E3 '07: Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action Hands-On

We put our knowledge of movies to the test in Microsoft's recently announced trivia game.

Unveiled at Microsoft's pre-E3 press conference, Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action for the Xbox 360 is a trivia game in which up to four players will test their movie knowledge against each other in about 22 different challenges. Only five of the challenges were playable at E3, and having spent some time with all of them, we can confirm that they're more challenging than those big-buttoned controllers shipping with the game might lead you to believe.

Incidentally, those controllers are wireless but require their own small receiver that you can place atop your TV. Each of the four controllers that will ship with the regular-priced game requires a couple of batteries and has a different-colored large button that determines which player you are: red, yellow, blue, or green. Those big buttons can also be used as D pads, although they weren't used in that way in any of the Scene It? games that we played. The four face buttons are used to answer multiple-choice questions, while the start, back, and guide buttons suggest that the controller might conceivably be versatile enough to navigate the dashboard or even to play other relatively simplistic games.

Anyhow, back to Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action. The challenges that we played included some that required us and others to use the large button to buzz in, which all four players had an opportunity to answer. In both cases, more points were awarded according to how quickly the question was answered, so the odds of any two players ever ending up with the same scores are very slim.

The challenges that we played were quite varied in terms of both content and difficulty. For example, finishing famous movie quotes wasn't too hard, but identifying the names of movies or actors using a series of images that kind of spell them out phonetically was a lot harder for the most part. Answering questions on a two-minute clip of a movie was as much a test of memory as it was of movie knowledge. The same could arguably be said of the challenge where you're tasked with identifying which item has been removed from a single movie frame--without you first getting to see the complete picture. Perhaps the strangest game of the five on show was the one that re-created famous scenes from movies piece by piece in the style of a colorful illustration. Among those that we were asked to recognize were Psycho, North by Northwest, and This is Spinal Tap. All of the illustrations looked quite amusing in the challenge's art style but did little to convince us that Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action will be quite as child-friendly as Microsoft claims.

Currently scheduled for release toward the end of this year, Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action will feature more than1,800 all-new questions. It also seems reasonable to assume that additional question packs and the like will be released on Xbox Live eventually. We look forward to bringing you more information as soon as it becomes available.

28 Comments

  • jimmeyrules

    Posted Nov 23, 2007 2:44 pm PT

    Buzz clone. Would be great craic for partys and the likes.

  • Gorilla97

    Posted Nov 10, 2007 8:23 pm PT

    i like it, but its not a game thats going to have you on the edge of your seat shouting at the TV. kinda a laid back, easy goin' kinda game only movie buffs would really enjoy.

  • the_monkey_god

    Posted Oct 29, 2007 8:10 am PT

    This looks like a must buy for me.

  • Venjra

    Posted Sep 13, 2007 1:09 pm PT

    Multiplayer via Xbox Live? or just local multiplayer?

  • mario2295

    Posted Aug 27, 2007 8:22 pm PT

    it looks good for playing with family and i am surprised to see that it is $60 for the game and 4 controllers

  • Dwaaskie

    Posted Aug 21, 2007 5:53 am PT

    Icytower38
    it's already coming for the ps3....
    it's called Buzz!!!!!

  • Sagacious_Tien

    Posted Jul 29, 2007 5:02 am PT

    Nice to see Xbox 360 broadening it's ideas. I can see a lot of applications for this device.

  • zombieman666

    Posted Jul 18, 2007 10:52 am PT

    i will buy this

  • icytower Site moderator

    Posted Jul 15, 2007 4:44 pm PT

    If it was coming to PS3 I would pick this one up.

  • msudude211

    Posted Jul 14, 2007 3:06 pm PT

    Good price for all this.

  • STARS_Splinter

    Posted Jul 13, 2007 9:07 am PT

    actually, this will be perfect for my mates and I, since we're pretty into films (what with my friends having their own production company), so thi'll work out well. Good price, too.

  • zombieman666

    Posted Jul 13, 2007 8:06 am PT

    will this have achivements ?? no seariously

  • yukine

    Posted Jul 13, 2007 12:49 am PT

    I think it looks interesting, but I've played Scene It before and enjoyed it. Just remember kids, you actually need friends to play this one.

  • RunnerGunner480

    Posted Jul 12, 2007 9:46 pm PT

    4 controllers are included, remember. It could be really great.

  • mcwhammer posted Jul 12, 2007 6:39 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    mcwhammer

    Posted Jul 12, 2007 6:39 pm PT (hide)

    This looks like a Fisher Price toy to me. You'd have to be a baby to buy this! A rich little baby, but a baby nonetheless!

    I don't see this one being successful.

  • mark_unix posted Jul 12, 2007 11:42 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    mark_unix

    Posted Jul 12, 2007 11:42 am PT (hide)

    rip-off, first you buy a $49 pack and then they rip you off another $200 for new add-ons.

  • TintedChimes

    Posted Jul 12, 2007 10:26 am PT

    This doesn't look that great, it looks hard and it doesn't seem family friendly for the younger crowd. You'll have to watch a lot of movies so they'll most likely be 14-15 for the kids. This just seems like its weird, but who knows maybe it'll be a blast. If anything, it'll make a decent drinking game.

  • BulletProof007

    Posted Jul 12, 2007 10:00 am PT

    It will be interesting to see how well this sells on the 360 ? I think its a good move for Microsoft though.

  • Pete5506

    Posted Jul 12, 2007 9:52 am PT

    I know I am going to go pick this one up

  • JLuke360

    Posted Jul 12, 2007 9:49 am PT

    Scene It? Seems interesting, but the controller really warrants that other trivia games be made to use it. A Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Game?

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