Board game fans
have been singing the praises of Scene It? since the popular game debut a few
years ago. Now, the DVD/board game hybrid is releasing on the Xbox 360 courtesy
of Microsoft. The result is a pretty fun casual game with an easy control system
and tons of questions. The game is a solid interpretation of the successful
board game, and will definitely appeal to casual fans of board games. However,
the Xbox 360 version is quite light on features and has some real missed
opportunities, like online play, that keep it from being truly compelling to
Xbox 360 gamers.
One of the
driving factors for the game is the inclusion of four Big Button Controllers
(yes, that’s what they’re really called). These controllers simply look like big
round remotes with a big button in the middle and four face buttons beneath it.
There’s also a Start, Back, and Guide button towards the bottom of the
controllers. The controllers are streamlined for the game, with no superfluous
buttons that go unused. This makes the game a lot more approachable to players
who aren’t into video games at all but would still like to play Scene It?
without getting lost in the controls.
The game is
divided into a series of quick games. These range from “The Screening Room”,
where a short clip from a film is shown and the players are then asked a few
questions about it; “Credit Roll”, where you are told cast and crew members and
made to guess the movie; and several others. The questions are meant to test
your meddle about film knowledge, and while the majority of the questions are
pretty easy stuff, there are quite a few doozies in the list. The game has 1,800
different questions, and will keep track of questions that have been asked in
order to keep repeats to a bear minimum.
The game has
three basic modes of play: Long Play, Short Play, and Party Mode. The Long Play
and Short Play games are essentially the same, only the Long Play mode has about
twice the questions as a Short Play game. All things considered, they will
probably take you an hour to half an hour, respectively. The Party Mode is
simply a time-based four-player mode where you only have to hit the right answer
as opposed to buzz in. This mode leaves a bit to be desired, since you can’t
scale down the number of players from four, but still works for a fast and fun
game session between four friends.
The most
disappointing thing about Scene It? is the lack of features. While the game has
a lot to offer for fans of the board game with a ton of new questions, unique
controls and so on, it doesn’t give much incentive for Xbox 360 gamers to jump
in. There’s no online play, nor any really diverse modes, and unless you’ve got
three other bodies with you, the game isn’t a lot of fun. Plus, even with the
new controllers, sixty bucks is kind of steep, considering that the regular DVD
version of Scene It? goes for twenty dollars less than that.
Scene It? on the
Xbox 360 is a lot of fun in a party setting, just like the original DVD board
game. However, if you aren’t a big board game fan, then Scene It? probably won’t
win you over due to the lack of any real features to make it truly competitive
with other party games on the 360.
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Gameplay:
7.0
Scene
It? offers a good amount of questions and game modes, and the game will even
save questions that it has asked already to keep repeats to a minimum. The Big
Button Controllers also are responsive and fun to play with, and this is in many
ways the best version of the game around. However, when held up to other 360
games, this one is very slim on features, with no online play and slim game
modes.
Graphics:
7.0
Decently rendered clips from movies and limited cut scenes make for a game that
won’t dazzle you with cutting edge effects.
Sound: 6.5
The
announcer can be funny for a little while, but becomes repetitive and grating
after a while.
Difficulty:
Medium
Concept:
7.0
A good
interpretation of the board game, but a bit light on features.
Multiplayer: 7.0
Being
a party game, Scene It? isn’t much fun unless you’ve got three other
people to play against, but it can be pretty fun if you do. The lack of online
play is a lost opportunity.
Overall:
7.0
Scene
It? for the Xbox 360 is a solid version of the game, offering a nice amount of
questions that seldom repeat, and four specially made controllers. The game is a
great edition of the popular board game, while the lack of online play and
gameplay features don’t quite let it shine among other Xbox 360 games.
