Date: 2008-11-02 11:52:02 Created: null
For Nintendo DS
So, I've been playing this cute and rather cosy RPG with action-like battles for around 24 hours now. I feel the general game system works pretty well and is fun enough to keep me going.
So what do I want after a full day's worth of playtime? What did Capcom, in their infinite wisdom, decide to throw in to up the fun factor?
How about a mandatory minigame where none of the mechanics of the previous 24 hours apply and which you absolutely must finish to move on?
It requires you to stand in the middle of a cross-section, face the right directions and use the B button to smack incoming samurai puppets. But of course, this game uses an isometric perspective, so Capcom decided that you need to press diagonally on the cross to face each direction instead of just pressing the straight directions. Just to add to the entertainment I guess.
What went through their heads? They suddenly thought the usual game mechanics weren't good enough to carry on with? But if this minigame system is so damn brilliant, why not use it more often? If you ask me it's because it sucks, is a waste of my time and the guy who allowed it in there should be punished.
Oh damn, I hope they didn't decide to put it in more places going forward ...
Plus, isn't 24 hours enough already? Who felt the need for minigame-based padding?
I wonder how many casual players gave up on the game when reaching this point, feeling unabled or unmotivated to do a completely different thing than the rest of the game?
Hey, I made it!
Don't force me to do it again.
Ever.
I'm approaching the end of the game now, and that stupid minigame seems to be the lone exception to the trust in game mechanics. Apart from that things flow along nicely, with themed areas requiring different types of puzzle solving that ends before getting too annoying. The random encounters annoy me sometimes too, when I need to go on a longer trek through known areas to get to where I need to be, but it really isn't bad for something I've just spent 30 hours in. I'm looking forward to finishing.
It's later. I'm right at the final boss, where I stopped after the first attempt or two. I'm not sure it's even worth my time to try and beat the thing (even if satisfaction of finishing would be pretty large). I've already got more time out of the game than I'd really asked for. So much, actually, that I found myself a walkthrough just to speed things up and minimise the number of tedious random encounters.
We'll see, I think I'll give it another shot or two eventually. But I don't seem to be in any rush. And I'm pretty certain I'll never pick up another Battle Network game again. There's just too much of it ...