For god's sake, it's the fourth time. Get to know him! (You don't know Jack 4 (PC))

Member Name: BTlover

Product:	You don't know Jack 4 (PC)
Date:	18/12/07 (26 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Hilariously mind-bending questions, sarcastic host, interesting easter eggs

Disadvantages: When you actually run through all of the questions.

Everybody likes storing useless facts in their heads. There is a certain satisfaction to be had by spontaneously saying to a friend, "You know, a duck's quack doesn't echo. Think about it." But knowing that the left hand types 56% of everything isn't going to get you very far in life-- unless you miraculously win a spot on a game show. Not all of us are so lucky, however, and our only solace comes from shouting out answers at the TV while watching Jeopardy. Except now you can yell at the computer screen and mash the keyboard thanks to the onslaught of trivia video games. No game is quite like You Don't Know Jack, though, and if you're going to limit yourself to just one, this should be it.

The You Don't Know Jack games are just trivia games, and few trivia games offer more than a simple interface with flashy colors. While The Ride is mostly text and numbers bouncing around, it's done well and creates a hip and slick atmosphere. The black background works better than previous Jack games, making this one much easier to look at for long periods of time (should you decide to do so).

The voice-overs behind The Ride are what make this game such a blast to play. Unlike previous Jack games, The Ride features several different hosts that come and go in often hilarious fashions. The whole production feels better off than most TV shows. Nothing sounds forced, everything connects, and many of the hosts' quips and wisecracks are rarely used twice. In fact, the hosts are often really funny. They don't shy from poking fun at the player with the least amount of points or the player who never touches the buzzer. The female voice which introduces the game and asks for names is also surprising in that she will occasionally recognize a simple name like "Dave" and comment on any relevant holiday. YDKJ is not a kid's game, however. The hosts swear a lot. While more offensive words are bleeped out, that doesn't keep them from spouting off expletives repeatedly. One category is "censorship," after all, and you can expect plenty of censoring there.

You Don't Know Jack is a simple A, B, C, or D trivia answer and question game where the word "simple" is somewhat misleading. YDKJ isn't like Who Wants to be a Millionaire, a game show which presents a question in its most basic and understandable form. YDKJ takes an intellectual observation and gives it a touch of pop culture. The underlying message may be about the circumference of the world, but YDKJ will ask it in a way that involves buying a pair of pants for a woman. It takes a prissy, educated background to get the right facts and a secular attitude to decipher the question. YDKJ is irreverent and bawdy, however, and some questions veer into "I don't want to know that" territory. Though the game is only rated T, answering a question about private anatomy can make you feel a little uncomfortable (Note: don't play this game with your mother). But YDKJ isn't just a bunch of cheap, dirty jokes. The Ride is full of zany antics, like when you try to type your name in and it comes out as "Moron" or when the host throws a completely gibberish question at you. This randomness makes the game a lot more fun, because you never really know what to expect.

A nice inclusion with The Ride is a selection of mini-games that periodically break up the monotony of simply answering question after question. Dis or Dat gives one player the chance to come out ahead by answering either/or questions such as "Cartoon Characters that Don't Wear Pants." Roadkill involves all players trying to buzz in the fastest as the right answer to a set of clues cycles through with all the wrong answers. For instance, the clues may be "____ y ____ Pecker" and "George Washington's teeth." The player who hit the buzzer first when "wood" appeared on the screen would win, then onto the next set. Another game presents a clue and an absurd phrase that sounds like a cliché, slogan, or other popular saying. As time ticks down, guessing what the phrase really means becomes worth less, and the host dishes out more clues until it should be obvious. At the end of every game, there is a Jack Attack similar to the Roadkill but with a more subtle clue.

Three players can tackle the game at once, each taking a buzzer key on the keyboard (Q, B, or P). Cramming three people around a computer isn't always easy, though, so expect a little discomfort whenever friends are over. There is also the option to "screw" other players by buzzing in and pounding on the S key. This shoots tens of screws into the screen, destroying the question and forcing another player to guess the answer. It's a devious thing to do.

If you aren't book smart, there's a chance you could still win with "street smarts," but if you have neither, stay away from this game. In fact, stay away from all trivia and read a few books. It's no fun sitting through an entire round and not having enough insight to press the buzzer even once. When the host starts picking on you and your negative score, it can get a little irritating. Because The Ride covers such a wide array of knowledge, there will be some categories that leave you scratching your head for nearly every question. As an example, I wasn't able to answer much in the circus category and was absolutely stumped at the end when it wanted me to match car names with their manufacturer (something I know very little about).

When I play a game, its solutions generally stick with me forever. The five year gap between playing Day of the Tentacle again didn't affect that I still knew every little nuance. With The Ride, however, taking it out five years later reinforced just how easy and fun it is to play this game again. Though I remembered certain categories, most of the questions felt entirely new to me, and there were even some jokes which seemed like they'd just been pulled for the very first time. At the beginning of every boot, The Ride will ask a simple yes/no question. Depending on how you answer, you'll play a different category and won't have the chance to see "the other" until you've seen the game to its end and have to start from the top again. Even inside a category, the question picked depends on what cash prize a player stops the spinning wheel at, and many questions will go unused. You'll have to play The Ride many times before it starts to repeat itself.

The game will make fun of you if you try playing by yourself, so why not invite some friends over? It's a delight to play against friends and see just how clever they really are (or are not). While the game does plenty of trash-talking for you, there's still plenty of interpersonal bashing, exasperation, and admiration and that ever present desire to steal the top of the high scores list. The Ride makes for a fun party game and has been the center of attention for many of my get-togethers.

You Don't Know Jack is a fun, funny, and wildly entertaining series of games. The Ride takes the YDKJ formula up a notch and offers one of the best trivia experiences available. Even while Who Wants to be a Millionaire has "lifelines" and The Guy Game has... er... stuff... Jack's random presentation and mixture of high and low class make this a unique product even in today's "seen-it-all" society. If you don't like trivia (or don't know anything to be any good at trivia), if you are easily offended and have low self-esteem, don't play this game. For those who can handle such criticism, invite some friends over and knock wits for months to come. The Ride is a raucous trip worth taking, and it'll become one of your favorite party games. Get it.

Summary: Wonderful party game, surely perfect for a frat party, perhaps.