Saw some new stuff at Kohl's yesterday evening that are GS/Reality show related. Among the items:

Video Games--The Apprentice, and WWTBAM from Senario, LLC. The Apprentice allows up to 12 players, and is wireless, while WWTBAM allows up to 4 players, and the remotes ARE wired. Once you get the remotes connected to the console, it would almost remind you of how the Quizzard device from $ale of the Century board game was designed. The illustration on the package showed some people playing the game, but the "money tree," was cropped at the $16,000 level, so I don't know if this plays like the original rules, or if it is like the current version ($25,000 for next level, and the additional, "Switch the Question," lifeline). There was also a Sports Trivia game that looked like fun, though not GS related.

Box Games in Tins--DELUXE Simpsons Edition Wheel of Fortune from Pressman, with about 24 more puzzles than the regular box game. They also had Rumba Games version of Survivor in tin box, as well as a combination Password/Password Junior game in tin box from Endless Games. What surprised me about that one is that the tin box is SMALLER than the traditional box game versions, and perhaps even smaller than the original MB versions as well.

A special version of the Buzztime Trivia video game system, with extra remotes, was also available. Though not GS related, it is described as seen on NTN (National Trivia Network, I believe), and is popular in many restaurants across the country.

Some, but not all, are currently illustrated at their website--www.kohls.com

On a sidenote; if you have a ShopKo store in your area; they have toys on sale, buy one; get one half off...and they have most all of the game show releases from the past year at $10-$12, the only one I didn't see was the new Price board game...which of course...was the one I wanted.

How in the blue hell do you make a TV game out of this? I'm not sure whether to be shocked or saddened that this product actually made it all the way through the design process withone someone saying "Hey, this is REALLY stupid, we shouldn't be doing this."

Not really that surprising at all...when you look back, even for their small size, the Password boxes are full of a lot of air. Right now, aside from the duplicate score "spinners" (which we don't even use anyhow), I'm comfortably housing the contents of three entire Password sets in one of the MB boxes, so I see no reason why the tin couldn't be made a lot smaller. I'd sure like to know if there are different words in this one as opposed to the other Endless releases.

If you can make a board game out of Barney Miller, you can do anything.


--Mike

Ooh! Ooh! I get to be Fish! :)

(Holy. Could the artist have done Max Gail a GREATER disservice? He looks like Peter Pan Guy.) :)

But haven't there been a lot of board games over the years with TV show backdrops(non-game show)?

Saw these at Kohl's tonight. Millionaire looks decent, but the Apprentice game looks super cheesy and poorly made. The box makes it look like the partygoers are playing a Millionaire game. Awful, awful.

Thanks for the info...
I was at Kohl's today...
Bought both the Millionaire game & Win Lose or Draw! (both hook up to the TV)
It was an additional 30% off this weekend with a scratch-off Kohl's is giving out.
Amid all the lastest toy items - its good to see game show games.

Wasn't Freemantle Media coming out with some consoles like Match Game & TPIR?

A little closer to the genre, there's a surprisingly good old board game based on This is Your Life.

It's usually not so much about making a decent game, it's about making a pretty cardboard (or tin) box that people will buy. "Stupid" doesn't figure into it.

Duh, Zach. The object of that post was to say that "Barney Miller" might not have been a TV show you'd think of as a backing for a boardgame. (Although there is this place in Montclair, NJ, where they have a lot of old board game boards on the walls as decoration...who the hell knew they made an NBC News board game? Before I saw it, not me.)

There's a similarly-decorated board game and puzzle shop in Manayunk, Philly.

And speaking of "stupid," at the game store I walk by at a Chicago vertical mall to get to Weight Watchers and a multiplex, there is a "Fear Factor" board game out. Since whenever I go in that store the clerks swarm all over me asking for help, I haven't checked to see if the players actually have to eat horse rectums in the game.

*Horse rectums not included.

Or so we hope. I mean, I've heard the game stinks...

Mark did confirm the game is pretty crappy.

Talk about your toilet humor...

I think it's more about "name value", in much the same way a Bruce's PiR game was released across the pond in the mid-90s, only to have little to do w/its TV counterpart (it's more an auction-type game, IIRC).

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")

There's also a WoF plug-and-play video game there...supposedly includes the Mystery and Jackpot rounds, along w/other popular features. Might have to pick it up my next visit, though I did get the deluxe Simpsons WoF.

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")

Which mall may that be? I think I may have seen it on my excursions to downtown...i wouldn't be suprised if it was just damn stupid (the game).

I saw a page about it linked from GSNN. I actually want to buy that. (EDIT: Said page is also linked from the "Sneak Peek: WOF by Jakks Pacific" thread in this forum.)

BTW, for those wondering why I have given two Wheel-centric posts today, when I have said that I don't watch the show anymore (and have given reasons why), I still think the basic game is rather fun and would still like to play it "for real".

I don't wonder that, so much as I wonder why anyone would care about playing on a given season of the show.

Sorry for the late reply;

That particular season was the first full one with the electronic puzzle board, which is the biggest of the three basic designs the show has had. It also was the last season when winning contestants can appear for more than one day, i.e. the last season with the Friday Finals (it also didn't hurt that the Jackpot started at $10,000 on said Finals). Hence the most opportunity to play long and win big (which I define as at least $100,000 cash total).

Of course, any season from 1989-1990 to 1997-1998 would be acceptable for me, due to the returning champion formats.