Video Gamer is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Prices subject to change. Learn more
Scene it? from Microsoft is quite clearly the platform holder’s attempt at tapping into the rather lucrative market that laps up Sony’s Buzz! titles. Although its big button controllers bear more than a slight resemblance to Sony’s Buzz! controllers, that shouldn’t put you off from picking up a game that’s more than fun enough for gamers and non-gamers alike.
Rather than invent its own quiz franchise, Microsoft chose to build a game based on the popular Scene it? movie trivia games. What you get is a game playable for up to four players, with questions covering all manner of genres, eras and media. With only two game modes to choose from (Play Now and Party Mode), there’s really nothing holding back novice gamers from picking up the sleek controllers.
The controllers themselves are small and wireless – something that Sony’s Buzz! controllers aren’t. They use Infrared technology so line of site to the supplied receiver is important, but in testing we found their range to be more than large enough. They don’t quite have the same functionality as the Buzz! controllers though, with the big button not lighting up as it does in Sony’s series of games. You’ve also got the problem of batteries running out, although it’s the price you pay for no tangled wires.
Onto the quiz then. You can choose to play in long or short games and with 1800 questions you’re sure to be able to play for some time before questions start repeating. After each round the game also remembers the questions you’ve been asked, ensuring repeats don’t crop up until the reservoir of questions is drained. Questions come either as clip observations, general knowledge or picture puzzles. So, in one round you might be answering some questions on a scene from The Holy Grail, while in the next you might be naming movie posters as more details are drawn on.
Early rounds are scored entirely on the speed of your answer, but soon you’ll have to think a little harder, with incorrect answers being penalised by point reductions. The final round is also a good chance to scoop some extra points, with a multiplier system racking up points in double time if you’re able to answer a series of questions correctly. After each round numerous special awards and points are handed out depending on what each player has done, so if you answer the most answers correctly or complete a round without getting an answer wrong, expect some bonus points. Achievement points are also handed out rather freely, if you’re into comparing your score with friends.
As a game for family play or for a few rounds with some non-gaming friends, there’s little to fault with Scene it? As a gamer, though, there are numerous issues that prevent Scene it? from being a more entertaining experience. Firstly, there’s zero customisation. If you want to limit your questions to a certain era or genre, forget about it. Certain rounds are also far too short, with the montage clip round only ever covering one movie. At the moment the content definitely seems to be geared more towards Americans than us Brits, so that’s certainly an issue that could be addressed with downloadable content – hopefully it won’t be too costly.
Presentation is adequate, but Scene it? certainly doesn’t push the Xbox 360 hardware. The almost obligatory annoying host is included, although he’s not quite as vocal as Buzz. You also don’t get any sense of being involved in an actual quiz, which is something the Buzz! games do very well. You’re simply a colour and a picture avatar, and not a real human player stood at a quiz show plinth. It’s a minor point, but something that could have increased the enjoyment factor for players. Whether you’d want to do this or not is debatable, but online play is also completely absent.
If you’re after a simple game that a large group of non-gamers can play together, Scene it? will do the job very well. With the promise of downloadable content, the game should live on well beyond the initial 1800 questions and the lack of wires on the big button controllers is great for a party environment. If you’re after the best quiz game though, the Buzz! series on the PlayStation 2 just edges it.
