E3 '07: EA Casual Wii Trivia Game Hands-On

There isn't a trivia game out yet for the Nintendo Wii, but EA will rectify that later this year with its upcoming trivia/party game with a name that has yet to be announced. A little thing like lack of a name didn't stop the software giant from showing off the game at E3, though, and we were able to jump into a four-person game to test our minds, as well as our arms.

This new trivia game is being hailed as the first one that's suitable for the entire family. If you've ever played the Trivial Pursuit board games, you know that there's no such thing as a "universal" trivia game. Either the questions are geared toward adults with their years of knowledge, or you have to buy separate versions that are geared toward kids or fans of certain television shows. But EA's trivia game will challenge both young and old; when you create a profile in the game you input your birth year, which determines the questions that are thrown your way. If you're 8, you'll get easy questions. For example, you might be given a multiple choice question (all questions are multiple choice) with a different number in each answer box. The question: "Which number is odd?" On the other hand, grown-ups can expect questions that can be pretty darn difficult, like choosing who was the NFL MVP of a certain Super Bowl, or, given a list of relatively unknown animals, choosing which is the largest.

The game will feature 20,000 questions, which means a lot of replayability. Even more interesting are the modes. A family mode challenges you and up to four other players to answer as many questions together as you can in a limited amount of time. The game cycles through the players, asking each a different question. The other players can help by jumping up and down or shaking, dancing, or performing other movements to help slow the clock. Then there's a tug-of-war minigame that has your team try to earn extra time by furiously "pulling" their Wii controllers in order to defeat the computer. There will also be competitive modes, such as one that requires you to raise your hand (holding the controller) to answer the question.

Like many Wii games, the trivia game has a very family-friendly appearance. Your avatars are basically Miis, and the presentation is colorful and simple. This looks like a pretty solid trivia game, and it manages to combine both brain challenges and physical ones. The game is due out for the holidays, and it should have a name by then.