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Orcs & Elves confirmed for the DS

Brakara

Member
So is this game any good? I've never bought a mobile phone game in my life, mostly because 1) the interface is horrible, 2) the pack-in games are always awful, and 3) there's never any trial versions available.
 
DOOM RPG and Orcs and Elves are fairly competent dungeon crawlers. Their stories aren't that great but their gameplay is quite decent and fun. Compared to their competitors, they probably are the best games available on the mobile platform.
 
It'll be interesting to see how they make it look, effeciency considered and the nature of designing sprites for specific resolution. They may have higher resolution originals for the dungeons, but I wonder if they'll redo the monster sprites to bring it closer to the DS' visual standard.
 

Gattsu25

Banned
that looks so much improved

my only concern is the control layout is 100% stylus based...or is it optional?
BrokenSymmetry said:
Is it "dwarfs", "dwarfes", or "dwarves"?
Either dwarfs or dwarves, depending on how tolkien-inspired you want to be
 

TekunoRobby

Tag of Excellence
maniac-kun said:
looks horrible for a ds game... what has id become?
You mean what has Fountainhead Entertainment become? John Carmack was the only one who was deeply involved from id software. He wrote the engine and his wife's company developed the game.
 

Geek

Ninny Prancer
Gattsu25 said:
my only concern is the control layout is 100% stylus based...or is it optional?Either dwarfs or dwarves, depending on how tolkien-inspired you want to be

Controls are optional. I found using the stylus was best though.
 

GDJustin

stuck my tongue deep inside Atlus' cookies
Orcs & Elves was great on mobile, but remember mobile games are only like $6-7, so they aren't held to a super-high standard.

A LOT of content would have to be added to make this a worthy DS release.
 

ksamedi

Member
Gattsu25 said:
that looks so much improved

my only concern is the control layout is 100% stylus based...or is it optional?Either dwarfs or dwarves, depending on how tolkien-inspired you want to be

Well it can't be any worse than a mobile phone interface.
 

Gattsu25

Banned
ksamedi said:
Well it can't be any worse than a mobile phone interface.
Honestly, after playing Doom RPG for over 30 hours...the controls were second nature for me. Kinda weird...considering that familiarity with the controls never applied to other mobile games.

I'm actually pissed that Orcs&Elves and Doom RPG don't work on my new phone......so even there this game will be a godsend

...here's hoping they have DoomRPG's NewGame+ option which, I felt, was sorely missed in O&E


hell...here's hoping there's a Doom II RPG in the works that will either come out on a handheld that I own or be supported on my phone.
PataHikari said:
Why is that a concern?
Personally? I'm more comfortable with custom controls. I also played this game, and its predecessor, repeatedly on a button based control system...so there's familiarity at play. I also feel that the (UP, Down, Left, Right) region on the touch screen is too small for my liking...but won't know for sure until it's in my hands.
 

White Man

Member
I liked both this and Doom RPG, but even with it being improved, it's kinda light fare for a DS game. I mean, why jump on this when you could have GOTY candidate Etrian Odyssey?
 
orc.gif
VS
elvis-impersonator-martin-fox-01.gif



Blizzard MEGATON OMG SLOOGE
 

Civil

Member
I loved it on my mobile phone, one of the coolest games I've played on it.

But I have zero interest in a DS port. Unless it's completely re-written, in both story and game mechanics.
 

Mejilan

Running off of Custom Firmware
White Man said:
I liked both this and Doom RPG, but even with it being improved, it's kinda light fare for a DS game. I mean, why jump on this when you could have GOTY candidate Etrian Odyssey?

For those of us that are done with EO for the mean while?
 

Waku

Member
Deku said:
This is old school Eye of the Beholder type game?

Yup. It's not as Hardcore as Etrian, in fact it's rather easy, but thats why I enjoy it so much. Just an nice throwback to the Old Days of First Person RPG's, very easy to get into and very entertaining.

After playing it, I now hope Carmack one day decides to Port Doom RPG too.
 

Pseudonym

Member
hie said:
did you get that sweet stylus? that's what i really want...


That's what I'm wondering about myself. I'd like to grab this, but I want to make sure I get the stylus. I know it was supposed to be a pack in at "select stores", but I have no idea what stores that refers to. Has anyone had any luck? I am guessing it might be hard enough to find the game, let alone one with the stylus. I'd hate to pick it up some place and be without the fancy stylus, so I want to better my chances before I go hunting for it.
 

DieH@rd

Banned
Carmack not long ago founded Id Mobile. He announced sequels for Doom RPG and Orcs and Elves, and all new Wolfenstien & Quake games for mobile phones.

Cant wait for next Doom game.
 

Monk

Banned
Waku said:
Yup. It's not as Hardcore as Etrian, in fact it's rather easy, but thats why I enjoy it so much. Just an nice throwback to the Old Days of First Person RPG's, very easy to get into and very entertaining.

After playing it, I now hope Carmack one day decides to Port Doom RPG too.

Try putting it on nightmare difficulty. It reminds me how weaksauce i am. :(
 

xir

Likely to be eaten by a grue
game is fun, great for a cellphone game, a little eh for a ds game.

no character creation gets me.
 

nix_nz

Neo Member
I really didn't like it on the cellphone (boring, repetitive, annoying level design, no real depth (items etc)). Is it much different on DS?
 

turk128

Member
nix_nz said:
I really didn't like it on the cellphone (boring, repetitive, annoying level design, no real depth (items etc)). Is it much different on DS?
Pretty much... but it's really old school at the same time. Works well on portables.

I wouldn't mind more dungeon crawlers similar to this; just add randomized dungeons, more items and more RPG elements for the character advancements and you got a winner.

I'd kill for a Rogue-like RPG on the DS (primative graphics and all).
 

Deku

Banned
I figured out how the turn system works and it doesn't go into it in the manual. Basically each action/movement count as one turn, the game keeps track of it as well under the Start menu.

Orc and Elves is old school and really good. This would get my vote as the overlooked 'great' game on the DS this year, since most of GAF fixated on what's coming out in Japan and writing off US published efforts as trash (which is true most of the time). To think I almost passed this title up. This is also the Superior version to the cellphones. What I like about it is everything about the title seems like it came out of a time warp, not that it's bad, but there's been enough bad retro attempts of late that it's nice to see the art of hand painted bitmaps haven't died out. Reading John Carmack's blog, he noted the game fits into a tiny 16 MB card, compared to something like FFIII's 128 MB. I can only imagine what id Mobile and Carmack can do with a larger format.

I wouldn't knock it for lacking depth. It's a pretty straightforward adventure, very easy to pick up, but then again its well suited for the format. This game is really old school FPS RPG dungeon crawler.

Highly recommended.
 

sykoex

Lost all credibility.
I'm really suprised how many people aren't feeling his game after all the love Etrian Odyssey got.

It's like EO but there's no random battles and the save system is much more forgiving. And the mapping isn't as tough either, but it's still fun to find every nook and cranny of each dungeon.
 

Fio

Member
Deku said:
I figured out how the turn system works and it doesn't go into it in the manual. Basically each action/movement count as one turn, the game keeps track of it as well under the Start menu.

Orc and Elves is old school and really good. This would get my vote as the overlooked 'great' game on the DS this year, since most of GAF fixated on what's coming out in Japan and writing off US published efforts as trash (which is true most of the time). To think I almost passed this title up. This is also the Superior version to the cellphones. What I like about it is everything about the title seems like it came out of a time warp, not that it's bad, but there's been enough bad retro attempts of late that it's nice to see the art of hand painted bitmaps haven't died out. Reading John Carmack's blog, he noted the game fits into a tiny 16 MB card, compared to something like FFIII's 128 MB. I can only imagine what id Mobile and Carmack can do with a larger format.

I wouldn't knock it for lacking depth. It's a pretty straightforward adventure, very easy to pick up, but then again its well suited for the format. This game is really old school FPS RPG dungeon crawler.

Highly recommended.

Thanks for the impressions.
I've been anticipating this game for a long time. Good to read that it is good. But seeing the screenshots I really feel that they should have improved the game before releasing it on NDS.
Have you played Mazes of Fate for GBA ? If you like these old schools RPGs that reminds the olds CRPGs I strongly recommend it.
 

Mejilan

Running off of Custom Firmware
I definitely plan on picking this up, but right now, it isn't a huge priority. I'll probably cave before the end of the year, however.
 

Deku

Banned
Haha between FFXI: Wings of the Goddess, Mario Galaxy and work, I've only been able put in a few minutes more into this. Just played through more of the 3rd level "The Great Hall" and its really intense. I spent too much time
pulling levers to make Dwarven Ales as a way to grab some freebie health regen
and an Orc popped up from behind (and I was sure I cleared the way) to take a potshot at me.

The Turn based/FPS system is really innovative in this particular application. It's at once immediate in its nature (I can turn around, and move like a normal real-time FPS) but the game mechanic is all on a turn based system so that spotting an enemy around the corner, I can take as much time as I need to figure out what to do next. Unless I do a specific action (move forward, use item, swing my sword) the enemy remains static waiting for its turn to move. I also found out turning on an axis to look around doesn't count as a turn.

The 2nd half of the 3rd level is really intense, I've got giant Trolls and Slimes outside and I'm stuck in a room. Certain death is at hand, then my DS goes dead. Ooops, battery went out. :lol
 

Deku

Banned
perfectchaos007 said:
IGN reviewed it, but right now my computer is screwy. Can anyone tell me the score they gave it?

8.0

Closing Comments
With Orcs & Elves, do not expect a role-playing game with the production levels of a Final Fantasy or a Mass Effect. It’s a mobile phone game brought to the Nintendo DS, but don’t call it a port: the game looks and plays so much better than any version already on the market. The game’s back-to-the-basics approach goes against the grain that probably wouldn’t work on any other system but a portable one…and it indeed does work on the Nintendo DS. Even with its limitations, Orcs & Elves’ fast-paced, turn-based style is a refreshing change of pace from the evolved role-playing game design, and deserves a playthrough even if you love the epic presentation of those other RPGs.
 
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