Actually, I think I said this before. I did a whole spiel about all the different types of games I like, so I'm not going to do it again. If you want to read it, go read my talk about Apples to Apples.
One of my favorite types of games? Mental games.
Nnnnnnot that type of mental game. I mean more like puzzles, word riddles, and things that you have to write clues down and figure out the puzzle.
One of my personal favorite radio shows of all time is Says You! which, it appears, my local NPR station just decided to remove from its schedule, thus confirming that I'll never give them another dime of my money.
Seriously, people, you couldn't take one of the more clever and educational programs on the air and give it priority over programs that air more than once in a weekend? Do we really need to hear This American Life twice, or have seventy-three hours (or so it feels) of classical music in a week?
I suppose this is what happens when the population of your state just keeps getting older and older, they don't like being challenged with hard thinking.
Where was I? Oh, right.
Anyway, Says You! will get its own article soon, but for now, I'm going to discuss one of NPR's national programs called Ask Me Another, which is a similar style puzzle game where you have to do anything from name things that start with "a" and end in "z" or figure out world cities based on what their McDonald's menus sell. It's not quite as high-thinking as Says You! but I suppose it is more accessible to a wider audience.
The host of the program is Ophira Eisenberg, who is a bit like Peter Sagal if still a bit raw (I expect experience hosting the show will improve that), and she usually has one puzzle guru to assist her, though it rotates. Contestants from the audience are brought up and presented with puzzle games, the winner gets to move on to the final round at the end of the game. There are also frequent special guests who get their own game, much in the style of "Not My Job" on Wait Wait.
Overall, I enjoy it. There are frequently trips to reruns which are a little disappointing, but hearing Michael Ian Black talk like a valley girl as he gives clues never gets old. Again, the topics are frequently a bit more mainstream, and there isn't quite the same focus on the English language that I enjoyed so much in Says You! (seriously, where else am I going to learn the definition of a word like "nelipot" so I can realize that I am one?), but as far as mainstream puzzles go, it really is enjoyable. With a bit of clean-up and perhaps a tighter bit of editing, it could really become one of my favorite shows.
Especially now that I either have to tune in online to other ratio stations around the country for my favorite program, or I have to pay money to get their episodes. Seriously, Maine, no love for Boston-based programming?
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