Alarms were set, Agenda’s cleared. I had plans for a sat night and not one of them included going out. Last year Microsoft announced the new Xbox Primetime service. The service would be included for free to all Gold subscribers. After missing my opportunity for the first US beta on June 1st I would not forget this one.

It was 8:45 when I heard that friendly chime coming from my TV. It was the reminder that the game was about to begin. I quickly wrapped up whatever trivial things I was doing on my PC, refilled my Tea, made a quick run to the restroom and kitchen for snacks and began what would be the quickest 3 hours I have ever spent answering trivia questions.

The first round was pretty straight forward. Some chap was picked to be the 1 and 100 people were chosen for the Mob. I was not one of the lucky ones. I was a little skeptical going into this if i would enjoy it or not. As soon as I was informed that I would be part of the crowd I was matched up with 3 other random players. We quickly introduced ourselves and had a nice little chat while the formalities were taking place. I thought to myself. This is it, time to prove myself.

The questions began to roll in and I was on a roll. I was racking up points right and left and constantly at the heels of the top 10 list. It was a few moments later that I was invited into a private party with some of my Friends. The 6 of us were all helping each other out trying to get any one of us into the top 10 as well as yelling uniformly into the headset when the one would miss what we considered an easy question, and thus awarding the entire mob with a prize. Of course because this is just a beta there were no actual prizes.

The questions themselves were not entirely too difficult. But it seemed nearly impossible to get into the top 10. It seems that even half a second could mean all the difference when bidding for the top spot.  Personally I’m convinced its the delay using the Wireless controller that Is killing me. Next show I will use the wired controller, after all anything for an edge right?

The interface was very smooth and seeing our avatars interacting with each other was humorous to say the least. There were a few moments where it felt like someone should be talking to us. And the commercials made for an excellent excuse to take a piss.

After the main event we were awarded with another two hours of free-for-all extended play. In extended play mode you compete with the entire crowd and there is no one. Of course your total score, streaks, and other bonuses still carry over and the questions can prove to be pretty difficult.

The only prizes I have seen so far have been dividends of Microsoft Points. These points can be used to buy live arcade games, or in the future full Xbox games. No word yet on if they will incorporate bigger prizes. There is however a sweepstakes. Each question answered gives you an entry into the larger sweepstakes. They are giving away a samsung entertainment system, a Laptop, and I think a Zune.  Also, achievement whores should fear not. Each season of primetime games will include unique sets of achievements.

I really think that Microsoft has the right Idea when it comes to the future of gaming. The highest number of players I remember seeing during the extended play was just under 100k players. This number may not seem very large when you compare it to MMO games like world of warcrack. But for a casual primetime game. It’s very impressive. I cannot wait to see what other games Microsoft is planning to unveil for us. I am also curious to see what the future will hold for the game. Right now rumor has it that the game will be Friday and Saturday nights.

All in all I think that the beta alone has proven the game to be a huge hit. If this was/is just a testing ground for future possibilities. I would like to think that the amazingly huge turnout tonight is an indicator that, yes, even hardcore gamers will enjoy the casual-friendly side of things.

*EDIT I was unable to get a recording of our session. But I did stumble across these people who did record the game. This should give you an Idea of what to expect. Our conversations were not much different