Monday, October 19, 2009

Scene It! Box Office Smash

Most of my real life friends don't play video games. I don't understand why and I probably never will. I set out on a quest to find a game that all my friends could play. I wanted something that didn't require much skill but was fun for everyone involved. Thank God for Scene It! Box Office Smash.

Story: There isn't one. You play this game as a team or individual. Its trivia based activities in the form of a variety of minigames, which is nice. No one wants just straight up trivia question. There is the short play (15-20 minutes) or the long play (30-45) options.


Graphics: 10/10 The graphics of each minigame is appropriate. The games that show pictures, sketches, and 8-bit pixilation are pretty fun. Actually movie clips are shown often so you get to see some classic scenes in HD. Plus, you play as your Xbox avatar. So you will dig watching your character flip out at the end of each round. I never knew my likeness could jump so high.

Sound: 7/10 Of course, there is a commentator or presenter for the entire game. His one-liners and quips are actually pretty funny ... in the beginning. But with each round you play, the comments seem longer and more annoying. There is the option to turn down the voice or even possibly off. But overall, he's really not that bad, just repetitive.


Gameplay: 9/10 The game is fun. It moves along pretty quickly so you don't get too tired of any one type of minigame. The categories vary quite a bit so that all different ages can enjoy. There are categories for horror movies, westerns, comedies, Academy-award winners, different decades, and loads more. I'm a total movie buff so I pretty much dominated, but my less movie-savvy friends still had a good time when they came across categories they loved. The fun part is the game has excellent replay value. With constant updates, the game never really becomes outdated. There is always trivia from the newest movies and actors.

Overall: 8/10 I thought it was fun. Its a great party game. I deducted a bit for a couple reasons. One is that it's a movie based game. If one person or one team is amazing at movies, there is a good chance that someone is going to feel bored or not have fun because they are getting dominated. There are clearly more questions about more recent movies as opposed to older ones. So if I were to play with my family, I would probably wipe out the older generation and they might not have a good time. You can also play this game solo. However, if you aren't a cinema buff, the game probably won't entertain you for that long when playing alone. But if everyone is relaxed and ready to have a good time, it really is a great party game and one that is appropriate for most ages.
Buy/Rent : This one is a BUY ! It has great replay value and it won't outdate itself anytime soon. You can play alone or with as many people as you want. And for the simple reason that I love movies, I think it is in your best interest to own.

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