If you're reading this, then allow me to welcome you to the second episode of Guess that Game, a monthly feature loosely based off of the game of 20 Questions. The first thing you might want to do is make sure you are viewing this with the website lights turned on (the switch is located at the top of the website near the search box). If you don't...the clues and answer might be inadvertently revealed as you read this.

Last month's episode was apparently quite challenging as many of you younger gamers weren't even around to experience this game from the 1980s at the height of its popularity, but overall I think the reception of the blog was positive. So, I'm back with another episode, and a game that's a little bit newer.

Guess That Game (JAN)

(ta da - the light switch)

Twenty Questions is a spoken parlor game which encourages deductive reasoning and creativity. It originated in the United States and escalated in popularity during the late 1940s when it became the format for a successful weekly radio quiz program. In the traditional game, one player is chosen to be the answerer. That person chooses a subject but does not reveal this to the others. All other players are questioners. They each take turns asking a question which can be answered with a simple "Yes" or "No." In variants of the game multiple state answers may be included such as the answer "Maybe." The answerer answers each question in turn. If a questioner guesses the correct answer, that questioner wins and becomes the answerer for the next round. If 20 questions are asked without a correct guess, then the answerer has stumped the questioners and gets to be the answerer for another round.

However, instead of each of you asking me 20 questions, I have come up with 20 clues about a game whose identity you are trying to guess. The clues start out rather generic and progressively get more revealing, so if you have to read all of the clues, the answer should be fairly obvious by the end (or if you read only the 20^th clue, you have a fairly good chance of guessing it, but that kind of defeats the purpose). Your goal is to guess the game after reading as few of the clues as possible starting in numerical order with Clue #01.

NOTICE: Of course I have no way of verifying the integrity of your answer, so should you choose to leave a comment with your score, it is based off of the honor system. I'll take you at your word.

Long time readers may remember last year I did a similar feature called Guess that Gamer that posted 20 questions and answers from a member of the community, and those who chose to participate tried to guess who the mystery member was based on their answers to the questions. It was generally received with positive results, but one of the biggest issues with the way the series operated was when and how guesses were made, and the influence it had on other members' guesses. The other problem was you were either right or wrong - and if you piggybacked off of someone else's answer, you were just as right (or wrong) as the person making the initial answer.

Using this new and improved process, not only will you find out the answer at the end of the questions, your performance will also be determined by how many clues you needed to  guess the correct answer. Now, you might notice that except for Clue #1, the rest of them are blank. How are you supposed to read the rest of them? Ah, using the magic of technology...the clues are there, however the font is white so the text appears invisible. In order to view them, all you have to do is highlight the text by clicking and holding the cursor on the text and dragging the cursor over each clue. This is an extremely easy process that most of you are undoubtedly familiar with. Oh, as a reminder - if you're viewing the GI website with the lights off, obviously this isn't going to work since the font color is reversed. I recommend turning the lights on when viewing this blog.

The same concept applies to the answer which is found at the very end of the blog.

Well, I think that's it. I've stated the goal and provided the instructions, all that's left is for you to read the following clues, in order, and guess the mystery game in as few clues as possible.

Good luck, you'll need it!

GOAL: Guess the game by reading as few of the clues as possible, starting at #1.

CLUES:

01. It was released in 2001.

02. It is a real time strategy game.

03. The game has sold over one million copies.

04. You play from the third person perspective.

05. The game was revealed at E3 in 2001.

06. The game has three different endings.

07. It was ported to the Wii.

08. It was given the award for interactivity from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

09. The game was first released on a system that was codenamed project dolphin.

10. One of the soundtracks became an unexpected hit song, eventually outselling the game.

11. The character you play as has a wife, son and daughter.

12. The character you control in this game is also featured in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

13. The game was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto.

14. Your character can't breathe oxygen.

15. The game has a flower named after it.

16. You are from the planet Hocotate.

17. Your goal is to recover 25 items before time runs out.

18. Time is broken down into 30 days with each day lasting approximately 13 minutes.

19. The colors red, yellow and blue are significant in this game.

20. The character you control in this game is a Captain.

CONCLUSION:

So, how did you do?

Lucky Dog (1-5 clues)

Veteran (6 - 10 clues)

Commoner (11 - 15 clues)

Rookie (16 - 20 clues)

You might've noticed the first five clues were very generic and could fit any number of games, so if you managed to get it in five or fewer guesses, then you just got lucky. The next five clues include some obscure facts and more specific information about the game, so if you got it in 6 - 10 clues, you really know your video games.  All of the clues after number 10 are fairly specific to the game, so if it took you 11 - 15 clues you're a commoner. The final five clues are very specific to the game with some hints that people naturally associate with this particular game. If it takes you 16 - 20 clues, better luck next time...NOOB! (I'm only kidding.)

I hope you've enjoyed this new series. If the reception is positive, then I'll see you back here next month with the next episode. Depending on the number of responses, I might even keep score and at the end of the year I'll tally up the results and who knows, maybe even give the winner a prize or a big pat on the back.

ANSWER BELOW:

Pikmin

Cheers.