When you select the icon on the PlayStation menu, a poppy, harmless beat pumps from the speakers. And in those few seconds, the entire feeling of Scene It? Movie Night: Mega Movies is summarized. The game is candy. It’s a sitcom. There isn’t real depth or a message behind it. Just simple fun; a guilty pleasure.
These games (i.e. board games converted into video games) are cunning in that sense. You don’t even realize you’re playing a video game. It’s just a game show you get to participate in. Jeopardy! with a controller, so to speak. I’d yell at the television. When my fingers failed me and an answer was selected I didn’t intend, I’d act like it was the game’s fault. Like it had some grudge against me and purposely chose a different, wrong answer than what I wanted.
My roommates would also play along. Our eyes would sink inward and concentration hovered over our heads. Pouncing at the questions, it quickly became a shouting match.
The game has little content without shelling out money for downloadables. Our competition faded quickly. Game modes consisted of dissecting a scrambled movie poster or a brief clip from something we recognized. To quote one of my favorites, IMDB ain’t got ____ on us after an hour of play.
The brevity of these types of games is both a blessing and a fault. Unlike other family games, i.e. most motion controlled games, Scene It? and the like are a closed experience. Your trivia is limited, as are your actions. Scene It? remains steadfast in regards to its inventory of questions unless you are willing to dish out a few extra bucks. I decided to keep my wallet closed, happy to leave that shiny red icon in my library without any additional content. Guilty pleasures are only acceptable to an extent, after all.
However, Scene It?‘s limited design is not without merit. For the more resilient crowd that shies away from bobbing up and down with a WiiMote or practicing dance moves in front of their Kinect, Scene It? offers a less embarrassing mastery. You press one button. The rest is up to your own knowledge.
The game is more open than other multiplayers. If played with a dozen friends, you only need a few controllers. Alliances can be formed and rivalries can build without the hindrance of split screens or game modes. It’s not radical in any sense. It’s just an increasingly inviting, albeit repetitive, experience as more people submit.
