HFGN: Sorry! Sliders

Game Name:	Sorry! Sliders
Platforms:	Xbox Live Arcade
Publisher(s):	Microsoft
Developer(s):	EA Bright Light
Genre(s):	Family, Card & Board
Release Date:	6/24/2009
ESRB Rating:	E (Everyone)

This is Final Part of a series-long review of each of the games offered as part of Hasbro’s Family Game Night. In Parts 1-6, I reviewed Battleship, SORRY!, Connect Four, Yahtzee, Boggle and Scrabble. Part Seven takes a look at SORRY! Sliders.

Take one part shuffleboard, one part Olympic sport curling and add the game pieces and scoring format of the game SORRY! and you get SORRY! Sliders. While it might be an oversimplification, it really isn’t. This game is nothing like SORRY!, with the only similarity being the game pieces and the name. Outside of that, the experience is completely different. I was giggling with delight as I sent opponent’s game pieces flying off the board, and you will giggle with anticipation after reading the HGFN: SORRY! Sliders review.

Graphics/Sound
With it being the first time that I’ve ever played SORRY! Sliders, the visual presentation of the game is solid. You don’t actually see a hand slide the game piece along as it slides across the ramp towards the center of the game board. But that’s just being nitpicky. But the act of a dot flying off the board plays out greatly in this game. Game pieces colliding and flying all over the place really is a sight to see in this game. And while the sounds of the pieces colliding isn’t NFL-esque, they are just supposed to represent plastic pieces after all, so the sounds of the collisions suffice.

Gameplay/Controls
Pure, good fun. It’s as simple as that. As a game that is based on chaos, the more players the better. Play a game with four players, and it will maximize the fun potential. But this game is so fun, you could play against the AI and it would be just as rewarding. Taking a moment to describe the game, the object is to place your dots as close to the center as possible. Scores are tallied once everyone has flung their four pieces toward the center. With a point system that rewards based on proximity to the center, the points are then used to move your game pieces on a separate scoring chart. First one to get all four of their dots to the center wins. But the pursuit of winning is different in a number of ways. There are three variations to the game that truly add to the game in a positive way. The first is the rotation of the center launch pad. It is reminiscent of a DJ’s turntable, just spinning constantly. As you tee up your dot to slide toward the center, you have to time it perfectly if you hope to ricochet your dot off an opponent’s (or your own) dot. Special weapons are also available, in the form of Mario Kart like boxes that populate the landing area. Each present (they seriously look like Christmas gifts) yields a different ability, from shrinking your dot to fit small spaces to a bomb-like attribute that displaces surrounding dots. Lastly, there is a KO penalty that can be assessed, which acts just like a SORRY! in the original game, and game pieces are sent back to the start. The penalty is assessed if your dot is forced out of the center area and off of the game board. This makes headhunting a common practice. All in all, the different variations all create new twists for a game that I found stands alone amidst all of its other gaming counterparts.

Final Thoughts
I had many reservations about this game since it shared the SORRY! tag. But this game is nothing like SORRY! In fact, the two aspects that it brought over, scoring and the KO penalty, work seamlessly with this game. The only problem is the feel of sliding, as there doesn’t seem to be a reliable way to place your dot as close to the center. When I would slide my dot, it would sometimes fly in a direction that I didn’t expect it to, leaving me puzzled with respect to the accuracy of the game. However, it wasn’t enough to sway me to a negative outlook of this game, as I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. It made me nostalgic of days at Dave N Buster’s, playing shuffleboard. Every bit of this game is fun for children and adults alike. With this being the final review of Hasbro’s Family Game Night, I leave you with my personal ranking of the seven available games – and if you like – encourage you to provide your own rankings as well.

Thanks again for reading, and I hope you find this series helpful when deciding which games to play.

1. SORRY! Sliders
2. Boggle
3. Scrabble
4. Connect Four
5. Yahtzee
6. Battleship
7. SORRY!

About the Author

Alvin Anol I'm a competitive player who loves all things sports! Go Lakers!