Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

"Shouting at the TV show is more fun than playing the game."

Who wants to be a millionaire – GBA

Shouting at a TV as you watch a quiz show has, for the most part, very little effect. You nether win anything; nor does the person you're shouting at acknowledge your existence. Of course, shouting at your console isn't going to help in any way either. You could get others to shout at you and be able to hear them; though getting shouted at isn't really a grand experience. Home quiz games have always been more popular in board form. However, where a board game plays on fun, wholesome family rivalry. As well the empowerment of those who aren't the parents; the video game is a more solitary event.

Who wants to be a millionaire the game, like others in the quiz gene, is a shallow and empty experience, devoid of the pressure or pleasure to win. It is also devoid of its usual host, or indeed, an audience. This perhaps can't be helped on the game boy, but it doesn't help for an involving experience. All that's left is the game's basic premise of answering fifteen increasingly difficult questions, thankfully, this has remained unchanged.

The underlying problem with all quiz games is one of repetition. How long you can go for without seeing the same question again gives you some idea of the game longevity prospects. Unfortunately Millionaire reaches this hurdle far sooner than it has a right to. This may, of course, be down to the memory on the cartridge. Too often does the same question rear its head and it's only down to time before you start remembering the answers. Then reckless abandon come to the foray: there's nothing to win or lose, so what's the point of being careful. This of course kills the tension which the show is infamous for.

Playing the game with friends or family removes not only more of the lacking challenge but also the solo play roots of the game show itself. Collectively, your general knowledge should be better. Alone it is possible to reach the 125,000 question in a single day; using just the memory of repeated questions and guess work. You will more likely grow tired of it before you reach the elusive million question long before you reach it.

The trademark life-lines, devices that the show uses to aid its contestants, are of little use. only 50:50 manages to retain its dignity. The other two, Phone a Friend (a better title would be Phone the computer) and Ask the Audience, are incompetent. To be fair the non-existing audience does manage to get the early questions right. However the void of knowledge that both of these options show is nothing short of frustrating. Especially since getting a question wrong means that you start again from scratch

The whole product seems to have been rushed; the empty studio is pixelated on even the game boy's small screen. A lack of audience or host kills the involvement of participating in a game show. And while this has little impact on the game as a whole, it feels lazy. The sound is hollow and is again lacking a host. However the game boy really hasn't got the space for speech and so this is a mellow point.

With no other options or extras other than the main game this won't last long in most game collections before you try to get rid of it. However, It's those repeating questions that ultimately kill of the games essence and appeal. It is the same problem that has plagued these sort of games, virtual or otherwise, for years. If something isn't done about this the home quiz game will soon find itself at the bottom of the evolutionary chain. A quick look at this monstrosity would suggest that the gene is already there.

1/10

Reviewer's Score: 1/10, Originally Posted: 12/07/04, Updated 05/31/05