If you’re unfamiliar with You Don’t Know Jack, let’s fill you in a little bit. In the mid-90’s, Jellyvision managed to produce one of the few trivia games that didn’t grate on the nerves with a generic presentation and repetitive question. Rather, it went for an irreverent approach, with a smarmy announcer named Cookie Masterson who was a smartass throughout each contest while reading stylized questions and providing you a number of options to try and “come back” to get the win if you fell behind on cash. It was a formula that worked quite well on PC and the PlayStation, but since that time, we haven’t seen that much of Jack, aside from a short-lived Paul Reubens TV game show that was nowhere as good as Pee-Wee Herman reruns. Now we have the return of You Don’t Know Jack, courtesy of THQ and Jellyvision. And everything that it could possibly have going for it does, from the awesome production value to the terrific gameplay to the reasonable price tag ($29.99, at most retailers). For that kind of price, you can’t afford to do without Jack. We almost forgive THQ for unleashing Truth Or Lies on us because of this. Almost.
In the game, you’ve got a series of three rounds, all hosted once again by the smarmy Cookie. The winner is the one who walks away with the most cash. The first round consists of five questions; the second consists of five more, but with double cash value; and the third is a Jack Attack, a lightning round where you have to coordinate the correct answers with the on-screen example. The right answers earn you cash, while the wrong ones strip it away. The game features various round types from previous games, including Dis Or Dat, as well as new ones, such as Who’s the Dummy. The game lasts a whopping 73 episodes full of questions, but for some reason doesn’t mix them up when you play through them again. Not a big deal, since you can a. shoot for easy Achievements and b. await incoming DLC, which should be coming around over the next few weeks. The game is decent in single player, but the real fun involves friends, whether you’re playing with them locally or logging on to Xbox Live to take them on. It’s here that a number of rules come into play, including the potential to “screw” someone. Here, you can apply pressure by making an opponent of choice guess within five seconds, even against their will. If they screw up, they lose a whole lot of cash. It’s a great opportunity to vault ahead of them.
The gameplay itself is engaging and fun, and online play works pretty good, though there were times we ran into some lag, particularly during Jack Attack rounds. Hopefully, THQ will clean this up this week, so that players can see the full potential of this trivia game. It really is unlike anything out there, and we’re happy with its return. As for the presentation, this is where Jellyvision truly excels. The comical tone shines through in both the graphics and audio, from the ridiculous sponsors (a cactus company called What-A-Prick) to the riotous Cookie being himself to the humorous commercials. It’s just like the Jack of old, and while that doesn’t necessarily take advantage of the Xbox 360 hardware, it’s still a crowd pleaser. Really, to shut down the likes of Jack because it’s not “your type of game” is a pure copout. And as a result, you’ll miss a fun time in the process. You Don’t Know Jack is all about party fun, and it’s the best way to spend time with friends on an Xbox 360 without wielding a gun or any other sort of weapon. Here, you’ll just have to put your mind to good use. Oh, and a screw, occasionally. Cookie wouldn’t have it any other way.
