|
My first experience was with the briefly popular movie trivia game Scene It
that appeared to be very popular until (I assume) that everyone who had
played it became extremely impatient and forgot about the board game,
preferring to have the DVD spit out movie trivia at random. However
there is only a certain number of times a group of people can sit
around in their lounge room playing this way until the questions start
to become all too familiar. Having this idea of interactive trivia in
mind, I wasn’t too confident that Red Dwarf: Beat the Geek was going to make me re-assess my stance on the matter.
Similar to popular culture writer extraordinaire Chuck Klosterman’s comments on accepting that you were a Star Wars fan in the 70’s, admitting that you are a fan of Red Dwarf
today is similar to admitting that you masturbate twice a day - people
will almost definitely give you a look that is innately horrified.
I can understand the appeal of a show like Red Dwarf.
The idea that a show based solely on intergalactic travel can
completely neglect the more advanced cinematic techniques available at
the time of its conception slightly baffles me, however I’m beginning
to think this may be the appeal of the show.
Apart from the
obvious humour in having possibly the worlds shittest visual effects,
for some the more imaginative weaponry and other worldly quirks, the
show makes an earnest attempt to shy away from the aesthetically
exhilarating, instead opting for rich social interplay and highly
imaginative storylines that are quite often side-splittingly funny.
This direct affront to the graphically sophisticated does wonders for
the imaginative. Rather than give the audience an abundance of desolate
planets and creepy looking aliens (ala Star Wars), the creators of Red Dwarf
have chosen to leave the canvas as blank as possible in an attempt to
challenge the viewers to think for themselves and create in their mind,
the ideal Red Dwarf. However,
I am also willing to accept that they also had a nothing budget to
begin with, and in the name of continuity, were reluctant to change the
visual theme. Regardless, the aesthyetic poverty of Red Dwarf in my belief gives the show an honesty that could not otherwise had been harnessed through expensive visual effects.
Although this DVD trivia is not going to allow the producers of Red Dwarf
to buy that condo in the Canadian Rocky’s with a golf course, 5
swimming pools and 3 Spanish maids that they had been hoping for - it
will suffice for a night over at a friends house on a Saturday night
when you and your mates are slightly bereft of ideas of how to spend
the evening. With a section dedicated entirely to general
knowledge trivia, and two player options, this game doesn’t exclude
anyone ( that is assuming you were not born yesterday or have little
knowledge of Bill Clinton's autobiographical endevours). Overall,
this will be far from disappointing. You are even given the option of
which Holly character you want to be your guide as you journey through
the quarters of Red Dwarf.
From the nerdiest space cadet to the most supposedly depressed teen
trying to create their own inverted sub-culture where conforming with
others is a new form of defiance, most will find some enjoyment with
this wacky game.
Conclusion: Game 70%
|
