Up til now, I've currently reviewed 2 other Imagine titles; Master Chef and Animal Doctor. Given how much I loved one and practically despised the other, I wasn't even entirely sure what to expect this time around. As it turns out, it seems to be somewhere in between the two.
Wedding Designer is not a bad game. I just feel like the game was hastily made while the company realized it was hot and putting out hit after hit, so they wanted to make sure to strike while the iron was still hot. As a result, the game feels a little half-baked. There's only 6 weddings the game details doing the planning for. To complete all of these back to back literally only takes a few hours. (Compare this to the nearly non-stop playing of the other two games that I did, and this really feels like a pittance as far as gaming time is concerned.) There really should have been more challenges, but that's neither here nor there.
You get a selection of different brides of different nationalities and backgrounds who each have
different wedding requests to which you must oblige. With each bride, you must design her wedding invitations, the wedding attire for she and her bridal party (consisting of the groom, her parents, the best man, maid of honor, ring bearer, and flower girl), the venue, her bedroom at home, give she and the groom makeovers for their everyday appearance, as well as choosing the right officiant and wedding party members... all to her liking. (Talk about a bridezilla!) You gauge the bride's happiness by her facial expression with each detail you pick out - if she's happy, she'll smile, and if she's unhappy, she'll pout. Upon completing all tasks, you're whisked away to the wedding in a white limousine, where you'll be playing photographer to the event. You must snap whatever the bride requests in the style she wants it, too. Each successful wedding unlocks new items, music, makeup and furniture for future weddings as well as the next level's bride.
Upon completing all 6 weddings, you still have the option of replaying each level as well as playing in Free Mode; where you design your own bride and wedding without worrying about demands. It's all up to you. This doesn't really accomplish much of anything but unlock some more items. There's also an "Exchange" mode, but as I don't know anybody else with the game, I have no clue how it works.
The gameplay is simple enough to where even the youngest of girls can successfully play this game. It's probably better that way - this title is bound to hold the interest of youngsters longer than that of adults. (It's still fun in small doses, though.) I would figure the best target audience for this game would be little girls who are about to be in a wedding party.
I must say that the makeup selections in the bridal boutique remind me a LOT of a really old pc game from 1997, "Barbie Magic Hair Styler" (which was a full makeover game, not just hair styling). So I had a little nostalgia there.
I do have a few issues with the game, though. (Don't I always?) The controls are a little iffy in their accuracy. I even re-calibrated my DS to make sure that that wasn't my problem, but it still acted the same way. (I tried it in my sister's DS too. It did the same thing.) It has a bad habit of highlighting the wrong object while you're trying to select one nearby.
The 3-D graphics in this game are still lousy, but not anywhere NEAR as bad as the ones in Animal Doctor. The 2-D graphics are incredibly cute though, and surprisingly detailed for as cartoony as they are.
Some of the background music is more tolerable than others. Certain tunes are very pleasant, while others (i.e. the music in the groom's house...it's so SHRILL) are nearly unbearable. The music store is probably the most difficult part in the game - not for actually being hard, but because while the volume on certain tracks is quite loud, others are practically inaudible even with the volume turned all the way up. (I found popping in a pair of earbuds helped.) I did like their selection of wedding tunes, though. The only other problem was the controls on the music player.
My biggest issue in this game has nothing to do with the game's quality; rather, it has to do with the subliminal messages that certain aspects of the game puts across. For as demanding as the brides are of every single detail in their weddings, they ALSO are just as picky about their groom's appearances. We're not just talking hair and clothes... I mean actual facial features. This puts across an idea of superficiality, and to judge whether or not you like someone based on their looks. (It may also be putting across the idea that plastic surgery is needed for any 'imperfections'.) Not to mention, if a woman is controlling EVERYTHING about their man, right down to what they're allowed to wear in their everyday lives? This seems like unhealthy relationship material to me. It's very controlling and possibly obsessive. I know, I know, I'm reading WAAAAY too much into what's supposed to be a simple children's game, but these are things we need to take into consideration too, you know?
One more question: since when does a wedding planner play personal fashion consultant/interior designer to these people's homes?
I'm going to rate this game a 5 out of 10 blushing brides. Some might lean for a bit higher, others lower. I'd give it a better rating if this particular game hadn't been so short.
Having enjoyed Imagine: Master Chef as much as I did, I had quite high expectations for this game to be more of the same. Lord, I couldn't have been more wrong on this one.
The vast differences can be seen immediately upon starting the game. Whereas Master Chef had an adorably cartoonish feel to its animation style, this game tried too hard to go in the opposite direction to jump the 3-D bandwagon...and failed miserably. All the animals look relatively the same aside from coloring (which, might I add that I had issues with the idea of a bunny having bright blue eyes?), and the humans in the game look downright pitiful. HOW was this made by the same designers? It doesn't even look remotely similar! That was my first strike I held against the game.
My next issue with this game is that it is devoid of pretty much any plot, other than you have opened a veterinary clinic on your grandparents' land. Grandfather never leaves the shed and his only purpose is to build your animal pens; your cousin Eric lives and adores cleaning up after the animals (what a sad, sad existence...), and Grandmother.... Well, I'm not entirely sure why she's there. Seemingly her only purpose is to help you dye your hair.
You will notice almost immediately just how awkward the controls in this game are. I found it easier to rely on the keypads rather than the stylus to move around the map, but this doesn't particularly help you in caring for or diagnosing your animals. Another strike against the game.
You will progress through 5 different types of animals: cats, dogs, rabbits, horses, and pigs. Yes, that's right, pigs. As in, what bacon comes from. This seemed a little odd to me, all things
considered, but then again... You DO appear to be living on a farm in this game, so I guess pigs aren't so strange. (The sheer volume of pigs that come in to be treated is mind-boggling though.) What I wonder is, if they can have barnyard animals like pigs and horses, why not go the whole nine yards and include cows and chickens too? Add a little dimension to the game! But no, you're limited to these five, and with a very unfair pricing system at that of how much you get paid per treatment. Cats are worth $1000 each, dogs are $2000, rabbits are $3000, pigs are (I think) $5000 and horses are $7000. Let me let you in on a little something, as if it weren't already obvious....This is nowhere NEAR the prices of treatment for real animals of each of these species. Not even the horses (and I would know - I'm privileged enough to live on a ranch). While we're on the subject of horses, may I also point out that I don't think the creators of this game have ever so much as really ever brushed a horse? This made itself obvious to me in two ways: One, they listed the brush as a toy (and a sugar cube was the other). Second, the style in which you're forced to brush the horses in (if you want it to do any good, anyway) is not even CLOSE to how you would brush a real horse. This annoyed me greatly.
The actual veterinary scenes in the game are unfortunately too brief and don't do a very good job of representing the actual diagnostic process. Yes, I can see where a parent might be concerned about too much realism in this area, but I've seen many other similar titles over the years handle this quite gracefully; they allowed you to choose which tests to conduct to help make a proper diagnosis, and they also gave a little overview into what each tool does - therefore making this an educational experience as well. Apparently, that's wishful thinking in this game, as it only gives you your set tests you're going to conduct on each pet, doesn't explain at all what the tools are or what they're doing to each pet, and to make things even more confusing? The tests that do get conducted don't even necessarily have a thing to do with the ailments these pets have. Add this on top of the actual conducting of quite a few of these tests being very awkwardly controlled (I never did quite manage to figure out how to successfully master the heart chart, and had great difficulties with focusing the microscope), and the vet part of the game becomes downright dreaded.
So then you move on to what you would assume to be the treatment phase. Guess what? There's NO treatment you administer here. None. Instead, you spend easily 90% of your game time in this game feeding, watering, petting, and cleaning up after each animal. And...that's it. Literally. There is nothing else. The pet eventually heals, you send it home, you get your money, and then the cycle restarts with a new pet. Does this sound dull? Perhaps that's because it is. You can buy two toys for each animal, but as they don't even help your pet heal, they're a complete waste of time - something that you'll be very tight on once you get rolling and have all your pens open with the demands of each pen. It is EXTREMELY repetitive, almost to the point of becoming maddening after a while (especially with the same sound effects going off every few seconds...BUT you need to leave the sound on so you can hear the reception bell!) and ends up making the whole game feel like a chore. I can understand the makers wanting to instill a sense of responsibility, but in the approach they took with it, they also took pretty much all the fun out of it. It loses its appeal VERY quickly.
You also get to purchase items to decorate your house and office, but since you neither get to arrange this new furniture nor use it for anything, it seems pretty much like a huge waste of time. Then again, pretty much the whole game is, because - SPOILER ALERT! - there is no real ending to the game. Once you hit a 100% reputation rating, you've done everything you can in the game. You can continue to treat animals anyway just "for fun", but what's the point? It took me about a day to reach 100%... Let's put it this way: I think you might feel more accomplished with dumping out a box of toothpicks and counting every last one than completing this game. I almost have to wonder, given the other titles in this series... Did they make this game so boring to make young girls shy away from a "real" job to pursue one of the more stereotypically female jobs presented in the series? It's probably a coincidence, but it is something to think about.
My verdict on this one is just to skip it. There's a TON of vet and animal games out on the DS market; this is just one of the lesser quality ones. Which I must say is a disappointment, given this is a game from Imagine. This title gets 3 out of 10 balls of yarn.
I didn't go into reviewing this title expecting much, and it turns out that I was pretty accurate in my assumptions. This has got to be one of THE crummiest titles I have EVER had the misfortune of wasting my time playing just for the sake of reviewing.
I thought I'd try this one out just for the nostalgia factor if nothing else, because this is VERY toddler-oriented. 3+.... Yeah. About that? Guess what. There's no way in HELL a 3 year old could successfully win this game.
For example, the first game is the Licorice Leap. You place down gumdrops in the river as jump points for either Pupcake or Custard (your choice) to leap upon from point to point, with the aim of trying hard not to land in the water. You ALSO must try to get first place amongst the other contestents. THIS is the part that proves to be impossible. And seeing as the aim of the game is to "win first place fair and square", it poses quite a problem. Whose genius idea was it to develop a game for toddlers that's so frustrating, it's bound to make them cry? It's sick!
The music is maddening and the graphics are a JOKE. People got paid to make this?
Seeing as I couldn't even beat that first game (and I tried for about a WEEK), how is a little kid supposed to do this? Oh yeah - they can't. Gee, I can't imagine WHY this game was a limited production release...
This game gets a measley 1/2 of a strawberry. I'd suggest that you definitely do NOT waste your money (or your time) on this one.
I'm not gonna lie - I've always been a big geek for the Little Mermaid. (I blame my affinity for long-haired redheads almost entirely on her.) I've probably had every different variation for every system of the Little Mermaid games - she pales second only to Snow White for me as far as Disney princesses go, and there's never really been any Snow White games (save for a tiny pixelated handheld LCD game). So it comes as no surprise that I'd naturally *have* to try this one out.
It's a charming little game with a cute storyline. You're sent out by King Triton to help figure out what is causing these massive sea quakes, and to help the inhabitants of the ocean that have been affected by them. Each victim has its own mini game that you have to play on different parts of the ocean map; none of which are particularly difficult, but help flesh out and further the storyline.
You collect tiger shells all throughout the game to help towards Flounder learning new tricks - but these tricks are little more than useless unlockable easter eggs, because they aren't really good for anything other than just being cute.
It takes a little while to get used to the preciseness of the stylus controls for certain activities, such as digging up the human treasures. Speaking of which, does anyone else find it curious that, despite being under the sea for as long as these artifacts supposedly have, all of them polish up into perfect white, silver, or platinum? I would have figured the seawater would make them lose their lustre. Your thoughts?
Which brings me to the singing treasure chests... Trust me, if you have a little girl that's playing this game, this is likely their favorite part in the entire game. For an adult playing this game through? It just proves to make you feel silly and question what you're really doing, playing a Little Mermaid game. One thing I found helps with this feeling is, rather than singing the notes? Hum them instead. Granted, it has a harder time registering higher pitches through hums, but it can be done. (I did it.)
The music is actually very pleasant and cheerful, and not to the point where one feels the need to turn the sound down/off. It was very reminiscent of the Caribbean music in the movie. The graphics in the game aren't exactly terrific, but for the age-range this game is aimed at, they're more than passable. The 2-D graphics on the top screen remind me of the oldschool DOS/Windows 3.x games, whereas the 3-D graphics look like they're from about 1995. Still, they're not bad, and especially for being on such a small screen, I think they're okay.
I completed the entire game, beginning to end, over the course of just a few hours. It's pretty darn easy, but there's enough of a challenge there to keep a girl's interest while at the same time, letting her feel special for her easy accomplishments. I liked the game for its nostalgia factor. It brought back many happy memories from my childhood of playing in swimming pools with my sister and cousins, all pretending to be mermaids. I'm also showing my age here, but it also reminded me of a verrrrry old game, "Treasure Cove", which I loved.
I'll generously give this game a rating of 7 out of 10 seashells. Definitely one of the better Ariel titles out there.
I'm going to admit something here: Despite my age, I never got into the Pokemon craze when it was big. My siblings did, but I guess I was a year or two too late to miss the boat or something. I was never able to understand the appeal, try as I might.
Even so, time and time again, I found myself guilty of "trying out" their video games. Just to see what they're like, I'd justify it. They weren't entirely bad - nothing as skull-numbingly boring as the show, or worse still, the movie.
So as you can imagine, I was a little skeptical in trying out this one. But in a pleasant act of serendipity, I was surprised to find that this game really isn't entirely all that bad!
No knowledge of Pokemon is needed to play this game. (Which is definitely a plus, as I probably would've been doomed otherwise.) All you need to know is how to follow a map. Easy enough, yes? The premise of the game is that you, along with about 5 other Pokemon each race, go hurdling through different race courses, collecting pokeballs. Whoever collects them all in the correct order first is the winner. Pretty simple stuff. It's just a cute little racing game.
Different terrain conditions affect your speed in a fairly realistic way. For example, you may be zooming along the paved roads, but when it comes to running across a desert? This slows you down considerably (unless you get a power up). You drown in the ocean and in swamps, you get hurt if you fall down on ice, etc. I actually like this concept VERY much. It's overlooked in many games, and they tend to defy physics. Not this one!
When running through the maps, you may find the overwhelming urge to shove your fellow Pokemon down and get them out of the way. (C'mon, you know you want to!) Go ahead. It lets you. Not very good sportsmanship, sure, but it happens in real life too. You're not penalized for it in this game, though.
The one thing I didn't care for too much in this game was the dependence on maps. Oh, sure, yes - this is a valuable life skill that kids should definitely know how to do. But perhaps it would be a little better if the crucial items, such as balloons were listed accurately on the maps. Half the time, I'd run to where one was listed on the map - and there was nothing there! Therefore wasting my time and usually costing me first place.
The music and sound effects of the game are pretty typical of any Pokemon game. Not terrible, but if you try and play this game for hours, you might do better to turn the sound down, as the constant cries of "PIKA PIKA!" are bound to drive you nuts sooner or later. (I went to bed that night with the annoying little Pikachu's voice still ringing in my head.)
The English for the dialogue in the game is pretty good. There were a couple of "Engrish"-type mistakes that I noticed, but that's okay. They made me giggle. I won't judge too harshly because they amused me so much.
There were a couple of things in the game that made me sit back a little and go "What?" about. One of them being, when you first start up the game and it comes to the opening screen, your little Pikachu will come running up to you. It appears that there are no buttons with which to start this game, but - what's this? Pikachu's pointing to his cheek. ("What's that, Pika? Timmy's fallen down the well?") You'll find that apparently, his blushing red cheeks double as buttons that bring up the menu. Why is this? I couldn't rightly tell you, because I have NO idea. Seems a little strange, doesn't it? Also, when you finish a level of races, when your Pikachu is either up on the stand holding his new trophy or if he's sulking because he didn't get one, you can pull on his various body parts and stretch him like silly putty. Oooooookay then...
Upon finishing all the levels in the Grand Prix (which took me approximately 3 hours - including pauses I took to attend to my internet affairs), it rolls the credits and appears to be game over. What? That's it? Seriously?? But no, when you come back to the menu screen, it has unlocked "Hard GP" and "Special". There's still one more button that has a question mark over it that's yet to be unlocked. (I haven't gotten that far yet.)
The game isn't exceptionally hard (which does make it kid-friendly), but it also poses just enough of a challenge to keep you coming back without pissing you off. It seems more like a game you'd play during a long drive or flight just to pass the time than to get seriously into, but it does work nicely as a time-killer. I will say that, even on the regular Grand Prix mode, it took me several tries of playing the Red Cup all the way through just to get a passing score on it. I guess that makes up for the other levels all being so simple.
The way the game is designed, I think that, given when the game was released, the point of the game was more of the novelty of using the stylus as a tool than creating a really intricate, involved game. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though. If you have a little one who's just gotten a DS, this would actually probably be a really fun game for them! Just make sure you thoroughly clean your touch screen and your stylus of any dirt or dust first, or else you'll probably scratch up your screen.
Overall, the game was quite a bit better than I expected, I have to admit! (Although, I couldn't quite stop imagining Pikachu as being Ling-Ling from Drawn Together the whole time I was playing it.) I give this game 6 1/2 Pikachus.... Give or take away another half depending on whether you're actually a Pokemon fan or not.
Up til now, I've currently reviewed 2 other Imagine titles; Master Chef and Animal Doctor. Given how much I loved one and practically despised the other, I wasn't even entirely sure what to expect this time around. As it turns out, it seems to be somewhere in between the two.
different wedding requests to which you must oblige. With each bride, you must design her wedding invitations, the wedding attire for she and her bridal party (consisting of the groom, her parents, the best man, maid of honor, ring bearer, and flower girl), the venue, her bedroom at home, give she and the groom makeovers for their everyday appearance, as well as choosing the right officiant and wedding party members... all to her liking. (Talk about a bridezilla!) You gauge the bride's happiness by her facial expression with each detail you pick out - if she's happy, she'll smile, and if she's unhappy, she'll pout. Upon completing all tasks, you're whisked away to the wedding in a white limousine, where you'll be playing photographer to the event. You must snap whatever the bride requests in the style she wants it, too. Each successful wedding unlocks new items, music, makeup and furniture for future weddings as well as the next level's bride.
