A few weeks ago, we had the chance to sit in on a meeting with the Jackbox folks to discuss their just-released-today Jackbox Party Starter. The idea was to get people interested in the bigger party packs and hook them. Honestly, not a bad idea when you’re thinking about selling a game. With a cheaper price and a more concentrated selection of good popular party games from the bigger packs, the Jackbox Party Starter might be a good idea…for newcomers. Trust me, I didn’t think so at first, but having played Jackbox this past Monday on my Coffee and Consoles Twitch stream (@DigitalChumpsLive), having good games in one single pack is important when you’re trying to make a first impression.
Let’s dig right into it, shall we?
The Idea
The Jackbox Party Starter is a simple idea. You bring three games to a reasonably priced starter package, and you get people hooked on your product. For this package, the Jackbox Party Starter comes with Trivia Murder Party 2, Quiplash 3, and Tee K.O., the latter of which is wildly popular amongst the Jackbox fans out there, and rightfully so. The entire package comes in at $19.99, which is about $10 under the normal party pack retail price. It’s a middle-of-the-road price commitment for three great games to try out. And more than likely, you’re going to love what it includes.
The idea of this entire party starter is to get people not only aware of Jackbox but also engaged and convinced of it. It’s a great idea for new players, as they will certainly be mesmerized by the starter pack’s good games and the overall process ease-of-use. For us veterans of the series, this pack may not be the right direction to go. I have all the packs and have bought most on my own, so I don’t see the need for this at all. Even with the additional features in the game, which include moderation, content filters, and new localization options, this doesn’t do much for me. But this isn’t meant for me, it’s meant for folks who are unsure whether they want to dive into it. With that reasoning, it’s a lovely idea.
Games You Get
The big sales pitch in this party starter package is the content. Jackbox Party Packs usually do have some gems in them, some middle-of-the-road games, and then sometimes some outright duds. It happens, especially when one game gives you a good pace with humor and flow, while others might just be the opposite. It’s tough to shift gears sometimes with those types of party games. Anyway, the Jackbox Party Starter makes sure to include the best of the best. For this pack, the three games included are as follows:
- Quiplash 3 – The original to the most recent, Quiplash is a fill-in-the-blank comedy good time that is popular amongst the youth. This is the best of the Quiplash family and the one that is a good way to sell the rest of the brand. We played this last Monday online (the first and second one, not the third) and enjoyed the hell out of it. It’s a great party game and lets players fire off their comedy creativity.
- Trivia Murder Party 2 – This one is warped, beautiful, and kind of creepy. You play for your life by answering trivia questions. The players that answer correctly live to see another day. The players who answer incorrectly must go up against each other to see who is murdered. It has a great final round as well that gives anyone falling behind an honest to God chance to pull off the upset. It’s not as creative and fun as Quiplash, but it’s a change of pace.
- Tee K.O. – If you want to make sure that your friends are guaranteed to laugh, then this is the game for you. Probably the most popular out of the bunch, Tee K.O. has players draw figures or whatever on a t-shirt, then write out random quotes. Each player receives the other’s quotes and must match a picture to a quote perfectly, or as imperfectly as possible. If you do well enough and you love the t-shirt that wins the game (which players vote on as each round goes by), then you can order the shirt in real life. This is the game that will get people hooked to the party pack.
Those are the three games included in this starter pack. It’s a great way to get people into the series, as it truly does bring the best of the best. That said, this is probably something that isn’t quite as valuable to those who are already fans of it. Even with the special features and the localization, it’s more valuable to newcomers to the Jackbox series. That isn’t a terrible thing, as the more the merrier, and as there are more fans, that means there are more games.
Conclusion
The Jackbox Party Starter is a great way to dive into the Jackbox series if you have never explored it. This pack includes three great games Quiplash 3, Trivia Murder Party 2, and the almighty Tee K.O. tee shirt game. The inclusion of more detailed features such as moderation and content filter, and the addition of more localized voice acting helps push this towards a potential new generation of Jackbox lovers. For those of us who are members since the 90s, this isn’t something that is made for us.
