Electronic Pictionary Man Game
by Mattel
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Toys and Games Reviews of Electronic Pictionary Man Game
Customer Review: I Thought Pictionary Couldn't Get Better
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Pictionary is a perennial favorite at holiday gatherings. Usually pairing off in teams of men vs. women we set to playing this ridiculously fun and sometimes infuriating game.
Taking Pictionary to the next level by including some components of charades just adds to the frenzied insanity of game-play.
As usual, each team relies on the combo of a good drawer (or picturist) and at least one good guesser. The plastic props are easy to draw on, but the idea of using all three to brilliantly create your Pictionary masterpiece in 30-seconds is overrated. We never used the round one.
This game turned into a rowdy fracas on Christmas day that might have ended in a brawl were it not for the peace makers in my family. Definitely a good time!
Cons (and hence the 4-stars):
~The timer is barely audible when everyone is shouting and screaming out guesses. And because it's built into the bottom of the man, no one else can hold it during game-play.
~Some of the 'clues' were very dated. Debra Winger? How the heck do you draw Terms of Endearment or Officer and A Gentleman AND what if you have players under the age of 25? Seriously that was a bad call. The additional problem is it's difficult to 'pick' a new card when this happens, especially if it's during a Team Challenge. You have to scroll through a half dozen options or more to return to the Challenge.
Overall, this version of Pictionary is as fun as the original, with some modest drawbacks. I look forward to bringing it to my Uncle's for New Years next week. Between that and Karaoke, we're bound to have a blast.
Customer Review: Ehhh - untapped potential might best describe this one
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I've been a big fan of the original Pictionary so had high hopes for this new and up-to-date version. I'll cut to the chase and admit, I just don't "get" this. Yes, it is electronic and you don't need to hassle with the cards but on the other hand, the trade-off is batteries [not a big deal but just something to keep in mind]. The novelty aspect of writing on the white figures seems to appeal to kids but as an adult who enjoyed the old game, I find myself just as inclined to use regular paper and a pencil for ease and convenience instead. Ditto for the new scoring method. All in all, rather than make this more fun, the electronic version just seems to make a fun game more of a hassle.
Having said that, kids and others that enjoy prop's or a novelty item may find this fun but I suspect that adults searching for a modern version of a terrifically fun game will be somewhat disappionted with a tendency to revert back to less cumbersome basics.
Update: I've had an opportunity to use this a couple more times and wanted to reiterate what was voiced by a couple other reviewers. The adults tend to just draw on the pad while the kids enjoyed the idea of drawing and erasing on the figure/other props - BUT, after a long day of game play this was listed as "boring" rather quickly by the kids since there were so many clues that were "over their head". Adults all agreed the older pictionary version was more fun. Seems to have missed the mark on both audience types. On the other hand, another game (Repeat Pete) was a huge hit with kids esp when they got to do really silly things the adults had to imitate.
Customer Review: PICTIONARY MADE FAIR AND EASIER! 3 1/2 STARS!
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I have been lucky to have been blessed with the ability to draw very well. This made Pictionary a snap for me and Pictionary king in my family. This new electronic version of the classic game evens the playing field a little.
There are three canvases to draw on, one is the shape of a humanoid figure, the second is a round circle and the third is a rectangle, each having it's obvious strong points, but also some short comings as the surface's are small and can be a little hard for people with larger hands(like myself) to draw on. It's not impossible, but I prefer paper and pencil.
The bottom of the humanoid's foot has a battery compartment which has a screw in it!...something I hate on toys. I mean really, has anyone ever had the trap door open on a well designed battery compartment? It's no big deal, but it's something I don't care for and if the toy isn't for small child...what's the point?
The game also has a ticking clock located in the bottom of the humanoid's foot which makes the "Times Up" dilemma disappear! No more hour glass timer for players to argue if you get the answer in time. The ticking sound goes faster as time expires and it makes the game more tense!
The biggest flaw I can find with this product, is that they should have made the clue cartridges removable, so you could buy new clues. I realize that 2000 + clues is a fair amount, but it would have been nice to be able to change them out if you play the game a lot. Overall, I could see this being played at a party or family gathering.
Customer Review: SIMPLE in concept but surprisingly FUN
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
My initial reaction, upon opening box was, "That's it?"
a couple of markers, a wipe cloth and 3 plastic props (a rectangle, a circle and pictionary man, which my son effectionatly calls 'little boy')
I originally had reservations about a game that had such a 'why didn't I think of that', anybody could do that feel to it. Yet, once we all sat down around the table and starting playing with the game, my reservations were quickly diminishing. The true test of a game isn't the simplicity of it, but the effect it has on people.
It didn't take long to see and realize the fun people were having being creative with the game supplied props and freaking out as their time begins to tick down.
Some of the original pictionary rules or forgotten with this game and they should, because many of the things you have to draw or get across are very difficult. Yet, the difficulty level is half the fun, because it forces people to be creative. With PICTIONARY MAN, you seperate the men from the boys. Time is short and the most creative thinkers will most definatly have more success.
Look, I'm sure, based on what's in the box, that the cost of production for this game was around $5 to $10, but the game is fun and if you have any kids under 9, like I do, the game serves a dual purpose. If you're not playing the game, set it out for them and they'll draw on it for hours.
Customer Review: I Prefer the Free Version
Summary: 2 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Unlike regular pictionary, Mr. Pictionary is for adults and teens only. To be fair, this is clearly stated on the box, which says ages 14+. But be warned, those adults and teens will need to be pretty talented at pictionary. The words vary greatly, some we've seen are: Roger Ebert, Love Stinks, Snoop Dogg, candy maker, Prince Charles, Babe Ruth, The Torn Curtain, Willy Wonka, Prison Break, Bad News Bears, and GPS.
The game would be greatly improved with a simple difficulty or age-group settings, so you could play with a wider range of age groups and abilities. You could, of course, make up your own words that will be appropriate and fun for your group--but then, why do you need to buy Mr. Pictionary?
And, like regular (free) pictionary, this game is for groups of 4 or more, even though the box says 2 or more people can play. There are no directions for playing with fewer than 4 people.
Overall, the only improvement over regular pictionary is that you don't have to think up the words (but that's part of the fun of regular pictionary) and there's a built-in timer. It's also sort of novel that you get to draw on a little plastic dude. Still, I recommend saving your money and sticking with regular pictionary--which is fun, free and doesn't have to be molded in plastic, heavily packaged, shipped from China, use batteries and end up in the land fill...