When Metallica sued Napster for allowing users to illegally download their entire discography, they lost the favor of many casual and diehard fans, who accused the multi-platinum metal band of excessive greed. Last year’s release of the Metallica Monopoly board game couldn’t have done much to bridge the chasm between the millionaire rockers and the average metalhead.
In Metallica Monopoly, which costs $43 through the band’s official website, gamers play as one of six figures from Metallica’s history (such as the St. Anger fist and the “Black Album” snake) and buy up arenas and stadiums (instead of houses and hotels) to bankrupt other players. Unfortunately for the corner-cutters of the world, there’s no Napster space that allows you to bypass the fees accrued by landing on said concert venues.
They may be the band most associated with money-grubbing, but Metallica isn’t the only famous rock group with their own edition of Parker Brothers’ classic game. The Beatles and AC/DC have also teamed up with Rich Uncle Moneybags.
In the AC/DC edition, you can play as the band logo’s iconic lightning strike, stack of dynamite or four other custom tokens. The real life AC/DC Lane in Melbourne, Australia and Calle de AC/DC (AC/DC Street) in Madrid, Spain, serve as Broadway and Park Place. The game currently costs $34.50 from Amazon.
Meanwhile, the Beatles version lets you play as the Walrus from the Liverpool foursome’s classic “I Am the Walrus,” the Octopus from “Octopus’s Garden” and the subjects of four other songs and features clever spaces like “Ticket to Ride” (pay $100) and “Taxman” (contribute $200). The Beatles Monopoly is $28 through Amazon.
Money, that’s what they want.
