The Friendspot

What: Ticket to Ride
When: 6/25/08
How Much: 800MP ($10)

This came out of nowhere, I used to play Ticket to Ride with some family friends all the time on the original board game – so it is pretty awesome to see a board game of my past make its way onto the xbox live arcade.  The downfall to board games is the annoyance of setting up the game, and trying to get friends in you hours to play – both of which are fixed when you put it on the live marketplace.  Give the demo a try if you enjoy some of the other social games on the marketplace (like Catan, or Carcassonne) give it a chance.  I definately am going to give the demo a spin before I leave on vacation this weekend. 

For all you achievement hunters out there – want a peak?  My buddy DaKing has your back , check out the list of 15 achievements for 250 points

Vancouver, Canada (June 23rd, 2008) – This Wednesday, the railway adventure game, ‘Ticket to Ride’, pulls into Xbox Live Arcade. Based on the internationally renowned board game, ‘Ticket to Ride’ is the debut title for Vancouver-based independent publisher, Playful Entertainment. The title is available June 25th, 2008 worldwide for 800 Microsoft points and is rated E for Everyone by ESRB.
 
‘Ticket to Ride’ features simple rules and fast play, promising fun for the whole family. Players plan routes and connect cities across the country in a bid to become the ultimate traveler and earn the most points. ‘Ticket to Ride’ supports up to five people on Xbox Live as they lay track from coast to coast and every city in between.
 
The game features leaderboards, achievements and multiple levels of AI players to keep the challenges coming. Although the game can be learned in under five minutes, players face strategic and tactical decisions that vary with every turn as they connect distant cities and race to complete the most routes.
 
Playing Ticket to Ride:

• Variable difficulty levels: Either locally or in Xbox LIVE® matches, choose Easy, Medium, or Hard A.I. opponents to challenge your gaming skills.
• Multiplayer: Play with up to three of your friends on a single console, or take on Ranked or Player matches over Xbox LIVE with up to five players.
• Leaderboards and achievements: Post your Xbox LIVE match results to the leaderboards. Follow game stats for each player such as Highest Score, Total Trains Played and their Time Spent Playing. And track your progress with twelve new achievements.
• Camera support: See yourself and your friends during gameplay with Xbox LIVE Vision Camera support

Ticket to Ride is based on the board game by noted game designer Alan R. Moon. Days of Wonder released the game in early 2004, becoming the youngest game publisher to win the world’s most coveted game prize, the German Spiel des Jahres Game of the Year Award. With a following in over 30 countries and availability in 11 languages, the board game has an international following.