The Bible Game (Xbox)

CNET editors' rating: 2.5 stars OK
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Overall score: 5.4 (2.5 stars)
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Gamespot editors' review

• Reviewed by: Bob Colayco
• Reviewed on: 01/17/2006
• Updated on:05/17/2006
• Released on: 10/23/2005

Christian-oriented entertainment media continue to grow in popularity in the United States. Novels like the Left Behind series and Christian musical artists like Amy Grant and Creed occasionally even find their way into mainstream pop charts. It was only a matter of time before religiously oriented games entered the market. If The Bible Game is any indication though, it may be a while before these types of religious games have the same kind of impact in the game industry. This party game is functionally similar to a lot of others on the market, but a lack of fun or variety in the minigames and brutally difficult (even for those raised in religious households) trivia questions keep it from being a game we'd recommend to most anyone, secular and spiritual alike.

It's the kind of game you'd imagine Rod and Todd Flanders to be playing, in lieu of Bonestorm.

There are two primary game modes in The Bible Game: TV gameshow and challenge games. The latter lets you quickly play any of the minigames, while the former is the primary mode where you and up to three other friends can play in a gameshow called Do Unto Others. Surprisingly, for a game that's otherwise oriented toward Christians, the name of the gameshow is the most prominent New Testament reference in The Bible Game. In our time playing, there were no pictures or references to Jesus Christ at all. The 20 minigames and 1,500 trivia questions are actually all inspired by Old Testament lore, making it possible for those of Judaic upbringing to play without any disadvantage.

The basis for the gameshow is a game board that resembles a stained glass window. Each space on the board is worth a certain number of points. Like the old gameshow Press Your Luck, the player whose turn it is must stop the flashing light as it moves about the board. The player wins that number of points, and then uncovers one of a number of different possible outcomes. One possible outcome is a challenge game where all four players participate in a multiplayer minigame. There are 12 different challenge games, all based on famous Old Testament stories. David & Goliath, for example, has you using slingshots to attack cardboard cutouts of Philistines, which pop up similar to shooting-gallery targets. A moving target of Goliath occasionally flits across the field as well. This game might have been amusing had it not been for the awkward aiming system. Another challenge game mimics Noah's Ark and has you matching portraits of animals along four moving rows of thumbnails.

The most amusing minigame is called Lion's Den, in reference to early Christians who were persecuted by the Romans. You find yourself in the center of a gladiator arena set up as a simple maze. Lions spawn about the maze periodically, and you earn points by luring them over traps scattered around the arena. Each of the four players earns points in the challenge games based upon their performance. Another possible outcome to uncovering a tile on the board is a blessing game, which unlocks a single-player minigame where only the player in control of the board can earn points. Again, these are simple minigames based on typical fare such as Memory, Simon, or Plinko. Like the challenge games, none of the minigames are particularly fun or religiously enlightening. Aside from minigames, you may uncover a commandment square, where you can get bonus points from other players, or a "do unto others" square, which is the reverse and may require you to give points to other players.

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Amazon.com Marketplace	$17.97	Yes

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