We’ve all had the experience of playing a game that brought us hours of enjoyment. These days, board games seem to have taken a back seat to video games and the internet. I’m not saying that video games are a bad thing. I certainly played my fair share in high school. I’m suggesting that we take a closer look at board games. This project is the perfect way to do that. – Jay Noack

Sketching out your game is really helpful in laying it out.

So, if you’ve always wanted to create your own board game, this may be the path that gets you to pass Go.

Family Fun Magazine has named Hot Wheels Wall Tracks Toy of the Year for 2011. Other honorable mentions for the year include Meon Deluxe Animation Studio (which uses animation strips and light to create art), Perplexus Epic & Rookie (rotating puzzle balls), LEGO Alien Mothership set #7065 and the Razor BoGo PogoStick.

Our kid testers loved reconfiguring the obstacles and tracks while tester moms appreciated that the brackets adhere with 3M Command Strips, which don’t damage walls and can be easily replaced when the stickiness wears off. – Staff of Family Fun Magazine regarding Hot Wheels Toy Tracks

The Hot Wheels Wall Tracks Starter Set won appreciation from both kids and moms for it’s ease of construction, near infinite combinations, and simple cleanup. And at a price of $30 for the starter set and $17 for add on sets, Wall Tracks is a very affordable way to start your Hot Wheels collection or add to an existing one.

I think this is an excellent choice (although the color-able cardboard pirate ship has a certain play with the box vibe I like) for Toy of the Year, but I think they should break out into sub categories of girls toy of the year and boys toy of the year. As it stands, the top 10 toys (which also include the LeapPad Explorer Learning Tablet, and Richard Scarry’s Airport) are all very male centric. Although I also am surprised that the Hot Wheels Video Racer didn’t crack the top ten, either.

What do you think should be the 2011 Toy of the Year? Leave your thoughts in the comments below! And HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Here’s how it’s broken down so far …

The first day of Clix-mas is “A Gauntlet in my OP,” featuring the Marvel Comic Hero Clix Infinity Gauntlet.

On the second day of Clixmas… Two Pet Avengers, featuring Lockjaw and Hairball, again from the Marvel line.

The Third Day of Clixmas brings …

Three Mischievous IMPS from Quarriors in dice form. Which many fans on the WizKids Facebook page are calling shenanigans since that doesn’t officially count as HeroClix, but WizKids comes back with Clix-mas being an all inclusive holiday.

Day Four of Clixmas turns dark with 4 Justice League Dark Characters …. featuring Madame Xanadu, Enchantress, Zatanna, and Deadman.

And of course, HeroClix previews my favorite on the Fifth Day of Clixmas … FIVE GOLDEN THINGS! (although, technically, they’re a shade of brown). It’s clobberin’ time!

On the sixth day of Clixmas comes more Quarrriors with Six Trolls a Trollin’.

The Seventh Day of Clixmas heads to the Final Frontier with Seven Starships Shooting from the Star Trek Hero Clix collection.

Which leads us to today preview for the eighth day of Clixmas …. eight mole monsters marching?

Four more preview days to go. To keep track, head over to the WizKids Facebook page. And to have even more fun, check out the 12 days of Clixmas Scenario Game from HeroClix World!

The Marines have been collecting Toys for Tots since 1947. Semper Fi!

And it’s grown far beyond and extra curricular activity for off duty Marines. In 1995, the Secretary of Defense approved making the annual Toys for Tots drive an official mission of the Marine Corps Reserve. Over the last 62 years, the US Marine Corps Reserve have distributed over 400 million toys to more than 188 million needy children and the Marine Corps Toys for Tots Foundation has added to the toy collections by purchasing nearly a half billion dollars in toys to insure that no child gets left behind at Christmas.

And this year, as with any year, the campaign needs your help. You know the mission – pick up an unwrapped toy for a boy or girl and look for one of those dashing jarheads sitting next to a collection box near the entrance to the store. Or, you can Swing by http://www.toysfortots.org/ to make a cash donation to the Marine Corps Toys for Tots Foundation. While at the site, you can find more information on a toy collecting center in your area.

Semper Fi and Merry Christmas!

Board games like Candy Land, Battleship, Monopoly and Operation are on sale from $3.88-6.88. There are Barbies and accessories going for $5 each. Paper Jamz guitars for $7. Other deals include radio controlled cars and trucks for $20, as well as Hot Wheels play sets. Transformers for $10, and off brand Nerf Style foam dart guns for $10 as well.

And those big battery powered ride along cars that used to sell for $300, are $99. Different versions include his and her Jeeps, a BMW for kids, and a 4 wheel runabout. There’s even a Lightning McQueen riding toy, although it’s twice the price at $199. But still a great deal considering the Disney nameplate. There’s also big drums of LEGO and MEGABLOK bricks for about $30. But in case you think it’s all fun and games – and there’s nothing wrong with that – there’s also some educational toys on sale including some from Fisher Price and Leapfrog for under $20. There’s game platforms for around $100, including Wii, video games for $10-30, and if you’ve been wanting to teach your kids how to ride a bike, Walmart has a ton of bikes for $30-50.

The Black Friday sale runs from Thanksgiving Day at 10:00pm and runs through Friday. But you’ll want to get there early because people looking for deals at Walmart are CRAZY!

Games … the final frontier. Star Trek is out to capture the world of gaming once again as WizKids/NECA announced a new Star Trek HeroClix line which will work perfectly with HeroClix rules, but exist outside a standalone game.

With more than 20 different StarFleet and Klingon ships to choose from, gamers can use standard rules, but it will differ from Modern and Golden Age tournament gameplay. Called the Tactics game, each will also use Powers and Abilities cards that a regular HeroClix game is played with. The Starter Kit comes with 4 different ships (two StarFleet, two Klingon), two theme dice, 1 HeroClix rules book, 1 powers and abilities card, and two maps.

The Star Trek Hero Clix game commemorates not only the 45th anniversary of Star Trek, but also the 10th anniversary of WizKids HeroClix games. Since it’s founding in 1991, Hero Clix has featured numerous pop-culture lines including Marvel and DC universes. Starting this year, Wizkids started expanding the Hero Clix line with “Street Fighter”, “Lord of the Rings” (releases November 15th), “Gears of War 3, ” and most recently “Halo.” Each O gauge Hero Clix figure has both an Attack and Defense Value, Speed and range capability, Damage point values, and a rarity rating for collection and trading. During battle, the values as changed by turning the clicking wheel at the base of the figure.

The Star Trek Hero Clix line will launch in February, 2012.

Hat Tip – AFI

This slick, Anglo variant of the classic board game, gets fans to travel with the 11th Doctor and all his companions (Amy Pond, Rory Williams, and of course, the doctor’s wife and assassin – SPOILERS – Professor River Song). The board is classic monopoly with a Doctor Who overlay that includes stops at Torchwood, Gallifrey, and many more – as well as dealing with several of the doctor’s enemies including the Daleks, the Cybermen, and those dreaded Silence!

But if you’re ever possessed of a bunch of free time and want to play a game with The Doctor, we recommend Doctor Who Monopoly. Updated to reflect the beginning of Season 6, you’ll find lots of fun tidbits about the 11th Doctor and his enemies, including The Silence.

OK, that’s almost as cool as a Fez or Stetson, but here’s the problem … it comes with the TARDIS as a game piece, but the rest are your basic Monopoly pieces! What’s up with that?! You could’ve at least included a Dalek piece, a Cyberman piece, perhaps the 3rd doctor’s model A car? Instead, you’ll have kids (and adults, most likely) fighting every time you play over who gets to fly the TARDIS! That’s a huge fail. But still, the fact that they have it is SWEET!

Cost is about $50 over at Think Geek. Ages 8 and up.

Hat Tip – Nerd Approved

This accessory turns your iPad into a board game. Game Changer, made by Identity Games, is an app that provides game play with animation and sounds, taking the traditional family experience and turning it up to 11. Users pick up the Game Changer Cradle, which comes complete with additional game pieces, and slide their iPad into it. Download the app for free and let the games begin.

Each game comes with a custom skin to add to the surroundings and players merely place it on top. The Game Changer isn’t only for the iPad2 either as it will work with 1st Gen iPads as well (not to mention that upcoming iPad 3, we bet, which will come out sometime between the Holidays and March depending on the rumor you choose to believe).

And the name Game Changer couldn’t be more telling – this could really change the future of Board Games. From role playing games like Dungeons and Dragons to Battleship and everything in between, the power of the iPad can really update the gaming experience with live action, video, animation and sound. All it needs is for a big name like Hasbro or Milton Bradley to swallow it up.

And we’re betting it’s certain to be a big hit when it debuts in November for $79.99, with more games coming online in February.

Hat Tip – Chip Chick

What each player needs is an iPhone and the Oggboard (Android compatibility coming soon). Then, place the phones onto the stands to put them at the ideal angle and then play the QR Code tiles, which then correspond to the augmented reality pieces in the App that’s running the game. The result is that the action appears on each phone, which work in tandem thanks to Bluetooth.

The concept board game is currently a Kickstarter Project, where they’ve raised about $700 of $45,000. Their deadline is the first week in October, so they have a long way to go in a short period of time. But I’m really hoping they can get this going and perhaps pick up a major manufacturer like Milton Bradley. Can you imagine playing Battleship that way? That’d be sweet! Or at least Konami, the company that handles YuGiOh. Or hey, why not both!

Hat Tip – The Ferret

The handcrafted pieces are made out of black and white chalk, and for the board all you need to know is how many alternative black and white squares to draw. And you can draw the chess board on any surface. The pieces come in a cardboard box for easy carrying, but we suggest something more secure because chalk break a lot more easily than a standard chess piece.

However, considering how many kids on playgrounds there are, and how many camps, schoolyards paved over with asphalt (especially in the big city), and how creative kids can get with drawing their boards, this can easily get kids interested in one of the oldest and best strategy games ever invented.

Features:

* Chalk Chess Set
* The pieces are made out of black and white chalk
* Draw the chess board on any surface
* Practical and easy to carry
* Use it as a toy, as a craft set, or as a decorative accessory

Imagine how many budding Bobby Fischer’s there are out there? And this chalk chess set means that as long as it isn’t raining, there’s always a place to play chess.

Now all we need is a chalk based checkers set!

Available at Curiosite for around $22. Ages 5 and up.