Jackbox Party Pack 2 Review

"Jack Party Pack v2"

Campaign

Fibbage is really what got me interested in the whole Jackbox party game system since it was a riot to play with the family and the streaming possibilities were also great. After that single game we were given a Jackbox Party Pack which was filled with five great party games that were like Fibbage in their use of mobile devices to play.

It was and still is completely unique to create a system where the controllers can be any devices or even internet browsers. This time around we have a selection of five new party games including the sequel to Fibbage which is once again hilarious. While I honestly found the original package to contain a much stronger list of party games I do find value in them trying to create something uniquely different.

The modes do vary in design as well this time with some more strange ones present within the pack and I also found that more players were required overall to play the majority of the games which I wasn't too fond of. I'll now break down each of the games below and provide details for them relative to what the objective is.

Fibbage 2

Fibbage is the amazing game of lying where you try to trick everyone else within the lobby to pick your written lie. The game will give you everyone a general phrase with an empty space for the players to fill it in with whatever they want. From there players are attempting to find the truth within the phrases and points are given accordingly.

It's broken into three rounds like before with a new set of questions and the deFIBrillator which can be used once in a game and breaks the choices to a 50/50 guessing split. This is the strongest game of the pack and basically worth it to buy the entire thing for just this one.

Earwax

This is a neat sound game where players are combining phrases to impress a judge. The judge picks a theme for the round and a question appears from which the other players select two sounds from a list. The sounds which are most appealing to the judge will win the round, this game requires at least three players for obvious reasons.

Bidiots

Bidiots is sort of like Drawful which was an amazing game in the last pick though this time you're voting on drawn art. All players are required to draw two pieces of art each round. These will be voted on by players during the round based on what they think it is, players also get threes hint to assist during the game. The hints basically give you a good idea of what to go for in some pictures and you're bidding to have the most profit at the end of the game.

Quiplash XL

This is the larger version of Quiplash which released earlier this summer and one I sadly missed out on. Probably the second best in the collection played out where everyone is given a general set of phrases from which they write in a solution. It's sort of like Fibbage where you're trying to get people to vote, but the others will vote on which phrase they like the most. This goes on for a couple rounds and can create some hilarious responses from the players. Jinxes can also happen where players write the same thing and sometimes the host will even pop in for a joke if you write a certain answer phrase.

Bomb Corp.

The final game within the Jackbox Pack 2 is Bomb Corp. which is basically a more cooperative type experience which honestly could have been handled better. I think the idea of a coop game is fine within the game, but this one was just strange and actually difficult to coordinate so not good for non-local play.

You're part of this office that makes bombs and everywhere they are bombs to diffuse for some reason. Every person in the group gets a bit of information on how to defuse the bomb and one player is in charge of cutting the wires. This situation does evolve as players progress across the survival situation, but it's mostly around bombs.

The Conclusion

I thought the first Jackbox Party Pack was fantastic and the family still goes back to play it from time to time as it provides many laughs. It was also fun to stream the game and I appreciate some better features this time in regards to a streaming setting. Though I honestly found this to be a much weaker pack in general and doesn't quite hold up to the original games.

If you're looking for a party game than go with the first, if you already have that and want more then this is a fine addition to that collection. I personally think it's worth it for Fibbage 2 on itself, but I'm just a huge fan of how hilarious that game is. Should also mention there are child friendly options for the title and it's only as adult as the group makes it. I really hope we see more over time as these packs are the best party games available on the consoles while also providing the easiest access.

Jackbox Party Pack 2 Review on Xbox One
Review Code Provided by Sandbox PR

Rating Overall: 7.0