Deal or No Deal (2008) Review

Costas Stephanides’s Review

Noel's back and he's as animated as ever

It's been a couple of years since Gameloft first brought Deal Or No Deal to mobiles. It was released just as the TV show was at the top of its popularity and the mobile game threatened Tetris' position as the number one game of all time.

Things never stay still for long in gaming and the EA/Gameloft rivalry continues unabated with EA taking over the licence and the original version is no longer available for sale. Just a little recap for those that missed it first time round... Gameloft’s version turned the concept into one large challenge game. The game was split into a number of episodes where new episodes could be unlocked if you managed to win a certain amount of money. There were a few general knowledge questions thrown in for good measure (trivia was so 2006).

The guys at EA have changed things a little and have gone for a fully fledged simulation of a Deal or No Deal contestant. The developers even spent some time down in Bristol to watch the filming of a few shows and get a feel for the experience and buzz that this unique game creates. The mobile game tries hard to recreate this feeling.

After selecting from one of 22 avatars you take your place among the other contestants and wait for your chance to be randomly selected. You won't necessarily be picked first and you might have to watch someone else rattle through the boxes for their chance to win £250,000. You might say this is a little too realistic and who wants to watch the computer play against itself? This is actually an important part of the experience that can affect your own game once you get selected. As in the TV show, the player will ask fellow contestants for their advice and this includes you. Your ability to read the board and offer the best advice will all be logged by the banker (and the statistics section) and this can influence how he treats you when it's your turn to take a seat in the crazy chair.

The controls here are very simple and the game lasts as quickly as you can press the centre key and skip through the chit chat. One slight issue with the game is the amount of dialogue between Noel, you and the banker. It usually comprises standard phrases and have little bearing on the matters in hand.

Moving swiftly on, your turn to challenge the banker should happen within 2 or 3 episodes and even though it is only a mobile game, the tension can still be high. Your time in the seat closely follows the TV show albeit without the advert breaks. You choose 5 boxes before your first offer. Once the banker has given his verdict and offer, you can get the advice of your fellow contestants and then decide whether to deal or not. The game continues with more opened boxes and more offers. Viewers of the show will get the drift by the now. It is all ultimately a game of luck centred around fake money but selling a cheap box for a high figure is still satisfying even if it’s not real. To add a little more to the game, the stats includes all manner of percentages including how much confidence the banker has in you and how lucky you are.

That would normally be enough for a licensed TV gameshow, but EA have added another mode where you get to play as the banker. As the mode suggests, you watch a contestant play their game and then decide how much money to offer them at the relevant stages. The game can become a little cagey depending on your mood. There’s no bonus points for following the magic equation and offering what the real banker would do. However, the stats section has its own screen for ‘Be the Banker’ together with a measure of your generosity. The only thing missing is a two player mode where one could be the banker and the other a contestant. Apart from that, a thoroughly realistic simulation that should please all purists of the show.