Nintendo DS - Feel the Magic: XY/XX

Format
Nintendo DS
Publisher
Sega
Developer
Sonic Team
Country of origin
Japan
Genre
Party games

Feel the Magic

By Eric
5th Feb 05

I love my Nintendo DS. After spending 150 smackers on it, I'm pretty much obligated to support it or else I'd seem like quite a jackass. As fun as the system is, I haven't seen many games yet that truly make good use of the touch screen technology. Most launch titles have used it as a map or a glorified menu screen. However, Feel the Magic makes the touch screen the core of its gameplay. In fact, I don't think I ever used the D-pad or the buttons, and it was fun.

One of the concerns over the DS was that a touch screen was too simple and gimmicky to revolutionize gaming. The jury is still out on that, but one thing I can certainly say is that this game wouldn't be nearly as fun without it. I know that as a reviewer I'm supposed to explain why, but I just can't. It's one of those things you have to see for yourself.

What I can do is tell you just what makes this game so wacky. It's absolutely filled with quirky japanese storytelling that makes very little sense. To put it simply, you control a lovesick man as he attempts outrageously dangerous stunts to win over the girl of his dreams. After that's done, you need to save her from a macho man who's still living in a time when men thought women were impressed by jerks who kidnapped them and beat up their boyfriends. The plot is really just a way to give you an excuse for these minigames, which can be quite fun. You'll be using the stylus quite a bit to paint, bowl, dodge, balance, and perform many other feats. There will even be times where you must blow on the screen to push a sailboat or yell into the microphone to attract someone's attention.

Fun as the minigames are, the game as a whole makes the mistake of dragging them on for too long. Each minigame (save the "boss" minigames) last for five rounds each. This can sometimes take several minutes to complete. I would've been happy to remove two or three of the rounds and replace them with different minigames. Also, the plot tends to break up the gameplay, as you have to watch a story sequence in between each game. You can unlock goodies by touching "hot spots" during the plot scenes, but they're just clothing and hairstyles to customize the girl. It doesn't actually change her in-game appearance, either, just her appearance in the menu screens while she gestures towards your options like Vanna White.

There's no multiplayer either, and once you've beaten the game, there's not much left to do. The minigames are fun and have a lot of variety, but there just aren't nearly enough of them. I can't help but compare this title to Warioware, which had "microgames" that were admittedly over in a flash, but entertaining and in great abundance.

I liked this game, but the small amount of minigames truly cripple its replayability. It's good for one play through, and maybe a couple of minutes if you are waiting for a bus or something, but it doesn't offer enough to justify its 30 dollar price tag. Wait until it goes down some, then snatch it up immediately.

Score: 7/10

-- Eric 5th Feb 05

Nintendo DS Feel the Magic: XY/XX Images