Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action

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. 

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.