(Microsoft $59.99) Microsoft's 2008 version of Scene It? for Xbox 360 is one of the best quiz games I've played - it overcomes many of the problems that plague the genre. Too often, quiz game producers get lazy: The format (simple true/false or multiple choice questions) are often produced using cookie cutter models - all that changes between one program and the next is the "skin", the usually licensed characters.
For movie lovers (particularly of contemporary, pop films) Scene It? delivers interesting games in a fast paced format that captures the feel of a good TV game show. Part of what makes the game accessible to new gamers is the use of specialized wireless controllers that each have one large button (for ringing in) and four other smaller buttons for making multiple choice selections.
The game uses a wide variety of question formats, employing video clips, audio, and stills in addition to traditional trivia. The mixed format questions come fast and furious. Unlike many other trivia games, this one keeps things moving without the chatter, pauses, and lulls so common to the format.
Games can be played by friends in the same room or over the internet using Xbox Live.
Testing with a group of various age ranges, seniors found the movies selected to be of too narrow a range. The emphasis is on popular relatively recent films. You won't be asked, for instance for the name of the actor who played chess with Death in Bergman's Seventh Seal, though there are a number of questions based on older American films. This is a casual game for casual film watchers; you don't need a degree in cinema to excel. In fact, some of the questions don't rely on your film knowledge, but on your observational and deductive skills.
The bottom line: at this time of year, when families gather, this makes a fun generation-spanning party game. It is my favorite game in the Scene It? franchise; much more fun than the original DVD versions or previous console versions.
