Review: That's You! – PS4

A game played with a smartphone? What is this nonsense?! Or at least that’s what I thought when That’s You! was first announced during this year’s E3 extravaganza, along with other games set to use smartphones and tablets to draw in the casual crowd.
That’s You! is the first release of the new line of games in the PlayLink collection, and you know what? It’s actually really good fun and not at all complicated to get set up. Normally I shiver of the thought of a game wanting me to attach an external peripheral, but with That’s You! it’s as simple as getting the app on your phone, having the game running on your PS4, and then opening the app. Simple. It took me around 15 seconds before I was connected. It took five times that long for the Mrs, though, as she’d decided to go on Tumblr… Women…

After finally dragging the lady off of whatever crap she was browsing, we were taking selfies to use within the game and choosing our in-game names. Naturally I stuck a dangerous pose and called myself ‘King Bitch II’ whereas my other half took a simple picture and called herself Betty. There’s only one adult in this relationship.
Once you’ve gotten your picture and what not sorted out, you’re ready to play. The voice-over dude will explain the rules and then he’ll read out the questions. I can’t really remember any questions of the top of my head, but an example would be ‘King Bitch II is walking through the street when he stumbles upon a great big bag of weed. What would he do?’ And then you’re given two answers to choose from.
Answer 1) Pick it up, march straight to the local police station and hand it over to the authorities.
Answer 2) Grab it. Run to KFC. Order a fat bucket of chicken. Rush to the park. Blaze that shit like Snoop and then suppress the munchies with the KFC.

If both players select the same answer, points are won. The idea is that you’ll be playing with people you know fairly well, and so the game wants to test your knowledge of each other by asking the most ridiculous questions. Obviously the one up above isn’t a real question in the game, but you can bet your bottom dollar it will be this evening. See, That’s You! lets you create your own questions and answers for use in the game, so when you eventually run through the pre-installed questions/answers, you can always make your own or go online and find ideas from the wider community.
As the game is played via a second screen, there are more ways to play than you’d normally find on a traditional quizzer. For instance, some questions will require you to draw a little picture and then vote on which player drew the best picture. Other questions will ask you to imitate a picture being shown on the TV. The meat of the game is still the answer selection questions, but it’s nice to have the little breaks in between for some goofy picture fun.

Now if you’re a lonely sack with no family on hand, then fear not. You can still play the game online, though only with those on your friends list. Makes sense, really, as what would be the point in playing with complete strangers in a game about personal knowledge? Duh…
That’s You! isn’t going to be played years from now with fond memories, nor is it going to win many (if any) awards, but it does exactly what it sets out to do: Introduce casual players to the PlayStation brand with a simple, engaging game that doesn’t require the player to learn complicated button combinations. It’s so easy that you could get your gran in on the fun and she wouldn’t even realise that she’s playing a video game.
After around 4 hours of play with the Lady of Harding House and a few online mates, I feel comfortable enough to say that That’s You! is probably the best quiz game I’ve had the pleasure of playing. Granted, I’ve not played many, but it’s still a decent little game regardless.

Obviously I have to make a note of the game’s graphics, even though they’re pretty redundant. The game looks good enough for what it is, but I never found myself really gawing at the screen to admire the details. There’s simply no need. It could have been presented in the most basic way imaginable and it wouldn’t be worse for it. The voice-over, though…
I can’t stand the voice-over guy. I hate him so much. His patronising babble and constant reminders on how to play the game have rubbed me the wrong way. I want to make him gone. I’ve imagined the scenario where I meet him in real life. I’m at KFC, waiting in line like a good dude. I get to the front of the queue and I’m still not sure what I want. Then the guy behind the cash register says “Would you like the 3-piece meal with fries, coleslaw and a drink, or are you more of a bucket man? We’ve got a great offer on the Family Bucket. Which would you like?” And at that moment, I’d recognise the voice and scream “That’s You!”

That's You! PS4 Review

• 8/10
  Overall - Fantastic - 8/10

8/10

Summary

That’s You! is a simple quizzer that’s dressed up pretty, to put it simply. It’s a smart move to let players play by using their mobile phones, and I can definitely see it being a go-to game for when the extended family comes to visit. Questions range from mundane to bizarre, but the real fun will be authoring your own questions and getting to know your friends and family a little more than they’d like…