As a child, I used to have fun playing Stump the Geek (we didn’t actually have a name for it but you get the idea) with my friends for hours on end. We’d play tunes from different games and take turns trying to guess what title they were from or attempt to figure out what video game character the other was talking about based on vague physical descriptions and/or catchphrases. And yes, I had friends. Plural.
As an “adult,” things haven’t changed much. The only real difference is now I’ll approach another nerd/dork/geek and ask them to try and stump me. I suppose on some instinctual level we all love trivia, which is probably why so many people watch game shows or play games like Buzz! It’s also probably why there have been so many quiz games released through the indie games channel. Yup, we sure do love our trivia. But even with so many choices available, there hasn’t really been one for us nerds to call our own (at least, not recently). That is, until now.
Quizocalypse is exactly that: a trivia game that’s all about the geeky and nerdy stuff. Just about everything nerdy is represented, from a slew of video game references to cult favorite movies and TV shows. Even internet memes, which I’m not entirely convinced were needed. But it does have zombies in it, and zombies are never a bad choice.
The Raincoat Corporation (*rimshot*) is looking for the brightest zombie they’ve got, so they’ve tossed Lou, Zoe, Billy and Frank into their own quiz show where they compete for the title of “intellectual elite,” as well as delicious brains. Each game is comprised of thirteen random, non-repeating questions (out of over a hundred) with higher points awarded to the player who chooses the correct answer the fastest. As with all quiz shows, the player with the highest score (most brains) is declared the winner and does a little celebratory dance on the top of their pile of swag (brains).
The questions tend to be a little hit-or-miss, as some are insanely easy, even for non-geeks, and others are mind-numbingly obscure or phrased in a very odd manner. Regardless, it’s still hard not to enjoy yourself at least a little bit when you’re sitting down with (presumably nerdy) friends and seeing who knows what the best. If you don’t have friends or don’t have any friends in the room Quizocalypse does offer a single player game, but it serves as little more than a kind of training exercise for when you play with actual people. There’s always the issue of eventually seeing all of the questions and memorizing most of the ones you don’t already know, but it should keep you busy for a while anyway.
But really, playing with friends is what Quizocalypse is all about. It’s fairly entertaining with a group of nerds at your disposal, but if you happen to have a few drinks on hand (assuming you’re at least 21, as CFD! does not condone underage drinking) it can be turn into a full-blown party.
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Things We Liked: Zombies (of course). Nerdy humor and trivia. A nifty hand-drawn art style. The random (if ultimately pointless) inclusion of The Konami Code.
Things We Disliked: Answer layouts (i.e. the order of choices) are always the same, making them easy to remember the next time the same question comes up. Some questions are almost pointlessly easy. Virtually no in-game music makes everything seem a bit… drab.
Target Audience: Nerds and the people who love them. Trivia game enthusiasts. Someone looking for a new game to play while getting trashed with their buddies.
(Quizocalypse – Developer: Wolpertinger Games. Publisher: Microsoft. Available on Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Indie Games. A copy of the game was provided by the developer for review purposes. Unfamiliar with CFD!’s review system? Read our newly revised explanation here.)
