blu
Wants the largest console games publisher to avoid Nintendo's platforms.
I've been meaning to check out Pop Island on dsiware for ages now, waiting for impressions posted on these boards, but gaf seems blissfully unaware of this game's existence, and as i ended up with some spare dsiware points today, here are my impressions of it.
Pop Island is of those games that do one thing, and one thing only, but they do it perfectly. What's PI do? It does team-based capture the flag over cross-terrain. On buggies. Or on snowboards. Or on fish. Or on.. Well, you get it. Different means of transportation have their advantages/disadvantages on different types of terrain (buggies don't move well in water, fish are impeded on land - stuff like that). In single player it's two teams - yours and the computer's, and you play one of the critters in your team, while everything else is played by the computer. A team consists of different units - from 5 to 16 - other critters, fliers, swimmers. You (or your AI teammates) grab a flag, and you rush toward your base across the map. The opponent is trying to both stop you and simultaneously grab any other flags available for grabbing. You try to prevent that. And that's it.
Oh, almost forgot - there are cracker bombs. Lot and lots of cracker bombs. You shoot them at opponent's units to knock them out for a short while, and they use it on you for their secret opponent's purposes.
Game is sheer fun. I have not had this much fun with a capture-the-flag mash since Quake1. The presence of more than one flag at a time on the map creates multiple chases, and you, as the human in the game, can decide where to interfere, take the flag or watch the AI's back, whom to best gift with a cracker bomb, and from whom to escape. Ah, another thing i almost forgot - maps have scattered artifacts too - you use them for the same purpose you use all other things in the game - to "help" your opponents.
Multiplayer: games supports 8 players in local ad-hoc. It is also one of the few DSiWare titles (practically the second one i'm aware of) that has a shareable demo you can send to the nearby DS(i) so you can have some quick tête à tête from a single purchased copy. Or the nearby seven DS(i) for an octo tête à tête.
Glaringly missed opportunities: no internet multi.
The obligatory optional internetabilia:
nintendolife's review (8/10)
pop island's official release trailer
longer gameplay video
Update:
And now with a sequel - Pop Island: Paperfiled - more units and maps, for the ridiculous price of 200 pts (yes, it is a stand-alone title).
Pop Island is of those games that do one thing, and one thing only, but they do it perfectly. What's PI do? It does team-based capture the flag over cross-terrain. On buggies. Or on snowboards. Or on fish. Or on.. Well, you get it. Different means of transportation have their advantages/disadvantages on different types of terrain (buggies don't move well in water, fish are impeded on land - stuff like that). In single player it's two teams - yours and the computer's, and you play one of the critters in your team, while everything else is played by the computer. A team consists of different units - from 5 to 16 - other critters, fliers, swimmers. You (or your AI teammates) grab a flag, and you rush toward your base across the map. The opponent is trying to both stop you and simultaneously grab any other flags available for grabbing. You try to prevent that. And that's it.
Oh, almost forgot - there are cracker bombs. Lot and lots of cracker bombs. You shoot them at opponent's units to knock them out for a short while, and they use it on you for their secret opponent's purposes.
Game is sheer fun. I have not had this much fun with a capture-the-flag mash since Quake1. The presence of more than one flag at a time on the map creates multiple chases, and you, as the human in the game, can decide where to interfere, take the flag or watch the AI's back, whom to best gift with a cracker bomb, and from whom to escape. Ah, another thing i almost forgot - maps have scattered artifacts too - you use them for the same purpose you use all other things in the game - to "help" your opponents.
Multiplayer: games supports 8 players in local ad-hoc. It is also one of the few DSiWare titles (practically the second one i'm aware of) that has a shareable demo you can send to the nearby DS(i) so you can have some quick tête à tête from a single purchased copy. Or the nearby seven DS(i) for an octo tête à tête.
Glaringly missed opportunities: no internet multi.
The obligatory optional internetabilia:
nintendolife's review (8/10)
pop island's official release trailer
longer gameplay video
Update:
And now with a sequel - Pop Island: Paperfiled - more units and maps, for the ridiculous price of 200 pts (yes, it is a stand-alone title).