LogFAQs > #950143270

41. The Jackbox Party Pack [series] (Multiplatform, 2014-present)

Here it is! The obligatory Jackbox game inclusion in the Board 8 topic. It's tough to say exactly where Jackbox should be among my favorite games; it's really got more in common with party board games than just about any video game. Thus, I've decided to give it the coveted X1 award and throw it at 41, figuring it's close enough to a good representation of how I feel about it. Anyway, here's three reasons why Jackbox is the best "party" video game ever made, by a landslide:
1: Jackbox has variety!
At the time of this list, there are roughly 30 unique Jackbox mini-games across the seven Party Pack games. The games can emphasize skills such as drawing, creative writing, trivia, and perception, among others. Obviously owning all seven games is not exactly cheap, but even within one single Pack you'll get a pretty solid spectrum of choices. As someone who also loves games with either a huge amount of inherent variety or a lot of options to play differently each time, Jackbox fits in the mold of my favorites as well. It's a Kirby Super Star-like Swiss-army knife of a game; malleable to be exactly what both you want and the situation demands.
2: Jackbox is good!
The fact that Jackbox (or at least some amount of its games) has gone over well with just about everyone I've ever played it with is a testament to its quality. Perhaps even more noteworthy is how it holds up relatively to the number of games that have come out since trying to copy its formula. Those games suck. I'm not sure if anyone else had the experience of playing "That's You!" on PlayStation, but it's long-winded, overwrought, and never nearly as clever as even a mediocre Jackbox game. I also think despite being an "adult" game Jackbox is very good at not falling into the Cards Against Humanity (and its numerous godawful copies) trap where the joke is just the offensive crap written on the card. Jackbox is rarely explicitly offensive, at worst setting you up to say something naughty, but you're usually able to play it as straight as you want. And you're almost always filling in the blanks here - the humor actually comes from stuff you make or say, individually or collaboratively. Not surprisingly this makes for a better game experience than something like Cards does after you've seen a racist joke card two or three times.
3: Jackbox is social!
Jackbox has been the foundation of a huge chunk of my social experiences, in some capacity, since its release. Whether it's as a simple "ice-breaker"-type option in a group of relative strangers, or a chance to goof around with my closest friend, Jackbox works to perfection. I've played it with Board 8ers! I've played it with my tightest friend group! I've played it with my family! Heck, I've played it with my friend's families! Each time I've come away with some moment of everyone laughing at something ridiculous, and with some silly inside joke that caught on from the session. I've probably rambled a little too much about the pandemic in parts of this list, but this has also been a game that's given me some social space and connection during the past miserable year. Turns out, a game you can easily join into over your phone/computer during a Zoom chat is a pretty great and accessible option when nobody can go out and actually see each other. And especially when it comes to non-gaming friends, it's something they're actually into that can bring us together right now. I think it's always tough to rank multiplayer gaming alongside single-player experiences; they're just radically different things for different situations that encompass a different part of my personal life. But undoubtedly Jackbox is at least top-tier in that capacity - I have no doubt I'll be playing these games as a part of my life for as long as they keep making them.

Top 5 Jackbox Games: Drawful - Fibbage - Push the Button - Blather 'Round - Quiplash

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