Now, if you don't know what YDKJ is, then you must not have known me for very long. YDKJ is a trivia game show party game that started way way back in 1995 (do you remember 1995?). It was a CDROM game for up to 3 people that tested your smarts in a very unique way. Instead of asking questions with a straight shot, it would infuse pop culture and humor into the questions, adding a new dimension to the game. It was, I believe, well ahead of its time. Thank goodness they went on to produce more than 10 additional versions. Imagine if "Jeopardy!" had been written by the people from "The Onion".
Now that that's out of the way...
The journey to the launch party was long and hard. Well, actually, it was fairly simple, but it took some work to find it. Up until late last night, I had no idea that a launch party in LA even existed. On a whim this morning, I decided to google "You Don't Know Jack Launch Party Hollywood". I wasn't expecting much. Then I came across this:
I had woken up at 1:15. Post Meridian. Don't judge; I work hard all week, I can sleep in late. I had plans to hang out with my friend Jolie, so I posted this on her FB wall and RSVP'd. Thankfully, she loved this idea about going so she RSVP'd as well. We were on the list. WE'RE SOMEBODIES!
The launch party itself was a great time. The H-Wood is a nice location with both an outdoor and indoor space to mingle. There was free food, although there were too many people in line for my taste (no pun intended). The DJ was mixing some great tunes from throughout the years. Decked out all over the place was YDKJ stuff (just in case you forgot why you were there in the first place). There was even a photo booth. A photo booth! With props and costumes!
There were 3 PS3s with the new YDKJ game on them, each one with 2 controllers. The demo included 3 episodes that could be played. Jolie and I played one episode, and then Jeff (Jolie's boyfriend) played another one.
The review of the game is as follows:
Whereas previous editions had given players the option of the length of the game, each episode in YDKJ '11 has 11 questions, including the Jack Attack. In most of the previous games, one player would choose a category from 3 selections, after which the first player to buzz in would get first crack to answer the question, locking all the other players out. Repeat. Jack '11 presents a set order of questions to the players. Also, all players can answer the question at the same time, rather than one player locking out all others. Scores are determined by how fast players answer: win money for correct answers, lose money (and get ridiculed) for incorrect answers.
The classic "DisOrDat" is still here, and while I will not ruin the surprise for you, I will say that it is now multiplayer and I think it is a great improvement on a question type that I thought was already perfect. There are also some other new question types to look out for, which keeps the game nice and fresh.
Look-wise, the game is beautiful. The crisp colors and animations really stand out. Everything is easy to read and is pleasing to the eye. Sound-wise, this game sounds beautiful as well. The game boast 15+ hours of game play, but I'll bet that there is at least twice as much audio work that has gone into it. If you're like me, you'll go back and play previous episodes just to hear different responses for wrong answers. The voice acting has always been a highlight of YDKJ, and the writing has always complemented that. The soundtrack is fantastic, as the music of the series has always been one of my favorite parts (maybe release a soundtrack, Jellyvision? I'd buy it).
One thing I will note is that once you've played an episode, you'll be hesitant to play it again only because you know all the answers. It's not much fun to play against people when one of them has the answers memorized. For Xbox 360 & PS3, there will be DLC content: 4 packs of 10 episodes each. This is a great way to elongate the life of this game. Sadly, I only own a Wii, and due to how audio heavy the game is, having a DLC for the Wii is not gonna happen. For this reason, I am already planning on getting a Xbox 360. Seriously, I'm buying one because of YDKJ.
While I'm not highlighting every single part of the game (cause much of the fun is discovering it for yourself), as a whole, this is a great resurrection (can I call it that?) for the YDKJ franchise (reboot -- *that's* the word I'm looking for). This edition screams "multiplayer fun" and I strongly urge anyone who picks up this game to play with friends. If you have no friends, but you do have Xbox Live or a PSN account, then you should play online against people. I guess you *could* play by yourself, but this game truly shines when multiple people are involved.
Am I biased? Maybe a little. I mean, I do own every version that has come out. I love trivia. I love game shows. And I love clever wit and humor. This game is the first game I have ever pre-ordered in my life. I'm proud to do so, as the folks at Jellyvision and THQ have done such a good job bringing in this game to the next-gen while preserving the principles that YDKJ is based on. I am proud to say that I Don't Know Jack.
As for the rest of the launch party:
They had a live stream going on via thestream.tv, which was cool. They were also giving away vouchers for a free copy of the game as well as an Xbox 360. I didn't win anything. It's alright though. I got some bracelets, I got to design my own shirt, and I got to wear a pimp hat while having a snake around me.
But the best part about the night for me was meeting some of the developers from Jellyvision, Mike Bilder, Steve Heinrich, & Allard Laban. I had the pleasure of talking to them for a small bit about their work at Jellyvision as well as the new game. They were very nice and funny as well, and it was such a joy to meet some of the people who helped inspire me to go into the game show industry and become a game show host. I even got a picture with them (due to a challenge issued to me by the YDKJ twitter account). The cherry on top was getting their info and being able to email them so that I may talk to them more and keep in touch. I don't want to lose this contact; I feel like I could learn a great deal from them and get some great advice.
Oh, and by the way, I won both of my games. But I'm sure you could have guessed that.
So, thank you, You Don't Know Jack, for making my Friday night. I can't wait to take you home with me on Tuesday.
Wait, that didn't come out right...
I have to go now.
Peace Out.
As a huge fan of this game, it was a night I'll never forget
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