May 6, 2009 - Microsoft is finally about ready to launch 1 vs. 100 on Xbox Live, a service that was announced at last year's E3. The television trivia game show is being digitized for play on the Xbox 360 and will be free for gold subscribers. Microsoft is promoting 1 vs. 100 Live as a marriage of gaming and social entertainment. Bob Saget (host of the TV show) won't be making an appearance, but Seattle radio personality Chris Cashman has created an avatar and will be hosting these live events. Players' avatars will appear in the game and compete for Microsoft Points and Xbox Live Arcade games.
If you've never caught 1 vs. 100 on TV, here's your primer. One lucky player is pitted against one hundred others, known as the Mob. The 1 is given multiple choice questions and has a few lifelines to use, much like in Who Wants to be a Millionaire?. Once a question is posed the Mob has a moment to lock in their questions before the 1 makes a selection. Members of the Mob who answered incorrectly are eliminated, and the goal of the 1 is to get rid of all 100. Thousands more players (the Crowd) beyond these 101 can play along during a live game. Four players can play on one console, and those with mere silver memberships to Live can join as a guest and play without the chance to win prizes.
Surviving an entire game as the 1 will win you 10,000 Microsoft Points ($125). Members of the Mob who are still around after 40 have been eliminated will be granted an XBLA game.
During our time with the game all questions were pop culture related and on the easy side. New questions will be added to each live game and there shouldn't be any repeats. Selection of the 1 is semi-random but there are some skill-based criteria based on the number of questions a player has answered correctly and their speed. While playing you can hit the back button on your 360 controller to check a bunch of stats tracking your progress. Players can choose to opt out of being the 1 if they're shy and still be eligible for prizes.
Two live shows will be held a week on Friday and Saturday nights. During a live game, Chris Cashman will be providing banter, commenting on players' avatars and the game in general. These will be professionally produced affairs run by TV producers. 1 vs. 100 Live takes place inside the fictional Sprint Theater, which Sprint has paid for through the first season of 13 episodes. Over a two hour game players will be shown approximately seven minutes of ads in order to keep the game free. The game show will include achievements, and new sets will be added each season.
Gamers who download a lot of XBLA games may win a title they already own. The redemption code is emailed to the winner, so it can easily be gifted to someone else.
Beyond the live events there will be 30-minute extended play sessions held at certain times every day. These are sort of 1 vs. 100 Lite. Here everyone plays in the mob and answers themed questions such as "sports" or "battle of the sexes." Jen Taylor, the voice of Cortana in Halo, will host these sessions. Correct answers will earn you a sweepstakes entry, the winner of which will be picked twice a season. Sweepstakes prizes include a Zune or a home theater system.
Microsoft says 1 vs. 100 will go Live this spring. We'll be playing when it does.
