Top 1 Xbox 360 Site

Join Mr. Foxworthy’s class and take the Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? trivia game where every question is based on grade school curriculum and the answers are, well … elementary. This Xbox Live Arcade version of the hit show features over 6,000 grade school question across 21 subjects as well as multiplayer for your friends on the couch or your online rivals from all across the globe.

Genre: Trivia

Publisher: THQ

Developer: Blitz Games

Online Play: 4 Versus

Local Play: 4 Versus

October 31, 2008 –
Quiz show games would seem to be a perfect fit for Xbox Live Arcade. After all, trivia games are a communal event. And Xbox Live is all about bringing people together. Recognizing the potential, THQ is trying to capitalize on a relatively untapped XBLA genre with Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader. But this bare-bones trivia title misses the mark, failing to be particularly challenging or fun.

Based on the popular TV show, 5th Grader has you answering a series of questions the average fifth grader should know on the way to winning a million dollars. And by winning a million dollars, I mean winning an imaginary million dollars that you can’t take with you. After all, this is a videogame you’re playing. You will not recoup the $15 spent.

As with the TV show, Jeff Foxworthy is the virtual host for the XBLA version of 5th Grader. He’s decently rendered, though there’s something a little off about his face. Then again, that may just be Jeff Foxworthy. It’s the fictional students — who help you cheat on your exam — who need some work. Each looks a tad creepy. I would not want to meet these fifth graders in a dark alley.

The quiz board features a range of topics. There are two questions for each grade level, from first on up to fifth grade. You pick from one of five students to help you on two questions apiece. You have three cheats — peek, copy or save. Peek lets you look at the answer from your chosen classmate, copy has you blindly accepting their answer, and save is used if you miss a question. On an incorrect answer, your classmate’s response is shown. If they get it correct, you are saved, earn some cash and move on. It’s a great help, but remember that you only have one of each cheat.

Are we smarter than a fifth grader? Find out in this clip.Unlike the TV show, the questions on the board are all multiple choice. At worst, you will have four answers to choose from. This makes getting to the big million dollar question a lot easier. You can usually eliminate at least one answer. That puts you at three choices. From there, if you still don’t know, you could make a lucky (or educated) guess. And the cheats are very helpful, since the AI classmates are selecting from just four options. To its credit, 5th Grader forces you to type in the answer to the million dollar question (and no cheats are allowed). Getting to the big question is pretty easy. Answering it, not so much.

The questions in 5th Grader are completely uneven. There are first-grade questions — supposedly softballs — that are harder than fifth grade questions. And the kids, who have their own expertise, seem to be wrong more than right.

At any point, when you see a question you don’t know the answer to, you can drop out of class and keep what you earned. But this isn’t real life. You don’t lose money, you don’t win money. Since there’s no collective stat on what you’ve earned, there’s never a reason to drop out. Just push forward.

But the real downfall of 5th Grader is the piss-poor multiplayer. Trivia games are best when a group can enjoy it together. Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? has one multiplayer mode — and it’s not very good. Whether online or offline, each player plays their own game of 5th Grader. After each question, the next person takes their turn. You have your own category and questions. It’s multiplayer because, well, you have to wait on someone else to make their way through their own game, I guess. Whoever finishes with the most money, wins. Whoever plays this more than once loses.

Closing Comments
Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? makes a worthy attempt at doing trivia right. Though it ultimately fails, it doesn’t seem as if this was a game just thrown together. Work was put into 5th Grader, but it falls short of other quiz games on Xbox 360. If you’re truly smarter than a fith grader, you’ll pass on this game.

IGN Ratings for Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? Make the Grade (X360)

Rating Description

out of 10
click here for ratings guide

7.0
Presentation
A faithful job of following the show’s formula.

5.0
Graphics
Are you creepier-looking than a fifth grader?

3.0
Sound
Foxworthy’s voice is tinny. And he’s pretty much the entirety of the sound quotient.

5.0
Gameplay
There’s no sense of reward from getting questions right. And it’s too easy. Oh, and the multiplayer sucks.

3.0
Lasting Appeal
The only reason to play more than once is to try and justify making this purchase in the first place.

5.0
Meh
OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)

• See All Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? Make the Grade (X360) Reader Reviews
• Write Your Own Review of Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? Make the Grade (X360)