IDW Games Machi Koro Bright Lights Big City Card Game

I love this game. A wonderful Japanese hybrid of Catan and Monopoly and Yahtzee, if you can imagine that! You basically roll dice to buy resources and establishment cards to build your city before the other players. This Bright Lights Big City set is like a "greatest hits" version with some of the best cards from the original Machi Koro, Harbor expansion pack, and Millionaire's Row expansion pack balanced into one awesome deck. It also incorporates the popular gamer house rule of dealing out cards into a dynamic "market", instead of having access to all the establishments at once. This makes for more random and exciting gameplay and increases the game's replayability factor.Machi Koro is much "lighter" than Catan and Monopoly since there is such a strong luck component due to the dice rolls a la Yahtzee. It's constantly engaging since every person's dice roll may allow you to collect money from an opponent or the bank, instead of zoning out and just waiting for it to come back to your turn. I also love the portability of the game. Since there's no game board, just some cards and dice, you can bring it somewhere in a backpack or on an airplane no problem.I strongly recommend this game to anyone who likes easy-to-learn, accessible board games that have a nice balance of strategy, fun, and luck. I do not think is a great game to play passively in a silly or super social party setting, however. It's extremely engaging for a group of friends or a family committed to playing the game for a couple hours at the table. If you already own the other versions of Machi Koro, you may not need this set. If you're a newcomer, this is the only set you need to own. And at less than $20, it may be the best value entertainment purchase you make this year. Get it now!

Do not waste your time with the original Machi Koro. Get this version (Machi Koro: Bright Lights, Big City) instead! My husband and I played the original game with family and wanted to buy it, but after reading reviews and playing it, this one is BETTER!Differences: Bright Lights, Big City is/has:- More randomness of cards (great re-playability)- The same cards, plus MORE than the original- 8 or 10? (sorry can't remember off the top of my head) buildings to construct to win the game (vs only 4 in the original)- New types of cards, where you COLLECT from other players if you roll the dice.I am a person who likes games that are part strategy and part luck, and that's this game! It is a fun deck building/luck of the dice rolling game. Usually the games are fairly short, but somehow I have gotten into one long game before (just depends on everyone's strategies).

We borrowed the original Machi Koro from our local library, and really enjoyed playing it. However, after a few weeks, we realized that we kind of mastered the strategy already. I researched a bit and found out about this version, which basically takes the best of the original and the Harbor and Millionaire's Row expansions and puts them together into 1 game for about the same price as the original.This is a stand alone game, but if you already own the original, be aware that it's got almost all the same cards. We were a bit disappointed to find out there is no longer a mine card, however, which means there is no benefit to rolling a 9, and you could just end up paying someone who has a red card when you roll a 9.Also, the box says it will take 30 minutes to play. I am pretty sure it took us about an hour and a half with 3 people our first time through, and that was being familiar with the original version. I can't imagine how long a 4-5 player game would take.With all that said, though, we still LOVED it. It takes some elements that my husband enjoys about games like Monopoly, but without just moving around and around a board. It has the randomness of dice rolls, but also the strategy of what cards to collect and when, as well as when to flip your cards over verses adding to your other buildings.While the game says 10+, my 5 year old, who is a game-lover, could play with no problem. All you really need is basic math and reading skills. A great game for families, a group of adults or teens, or really anyone. I would suggest this game if you don't already own any of the versions, since, as I said before, it takes the best of everything (other than eliminating the mine, of course).

While the design and cards are fantastic, the game play time is much too long for what it is. This light weight real estate game's mechanics are a bear to keep track of...SO MANY CARDS in play at once and constant bookeeping, checking and double checking to make sure you're getting what payments are due.. 30 minute play time isn't even close, even 30 minutes per person would be a miracle. I heard there were only 4 landmarks in the original. That seems about right as getting 5 in this one is excruciating. This should play as a fun filler but instead irritates your brain.