Family Feud

"Everybody who likes Family Feud should try this game."

I'll admit that when I first turned on the NES to try out Family Feud, I had very low expectations. A game show video game for the NES? It didn't seem like it could be done well. However, I was quickly surprised by the game's easy and fun to play format, as well as the graphics not being all that bad (for the NES, anyway).

This game plays exactly like the game show that it's based upon. You start out by picking a family name, and then the fathers of the families go up to face-off. You pick an answer for the category, with 40 seconds to come up with one (more than enough!), and play from there. Fast money's a bit more challenging, with only 1:30 to answer 5 questions. As long as you keep moving, though, you shouldn't have a terrible problem with the time constraints. Anyway, after the faceoff, assuming you've won. you get to pick whether you want to pass or play, and so on. No weird new rules are added for this version of the game, and if you win after two or three rounds of categories, you get to play fast money! Fast money, I think, is the most fun part of this game (or Family Feud in general). You don't have to wait around for each answer, just rapid fire surveys. Of course, it's not quite as good as on the show, because you pick answers for both people, so you know the questions for the second time around. That doesn't take away much from the experience, though.

You input answers via a letter selection thing (Basically, the way you pick your names in most games, such as Zelda or FF). At first it feels a bit awkward to have to enter the answers into it, but by the end of the first game it becomes easy. The only time when it may feel like it's a bit too slow is during the 90 second fast money round, but I never had any serious problems.

My main gripe with this game is the fact that some of the categories (or answers for the categories) are a bit weird. If not for that, this game probably would've gotten a 9 or 10 rating. Still, there a lot of good categories for the game to choose from, and even the odder ones are still a lot of fun to do. Just be prepared for a few challenges.

Overall, this is a great game that should be played by any game show fan. Whether you're a Family Feud fanatic, or even if you've never seen the show (though that's a bit hard to believe), you'll be sure to enjoy it. There's even a two player mode, which is always entertaining. I think that this is the sort of game that appeals to everybody I can't imagine anyone not enjoying it.

FINAL RATING: 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/29/06