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  • $20-40
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The Price Is Right (Wii, Nintendo DS, Windows)

common sense media says

Game show sim is bursting with commercialism.

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this is an interactive version of the decades-old The Price Is Right TV game show, and, much like the show, a wide variety of products -- ranging from calcium supplements and coffee mugs to trips and trailers -- are paraded across the screen. The good news is that, with few exceptions, virtually none of the products on display will be tantalizing to children. Parents should also be aware that the famed Price is Right models show up to fawn over many of the prizes, striking poses of that often come off as somewhat sexual.

Educational value: Not applicable.
Positive messages: Some of the pricing games force players to gamble, albeit with virtual money and prizes. And female models as shown as simply window-dressing for the many prizes offered, in subordinate roles to the male host.
Violence & scariness: Not applicable.
Language: Not applicable.
Consumerism: This is a spin-off of the popular television game show of the same name. Like the show, it features excessive branding. Virtually all of the pricing games involve one or more real world products, ranging from Toyota cars to La-Z-Boy chairs to Ragu pasta sauce. Each product is accompanied by its own ad-like description.
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More on The Price Is Right

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about how women appear on these types of game shows. What other game shows feature women in this role? Can you think of game shows where men and women are presented as equals?

What's the story?

What's the story?
The longest-running game show on television finally receives the video game treatment in THE PRICE IS RIGHT, a fast moving party game for up to four players that features simulations of just about every activity ever made famous by Bob Barker and company, including contestants' row bidding, showcase showdowns, and pricing games such as Plinko, Cliff Hangers, and Punch a Bunch. Most of the games are fun, simple, and reasonably realistic reflections of their real world counterparts (even the authentically branded products that players bid on, which include groceries, furniture, and trips, are the same as those seen on the show). And if players perform well in the pricing games they can unlock classic video clips from the show.

However, while the look and feel of the The Price Is Right is just about pitch perfect, the game itself doesn't really follow the same path as that of the show. The multi-player mode takes some noticeable liberties with the traditional Price Is Right formula, such as letting all players play pricing games regardless of whether or not they win on contestants' row. If you play alone you can enter a mode that more closely approximates the flow of the show, but, as it turns out, that can be a little boring (you may never even make it out of contestants' row). Better to select the Three Strikes mode, which bounces the player around from pricing games to showcase showdowns and back again until they've failed three times, at which point its game over and all of their winnings are tallied up.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
The biggest departure from the show is that there's no Bob Barker. Or even Drew Carey. A nameless, faceless host (the voice of whom some players may or may not recognize as belonging to current Price Is Right announcer Rich Fields) leads players through the game by speaking instructions. Much of the show's personality is lost as a result. Some authenticity is restored during prize descriptions and the showcase competitions, which feature the actual Price Is Right prize models.

Game themes & details

Game Details
Available on: Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, Windows
Not available online
Genre: Party
Developer: UbiSoft
Released on: September 9, 2008
Price: 20-40
ESRB Rating: E for Alcohol Reference
This review was written by Chad Sapieha
 
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child, some content may not be right for some kids
OFF: Not age appropriate for kids this age
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