My New Favorite Way to Play Monopoly.

Some of my favorite nights from college have one common theme: games. Game nights were renowned in TB202, which is where I lived with some of my best friends during junior and senior year. We would play rounds of card games, board games, and even murder mystery games. Just recently, we had a reunion, which included a pretty epic game night. 
Game nights were always loud and competitive. Alliances were drawn and "enemies" were made, but there was never a shortage of laughter. 
I think everyone can agree that Monopoly is always a big hit at game nights. It's always been one of my favorite games, even though I've never really been good at it. (Maybe that's a direct reflection on my money managing skills, but that's a whole different story!) A few years back, I even made a personalized Monopoly game for Jon because both of us love the game so much. This is why we were both super excited when we heard about the Hasbro Game Channel on Xbox 360! Jon spends a lot of time on his 360, so when I heard about the Hasbro Game Channel, I knew it was something that we could both enjoy. 
The Hasbro Game Channel is a destination for family game entertainment on leading consoles, featuring games based on Hasbro’s most popular brands, including Monopoly, Risk and Trivial Pursuit. Starting this fall, the Hasbro Game Channel will be available to download on Xbox One, the video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and PlayStation®4 . All games will also be available for download individually on the Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system.
I've always been a fan of convenience. For example, I own all ten seasons of FRIENDS on DVD, but when it became available on Netflix, I was pumped, because of the convenience of watching it without having to switch out DVDs. This is exactly how I felt when I found out about the Hasbro Game Channel. Even though I have the Monopoly board game, it's awesome to be able to play it digitally on the Xbox 360 without having to get out the actual game board, pieces, money, etc. 
What's awesome about Monopoly Plus is that you can choose whether to play with the original 2D Monopoly board or an animated 3D version that evolves as you progress in the game. You can also customize the game with your own 'House Rules,' which is perfect since everyone seems to have their own version of the rules. Also, Monopoly Plus can be played with up to six people on or offline, so you can invite your friends and family to join in on a new digital twist of everyone's favorite game. They even have a couple new playing pieces, including a cat for all you feline fans out there (#notme).
Something you should know about Jon and me is that we're super competitive. When it comes to games, the gloves come off, and it becomes a cutthroat competition. Monopoly Plus was no exception.

Jon and I picked the animated 3D version to play, and it was so neat seeing all of the animations. When you buy a house, it actually shows a house on your property. When you're in jail, your piece will actually be locked up in jail. When you throw the dice and it hits your piece, your piece will actually fall over. All of the sound effects and animations were so much fun, and it made the game that much more enjoyable. 

We especially loved that you could trade with each other. We took this option very seriously. We're talking Jon paying $400 for a utility because he kept landing on it and having to pay me profusely since I owned both of them. We also liked that when you landed on a space that was for sale, you had the option of buying it or auctioning it. We took advantage of the auction feature when the other player didn't have that much money to auction off. 

I think we all know that Monopoly can last forever, and unlike when you're playing with the actual board game, with the Hasbro Game Channel version, you can save your game and come back to play later! I can already foresee our Monopoly Plus game lasting for quite awhile.
What's your favorite board game? 
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.