Game types, or categories, are simple and fun. Some we liked better than others, but this is subjective and will depend upon the varying tastes of the people playing the game. Suffice it to say, there is something for everyone to enjoy. There are picture jumbles that slowly come into focus and depict a classic scene from a film. There are also movie clips and sound clips that test your film knowledge. In some cases, you'll have to name the movie, know the year it was made, or make simple observations about what you saw. There are also stills where a telltale object, actor, or animal has been left out of the scene. You then have to decide what was missing from the picture.

I also really liked the game type known as "Credit Roll." It has you divine the correct movie by giving you a series of hints that could apply to a number of different movies. It is not until you've been given enough clues that you can successfully decide on which movie it actually is. As you can see, the modes of play are varied and quite fun. In fact, there are 1800 total questions divided between 21 question types that do a great job of testing your grasp on movie trivia. An additional boon to the series is the fact that the questions are tracked by the Xbox 360. As a result, you will rarely see the same question twice. Better still is the prospect of future downloadable content that will keep the game infinitely fresh.

As I mentioned previously, the presentation is rather hokey. The visuals are so simple and cheesy that it looks like a flash game you might have posted on your MySpace page. Fortunately, the visuals have no real bearing on gameplay and so this is really a non-issue. Disappointingly, the movie clips are supposed to be shown in HD, but they do not look crisp at all. Even if they are outputted in HD as the developer claims, the maximum graphical quality is 720p which is not full HD. I suppose it is better than the 480i or 480p that your standard DVD kicks out, but the images really don't seem to be any better. Additionally, the sounds are decent, but not great. The sound clips are easily understood, but the music and commentary are cheesy at best. The voice and comments of the host are particularly annoying and repetitive. It is probably best to provide your own sound track and conversation and turn the in-game sounds off. Heck, it's a party anyway, isn't it?

Don't expect this game to knock your socks off. However, it is the best Scene It? released to date for any platform, and it will easily replace the DVD versions you might own. The inclusion of the Big Button Pad controllers probably makes it worth the $60 price tag. However, there isn't $60 worth of quality gameplay in the title alone. Fortunately, additional downloadable content, and automatic question tracking will keep gameplay fresh and re-playability high. This is by no means the best game out there, but you will have fun with family and friends. This is the perfect game for Thanksgiving evenings and lazy Friday nights when you don't feel like facing the crowds or spending the $50 on dinner and a movie.

By Jonathan Marx
CCC Freelance Writer

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