AMA Laugh Out Loud

Everyone loves a good laugh and games are pretty good at keeping you entertained so it seems like it was only a matter of time until someone came up with the idea to combine a stand-up comedy show and a game for your mobile phone.

This cross-over game come application is called AMA Laugh Out Loud, and it’s certainly pretty unique. On first inspection you get introduced to these rather odd looking characters’ who are all rather unique in their own way. In actual fact however, these characters background and so on is little more than a distraction from the wit and punch-lines on offer.

In a rather ‘I say, I say, I say – my dog has no nose! How does he smell? Terrible!’ kind of way, you’re treated to a variety of comedic gems covering a variety of topics. (Please note, that’s my joke and not one from the 1,000 or so collection on offer – and yes, you can hire me for stand-up should you like!)

Themes of jokes available are, animal, bar, lawyer, miscellaneous, office, relationships, school, sports, technology and travel. These themes are pretty good if you’re in a hurry for a quick comedic hit. You obviously can read these jokes to yourself, but as all good jokes should, you can share them with your friends, colleagues and family. Additionally, as all jokes are clean they are suitable for any age range and will minimise any possibility of offending someone too – which is always good to know!

The gaming element is one small mini-game which rewards you for reading 30 rib-ticklers. Whenever you’ve managed to go through 30 jokes you can play a game where you throw tomatoes and other fruit at passers by beneath your balcony window. You get extra points for hitting the bride with tomatoes and for causing police officers to slip on banana skins. Be careful however as your game is brought to a sudden end should the police officer catch you out!

Should you wish to cringe at some terrible jokes (and yes, there’s quite a few of them), you can quickly select the ‘really really bad jokes’, which will give you 100 rotten jokes to tell or keep to yourself.

A novel feature that this programme has to offer is the opportunity to send your jokes to someone’s mobile via SMS text message. I figure this is so that absolutely no-one’s safe from the comedy that this game has to offer?!

Another good idea that this game has introduced is the option to rate jokes using a five-star rating system. This option can be turned on or off should you wish (although I did find it quite good as you can swiftly eliminate the rotten jokes from the half-decent ones!)

One other good idea which has been included in this title is the option to store your own jokes (although limited to 300 characters each), gives you a chance to become the next big comedy name on the circuit.

Overall then, this is a pretty entertaining production although it’s not strictly a game and not quite an application, it’s making a pretty well worked effort to carve out its own niche. The good ideas that are brought to life in this title’s only let down by the bad jokes!

Rating 67%

Positives

Lots and lots of jokes

Rating system to help weed out the good jokes from the bad ones

Plenty of options and everything can be found quite swiftly – jokes, mini-game, text option etc

You can share the jokes with others

A new joke for every day and you can download more (if you dare!)

Negatives

Annoying animations

Kept being reminded this title’s side-splittingly funny at every opportunity

Only one mini-game

Christmas cracker jokes are better than several of these jokes!

Several jokes are very similar

Being asked at every beginning if I wanted to meet the team of comics