Customer Reviews

YOU DON'T KNOW JACK Party

This review is for the gameplay on the Fire TV.

I've enjoyed playing You Don't Know Jack (YDKJ) since it first came out many, many years ago (by Jellyvision/Berkeley) for the PC. It was always a fun, fun, FUN game to play with friends and family because of the hilarious host ("Cookie"), questions, answers, and fake "commercials". It is a very well-made game, and with that in mind, I thought that it would be excellent to play on the Amazon Fire TV. What better way to play than on the big-screen television?

This is a free app with 1 free Episode. There are in-app purchases available for additional Episodes at $1.99 each, but more on that later.

GAME CONTROLLERS
The game can be controlled with the Fire TV controller (Bluetooth), the Fire TV game controller (Bluetooth), and the JackPad app (WiFi required) that's available for smartphones and tablets (ie. Android, iOS, Windows Phone).

WHAT IS YDKJ?
YDJK is a single/multi-player trivia game with various topics. The questions never directly tell you what the answer may be, requiring thought before you buzz in. Instead, they are formed in such a way that only hints are given (play on words, pop culture, spelling, and what not) -- some are hilarious or simple, and some require quite some thought.

The game presents the questions in a variety of formats, including:
- Multiple choice
- Dis or Dat
- Jack Attack

All questions are timed -- the faster you answer, the more cash you can get. At the same time, provide the wrong answer, and money gets taken away. Giving the wrong answer can result in a hilarious comment by the host, as does not giving one.

"Dis or Dat" presents you with 2 or more categories where items are announced, and you have to correctly match them to the right category. For example, if 2 categories are presented, such as "Company" and "Fruit", and "Apple" comes up, it would match both. If "Samsung" came up, it would be a "Company". In this game, the lowest scorer gets to play, and the other players get the chance to steal.

"Jack Attack" is a free-for-all segment at the end of each game where a category is presented, and each player has to quickly buzz in the answer that pops up when it matches. Answer incorrectly, again, money will be taken away. You can answer incorrectly as many times as you want, each time taking money away. ONLY the first person to correctly match the answer, however, gets the point. This mode is a great way for the worst player to still be able to win the game. For example, if the category is "Presidents", then "Lincoln" would match, but not "Apple". The person with the lowest score sometimes get made fun of by the host.

One of the most hilarious features is the "Screw". YDKJ calls this, "Screw your neighbor". Each player is given a single screw per game. When activated, it gives the player the option to force another to answer the question. If that player answers incorrectly, money is subtracted from him/her. Answered correctly, then the person who activated the screw loses the cash. Try screwing yourself and see what the host says.

Missing from this game was "Gibberish Question", a staple from other YDKJ games. This mode gives you a sentence that makes absolutely no sense, but rhymes with the answer. It is up to the first player to buzz in to type in the correct answer. For example, if the answer is "You Don't Know Jack", the Gibberish Question may be presented as "Judo Gnaw-sack". "Gibberish Question" probably wasn't included because of the limited typing functionality of the Fire TV remote or game controller.

At the end of each game, a fake commercial is played. Listen to those -- some are just downright hilarious.

EPISODES
The game is divided into Episodes. Each Episode has a set number of questions that don't change. If you have played the Episode before, you will be familiar with the questions and answers. This Episode-based gameplay makes replay ability very stale, making the game not very enjoyable for yourself when you have friends or family come over. I am purposely making myself NOT play the game so that I can join my friends/family when they come over.

One of the biggest drawbacks of this version of YDKJ is that the questions are not randomized from a pool. Adding randomness can at least help alleviate some of the staleness factor.

IN-APP PURCHASES
Episode 1 is free to play. However, additional episodes cost $1.99 each. At the time of this writing, ALL Episodes (21 of them, if I remember correctly), can be purchased for a $6.99 bundle. That's PRICEY. However, it will only be worth it, *IF* (and that's a BIG IF) the developers make future Episodes available free to those who bought the All Episodes bundle. The game would be too expensive otherwise at $1.99 per Episode. [EDIT 6/9/14: There are now 30 Episodes available, and no additional payment had to be made to get those. It appears that the $6.99 bundle also includes future episodes. Good!]

PROS
- Episode 1 is free
- Funny host and fake "commercials"
- Fun to play with the various modes ("Screw", "Dis or Dat", etc.)
- Ability to play with up to 4 players
- Good visual & audio presentation
- Fast, responsive on Amazon Fire TV
- Save money by buying ALL episodes via $6.99 in-app purchase. CON: still VERY pricey [EDIT 6/9/14: it appears that the $6.99 bundle also includes future episodes]

CONS
- Pricey (to get additional Episodes)
- Episode-based game play: needs question randomization from all available episodes, rather than playing by Episode
- Needs to pull new questions from their other YDKJ game for Android to keep content fresh

Overall, I recommend the game for parties. But the limited number of Episodes with pre-defined, non-randomized questions can quickly become stale. The replay ability is severely dampened for those who have played the Episodes before (since they'll already know all the answers.) Staleness aside, once again, this game is PRICEY, unless the "All Episodes" bundle includes future Episodes at no extra charge. [EDIT 6/9/14: it appears that the $6.99 bundle also includes future episodes. Good!]

Jackbox Games, please seriously consider randomizing the questions for increased playability, rather than having them be based on Episodes.

I actually love this game, that's why I downloaded it. But my controller won't work with it. It allowed me to choose a game and worked fine until the questions actually started. Then it would recognize my selection of answer. I couldn't get back to the main screen. I even unplugged my FireTV and it wouldn't disconnect from the game. Very frustrating.

Currently the best game for the Amazon Fire TV using only the remote (requires no game controller).

It's a lot of fun. The quality is surprising. It adapts to the time ("what are you doing up at the witching hour?"), and keeps a face pace.

The quirky, "Cookie Masterson" hosts this fun and hysterical party version delivering an interactive, abstract trivia game to your living room. The Amazon Fire TV version loads quickly, and provides smooth graphics and instant performance for a streamlined game experience, that up to 4 players at a time can enjoy. Playing is easy - simply download the "Jack Pad" app on each player's phone, and launch the game. Connect each phone to the same wifi network as the game device, launch the app on the device, and click the join button - and your device will appear on the TV and become your individual "ring-in" device. To answer a question, simply press on of the appropriate buttons on your devices' touchscreen.

The game, having been around for years in on PC's and phones everywhere, this Party edition brings the level of fun to new heights with your family and friends, allowing direct competition. Whoever answers the question correctly and the quickest, earns the most points. The "Dis or Dat" phase of the game is both nerve and laugh-inducing, requiring players to quickly guess if a "Pink Lady" is a type of lingerie or a girlie cocktail. Due to the content and abstract presentation of some of the trivia questions, I would recommend this only for adults. It may take a few rounds to get the hang of the questions, and the fast-pace of the game, but you'll never be bored Gameplay can last for years, as additional, cheap, "episodes" can be purchased, in addition to the free episodes that are always available.

You "Don't Know Jack Party Edition" will quickly become the center of attention at your party, and guaranteed your now-jealous friends will want it for their next shin-dig as well! It's certainly my favorite way to enjoy our Fire TV.

Fun, educational and funny game. This is not your typical trivia game. I have loved this game for years. I'm glad its back!

Loved this game years ago, when I played it on my Mac. Nice to see it updated for the FireTV.

I was really excited to see this on here. Sadly it's the same questions every game

I agree this is a super fun family interaction game and if you have kindle fire HD you can download the free jackpad app and use your kindle Fire as your controller. So much fun at home. Only downfall is first episode is 10 questions after that you need to purchase in game content to access more game episodes.

In the spirit of the old GAME NIGHT when you would pull out the moth ball smelling board games when you have a big familia party, this game keeps those traditions alive.

I've played this on Xbox, we used to love it. With the Fire TV it's even better because everyone can play on their own phones with no extra controller's required!