The Nintendo Switch is chock full of potential multiplayer gaming memories already, however one game with many more possibilities is The Jackbox Party Pack 3. If you're unfamiliar with the series, The Jackbox Party Pack is an exciting collection of accessible games that up to 8 people can play. It's quite astonishing when played in a party environment, as the accessibility lies also in the controls, which are all utilized via a website you can reach on your phone. Anyone can drop in and start playing almost instantly via a room code; the convenience makes Jackbox a vital game in your Switch library. It's just unfortunate that it's held back by a couple of factors that can potentially break the experience for players.
For starters, the games in the third Jackbox have decent variety. There are five games that will test anything from your pop culture knowledge to the eloquence you have when creating t-shirt designs. The 3rd Jackbox collection includes Quiplash 2, Trivia Murder Party, Guesspionage, Tee K.O., and Fakin' It. Most games require at least 2-3 players and can support up to 8 players.
Quiplash 2 is one of the most notorious games in the collection, where you and up to 7 other players are given prompts and can respond in any way possible. The humour can go places which will have some reminiscing of Cards Against Humanity, and just like in that game players choose which responses to prompts were funnier. With games that take around 10-15 minutes at most it's an incredible test of wits, and with a group of friends and the inclusion of in-jokes its one of the standout titles on the compilation.
One drawback which can be seen in the other Jackbox games rears its ugly head in the most recent iteration. That is that many of the hosts and voice-work in this game have disappointing writing. A case in point is the host in Trivia Murder Party, which is certainly distracting. Trivia Murder Party is a pretty great trivia game otherwise, and whenever individuals miss a question they are required to do different minigames. Whether they test your memorization or math, it's an interesting addition which makes the game stand out, even if the host can distract from the fun.
Guesspionage also unfortunately exhibits the problem of a host that can come off as unfunny and slightly obnoxious, however it's easily made enjoyable with the volume off. In it, you guess percentages that are based around surveys. It's good fun.
Sadly, Jackbox also requires Wi-Fi in order to play with your friends who are in the same room as you. Which means no Quiplash while on the road, or in any environment which isn't accessible to the internet. You can definitely tether to a mobile phone hotspot (it thankfully uses only a small amount of mobile phone data), but your mileage may vary as you have to use your phone to select answers and some phones will slow down drastically alongside their quickly draining battery.
Taking away from the score of Jackbox Party Pack 3, ultimately, is the unfortunate lack of execution on portability. If needed also make sure you have the family filter enabled, as a point of reference, as some questions and aspects of the humour are coarse and might be considered offensive. We also can't recommend the game if you don't have at least 3 other players, as it is exponentially better when played with a larger group of people.
Conclusion
While this game is a great set-up for hilarity, it's regrettable that it can't always execute its own punchlines. However, it's an excellent title if played with the right crowd. It's a great selection of party games, and is worthy of a place in a Switch library accessed by groups of friends. Due to the nature of its controls, however, don't expect much in terms of portability.
Comments 49
Can't wait until hungry hungry hippos makes it to the Switch!
I own all these on PS4, easily the best party games you can get today, 1-2 Switch and JD2017 Switch are also great fun.
"Taking away from the score of Jackbox Party Pack 3, ultimately, is the unfortunate lack of execution on portability."
..........You're kidding? Please tell me you are. Are you kidding?
......................................
This is one of the best party games, bar none. It deserves at least a 9. Just because some things may not be for demanding parents or people that actually expect this to work in portable mode doesn't mean it isn't the laugh-out-loud couch game it always has been.
@RyanSilberman while I agree the score is low, this game can't work offline so I think that's why he says it's not that portable.
But honestly, if that's why, then I really hope this isn't the norm for Switch reviews, just because the Switch can be a handheld doesn't mean points should be docked if games aren't great outside the dock.
I've been making Jackbox portable for years simply by logging in as me on my mates PS4 when I go round and we play it. With the Switch though, unless you're trying to play it in a park... Yeah, I just don't get it
....so, should Karen bring this to the next party or not?...
Tempted by this game for some friend gathering fun with drinks but the need to be online is an annoyance. Not sure it will be a problem though. I won't get a chance until late May to really try it out so can give it some thought in time.
Will also need to ensure I put the Switch in a safe place in the room.
I wouldn't buy a switch for games like this or 12switch, party games don't do it for me, not even Darth Karen can change that, the force isn't strong for this one.
@SH007ME I think Karen would DEFINITELY bring this to her next party. So fun!
10/10 party in my bathroom
Bought this a few days ago and was baffled to start with(wondering why the joy cons wouldn't start the game).
Great fun was had once we got our phones out.
Least it's better than 1-2 switch
@VENOMVSCARNAGE VOEZ was a handheld-only game, too. By that knowledge, it should have been a 6 instead of an 8.
@NintySnesMan I wasn't aware that every game in existence was made purely to sell consoles.
brought my switch to my parents house for easter and a party that started outside ended up inside with 8 of us playing and 4 others playing along in the audience it was a total blast.
I heard it said that if you're American this game is great. Anywhere else, not so much. The questions were asked of an American audience.
I definitely disagree with the Trivia Murder Party narrator, my friends and I all thought he was funny. I also don't think it's fair to bump down the score due to the game not appealig to your personal sense of humor, most of the people I've played with never had the same issue. Not fighting the score so much as I think the reasons for the score are a little unfair.
Does the game come with access to jackbox.tv? Since the Switch doesn't have a browser at the moment I think it'd be helpful to have some way to access the site itself on the Switch for the purposes of playing along if someone else has the game. I know phone is usable but I'd prefer a tablet-like device.
There not, and this certainly won't for sure, at best it will get moderate sales
@NintySnesMan this game? Party games? Switch? What?
@faint
This game, switch it's self will be a success, it's doing everything right. The complete opposite to wii u, though I did and still do enjoy the wii u.
@NintySnesMan I absolutely agree.
So I took this to a board game night last week. Most of the people who go are not into video games (heck one didn't realize his Android phone is a smart phone, they're mostly older and not very tech savvy). After everyone got into the game though, it seemed a resounding success. We don't have a TV there so I set it up in table top mode and that worked fine! Only thing to note: the console goes into sleep mode if you don't tap a button or the screen for too long (since it's played off smartphones, once the game is started there's no actual interaction with the buttons or touch screen). Ended up figuring out just to tap the touch screen every couple questions to keep it awake but that is a bit inconvenient that it thinks there isn't input, only a minor complaint (I don't wanna turn off the auto sleep whenever I play this game).
Eventually there is too much text to translate. A no buy for 60% of the gaming population.
This guy I work with, he's younger and out of college and just married and all that, he was telling me how great this game is. Guess he used to play it all the time in college.
Then our big, nerdy IT guy the other day was talking about it lol. Like wow, didn't realize how popular Jackbox Party was...
This is a great game. As noted by others, it is tremendously fun with others. Only one of the games offered is single player, so this is definitely a "Party Pack" in every sense of the term. I'm glad it came out on the Switch, and I'm hoping they also release the first two packs or a compilation of them as well!
It's probably the first time I see almost all commenters agreeing that this review was out of touch. The reviewer must take note of this.
@VENOMVSCARNAGE maybe they should start splitting the review into portable and couch scores so that people only interested in one option can judge based on that.
No Fibbage? No thanks. Pass.
UK pricing seems to be a direct conversion of some sort. Some odd numbers popping up here and there.
@JHDK The thought of that HD Rumble terrifies me.
@WindyCityGSH Fibbage was announced for Jack Box 4 which is most likely coming to the Switch, I'd get excited.
I might pick up a bundle with all three games for $50 if that ever happened.
@SushiGummy I mean you have to bear in mind a review is an opinion and you don't have to agree with it.
The one game I never particularly cared for out of pack 3 is Fakin' It'. It reminds me of some of the games in the first Jackbox (like Word Spud) where the game just gives you a score, but that's kind of it (well to be fair in this one it does have score, but the game leaves it to your acting moreso).
I agree with the review, in that there's too much time wasting on narrators at times, and it'd be nice if there were an 'abridged' or 'no host' option, in order to spend more time playing and less time wasting. In a sense, it's like unskippable cutscenes. in a first person shooter you've already beaten and just want some action in.
@ShadowForks That's great news. Thanks for that info!
Score seems low for what is probably best party game on Switch
Why does it seem like people don't understand the difference between handheld and portable?
@ShadJV “We don't have a TV there so I set it up in table top mode and that worked fine!”
Good to hear! That's exactly why I thought this game would be perfect for Switch. It's portable like a laptop computer so you don't need a TV nearby, but it's quick and easy to connect it back to a TV. Too bad about the auto sleep issue though.
@TheLobster Well, sure, and I'm disagreeing with it. In the same way a lot of other people in this comments section are disagreeing with it. Like, if a reviewer said Breath of the Wild was bad because of the combat, they're gonna get called out.
@BearHunger I mean it shouldn't be hard to fix the auto sleep issue in a patch (whether they will, who knows) but ultimately it's an issue of convenience, one can always change the settings before using it. To be fair a tv would always be preferred, as some people couldn't read their scores off the small screen (though from what we played, seeing your scores mid game isn't a big advantage in any way).
@JaxonH I didn't either until a few months ago. Seems to be a pretty popular party game, especially when alcohol is involved.
I don't know if the American style humour carries over as well the English audiences... it's probably a matter of which part of the world you come from if you find it funny or not.
@Alpha008 I'm American, and I agree that humor is subjective, but the jokes seemed quite low-effort.
Re-read the review... Does the reviewer not even mention a couple of the games included, or am I missing something?
The game is browser-based, so of course you need internet access to play. It's the simplest and most hassle-free way they could have designed it: you don't sync your phone with the system, you sync with the game 'room'. It's how it is on every platform.
@ShadowForks fair enough
@SLIGEACH_EIRE I felt only Guesspionage would have been better if I was American.
All the rest are broad enough that it doesn't matter and have been a real blast for me and my family on PS4 that we had to rebuy on Switch.
And we would rebuy 1 and 2 as well.
@8itmap_k1d Which means all you need is a phone with its own Internet. We will play this tomorrow on a long drive.with a WiFi hotspot.
@TheLobster Imagine if I reviewed something and deducted points for the most bizarre reasons and things that don't actually exist. I would cop flak for it.
Reviews aren't meant to just be what you like, but rather what you think is well made desire your own tastes.And docking points because not everyone has good enough WiFi hotspot on their phone is daft.
Imagine if they gave Zelda an 8 because they had issues with their controller, or deducted more points because their console crashed.
@MadAdam81 Well honestly I'm glad to know this game needs good Wi-Fi because I live in an area where that is hard to come by. I don't think Dan docked points for that, I think it was just information that people should know. If Zelda reliably crashed the reviewer's console, I would certainly want to know that.
I don't understand why everyone is upset here. Again, a review is just an opinion, and a 7 is a good score.
@MadAdam81 Exactly, it's not like this is a twitch shooter; it requires minimal bandwidth.
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