AWARD! AWARD! News Posted by John Hoare on 3rd July 2007, 12:28 As mentioned by Andrew on the Webboard, Beat The Geek has won the Interactive award at the Home Entertainment Awards 2007. You can see a list of nominees here; the release was up against the DVD games Empire Interactive Quiz, Deal Or No Deal, Raven, and Strike It Lucky. Not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, it’s excellent news – I haven’t played the other interactive DVDs in the shortlist (and the Strike It Lucky game is suppposed to be brilliant), but Beat the Geek had a hell of a lot of love and effort put into it, and has loads of great stuff included. (“Price does not include flights or accomodation.”) I’m glad that the release has been recognised as being rather more than the cheap rip-off certain UTTER TWATS seemed to think it would be. On the other hand, I do have serious reservations about the gameplay, and those reservations have only increased as time has gone on. In an odd way, it’s a pity the main series DVD releases didn’t actually win awards instead these past few years, as I think they really, really deserved to. It always struck me as bizarre that they didn’t get more recognition. Maybe – presuming The Bodysnatcher Collection is as great as it looks (and I’m finding it difficult to believe that it won’t be) – we should do a few things to try and get what might be the final Red Dwarf release (at least for the time being) what it deserves…
Yup…the series DVDs really do deserve an award over this. But I will say that this is by far the best interactive quiz DVD made so far. It really is. Btw…Doctor Who won an award for DVD authoring? That DVD was a big let down.
Yeah, I wondered about that! But I haven’t got the DVD yet, so I felt I couldn’t comment. But from the extras list, and what Cappsy told me about how Tennant’s video diary was presented, it doesn’t sound like it deserved it… Also: Green Wing, Best Comedy? That doesn’t even deserve an answer.
The award is ‘authoring’ though, surely? Meaning menus, links, transfer of picture and audio. (There are separate categories for TV and Extras.)
Good point, well made. I was thinking of *presentation* of extras as part of authoring (the way the Tennant diaries are just short sections stiched together)… but, of course, it isn’t. At all.
Who will have won that for all the audio navigation options – it’s got so much praise from disability charities.
Oh, wow! Fantastic! As I said, I haven’t got it yet, so I didn’t know that. Very well deserved, then.
It does seem odd considering the fantasticness of I-VIII that it falls on BTG to win an award.. Still, great news and just reward for the hard work put in.. I’m kinda pleased at Green Wing getting another award, I loved it.
It’s just the unavoidable limitations of the DVD game format. BTG was great when you consider the copious amount of dire DVD games out there. I love to see effort put into a project and BTG obviously had a lot. Unfortunately, playing any DVD game just…isn’t…very…good. After a few minutes you WILL want to throw your DVD remote at the screen (incidentally, a few days ago my girlfriend accidentally threw a Wii Remote right at my sixth-month-old baby (that’s right, my 32″ Sony Bravia). Was she wearing the wrist strap? Was she fuck. But that’s women for you…:). The TV’s all right though. Shame the same can’t be said of my girlfriend. I had to give her a good beating later on Wii Boxing.
I do think a lot of the problems with the game are with the format. But I also think my review (linked to in the article) lists a few problems that could have been avoided. Personally, I would have made the game five levels, with five questions per level, but kept the same number of *possible* questions. This would have both sped up the game, and allowed more questions per level, thus decreasing the chance of repeats. And those two problems are the main reasons why I don’t really play it. But as I said in the review, I think the problems stem from a very noble aim – to try and pack as much into the release as possible.
I completely agree – a shorter game would have solved the game duration and question quantity problems. We were obviously feeling our way and were happy to be led on those things. Sadly the schedule didn’t permit a playtest/rework period – because, as ever, we’re playing with a lower budget than the competition. Still, as far as the format goes I do think it’s pretty good.
The Doc Who Authoring award… I forgot about the special audio navigation. Yes I must agree that was good. But it is an extremley bad dvd. (Not in comparison with other top drama’s mid…i suppose they are worse!) First the Series One DVD had no deleted scenes – Because someone lost them aparently??? Seriously now, you can get deleted scenes from ‘Alien’ made in the 70’s… but you cant get them from a year ago? And the Series Two dvd had none of the awesome trailers…. but series one did? But they did have deleted scenes??? Seriously annoying continuity. Definatley not on a par with the Classic Series DVDs… of which I own none, but Ive read and heard they are top class. BTW Andrew… I still think the game rocks! My family and friends always come over and pick that over Finding Nemo :D
