- NA release: 25th February 1998
- PAL release: N/A
- JP release: N/A
- Developer: GameTek
- Publisher: Take Two
- N64 Magazine Score: 9%
Similar to Wheel of Fortune, this got a scathing review from N64 Magazine and, once again, this is just fine. There’s not much too it, but it gets the job done. That said, it does have a few problems not present in Wheel of Fortune.
One odd thing I noticed (which isn’t really a problem) is that the menu music is a remix of “I’m a little teapot”, which is a bit random.
Jeopardy is a trivia game where everything is worded awkwardly so that the answers start with “what is” and the questions don’t have question marks. It doesn’t change the nature of the questions in any way, it’s just a pointless novelty to make them seem more interesting than they are. You pick from a list of categories and difficulties – if you don’t know much about one of the chosen categories, tough.
Typing out on the N64 is particularly awkward. It helps you by filling in the “what is/are” part so you just put in the answer (making it more obvious that it’s just a regular quiz show). You can set it to accept incorrect spellings or to show you potential answers. On the flip side, computer players type so fast you can’t see what they’re doing.
It’s a basic trivia game – but that’s all it’s trying to be.
Poor
To be able to answer Jeopardy’s questions you need to have enough sense to not spend pounds on a glorified quiz book.
Paul O’Donovan, N64 Magazine #16
Remake or Remaster?
Like Wheel of Fortune, classic games should be in a Jackbox-style collection.
Official Ways to get the game
There’s no official way to play Jeopardy on N64
Europe
Japan
North America
N64 Games by Date
1997: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
1998: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
1999: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2000: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
Gonna have to stop you there, mate. But there is a point to this. Well, was. These days, it definitely is only a thing because it’s become symbolic of the show.
Back before Jeopardy was first broadcast in America, quiz shows there had become embroiled in a number of scandals of rigging. Contestants that were deemed popular were routinely given the answers to questions to ensure they win and return in future episodes. The most notorious examples were “21” and “Dotto”.
So when Merv and Julann Griffin pitched their idea to broadcasters, they suggested they reverse the format and give contestants the answer and have them provide the question.
Yeah, I know. That idea wouldn’t stop potential for rigging, really. But it did convince viewers that there wasn’t anything of the sort in this show. (Probably helps that Jeopardy wasn’t rigged, mind)
Safe to say, it saved American Quiz Shows.
If you want a dose of UK action, Stephen Fry recently hosted it here. Not sure if it’s still on the screens though, it was an early afternoon deal, not good enough for prime time.