Deal or No Deal Review

TV game shows usually have fairly simple rules. Most of the excitement of watching these shows is derived from the host and the contestants. Viewers see the excitement and tension exhibited by the contestants and imagine themselves in their place. So what happens when you take away the contestants and prizes, and break the game show down to its few simple rules? Well in the case of Deal or No Deal you find out how boring the game itself really is.

For those of you who don't know, Deal or No Deal is centered on 26 identical briefcases. In each of these briefcases is a different dollar amount, ranging from one cent to a million dollars. The contestant picks one case, but rather than getting the chance to look inside it, he or she is instead methodically shown what's in the other briefcases. After a few are opened to reveal what the contestant has not won, a banker makes the contestant a cash offer for the briefcase and the contestant must decide whether to hold on to the briefcase or to take the offer and end the game - or put simply, is it a deal or no deal?

This premise may be exciting when there's real money on the line, but when you're playing it on your DS it's nothing more than a random number picking game. You eventually take the deal or wait until the bitter end, but in either case the only payoff is to see if the number in the briefcase is higher than the banker's last offer or not. Once you do, it's game over and you're bounced back to the menu screen. The game doesn't keep track of your winnings or any other kinds of records, so there's no reward or penalty for winning and losing, for making smart or poor decisions. After a couple of playthroughs you'll wonder what the point is in continuing to play … and you won't come up with an answer.

There are a couple of other modes in the game, but they make the main game seem exciting by comparison. Seriously, do you really want to play High-Low aka Acey-Ducey on your DS? Oh wait, this version uses briefcases instead of cards. Did that change your mind?

It's hard to even recommend this game to those of you obsessed by the TV show. The game's presentation is so bare-boned and what little there is becomes repetitive by your second or third game. I can't image anyone not being disappointed with this game.

In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated: 15%. Save yourself the trouble and just say "No Deal".