The Guy Game | |
---|---|
![]() NTSC PlayStation 2 cover | |
Developer(s) | Topheavy Studios |
Publisher(s) | Gathering |
Director(s) | Jeff Spangenberg |
Producer(s) | Jeff Spangenberg |
Designer(s) |
|
Programmer(s) | Steve Williams |
Artist(s) | Zachary Bolena |
Writer(s) | Matt Sadler |
Composer(s) | Charlie Wan |
Platform(s) | PlayStation 2, Xbox, Windows |
Release | PlayStation 2, Xbox
|
Genre(s) | Party |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
The Guy Game is a 2004 adult video game developed by Topheavy Studios and published by Gathering for Windows, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. Presented in a trivia gameshow style, it allows up to four players to compete by completing multiple choice questions and minigames complemented by filmed live-action footage of young women in bikinis on spring break. Its development was led by former Metroid Prime developer Jeff Spangenberg, who sought to create an interactive game with appeal to men inspired by the Girls Gone Wild series of pornographic videos. The objective of The Guy Game is for players to earn points, as well as accumulate bonus points for a meter, titled the Flash-O-Meter, that progressively removes censorship of footage of the women exposing their breasts. Upon release, The Guy Game was a commercial disappointment and received negative reviews, with critics critiquing its tastelessness, slow pace, and lack of content, although some praised it as a niche party title for a college-age audience.
Following release, The Guy Game experienced controversy when a participant filmed exposing her breasts sued the developer and publishers for breach of privacy and emotional distress, and revealed that she was a minor at the time of filming. Her lawsuit successfully obtained a temporary injunction against further distribution, after which Topheavy Studios ceased further sales. Due to the ESRB classification of The Guy Game as 'Mature' instead of 'Adults Only', authors, groups and legislators in the United States targeted it in efforts to restrict minors' access to explicit video games. The Guy Game has been retrospectively assessed as a controversial entry in an emergent genre of adult video games receiving a mainstream commercial release on consoles in the mid-2000s in line with other entries including Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude and Playboy: The Mansion .
The Guy Game is a trivia game in which up to four players answer multiple choice quizzes and complete minigames in a series of 'episodes' that feature a progression of four rounds. Most gameplay is complemented by full motion video of comedian Matt Sadler asking trivia questions provided to the player to bikini-clad young women ('Hotties') on spring break. [1] Players have dual objectives of earning enough points to reach the highest rank of competing players, and earn bonus points that add to a points pool named the Flash-O-Meter. In the full motion video footage, Hotties are expected to flash their breasts on camera if they answer the questions incorrectly. As players contribute to the Flash-O-Meter, footage of Hotties flashing the camera becomes less censored, starting from fully censored at 'Soft and Squishy', pixelated at 'Sorta Chubby', and uncensored at 'Super Stiff'. At the start of a round, players select a 'Cheerleader' avatar who reacts to their performance, progressively losing their clothes if the player earns points, and putting on their clothes if they answer incorrectly. [2] [3]
The first quiz round, 'Foreplay', is a multiple choice quiz in two sections. Firstly, players answer a multiple choice question, with more points earned the sooner a correct answer is made. Incorrect answers disappear from the multiple choice over time, at the cost of fewer points being earned. Secondly, players earn bonus points and contribute to the Flash-O-Meter by guessing if the Hottie answered the question correctly or incorrectly. The second round, titled 'Ballz', features interactive variations of skeeball (Ballz Shotz), Pong (Ballz In) and a game where players attempt to knock each other's rolling balls off of a platform (Ballz Out). [2] The third round, 'TitWitz', is similar to 'Foreplay', except players are tasked to guess which of two incorrect answers was given by a Hottie in response to a question. If the Flash-O-Meter is sufficiently filled, players enter a fourth round, 'Hottie Challenge', where they can bet their points on one of several Hotties filmed completing a physical challenge. At the end, the player with the most points wins. In multiplayer rounds, players are ranked between 'President', 'Vice President', 'Treasurer' and 'Asshole', with the highest ranking position of 'President' having additional privileges including the ability to choose additional rules in a round, with the intent implied that violating the rules requires losing players to take a drink. [3]
The Guy Game was the first and only video game developed by Topheavy Studios, founded by lead developer Jeff Spangenberg in 2002. Spangenberg created the studio after his previous company, Retro Studios, which had developed Metroid Prime , was acquired by Nintendo in May 2002. [4] [5] Spangenberg stated that the title and concept of The Guy Game was based around creating "a game geared toward guys about things guys like: competing against your buddies, showing up your buddies and topless nudity". [6] It was inspired by Girls Gone Wild , a direct-to-video pornographic series with a similar premise. [7] Footage was shot on South Padre Island during the 2003 spring break season. [8] The Guy Game featured Matt Sadler, a comedian who had previously appeared on MTV and in a national talent search on HBO. [9] The budget for The Guy Game was estimated by Spangenberg to total $1.4 million. [10] Atomic Planet Entertainment developed the PlayStation 2 conversion. [11] Topheavy Studios previewed it in January 2004 in search of a publisher, [12] with Take-Two Interactive subsidiary Gathering announcing a deal in July 2004 to publish it. [13] [14] The Guy Game was shipped for release on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox on August 31. [15] A Windows version followed on December 22. [16]
Upon release, The Guy Game received a 'Mature' rating from the ESRB, [17] falling short of an 'Adults Only' classification that would have seen its sale restricted from minors. [18] [16] The Guy Game was cited by several groups and legislators in the United States seeking greater restriction of distribution of sexually explicit video games to minors. [19] In 2004, the National Institute on Media and the Family advised parents that The Guy Game was a 'game to avoid' in its Ninth Annual Video Game Report Card. [20] [21] In December 2004, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich introduced legislation that restricted retailers from selling or renting violent or sexually explicit video games to minors. [22] The Guy Game was one of two sexually explicit titles identified for restriction, along with Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude , citing its "nudity" and "raunchy exchanges". [23] Illinois legislators submitted footage of The Guy Game in an unsuccessful defense of its legislation in a 2006 lawsuit by the Entertainment Software Association. [24] In March 2005, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm showcased footage of The Guy Game in support of a campaign for increased restrictions on violent and sexually explicit video games, [25] lobbying to the Michigan legislature that Michigan law did not prevent minors from renting or purchasing it. [26] Author Pamela Paul, who argued that The Guy Game was indicative of a greater presence of pornographic content in media targeted to adolescents, [27] appeared before a 2005 U.S. Senate Hearing on pornography, testifying that it did "not even get an adults-only rating" and evidenced how video games "exult the pornographic". [28]
The Guy Game is explicitly banned from streaming on the game streaming site Twitch. [29] [30]
In December 2004, an anonymous plaintiff ('Doe') initiated legal proceedings against Topheavy Studios and the publishers, requesting an injunction to discontinue the release of The Guy Game. [16] Doe, a participant filmed exposing her breasts in The Guy Game, was a seventeen-year-old minor at the time of filming the segments. [16] Doe had been approached by a representative to participate in The Guy Game and had given producers a fake identification card and inconsistent information on her media release. Upon its release, Doe was told by her brother that The Guy Game depicted images of her topless and was not aware her likeness was used in the game, its promotional material or website. Doe pursued a lawsuit for relief for invasion of privacy, negligence, and emotional distress. Her counsel argued that she was not able to consent to appear in The Guy Game, rendering her release form void, and that the publishers had misappropriated her likeness by failing to discover her age despite inaccuracies in her release form and proceeding to publish the footage. [31] In rebuttal, counsel for Topheavy Studios argued that Doe had entered and participated in the contest willingly and made fraudulent representations about her age to the production team, making it reasonable for the studios to have treated her as an adult. [18] The injunction restraining distribution of The Guy Game was granted at trial in January 2005, and successfully upheld by Doe at appeal to the Texas Third District Court of Appeal in August 2005. [10] [32] The trial and appeal did not resolve the question as to whether Topheavy had produced child pornography in violation of obscenity laws under the Texas Penal Code; the Court of Appeal held the injunction was not necessarily issued on this basis in coming to a finding that the injunction was not confined to that jurisdiction. [10] Following the injunction, Topheavy Studios ceased distribution of The Guy Game, protesting on their website that "the Man has decided that our fun and hilarious presentation of spring break revelry just wasn't appropriate for the world of gaming". [33] [34]
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | PS2: 48/100 [35] XBOX: 47/100 [36] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
AllGame | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Electronic Gaming Monthly | 2.5/30 [38] |
Game Informer | 3/10 [39] |
GameSpot | 7.5/10 [3] |
GameSpy | PS2: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
IGN | 7.7/10 [1] [lower-alpha 1] |
Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
PC Gamer (US) | 20% [42] |
PlayStation: The Official Magazine | 3.0/10 [43] |
TeamXbox | 7.3/10 [2] |
GMR | XBOX: 3/10 [44] |
Xbox Nation | 0/10 [45] |
The Guy Game was a commercial disappointment, selling a combined 60,000 copies in 2004 on Xbox and PlayStation. [46] Spangenberg claimed it sold well in 2004, [6] and estimated sales by 2005 to have totalled between 60 and 80,000 units, although provided no evidence during the Doe lawsuit on profits or projected sales. [10] Chris Morris of CNN cited The Guy Game as an example of a trend of commercially unsuccessful adult video games in 2004. [46]
The Guy Game received "generally unfavorable" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic, scoring 48/100 on the PlayStation 2, [35] and 47/100 on the Xbox. [36] Critics were mixed on its merits as adult video game. Some reviewers considered it and its depiction of women to be tasteless and objectifying, [44] [1] [40] with others describing it as an inferior alternative to softcore pornography as an imitation of Girls Gone Wild. [43] [39] Many critics remarked that it had little appeal due to its tepid content and tedious duration. Mike Angelo of PlayStation Magazine dismissed it as not risque enough to be worthwhile. [43] Electronic Gaming Monthly found it to have "too much guesswork to see the goods". [38] Brett Todd of PC Gamer noted it had "dubious value" due to its "limp" adult content. [42] Greg Orlando of Xbox Nation found the footage to be poorly shot and edited, stating The Guy Game lacked any erotic appeal or redeeming qualities. [45]
Reviewers also critiqued the quality of the trivia gameplay, with many critics remarking that The Guy Game lacked appeal as a single-player experience. [41] [47] Todd found the trivia gameplay to be "completely dissatisfying", citing the poor balance between obvious and inscrutable trivia questions, and the limited replay value due to a lack of questions. [42] Dana Jongewaard of Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine expressed that the gameplay was "poorly constructed" and tedious due to the "slow and boring" pacing of episodes and the unclear rules of the minigames. [41] Angelo similarly found it to be tedious and lacking challenge. [43] Justin Leeper of GameSpy viewed it as having "virtually no gameplay", dismissing it as "far too complicated and asinine" for its intended player base due to its obscure minigames. [40]
Some reviewers provided more sympathetic assessments of The Guy Game as an entertaining party title for groups. Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot stated that it had appeal to its specific audience of college-age men, the mini-games were "fun" and "functional" for multiple players, and highlighted Sadler's performance as host. [3] Similarly, Rob Watkins of GameZone noted that it had niche appeal, writing that its trivia aspects were "fun", the minigames were "simple but competitive", and the drinking minigames were "well integrated". [47] Douglass C. Perry of IGN assessed it to be "solid, simple and fun" and ideal as a rental title played with friends. [1] [lower-alpha 1] Brent Soboleski of Team Xbox described it as a "decent trivia game" for groups, particularly due to its ranking system, and noted its adult appeal made it "easy to overlook" its "drawbacks and limitations". [2]
Some authors have retrospectively noted The Guy Game was representative of a trend of increasingly accessible commercial softcore adult video games released in the 2000s, alongside titles such as Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude and Playboy: The Mansion . [49] Brathwaite noted The Guy Game was the last notable example of the "short-lived craze" of interactive full-motion video in adult video games. [50] In 2015, The Guardian cited The Guy Game as one of the worst games of all time, describing it as a "salacious" and "misogynist" title overshadowed by the circumstances of its censorship. [51] In 2016, Stace Harman of IGN described it as a "lacklustre trivia" with "inane" humor. [52]
Following its discontinuation, Topheavy Studios briefly repackaged footage of The Guy Game sold as a DVD titled The Guy Game: Game Over! The DVD contains uncensored footage and outtakes, including from participants not featured in the original game. [33] [34]
Banjo-Tooie is a 2000 platform game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 console. It is the second game in the Banjo-Kazooie series and the sequel to Banjo-Kazooie. The game follows the returning protagonists Banjo and Kazooie as they attempt to stop the plans of the witch Gruntilda and two of her sisters, who intend to vaporise the inhabitants of the game's island setting. The game features worlds significantly larger than those of its predecessor, requiring the player to complete challenges such as solving puzzles, jumping over obstacles, collecting items, and defeating opponents. It also includes a multiplayer mode in which up to four players can compete in several minigames repurposed from the main campaign.
Beyond Good & Evil is a 2003 action-adventure game developed and published by Ubisoft for PlayStation 2, Windows, Xbox, and GameCube. The story follows the adventures of Jade, an investigative reporter, martial artist, and spy hitwoman working with a resistance movement to reveal a sinister alien conspiracy. Players control Jade and other allies, solving puzzles, fighting enemies, obtaining photographic evidence and, later in the game, travelling to space.
Mortal Kombat: Deception is a 2004 fighting game developed and published by Midway. It is the sixth main installment in the Mortal Kombat franchise and a sequel to 2002's Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance. It was released for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in October 2004, for the GameCube in March 2005 and later ported for the PlayStation Portable under the title Mortal Kombat: Unchained in November 2006. Mortal Kombat: Deception follows the storyline from the fifth installment, Deadly Alliance. Its story centers on the revival of the Evil Dragon King Onaga, who attempts to conquer the realms featured in the series after defeating the sorcerers Quan Chi and Shang Tsung, the main antagonists in the previous game, and the Thunder God Raiden, defender of Earthrealm. The surviving warriors from the previous titles join forces to confront Onaga.
Video games featuring sexual content have existed since the early days of the industry. They can be found on most platforms and can be of any video game genre.
All-Star Baseball 2005 is a baseball video game developed by Acclaim Studios Austin and published by Acclaim Entertainment for PlayStation 2 and Xbox in 2004. It was released exclusively in North America. The game features Derek Jeter on the cover. It is the eighth and last game in the series.
Call of Duty 2 is a 2005 first-person shooter video game developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision in most regions of the world. It is the second installment of the Call of Duty series. Announced by Activision on April 7, 2005, the game was released for Microsoft Windows on October 25, 2005, and as a launch title for the Xbox 360 on November 22, 2005. Other versions were eventually released for OS X, mobile phones, and Pocket PCs.
"Hot Coffee" is the unofficial name for a minigame in the 2004 action-adventure video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas by Rockstar Games. While it was not playable in the official game release, the modding community discovered hidden code that, when enabled, allows protagonist Carl "CJ" Johnson to have animated sexual intercourse with his in-game girlfriend.
Rayman Raving Rabbids is a 2006 party video game developed and published by Ubisoft. It's a spinoff for the Rayman series and the debut title for the Rabbids franchise. The story follows Rayman as he was interrupted by an earthquake, in which he was also kidnapped and forced to play minigames with the Rabbids. The game received generally positive reviews from critics, with some criticizing the minigames either being broken or unenjoyable.
Fuzion Frenzy is a party video game developed by Blitz Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox. The game is a four-player party game featuring 45 different minigames. Developed as a launch title for the Xbox in the United States, Fuzion Frenzy was the first game mastered for the console and developed to fill the niche for a party game in its launch strategy. The game was released to mixed to average reviews, with critics praising the game's accessibility and visual presentation as an early showcase of the capabilities of the Xbox, whilst faulting the game's repetition and limited variety of minigames. Fuzion Frenzy was a moderate commercial success, although slow initial sales led Microsoft Game Studios to discontinue work by Blitz Games on a sequel for the Xbox. A sequel for the Xbox 360, Fuzion Frenzy 2, was later released in 2007 by Hudson Soft.
The Bible Game is a Christian party game developed by Mass Media and published by Crave Entertainment. It is aimed at Christians and is "family-friendly." There are a variety of trivia questions related to the Old Testament. The main two modes are "TV Game Show" and "Challenge Games." The latter lets players choose any minigame.
Jeffery Spangenberg is an American retired video game producer and entrepreneur who founded video game developers Punk Development, Iguana Entertainment, Retro Studios, and Topheavy Studios.
Cars is a 2006 adventure racing game published by THQ. The game is based on the 2006 film of the same name. It was released for the PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, Microsoft Windows, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and PlayStation Portable in June 2006, with versions for the Xbox 360 and Wii released later that year. The Wii version includes functionality geared towards its Wii Remote controller and was a launch game for the system. Taking place after the events of the film, the game follows Lightning McQueen as he participates in the new racing season with his goal set on finally winning the Piston Cup. While doing so, he races and trains with the local community of Radiator Springs.
Rocky is a fighting video game published by Rage Software and released in 2002. The game is based on the Rocky franchise.
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts is a 2008 platform game developed by Rare and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360. Set eight years after Banjo-Tooie (2000), Nuts & Bolts follows the bear-and-bird duo Banjo and Kazooie as they compete with the witch Gruntilda for ownership of their home. Although Nuts & Bolts retains the structure of previous Banjo-Kazooie games—collecting jigsaw puzzle pieces to progress—it shifts the focus from exploration to vehicle construction. The player designs vehicles, including automobiles, boats, and aeroplanes, and uses them to complete challenges across various worlds. In multiplayer modes, players can compete or share their vehicles over Xbox Live.
The Golden Compass is a 2007 action-adventure puzzle video game developed by Shiny Entertainment for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows, and by A2M for Nintendo DS. The game was published on all platforms by Sega, and was released in Europe in November 2007, and in North America in December. It is the video game of the 2007 film of the same name, although it is also partially based on the 1995 novel upon which the film is based, Northern Lights by Philip Pullman. The game was released prior to the film and features a slightly different sequence of events towards the end of the story, as well as additional footage at the end of the game not seen in the film. This was due to a last minute re-edit of the last half-hour of the film by New Line Cinema, which could not be incorporated into the game, as it was based on the shooting script. Due to this the game manages to portray motives and themes of the book in much more detail, including details only present in later books of the trilogy. The Golden Compass was the last game developed by Shiny before Foundation 9 Entertainment merged them with The Collective. A significant feature has Dakota Blue Richards and Freddie Highmore reprising their roles from the film.
Viva Piñata: Party Animals is a video game developed by Krome Studios for the Microsoft Xbox 360 video game console, part of the Viva Piñata series. The game was released on October 30, 2007, in North America, November 15 in Australia, November 16 in Europe, and December 6 in Japan.
Game Party is a video game developed by FarSight Studios and published by Midway. Game Party was retailed as a budget title for the Wii. It is the first game in the Game Party series. It was released on November 27, 2007, in North America; on February 14, 2008, in Australia; and in Europe on February 15, 2008.
Universal Studios Theme Parks Adventure, known in Japan as Universal Studios Japan Adventure, is a 2001 video game developed by Nai'a Digital Works and published by Kemco for the GameCube. Set in the Universal Studios Japan park, the object of the game is to complete several mini-games loosely based on the real-life attractions Back to the Future: The Ride, Jaws, Jurassic Park River Adventure, E.T. Adventure, Backdraft, Wild, Wild, Wild West Stunt Show, and Waterworld. The player is encouraged to collect trash located in the park, wear merchandise based on the respective franchises, and complete movie quizzes, in which the player must answer trivia questions about the Universal Studios films.
Kinect: Disneyland Adventures is a 2011 open world video game developed by Frontier Developments and published by Microsoft Studios on Kinect for Xbox 360, with a remaster for Xbox One and Microsoft Windows developed by Asobo Studio released in 2017 as simply Disneyland Adventures. It takes place in a recreation of Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California, circa 2011, with themed games in place of many of the rides, while motion controls are used to play the game.
BoneTown is a pornographic action-adventure video game developed and published by American studio D-Dub Software, released for Microsoft Windows on November 12, 2008, and November 12, 2018 for Android, iOS and Windows Phone 8. The game follows the player as he completes missions and has sex with various women.
Editor's Note, January 6, 2020: Given that The Guy Game was removed from sale due to the revelation that one of its on-camera participants being revealed to be under the age of 18 at the time of filming, the IGN editorial staff felt it was appropriate to remove this review as well.