THEY'LL BE THERE FOR YOUUUUU :-D (Mattel Friends Scene it! DVD Game)

Member Name: Wee_Jackie_163

Product:	Mattel Friends Scene it! DVD Game
Date:	22/05/09 (67 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: BRILLIANT GAME

Disadvantages: NONE FOR US

I have always loved board games and enjoy playing with lots of them on a regular basis. I also love the American TV sit-com "Friends", so I was thrilled to bits when I received the "Scene it" (Friends edition) board game as a gift from my sister quite recently.

Before this point I had never before played with a "Scene it" game, and was unfamiliar to the layout of the game, or what was involved therein. With this in mind, I am going to assume that some of you lovely dooyooers out there will be in the same boat, and I will do my best to explain in full detail what the game involves.


**WHAT IS IT?**


The box states "The irresistible Friends trivia game with clips from your favorite episodes!" so there is not really too much confusion about what this game was about before we set out to play. The box also states that the game is for 2 - 4 players, although I think if you preferred to play this game in teams, you would be able to, without too much problem.

Upon opening the box, there is a circular-shaped board, a small pile of "Buzz" cards, four counters, 4 category reference cards (one for each player or team) a purple plastic box containing the question cards, a DVD in a cardboard cover, an instruction sheet and two black dice (one is cube shaped with numbers on and one is more triangular, with a range of symbols on it).

The game is essentially a board game in that each player (or team, if you prefer) has a counter and rolls a dice in turn. There is however, a great twist to the Scene it game in that there is an interactive element to it, which is provided by the use of a DVD alongside the game. This has been cleverly set up to coincide with different rounds throughout the game.

I will point out that I have several other interactive DVD board games, all of which have required some sort of setting-up with the DVD player, or the game's remote control or something similar. Not so with the Scene it game; all you need to do is take the DVD from the box and pop it into your DVD player, and hey presto! Setting up is complete! You can then keep the DVD on, set up your board, and away you go!

A very cute point to note about this game - or I thought it was cute at least - is the four counters that are used as each player/teams 'movers'. Each piece is related to the TV show in some way, and all are different. They put me in mind of the counter pieces used in a traditional game of Monopoly - the iron, car, dog etc. The Scene it Friends game however, has four counter pieces that represent certain things from the television show, such as a large silver coffee cup and a barker lounger (Joey's probably!). I think that this is a nice touch, and any fan of the TV show will instantly recognise what each piece is representing.


Another little touch of genius with the Friends Scene it game is that you have two options for choosing your game in that the board is designed to allow you to either fully extend the board for a longer game or if you prefer, you can fold it into a circle for a shorter game. This board is called a "Flextime" board, and seems to be unique to the "Scene it" games. We have actually played both games, and found that the formats were quite similar, but obviously the game using the extended board does last a little longer. I wondered if the shorter game might be better for those younger players who might like the game, but when I tried to find out what ages this game would be suitable for, it just clearly states "adult" on the instruction sheet and the like. My guess as to the reasons behind this would be that perhaps some of the clips used in the game that are of course from the TV show might not be particularly suitable for a young(er) audience!


** SETTING UP **


When playing the game for the first time, we preferred to use the option on the DVD menu called "How to Play", which is basically an on-screen demonstration. It clearly states in the instructions that this is an option for learning how to play the game. The DVD menu works like any other DVD menu, whereby you can move up and down the menu by using your remote control. It is really easy to do and we didn't find any problems with it when using it throughout the game.

Alternatively, you can choose to either read the instruction leaflet then begin with the "Set up" option which again can be found on the DVD menu.

To begin the game, you simply each select a mover, placing them on the START square on the board, and position the board where all players can see it. You place the "Buzz cards" on the appropriate circle on the board, and distribute a category reference card to each player. This card basically just lets each player know what each symbol on the triangular-shaped dice represents, and subsequently what challenge they will need to take in order to complete their turn.

One player needs to be the 'DVD master', and they will be responsible for operating the DVD player (and in charge of the remote control) throughout the game.


** PLAYING THE GAME **


Each player rolls the numbered dice in turn, with the player who has rolled the highest number going first. The first player then rolls both the numbered dice and the triangular dice (with the symbols on) together, moving the number of spaces as shown on the number dice. Depending on what symbol the player has rolled, players will need to complete either a DVD or a Trivia card challenge.

The Trivia cards contain a number of challenges, such as "The one with all the Dialogue", when the player must answer the "Friends" dialogue question. These are generally questions with a "who said what" feel to them. Of course, an opposing player must ask the question, and there is a timer on the DVD which you can select by using the on-screen menu. There are other challenges on the Trivia cards, such as "The one with the Pop Culture" which are basically cards with general "Friends" questions, such as 'which actor played Monica's boyfriend, Richard?' The other challenge that appears on the Trivia cards is "The one with all the Details" which are basically a selection of "Who, what when where or why" questions, such as 'In the one with the Butt, Joey gets his first major movie role as whose butt double'?

The Trivia cards are relatively straight forward - you answer the question which corresponds to the symbol you have rolled on the triangular dice. If the player answers their question correctly, they roll again and have another go.

There are also "BUZZ" cards which should be read aloud and the instructions carried out by the rolling player. Buzz cards remind me of the "Chance" cards in a traditional game of Monopoly, in that some are winners and some are losers. Eeeek! An example of a Buzz card, to give you an idea of them, would perhaps be "Oh! My! God! You finally break up with Janice. Again. Move ahead two spaces, and mean it this time". Heheh. :-D

Alternatively, there are several DVD challenges to be completed with the use of the DVD. The Trivia cards do not need to be used for the DVD challenges.

There are two possible DVD challenges - the first is the "my play" challenge, which basically involves the DVD master using the remote control and selecting "my play" from the DVD menu. The player in question then attempts to answer the question that appears on the television screen, which corresponds to the clip that has just been shown. If they answer the question correctly, they get to roll again and have another go.

The other challenge is the "all play" challenge which similarly involves the DVD master selecting "all play" from the DVD menu. The difference this time however, is that any player can answer the challenge that follows, with the winner being the first player who clearly shouts out the correct answer. So, as you can see, there is plenty of opportunity for control of the game to be stolen! (Much to my other half's dismay!)

And so the game carries on in this fashion - rolling dice, reading out questions, watching the DVD and moving counters around the board. This continues merrily until one player reaches the "STOP" square on the board. (It actually states "stop - all play to win").


** WINNING THE GAME **


The player who has landed on the STOP square then has two ways in which they can win the game and be crowned winner! The first is the "All play to win" option. This basically means that the DVD master once again chooses the correct option from the DVD menu. All players then compete in this challenge. If the rolling player wins this challenge, then that player can advance to the winners circle on the board and that's it - they have won. If, however, another player wins this challenge, they have the option of either moving their own counter forward three spaces, or forcing another player to take a BUZZ card, and carry out its instructions. The game would then continue, with each player or team rolling in turn.

Assuming that the player that missed out on the winning title the last round has not been overtaken by somebody else (arrgh, how frustrating!), then they will be given another chance to steal the winner's crown when it once again reaches their turn. This is done in the "Final Cut" game. This is another option on the DVD menu, which the DVD master would select.

The Final Cut game means that the rolling player must answer up to three questions correctly to win the game. The DVD cleverly displays on-screen instructions at this juncture, so there was no need to panic about getting all this clear in our heads before play commenced. (Phew, thank goodness!)

We found this to be the general feeling throughout the game. When we first read the instructions we were a bit worried about whether we would be able to follow the game properly, and carry out the different challenges that were on the DVD. We really needn't have worried as the on-screen instructions contained in the DVD were so self-explanatory that we ended up trying to skip through some of them a bit later in the game. It is not a difficult game to grasp and after a couple of games, you'll be flying around that board without needing to so much as glance at your instruction leaflet!


** WOULD I RECOMMEND IT? **

All in all, I love this game and we play it regularly. I think it would probably be a bit difficult for people who are not regular viewers of the Television show, as the questions are all Friends related, and in fact this has proven to be the case when my partner is playing the game alongside myself or our friends. He has certainly seen plenty of the show, but is by no means what could be described as a huge fan, and therefore his ability to answer the questions is impaired slightly.

Another great thing that I found about this game is that the DVD has a final option on its menu - this is the "party play" option. This option is just basically alternate Friends clips (with questions after them) or just questions that show up on your screen. We have indeed put it on at parties or family gatherings and the like, albeit with the sound turned down, but it has been a great ice-breaker at times, and no other aspect of the game need be set up - all you need to do is pop your DVD into the player and hey presto! An on-screen quiz thingy!

I would highly recommend this game for families with more grown-up children, parties, holidays, quizzes or girly nights in. I brought it out quite recently at a girly night that me and some of my friends were having (most of the other girls had only met each other once or twice) and by the end of it we were all laughing and giggling like teenagers! Yes I know that the wine probably helped, but I am merely trying to make the point that I found the game to be helpful to use as an ice breaker! *blush*

As I said at the start of my review, I got this game as a gift from my sister, however, it is on amazon.co.uk for the price of £29.00, which might sound expensive but to my mind, it is reasonable value when you consider the fact that each clip has multiple questions associated with it, it is reasonable to assume that you'll be hard pushed to get the same questions over and over again. Certainly this has never happened with me, and I have probably played the game about a dozen times or so. (With AND without wine, natch!).

Furthermore, when you consider that a game bog-standard Cluedo costs around £15.00 , I feel that it is worth paying a little more for that 'interactive' feel.

We love this game, and I couldn't recommend it to you highly enough. Hopefully I have explained how to play it properly and given you an idea of the fun involved with the different challenges.

This gets full marks from me! Thank you for reading my review. XxXxX :-D

Summary: I'll be there for youuuuuuuuu...........