The "Retro Game Reviews" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
If you couldn’t have guessed from the title, Box Office Smash focuses on movies and nothing more. Those looking for a general knowledge type quiz or those who don’t watch too many movies should obviously look elsewhere, but for those that consider themselves the “no it all” of cinema then this game definitely provides a great selection of questions that can provide enough challenge. The range is also decent including movies from the last fifty years, musicals, actors and actresses and more. Scoring is a matter of whoever has the most points wins, and every third of the way through awards and bonus points are given out to those who excel or fail at certain things. For example getting the longest answer streak or getting most questions wrong. It’s a neat idea that can keep those who are falling behind in the running while at the same time not interfering too much with the overall scoring system.
Options are fairly limited with short, long and single player modes being available. They all provide the same rounds within, but offer a difference in round numbers and scoring. It may seem like a slim package, but when you throw in online multiplayer it sweetens the deal somewhat. However good luck finding anyone online, as after the ten or so times I went online I only came across one other player.
What Box Ofice Smash excels in is its wide variety of round variations you’ll come across over each session. You’ll have to answer questions based on a short video clip, rearrange anagrams, guess movies based on crude children’s drawings and more. Perhaps the highlight so far has been the retro round that shows an 8-bit video game display of a scene from a movie that you have to guess. It’s unlike anything I’ve seen in a quiz yet and its these unique twists that help make Box Office Smash stand out from an ever increasing list of quiz titles.
As for the controllers themselves, if you’ve ever played Buzz before on the Playstation 2 or Playstation 3 then you should feel right at home since the layout is pretty much identical. While they are simple to use and feel sturdy too, there are some issues. Firstly each controller requires two AA batteries. When you multiply that by four you have a hefty amount spend on batteries. A cabled option would have been better appreciated using the USB port perhaps. Secondly you need to point the controller directly at the receiver in order for it to work. It’s not a major issue, but surely it wouldn’t have been too much to ask for something better in terms of connectivity.
When it comes to a quiz game there is only so much you can do with the visuals since most of the time you’re staring at questions and answers. However presentation is important and in terms of Box Office Smash, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. Sure it looks family friendly and uses the Avatars, but it lacks any real personality. Furthermore questions are not read aloud (like with the Buzz series) and the two voice actors who spout “witty” lines between rounds are annoying to listen to rather than amusing.
A quiz game is obviously best played with friends, and if you’re only likely to play this alone there’s no possible way I can recommend this. Had the online been full of players, it may have been a different story, but when coupled with the lack of options there’s just not enough to keep you here. As far as multiplayer goes, it’s good fun.
As we approach the a summer which is looking to be full of great titles, I still find myself compelled to get some friends together and give Box Office Smash another go to see who the true movie guru is. It may not be anything special but if you know anyone who thinks they know more than you about Tom Cruise, or reckons they can tell a movie simply by a hearing a small piece of dialogue, get them over and see once and for all who the expert is.
If you couldn’t have guessed from the title, Box Office Smash focuses on movies and nothing more. Those looking for a general knowledge type quiz or those who don’t watch too many movies should obviously look elsewhere, but for those that consider themselves the “no it all” of cinema then this game definitely provides a great selection of questions that can provide enough challenge. The range is also decent including movies from the last fifty years, musicals, actors and actresses and more. Scoring is a matter of whoever has the most points wins, and every third of the way through awards and bonus points are given out to those who excel or fail at certain things. For example getting the longest answer streak or getting most questions wrong. It’s a neat idea that can keep those who are falling behind in the running while at the same time not interfering too much with the overall scoring system.
Options are fairly limited with short, long and single player modes being available. They all provide the same rounds within, but offer a difference in round numbers and scoring. It may seem like a slim package, but when you throw in online multiplayer it sweetens the deal somewhat. However good luck finding anyone online, as after the ten or so times I went online I only came across one other player.
What Box Ofice Smash excels in is its wide variety of round variations you’ll come across over each session. You’ll have to answer questions based on a short video clip, rearrange anagrams, guess movies based on crude children’s drawings and more. Perhaps the highlight so far has been the retro round that shows an 8-bit video game display of a scene from a movie that you have to guess. It’s unlike anything I’ve seen in a quiz yet and its these unique twists that help make Box Office Smash stand out from an ever increasing list of quiz titles.
As for the controllers themselves, if you’ve ever played Buzz before on the Playstation 2 or Playstation 3 then you should feel right at home since the layout is pretty much identical. While they are simple to use and feel sturdy too, there are some issues. Firstly each controller requires two AA batteries. When you multiply that by four you have a hefty amount spend on batteries. A cabled option would have been better appreciated using the USB port perhaps. Secondly you need to point the controller directly at the receiver in order for it to work. It’s not a major issue, but surely it wouldn’t have been too much to ask for something better in terms of connectivity.
When it comes to a quiz game there is only so much you can do with the visuals since most of the time you’re staring at questions and answers. However presentation is important and in terms of Box Office Smash, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. Sure it looks family friendly and uses the Avatars, but it lacks any real personality. Furthermore questions are not read aloud (like with the Buzz series) and the two voice actors who spout “witty” lines between rounds are annoying to listen to rather than amusing.
A quiz game is obviously best played with friends, and if you’re only likely to play this alone there’s no possible way I can recommend this. Had the online been full of players, it may have been a different story, but when coupled with the lack of options there’s just not enough to keep you here. As far as multiplayer goes, it’s good fun.
As we approach the a summer which is looking to be full of great titles, I still find myself compelled to get some friends together and give Box Office Smash another go to see who the true movie guru is. It may not be anything special but if you know anyone who thinks they know more than you about Tom Cruise, or reckons they can tell a movie simply by a hearing a small piece of dialogue, get them over and see once and for all who the expert is.