You Don't Know Jack on Facebook: Iconic, sardonic and slightly social
Pro tip: If you don't want everyone in the office to know that you're playing a Facebook at work, wait to play You Don't Know Jack (YDKJ) until you get home. Jellyvision Games' social take on its hit trivia game series is that laugh-out-loud funny. The developer has pulled no punches in bringing its most beloved franchise to Facebook, making for an irreverent, hilarious trivia romp specially tailored for social gamers (in ways both good and bad).
Rather than the quite lengthy sessions players are used to in previous renditions of YDKJ, its Facebook version features games of just five questions, with a few specials among the standard trivia. Favorites like "Dis or Dat" are back--and the iconic "Jack Attack" is always the final round--but goofy, new round types such as "Elephant, Mustard, Teddy Roosevelt or Dracula" make their debut in YDKJ on Facebook.
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Games go by as quickly as they start, peppered with hilarious voice over work courtesy of none other than Cookie Masterson and phony advertisements for businesses like "Animal Lovers' Boutique." You're almost guaranteed to let out a laugh or two every game, but only if there were more of said games to play.
Players are given five free rounds of trivia to start off with and a free round for every level they reach, with the money the earn from each game contributing to a green meter on their home screen leading up to the next level. Other than that, the only to play more rounds than the one doled out for free daily is to pay up via Facebook Credits. For a game with such a shining presentation to be so stingy in how often it lets its players enjoy that polish for free leaves a harsh sting.
Salt to the wound is the fact that, rounds do not seem to be played in real-time with other players. And if, in fact, it is in real time, finding a way to play with your friends in real time is a challenge, if nigh impossible. When Games.com's Libe Goad and I attempted to join a game together from the "Friends" tab in YDKJ, it appeared that she was playing with me right up until the list of contestants appeared.
While this writer's ugly mug appeared in her game, hers did not appear in mine, and the two of us were presented with completely different questions. Since the lack of any real-time play appears to be the case, the only remotely social feature to YDKJ on Facebook is the option to "give props" to friends' avatars that appear in your rounds. (Of course, players can share achievements and high scores to their Timelines.)
You Don't Know Jack on Facebook is a gorgeous, faithful and hilarious rendition of the greatest trivia franchise known to video games. It's a shame, however, that the game doesn't use players' friends in a more interesting way, like sending challenge questions back and forth perhaps. What hurts the most is that players aren't given enough time with YDKJ--outside of paying up--to enjoy it daily. But I'd be damned if that wasn't a way to squeeze a dime out of me.
Click here to play You Don't Know Jack on Facebook now >
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