Editor’s Note: I was a fan of the show when it was on the air, so I’ve secretly been looking forward to this game. Thomas’ live-diary-style coverage of the Canadian beta does a nice job of explaining how the game works while getting his opinions and concerns across. -Greg
I’m playing 1 vs 100 right now. Well…that is to say, I’m watching 1 vs 100 right now.
Let me start again.
The Canadian beta of Microsoft’s new Xbox Live “Primetime” program, 1 vs. 100, is presently ongoing, and I am…participating, after a fashion.
What is 1 vs 100, and why should you care? Read on to find out.
The concept is simple: The game poses rapid multiple-choice trivia questions. The Crowd, of which I am a part while waiting for a chance to get into the Mob, can answer them for a better shot at future participation and to increase their recorded permanent score. There’s also a few sideshow prizes awarded to people, such as the top scorer in a given round.
…Ooh! One of the guys from my party just got into the Mob!…
The Mob answers the questions to stay on the show, increase their score, and hopefully correctly answer that lucky question that the One might miss.
The One, of course, would prefer to keep their winnings for themselves — but only has the option to do so after three correctly answered questions, and the prize increases dramatically based on how many of the Mob they can eliminate first. They also have three “Helps” at their disposal, which allow them to take the most popular answer among the Crowd, the Mob, or the answer given by the Brain, the player who’s achieved the highest score overall that round. 
…Aw, man — my poor comrade who got into the Mob missed the same question as the One — had he answered correctly, he’d have split the Microsoft Points and nabbed an XBLA title. At least, that’s what the screen says. Sadly, the beta doesn’t actually award prizes. There’s just a general sweepstakes being held for participants in the Canadian beta.
Wow, the Brain messed up after the One bet on his answer! I wonder if it was intentional? I had assumed that the top scorer in such a large game must be cheating — at least via Google, if nothing more nefarious. It’s tough, but even I managed a rapid search for one answer in this very first hour. I wonder whether the Brain could tell he was being tapped as a “Help” before giving his answer?
A few Ones have “taken the money” after a few questions, too — do they realize the prizes aren’t real right now?
Microsoft made a smart move putting three other player avatars onscreen for the duration. It feels like me and my unlucky friend are watching from the same living room — I see he just plugged in a headset, so I guess we can chat, too? Isn’t that cheating if he’s in the show — or is it an intentional loophole?
I definitely get to watch how he and the two other people in my party answer — possibly even divining their responses by how quickly they hit the button. Plus, when he was in the Mob, I was definitely a little more invested than otherwise.
Oh, wow! The One just lost his connection! Funny, Chris Cashman (the live human host we hear between rounds) didn’t even mention it. Although, he’s been cutting in and out a little — who knows what kind of issues he’s helping to deal with on the far end of this beta premiere.
They’re definitely dealing with some technical hiccups. We’ve hit several dead-air moments, when the host’s avatar shows up it’s rarely when he’s actually speaking — even the placeholder ads (for Windows, PCs, Xbox, and, of course, manga.com… wait, what?) sometimes start late or shut off early.
On the other hand, apart from another One disconnecting, it doesn’t seem like the show’s functionality has been compromised at all. The leaderboards advertise some crazy scores, but I suppose with 11,000 players online there’s bound to be a few people playing with a group (or one very talented Google user) at their service.
After two hours, the show is over. So, what’s the verdict? Well, to be honest, even with a mere 11,000 people in the Crowd, my chances of entering the Mob or being the One are still less than 1 percent — plus the mysterious modifier they add for playing consistently and scoring okay. Once the game goes live for real, will it still be as interesting?
Ultimately, I think a Millionaire-style general-trivia game likely won’t keep my attention too long — but there’s no reason it should stay that way. Every session could be on a sponsored theme — if you’re the guy who’s reading all the tie-in novels, wouldn’t you want to try your luck on Halo trivia night, hosted by Bungie? Are you paying attention to those “History of Resident Evil” loading screens in Resident Evil 5? Do you remember the name of the crazy doctor from BioShock?
Then again, trivia might only be the beginning. What about Fuzion Frenzy Live? Uno After Dark? What if you had the chance to try some new Peggle boards live with gamers across the country — and had a shot at winning the game AND a stack of Microsoft Points?
What if Paul McCartney’s next concert doesn’t just feature Rock Band, but actually happens live online — while we all play along at home?
Yeah. I’m just going to leave you with that one.