SCENE IT?: MOVIES 2nd Edition

Screenlife’s Scene It? combines aspects of Trivial Pursuit with the capabilities of a DVD technology to show video clips and feature an array of puzzles. In celebration of the fifth anniversary of its first release, Movies, a second edition of that first game has been created featuring all new clips and questions. The movies featured include 2006 releases. Not too much in the way of classics as it features many modern day films.

Familiar Scene It? categories appear. Sound Clips plays audio from movies. Pictograms presents movie titles in a rebus, Who Am I? offers clues about a person, Visual Puzzlers shows scenes from a movie. Spellbinders is like “Wheel of Fortune” with letters filling in the blanks. Sequentials asks you to put movies in date order. The toughest category was Distorted Reality. A still appears under a series of colored balls, but it’s nearly impossible to figure out until the obstruction is gone, and then there are only seconds left to answer.

The “My Play” questions in this edition seemed a little too easy for the most part. In a scene from Bourne Supremacy, Jason Bourne was tied up and getting smacked around whilst being interrogated. I was slightly nervous as I hadn’t seen any part of the trilogy. I paid attention to the visuals (What hand did the agent use to strike Bourne?), listened to the dialogue (what agency did he say he was from?), and sat in anticipation for the question, which was: Who plays Jason Bourne? I chuckled, and cries of “Unfair” and “Too Easy,” were heard around the table.

The tiebreakers were very challenging and I don’t remember them from the previous edition. They consisted of teams alternating answers to such tasks as “Name a Movie with ‘America’ or ‘American’ in the Title” or “Name Movies Jennifer Lopez Has Appeared In.” Whoever answers last wins.

Movies 2nd Edition continues the same level of quality that the Scene It? brand is known for. It’s a great addition to the game closet. I was surprised the age cut-off is 13. As media savvy as kids are today, I really think younger children who are regular watchers of movies and television can participate and have a good time, especially if on a team.

SCENE IT?: HARRY POTTER 2nd Edition

Screenlife’s Scene It? is the first classic game of the 21st century. It combines aspects of Trivial Pursuit with the capabilities of a DVD technology to show video clips and feature an array of puzzles. Their first release in 2002 dealt with movies and sold more in its first year than the combined first year totals than Trivial Pursuit, Pictionary, and Cranium. Expansion game were created dealing with other pop culture subjects both generally (Music, Sports, and TV, which won the Toy Industry Association’s 2005 Game of the Year) and specifically (Disney, James Bond, and Marvel Comics).

Quite possibly the biggest name in pop culture over the past 10 years has been Harry Potter, so it’s no surprise that he has been included in the Scene It? catalog. Screenlife has discontinued the original game and has released the 2nd edition, which expands the source material used. The new game includes movie clips from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and features images, questions, and puzzlers about Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The game is a great challenge to see who is the most knowledgeable about all things Harry Potter.

The game is also enjoyable to play even for those few who know nothing about the boy wizard and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Even though I was only very familiar with SpongeBob Squarepants, I held my own against my nephew when we played the Nickelodeon Edition with its questions about shows I had never seen like Avatar: The Last Airbender, Zoey 101, and Drake & Josh. The answers to some of the puzzles on the DVD are can be answered just by watching the scenes, such as what hand did Dobby cast a spell with. General movie fans can do well in the Muggles category, which asks questions about other movie roles played by actors in the series, and drawing a House Points card may allow you to advance, if it doesn’t send you back.

Harry Potter 2nd Edition is available in a standard and deluxe version that includes four trading cards. A preview can be found at Screenlife’s website.