Friends is a landmark in television, regardless of whether you’re an admirer or not. It ran for a whopping ten seasons, netting hundreds and hundreds of quality episodes. Its down-to-earth approach coupled with its tongue-in-cheek humor made it a surefire hit to anyone open-minded enough to sit down and watch a few episodes. If you’re reading this review, chances are you’re a diehard fan of the series. Either that or you accidentally stumbled upon this page while searching for Friends DVD sets on Google.

Friends: The One With All The Trivia should come with a warning on its box advising consumers that this is not, I repeat, not for casual fans of the show. I myself am not that huge of a buff.  Sure, I’ve probably seen the majority of the episodes, but when Season 10 hit store shelves, you didn’t see me camping out at Best Buy. Incase you couldn’t tell by the name, this is a trivia game. Yes, that means bucket-loads of questions. Friends: TOWATT (does this make a word?) takes this concept to another level. It boasts over 3,000 questions covering the entire scope of the show.

There are a total of four play modes, two in the single-player portion, and two in the multiplayer section. The two featured in the single-player are caffeinated and decaffeinated. In caffeinated mode you’ll get a trial of questions in a timed premise, while in decaffeinated mode there is no time limit and instead you play to light up the terribly animated apartment buildings’ windows. Don’t be fooled like I was though. These two modes are not purely identical aside from the time facet, decaffeinated mode actually makes more adequate use of the sound and audio clips than caffeinated style. Why, I do not know. One thing is for sure, the sound and video clips breathe life into an otherwise stale game.

The two modes in multiplayer are buzz-in and all-play. Their names tell all. In buzz-in you will have to ‘’buzz in’’ if you want to attempt a question, while in all-play every player gets a try at each question separately. I was personally hoping for some original modes, rather than the mundane ones found in nearly every trivia game I’ve ever played.

Presentation is one area where games such as Friends: TOWATT have to prevail. Reason being is the gameplay in most trivia games isn’t going to scream blockbuster, but intuitive menus, dazzling yet petite visuals, and rock solid sound just might. I’ll be honest, Friends’ audio and graphics don’t exactly sport any of the above aspects. You have your fundamental cut and dry setup, pixilated backgrounds, and to top things off, exceedingly annoying question-readers. I was happy, however, to hear I’ll Be There for You by the Rembrandts when I loaded up the game.
 

Gameplay: 5.2

Friends: The One With All The Trivia certainly proves true to its name, it is beyond a doubt the one with all the trivia. But with thousands of questions and hundreds of clips, it sadly doesn’t bring anything new to the table.

Graphics: 5.1

You won’t be treated to a visual display of any sort. From the downright ordinary menus to the clunky interface, this is an eyesore.

Sound: 5.1

The cult classic theme song by the Rembrandts, ‘’I’ll Be There for You,’’ makes an appearance, but other than that, the audio consists of infuriating announcers and humdrum effects and background music.

Difficulty: Hard

Difficulty is one of this game’s biggest downfalls. It’s simply not accessible to your average Friends viewer. I found myself getting around 2 out of ten questions correct, and even then I was modestly guessing.

Concept: 5.3

There’s nothing revolutionary here. Although the trivia genre hasn’t been entirely played out, Friends: The One With All The Trivia doesn’t take any risks. It may not bore you to tears, but it’ll have you on your knees praying for something fresh.

Multiplayer: 5.0

The multiplayer component is essentially the same as the single-player sector except with an even choppier interface and the ability to embarrass yourself in front of your friends as you’ll be missing questions left and right.

Overall: 5.2

You’ve seen it before. Maybe not in this particular fashion, but if you’ve previously played a trivia game, you’ll know what to expect. Friends: The One With All The Trivia is a clear-cut Q&A title. Its clunky setup and substandard auditory value make it one of the less flamboyant of trivia games, and unless you’re one of those people who must own everything Friends, I see no reason why anyone would want this in their collection.