I spend a lot of my gaming time playing blockbusters like Destiny or Mass Effect, but games don’t have to have flashy graphics and epic storylines to grab my attention. Sometimes, all I need is a fun concept and a way to play with friends.
Jackbox Games’ new release Fibbage nearly flew under my radar, but I discovered it last week and have been having a blast. Fibbage is a console game for a group of between two and eight players. When you start, your TV will show a web address and a room number. Everyone who wants to play can open this room on their phone or tablet's web browser and use that device as their controller for the game. For some people, a game controller is intimidating, but if you know how to text with your phone, you can play Fibbage without a problem.
Once you’re playing, the game is simple. Fibbage presents you with a bit of trivia that is missing one word, and players use their phones to put in a false answer that they hope will fool the other players. Then, once all the answers are submitted, they appear on the TV and the players choose which one they think is correct. You’ll get points for guessing the right answer, but you’ll also get points if people select your lie.
For those who have played the company's other game series, You Don't Know Jack, you'll recognize the game’s host, Cookie Masterson. He brings that series’ snark and irreverence to Fibbage, as well, and makes this feel more like a game show than a video game.
Fibbage is a little light on content, but at a price cheaper than a lot of smartphone games, it is a great value for a few evenings of fun at home with some friends. It’s available on the Xbox One, Playstation 3 & 4, and, interestingly, the new Amazon Fire TV.
