You Don't Know Jack (2011 video game)
Encyclopedia
You Don't Know Jack is the 2011 release of the trivia-based party game
series, You Don't Know Jack. The game was developed by Jellyvision Games
and published by THQ
, and was released in North America on February 8, 2011, for Microsoft Windows
, Xbox 360
, PlayStation 3
, Wii
, and Nintendo DS
platforms.
The game is structured around a fictional game show
emceed by Cookie Masterson (voiced by Tom Gottlieb), in which the players answer ten multiple-choice questions, and then compete in a final "Jack Attack" round. Answering quickly and correctly earns virtual money to track the players' scores, while incorrect answers are penalized. As per the game's motto, "the irreverent trivia party game", the questions often combine general knowledge along with popular culture references and verbal wordplay to determine the correct answer. Unlike the earlier releases which randomly presented questions, the 2011 game provides over 73 episodes with a predefined set of questions, and with further episodes to made available as downloadable content
which is currently only available on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 through both console's respective online stores. The game, on consoles, supports both offline and online play (with the exception of the Wii which lacks online multiplayer) with up to four players, while the Windows and Nintendo DS versions only supports two local players and lack features such as online play & access to downloadable content.
for one to four players, with the goal to win the most virtual money at the end of the game. Each game uses a pre-defined set of ten questions from over seventy episodes, titled by the name of the show's fictional sponsor. Most questions are multiple choice, providing one correct and three incorrect answers, along with a short timer that starts once the question has been completely presented. All players play at the same time, entering their choice of answer before the 20 second timer runs out. If a player is correct, they get a base dollar amount plus a bonus defined by how quickly they answered, while if they miss the question, they lose a similar amount of money. Failing to answer does not cost the player any money.
In addition to the usual questions, each episode typically features a "Dis or Dat" question. This question gives the players 7 words or phrases which they have to identify as one of two possible classifications, or in some cases, both. For example, one Dis or Dat series asks the players to identify terms that would be features of a Nexus One
phone, Nexxus
shampoo, or both. Scoring is $300 for each right answer, but lose $300 for wrong answers or if you don't answer in time, plus a time bonus for the remaining time of the 30 second time limit. In offline play, only one player participates, while other players try to steal by getting it right if the main player gets it wrong. In online play, all players play the DisOrDat simultaneously. Players are also urged to look for the "Wrong Answer of the Game", which is hinted at by the show's sponsor; for example, in an episode sponsored by a baby crib company, the answer "Cat's Cradle" is the Wrong Answer of the Game. Choosing the correct Wrong Answer does not penalize the player but instead rewards them with a large monetary bonus. However if during a multiplayer game, a player is screwed on the question that contains the Wrong Answer of the Game & they select the Wrong Answer. They do not get the monetary cash bonus, instead the answer acts as any normal wrong answer & they are screwed & lose cash as normal.
Each player in multiplayer games is also given a single opportunity to "screw" another player, forcing them to answer the question in a much shorter time period. If the selected player answers incorrectly or fails to answer the question, they lose money which is gained by the player using the screw. However, if the selected player answers correctly, they gain additional money taken from the player using the screw.
After ten questions are completed, the final round of the game is the "Jack Attack" where all players compete against each other. Prior to the round, a brief clue is shown to the players to describe a relationship that they must match, for example "BFF" (Best friends forever). The game then shows one word or phrase, and then cycles through other phrases which the players must match. If players respond to the wrong phrase, they lose money; only the first player to buzz in at the correct time wins and earns money. After seven such phrases, the total scores are added and the winner is determined.
and interviews for Equifax
.
Around 2008, the company saw that gaming consoles had developed features for connectivity and social play. They also recognized that the market for such trivia games was slim at the time and saw a possible opportunity to revitalize the series. Harry Gottlieb, the founder of Jellyvision, recognized that many of the same people that worked on the original games were still in the company, and proposed the idea of a new YDKJ title to publishers. After securing THQ
as a publisher, full time development for the game started in February 2010. Steve Heinrich, the game's producer, said the development process was "insanely quick", allowing them to work concurrently on writing, art, sound, and programming, and had the flexibility to make design decisions to keep the game simple and funny.
Jellyvision did not want to change much of the older games for the 2011 version. They sought to keep as many of the old game question types, such as the Jack Attack and Dis Or Dat questions, updating the games to support online play. To counterbalance other types that would not be playable on consoles, such as Gibberish Questions that required players to type in a phrase, the developers added new features to the game, such as the Wrong Answer of the Game. The developers took advantage of other features of the newer consoles: they were able to take advantage of the rumble features of console controllers to emphasis the effect of Screwing other players, and they took advantage of writing several humorous titles for the in-game achievements.
Allard Laban of Jellyvision noted that compared to 1995, where the pop culture was "fragmented", the onset of the Internet and social media made it easier to develop questions for the game. Jellyvision sought comedy writers, including from local comedy clubs such as Second City
and I.O.
, narrowing down the pool of applicants from hundreds to six, including Second City comedian Tim Sniffen, who had worked on previous iterations of the YDKJ series. A weekly training process was employed to bring the new writers up to speed and review previously written dialog for possible improvements. Heinrich also assured that material was not repeated throughout the game's script. The majority of the game's dialogue is provided by Tom Gottlieb, brother of Harry, who had voiced the emcee "Cookie" Masterson in the earlier games. Lacking any professional studio, most of the 100-200 hrs of game dialog were recorded in a make-shift soundproofed closet. Tom Gottlieb was also involved in the writing process, as Jellyvision credits much of the "Cookie" persona to his own performance of the character. Other sound effects include fake commercials that are heard before and after a game; some of these include commercials used in previous iterations of the YDKJ series.
The game was released in North America on February 8, 2011. Jellyvision has stated they considered further international releases, but these would be too expensive at the present time. The company does not rule out future iterations of the game being released to a wider market based on the success of this title.
praised the "triumphant, hilarious and even enlightening return" of the series, citing the creativity of the writing and voice work. John Teti of the A.V. Club called the title an "astonishingly good game", and was impressed that the writing of the game was as witty as the previous games in the series despite the years of dormancy. Though Teti lamented about the lack of keyboard-bases questions, he praised the new question types and gameplay as the overall change "minimizes blowouts and keeps the pace brisk". Greg Miller of IGN
considered the game a great value, attributing it to the game's "great sense of humor, clever rounds and enough questions to keep you busy for a while".
Kevin Kelly of G4 TV praised the voice work, particularly that for "Cookie", as "Without Cookie, this game would quickly be just another forgettable trivia game". Jeff Cork of Game Informer
considered the game "proof that games don’t need to be excessively complex in order to be fun", complimenting the "top-notch" writing. Chris Watters of Gamespot
commented that the structure of each episode can become repetitive, and that commonly the Jack Attack round would decide the winner of the game, negating the previous questions, but still considered the "large amount of legitimately clever and surprisingly funny writing" a key aspect of making You Don't Know Jack as "one of the most entertaining trivia games on the market". Gamepro
's Nathan Grayson was more critical of the game's lack of features, considering the number of questions "painfully short" compared to the Buzz!
trivia game series, the "absolute bare-bones basics" presentation, and the game's somewhat juvenile sense of humor. Though the Toronto Sun
s Steve Tilley generally praised the game's humor, he noted the lack of variety of gameplay modes, and that playing with people online may be spoiled by those that had already run through all the game's episodes.
Both the Microsoft Windows and Nintendo DS versions were criticized for limiting the number of players to two. The Windows version was particularly criticized as it did not allow for online play, a feature available on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 releases, nor would receive the downloadable content for the game.
Party game
Party games are games that some people play as forms of entertainment at social gatherings. Party games usually involve more than one player. There are a large number and styles of party games available and the one selected will depend on the atmosphere that is sought to be generated...
series, You Don't Know Jack. The game was developed by Jellyvision Games
Jellyvision
Jellyvision is a multimedia production company, founded by Harry Gottlieb, and is best known for making the You Don't Know Jack games. Originally named "Learn Television," it produced a number of edutainment titles, such as "That's A Fact, Jack!", before branching out into pure entertainment...
and published by THQ
THQ
THQ Inc. is an American developer and publisher of video games. Founded in 1989 in the United States, the company develops products for video game consoles, handheld game systems, as well as for personal computers and wireless devices...
, and was released in North America on February 8, 2011, for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
, and Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
platforms.
The game is structured around a fictional game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
emceed by Cookie Masterson (voiced by Tom Gottlieb), in which the players answer ten multiple-choice questions, and then compete in a final "Jack Attack" round. Answering quickly and correctly earns virtual money to track the players' scores, while incorrect answers are penalized. As per the game's motto, "the irreverent trivia party game", the questions often combine general knowledge along with popular culture references and verbal wordplay to determine the correct answer. Unlike the earlier releases which randomly presented questions, the 2011 game provides over 73 episodes with a predefined set of questions, and with further episodes to made available as downloadable content
Downloadable content
Downloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...
which is currently only available on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 through both console's respective online stores. The game, on consoles, supports both offline and online play (with the exception of the Wii which lacks online multiplayer) with up to four players, while the Windows and Nintendo DS versions only supports two local players and lack features such as online play & access to downloadable content.
Gameplay
You Don't Know Jack is played out as a fictional trivia game showGame show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
for one to four players, with the goal to win the most virtual money at the end of the game. Each game uses a pre-defined set of ten questions from over seventy episodes, titled by the name of the show's fictional sponsor. Most questions are multiple choice, providing one correct and three incorrect answers, along with a short timer that starts once the question has been completely presented. All players play at the same time, entering their choice of answer before the 20 second timer runs out. If a player is correct, they get a base dollar amount plus a bonus defined by how quickly they answered, while if they miss the question, they lose a similar amount of money. Failing to answer does not cost the player any money.
In addition to the usual questions, each episode typically features a "Dis or Dat" question. This question gives the players 7 words or phrases which they have to identify as one of two possible classifications, or in some cases, both. For example, one Dis or Dat series asks the players to identify terms that would be features of a Nexus One
Nexus One
The Nexus One was Google's flagship smartphone manufactured by Taiwan's HTC Corporation. It became available on January 5, 2010 and uses the Android open source mobile operating system...
phone, Nexxus
Nexxus
NeXXus is an American salon hair care company dually founded in 1979 by American haircare entrepreneur Jheri Redding, founder of three other companies, and son Stephen. The company's name derived from the word "nexus" which means "bond" or "connecting"....
shampoo, or both. Scoring is $300 for each right answer, but lose $300 for wrong answers or if you don't answer in time, plus a time bonus for the remaining time of the 30 second time limit. In offline play, only one player participates, while other players try to steal by getting it right if the main player gets it wrong. In online play, all players play the DisOrDat simultaneously. Players are also urged to look for the "Wrong Answer of the Game", which is hinted at by the show's sponsor; for example, in an episode sponsored by a baby crib company, the answer "Cat's Cradle" is the Wrong Answer of the Game. Choosing the correct Wrong Answer does not penalize the player but instead rewards them with a large monetary bonus. However if during a multiplayer game, a player is screwed on the question that contains the Wrong Answer of the Game & they select the Wrong Answer. They do not get the monetary cash bonus, instead the answer acts as any normal wrong answer & they are screwed & lose cash as normal.
Each player in multiplayer games is also given a single opportunity to "screw" another player, forcing them to answer the question in a much shorter time period. If the selected player answers incorrectly or fails to answer the question, they lose money which is gained by the player using the screw. However, if the selected player answers correctly, they gain additional money taken from the player using the screw.
After ten questions are completed, the final round of the game is the "Jack Attack" where all players compete against each other. Prior to the round, a brief clue is shown to the players to describe a relationship that they must match, for example "BFF" (Best friends forever). The game then shows one word or phrase, and then cycles through other phrases which the players must match. If players respond to the wrong phrase, they lose money; only the first player to buzz in at the correct time wins and earns money. After seven such phrases, the total scores are added and the winner is determined.
Development
You Don't Know Jack was developed by Chicago-based company, Jellyvision. The You Don't Know Jack (YDKJ) series, though popular in the 1990s during the rise of gaming on personal computers, had not had an official full release since 1998 with YDKJ: The Ride. Though Jellyvision offered some web-based YDKJ games in the interim years, the developers left the gaming market after seeing the rise of home gaming consoles in the early 2000s. Though they had considered adapting the game for consoles, at the time, they could only realize YDKJ games with players at the same keyboard for input. During this time, Jellyvision reinvented itself as Jellyvision Labs, offering its services in business-to-business communication including for tax software from H&R BlockH&R Block
H&R Block is a tax preparation company in the United States, claiming more than 22 million customers worldwide, with offices in Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. The Kansas City-based company also offers banking, personal finance and business consulting services.Founded in 1955 by brothers...
and interviews for Equifax
Equifax
Equifax Inc. is a consumer credit reporting agency in the United States, considered one of the three largest American credit agencies along with Experian and TransUnion. Founded in 1899, Equifax is the oldest of the three agencies and gathers and maintains information on over 400 million credit...
.
Around 2008, the company saw that gaming consoles had developed features for connectivity and social play. They also recognized that the market for such trivia games was slim at the time and saw a possible opportunity to revitalize the series. Harry Gottlieb, the founder of Jellyvision, recognized that many of the same people that worked on the original games were still in the company, and proposed the idea of a new YDKJ title to publishers. After securing THQ
THQ
THQ Inc. is an American developer and publisher of video games. Founded in 1989 in the United States, the company develops products for video game consoles, handheld game systems, as well as for personal computers and wireless devices...
as a publisher, full time development for the game started in February 2010. Steve Heinrich, the game's producer, said the development process was "insanely quick", allowing them to work concurrently on writing, art, sound, and programming, and had the flexibility to make design decisions to keep the game simple and funny.
Jellyvision did not want to change much of the older games for the 2011 version. They sought to keep as many of the old game question types, such as the Jack Attack and Dis Or Dat questions, updating the games to support online play. To counterbalance other types that would not be playable on consoles, such as Gibberish Questions that required players to type in a phrase, the developers added new features to the game, such as the Wrong Answer of the Game. The developers took advantage of other features of the newer consoles: they were able to take advantage of the rumble features of console controllers to emphasis the effect of Screwing other players, and they took advantage of writing several humorous titles for the in-game achievements.
Allard Laban of Jellyvision noted that compared to 1995, where the pop culture was "fragmented", the onset of the Internet and social media made it easier to develop questions for the game. Jellyvision sought comedy writers, including from local comedy clubs such as Second City
Second City
Second City or The Second City may refer to:* The second largest city in a country. See: List of largest cities and second largest cities by country...
and I.O.
I.O.
iO, or iO Chicago, is a theater located at 3541 N. Clark St., in Chicago, Illinois, one-half block south of Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. The theater both has performances of, and teaches improvisational comedy. It was founded in the 1980s by Del Close and Charna Halpern...
, narrowing down the pool of applicants from hundreds to six, including Second City comedian Tim Sniffen, who had worked on previous iterations of the YDKJ series. A weekly training process was employed to bring the new writers up to speed and review previously written dialog for possible improvements. Heinrich also assured that material was not repeated throughout the game's script. The majority of the game's dialogue is provided by Tom Gottlieb, brother of Harry, who had voiced the emcee "Cookie" Masterson in the earlier games. Lacking any professional studio, most of the 100-200 hrs of game dialog were recorded in a make-shift soundproofed closet. Tom Gottlieb was also involved in the writing process, as Jellyvision credits much of the "Cookie" persona to his own performance of the character. Other sound effects include fake commercials that are heard before and after a game; some of these include commercials used in previous iterations of the YDKJ series.
The game was released in North America on February 8, 2011. Jellyvision has stated they considered further international releases, but these would be too expensive at the present time. The company does not rule out future iterations of the game being released to a wider market based on the success of this title.
Reception
You Don't Know Jack was positively received by critics who were delighted not only with a new entry in the series, but one that kept the same humor and wit as the earlier games. Seth Schiesel of The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
praised the "triumphant, hilarious and even enlightening return" of the series, citing the creativity of the writing and voice work. John Teti of the A.V. Club called the title an "astonishingly good game", and was impressed that the writing of the game was as witty as the previous games in the series despite the years of dormancy. Though Teti lamented about the lack of keyboard-bases questions, he praised the new question types and gameplay as the overall change "minimizes blowouts and keeps the pace brisk". Greg Miller of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
considered the game a great value, attributing it to the game's "great sense of humor, clever rounds and enough questions to keep you busy for a while".
Kevin Kelly of G4 TV praised the voice work, particularly that for "Cookie", as "Without Cookie, this game would quickly be just another forgettable trivia game". Jeff Cork of Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
considered the game "proof that games don’t need to be excessively complex in order to be fun", complimenting the "top-notch" writing. Chris Watters of Gamespot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
commented that the structure of each episode can become repetitive, and that commonly the Jack Attack round would decide the winner of the game, negating the previous questions, but still considered the "large amount of legitimately clever and surprisingly funny writing" a key aspect of making You Don't Know Jack as "one of the most entertaining trivia games on the market". Gamepro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
's Nathan Grayson was more critical of the game's lack of features, considering the number of questions "painfully short" compared to the Buzz!
Buzz!
Buzz! is a series of video games originated by Sleepydog Ltd., developed by Relentless Software and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable consoles. They are quiz games that see the players answering trivia questions while...
trivia game series, the "absolute bare-bones basics" presentation, and the game's somewhat juvenile sense of humor. Though the Toronto Sun
Toronto Sun
The Toronto Sun is an English-language daily tabloid newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is known for its daily Sunshine Girl feature and for what it sees as a populist conservative editorial stance.-History:...
s Steve Tilley generally praised the game's humor, he noted the lack of variety of gameplay modes, and that playing with people online may be spoiled by those that had already run through all the game's episodes.
Both the Microsoft Windows and Nintendo DS versions were criticized for limiting the number of players to two. The Windows version was particularly criticized as it did not allow for online play, a feature available on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 releases, nor would receive the downloadable content for the game.