On paper, Scene It sounds perfect for those family get-togethers over Christmas. Once the turkey has been gobbled, the drinks have started flowing and you’ve exhausted the rather limited options for watching TV, this is the kind of game that is tailor made for all the family to join in and play before Eastenders comes on.
The problem is, it’s not exactly a great game to play. Sure the concept itself is a great idea, based around clips and snippets from Hollywood films, meaning everyone who has even a remote interest in movies will be able to take part. However, with 2,800 questions sounding a lot, one or two plays will eventually see the said questions being repeated.
The in-game announcer soon becomes a minor annoyance, and the cheesy presentation and music begins to grate after a while.
Sure there are a lot of good points to it, and the actual game itself is fun to play whilst it is fresh. You can choose your own character to represent yourself with, there is a chance to catch up if lagging behind thanks to a clever bonus system, but its not enough really. After a while it very shortly loses its appeal as you find yourself watching the same clip for the umpteenth time, knowing what the correct answers are. There is also a lack of online play, meaning that unless you want to play it solo – which is far from satisfying – you have to wait until your family or friends are around to get the most from it.
If you’re looking for a fun game for all the family to play this Xmas, you’re better off buying a far far cheaper DVD game. In terms of value for money, this unfortunately doesn’t make the fairly large investment required to purchase it worthwhile.
