Review 004 - May 12, 2008 – Philips CD-i – The Joy of Sex

Sure, the CD-i had a few games, but they were all knockoff Zelda titles that Nintendo refuses to acknowledge. What the CD-i really had were edutainment titles, one of the best being The Joy of Sex.

• Game: The Joy of Sex
• Console: Philips CD-i
• Developer:
• Publisher:
• Release Year: 1991
• Region/Language: NTSC-U / English
• Genre: Edutainment
• Purchase Location: A thrift store in Tacoma, WA
• Purchase Price: $2.00
• Purchase Year: 2005
• Review Platform: Philips CD-i 910 with Digital Video Cartridge
  

The Joy of Sex was one of many edutainment titles available on Philips’ CD-i console, wherein the goal of the software was not so much to pass time and have fun playing, as it was to educate the player on any number of topics. Based on the famous book of the same name, The Joy of Sex attempts to provide sexual advice to couples in England on a wide range of topics, such as:

• Why doesn’t he shag me like he did when we were 20?
• Why doesn’t she shag me like she did when we were 20?
• Why don’t we shag like we did when we were 20?
• What do I do if her vaginal flavor is discomforting to me?
• How can I possibly blow him if he doesn’t wash the cheese from the head of his dick?
• We used to shag like minks, but now all he wants to do is watch old Star Trek episodes and fall asleep in his recliner. Why don’t we shag anymore?

This is all acted by some average British people in a semi-amusing manner throughout.

Graphics: Well, do you remember Video CDs (VCDs) from the early to mid 1990’s? If you do, then you know what I mean. If you don’t, imagine a YouTube video at ¼ resolution blown up to maximum size on a 36 inch TV screen.

That’s not to say the environments and actors aren’t attractive enough, but the compression really kills the game, as this is 90% video footage based. The menus are adequate and clear to read.

Sound: The audio is passable. There really isn’t a lot of overpowering music throughout – just enough to set the tone of the article in discussion. The voice acting is clear enough to understand perfectly fine, and it even adds a more personal touch to subject matter that definitely requires one. It is funny hearing Brits talk about blow and hand jobs, though. No offense to the Britishers, but you know…

Controls: The controls are a tad clunky, especially if you’ve never used the CD-i’s lovely remote control. The analog stick attached to the boxy and uncomfortable infrared remote controls the on-screen cursor. This is what you use to navigate the game’s many menus, but it’s slightly flaky to work perfectly.

This would all be a moot point with the game controller, but the edutainment titles were designed to be used from the comfort of one’s own couch with the IR remote, so that’s what I’ll use.

Gameplay: Well, there’s not much “game” to play, but you may very well pick up a tip or two to try out on your lover this evening.

Verdict: If you haven’t read the book, or just have a desire to listen to early 90’s views on sex, pick this title up. It’s amusing and worth up to $10.00 in the wild.