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Scene It? Movie Night Review


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On 12/05/2011 at 02:45 PM by Jesse Miller

While fun with friends, this addition to the Scene It? franchise lacks the substance to make a lasting impression.
RECOMMENDATION:

For movie buffs or those looking for a cheap and fun party game.

Scene It? has been around for a while now and there have been more than a few video game adaptations of the popular DVD/film based trivia game.  Now the game based on the premise of useless cinematic know-how has wound up on the PSN and XBLA as a downloadable game. The move to a digital format makes perfect sense for this type of game, but this stripped down version fails to capture the more fleshed out experience we've come to expect from the franchise.

For those not familiar with the game, Scene It? is a movie trivia game that pits 1-4 players against each other to determine whose cinematic know-how reigns supreme.  Trivia is split into a few different question type groups.  Sometimes the game will play a movie clip and ask questions about the scene or the film in general, while other times the players will be asked to match the actor to a film or to order movies based on their release date.  My personal favorites are when you’re asked to identify a film based on a scene recreated with 8-bit style graphics. 

With only a handful of question types it will only take two or three games to get an idea of the entire experience and with games only lasting about 10-15 minutes each it won’t be long before you’ll skip through the instructions for each section.

The biggest pitfall of any trivia game is the inevitable eventuality that you’ll start seeing repeat questions.  I started seeing repeats after a little more than two hours of gameplay, though there were still plenty of fresh questions to keep it from being a real issue. At $10 and DLC down the road, it’s hard to argue that there isn’t enough content for the price.

Scene It? Movie Night is a game best enjoyed with friends, though it can be played alone; a high score being the only real incentive aside from perhaps studying up on the questions before inviting your buddies over for game night.  It’s a straight forward experience and that’s perhaps the biggest detractor.  With only a single play mode, this edition lacks the variety that previous console entries have provided.  There is also the supremely annoying disembodied voice that will repeat the same 5-6 movie quote lines between questions.  If you can ignore him, nothing is going to bother you about this game.

There sadly isn’t much else to say about Scene It? Movie Night.  It’s a game that will get some mileage out of movie buffs and as the occasional party game, but not much else.  It’s more good than bad so if you’re into movie trivia it’s worth the ten spot.  Otherwise, just ask yourself if you feel lucky.  Well do you?  Punk?

Review Policy

In our reviews, we'll try not to bore you with minutiae of a game. Instead, we'll outline what makes the game good or bad, and focus on telling you whether or not it is worth your time as opposed to what button makes you jump.

We use a five-star rating system with intervals of .5. Below is an outline of what each score generally means:


All games that receive this score are standout games in their genre. All players should seek a way to play this game. While the score doesn't equate to perfection, it's the best any game could conceivably do.


These are above-average games that most players should consider purchasing. Nearly everyone will enjoy the game and given the proper audience, some may even love these games.


This is our middle-of-the-road ranking. Titles that receive three stars may not make a strong impression on the reviewer in either direction. These games may have some faults and some strong points but they average out to be a modest title that is at least worthy of rental for most.


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Though functional, a game that receives this score has major issues. There are little to no redeeming qualities and should be avoided by nearly all players.


A game that gets this score is fundamentally broken and should be avoided by everyone.


 

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