The Bible Game

"Ned Flanders Would Be Proud"

Introduction

There is an episode of The Simpson's where Bart is going through Rod and Todd's religious videogame collection. If The Bible Game were in The Simpsons world then it would definitely be in the Flanders' possession. Now I've played some religious games before and they were to the point and fun, but I am quite certain that while The Bible Game is meant to be fun and for all ages it also has a tendency to fall in the Flanders category.

The Bible Game is meant to be a Christian party game and I would have to say it owns up to this sake as well. What it does not really mark is how old the audience should be. There are trivia and mini games and while the trivia can be way over the head of an elementary student it is also embarrassing for the older gamer to be kicking false idols into a lava pit. You may be asking why an older gamer such as myself would have gotten this game in the first place and of course my biggest reason is to have a game for my little cousins when they come over from time to time. It helps to have a game they can all play and enjoy and does not have "Halo" in the title. The other reason was to have a game to test my knowledge of the Bible on since that would be the only reason I would want to play a game like this.

Gameplay 6

The main menu of The Bible Game gives you four main things to choose from. Options allow you to change the difficulty of the trivia and challenges presented. There is a high scores page that doesn't need a profile or account to save your recent high score. Then there are the two modes of play. The main feature is the game show "Do Unto Others" which takes place in an odd setting like it is in an ancient temple. There is also a Challenges mode where you can play the mini games featured in "Do Unto Others".

So "Do Unto Others" sounds original enough right? Well the name of the game fits well with how you compete in this mode. Four players are contestants and you choose from stereotypical characters and the show opens with the introduction of the show host "Justin Warren" who looks like your feared Youth Pastor from days o'er. I was really worried for a while that this character was an actual person but I don't think he is real. Justin will come out with his headset on and open the game by starting everyone off with a hundred points.

The game itself is a unique concept. One player will select from a randomly picking indicator of pieces of a game board and select a piece with points on it. The score on the piece will then reveal either a Blessing, Commandment, Challenge, Do Unto Others, Trivia, or WoG. The person who gets to pick and picks Blessing will get to do his or her own game to win points. These games vary and are not on the other mode of mini games. They are not all that great either. One is testing Samson's strength by repeatedly trying to tap the A button. The Commandment allows the player to randomly select who to get points from and you will take them from either Heaven, the high scorer in the game, or every player in the game. Do Unto Others will force you to do something for the lowest scorer in the game which results in the other player receiving points. If a player picks the piece that unveils the Wrath of God (WoG), then the player loses all of his or her points in the round and loses the turn to pick and a new round is started. If you play it well enough you can work some strategy so that you can pass your turn and force the next player to get God's wrath. Think Wheel of Fortune.

The Challenges are where all four players compete against each other to earn points. Not only are these games not Biblically based as far as gameplay goes, but this is definitely where the Flanders thing comes in to play. You will DDR the D-Pad to climb Jacob's Ladder, zap Pharaoh's snakes with a wand, kick false idols into lava, and ride a whale's spout to reach rings in the air. The controls are easy to use and there are plenty of instructions on how to play a mini game. To offset the blasphemy there is very good soundtrack for this game featuring some of the top names in the Christian music area. Tobymac's Gone, Jeremy Camp's Take You Back, and there are other top artists like Newsboys and Kutless but I am not familiar with their stuff. It's not a big soundtrack and to listen to the whole thing you have to go to the high scores page of the main menu.

While the Christian music is the only link to making this game called The Bible Game, all of the Trivia deals with the Old Testament. The game boasts over 1,500 questions and it's doubtful you will see the same question twice. The trivia is very basic and easy on the easiest difficulty, but if you take it a notch up then you are in for it. Luckily they offered Bible History in my high school and I could remember a few things. The Trivia part plays like Jeopardy where you have to buzz in the right answer first to receive the top points. Getting it wrong will just succeed in making you look stupid and you lose your turn if you are the active player. I don't know why any New Testament trivia is not included, but oh well. The trivia is challenging enough and with 1,500 questions it is disappointing not to be able to just play a trivia mini game.

Sound/Graphics 6

The graphics are okay for what it's worth. The game itself is very colorful and the animations are as stereotypical as the characters. The Justin Warren guy could really use a retouch though. His lips barely move and his eyes are about to pop out. The movements are very simple and repetitive.

Sounds are fine as well. The only problem here would be the short music soundtrack you have. There really aren't that many songs and only one song by each artist so you will be ready to pop in some Slayer to make up for that. If you have ever been to the Natural Bridge in Virginia and sat through the Creation light show you will be surprised to hear a voice like that in some of the mini games in The Bible Game. Once again I'm not too much on that Justin Warren host. Not much dialogue is given to him and if he is a real person I will cry for the children.

Replayability 7

Depending on whom you plan on playing this game with it can be very entertaining. What I do like about the main feature of the game is the basic randomness on who wins. You can try to play strategy, but this game plays like a good card game. The trivia is challenging and the mini games would be great for small kids although this game is no Mario Party.

As for how long this game plays that is a positive as well. The Challenges are picked by you and played however long you want to and you can end at anytime. There are three set time limits for the "Do Unto Others" game so you get a reasonable game played in about twenty minutes.

The cons of replaying this game would be the lack of exciting characters to play as and the repetitiveness of how they turn out to be. It is really not even necessary to use them except for the mini games. Once you've played through all of the mini games there isn't much reason to go back and play them again so that kind of makes the Challenges mode obsolete. You are given the chance to practice a game before playing it in "Do Unto Others" anyway. So The Bible Game really leans on this main game to drive its replayability.

Final Recommendation 6.3/10

The Bible Game lacks a lot of things to be considered a good game worth getting. Of course this may be the only review posted for the game on any console, but it will state the obvious: The Bible Game does not identify its target audience. Ned Flanders doesn't exist so Rod and Todd aren't going to be around to pick this game up. They would probably celebrate an imaginary Christmas instead if they did exist. I say it doesn't have an audience because it is too childish for adults to enjoy the mini games and too intellectual for a child to enjoy the trivia. I would just rather go pick up a dollar store trivia game about the Bible than to sit through game after game of "Do Unto Others". I must mention I got this game for free from that Goozex site so don't judge me.

So can it be a good party game? It would just depend. I think this game is designed mostly to get parents a game they can play with their kids. This is definitely not an educational game and your young child is not going to learn anything about the Bible from playing this game. So if you want to teach your kid about the Bible take them to church and enroll them in Sunday school.

For me The Bible Game lacks a good trivia mini game to keep my interest in it and the mini games do not make this game a substitute for Mario Party. It's playable, but there are plenty of party games that are good for all ages out there and just because something says Bible in the title doesn't mean you are going to learn much about the Bible.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 05/19/08

Game Release: The Bible Game (US, 10/23/05)