If you go to the ITunes store there is now a "Tic Tad Dough" game in the app section. Looks OK but haven't tried it yet. Just downloading it now.

For those searching, spell it right: "Tic Tac Dough." At first I was like "well, THAT got taken down fast... :)

Surprisingly, it looks quite legit and licensed. I'll be keen to hear a review, and I'd drop two bones on it if it ends up being good.

It's worth 2 bucks. Animation is on OK, Nintendo 64 era. Questions are all multiple choice. Bonus round is strange, it's not play to 1k and you win. It's play as long as you get money and stop when you feel like it. Get "tic and tac" and you get a thousand bucks.

Here's the oddity, when you launch the game and the "credits" come up you see one animation for "universal". I though Sony owned the rights to this as part of the B&E package. Does NBC have it now?

The game appears to be a port of a previously released cell phone game. You're greeted with a (surprisingly) beautiful midi-ish rendition of the theme music. There's an option for one or two player mode. The graphics are really good, which you'll see when you create your chatacter to play. The familiar category boop along with the think music is in the game. The prize for a center square correct answer is $500; all others are worth $200. Also in each game is a Special Red Category, which is hidden until you select it. (So far, I've encountered Double or Nothing and Secret Category.)

There's a good range of trivia, difficult and easy, though most of it seems to be about recent happenings. The AI is pretty average. The Bonus Round is faithful to the show except for one odd wrinkle.. if you receive "Tic" and "Tac", $1,000 is added to the bank of what you've won so far and you're given the option to earn more money. You can quit if you're afraid of running into the dragon.

I'd definitely recommend plopping down $1.99 on this. It's all pretty faithful, especially for an iPhone game based on a 70s-80s game show most people probably don't remember.

It sounds pretty similar to the Verizon version of the game (all the way down to the bonus round), which I enjoyed, except for the fact that the questions ranged from simple to ridiculously obscure.

Better than the actual show, where the questions ranged from the simple to the ridiculously simple. :-)

Cool. That way, people who want to stick to the original rules can play it like that (stop and declare a win as soon as the bank reaches/exceeds $1,000), and people who don't give a hoot how ol' Winkster did it can play with rules that might be more interesting to them.

I approve, and would be forced to consider this app if...you know, I cared enough about my image (or didn't care enough about my money) to carry iJunk.

Ah, there's no snobbery like iSnobbery.

You might have forgotten that the format of Tic Tac Dough originated in the '50s. After the scandals, NBC bought all the B&E formats of the time, including TTD (this is how NBC wound up owning Concentration, BTW). Due to this, B&E had to license the format from NBC when it was revived; therefore, IIRC Sony only owns the episode rights, while NBC Universal (for now, if the rumors of Comcast wanting to sell the NBC Television Network prove true) owns the format rights.

I picked up FF 2010 last night...it's ok. I'll definitely get several months of play out of it.

Biggest disappointment -- some of the questions are really lame. No offense to any of the question writers here.

'How many months does it usually take to house train a dog'

Top 8 answers on the board. I'm estimating 12 months as the maximum answer. Guessing a high percentage of people said 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. So I'm almost guaranteed to guess all the of the answers before striking out.

The first computer release in the mid-80s had this problem of apparently drawing its questions from one source, mixing surveys normally reserved for Fast Money in with the front game. This problem was corrected by the time Feud was released to the Super Nintendo, but now in 2009, we can't do this? After GlobalStar's abomination, I thought I might get a title I can enjoy playing against my friends & family, but it looks like it's back to being the emcee only again.

-Jason

Oh, on a side note for Press Your Luck, the board music DOES loop in the PC version!!!

It was definitely better than the Global Star release. It's basically the iWin version(s) with a graphical update. Those versions were pretty good, so I'm fine with FF 2010.

The AI isn't that smart, but at least, for the most part, they give answers relevant to the survey.

Apparently not -- I have both a Feud board game (Endless Games 1st Edition, I think) and a DVD game (with Richard Karn) in which it's not unheard of to get questions with numeric answers in the main game. And in those instances, they had to specifically designate them as main game questions.

Not really a fair comparison, though. The Endless versions of Feud (at least, the first couple) have far and away the shiattiest content I have seen this side of the first edition of High Rollers.

As an aside, how many of you cringe when you're hosting the MB or Pressman box game and there's a question with a numeric answer in Fast Money? Invariably when going back through the contestant's answers, I'll say, "Tell me how many times a day you blow your nose. You said 2. Survey said . . . 37!" and the entire crowd will respond, "37?! Who the @#$%! blows his nose 37 times a day?" Without the board showing the 37 in the score column, it's always a disaster. I've learned to compensate by quickly tacking on "Yes, 37 people on the survey said '2,'" but it's just a pet peeve of mine that people can understand that the number is a score for non-numeric answers but not for numeric answers.

I'm done ranting about something so inconsequential now. I now return you to your regularly scheduled game bashing.

Thought y'all might be curious to hear what I discovered last night.

I spent the night in Calais, France, after taking the ferry over from Dover, England. I was wandering around the local Carrefour (a grocery store) and spotted some board games. I found Famille on Or (Feud), A prendre ou a laisser (DOND), Pekin Express and Wheel. For all of those who gripe that the home game doesn't take into consideration different wheel amounts... well... the French version comes with five different wheel attachments! There you go.

Currently I'm in a hotel in Stuttgart, Germany with plans to go board game exploring, among other things, tomorrow.

Cheers

Ryan :)

Great international report! :)

FWIW, spotted at Target, the second edition of AYSTa5G.

FWIW...Just spotted Imagination's Latest DVD game editions of Feud and TPIR @ Walmart for $10.00 each.

I also got the PC version of FF 2010. I played Game 6 last night. One of the questions asked was "Name something you can always recognize by its smell." Skunk was #1, Fart was #2 and Body Odor was #4. Perfume and flowers didn't make the list. Classy, eh? At least I won the Fast Money round.

It seems that in FF 2010, they've taken famous families and changed names around. I recall matching the Simpsons, the Jacksons, the Osbournes, and the Conners (from Roseanne).

Apparently not. ;)

I was going to point this out but I thought I was just crazy. I think there's one based around Mario characters, too.

Elaborate? I don't quite follow what you guys are saying. How are they "changing the names around?"

I'll take a couple screengrabs, hold up.

And here are four examples:

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/1422/ff1r.jpg
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/3238/ff2p.jpg
http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/3278/ff3b.jpg
http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/5281/ff4uo.jpg

Great. Still not getting it.

...they're taking the names and similar likenesses of some famous families (Dan and Roseanne Conner who lived in Lanford, Illinois, Homer Simpson who worked in a power plant) and tweaking them for their game to not infringe copyright (Don and Rosie Cook, Herman Sanders.)

The Joneses look too much like the Jackson Family ("Marlon, Jermaine, Janet, and Michael! On your mark!") to be a coincidence.

Oh, ok. It took a third look, and I didn't get the Roseanne one until Chad mentioned it.

That's actually kinda clever.

More international gaming - yesterday while window shopping in Stuttgart, I spotted German versions of Millionaire (standard board game, junior board game, PC game that plays like the UK Party version for PS2), a board game for their version of 5th Grader, and a ratty old copy of Deal or No Deal for the PC.

Ryan.

I saw in the ad for Target that the iToys tabletop is $19.99 this week. I wonder if it's worth it at that price.

iToys tabletop what?

Oh sorry, I didn't proofread that (dumb me LOL). The Wheel Of Fortune tabletop game is on sale for $19.99.

FWIW, I happened to see "The Singing Bee" DVD game for $6.99 @ Walgreen's earlier today. Not sure how good the game is, but wanted to pass the info along.

GSN has released a Board Game based on Lingo.

Here it is at GSNshop.com They're selling it for $25.95 there.

And here it is at Amazon.com selling for $19.95.

Looking at the pieces in the set, there is no "Lingo" board. Just guess the word in the alloted time.

If memory serves, it plays the same as the DVD game - the earlier you guess it, the more points you get. No guessing your own words like on the show.

R.

Capcom released Millionaire 2010 for iPhone OS yesterday. I'm really into this game. The only negatives are that, like the previous game, the clock stops forever on a question after using a lifeline along with the fact that the new money tree isn't in the game. But it's really not a big deal. The game has 500 questions (plus 250 fastest finger questions you can play with yourself) and has a meter so you can see how many of them you've exhausted. They advertise that more expansion packs will be available in the iTunes Store, which is good since 500 isn't really that many questions for someone who would play the game a lot. Everything else in the game is done very well.

The graphics and the videos are both beautiful and fluid. All proper music and sound effects are in. Just like the last game, the Ask the Expert provides real text commentary from nine experts like Ogi Ogas, Pat Kiernan and Jeff Gross. Each question now has its own category, so even though there might be similar themes in a category tree, you won't get "Presidents" three questions in a row like in the previous game. Being able to brag on a Facebook post along with worldwide in-game leaderboards are really cool touches (especially when you're currently #2 without cheating on the single game leaderboard. :)) This game gives you way more than your three dollars worth. If you've got an iPhone or an iPod touch: Get the game.

Capcom also released 5th Grader 2010 yesterday. After being underwhelmed by their last effort on that game, I haven't dropped any money on that one.

Shameless self-promotion, but in the wake of "As The World Turns" falling by the wayside, and the rumor that Press Your Luck is being bandied about as a possible replacement for it (coupled with Pyramid), I just posted my PYL game back on my website for anyone to play.

I'd be very interested to know the source of this rumor, and by extension, if it carries any more weight than the rumor I am starting right now about Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin being traded to San Jose for a bucket of pucks and a game-worn-and-bloodstained Brad Staubitz jersey.

(And it may. But just reading that by itself makes my eyebrows raise.)

Alex at Buzzerblog has an article about ATWT's demise, and mentions how CBS and Fremantle have had on and off discussions about reviving Press Your Luck. Whether that's worth buying season tickets for Sharks games however, I digress.....

Tyshaun

Noted. Thanks.

Would make a lot of sense, seeing that there is a new wave of PYL product which has come out within the last year -- both in DVD/PC games and in Casino Slots. So the familiarity of the product outside of the GSN PYL/Whammy reruns is there. A PYL/Pyramid hour would make a good fit.

Wouldn't it be interesting if CBS bumps LMAD to the afternoon in all their markets, and then brings back the original CBS Morning lineup from the mid-80s: Pyramid at 10AM, PYL at 10:30 and Price at 11 Eastern??? It is not outside the realm of possibilities.

I just got an email from Ludia. Today only, you can pick up Family Feud from the iPhone/iPod Touch store for 60% off. I'm assuming, then, that the game costs $2.

Looking at the App Store right now, that appears to be precisely the case. $1.99.

/according to the reviews it's also crash-riffic as hell

Alright, I just got the Price is Right 2010 calendar from Borders for $7. It's a pull flap system, so each day has a page with perforations that you tear and lift up (like the advent calendar with the chocolates). There are 7 pricing games included, and some play differently from the show.

More or Less, Money Game, Bargain Bar (is it getting revived without the Barker moniker?), Most Expensive, and One Wrong Price are played just like the TV show. Take Two and Shopping Spree are played a little differently. Take Two's prizes either have a "Yes!" or a "Try Again" on the back, and you open flaps until you get a matching pair.Shopping Spree is played until you either open the three good flaps, or until you reveal a "Better Luck Next Time", which obviously means you've uncovered the least expensive prize. So, for the most part, they've taken all of the manual math out of the games.

Some days are not pricing game days, and just contain fun facts about the show.

Verdict:
Price is Right games, for the most part, seem to follow a familiar pattern- they either have execution problems or are bare boned. This has both. The pricing game lineup isn't great (Most Expensive AND One Wrong Price?), and some games changed their execution to be nothing more than a glorified scratch off ticket. I got it for 50% off, and that's enough for me to keep it on my desk for 2010. If it was full price, it might have stayed on the shelf. I hope it's better if a 2011 release comes along.

Grade: B-

Other games that would have fit the perforated flap system:
Secret X
Lucky $even
Showcase
Contestant's Row (Make each flap one of the bids, and given the prize, have the player choose which is the winning bid)
Grand Game
Danger Price (which Shopping Spree plays more like)
Cliff Hangers

hmmmmm

The Crash Test Dummies, everyone. Let's give them a big hand.

So, I'm getting an iPod Touch in the next few days. I've read reviews about Millionaire, and Family Feud, and Tic Tac Dough here. Are there any other game show games that are worth getting?

As I mentioned in a review on my blog last week, I quite enjoyed Cash Cab. And especially if you're into GSN's Oodles, Catch 21 is a fun game with which to pass the time away.