1 Vs 100 Xbox Live Beta
I happen to be fortunate enough to have actually been on 1 Vs. 100, hosted by Bob Saget. I was part of the mob: 100 people competing against a single player in a trivia contest. During that show, my mob won and split a respectable sum into equal $700 dollar amounts. Tonight, I once again joined the mob, only this time there were no hot lights, no TV cameras and no Bob Saget. Not to mention, this time there were 50,000 players.
This is 1 Vs. 100 on Xbox Live, and my avatar gets to sweat it out under the lights. There’s little doubt in my mind that Microsoft has a hit on their hands. Tonight’s game was a beta where everyone who logs in can participate. A mob of 100 is chosen randomly, as is a One playing against them all. All other players earn points in the same manner as part of the crowd, though they aren’t directly pitted against the One. The top 3 players each round were awarded with a free Xbox Live Arcade title. Not too shabby. Not 700 bucks, but not bad.
The One answers a multiple choice question at the same time as the mob. If the One answers correctly, it goes to the mob. Every mob member getting it incorrect is eliminated. It’s the One’s job to outlast the mob. It’s the mob’s job to answer as fast and accurately as possible. If the One gets it wrong, the mob splits the points the One has earned evenly between the remaining mob members.
The game is hosted live, with a digital auto-host calling out the most common phrases (“what’s your choice”, “it’s one vs on forty seven”, etc) and a live host makes special announcements and in tonight’s show, conducted celebrity interviews, with rock band Taking Back Sunday stopping in. Breaks occur intermittently and play video commercials or show current round stats with a still banner ad in the background. They’re unobtrusive and if that’s all that’s needed to keep the game free, then by all means, I welcome it. Four players can log in from a single box and it makes for a fantastic couple hours of game play. It’s fast paced, competitive and just plain fun. If it’s just you, set up a party and play with your Xbox Live pals. Even set up reminders for the next live show.
Anyone that’s ever been on a game show can tell you how anxiety ridden just being in front of a camera can be. There’s pressure just to answer questions correctly. This has that on a smaller scale and it’s a lot prettier and immersive than those bar-based trivia things, not to mention it’s had far less contact with questionable bar-fly hands.
Mind you, this was just a beta, but it was the smoothest game test I’ve been involved with in some time. That said, I’m still going to hand this a 5 out of 5. Download this, jump in, set a reminder to join 10s of thousands of gamers in a very unique experience that everyone can play.
