GENRE
	Action
	DEVELOPER
	Kando Games
	PUBLISHER
	Aspyr
	LOCAL WIRELESS MULTI-PLAY
	No
	Wi-Fi/GLOBAL ONLINE MULTI-PLAY
	No
	MICROPHONE
	No
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Trauma Center revolutionized action/puzzle games on the Nintendo DS, and now Kando Games is trying to do the same thing with their new title Touch Mechanic. Does it succeed in bringing the world of street racing to life or does it simply leave players feeling flat? The answer, quite honestly, is neither.

visuals

Touch Mechanic brings the world of auto mechanics to life with full 3-D car models. They are presented quite nicely on the bottom screen while story elements play out in a 2-D comic book style up top. It's very easy to see what parts of the car you are working on and where the different bolts, screws and clamps are that need tweaking. There are no moving elements to the game so all the models look quite nice. All of the cars appear to be modeled on real world cars, but they are not marked and are never called anything other than the generic term "car."

Tools are lined up on the top and bottom left portions of the screen. Areas that need to be worked on are clearly marked so there is no confusion as to what you're working on. Each area of the car when chosen will zoom in and you will only see that portion of the car. It makes it very quick to find needed parts.

The story portions of the game on the top screen are presented in a still, comic book fashion. Characters that are talking pop up and say their dialogue in a text box and then the next character comes in. All in all, the game has a very clean, 3-D look that works well on DS.

audio

The audio portion of the game is one area where Touch Mechanic falls short. This is the type of game that screams out for a hip hop or hard rock soundtrack, but you don't get either. There are only two songs in the game: one for the menu screen and one for in-game action, and they both sound like something straight out of a soap opera. Neither are memorable and very soon you'll find that you've turned the sound down because the songs have gotten under your skin.

There is no voice work in the game; all the story portions are text only. Each of the different tools that you use, however, have their own sound effects and are very realistic. There were a couple of times when the audio seemed to skip out and would disappear during certain moments of the game.

gameplay

You play as an unnamed hero who has come to a garage looking for a job. You soon find out you're on the run from the law as well, but no one seems disturbed by this. You then begin to work up the mechanic ranks by doing different repairs and modifications to cars. The premise of the game initally sounds really cool. Unfortunately, it's only good in premise and lacks in gameplay. The back of the box remarks that you'll get to work on realistic, 3D cars throughout 75 levels of gameplay, but only about 35 are actual levels where you do anything. The other 40 are story levels that you simply click okay to progress through. There are also only about 7 things that you can do to the cars and you do them over and over again. After changing a tire for the 10th straight level it really began to get old. There are also only 1 or 2 different mods that you can do for each repair. The elements are there for a very fun game, but it's too repetitive to really be any fun.

The game lasts about 6 hours, and each mission takes about 10 minutes to do. The game does not really get more difficult as you go along. You are given the list of things that you need to do to each car and given a budget that you must adhere to. Once the mission starts your money starts counting down. If you get to 0 or you make too many mistakes during a level, the game ends and you're fired. The only way the difficulty is ramped up is by making the money count down faster and adding more repairs per mission.

The repairs do not get more complex as you go on. If you've changed an air filter early in the game, you know exactly how to do it at the end of the game. If you've talked to any mechanic you know, there are no two cars that are worked on exactly the same, but you get exactly that in this title.

There were also a couple issues with loading times. There is a loading screen before every mission that lasts no less than 10 seconds and a couple of times ended up being closer to 30 seconds. That really is unacceptable in a DS game. The game also may freeze during a repair if a tool is selected before the game's ready to process the action. For example, after putting a fender back on a car, you need a welding torch to weld it on. Fenders take about 5 seconds to load before they are placed on the car, but if you select the welding torch before it's loaded, the game freezes and has to be completely restarted, with said mission also started from scratch.

The in-game world is navigated via a map screen, allowing access to a parts store to purchase parts at for your own ride, your home garage, the location you work at, or open car shows that the main character cna show his car off at. The car show comes into play during the game as after every 15 levels or so: you go to the car show and must place higher every time before you can continue the story.

multiplayer

N/A

overall

All of the elements are there for a really good game. The only things holding this back are the serious repetition and the small amount of different modifications you can do to each car. The end of the game hints at a sequel, and if this is true, there are a few things that could be done to make the sequel a very quality product: licensed cars, a killer soundtrack and a larger array of tools and parts to use would go a long way. Unfortunately, right now, the few problems this game has make it more frustrating than fun.

6.5/10