Review: Scene It? Movie Night (XBLA)

Trivia style games have always appealed to me. As a registered member of MENSA with a genius-level IQ and a penchant for useless information, success in trivia comes naturally. As a movie lover, I have had the time and opportunity to build a strong foundation of trivial knowledge on the subject. As an individual with self-esteem issues, the thrill of shoving my superior intellect in the collective faces of my opponents as they TREMBLE IN ABSOLUTE AWE is incredibly satisfying. Scene It? Movie Night gives me the chance to use that trivial knowledge to crush my enemies, see them driven before me, and hear the lamentations of their women.

Unfortunately, I can’t do any of that online, which brings us to the game’s first major failing. Without any online play, you are limited to 1-4 local players. I appreciate the inclusion of local multiplayer, because I think it’s something that tends to be overlooked more often than not, but in a game like this, where the single player experience is only fun for the sake of the trivia itself, the option to play online is almost necessary. Not everyone is going to host a Scene It? party whenever they want to play, which really limits how often this game can be played and enjoyed to its fullest potential. You Don’t Know Jack, while excluding the ability for multiple local players to participate in an online match, at least included both local and online multiplayer successfully.

The other failing of Scene It? Movie Night is its lack of options. There is only one game mode, consisting of seven rounds, which lasts for no more than 15 minutes. To get through an entire game takes 15 minutes. There’s no option for a longer game, or a shorter game, or a different type of game, or a game filled with only certain types of rounds, etc. You get seven rounds, and it’s game over. Increasing the player control over how the game is played, or which parts of the game are played, or how long the game is played for, would have been a strong feature for players who don’t always want only one option.

Aside from the lack of online play and the lack of options in the game, Scene It? Movie Night has the same basic functionality of any Scene It? game, with just a little less polish and shine. Packed with a very large selection of trivia presented in various question types, it will take quite a few replays before you start hitting any duplicate questions. On top of that, the game serves as a platform for future downloadable content. The included pack, Mega Movies, seems to be focusing more on blockbusters, while future packs (assuming the success of the platform itself) may include independent movie and genre specific trivia questions.

If you have people over often, and love movie trivia, Scene It? Movie Night is a great choice. If you’re a solitary person, but simply enjoy movie trivia, Scene It? Movie Night is a great choice. If you’re solitary, but enjoy playing with others online, Scene It? Movie Night is one to stay away from. It all depends on your particular situation. It’s fun and has great potential for expanded content in the future, but there are some limitations that just may make the game not right for some.