Deal or No Deal has often been criticized for being a game based entirely on luck. While the Facebook adaptation of Deal or No Deal is indeed a luck-based game, there are extra elements to the game play that make it a little more interesting. Make no mistake, however - it's still a matter of choosing cases and figuring out when to settle on a deal with the Banker.
The Facebook version is created by iWin, the same group who have brought us $100,000 Pyramid and Family Feud.
How to Play Facebook Deal or No Deal - Classic Play
If you know how the television version of Deal or No Deal goes, then you'll be right at home on Facebook. You start off by choosing whether to play a Classic game or the Tournament option. We'll get to Tournament play in a moment. When you first sign up, you're taken directly to Classic play.
The first thing to do is choose your case from the 26 cases available. Instead of being removed from the board, your case gets a little border highlight and is labeled "My Case" for the remainder of the game. In each round of eliminating cases there are two prizes available. These prizes consist of game cash, XP points, free episodes, and collectible items. The prizes are hidden inside two cases, and if you choose one of them, you get that prize (while still removing the dollar amount from your game board).
As in the real game, you start by eliminating six cases then waiting for an offer from the Banker. Decide whether it's a deal or whether you'd rather continue playing. In the next round, two new prizes are added and you select five cases. This continues, with one fewer case each round, until you get down to a single case per round. When there are two cases left (assuming you haven't already made a deal with the Banker), you'll have the option to keep your original case or swap it with the other case still in play.
All of the game cash you earn is added to your overall total. You'll get two free episodes per day plus any that you earn from prizes.
After your regular round, you move on to a Speed Deal round. This is played just like the regular game, but there are only five cases to start off with. You play the five-case game, and then send the round on to a friend. When that friend plays the Speed Deal game, you both earn a "mystery prize," which could be cash, points, items, or an episode.
Tournament Play
In addition to the classic game, you can opt to play in a Tournament round. In this version of the game, three people play at once (though I suspect that many of the other "players" are actually computer-based rather than carbon-based). You can bank up to three different offers from the Banker as you play plus the amount in your final case, and the winner of the tournament is the player who has banked the most cash.
The first time you try Tournament play you aren't charged anything from your game cash account. Subsequent games come at a cost of $250,000. Prizes are awarded as follows:
- First place: $500,000
- Second place: $250,000 (or more)
- Third place: $1
After you complete each round, you have to watch as the other two contestants complete their rounds. This is sped up a bit, but it's still a bit of a time-waster. Keep in mind that, in the end, if you don't win the tournament you'll lose XP points.
Pros
- The music, cases, and even animated models are here, though the models don't actually hold the cases.
- There are lots of little extras to make the game more interactive than a pure translation of the television version of the show.
- They've found a way to get your friends involved so you can both earn a little more game cash.
Cons
- There aren't many ways to earn extra episodes.
- Like the real game, choosing cases becomes tedious after a while. There's no real challenge, even in Tournament play.
The Verdict
Even without women in glittery dresses and the high energy of Howie Mandel, Deal or No Deal makes an easy transition to an online version for Facebook. If you're already playing a bunch of game shows made for Facebook, this is a neat addition to the repertoire.
The only drawback is that even a jacked-up edition of Deal or No Deal is still a luck-based game, and it does grow tiring after a round or two. The only real challenge here is deciding when a deal offer from the Banker is a good one.
