Jeopardy!
System: NES
Release Date: September 1988
Developer: Rare
Publisher: GameTek
Genre: Game Show
Jeopardy! is an institution in my household. If there’s something that we will realistically watch every night, it’s Jeopardy! A lot has changed since the passing of our favorite game show host, but this gem of a game transports us back to a simpler time. Even if the mustachioed one isn’t present in the game assets, his spirit is there. No, not Mario… Alex Trebek. I challenged my wife to a couple games for this review.
Playing this in 2022, I have to remember that anything from the 90s and beyond doesn’t exist, yet. It can be difficult when the clues have some pop culture bent, as 1988 is to 2022 as 1954 is to 1988. It’s mind-bending to think of things like that. You pick your number of players, 1 to 3. With only two controllers being able to interface with the NES at this time, Rare decided to have Players 1 and 3 share a controller. Player 1 buzzes in with the D-Pad and Player 3 uses the A or B Button. You then set your skill level and if you want to play against the computer or alone, then it’s off to character selection.
You can scroll through a selection of four male and female characters and a number of palette swaps. Once you find your character, enter up to a six letter name and it’s off to the board! Six categories appear on screen and the dollar values beneath them. You pick a category, then the dollar value, and it’s time for the answer. The first player to ring in has to spell out the question with the letter board in the allotted time limit. The misspelling and last name allowance didn’t work as well as I would have liked. I missed a clue because it wanted John Doe and wouldn’t accept “Doe” and “water lilies” didn’t work for waterlilies.
There are two rounds of play, the Jeopardy! Round and the Double Jeopardy! Round. Hidden on the board are Daily Doubles, which allow you to wager up to what you currently have or up to the highest dollar value on the board. I tried channeling James Holzhauer in my first game and got burned, leading to a negative dollar value heading into Final Jeopardy! which means I didn’t get to participate. The Final Jeopardy! Round gives you a category and tells you to wager an amount to best help you win. Then you take turns coming up with a response, looking away from the screen, of course, and hope for the best.
Graphics: 1.5
This is a graphically minimalistic game. There are some questionable animations for the player characters when they buzz in.
Sound: 1.0
Sound and music are also very minimal, the theme is there and there are sound effects and ditties that aren’t great.
Gameplay: 2.0
Jeopardy! works as intended.
Difficulty: 3.0
Depends on how great your trivia knowledge is. No one can beat me at PS3 Jeopardy!
Fun Factor: 3.0
It’s Jeopardy! how couldn’t you have fun?
Overall Grade: 2.1
Jeopardy! earns a C. It’s a faithful port of the TV show to the home console. If you know pre-90s trivia, you’re in for a treat.