Half Off Debut

[Vgmastr]

They don't do a post-facto reveal so the audience doesn't know what's in the unpicked boxes.

How do you know?  We don't know what happens when a contestant loses.  It's possible they reveal where the money was on a loss.

[chris319]

[quote name=\'Vgmastr\' date=\'May 28 2004, 12:04 PM\']

They don't do a post-facto reveal so the audience doesn't know what's in the unpicked boxes.

How do you know?  We don't know what happens when a contestant loses.  It's possible they reveal where the money was on a loss. [/quote]
That's indeed possible, but on a win they don't reveal where the money wasn't, as is the case with Bonus Game. Theoretically, if they wanted a preordained win in Half Off they could still load all 16 boxes with money.

[SplitSecond]

[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'May 28 2004, 11:30 AM\'] Unimpressive.

There have been two pricing games with the same basic concept for almost 30 years. All Half-Off is, is Bonus Game/Shell Game with one small prize taken away and with longer odds [/quote]
 Well, there are only so many ways to skin a cat.  For instance, Switch? is merely a rehash of One Right Price.

[chris319]

Switch? is merely a rehash of One Right Price.

Yup. It was never meant to be anything but. Roger said they needed short games and there you have one.

[ITSBRY]

[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'May 28 2004, 01:30 PM\']Unimpressive.[/quote]
Geeze...that's kinda harsh.

Fun game...easy to understand...exciting...looks great...NO problems here.

Great job Mandel...couldn't have happened to a nicer guy! :-)

ITSBRY
itsbry@juno.com

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'ITSBRY\' date=\'May 28 2004, 01:16 PM\'] [quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'May 28 2004, 01:30 PM\']Unimpressive.[/quote]
Geeze...that's kinda harsh.
 [/quote]
 I call it honest, and I found it refreshing.

He was underwhelmed, he said as much, he explained why. Frankly, I was hoping for a little something more, myself, considering this thing was touted pretty heavily as a totally new concept, and considering it's a cash game.

(I don't see them engineering it in the fashion Chris suggested, however, esepcially if Bob says something to the effect of "let's take away half of the incorrect boxes", since that implies that one and only one box has the $10K, and now you start asking all kinds of morality questions.)

[TalkingHeadsFan]

I think the game was great. Although I did have different board designs in mind when I first read the concept..I was thinking bold, hard-hitting colors rather than pastels...Also, I think it'd be neat if the boxes suddenly dropped out of position (ala Russian Roulette) rather than lowered below eye level. Also, scrap the cheesy chime noises when they lower.

       Those are just things I had in mind. The game itself works perfectly, and the set itself is very impressive and once again reinforces how good the CBS prop department really is. :-)

       Great job Mandel!

[1978-Jeopardy]

I found it entertaining. The sinking boxes effect looks awesome, and the game itself is very fun to watch.
Honestly, it reminds me of "Treasure Hunt".
I'm wondering what's in the other boxes. Klunks?

[Steve McClellan]

[quote name=\'Vgmastr\' date=\'May 28 2004, 12:04 PM\']

They don't do a post-facto reveal so the audience doesn't know what's in the unpicked boxes.

How do you know?  We don't know what happens when a contestant loses.  It's possible they reveal where the money was on a loss.[/quote]
During the following commercial break, Bob told the audience that if she'd lost, the remaining incorrect boxes would have been lowered, leaving only the correct one.

[whewfan]

I think it would be very dishonest not to put money in any of the boxes.
The contestant has a chance to win 10,000. Bob also clearly says there is money in one of the boxes.

As for my thoughts on the game... great! The reveal of the money was reminiscent of Fortune Hunter, and perhaps that was an element of FH that Bob liked.

I say, it's about time that someone like Mandel comes up with something other than higher or lower for a small prize.  I did think some of the half priced items were a tad obvious, but I think they'll become more difficult with more gameplay.

The difference between Half Off and Fortune Hunter is that Fortune Hunter wasn't as well staged. The prices of all four prizes weren't always revealed, and Bob reading clues to eliminate boxes just seemed a tad out of place.

Chris has every right to his opinion, but I also disagree... Half Off is one of the better new pricing games in quite some time. I too extend congratulations to Mandel! May you keep it coming with more new pricing game ideas!

[FPGWillyT]

Don't post too often here, but guess it's time to start!

What a great concept!  They brought back a "fan favorite" of sorts with a loosely-interpreted mirroring of "F.H." and gave it some panache.

As mentioned before perfect pricing here buys you a 1 in 2 shot at $10K
With Punchy, perfect pricing nets you about a 1 in what 6-7 shot at $10K?

While Punchy has always been a favorite of mine, this one might take its place.

NO to "consolations"/"opt-outs".  Win and in  or out and about.  Otherwise, too much LIKE Punchboard.

Clanger must been fritzy today.

Count on seeing this game AT LEAST TWO more times before season's end, and it wouldn't surprise me to see it three times!  (Like Monday or Tuesday, or both!)

cheers . . .

[chris319]

During the following commercial break, Bob told the audience that if she'd lost, the remaining incorrect boxes would have been lowered, leaving only the correct one.

That's good to hear.

I call it honest, and I found it refreshing.

He was underwhelmed, he said as much, he explained why. Frankly, I was hoping for a little something more, myself, considering this thing was touted pretty heavily as a totally new concept, and considering it's a cash game.

People talk about the way ideas were subjected to so much internal debate when Goodson was alive, and that was certainly one of the components of the company's success and longevity. The critique I gave of Half Off was nothing you wouldn't have heard within G-T or from any astute network executive. It wouldn't matter if the idea came from Frank Wayne, Mandel Ilagan or the homeless guy in the alley behind 6430 Sunset. The comments are directed at the game and not the creator. Anyone who creates and pitches an idea and invests too much hope in it is setting himself up for a big disappointment if and when the idea is ever rejected.

On the other side of the coin, when a game or a show is mounted without any internal refinement or discernment and people go with the first thing that comes to mind because they're in love with their own ideas, you wind up with things like Card Sharks 2001.

Now, with all that out of the way, Mandel gets well-deserved props for the novel notion of "which price is half off?". It's the "boxes" part of the game that leaves me flat.

Oooooooh, BOXXXXXXXXXES!!!

[GSWitch]

Liked the game idea myself.  Reminds me of the short lived pricing game, Fortune Hunter (Eliminate the prize that is more than $1,000).

It would've been funny if Bob Barker used the same cry Betty White & John Davidson used for their shows, "On the count of three, 1, 2, 3!"

Since Half Off pays $10,000, it should be the 5TH Pricing Game to have the "famous siren"  to join Punch/Grand/Bag/Triple Play.  Then I'd nickname all those pricing games, "5 GOLDEN RINGS!"

[aaron sica]

[quote name=\'GSWitch\' date=\'May 28 2004, 08:03 PM\'] Since Half Off pays $10,000, it should be the 5TH Pricing Game to have the "famous siren"  to join Punch/Grand/Bag/Triple Play.  Then I'd nickname all those pricing games, "5 GOLDEN RINGS!" [/quote]
 I thought as well that it should have the siren, as $10,000 wins usually come with them. And thank you for not exclaiming "Whoop whoop Moe Larry the Cheese".

[That Don Guy]

[quote name=\'hmtriplecrown\' date=\'May 28 2004, 12:43 PM\'][quote name=\'That Don Guy\' date=\'May 28 2004, 01:38 PM\'] One - how long has it been since there was a game that used six or more (for lack of a better term for it, although it's not 100% accurate) "two-digit" prizes?  (The last one I can think of was Trader Bob.) [/quote]
Someone's forgotten about On the Spot...but after seeing that abomination a handful of times, I can't blame you for forgetting. ;-)[/quote]
I thought "On The Spot" only had five.

(Also, at first, it looked as if the bills in the box were play money, but when I freeze-framed it, they were real $50 bills, which probably says more for the designs of the money than anything else...)

-- Don