Celebrating 10 Years Of Club Penguin's Operation Blackout

Remember back in 2012 when people thought the world was going to end because of an absurd misunderstanding of how the Mayan Calendar works? People were churning out books, songs and even Minecraft mods based around it, and yet on the 21st December, nothing happened. Which, being a major skeptic of the whole business in the first place, I wasn't surprised at all. Besides, as long as you didn't take the mass hysteria over the whole deal into account, there were absolutely zero signs of this so-called apocalypse about to occur during the "build-up" to it.

...Except in Club Penguin. For about a week, the apocalypse really was coming. And it was the most badass moment in the franchise of all time.

It's exactly ten years since the famous Operation Blackout mission occurred and ended in Club Penguin. Originally planned to last from the 14th November to the 4th December 2022, it received so much positive feedback that it got extended by two days.

The live-action Disney Channel promotions were outright dire and didn't get the whole scope of the mission across. It was just teenagers explaining to each other what you had to do and making it seem like light-hearted fare. The adverts made by the game itself though really let you know what you were in for. It showed that for once, Club Penguin as you knew it was know more and would now go into straight-up dystopia territory.

Essentially, longtime villain Herbert P. Bear, after failing to stop the E.P.F. spy organisation that protects Club Penguin Island, finally proved he was more than a joke villain. He now planned to block out the sun in order to freeze his penguin enemies to death. He'd already made the machine, which was causing an eternal winter to come about the island in response...and he successfully destroyed the E.P.F. base to make sure they couldn't do anything.

Of course, Herbert had ended the P.S.A. (the originally spy organisation) sometime back when he blew up the facilities...with a popcorn bomb. Yep, you read that right. A popcorn bomb. And despite the place looking pretty bad on the inside as a result of the explosion, that was the extent. Barely anyone except the P.S.A. themselves reacted when the explosion happened, and the E.P.F. replaced it soon afterwards anyway. Certainly a far cry from setting another building on fire and having fire engines failing to put it out.

Why Herbert planned to block out the sun and freeze the island over when he himself hates the cold and would have risked death himself is a mystery. I'm guessing though that he was planning to give them an ironic death and was making sure to stay safe in his own lair, so that when the penguins were no more, he could just undo everything and then turn the island into a warm paradise for himself.

Fridge logic aside, the rest of the mission is ingenious. All the other E.P.F. members are being hunted down and being cryogenically frozen in order to stop them from interfering with Herbert's plans. Meanwhile, you as the player have to complete set tasks in order to shut down the machine that Herbert is using to block out the sun. Oh, and the whole time, Herbert has turned the island into a dictatorship where fun is banned and the only play you can watch is of his "life story".

Yes, this all happens in a family-friendly online game. It's both horrifying and amazing at the same time. Both a mixture of dystopia and spy thriller. If you encounter anyone who claims that Club Penguin was just simplistic "kiddie" fair, let them know about this mission and it will help change their mind.

And as for when you do complete the mission? You get treated to an epic cutscene in which sunlight returns to the island, the E.P.F. are freed and Herbert is forced to watch his plans fall apart from a distance. It's not even like the other cutscenes that you received in other missions - it has a genuinely cinematic vibe.

Best of all though? The Director, previously one for hiding their identity, finally reveals themself...and it's none other than Aunt Arctic everyone's favourite agony aunt and the top suspect for being the Director's true identity in the eyes of the fans. It's a wonderful moment, and the voice acting that they chose to add for the scene really heightens it.

In the eyes of many fans, this is where the franchise peaked. The story was brilliant, the gameplay amazing and it really changed the course of the game. It had gone to places it would never have explored beforehand, Herbert was no longer a joke and the Director's identity was no longer hidden. It's kind of a bummer that everything else that happened in the franchise afterwards was just Disney using it to piggyback their own franchises, but the mission still has a positive impression on fans today.

For more discussion on why Operation Blackout was such an awesome moment for Club Penguin from a Club Penguin fan's perspective, I highly recommend checking out YouTuber Keyan Carlile's video essay on the mission and its history here, which really helped give me a new insight into it and goes into depth on the love and talent put into it by the game developers and fans. There are also many fan projects that exist out there linked with it, as well as the walkthroughs that you can watch in case you were unable to play the mission while it was happening.

The Top 7 Nitrome Characters I'd LOVE To See In Death Battle!

[NOTE: All screenshots of the characters come from Nitrome's own games. Some either came from the original games themselves, or had to be screen-capped from other videos due to Flash not working anymore on them.]

So Shovel Knight Dig has now been released, and I couldn't be happier. The first Shovel Knight game is a classic with a brilliant cast of characters and several shout outs to the old NES era of video games. Being someone who's into works that pay homage to their older forms and have great characters I can root for, it's no wonder that it's one of my favourite modern games out there.

But the thing that really grabbed my interest about the game's sequel is that Yacht Club Games co-developed it with the British indie game company Nitrome. Nostalgia pretty much hit me when I found that out. I grew up with the Nitrome games long before getting into the international brands such as Nintendo. Plenty of them are parodies and homages to video games that already exist, but with a unique twist to them. And they have an interesting style and sense of humour to them too.

Shovel Knight was already in Death Battle, but before this game even went into conception. Otherwise, no Nitrome character has ever appeared in a fight. And I would really like it if they were. Some have interesting fighting styles, some have interesting concepts and some are just entertaining in their own right. Additionally, given their homage statuses, it could be fascinating to watch them fight the characters they were originally based on.

So here is a list of seven Nitrome characters who I would be delighted to see in Death Battle if they get the chance to do so. Hopefully this gives people an idea on what kind of games they release and just why I fell in love with these games in the first place. I will also try to hypothesise who they could go up against and whether my matchup choices are actually good ideas or not. Without further ado, let's begin!

7. Canary 214-LE from Canary.

In this surprisingly creepy game, this little worker was supposed to help his company mine for crystals and other valuable resources on an asteroid they had colonised, before aliens invaded and corrupted the other canaries via their own equipment. Despite being a rookie, Canary 214-LE was forced to fight for his life as things spiralled out of controlled.

Like the other canaries, he comes with the standard canary mining equipment and suit. He carries a laser gun that he can use to cut through rocks (very handy considering his size) and kill enemies, though he cannot keep it on too long in case it overheats. He even comes equipped with a jetpack so he can cut rock in higher places and just fly about the colony itself, even into space.

I doubt that this little guy has had any fighting experience beforehand, and the hazards he has to face are either almost his size or much larger than him. And yet he still manages to prevail. Also, it might be because he's one of those protagonists who doesn't talk, but he seems to manage to make his way through without having a visible freak-out of some kind, despite the horrors he encounters. He may have been panicking on the inside, but he doesn't let it get in the way of escaping. Now THAT'S having some real guts right there.

Potential Opponents: Survival horror is the genre I associate this game with, so maybe a hapless worker who has had to survive some horrifying event. Alternatively, Drogoz from Paladins is a miner who wears a jetpack and searches for crystals, so there are some similarities there (though their personalities and backstories are completely different).

6. Blue from Test Subject Blue.

Blue in his pro-suit.

Blue is a fascinating little creature. He's an enzyme that is currently being tested by his creator, a scientist named Professor Egghead, in order to see how he reacts to dangers such as other enzymes. Unfortunately, the scientist's evil rival Dr. Nefarious ends up raiding the lab in order to take Blue for himself, leading to Blue having to go on an arduous journey to stop him and possibly save the world.

Blue has two exosuits that he moves around in. The first one is the proto-suit, which allows him to shoot proton bullets and either jump or crouch to avoid danger. It's also capable of creating a proton beam, if Test Subject Arena is any indication. The second one is Rex209, which shoots at a faster pace and can walk on ceilings at the cost of speed and mobility. It can even can talk. Both suits are fragile, but more than make up for it with their offenses.

For the sake of anyone who has not played the games yet, I will not spoil a major plot twist surrounding the little guy himself, but I will say that there is more to his powers than you would expect and essentially involve healing (though he can't heal himself). It also means that another character who he has a deep connection with could also be a potential fighter I'd like to see in Death Battle, but again, I won't give away spoilers.

Potential Opponents: Another tiny creature, preferably one in their own mini mech suit. For the character I'm not spoiling, maybe someone like them who has a similar occupation and had good intentions that went aury due to the mechanations of the villains.

5. Hazmat Hero from Toxic.

Also known as Toxic after the title of his own game, this character is exactly what you'd expect. He goes around in a hazmat suit fighting against evil robots that have taken over our world, all be infiltrating the factories they come from and taking them out there. Some of the robots are particularly challenging, including one that jumps over your head several times during your boss fight with it in the second game.

He has an access to a variety of bombs - some are normal, some create large explosions, some drill through the ground, some stick to surfaces and some create multiple explosions. Overall, whilst it seems that he is limited to just one type of weapon, the different functions that it has more than makes up for this.

Obviously, Hazmat Hero is not invincible. After all, falling in acid can kill him and he can be hurt by the robots. But the hazmat suit I presume protects him from the toxic gases in the factories from the green acid and he has been shown to capable of dodging green lasers. Ultimately, for someone with only a hazmat suit and bombs for defense, he's capable of achieving quite a lot.

Potential Opponents: Someone who also attacks with bombs. Elements of this series, most notably the Mother Brain character, seem to be inspired by Metroid, but I wouldn't choose Samus Aran as an opponent myself because I feel she might have too much of an advantage. Caustic from Apex Legends also has a poison gas theme with his protective suit and drops explosives (in his case, toxic gas grenades), but the backstories and personalities for the characters are again drastically different, so I don't know. It would be interesting though to see a good guy go up against someone who skirts the line between hero and villain.

4. Dirk Valentine from Dirk Valentine and the Fortress of Steam.

Steampunk has always been a favourite genre of mine, so naturally I was drawn to a character with that vibe. Dirk Valentine is an ace soldier, spy and adventurer who aids the British empire in fighting against Baron Battenberg and his steam-powered war machines. Essentially, he's a renaissance man who's able to keep up a stiff upper lip like any good steampunk-inspired Brit should.

He's got a pretty interesting weapon too - the chain cannon. Created by the genius inventor Monty, the chain cannon not only allows Valentine to attack his enemies, but also to create bridges that he can walk across. When attacking his enemies, the chains essentially turn into projectiles that are strong enough to take out robot soldiers and giant floating mechs capable of shooting projectiles themselves.

Also, he saved freaking Queen Victoria. I mean, how impressive is that? Thanks to him, the Baron was defeated and Britain was able to take on his remaining forces. If that's not an impressive feat for a gentleman general like Dirk, I don't know what else is.

Potential Opponents: Another steampunk general. Alternatively, Henry Hatsworth is also a quintessential British gentleman like him who has fought against mechs and mech suits in his own game. And they both like their tea. Whatever fight he ends up in, I want it to be as stereotypically British as possible. ;)

3. Austin Carter (plus Justin Bennett) from Nitrome Must Die!.

Austin and Justin. Justin is on the left and Austin is on the right.

You know those online trolls who get super pissy if a work doesn't do things the way they want? Well, goth wannabe Austin Carter is one of those, having an irrational hatred of the Nitrome company due to their games being too difficult for his tastes. But he goes a step further than most trolls - he heads over to the headquarters and ACTIVELY GOES OUT OF HIS WAY TO TAKE THEM DOWN. Oh, and he brought his fellow internet troll and Kenny McCormick lookalike Justin Bennett along for the ride too.

Austin may be a simple everyday cynic and killjoy without any superpowers, but thanks to discovering some guns in the bins outside the headquarters before heading in, he's got a sweet arsenal at his disposition. He's got shotguns, a bow and arrow, even a gun that shoots tiny drills. Whatever the situation is, he nearly always has a solution for it in the form of murder and violence.

Throughout his rampage, he took down quite a few major Nitrome characters. For instance, he defeated a mecha equivalent of Godzilla, which is about ten times his height and is powerful enough to destroy buildings in Tokyo much bigger than it is, if its origin game Rubble Trouble Tokyo is any indication. He also took out the moon from Cheese Dreams while it was possessed by the titular Parasite and even a giant robotic nose shooting out living snot balls (yes, there is context). And of course, he fought the CEO of Nitrome while the latter was in a mech, highlighting how serious he was in his quest to take down the company.

In short, he's a character Nitrome fans love to hate. And considering that Death Battle has a reputation for some rather vocal fans getting pissed off whenever a fight doesn't go their way, it would be interesting to witness Wiz and Boomstick discussing Austin in that light. The same goes for Justin too.

Potential Opponents: Another hardcore internet troll or hater. Any of the trolls from Homestuck could do, since he seems to be inspired by them and they also have a love for violence and hate. Plus, given the types of characters that Austin has defeated, he could probably fight against the trolls easily. Alternatively, Wascot from Monday Night Combat, who is a deranged fanboy intend on killing the mascot Bullseye and has a gun that shoots out explosive projectiles.

2. Takeshi from Final Ninja.

Takeshi's story is pretty deep by Nitrome standards. Sometime in the future, when corporate businesses are at war with each other, he was training to becoming a ninja for one of these businesses, run by Akuma. But on what was supposed to be simply his first mission, he ended up having to face off against the diabolical Maxwell Merlock and his partner Dr. Victor Boshi.

His ninja suit allows him to shoot out ninja stars to harm his enemies from a distance, shoot out wires to swing from and even turn invisible whilst stationary. He can even take on the guise of another character if he really needs too. Those ninjas stars are pretty versatile too - they don't just blow up machines, they can even allow Takashi to control certain enemy drones and turn them against his opponents.

Later on, despite becoming an old man, Takeshi has clearly taken a level in skill and power. When he tried to leave for a quiet life and Akuma set his forces on him, he was able to defeat them all with ease. And when donning the ninja suit once more to take out Akuma once and for all, he was able to defeat his forces and two robots BY HIMSELF. Quite a far cry from when he first started out and needed a bit of help from Akuma's forces and Lady Snow Fox.

Potential Opponents: Another ninja who has probably also grown old and jaded with his original profession. Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid could also be an interesting choice - he's not a ninja, but he also relies on stealth and has become jaded over the years. Additionally, Final Ninja is inspired by certain elements from the Metal Gear franchise, so meeting up with his game's inspiration could make sense to Takeshi in some ways. Snake might have a major advantage though.

1. The Climber from Frostbite and Thin Ice.

Both cute AND badass, the Climber hunts down creatures and climbs mountains, and is a computer game character I have grown up with my whole life. She's essentially a combination of Popo and Nana from Ice Climbers, combining Popo's outer appearance with Nana's gender. But she doesn't go for the straight-forward and basic approach of a simple large hammer. Instead, her main weapon of choice is a grappling hook that allows her to climb mountains more easily and give her the field advantage whenever she has to participate in a boss fight. The grappling hook has also allowed her to shoot down enemies and even rip out the eyeball of a giant cyclops ram creature (quite gory for such a cute-looking game). When not using her grappling hook though, she likes to go ice-skating on frozen lakes and use them to create holes to sink monsters into.

She's traversed twenty mountains and twenty frozen lakes, defeating monsters such as the aforementioned cyclops monster, a giant caterpillar creature that she tore various segments off, a giant woolly rhino and a giant (notice a pattern?) ape creature that can summon bats and troll-like critters. Oh, and did I also mention that the rhino and ape creature were defeated simply by jumping onto them about four times?! Not only is the Climber an ace with her grappling hook, but she's super strong with her feet considering her height as well.

Also, this was the first ever "playing as a girl" plot twist I ever came across in a game, which was always something that remained with me. Plus, unlike Samus Aran (no offence here, I love her character too), the Climber has not fallen into the pitfalls of being sexualised or being "softened" in an insulting manner for a later game (goddamnit Other M, you stupid game). She's still the same adventurer who likes to hunt monsters and conquer mountains.

Potential Opponents: As mentioned, Popo (or possibly Nana) from Ice Climber. It would be an interesting long-range versus short-range fight and I can imagine them duking it out as they race to reach the top of a mountain.

These are just the ones I have chosen so far, due to some others have having finicky and complicated powers that may not translate so well to death battles, but there are plenty more Nitrome games and characters out there. I highly recommend you check them out on this website here - some of the games are still only available in Flash, but some have been converted to HTML5 for now. I also recommend going on the Nitrome wiki to watch embedded playthroughs of some of the games, as well as this video here in order to listen to the awesome music from the franchise (thanks to Veezenn for uploading these songs!). :)

My Review Of The Jackbox Party Pack 6

The Jackbox Party Pack 6 poster.

The most recent of the Jackbox Party Packs (until the seventh one came out that was) and one of the most solid ones out there. There's no drawing game here unfortunately if you're into that genre (unlike in previous party packs), but one of the games does have a round focused on drawing, so that more than makes up for it.

I will also be making some livestream recommendations throughout for some of the games, just to let you know. Alright, let's start!

Trivia Murder Party 2.

I said in my Jackbox Party Pack 3 review that Trivia Murder Party is one of my favourite Jackbox games of all time. However, if I had to narrow it down to which is my number one favourite Jackbox game, its sequel certainly takes the cake. The first game I feel has the best delivery of the questions, but its sequel more than makes up for that with the new features that it brings to the series.

In contrast to the first game, this one is a lot more narrative-driven, with even more backstory provided for our favourite nerdy serial killer. This time, he has moved back into his family's Murder Hotel and is continuing his twisted trivia game there. Some old minigames have returned such as Chalices and the dreaded Loser Wheel, but there are new ones such as Dumb Waiter (which works in a similar way to Choices, Choices), Tattoos (in which you must give [REDACTED] a tattoo whilst he makes dirty noises) and Mirror (which involves handwriting). Somehow, Quiplash itself has become a minigame that you can play with two players, and yes, Schmitty is there to host it! Told you that you can't have a Party Pack without Phil Ridarelli! Poor Schmitty though. Why can't [REDACTED] let him out of the hotel for once?

My favourite aspect of all though is the Gifts minigame, which has replaced the finger-cutting minigame. Oh sure, you still have to chop a finger or two off if you receive the Knife gift, but the other gifts have different purposes. The best one is clearly the Father's Hat though - turns out [REDACTED] has some severe daddy issues and so he will fuck you over big time if you get this gift. And if you escape with any of the gifts...well, I can't spoil what happens, but just take into account that the game won't be over at that point (so don't try and quit the game when the credits start!).

Otherwise, the game has the same wickedly dark humour of the original, the same delightfully crazy host and the same awesomely catchy music. Definitely the best game of this pack by far.

Role Models.

A new and unusual premise for a Jackbox game. Lead on by your easygoing if somewhat sarcastic scientist host (voiced by Leila Gorstein) and her assistant, consisting of two eyes and floating hands, you will make your way through certain prompts and match other players up with the "role" that suits them best.

These rounds are very fun and wacky, almost like something from the Buzzfeed quizzes. Examples include types of people at a college party, types of ghosts and Disney Princesses, but also types of drinks and characters from Pretty Little Liars. Different roles will pop up and you vote for which player matches said role. Sometimes there will be a tie, in which case the players will have to complete tasks to fight for the roles.

There's still competition to get the most points from correct guesses and passing the set tasks, but overall it's very relaxed compared to other games and most certainly unique. The only downside is that as it requires knowing about the other players, you won't be able to play it with random people from the audience if you play this game during a livestream. That said, it's nice to play something suitable for a close-knit group once in a while.

For streamers, this will probably be the best game to play at the end of your Jackbox-themed livestream. It's very relaxing and whilst you will still be competing for points, you're not trying to get any questions correct or come up with something impressive (unless you end up with one of the rounds in which you compete for a particular role).

Dictionarium.

This one is all about words...and also their meaning. In this game, players are given made up words that they must create a new definition for, before then coming up with a new synonym for it and an example of how it can be used in a sentence. Each round, the players vote for their favourite options, as happens a lot in Jackbox james. Being someone who studied English Language in Sixth Form, this game already grabbed my interest from the start.

It's not just the gameplay that I enjoy though. The host (voiced by Olivia Nielsen) is extremely chipper and has a unique accent, thus making her a complete joy to have around. This game also has one of the best designs of any Jackbox game, with angels and devils popping up frequently. The main designer for this game was Tim Sniffen, so big shout out to him.

This is probably the best Jackbox Party Pack 6 to start your Jackbox livestream with due to the way it tests your creativity. Plus, it's just really lighthearted and fun given the subject matter. Certainly worth checking out.

Push The Button.

This game has a similar premise to Fakin' It in that players much find the faker(s), but then takes it in a new direction. This time, aliens have invaded a spaceship and the players must guess which other player(s) are said aliens in disguise.

Your A.I. leader D.O.D.E. (voiced by Surena Marie) will give you certain tasks to complete, with a captain assigning certain people to complete tasks such as drawing or answering questions. In the same vein as Fakin' It, the aliens get different prompts. One of the things that helps for livestreams this time is that due to the lack of the physical actions such as pointing and making faces that Fakin' It had, it's easy to play without face-cams and whilst it's best to play with people you know, you can still play with your audience members.

Another difference between this game and Fakin' It is that the aliens stay the same for the whole game. The assigned captain has the choice to "push the button", which means they can select the players they think are the aliens. Once everyone not chosen says yes to the choices, the chosen players are ejected. If the choices are correct, the humans win. However, even if one choice is won, the remaining aliens eject the humans and win instead. There's also a timer for the whole game and the aliens will win if time runs out. Overall, it increases the stakes for each side and makes for an interesting departure from Fakin' It, as well as a fun game in its own right.

I will say one thing though - more times than not, the aliens will win. I had seen playthroughs where the humans have won, but the aliens gaining the ability to hack and also being able to "push the button" in order to vote out who they want gives them a pretty gross advantage. That said, it does not ruin any enjoyment for the game - if anything, it's fun to watch the reactions of those playing the humans when they find out that they've been betrayed. X)

Joke Boat.

A very unusual premise from Jackbox with an interesting aesthetic theme, the premise of this game is to tell the funniest jokes whilst on a shoddy cruise liner. You'll be given a joke template that you must complete (such as the famous "How many ____ does it take to change a lightbulb?" joke) and then tell the others. At first glance, this seems a bit limiting. You just get a certain amount of templates. Luckily though, humans are a creative sort of creature so this doesn't become a problem at all. If anything, it's fun to see all of the different variations of the same joke template.

The naval aspect is one of the biggest draws. Captain Chuck (voiced by Kevin Sciretta) is not only an eccentric sort of naval officer, but he also is a terrible navigator. I mean, he keeps on crashing and sinking his ship against the same rubber duck in the final round! Additionally, he only offers a lifejacket to the winner, so everything else sinks with the ship. Utterly incompetent, but at the same time very memorable and entertaining. He also has a naval diary that pops up whenever you're finishing off tasks, so you can always get laughs out of it whilst waiting for others to finish off their jokes. I also like the idea of ventriloquist puppets being the player icons - normally ventriloquist puppets come off as creepy, but somehow the game makes them downright adorable.

A word of advice though - the tutorial plays an important role in this game as you'll be asked to come up with as many topics as possible. If you're able to do so, it makes the game even more enjoyable but if you're unable to do so, you can be very limited on what you can joke about. In a sense, this is another game that makes for a good first game on a Jackbox livestream if you want to flex your creative muscles.

Everybody Help Grandma.

This is what the menu screen would have looked like if the game had been released. Just look at all those pretty doilies! :D

Okay, this was actually an April Fool's Day joke that Jackbox did, but I still want to discuss it. Allegedly, the premise was that everyone would have to, well, help Grandma out with several chores. As the game has never been released (so far), we'll never know if the gameplay was that good or not, but the mock trailer for it is priceless. Ryan DiGiorgi does such a good job at making it sound as convincing as possible and actually made me want to see this become a real thing in the future.

Fun fact about the grandma in the menu screen - that was a character taken from the Jackbox Games Office Game Jam game Assisted Leaving, in which two old people must work together to get out of the assisted living building they are stuck in. The Jackbox Games Office Game Jam consisted of projects that Jackbox worked on that were not intended to be released to the public, but were instead ways for the staff members to try out jobs that they hadn't practiced before as well as ways to experiment with different game types. They've livestreamed some of the games on their channel if you want to check them out (here's the one for Super Crash Botherers and here's the one for Assisted Leaving and Walking Sim).


So yeah, that's all of Jackbox Party Pack 6 to discuss. In general, it's definitely one of the best out there. As I said earlier, TMP 2 is definitely the main highlight, but the other games are also very good with their own little quirks. Livestream wise, I would recommend starting yours off with both Dictionarium and Joke Boat (you can choose the order), before moving on to Push The Button and Trivia Murder Party 2 and then finally cooling down with Role Models, though you may have different ideas on what makes for the best livestream structure.

Overall, it's easy to see why the Jackbox Party Packs are so popular. They're extremely fun and varied, with different games appealing to different people. Let's hope that Jackbox Party Pack 7 keeps up the tradition! :D

My Review Of The Jackbox Party Pack 5

The Jackbox Party Pack 5 poster.

The fifth and final game has been revealed for the Jackbox Party Pack 7 - Blather 'Round, a game that involves guessing a chosen topic via given clues during a set amount of time. And given that I was on a hiatus at the time, all five games have now been demonstrated on the Jackbox YouTube channel. But that doesn't mean that this will be the final Party Pack review I'll be posting!

The Jackbox Party Pack 5 sees the return of the You Don't Know Jack franchise along with some brand new games. Some of them make some particularly bold choices when it comes to gameplay.

You Don't Know Jack: Full Stream.

The Full Stream title screen.

Jack is back! This time, the megalomaniac streaming service Binjpipe has bought up the rights to the in-universe YDKJ show and Cookie is being forced to comply to their demands. Not only do we get the old rounds, but as a result, we get new rounds such as "Binjpipe Recommends" (which consists of Binjpipe recommending particular works based on a users interests) and "Data Mining" (which consists of looking at "search" data and trying to find out who it belongs to). Now whilst a premise like this could risk coming off as "trying to stay relevant", it actually gets handled pretty well. The voice of Binjpipe is a creepy yet seductive woman voiced by Alyssa Davis, who previously hosted Civic Doodle, and she aces it as someone who is controlling the increasingly frustrated Cookie and will just not leave him alone.

The game can now allow up to eight players and includes an audience bonus, in which they can cause the players to gain less bonus money if another audience members answer correctly to the same questions. The final Jack Attack round works different to past Jack Attacks in that multiple answers will pop up on the screen to select from rather than just one - it's odd, but still rather interesting. Also, the gibberish question is back! You won't lose money (well, you will, but it's treated as a general wrong answer) or be kicked out for typing in "fuck you" this time though - Cookie will just get annoyed and make you watch a silly video or read an exasperated essay on your device.

Whilst it's a shame that some characters like the Old Man do not make a return during the actual gameplay itself, you can still hear them during the credits in the famed commercials (those are always a treat). Overall, a satisfying entry in the YDKJ franchise that takes bold risks and yet stays faithful to the most beloved aspects of other installments.

Patently Stupid.

Yet another fun drawing game from Jackbox Games. This time, you are given the task for inventing something that can solve the problem given to you on your device, complete with a name, an image of what the invention looks like and a catchy slogan. You must then present your invention and try and get funded with enough money, with the winning player being the one who gains the most money. The first round has individual problems being solved, whilst the second round involves everyone responding to the same prompt.

Your seminar is hosted by Toby and Lena, who are totally trustworthy people who definitely don't have any ulterior motives with regard to your inventions. Jackbox regular Phil Ridarelli voices Toby whilst Alex Frenkel voices Lena, and they do an excellent job voicing this friendly-sounding duo who still have some tricks up their sleeves.

It's especially ideal to play this game with a group of friends in the same room - it will make it much easier to present all the information you need on your invention. That said, the Present For Me prompt that you can use on livestreams can get downright priceless at times - Toby and Lena will do most of the talking for you, even if your invention is downright ridiculous or vulgar. Oh, and Gene is also back for this game, so he's always bound to come up with something amusing.

Split The Room.

This game has a very Twilight Zone-esque feel to it, which suits the premise of it well. Your host, who happens to a humanised greyscale cat (as well as a very clever reference to Schrodinger's cat) will take you on a journey through alternate dimensions. What this means is that you will be be given a prompt to fill in the blank for, which requires a yes or no answer from the other players. The aim is to present a prompt that will cause an equal split between the votes - the more balanced the votes are, the more points you earn. The final round involves a situation where one choice has been presented, but you must come up with the alternative choice.

Plenty of these scenarios are downright insane and it becomes hilarious when you see what people filled in the blanks with. The host obviously has a mysterious vibe to himself, but as he is voiced by the irreverent Tim Sniffen (who you may remember from Bidiots), he has some very witty and sarcastic comments to offer to lighten the mood too. In a way, the juxtaposition of seriousness and humour works well to this game's advantage, along with the premise itself, making it a good one to try out if you're playing this party pack for the first time.

Mad Verse City.

This is a very quirky and fun game to play and it has a very interesting premise. This is one of the few Jackbox games to be hosted by real life people (in this case, rapper Shadow Master MC and DJ Raych) rather than fictional characters, which not only provides an interesting take on the hosting business, but also allows these two to provide their hosting chops as well as musical talents. As expected from a game about rapping, it also has some great music, especially the end credits song, along with a really nifty art style that reminds me of street graffiti.

The players are given two phrases that they must fill in the blank for, and then write sentences that rhyme with their answers. These become the rap verses that players use to throw down against each other, and players vote for who performed the best rap. Honestly, I feel this works perfectly - I have read poems before where all the writer had to do was fill in the blanks (true story), which just seemed uncreative and stale. But with this game, the writing format allows you more creative freedom whilst also giving you helpful prompts. Obviously the flows of the rapping can be rather slow compared to real-life rapping due to the artificial voices provided, but then again, the characters are robots so it makes sense.

The robot theme also works well - they are all themed after pieces of retro technology such as radios and floppy disks, which adds a nice touch. Oh, and Gene is back for this game too, now in full robot mode. In fact, it may have been this game that made him somewhat memetic with the Jackbox fans. Definitely a game worth checking out.

Zeeple Dome.

A very different game to the other four in this pack, but still a charming and underrated gem. This is a game that relies on the players working together as a team, since all of you have been captured by aliens and are being forced to take part in a gameshow...hopefully winning your freedom in the process.

The gameplay is very fast-paced - players must fling themselves across the screen to defeat monsters and gain points. There's no time to really stop and think, which poses quite a good challenge. Non-gameplay wise, the characters look downright adorable and the music is just as fast-paced as the gameplay itself. Add a hammy announcer (voiced by Edward Moses) and it does indeed feel like a gameshow...albeit a rather deadly one that your characters never wanted to be part of in the first place.

I still don't understand why the Let's Players I watch have not played this game yet. It's cute and entertaining and above all, very different to the other Jackbox games in general, let alone the ones in this party pack. Overall, this is a game best played with close friends and family, given that stronger teamwork skills will increase your chances of winning.


Overall, we've got some classic gameplay and some entirely new ideas too. Just what we've always wanted from a party pack. ;)

Once Party Pack 7 gets released, I will post my review of Party Pack 6. Obviously I'm still trying to balance this blog with Masters coursework, which is now finished, fortunately, and my creative works (and the hot summer weather did not help either). Hopefully though, the sixth review will be finished earlier than this one now that the coursework is out of the way.

My Review Of The Jackbox Party Pack 4

The Jackbox Party Pack 4 poster.

Due to scheduling conflicts with my Masters dissertation and coursework, I have had to release two Party Pack reviews around the same time due to the fourth game Talking Points recently being announced before the upload of my third review. The Party Pack 3 review is meant to accompany the third game whilst this review is meant to accompany the fourth game.

Anyway, my mistake! Let's crack on with the games already, shall we? X)

Also just a warning - there is a rather lewd screenshot in the Civic Doodle section that is most likely NSFW. I could have avoided using it, but I needed to emphasise a point I was making. Just thought I'd give you a reminder.

Fibbage 3.

Fibbage is back and it has had an extreme makeover. By that, I mean the art-style has now changed completely. Just look at the colourful retro-styled artwork in it! It also has a catchy new theme song. Otherwise, the gameplay is still the same as the previous games and still on top - they also have new picture rounds, which are fun.

A new addition to this game is "Enough About Me, Over To You", in which people can come up with prompts about themselves (for example, "Which of these is MamzelleBoomstick's favourite TV show?"). The first round works like any normal Fibbage round would, but the second one consists of one truth and one lie about yourself. Overall, not much really to say about this other than the fact that it's a fun sequel that adds even more to its series.

Monster Seeking Monster.

A game with a very strange premise, yet still works and is highly enjoyable. Hosted by the sultry Felicia (voiced by Erica Elam), players spend six nights sending texts to each other in the hopes that they score a date and win hearts. There's a twist though - all of the "normal" humans are actually monsters in disguise.

Each monster has a different function that can help them out in different ways. I will not reveal exactly what these functions are in fear of spoilers, but I will say one thing - some of these functions work better if your identity is kept secret. If you are in the lead at the end of a round, your identity is revealed and that can sometimes screw you over.

At the end of the game, everyone's identity is revealed and the monster with the most hearts wins...though one of the monsters has a chance to snatch victory from the potential winner if they fulfill a certain requirement. Again, I will not reveal this in fear of spoilers, but it gets downright crazy.

In general, this is just such a fun and quirky game. The gameplay works well, the artwork is fantastic and the music downright catchy. Definitely worth checking out.

Bracketeering.

So as it turns out, no Jackbox Party Pack is complete without Party Pack regular Phil Ridarelli. He makes his grand return as the host of this game, a larger-than-life character who oozes enthusiasm throughout every round. And as always, he nails the role. In fact, it's just what you need for a crazy fun game like this. X)

The premise of the game itself is essentially a bracket tournament. Players answer the unusual prompt given (for example, "The Best Grandma Name") and then the answers are placed into brackets. The players then vote on which answer proceeds to the next round in each bracket. You won't just win points (known as money in this game) for gaining the most votes on your answers though - you can also win cash for placing bets on the correct answer to go through.

The gameplay during the voting stages is very fast-paced and thus makes the game particularly enjoyable. Up to sixteen players can join the game along with an audience and the theme of gambling in space is a fun one. Furthermore, the tournaments get more varied as gameplay progresses. The second tournament is a "blind" one, meaning you answer one prompt such as "name a type of chocolate" but you don't know what the real prompt is until the answers are sent it (it could be "best name for a clown", for example). The third round is a "triple blind" bracket, meaning the prompts change every round. It certainly keeps the gameplay fresh in the meantime.

The problem I would warn potential gamers about is that due to the fast-paced nature of the game, if your internet connection is not great, it can cause the screen to flicker furiously during the voting stages. Otherwise, the pacing is great, the prompts downright priceless, the space gambling theme fits in well and voila! A treat for everyone to enjoy.

Survive The Internet.

If I had to pick a favourite out of the games in this pack, it would have to be this one. Both extremely cringeworthy, but also downright hysterical, it takes what would potentially be a messed-up premise and somehow makes it work.

Players answer random questions and then other players receive said answers...which they must twist in such a way that it makes the comment look ridiculous. How? By providing a video title, newspaper headline, hashtag or whatever that goes against what the comment is about. The final round changes this so that players choose a random picture and other players provide silly captions for it instead.

For instance, say that someone gets asked what they think of a particular celebrity and they answer "Never cared about that asshole". You receive this answer and must think up a name for a video. You could write "Goku's Deaths In Dragonball" or "Batman's Greatest Moments" and therefore make it look like the other player was hating on a popular and well-liked hero. You win points from votes and your "victim" gets "pity points" to make up for this, with the winning answers getting bonus points.

This game is potentially a haven for trolls due to its premise, which is one potential downside. Fortunately, the V.I.P. has the option of blocking the more problematic answers, which reduces any potential issues. In fact, quite a few of the livestreams I have seen of this game managed to avoid having troll problems, which the more offensive answers mainly due to players who were not familiar with the game - once the first round finished, the answers became (somewhat) more tasteful.

Tom Haley voices Todd, your host in this game, and he does a pretty good job. The real highlight though is Gene, an artificial A.I. who you can play against if you don't have enough players. Gene has become quite a fan favourite amongst Jackbox gamers for good reason, and the bizarre answers he comes up with at times are downright priceless. Overall, this game is definitely worth trying out.

Civic Doodle.

The Old Man from You Don't Know Jack has returned, but this time he has swapped his stagehand job for the role of the Doodle Valley mayor. He now has the (actually pretty ingenious) idea of "beautifying" the town with murals, but unfortunately the initial painters only finished off some of them. It's the players' jobs to finish off these murals.

Unlike most drawing games from Jackbox, people don't get single drawings to complete. Instead, two people make their contributions to their own copies of the mural and then people vote on which is the best. The next two players then make additions to the winning design and then so on until every player has taken part. Afterwards, everyone comes up with a name for the mural and everyone votes on that as well. For the final round, everyone gets the same starter prompt (a portrait for the town hall) and then makes additions to it. Again, it goes for four rounds at most.

This gameplay gets a lot of millage. Some people like this style and some people find it tedious. I personally like it, as it is reminiscent of those old drawing games where one person adds something to a drawing and then the next person does the same. In particular, it becomes comedy gold if the players taking part have dirty minds. As a result, you may be consistently forced to keep looking at some lewd pictures. It's especially painful if you were the one who unwittingly started it. Heck, they may not even be lewd. Just very strange and sometimes political. Always funny though.

"Why is he parading with a burning flag? [...] Am I, like, making a Banksy statement here?" (Note: This screenshot is from one of the Jackbox Games livestreams, which can be seen here.)

The emoji system is particularly interesting - players can give out emojis based on what they think of the drawings, and particular ones can sometimes add to your score if your drawing received the majority of them (for example, a player may score points for gaining the most laughing faces).

Overall, I found this to be a pretty entertaining game. It's the weakest in the pack compared to the others, but it's still a good decent romp (unlike, say, Word Spud). Add Alyssa Davis' brilliant portrayal of the put-upon Mayor's Assistant (the host of the game), the catchy music and the return of a classic YDKJ character, and you've got something memorable, for better and for worst.


I would say in general that this is indeed a good party pack. It may not be on the same level as the third one, but it's still a classic. Now to actually get my schedule on track now so I don't post the Party Pack 5 review too late! XD

My Review Of The Jackbox Party Pack 3

The Jackbox Party Pack 3 poster.

For the upcoming Jackbox Party Pack 7, the third game Champ'd Up has been announced. And with every new Party Pack game announced comes a new Party Pack review on this site! It's time to review Party Pack 3! :D

This is definitely one of the strongest party packs that Jackbox has released. None the games on this pack could really be considered to be "weak", thus making it the first party pack to have a consistent level of quality throughout. Anyway, here are the games!

Trivia Murder Party.

One of my favourite Jackbox games of all time, along with it being part of my all-time favourite Jackbox series. Despite not normally being a fan of the slasher genre (mainly due to the same old tired cliches associated with it such as the "final girl"), I love the way this game pays homage to it and not only that, it features my favourite host of all of the Jackbox games. Plus, it has some really cool music.

A twisted serial killer (often referred to as [REDACTED] by fans and Jackbox staff) has kidnapped a group of players (or sometimes even one if you're playing solo) and is forcing them to take part in "trivia night". These players are represented by adorable little dolls representing the Deadly Sins. If players gets the answers to the questions wrong, they are forced into a variety of mini-games (ranging from a rock-paper-scissors game called Arena to memory-based games). Those who fail are then "killed" and are turned into ghosts. Whilst they are still in the game, it means that they did not get a head-start in the final round. The overall winner of the final round escapes the killer's house and lives to fight another day. The rest are consumed by the shadows and lost forever.

Unlike many of the other party pack hosts who are voiced by Chicago-based comedians or voice actors who were part of the original You Don't Know Jack series before the reboot in 2011, [REDACTED] is voiced by Spencer Ham, one of the major writers for Jackbox games since 2011 and later on director of Survive The Internet, Split The Room and Joke Boat. His voice has been pitch-filtered to sound much deeper (kinda like Oogie Boogie from The Nightmare Before Christmas), which makes it all the more hilarious when he moves on from being all creepy to suddenly geeking out over music, movies or whatever. Oh [REDACTED]. He tries so hard to be menacing (and he actually succeeds on many occasions), but his geeky enthusiasm for trivia as well as his more vulnerable side (who'd expect a serial killer of all people to start crying over the infamous beginning of Up, for instance?) certainly endear him to many people like myself, even the ones who disagree with his killing streak.

Overall, the minigames are challenging and fun and the questions are varied. The best questions are definitely the ones that try to trick the player (the Up question being my favourite one for this reason) with the unusual way they are formatted - it really takes me back to the YDKJ games. Add a crazy and enjoyable host with a memorable voice and a nerdy side to himself and you end up getting one of the most effective slasher parodies out there.

Quiplash 2.

I thought the first Quiplash game was already bright and colourful, but this one goes even further with the spiralling backgrounds, additional colour palettes and even more quirky characters. And like the first game, it keeps the outrageous nature of the prompts, leading to equally outrageous answers from the players.

Like with Fibbage 2 and Drawful 2, I don't really need to explain too much about gameplay here except for the fact that there are even more hilarious prompts and the audience now gets to play along too by answering prompts from the previous game. Additionally, if you have any annoying trolls (like, I don't know, Jacksepticeye's girlfriend? Are they even dating anymore?) who are trying to offend or insult the other players, the VIP can now manually censor them for the rest of the game.

Additionally, this sequel makes major improvements on the final round. This time, either a key word, an acronym or even a comic book panel is given to the players who must then answer the prompt associated with them. Gold, silver and bronze medals are then given out by the other players to each prompt. Overall, very different to the first game's final round - which was like the other rounds but with everyone answering the same prompt - and definitely more varied.

Fun fact: This was the first ever Jackbox Party Pack game to be localised to other countries, which happened this year. It comes in French, Spanish, Italian and German with a different host for each one. It actually got released earlier than it was supposed to in order to keep people entertained during the COVID-19 pandemic, in a rare instance of something getting released earlier rather than later due to said pandemic.

Tee K.O.

A particularly fascinating drawing game with a fun theme to it. Guided by the Tournament Master, a mysterious and quirky old mentor voiced by Shaun Bowers, players must come up with images and slogans that can be used on T-shirts that either they or other players can use. Once they think they'd found the perfect combination of images and words, they must then pit their t-shirt up against another one, with players voting for their favourite t-shirt in each round.

What I particularly love about this game is the reference to the "yokai" from Japanese mythology, supernatural creatures associated with the Shinto religion. All of the player characters are types of yokai ranging from a karakasa (an umbrella with one eye) to two oni twins (one red and one blue). The game is set on an island with East Asian themes, which helps to emphasise the yokai theme even further.

In general, it's such a fun game with an interesting theme, and it's particularly fun seeing some of the crazier t-shirt designs for the first time.

Guesspionage.

The title for the Live edition.

Now for a game that goes for the opposite of artistic and instead relies on logic and numbers! The host (voiced by Adal Rifai) works for the government and in this universe's reality, they have all the data they need on your daily life! [Note: In reality, the percentage results come from an online survey. X)]

Each player gets a chance to answer a question (e.g. "How many people have taken a ride in the back of a police van?") and makes an estimate on the percentage of people that may have complied with said question. Other players must then guess whether the true answer is higher or lower than what the chosen player guessed, and more points are dished out to those who made the correct guess. The final round involves people answering the same question, making guesses as to which is the most popular film, most popular band, least popular talk show host, etc.

Despite the usual negative connotations of maths and numbers, this is yet another Jackbox game that handles its subject well. The fact that many of the online gamers I watch have played it more than twice is already a good sign with how well it went over. The spy theme is also an interesting add-on.

Another fun feature is when you're waiting in the lobby for other players to arrive. During that time, you can hear the government members having their own discussions (mainly to do with their jobs). Not only does this give you something to listen to whilst not playing the game, but many of these conversations are very funny. Definitely one to check out.

Fakin' It.

At first I was somewhat confused by the inclusion of Cookie Masterson. Sure, he's very popular with Jackbox fans, but now he's presenting a "Simon Says"-esque game rather than a trivia game? Luckily, his dry wit remains and is a great addition to said game.

In Fakin' It, players are given prompts to follow, such as making a funny face or pointing at someone. However, the "faker" is not given the same prompt as the others and must simply try and fit in. The players then have three chances (or two, if only three people are playing) to uncover the faker.

I particularly like the retro aesthetic for this game. It has the same look to those old timey-wimey board games you may have played when you were younger, only now in a video game format. The real highlight of this game though is seeing some of the different answers that players come up with and how some fakers make themselves extremely obvious - especially in the "Text You Up" challenge at the end.

I mean, I guess some people do have a thing or two for Willy Wonka. (Note: This screenshot was taken from Jackbox Games' debut livestream of the game, which can be seen here.)

The only real problem with this game is that you won't be able to play it online with a livestream audience because of the nature of said game. Nevertheless, it's always nice to see a game like this that operates differently to others, similar to Bomb Corp.


Overall, I would say that Trivia Murder Party and Quiplash 2 stand out the most, but the other games are brilliant in their own right. One of my favourite party packs from Jackbox and definitely one to check out.

[Note: Due to conflicts with coursework and Masters dissertations, this post was uploaded after the announcement of the fourth Party Pack 7 game. More on it will be explained in the Party Pack 4 review.]

My Review Of The Jackbox Party Pack 2

The Jackbox Party Pack 2 poster.

Okay, now that Jackbox made their second announcement on the 2nd April, this is a good time to be posting this review. The game announced was The Devils and the Details - this was actually meant to be an April Fool's joke but as the trailer got posted a day afterwards, there is the chance that they may make this an actual game on the seventh party pack.

Either way, here's my review of the games from Party Pack 2!

Quiplash.

Alongside Cookie Masterson, Josh "Schmitty" Schmitstinstein (voiced by Phil Ridarelli) has also had a major role as a host in the You Don't Know Jack franchise, starting off with Television and then moving on to many more after that. He may not currently be hosting that particular series for the party packs, but he gets to return to the spotlight in what is definitely the key game of Party Pack 2.

The premise is that you are given a prompt that you must write down an answer to, and your answer will then be pitted up against someone else's. Everyone else then votes on which answer they like the best or they feel is the funniest. You get points based on how many people vote for your answer, but you receive a bonus if you win the most points, and an even bigger one if you "QUIPLASH!" the other player by receiving all of the votes in a game with a large amount of players.

There's a reason why this game is my favourite one of of this party pack. Not only is it an extremely colourful game with really cute characters in it, but this one gets really crazy with the prompts and answers you can receive. Whether's it asking you to come up with an alternative substitute for toilet roll, the secret to a happy life or a terrible name for a 1930s gangster, the only limit to your answers is your imagination. It's all in good fun.

...Well, most of the time anyway. (Note: Screenshot taken from Achievement Hunter's first playthrough of the game, which can be seen here. Somehow, the audience voted for the second option, which explains the orange guy's victory.)

My favourite part of this game though is the Back Talk achievement. If you write down a particular answer to a question (e.g. answering "Something you'd most love to smash with a wrecking ball" with "Miley Cyrus"), Schmitty always has a witty comment in response, allowing Ridarelli to really show off his acting chops in the process. Just be careful answering "The world's most boring video game" prompt though. He will certainly not be happy if you put down a particular answer there (no spoilers, though!). X)

Fibbage 2.

Cookie Masterson is back for this sequel with the same sardonic humour he had in the first game. I won't delve too much into this game, as it's essentially the same premise. However, I will talk about the new additions. For instance, the art style is even quirkier than before - for example, the player icons are now eyeballs and chameleons pop up on the correct answers. Giving this new aesthetic to the game really matches the game's personality itself.

A new feature is the "deFIBrillator", which allows a player to remove all the answers on their device except for one lie and the true answer. This is particularly useful on an extremely tricky question with similar sounding answers, but the fact that you must still choose between the two remaining options means that it isn't a cheap cop-out. Overall, a satisfying sequel to what was already a fun game - and it finds ways to improve on it too.

Earwax.

A very quirky and fun game that takes a seemingly ridiculous premise and then actually makes it work. In this game, players must find two sounds that match a particular prompt. One person is selected to be the judge for a particular round, and they must choose which sound they like the best in said round. People can vote on the sounds they like the best and whilst it does not actually choose the winner, it could potentially influence the judge's decision. The first person to win three rounds wins.

The host is the robotic-sounding M.O.T.H.E.R. (I didn't see the voice actor's name in the credits, but I know from other Jackbox sources that it was Ryan DiGiorgi), who is mostly very chipper and helps add to the game's wacky tone. Additionally, there are many different sounds to choose from, ranging from "All hail the king!" to explosions, meaning that your choices aren't limited when it's time to pick your two sounds. Pairing the answers up with some interesting prompts, you're bound to get some wild results.

Just a warning though. Most of the voice clips are family-friendly, but a few of of them essentially consist of orgasms that get very intense. Remember to keep that in mind when playing with younger players - hopefully you managed to find a way to censor said options before starting. Otherwise, you're safe to go!

Bidiots.

Now this is an interesting one to discuss. The premise of the game is that you must bid on each other's artwork in hopes of making a profit. On your device, you will be told which pieces of artwork you should be bidding on and the price that you should be aiming for. If you lose money on a bad purchase or sale (or worst of all, somehow buying your own artwork - yes, this can happen), you have an option to take out a predatory loan (which comes with a very catchy theme song everytime). However, said loans will be taken back at the end of the game. Another option is to "screw" someone into bidding on artwork they don't want, making them more likely to lose money on a bad purchase. Overall, the person who makes the most profit wins.

The rounds are pretty much the same, thus making gameplay repetitive (by this, I mean that each round is just bidding on artwork and then taking a loan). Additionally, audience participation is not possible for some reason and the screw function can break the game if you can't find somebody to use it on. Nevertheless, it's still pretty entertaining. The gameplay gets very hectic at times given its nature, which I always enjoy in a party game like this. The noises that the bidders make when trying to win the artwork are also priceless, especially when they occur within seconds of each other. Additionally, there's a fun little easter egg where if you type in your player name at the beginning, you can sometimes get a special place-card associated with said name rather than the regular ones. I won't spoil the results you can get, but definitely try it out.

In particular, I would like to discuss the host of this game, because he is utterly hilarious. He is voiced by Tim Sniffen, who has worked with Jackbox games for a long time and is both a talented voice actor and comedian (he also voices Donny in YJKJ 2011, the green room organiser who loves to use long complicated words that he doesn't understand). The posh voice he puts on is priceless and it's especially funny to hear his exasperation whenever the loan sharks come by. And I never get tired of the way he announces the different prices as well. It cracks me up every time. X)

Bomb Corp.

This is Jackbox's own take on the bomb-defusing game genre, similar to ones such as Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes. The premise is that you are working as a bomb-defuser, with your boss Greg (voiced by Matt Young) guiding you through. Most of the gameplay consists of you defusing the bombs that your new company makes, but there are other tasks such as organising folders (that also contain explosives) and clearing out your desk. So overall, not very different from a normal day job. ;)

Personally, I feel that this is the weakest of the Party Pack 2 games. It doesn't really stand out compared to the others and the amount of players that can take part is very limited in comparison to your regular Jackbox game, with audience participation also not being a feature. However, it's still pretty charming and the different tasks it offers you should keep you occupied - it's good that they don't go for the same tasks every time and choose to vary the rounds. Additionally, Greg adds some witty comments throughout gameplay that work well for the situation that you're in. Overall, it's a good game to play if you only want to play a solo game or with one friend.

Drawful 2.

Okay, for some reason this game does not appear to be on the party pack, which is why I placed it last. Like with the Fibbage 2 review, I'll just discuss the new features it brings to the series. The host is now voiced by Elizabeth Archer, but she still has a similar personality to the host from the first game, which is a nice touch. Another new feature is the chance to use not one, but two colours. This will definitely add something new to your pictures which could help out with particular prompts.

Add the new art design that stays faithful to the original game and there you have it - another satisfying sequel. Still confused as to why it isn't on the party pack though.


Overall, this pack has its ups and downs. A couple of the games aren't as memorable as the games on other party packs, but as it is Jackbox we're talking about here, even the weaker games have their charm. Additionally, Quiplash is an absolute joy, the game sequels add a lot to the original games and Earwax is great fun.

As soon as the third game gets announced, I will be posting my review for the third party pack. This one's a real treat, I tell you!