Dokapon Kingdom: One of the most in-depth multi-player games of all time.

Image courtesy RPGfan.com

Dokapon Kingdom is a mash-up of two genres, fantasy RPG and boardgame, that blends into the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup of gaming. "You got your Final Fantasy in my Mario Party! You got your Mario Party all over my Final Fantasy!" Set in a fantasy kingdom, this greed based game's win requirement is that by th end of the game, your character needs to have the most money. You and 3 other friends get to battle monsters and one another, fighting your way to the top. You build your character, choosing color, attitude, gender, and most importantly, job. Jobs determine how your characters stats level up. Along with all of this, the equipment listings are intense. Years after purchasing this game, I still haven't found all of its secrets.

The game's happy, chibi graphics may seem off-puting at first, but they are essential to keeping the game light and fun. Eventually you hardly notice them, as you have been caught up in the charming storyline and strategy. What the game may lack in graphics, it more than makes up for in content. The overworld is large, and random events occur frequently enough to make every play through unique and special. Combine that with the fact that you're playing with three of your friends, and you have an excellent experience that will last for hours. I do mean HOURS. I have a run that I did with some people that clocked in over 50 hours of play time, and weren't even finished.

While the game is immensely fun in multi-player, keep in mind that the AI is a cheating bastard. But, with a game of this quality, you won't have a hard time finding friends to play it with. Afraid that you'll have too much of an advantage? The game has built-in balancing event (although I won't say what it is.)

This game came out a few years ago, and has managed to have a small underground following. Since it's been around for a while, the game's pretty cheap. Around $40 on Wii and $20 on PS2 at Amazon

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dokapon Kingdom takes the fun of Mario Party and adds an RPG twist. The result is hours of fun. In Dokapon Kingdom there are no teams. You and your friends are competing to become filthy rich. How do you get there? By defeating monsters, freeing towns, and stealing every last bit of your friends' money. Self-proclaimed as the "Friendship Destroying Game," I got to see firsthand how it lives up to that title. It's all in good fun though, and it's a great game for any game night with friends. Keep in mind though that once you pick it up, you won't want to put it down! I once played in a session that ran for a full 24 hours, so watch out!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hate that there are no good multi-player RPG's? Give Dokapon Kingdom a try. Everyone get's their own customizable character, and no one is ever put on the back-burner. Co-operation optional! One over-arching plot, however the path is fraught with in-fighting between you and your friends. Cheap, underground, sure to please!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dokapon Kingdom = Mario Party + Final Fantasy. Fight your friends with the character you create and level up! Hours of fun. One of my favs.