local Renaissance Faire, figuring if the world were catapulted back into the Dark Ages, they would be the people to hang with. It went like many Risk games do...two hours of engrossing play followed by people wandering away from the table for various reasons, eventually forgetting we were playing. The game is just too damn long, and manufacturer Hasbro knows this. Their answer to the problem? Risk: Black Ops. It's the Risk you've come to know and love in short bursts, redesigned with a sleek and sexy new look, a new resource system that rewards possession of territorial capitols, and the big change - an objective system. Objectives are tasks such as "Control Europe" that reward a player for completing them. The game starts with four major and four minor objectives from a pool of twelve, and completing any three is considered a win. This changes the face of the game completely!

While youth centers, libraries and even some churches are implementing video games as a way to entice youngsters into their folds, some groups are taking a different gaming tact: board games. Robert Fix, the director of board games for Metro Detroit Gamers, is trying to stir up interest amongst Detroit's youth by offering board game nights at local libraries. But, can actual human interaction on a board compete with the rich, in depth worlds a video game can offer?

"They may look at it and go 'Phhht, I get more out of a video,' " Fix said. "But board games can always change; video games like Halo or Guitar Hero always have the same result. ...We're not saying there's anything wrong with video games. They can be fun, but there are some great board games out there."

Maybe after being subjected again and again to the monotony of Sorry! and Monopoly something primal and creative must have imploded in his brain. Compelled by what was left (which must have been heaps), he crafted the Catan.

Thank you Klaus. Will have your babies, if we ever meet.

Recently however, my love of Catan has been superseded by a new game - Arkham Horror.

Advanced AI? It's alright. More polygons than your eyes can discern? Kinda neat. Board games on your TV? Now you're talking!

A simExchange analyst Jesse Divnich thinks the board games made video games are the next big thing, telling Gamasutra that:

For emerging genres, we will likely see an influx of "board game" type titles over the next few years. I expect Scene It? on the Xbox 360 to have moderate success.

Since the Wii came out, I have called it the "board game for a new generation" -- using the metaphor of a board game that many families still [play] but did more often before TV.

Either way, the bigger message seems to be that the future successful titles will bring the whole family together, ala board game...though not necessarily being a board game proper. Luckily, this should mean that tomorrow is filled with more than a bunch of 720p Monopoly ports.

Analysts: 'Board'/Party Games The Next Guitar Hero? [gamasutra]

Having trouble playing against the computer in using the Wii or DS versions of Big Brain Academy? Here's an idea for you straight from one of those self-proclaimed smart-people. Gather together five of your stupidest friends, get them all liquered up and break out a copy of Big Brain Academy the board game.