Double Dare
System: NES
Release Date: April 1990
Developer: Rare
Publisher: GameTek
Genre: Game Show
Everyone’s favorite Nickelodeon game show, Double Dare, makes its way to the NES. I hope the host isn’t supposed to be Marc Summers! You want to earn the most money so you can make your way to the Double Dare Obstacle Course.
There are two rounds of ten multiple choice trivia questions. These will be easy for people who grew up in the 80s and early 90s. If you’re outside the range, you may run into more problems. If you don’t know the answer to a question, you can toss it over to the other team with a Dare. There, the money value is doubled and if they don’t know it, they can throw it back to you with a Double Dare. This doubles the money again, and if you really didn’t know and don’t want to guess, you can take the Physical Challenge.
Physical Challenges exist at the beginning of each round for control of the questions, and then when they are called for. All the ones I played gave a meter on the bottom of the screen consisting of speed and angle. You need to get the proper combination to knock down the pins, or throw the thing in the hole, or whatever is being called for. This was difficult at first, but it was easier after a few attempts.
If you end the second round with the most money, you are sent to the Double Dare Obstacle Course. In the show, you’d have to get through an obstacle to grab a flag, or if the producers didn’t want to give away the grand prize, find an orange flag in a tub of slime or other debris. Here, you have to alternatively mash left and right to run to the obstacle, then figure out what direction you have to press to pass through. At the end, a flag is on a pole and you have to press the A Button to grab it. Mash the arrows again to hand it off. There are 8 obstacles that need to be passed in 60 seconds. That means you have 7 seconds to complete each obstacle. Hey, I won a Nintendo!
Graphics: 1.0
Graphics are pretty lousy, mostly showing text, but the physical challenges aren’t particularly good looking.
Sound: 1.5
Typical Rare style music and sound effects.
Gameplay: 1.0
There’s not much to it. Answer multiple choice questions and play the same mini games over and over again.
Difficulty: 1.0
Questions are catered toward children. Physical challenges are mastered quickly. The obstacle course is not fairly balanced.
Fun Factor: 0.5
There’s not much fun to be had in the video game version, but the show looked great back in the day.
Overall Grade: 1.0
Double Dare earns a D. This is a tough transition to video games because it lacks the humor and challenge the show gave.