Family Feud

"A fun and nostalgic look at the mid 90s"

Ahh, Family Feud. When I think of this game, it conjures images of childhood when things were simpler, stress was down, and Richard Dawson, the host of the game show, received a kiss from every female contestant he encountered. Family Feud, released by GameTek in 1993, does its best to recreate these times. From the moment the game is powered on and you hear the tell-tale synthesized fiddle in the background, you are transported back to these times in a battle between two “families” trying to earn enough points to make it to the “Bonus” round by guessing the top answers of an imaginary survey conducted by the people at GameTek. Once in the Bonus round, an identical set of questions is asked twice to the contestants to simulate the events of the real-life game show and the player will accumulate points in an attempt to reach 200 and take home the cash.

Gameplay 7/10
Lots of fun in this one, albeit a bit on the old-school side. There are hints of sexism, age discrimination, and professional discrimination apparent in each survey. But hey, this game is 12 years old, what do you expect? Most surveys tend to be more comical than anything though and as long as the player isn't easily offended, the game will surely make them laugh. The interface for inputting answers consists of an on-screen keyboard. You have a limited amount of time in which to input your answer and because of this, you cannot take your time when putting in the answers. Many times, I finished with less than 5 seconds remaining for input even though I started as soon as the screen came up. As far as preciseness for answering is concerned, the game does a pretty good job “giving” you answers. (It will accept “Doctor” for “Physician”) Although, there are times when it just really misses the mark an example of which is “Name something in the home made out of brass.” I put in “Chandelier” and it gave me “Doorknob” or “Name a place where a woman will put on makeup”. I entered “Salon” but it didn't give it to me even though one of the answers was “Nail Salon”. Go figure.

Graphics & Sound 6/10
Considering it was 16-bit SNES, the graphics aren't too bad. The board is a great remake of the one from TV and the families in the game actually clap in between rounds. As far as sound is concerned, the theme of the game plays at the perfect level, just quiet enough that you can hear it but it does not get annoying. (It plays pretty much non-stop throughout the whole game) The ring sound of the flipping of the answers on the board is recreated almost perfectly. Overall, I wouldn't write this game up as a “Year's Best” by any means but it gets the job done.

Play Time & Replay Value 9/10
Here's where this game shines. It's quick, and with the password feature, will allow you to leave and come back to playing without losing any money that you've worked to gain. One game lasts about 20 minutes while finishing the whole thing can easily be done in an afternoon. Playing against a human opponent is the key to the fun. As you progress through the game, the computer opponent becomes pretty tough and the questions tend to get tricky. Being able to stick your opponent becomes the key to making it to the final round.

Overall 7/10
I would recommend this game to anyone who has a few hours to burn and a friend over. It's a good time, very nostalgic, and the winning animation & text will leave you bragging for hours. It's not overly challenging and is a great way to get a glimpse into life in the mid-90s.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/18/05