Gamertell

Product: Seinfeld Scene It?
System(s): DVD
Release Date: August 2008
Publisher:  Mattel (Screenlife)
Price: $39.99
Pros: Wide variety of trivia questions, nice board design, unique player tokens and really follows the Seinfeld theme.
Cons: Too easy for die-hard Seinfeld fans, too difficult for those with a passing interest in the series. Only four people can play.
Overall: A great gift and game for people who watch the show when its on TV or own some of the DVD sets.
Rating: One thumb up, one thumb sideways; 85/100; B; *** 1/2 out of 5

I’ve grown up in a family of Seinfeld fans. I remember watching it with my parents in high school. In college, I’d have the show on in the background as white-noise while I’d work on assorted projects. A common family joke was to occasionally find a way to work Seinfeld quotes into our daily lives. My mother even considered naming one of our cats Farfel.

So, it should come as no surprise that I was eager to try and play Seinfeld Scene It?, the latest entry in the series of trivia games which also incorporate video segments via DVD. I had to prove my wealth of knowledge concerning the show, especially after a Harry Potter Scene It? debacle where, despite my having read all the books and seen all the movies at least twice, I still came in last.

“It’s a show about nothing.”

Seinfeld Scene It?  is your basic Scene It? trivia game, only completely and totally focused on the popular TV show. Between two and four people. You adjust the board so its either in a circle or three circles, depending on how long you want to play. Everyone places a token on the start space.

Then you take turns rolling both the number and category dice. If you get the DVD challenge or trivia question indicated on the category die correct, you get to go again. The first person to reach the Stop place and win the All Play to Win challenge wins.

“Look, I have goose bumps. Touch! Touch them!”

I love the design of the Seinfeld Scene It? board. It looks like Jerry’s apartment from the series is in the background and bowls of cereal represent spaces to land. There are also three double dip spaces, however the quick start guide instruction sheet does not explain what happens if you land on a double dip space. While it looks good, I am worried that, as the years go by, the board may break or rip at the fold lines.

The trivia and buzz cards don’t feel very substantial but they’re clear and well constructed. If someone takes good care of the game, they should last for a long time.

The game tokens look good, and you won’t have to worry about them breaking. There are four, bronze-colored plastic tokens in the shape of a cigar store Indian, a cereal box, a box of Chinese food and a puffy shirt. They’re surprisingly detailed, but I was a little put off by their initial, plastic-y smell. Fortunately, the smell went away after a few days. They’re slightly larger than Monopoly tokens, so you shouldn’t have to worry too much about losing them.

The two dice are also well made. They’re larger than typical dice but very clear and comfortable to roll. The Challenge die is particularly well constructed, with a different color background for each segment and a very clear icon that represents the challenge to perform.

The DVD is easy to use, and is probably the main draw of the game. It has fun clips, with a variety of questions associated with each clip. It also has instructions on it, so people can all learn and watch how to play at once. It also has a Party Play feature on it, where groups of four or more people can all play and answer trivia based on DVD segments without using the game board.

“Danke schoen, my little dumplings.”

Its a fun game for fans of the series. I played through both a short and a long game, to get an idea of how each would work. Both times, I played with people who had also been watching Seinfeld for years. The result was two very short games - the “short” game lasted between ten and fifteen minutes and the long version took about half an hour.

The pitfall was that, for the most part, the trivia in the cards was too easy. The only category which gave any of the players any trouble was The Yada Yada Yada, which would ask questions about guest stars or the actors involved with the show. When the My Play, All Play, The Details (questions about the show) or The Dialogue (quote related questions) came out, players would easily answer them.

Casual viewers will probably get the most enjoyment, game-wise, out of Seinfeld Scene It? because there will be a genuine challenge in it for them. Real fans will still have some fun but will likely find it too easy to win.

“It’s definitely do-able.”

Seinfeld Scene It? would make a great gift this year for fans who own or received the DVD box sets of the show’s seasons in previous years. It also might make a good gift for casual fans of the series. People who don’t like Seinfeld should pass this game by.

Make sure that you’re playing against people who have roughly the same amount of Seinfeld knowledge as you. Otherwise, the game will go very, very quickly and there may be some hurt feelings when some players know more than others.

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