“…an all-round hilarious experience.”
Got a big party coming up? Are your friends coming round but you have nothing to break the ice with and keep them entertained? Or perhaps you are sat at home with your family wishing you had some fun filled activity that everyone can get in on. In any of these cases, The Jackbox Party Pack 2 is probably exactly what you are looking for. A collection of five hilarious and very different party games with a friendlier than average price tag attached to them, The Jackbox Party Pack 2 provides many evenings of good fun, laughs and excitement. I took each one on in turn to see what exactly was on offer.
Fibbage 2
First on the menu is Fibbage 2, the goal in which is to lie to your friends in the most ridiculous but believable way possible. The game is similar in style to Balderdash, the classic and superbly entertaining party board game. You will find yourself earning points based on how many people you can tease into believing your lies, and more still if you can see through theirs too. A simple but very competitive and fast-thinking game then, this one will make you shout out loud in both disbelief and victory by the end.
So how does it work? As with the other games in the Jackbox Party Pack 2, you use your everyday mobile devices as controllers for the game. In the case of Fibbage 2, this allows you to have up to 8 players in the game, with any extra competitors making up an unlimited audience who can play along too. A question or fact will appear on the screen with a space which needs to be filled. You create a false answer to trick your comrades on your device’s screen, and when they are all in the answers appear on your TV screen alongside the truth, which is when the guessing game begins!
Fibbage 2 is one of the most fun and re-playable games in the bundle, with enough variety in questions to ensure that repetitiveness is kept to a minimum. The game and the style of play never get old and are not easy to tire of, with bedtime making me stop playing much sooner than a desire to kicked in. If you want to play but nobody is around to play with, it is an ideal game for streaming too. You attach devices as controllers via an external website and by using an on-screen code. This means that as long as someone else somewhere is watching and wants to play, you will never be alone for long in your venture, and can play whenever you like!
Earwax
And now for something completely different! Earwax is next on the list, and is a truly unique game to play. One player selects a category or statement from a list and acts as the judge for that round. The other players are given a list of sounds, and must combine two of these to match the judge’s statement in either the most accurate or downright hilarious way they can think of. The winner is whoever the judge chooses, so the rules are very much your own to decide on. However you choose to make your judgements however, entertainment is guaranteed.
Earwax stands out as perhaps the most hilarious game in the bundle, largely down to its nonsensical nature. It is also infinitely re-playable, with the possibility for any sounds popping up to help you create your concoction relating to any of the outlandish categories on offer. So, if you are looking for a night of non-stop laughter for around 3 to 8 people, Earwax might be exactly what you are looking for.
Bidiots
Another unusual and truly unique game, Bidiots sets you the challenge of drawing two pictures as randomly selected by the game on your mobile device. Once all players have done this, you are given some information on which illustrations are worth the most and you must attempt to decipher what your friends have drawn. Spend your money well, and you might make a big profit and find yourself winning the game. Mistake a spoon for a doorbell however and losses might be all that comes your way.
The game is probably the most dynamic of the selection on offer, with players only having a finite amount of money to spend on their desired artworks. Between rounds however you are able to call the bank for a loan if you wish, but as in real life you might find that doing so costs you more than you gain. Requiring tact, wit and a keen eye for finding the right price for a work of art, Bidiots is highly competitive in a way that the other games lack. If the going gets tough, you have the opportunity to screw your fellow players over too. Quite literally, in fact. Confusion and calamity are the end results of this game, but if that is exactly the sort of craziness that you are looking for then get your mobiles ready and hop to it – you’ll find its quite the adventure!
Quiplash XL
Quiplash XL is an interactive “would you rather” game in which two players put the wildest answers they can think of to a question, leaving their friends to chose their favourite and deal out the points. Anything can happen in this game, with the laws of sense and reason going very much out of the window. Depending on your friendship group, you might find that the more questionable sides of people’s personalities shine through too, leading to shock, awe and once again unlimited room for laughter.
Perhaps the most basic and open of all of the games in the bundle, Quiplash XL has the key advantage of letting players’ imaginations and senses of humour run wild. There is also almost zero chance of the same situations coming up twice, as even the same question will likely come out with quite different answers. There is only one downside to the game, and that is if you choose to play with strangers online via streaming, the game can quickly turn into a pointless, vulgar mess. Play it with the right crowd of friends or family however, and the great experience which come across with the rest of the Party Pack shines through here too.
Bomb Corp.
Bomb Corp. is the most unique game of the collection, moving away from the game show style of play. 1 to 4 players team up to defuse bombs around an office block. There is even a basic storyline to be followed, but once again much of the sense that you might look for elsewhere is very absent here. The game works with each player in the game being given different facts. Only by using all of these together and communicating quickly and clearly with team mates can the bombs be disarmed successfully before time runs out and the office goes boom.
Bomb Corp. puts you in the kind of scenarios usually akin to job interviews and team building exercises at school. Working together often results in stressful situations and disarming the deadly bombs will test the lengths to which your self-control can hold itself together. A fun game in its own right, Bomb Corp. represents a comedic challenge to players. What could be questioned however is its place in this collection, as it does not quite fit to the house style of the bundle as a whole. Nevertheless, as yet another good gameplay experience the game is hard to fault.
As you can tell, the games which make up The Jackbox Party Pack 2 all contribute to what is an all-round hilarious experience. There are hours of fun to be had in a collection of titles which never get old and never cease to entertain. Easily a competitor for major AAA party games such as Just Dance, Mario Party or the like, The Jackbox Party Pack 2 never gets old, and the only thing it makes you want to do instead of playing is wait for the next one!
The Good:
– Unlimited hours of hilarious fun to be had across the whole collection.
– A good variety of games each with their own unique charm and quirks.
– The perfect party collection, easily rivalling its larger AAA competitors.
– Playing the game via mobile devices allows all of your friends to play.
– Ideal for streaming, meaning it is always to find people to play with.
The Bad:
– Streaming the game runs the risk of vulgar strangers spoiling the fun.
– Bomb Corp. is good in its own right but does not fully fit the bundle’s style.
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
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