UPDATE: The game is now available for sale.

Now this is a surprise.  Let's take the classic board game Monopoly and strip out all that Marvin Gardens and New York Avenue nonsense.  Then we'll replace it all with Nintendo-themed characters and elements, such as Slippy Toad, Princess Zelda, and King Dedede.  That's right; USAopoly has been granted the license from Hasbro and Nintendo to create a Nintendo-centric Monopoly board game.  Get ready to "play" as iconic items such as Mario's iconic hat, Donkey Kong's famous barrel, the familiar Koopa Troopa shell, a majestic Hylian shield, Link's heavy metal boots, and the classic original NES controller all recreated as pewter tokens.  I never liked the old iron and automobile anyway.

"As someone who grew up with a Nintendo controller in his hand, working on this game was like a dream come true," said Derek Stucker, Game Designer, USAOPOLY.  "Throughout the games development I tried to include as much for the old school Nintendo players as the newer ones, from faded back screen shots on the game board center of the original Donkey Kong, Super Mario Brothers and Legend of Zelda games, to the integration of the original NES controller as one of the tokens.  Whether you’re someone like me who grew up glued to the original Nintendo Entertainment System, or a young kid just picking up a Nintendo DS or Wii for the first time, you’re sure to have a blast with this game."

This sounds like a great idea and will surely sell plenty of units.  As someone who doesn't own any incarnation of the Monopoly board game, I know I'd buy this.  Well, if I knew enough people interested in playing on a regular basis.  While this is all well and good, let me ask the obvious question: where's the video game version?  A Nintendo DS edition with online multiplayer is just begging to be made.  C'mon Nintendo, get to it!  Check out the first prototype images of the board game below.