The Digest: Most people love a good trivia game, yet options for good trivia games are something most consoles lack. BBQ Games has added Avatar QuizCall to its lineup of indie titles available through the XBL Marketplace, providing gamers with a simple, entertaining trivia game that will only cost them a buck.

THE FACT SHEET

RELEASE DATE: April 9, 2010
PUBLISHER: BBQ Games
DEVELOPER: BBQ Games
ESRB RATING: N/A
GENRE: Trivia

PRODUCT OVERVIEW:

When it comes to trivia games on the Xbox 360, there isn’t a lot to choose from. We’ve got 1 Vs. 100 when it’s in season, a handful of Scene It movie trivia games, 5th Grader and Wits & Wagers via XBLA, and not a whole lot more. While some of these games can provide some entertainment and have some good content within, they don’t provide enough for trivia junkies to get their fix. As such, it’s always exciting to see a new trivia title hit the market. Avatar QuizCall is a new indie trivia title that has multiplayer and avatar support, a thousand starting questions and enough value to justify the whopping 80 MS Points you have to shell out for the download.

PRODUCT FEATURES:

• Four Players
• Over 1,000 Questions
• Online High Score Tables
• Avatar Support
• Scene It Big Button Controller Support

There aren’t too many trivia games out there that hold strong when it comes to ratings. They usually receive mediocre praise, citing that they are fun until they wear out, until the questions become repetitive or until you’ve fulfilled the achievements and left the game dry. The graphics are never anything stellar, the voice acting is often lame, and they have short-lived appeal. But all of that is alright, isn’t it? It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what one should expect from a trivia game. A certain type of person is the target market for Q&A battles – trivia buffs – and it’s likely that if you are into trivia, you’re going to enjoy a trivia game regardless of its faults.

There are a handful of things, however, that players should expect out of trivia games on the Xbox 360. Multiplayer support is the obvious one, followed by avatar support, Big Button Pad support and an online leaderboard so people can compete with their friends. A nice batch of questions on a plethora of topics wouldn’t hurt, not having them repeat too frequently would be even better, and varying degrees of difficulty would be ideal. I suppose this is all good news for BBQ Games, because I just listed a bunch of things you’ll find in Avatar QuizCall.

All of these things are great features for an indie trivia game. Playing with avatars is crucial, as you can pair up with three buddies and see who is the smartest. The questions are from all sorts of subjects and topics, which is nice for those who are tired of genre-specific trivia games like Scene It and bigger fans of all-encompassing titles like 1 Vs. 100. Being able to use Scene It’s Big Button Pads is also a plus, as they exist in the homes of plenty of trivia fans.

Presentation in a trivia game doesn’t need to be spectacular. Some silly game show-ish set, a host, and all the stereotypical trivia accouterments are what you expect, and what you’ll find with Avatar QuizCall. Having said that, it’s nice to have a little flash and fanfare when things are going well – but you won’t find any of that here.

The game’s presentation is very bare-bones. Generic applause, one mediocre music track (which is waaaay too loud by default), a monotone host and not much visual excitement are what you’ll find. You definitely need to be playing with friends, because if you play solo against the computer, you’ll be bored to death in minutes. Not just because of the presentation, but because AI opponents don’t compete against you. You’re just answering questions for no reason. It’s all just a little bland. This is absolutely not a game to play alone. Couple this with the fact all the questions are text-based (no picture or video questions) and all in “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” 4-choice style, there isn’t any variety in the gameplay. The static structure loses appeal quickly. Fortunately, there are a good many questions, and users can submit new ones to the BBQ website that they plan to integrate into the database and keep new ones coming – a nice community touch.

When you answer a question wrong, it tells you the answer – very, very stealthily. I played a good three rounds before I even noticed where the correct answers were appearing. The aesthetics of this are pretty off. Something about the text and A button graphics also bother me – they, among other things, just look a little unpolished.

Conclusion: What it all boils down to is that Avatar QuizCall advertises itself as a basic Q&A trivia game with avatar support, leaderboards and varied questions. Does it live up to all of that? Absolutely. Is it the greatest trivia game of all time? Absolutely not. It all works, but only just. As a game overall, it leaves a lot to be desired. As an indie title that costs $1, it delivers as much as one should reasonably expect. It is organic fun in small doses with friends that amuse you, and for trivia lovers who find their Xbox 360 lacking with trivia titles, it’s worth a dollar. For those who aren’t super into trivia, you’d be better putting $1 towards a value menu cheeseburger.

Single Player: 1/5 | Multi-Player: 3/5

Special thanks to BBQ Games for providing us with a copy of the game for review.

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