dragonfire88's Full Review: Scene It? Harry Potter 2nd Edition
I first started to see commercials for Scene It?, a movie trivia game, a few years ago. Since I love movies, I thought the game would be fun and I was interested in getting it. Over the last few years, Scene It? has put out versions of the game that were more focused on certain types of movies instead of just movies in general. For Christmas 2007, I received Scene It? Harry Potter 2nd Edition.
I had seen the first version of Scene It? Harry Potter a few different times over the years, but I don't know exactly when it first came out. The second edition came out sometime in 2007, possibly around the time Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was released in theaters. The second edition has new footage and questions based on the first four Harry Potter movies that weren't in the first version of the game. There are also images and some questions based on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix as well. The only requirement on the box says that the game is for ages eight to adult, but I think people need to have some knowledge of Harry Potter before trying to play. The questions are based on the movies, but I think people who have read the books but not seen the movies would do all right.
What You Get
Scene It? Harry Potter 2nd Edition has a square tin for the box. The instructions are on one page, front and back and where very easy to understand. The game board, called a Flextime board, is round and can be used in two ways. It can be used as it lays in the box for a shorter game or it can be unfolded into three circles for a longer game. I have only played the longer version of the game and that really didn't take long at all. That might be because I know a lot of Harry Potter stuff though.
There are two dice, one that has six sides that determine how many spaces are moved and one with eight sides. That die determines the type of question to be asked. The box also includes the game DVD, four metal tokens, 160 trivia cards, thirty House Points Cards, and four collectable movie trading cards. A cardboard envelope serves as the case for the game DVD.
Types of Questions
There are five different types of questions as well as the House Point Cards and the player's choice option represented on the eight sided die - one type of question is on the die twice. There are symbols on the die that correspond to each question option, with the instruction sheet identifying what each symbol is for. I had to refer to that for the first several questions when I was playing, but I quickly learned what each symbol was for.
The My Play and All Play questions are on the game DVD. For the My Play questions, only the person or team who just rolled may answer the question. A short clip from one of the movies will play and then be followed by a question. Some of them are fairly easy and others are more challenging. The questions can be about anything visible in the clip, including things like what color shirt did someone in the background have on, or they can ask what will happen next. There can be multiple possible questions for each clip, so just because a clip turns up again doesn't mean the question will be the same.
With the All Play questions, everyone playing the game has the chance to answer. The first player or team to answer correctly then gets to take the next turn. The questions were a bit different for All Play. Some of the questions would play a short audio clip of a character and the players have to identify the character just based on the voice. Sometimes a blurred picture of a character or creature was shown and it would gradually become clearer until it was revealed who or what it was when time ran out. There was a type of question that would give a short clue and then reveal the letters in the answer, sort of like Wheel of Fortune. I had one question a few times that had a magic wand covered by a wizard's hat. There were two more hats and all three of them then moved wildly around. Once they stopped moving, I had to guess where the wand was. I don't know how I managed to do that. I have seen some questions that list answer options on the screen. For those questions, the player just needs to say the correct answer.
Three types of questions were on the trivia cards. Each card has one of each type of question. Hogwarts questions ask things related to life at Hogwarts. Wizarding World questions ask about magical things away from Hogwarts, though some of those questions still seemed connected to Hogwarts to me since the thing being asked about took place at the school. For example, one of the questions asked in which movie did Hermione cast a spell on pixies, something she did during a class. Muggle questions deal with the non-magical world. Every one of these questions that I have asked or been asked was about other roles that cast members had, like asking which movie was Maggie Smith in that she won an Oscar for. I haven't gone through all of this type of question, so there could be some not tied to other movies. I thought these questions were the most challenging in the game.
The House Point cards aren't actually questions and I hated to get them since I felt they were kind of pointless for the most part. The cards tend to just say a sentence or two and then say move back or forward a few spaces. Once a House Point card is read, the player's turn is over. The final option on the eight sided die is Player's Choice. When that is landed on, the player or team who just rolled gets to pick which type of question they want.
Playing the Game
Since a DVD is used for the game, it is important that everyone playing is close enough to the television to be able to see clearly and also reach the game board. There is a How to Play demo on the DVD that can be watched. The game is intended for at least two players and there can be teams. The DVD should be on the main menu screen before the games starts. One person should be the DVD Master. That player is the one responsible for using the remote to select the questions or timer that is used for the questions on the cards. The timer starts out at thirty seconds and can be lowered to twenty or ten if wanted.
There are a few options for the game. The game DVD has something called Optreve technology that makes sure the DVD delivers the questions randomly. However, some DVD players do not support that technology and a window will pop up saying this. In that case, Pre-Set Gameplay should be chosen from the main menu. There are some different preprogramed sequences that will make sure that no questions are repeated during a game. I haven't had to use that option, so I don't know how many preprogrammed sequences there are. If there is no warning about Optreve technology not working, then Play the Game or Party Play can be selected. Play the Game is used for the standard playing of the game with the board and dice. Party Play is for larger groups and will just play puzzles and clips one after the other. I've never played that version, so I don't know exactly how it works and there isn't any more detailed information in the instructions.
Everyone is supposed to roll the numbered die to decide who goes first. Once that is done, each player or team takes turns rolling the dice, moving around the board, and answering questions. If the question is answered correctly, the player or team goes again and continues until they miss a question or get a House Point card. A few options are listed on the instructions, like using the board in the smaller shape or only moving once a question is answered correctly. This continues until someone reaches the end of the game path.
Once a player or team is at the end of the path, they attempt to win the game with an All Play to Win Challenge against all the players. If the player or team that rolled answers correctly, they win the game. If they don't, they move to the outermost Final Cut ring and their turn ends. On their next turn, the DVD Master selects Final Cut from the menu. The player must answer three questions to win the game, moving forward a ring for each right question. If a question is missed, they remain on that ring and try again on their next turn until they successfully answer enough questions right to win. Once that happens, the game is over.
I have really enjoyed Scene It? Harry Potter 2nd Edition. It is a fun, entertaining game that fans of Harry Potter will probably enjoy. I do think it would be a good game for families as well. Anyone that doesn't know that much about Harry Potter will be at a disadvantage with this game. After having so much fun with this game, I would be interested in getting other Scene It? trivia games.
Harry Potter Scene It ? Deluxe 2nd Edition BRAND NEW in factory sealed box This DVD game features actual film clips from the Harry Potter film series,...More at eBay
You're purchasing Scene it? Harry Potter 2nd Edition brand new in box. Combines a cool social interactive board game with Harry Potter movie questions...More at eBay
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