Hmm, what could I possibly say here that you would find interesting...
Hmm, what could I possibly say here that you would find interesting...
Member since:31.08.2004
Reviews:41
Members who trust:18
I first encountered the Bop It when playing with my (much) younger cousins a couple of years ago. I loved playing it, and really wanted my own, but at nearly 30 pounds, it seemed a bit expensive. Fast forward a couple of years and I found the Bop It Extreme 2 for 20 pounds I had to have it!
So, let's start by explaining what it is (those of you who have experienced earlier versions of the Bop it can probably skip this paragraph). Ok, so it's an electronic gadget that looks a little like the steering wheels you sometimes get in arcade racing games. Each of the two arms has a switch (for want of a better word) on it. These are all activated in different ways. In the middle there is another big button (or switch). Well, actually 2, as there is one of these on each side. When playing the game you are instructed to activate each of the 5 switches
in time to a beat that is played by the machine- if you activate the incorrect one, or take too long to activate the correct one the game ends. It's a bit like those dancing games, except that instead of using your feet you use your hands, and there are various actions to perform. In case you haven't already guessed, it needs batteries (3 AA's), which aren't supplied with the game. It's quite difficult to describe, but if you have a look at the Ciao picture (above left) that will help to make this description a bit clearer I think.
How does the Bop it Extreme 2 differ from earlier versions? Well, the original Bop it only has 3 controls, whereas this has 5. The promotional material claims that this version has more variety in beats that you play to than the other.
Play There are 2 different modes of play- vox bob and beat bop. In vox bop a voice calls out the instructions (e.g, flick it, bop it) whereas in beat bop you are played a sound for each of the instructions. I have mostly played vox bop as I find beat bop to be really difficult. Within the two modes of play there are 2 options: solo- this is for those of us who like solitary play- you just keep on playing as long as you can, trying to beat the current highest score one-on-one- the two player option- each player holds one of the arms, and has to activate the controls and the arm s/he is holding as well as competing to hit the middle bop it button the fastest. As soon as one person makes a mistake the other is declared the winner. pass it- the multi-player option- a group of people sit in a circle. One person starts the game, performing the actions as described. after 3 or 4 actions are performed the game says "pass it"and the player passes it on to the next person. If the player holding the game makes a mistake that person is out, and the others continue to play. The last one in is the winner.
The controls One of the cool things about the design of this game is that the switches you use for the game are also the controls- the "pull it" switch turns the game on and changes the game play. The "spin it" switch changes the volume (low, medium or high). The "flick it" switch changes the mode of play, and the "twist it" control tells you what the current high score is. I think this is quite clever as it means the design has been kept as simple as possible. Oh, and there's no off switch- the game turns itself off after a few minutes without play.
How much fun is it? The game play is actually pretty simple and somewhat repetitive, but it is also addictive. It's easy to get caught up with trying to beat your own highest score. The music that the game plays along with the instructions helps to keep it interesting, however there could be more variation in the beats I think. The music is chosen automatically so you can't choose what type of beat you would like to play to, which is a bit of a shame.
While it does make a good party game (and, dare I say it, the pass it option could be used for drinking games), I think it is more of a solo game. You really do have to play the solo option on your own as the game by its very nature is awfully loud, so people will get annoyed if you try to play it while they are watchign tv, for example. Unfortunately, it is made even more of a solo game by the fact that it only records one highest score, and there is no way of recording a name along with the score (a built in microphone and recorder could have solved this, and maybe added some additional game play options)- which means for those of us who are competitive (you know who you are) we have to remember who it was who last achieved a high score.
Is it educational? Well, not really, but it does help with co-ordination of brain and body, which is good. It's not going to teach you anything new, but it will help to keep you on your toes.
The game is quite tough, and stands up well to general use. I find myself cringing when friends play it and bang the buttons as if they were trying to kill something, but no damage has yet been done.
So, if you're thinking of buying one of these, I would say do it, as you will have fun. Oh, I guess I should add that it's probably appropriate from about age 6 upwards.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Advantages: Addictive fun, simple to learn but difficult to master Disadvantages: Occasionally non-responsive 'Bop It!' button, voice giving commands can get annoying after a while
tiggerishone 27.12.2003 ·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Bopit Extreme2
Are you the manufacturer / provider of Bop It Extreme 2? Click here
Jun 11th, 2007
very helpful by (100%):
