 |
|||
|
Nintendojo.com | |
|
|
||||||||
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||
 |
Nintendo likes to bandy about the fact that the elderly play Brain Age and other DS games. Perhaps it was with this in mind that DSI Games picked up the Betty Boop license for a casual portable game. Ms. Boop's heyday was about seventy years ago, though, she has seen several resurgences over the years. Maybe the multi-generational appeal of both Betty Boop and DS could work together to make Betty Boop: Double Shift a success. Then again, maybe not. visuals Much of the appeal and longevity of the original Betty Boop shorts is derived from the surreal imagery and animation, not to mention the odd distinction of being the first cartoon sex symbol. Regrettably (and in the case of the latter, probably thankfully), none of this factors into the visual presentation. The simple, static restaurant and its patrons wouldn't be out of place in an NES game, save for a few more colors. Animation is sparse, and not in that sort of charming, old-fashioned way. Betty almost slides across the floor to meet her customers, each of whom have very few frames of animation. Everything functions, and nothing more. audio A generic speakeasy tune warbles over a select few canned sound bytes. Customers grumble and order-up bells ring, the piano onstage plinks out a few wimpy notes on command. That same order-up bell rings when playing the notes in the rhythm subgame. Double Shift sounds as well as looks like a free Flash game. gameplay Not coincidentally, the gameplay also resembles something you would (or wouldn't) play on the internet for a minute or two. Fundamentally, it's another version of the Diner Dash formula. Viewed from a 3/4 perspective, Betty shuffles around a restaurant fulfilling orders and making sure customers are happy. Spending too much time on one customer might mean another will get angry, lending to a balancing act sort of gameplay. Betty has to make sure to take patrons' orders, serve them, take their dishes away and make sure they get a complimentary mint. Needless to say, there's a lot of back and forth going on. After making a few rounds, Betty is called to the stage for a song. Notes will appear at the top of the screen and it's the player's job to hit the corresponding buttons on the touch screen, in order. There isn't any timing to these notes -- which all sound the same -- in fact, it's nearly impossible to fail this section. Elite Beat Agents it isn't. Though a stylus-controlled Diner Dash clone may sound possible in theory (see: Cake Mania), controlling Betty in Double Shift is often frustrating. The touch controls are unresponsive, giving the game artificial difficulty. It's annoying to tap the dishwasher and end up with a mint in hand. Even worse, sometimes the controls won't respond at all. Players may find themselves tapping other parts of the screen, moving back and forth before finally reaching their desired destination. multiplayer There are a few multiplayer minigames, but since they're only playable with two copies of the game, it's unlikely anyone will play them. overall Pointless rhythm sections aside, there isn't anything in Double Shift that Diner Dash or Cake Mania hasn't already done better at the same price. If someone wanted to play a similarly boring, clunky rip-off, they could just as easily find one for free on the internet. Though Betty Boop has seen better times, she deserves better than Double Shift.
|
|
   |
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
