Pokemon Dash

[baratron]

So, my DS finally turned up. (Ironically, the day Parcelforce finally delivered it was also the day I discovered my local import store had the PokePark DS. Oh well. They're selling it for £185, and I only paid £140 for mine.)

I now have Wario Ware: Touched (which is super-excellent, and will while away many hours of tedium in airports, buses, sitting in the Customer Returns department of Ikea, etc) and Pokemon Dash. Which I LOVE! The Pikachu in it is soooooo cute and pettable, and unlike Pokemon Channel petting this time you actually get to tickle him with the stylus and see the reaction (I swear we spent 10 minutes just doing that). And the game itself is really fun. It seems to be the only racing game I've ever been any good at, principally because:
a) the control system means that racing isn't just about fast reflexes and knowing how to turn corners quickly
and
b) the racetrack layouts mean you actually need to use your brain and work out the best way of getting from A to B

So I wondered what everyone else thinks. Have you tried putting in your game cartridges and generating tracks based on your Pokemon team? Is that worth bothering with? Any tips for the later courses?

 

[Linkachu]

Wow. When I read the topic title I thought I'd be reading once again how hated the game is. I'm surprised and happy to find the exact opposite reaction ^^

I haven't actually played Dash that much due to having so much else to play, but it's fairly good. Playing too much of it tends to cramp my hands... Not that I'd want the gameplay to be different, though. It's a unique racer if anything.

I haven't downloaded any courses yet, but you might as well give them a shot. What could it hurt?

 

[QuagsireQing]

I'm sure this is a super-awesome game, but I wouldn't know. Canada Post must be slower than I thought.

 

[Doctor Oak]

A good few of my own opinions on the game are on the page on the site but i'll give some more here.

Pokemon Dash is all-in-all a decent game. It's not great, it's not revolutionary but it's not bad. It could have, of course, been so much more. Only being able to race as Pikachu is a bit of Teh Suck, especially since there are at least 16 or so other characters in the game full rendered and animated that could easily have been used and presumably would be possible to use under a Cheat Hack (When a Cheating Device is finally available that is).

Also, the fact that you're racing with Pokemon and all they can do to stop the opponent is bump into them lightly is rather lame. The option of shooting a bolt of electricity up the nearby Munchlax's arse would definitely have improved the game and made it more fun to play.

The Special courses are nothing that special really. They look awful because they're just squares of terrain marked out pixel by pixel, square by square to create an island in the image of a Pokemon. The fact that having more of the same type of Pokemon on your team gives you a time advantage is uber-lame, as it's not actually practical in the game. You also don't get the dashing effect from the main game, you'll be using balloons pretty much all of the time as there's not really any possible way to negotiate the course otherwise.

It's only real bonus is that it's a fair challenge to find the checkpoints and clear the entire team in time.

The game really doesn't hold any sustained appeal. It can be great for leaping into time and again and if you have any friends with the game, the idea of racing against 7 other Pikachu with human controllers is just fantastic. Really, with games like Wario Ware Touched, Feel the Magic, Polarium and Pac-Pix, Pokemon Dash is just another one to throw onto the pile of "Might play it for a few minutes when i'm waiting for something" games. It's great to have the option of what to play too, but I guarantee a lot of money that most people, out of the choice of Wario Ware or Dash, will probably pick the much superior WWT.

However, it's actually a pretty good game for a Spin-off made by Ambrella and at least if nothing else, the idea of attempting all 390 special courses(FR Deoxys, LG Deoxys, Emerald Deoxys and Gonbe) available is fun and could last you a while if you were really set on doing it, especially the Gonbe one as you'd have to go to some lengths right now to get it.

 

[baratron]

Wow. When I read the topic title I thought I'd be reading once again how hated the game is. I'm surprised and happy to find the exact opposite reaction ^^

Hmm... well, I'm not sure how much weight my opinion will carry. Remember, I am the person who enjoyed Pokemon Channel! (and played it for ~40 hours...)

[quote name='"Linkachu"]I haven't actually played Dash that much due to having so much else to play' date=' but it's fairly good. Playing too much of it tends to cramp my hands...[/quote']

Any video game at all does that to me, so this one isn't much different. I kinda like the way it asks you at the end of each Cup if you want to take a break... I know it's somewhat patronising, but otherwise I would go on playing and have useless wrists for the next 24 hours.

[quote name='"Doctor Oak"]Pokemon Dash is all-in-all a [b]decent[/b] game. It's not great' date=' it's not revolutionary but it's not bad. It could have, of course, been so much more. Only being able to race as Pikachu is a bit of Teh Suck, especially since there are at least 16 or so other characters in the game full rendered and animated that could easily have been used[/quote']

Yeah, this is disappointing... a bit. Richard said he'd like to have played as Teddiursa (and he did an impression of Teddiursa toddling along, clambering into his balloon, and falling over on his bottom and looking confused). I might have liked to play as Poochyena or Mightyena, or of the ones that are included, Bulbasaur. But I love Pikachu enough not to mind.

The danger is the assumption that everyone who loves Pokemon also loves Pikachu, which I don't think is actually the case outside Japan. Ah well.

[quote name='"Doctor Oak"]Also' date=' the fact that you're racing with Pokemon and all they can do to stop the opponent is bump into them lightly is rather lame. The option of shooting a bolt of electricity up the nearby Munchlax's arse would definitely have improved the game and made it more fun to play.[/quote']

I actually disagree with you that the lack of this feature is a bad thing. I've been playing games with power ups since Super Mario Cart on the SNES and the first PC version of Micro Machines, and I've never been terribly good at them. The only real enjoyment I've got from power ups in racing games has been when playing against my friends, most of whom suck as much as I do, so the power ups are just there to level the metaphorical playing field a bit. When racing against computer players, I've always been hopelessly outclassed even when they're set on "Easy", and with power ups as well (which computer players always manage to launch perfectly), completely failed and given up.

I think Pokemon Dash isn't really intended to be a traditional racing game based on reflexes and luck, but one that involves a certain amount of brainpower. And that's why I actually like it, and keep picking it up and trying to beat my times.

[quote name='"Doctor Oak"]Really' date=' with games like Wario Ware Touched, Feel the Magic, Polarium and Pac-Pix, Pokemon Dash is just another one to throw onto the pile of "Might play it for a few minutes when i'm waiting for something" games.[/quote']

Is that a bad thing? For me, that's pretty much the whole point of portable games. The Pokemon RPG series are really the only GBA games I've owned that are "proper" full-length adventures - everything else I have are puzzle games (Mr Driller, Puyo Pop, Qix, Denki Blocks etc). If I want to play adventure games/RPGs, I'm generally thinking about sitting down for 1-3 hours in front of my TV, probably with some paper to draw maps on & make notes. The thought of sitting there for hours on end staring at a tiny screen just doesn't appeal.

At home, I play the Pokemon RPGs on the Game Boy Player with a proper controller and tv, or in bed. Not quite sure how this'll change with Diamond & Pearl - there probably won't be a "DS Player", and I can't hold the DS if I'm lying down. Hmm.

 

[Doctor Oak]

The problem with console games for me is that I tend to never finish them. I end up not being arsed enough to set everything up that I tend to just leave the Cube completely until I get a new game. With the DS, however, all you have to do is pick it up, turn it on and play.

Puzzle games are ideal for handhelds but so are games like RPGs and Adventure games (So long as you can save almost any time). Most people don't play their portable systems outside of their own houses. The most they probably move around with them is maybe from room to room. That's why it's no big problem for most people to sit and play through adventures like they would on a console. Pokemon didn't get uber-popular by people not being bothered to play it afterall.

The fact the DS lacks any 'real' games with a real meaty part to them is a big disappointment to me. I can't wait for games like D/P to come out, but they're all ages away.

Currently I play my DS a few times a week at most, with D/P and other such games, it's easy to imagine playing it once a day, even for just a little bit. I never bothered much with my GBA because it was always more of a pain than the Cube but with the DS - it's all easy going. They only problem I find with it is the weight of it, gets to be a bit much sometimes.

 

[baratron]

I wonder if the difference between us is an age thing? When you have your own place, it's no hassle to set up games consoles :wink:. In fact, we have three under the telly, all permanently wired into our stereo separates system. Also, I don't have to fight with anyone for control of the tv... unless Richard actually wants to play with the PS2 at the same time I want to play the GameCube .

 

[Doctor Oak]

My Cube is constantly wired up too to my own TV, but it's normally got stuff sitting on it and normally requires me to dig out the controller from somewhere (Wireless Controllers are SO going to vanish in my room....) and then sometimes having to switch plugs etc and then switching the scart switcher thingy....

I'm just a very lazy person and it's all much more of a pain than picking up the DS and pressing one tiny button. ^^

 

[baratron]

OK. I get what you're saying. Basically, you're bemoaning the lack of lengthy adventure or RPG-type type games?

I'm thinking back to the launch games of the various consoles I can remember, and I think there's usually been something of a shortage of longer games for the first few months. I seem to remember lots of puzzle-y games and driving/racing games (and that godawful boxing game which seemed to be the only Dreamcast-exclusive launch game - why buy a new console when your old PlayStation could play most of the games?).The GC launched with Luigi's Mansion, but a) that was developed in-house at Nintendo (so they had access to the new hardware from the word go), and b) it was intended as a stop-gap, "Something to keep the fans happy while we finish Super Mario".

I suspect that because many-hours-gameplay type games clearly need more work and testing than shorter games, that they won't start appearing for a good few months. Animal Crossing is supposed to be coming out in August in Japan, but I'm suspecting it's pretty much just a port of the GameCube game with some of the functions replaced by the touch-screen (designing patterns with the paint program is going to be so much easier). November/Christmas releases seem much more likely for "meaty" games. And speaking personally, although I'm the most impatient person in the world ever, I'd still rather wait for a game that's finished than get it rushed out early & full of bugs .

 

[Doctor Oak]

Actually, Animal Crossing DS is a completely new game. They've redesigned the world (A spherical world instead of a flat tiled world), redesigned some of the stuff behind it (YOU CAN WEAR A NEW HAT! ) and basically just sat down and recreated it.

Anyways, yeah, I'm unhappy at the fact that there's nothing on the DS right now I can really get into. Sonic Rush could be good and Pokemon D/P is going to 0wn my soul for a very long time when it's finally out (And buying the game TWICE is certainly going to give it some living strength) but right now it's just a case of sitting around waiting for the good games to come out.

In fact, right now, it's more a case of sitting around waiting for any release - there's a big assed DS release drought on right now.

 

[QuagsireQing]

But GBA games (at least over here) are coming out at breakneck speeds. Pokemon Emerald Version, Wario Ware: Twisted!, Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, Yoshi Topsy Turvy... GBA is where it's at right now, and DS and Cube will pick up in the fall.

Speaking of waiting for DS games...*COUGH AT KATIE* Uh...heheh. :lol:

 

[Linkachu]

I"]

AHAHAHA!

Pokemon Dash is officially BOUGHT!
Now all that's left to do is... mail it out ^^;

Either way, I have it now, so expect it soonish QQ

 

[QuagsireQing]

w00t. Send it by Pidgeot: I oughta have it in a couple minutes.

 

[Linkachu]

w00t. Send it by Pidgeot: I oughta have it in a couple minutes.

Well, I sent it by snail mail, but it should get there soon :wink:

Yesh, that's right. Pokemon Dash is now officially SENT! If it doesn't reach you in one piece I'm gonna kill someone :twisted:

 

[QuagsireQing]

Patience has its rewards. The original prize was going to be some TCG-e cards, but this is way worth the forgetfulness of Monsieur Oak.

In fact, this makes me want to so something like this on my own site... Inspiration!

 

[Doctor Oak]

What, you mean.... UPDATE?!?!?!?!?!?!

*dies of shock*

 

[QuagsireQing]

Funny. Real funny.

Err... *updates*