I'm waiting until they come out with a $5M top prize.

I'm waiting until they do like the 80s Pyramid home game and offer a grand prize of "$1,000,000/$3,000,000."

I do like the MDP Table Top game. Instead of using scoring pegs, there is an illuminating score keeper!

Also, the new DoND table top game is pretty sweet. Let alone the top prize is $3,000,000 fake money, it includes the Deal Wheel! Very nice :)

When you were at last year's Toy Fair, did you pass by Imagination Games' booth and see a prototype box for a DVD version of Temptation? This link will show a "slide" show of IG products, including that:

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fusea...endID=231017028


Wonder if they were licensed to do one, but cancelled out since the show failed, or if it will be among the new stuff this year!


Also, judging by the illustration at irwintoys.com, it looks like both the new versions of Deal or No Deal will allow up to five $1,000,000 cases available. I've sometime thought if Pressman wanted to update their game, they ought to include a wheel like the larger game from iToys!

Clearly since a Million Dollar Mission is available, I will be buying almost immediately.

/facepalm

Neverminding the idiotic notion that people actually play these home versions of a game that COMPLETELY DOES NOT WORK when real money is not involved, I find it terribly amusing that the producers of these games are including all of the elements (the larger top prize, the extra top prizes, basically all of the crap that makes the money tree so top-heavy) that TOTALLY BREAKS THE GAME in the United States even when the real gambling element DOES exist.

No, but only because my contact at Imagination Games wasn't there - i listed everything i saw there last year, including the Cash Cab and Lingo DVD games that I never saw come to fruition...did they?

That's the problem with Irwin Toys, FWIW...they obviously have a real love for game shows....last year they were pitching an electronic Power of 10 game... the problem is , when the shows get cancelled as quickly as they do, what's the point of releasing a game, esp when barely anyone has sampled it?

Doing a MDP game is a neat idea, but, again, why? It's not likely going to come back on the air...You might as well do a retro electronic Password game instead.

Their games are creative...I have their electronic table top 1v100 and Family Feud, and both are fun recreations....but neither one sold well...why bother?

Sure did. I'm looking at the Lingo DVD game on my shelf right now.

This has been your argument about playing games 'for fun' for sometime now. If people enjoy them, and they think it is entertaining, so be it.

Besides, the companies making the games have found a market for them...the same types of people who give games a "******** rating!!!!!!". The games aren't made for you. I think its dumb too, but its no reason to get upset. You don't like playing games for fake money. That's fine.

Its on my shelf too (where it will remain)...I think its fair to say you and I got the game(s) the same way.

Well, if it was the same way I got my Bingo America and Press Your Luck games...
I think Bingo and Lingo are both fairly fun. PYL is a wreck. I stopped after the first "round" and never played again.

Not in general. THIS ONE. This particular game has NOTHING THERE if there is no real tangible prize to be rooting for. At all.

And if I happen to think those people are morons, so be it.

No question. Because there is no shortage of money to be made from morons.

(But I will qualify that: if someone is buying these as a collector of GS memorabilia, or even as a collector of electronic games, hey, dandy. Gawd knows I have bought my share of crappe in order to be an completist. But if they are buying it specifically to play the game for funsies? Morons.)

As usual, you greatly overestimate the level of actual concern I have with regard to this issue.

No, I like playing *games* for fake money, when there is an actual game to be played when you remove the money from the equation. Password? Pyramid? You bet. The *only* interesting thing about DoND (and I'm not talking about the TV show, or the production, I'm isolating it down to *the game itself*) requires there to be actual gambling involved. Take away the actual wager, there is nothing left. Period.

BOTH the LINGO DVD game, and the Cash Cab board game were released, but I never found either on any store shelf anywhere.

I got my copy of Cash Cab, with discount coupons at Barnes and Noble online. I haven't gotten LINGO yet, but gsnshop.com is the only site I've seen it sold at (though one was recently on eBay)!

With Lingo do you have to pick from a selection of possible words or do you type them in?

Scanned by me, these are the rules for the Lingo (there are more rounds but they're more of the same) and Bingo America DVD games.

I stumbled across a press release from Endless Games, and the only new GS related item mentioned is a DELUXE Newlywed Game. Here is the link to it:

http://ca.biz.yahoo.com/bw/090212/20090212006415.html?.v=1

Though it was announced at the Fall Toy Show in Dallas, that EG was going to release a DVD game version of Million Dollar Password, it's not mentioned in this release. I've also been curious if some stuff they planned to release last year (Family Feud 4th edition, TPIR Quick Pick, and NG Quick Picks) were delayed, or scrapped completely.

The answer is : Not much.

Imagination has a Lingo board game - which looks - okay - I mean, how hard is this to do without a game? Don't you just need pen, paper, and a dictionary of 5 letter words?

Saw the new tabletop Wheel of Fortune up close from Irwin - it's okay as well - Big Wheel you spin which does not have individual dollar amounts, it just activates the LED display which shows a graphic of the dollar amount you spun...they claim it plays like the game, with tossups, million wedge, etc, but who knows. Still, its a nice table prop.

Irwin Toy is still pushing the table top Family Feud and Price games - no sign of the Million Dollar Password tabletop game.

Speaking of MDP, Endless has a regular and a DVD version - but both are still being developed - meaning, just a box, nothing more.

Oh, and there's a home version of Hole in the Wall , which comes with 100 thick pieces of styrofoam that has figures cut out... you have a player stand in the middle of the room making body movements to fit, as another person in the room advances to the player, holding up the foam cutout.

Just kidding. No, there isn't. Sorry.

That's kind of suckish. I mean, I'd like to see some sort of physical representation of what's going on.

Are balls included?

/Have at it, gents...

It kinda reminded me of the plugnplay version of the game - with a bigger wheel you physically spin - but you're right - it's there really for useless prop interaction - and more to make the 'tabletop' element of the game more impressive.

Then again, I give them credit for the whole thing - i mean, if you're going to recreate the game down to the changing elements between round (mystery wedge, wild card, etc), then how else could you do it?

I did forget to mention that i saw the new tabletop Deal game, complete with the bonus wheel. It's nifty, but again, pretty much just eye candy. Insert the ball just like on the PIR Plinko game, and watch it drop into a slot on the wheel. One add on to the game is the ability to play the game "million dollar mission' style, with up to 5-one million dollar slots. This has been added to the handheld version as well.

Regarding Lingo board game - I did not see balls.

Here is a link to a full-page ad for the WOF game, (NOTE: GO TO PAGE 24 AFTER LINKING) in the Toy Fair Times:

http://www.toyassociation.org/AM/PDFs/ToyF...F09/TFTDay2.pdf

The large, spinning wheel actually reminds me of the "Junior," electronic version of WOF from Tiger Electronics, released back in the mid- to late-nineties!

The regualr box game version of MDP IS available in stores like Walmart, Borders Books, etc. right now. Plus Target stores exclusively have a version with extra material included!

Regarding your later post about the new electronic DOND games from iToys, the handheld version will feature a stylus pen (unclear as to its exact purpose, since it looks like numbered buttons are used for choosing cases), and will simulate the Deal Wheel feature somewhere on the screen.

Okay, so, if the big sucker on the outside is the one I get to spin, then I guess it won't be so bad. ;)

But what's the point? Wheel looks tacky with just the $ all over the place.

What they should have done, is just put the values on the wheel, and then made it so it shows you on the LCD as well. In special rounds, the bonus prize is shown for that space instead of the default value.

Honestly, the game looks fun. I'll buy it on clearance.

My problem: How hard is to get a better screen? I'm tired of these games looking like complete ass. How costly is it to get one of those monochrome screens with smaller pixels for a slightly higher resolution?

Did they also have a "card" game version of Lingo, which I'd seen in a video on IG's website sometime ago?

Also, any word from Endless Games about their travel-size "Quick Picks" of TPIR and Newlywed Game?

I'm not trying to rag on either, but in the end, both are essentially going to be question/prize booklets paired with a set of mini dry-erase boards with the show's logo on it. It's not like they can package any more in that size tin, anyway.

Not trying to be pessimistic, but I'm just saying.

A leak of the upcoming Million Dollar Password PC game is showing up on torrent sites and the like. I downloaded it, but since I'm fairly certain something is corrupt with the "hacked" version, it becomes inoperable after a certain period in the game.

RealArcade was scheduled to release the game publicly (and may have for a period of time, hence the leak) on February 5th, but on that day it was pushed back to the 18th. Now they say "that the release of Million Dollar Password has been delayed. [They're] very excited about this game and want to make sure that everyone who buys it will be able to enjoy it as much as [they] do."

Anyway, from what I was able to play from the leak, it's pretty much true to the format of the show. Four rounds of up to five words each. Your faux celebrity partner gives you clues to the word. They're full-body animated, so they'll also use minute gestures to indicate what kind of clue they're giving (opposite, continuation, etc.) All of the music, sounds and cues. including VO from Regis taken from the actual show are included. The graphics aren't that bad looking, either.

Three unlockable minigames include a crossword and word search game using clues, Password-style and a word association game. Unfortunately, in this version, no sign of an ability to play Password with friends using the game's word bank. But, if you like to be the receiver when playing, you'll enjoy this game.

Already the website boardgames4us.com is taking preorders for the Newlywed Game Deluxe. Here's what they show for the box (at least a prototype box):

http://www.boardgames4us.com/product/ELG-0155

Guys, I'm finally getting around to updating the Game Show Home Game Home Page and I'm trying to make sense of some of the stuff that's come out (and hasn't come out) in the last year. Could someone answer these basic questions for me?

Are there actually two different versions of Cash Cab, one with Ben's picture on the cover and one without? That doesn't make a lot of sense, but Amazon seems to be treating the two as separate.

Did iToys release handheld versions of Password AND Million Dollar Password or did those end up getting merged into one? There is conflicting information on websites.

I'm sure I'll have more. Meanwhile, check out what updates I have so far. If you see anything missing in the shows that have already been updated, please let me know. More page updates (Password, Feud, Fifth Grader and Moment of Truth for starters) are coming. If I stay on a roll, I'm hoping to update some of the older listings with details, so if anybody's got an urge to see what's inside a particular classic game, let me know that too.

One note in regards to a comment on the Lingo game page:
The game design on the front is similar to how the game is played on the DVD. The rules show that while the Lingo game deals with identification of five letter words, play is different than the TV show. So while the DVD game is played differently, the box design reflects that.
If it helps, I have seen the MDP handheld firsthand in stores. I have not seen classic Password.

In regards to Press Your Luck, the box art on the Amazon page is the art the game was published with.

And if you weren't aware, Jeopardy! has been released as a downloadable game for purchase on the PlayStation Store for PlayStation3. You can play with home players or multiplayer online. (2008)

I got classic Password for Christmas. They are indeed 2 different looking games. Whether they play the same or not, I cannot tell you.

I DOUBT there are two differing box covers for Cash Cab. The copy I have DOES feature Ben Bailey's picture. I also notice that the "game rating" graphics, shown in the lower left-hand corner of each of the boxes are different. The graphics on the box picturing Ben, are more standard and universal on ALL board games these days. This leads me to believe the box w/o Ben's picture was a prototype one.

I HAVE seen both regular and MDP handheld games myself. I bought the regular version at a 1/2 off reduced price at Meijer recently. I haven't bought the MDP handheld game, but from the instructions that are downloadable at www.itoys.com, it looks like the games play the same, just have different graphics on them. The forthcoming tabletop version of MDP, though, appears to be 100% faithful to the show, including the bonus round!

Bob Zager rules, even if I don't return his phone calls.

So nobody has the cover with Todd Newton that I show on my site?

Right! The one with Newton pictured is another prototype.

Yep, I did a little shopping-without-buying today and found both the Password and Million Dollar Password on shelves. They were in two different stores so I couldn't do a side-by-side comparison, but it did appear that they were exactly the same game.

The artwork for the Password version, BTW, did NOT feature a picture of Allen Ludden, even though he's seen in some internet artwork. I'll assume another prototype difference unless somebody tells me that his copy actually has Allen on it.

Allen was on the prototype @ the Toy Fair last year.... I didn't think that he would make the cut, based on the thought that not many outside of this corner of the internet know who the nerdy guy with glasses on the box actually is.

And, the PYL DVD games I had to give away last year, did not have Todd on them. They also were not in the larger size box the other Imagination games were packaged in.

But the one sitting on my shelf is, so hey.

Irwin Toy's TPiR has been dumped onto Goodwill. I bought one that had been returned and sitting on the shelf for over a month so the price had "come on down" to $2.99. Worth the gamble at that price. It was missing the rules (downloaded from the publisher's web site) and three out of six Plinko chips (big deal; you only need one at time anyway).

Nobody in my gaming circles plays home games so I solitaired it.

Good news:
- It rotates turn order of the bidding during the Contestants' Row phase.
- Plinko, even downsized, works!
- Several music cues from the series (although no volume control except "off")
- Brand names on the products

Bad news:
- The game does not keep score except for determination of turn order during Showcase Showdown
- Players keep their own scores during Showcase Showdown
- Big Wheel is free spinning so landing with the arrow on a line is possible
- Showcase Showdown Bonus Spin not prompted by game
- Pictures of prizes slighter larger than a postage stamp
- Players not prompted on which pricing game or Showcase to play

Conclusion: Once you decide on some ground rules, the game is worth the twenty sessions the game provides. The search of a home game that does the series justice continues...

Not a fan of the second Endless edition? I don't own it, but from nearly every account I've read, people enjoy it.

I have it. Good game, lots of variation (and they way it's set up, it can be very open-ended). Gets usually second-billing when I trot out the games for a game night, after one of my five versions of Pyramid.

/Has three versions of Password, each played once
//From a friend: Password is too boring, Pyramid is more exciting.

It's got a lot of variation, but the setup for each game can be time consuming, only because there are no prize cards, and so there's a lot of writing. Overall, though, it's better than any other PiR home game.

/Pyramid is by far the best GS party game.

That's why I've always said the fans do it better. They know how to pay attention to detail.

-Dan Berger

I, too, am impressed with volume of information in Endless Games' TPiR second edition but the presentation is awful. If I had players, I would have pimped the game with parts from Milton Bradley's 1986 edition and my own art work. The Big Wheel and Plinko from the Irwin Toy game would have made the ultimate TPiR home game.

There is now a 1 vs 100 game in the iPhone/iPod touch App Store at a $4.99 price point. Reviews look somewhat promising. Game is created by Gameloft.

Very nitpicky, but they could have done a better job with the vein display font. The angle is too severe, and it looks very grainy in the screenshots in the App Store.

/weighs in at almost 100MB, yikes

There's also an official Wheel of Fortune app available on iTunes for $4.99.

Features all the new music from the show, 1000 puzzles, touch-sensitive wheel (the faster you swipe, the faster it spins) and the Million Dollar wedge.

/7 megs
//Can't really go wrong

EDIT: After downloading, I see that, first of all, the new theme and other music is not there. Neither are 99% of the sound effects (not even the right DING!).

And second of all, the music that IS there is some polyphonic crap that you would hear on, say, a Nokia phone. Think inaccurate MIDI.

Pretty half-ass for an iPhone app, in my opinion.

Wheel of Fortune is coming to the PS3 on Playstation Network this Thursday: http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/03/17/...work-this-week/

It's $14.99, and features all the goodies from this season. Graphics and contestants look exactly like the Jeopardy! release from a few months ago.

I'll be on that like white on rice. And I will gladly take any competition. PSN name is chadmosher. :)

You're on! Add me, my PSN name is (wait for it): Hastin

:)

Add me as well oh look we have a three player game right here LOL

PS3 name GMONEYACROBIST00
Xbox Live GMONEYACROBIST

This is pretty fun. The game features all proper rounds up to round four (no speed-up, just a final $5,000 round), the $1,000,000 wedge, the Wild Card and the Free Spin+$300 token. The only gripe I have is that the music used is the 2003 theme and even that wouldn't be so bad if it didn't loop a small portion over and over. Other redeeming features include online play and the "road trip" mode where you can play three games in a row, each game from a different location with a set true to the real show.

Graphics are awesome, play is awesome and just about everything is true to the show. They also advertise 9,000 puzzles so if you can't wait for the eventual price drop to $10, it's still worth your $15 now.