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Invizimals
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Graphics & Sound:
We can't think of a better way to introduce the new PSP Camera than with Invizimals. This isn't a completely new idea as games go, but none of us (in the US, at least) have seen the likes of this before. Any players old enough to remember the classic Battle Chess scene from Star Wars ("Let the wookie win!"), will feel the tingle of art meeting life. This camera technology still feels like a piece of the future, which is exactly how kids will perceive it. Invizimals are all about interacting with your real-world surroundings, battling on tabletops while you "view" them through the PSP. It's an awesome device made even better through perspective tricks that gradually change what you see as you move the camera around. Two fighting Invizimals viewed from above look different when you move the PSP with its camera attached to a side view. There are some definite issues you'll encounter with jerky images and Invizimals that "phase out" when you block the camera or try to play with them on a surface that isn't perfectly flat. There's a way of getting around this, which involves the targeting card provided along with the game. Once you capture or materialize one of the Invizimals, you can relocate your card. The reason you won't always start on a perfect surface is because the game will prompt you to find surfaces of specific colors to perform captures. Whether this ability to relocate the card was an intentional feature or a hack, it works fine. The only other comment on what makes Invizimals appealing visually is its blend of staged in-game graphics and recorded video. Unlike too many capture-games derived from Pokemon and the like, Invizimals fleshed out a narrative that actually works.
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Gameplay:
The replay value of Invizimals isn't limited to completing the included missions. A full-featured Multiplayer offering includes both a peer-to-peer (Ad Hoc) and online (Infrastructure) mode for battling and discovering new Invizimals. We found this part most interesting, because other franchises have been slow to incorporate online play. Invizimals jumps right out of the gate with several good modes for battling and trading your collection of creatures online. In many cases, you'll make more progress through a combination of online and offline play, since there are secrets you'll unlock when battling online and trading. As much as we like the mission-based gameplay in the solo campaign, it's the online stuff that will really keep this game in your collection for the long haul.
There's a touch of Myst in Invizimals. Not that the puzzle-based gameplay is at all used here, but that Invizimals uses these video and audio transmissions occasionally to drive the story forward, as was the case with Myst. In a funny self-reference, Sony imagines that one of their developers has discovered a secret feature of the PSP Camera and has to go on the lam for fear of it falling into the wrong hands. Kenichi Nakamura, or Keni, will contact you periodically and train you on the capture, taming, and battling of these diminutive monsters. He may seem a bit obtrusive, but in reality he's the training system for the game. Demonstrating on video is a brilliant move, and something more developers should consider as control schema get more complex. Upkeep of your Invizimals is relatively simple, and there aren't many complicated mechanics for feeding or breeding. What Invizimals seems to have been going for was fast-paced action that showed off the potential of the new PSP Camera, and in this they have succeeded. |
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Difficulty:
The downside of bringing gaming into the physical world is that developers can't account for all the variables. Much as on the Wii, where movements tended to be a lot less accurate before the introduction of Motion Plus, players using the PSP Camera have to confront things like variable lighting conditions, unpredictable play surfaces, and jittery hands. Sure, there's a sort of "home video" quality to the game when played with jittery hands, but the novelty wears off when you realize it actually makes Invizimals harder to play. Certain challenges will involve moving your hand in front of the camera or interacting with your Invizimals, and this doesn't always work well. Especially because the so-called Capture Card is a small but critical element the PSP Camera depends on, there are moments when a player motion upsets the card and disrupts the game. Slapping the ground near the card while playing on a couch, for instance. Some motions are also more intuitive than others, and the physical world has a way of intruding. One capture has you moving around the Capture Card, which can be physically impossible depending on your location. The trick of relocating the card often works, but there are issues you'll have if there is glaring light on your play space. We were pleasantly surprised at how the PSP Camera performs in dim lighting conditions, so evening play sessions are out of the question. Apart from a few hardware-induced frustrations, younger players will find Invizimals largely a game they pick up and get into quickly. Only at higher levels and in the Multiplayer modes do twitch-reflexes come into play, and even those aren't out of reach for novice action fans.
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Game Mechanics:
The key to maintaining a reasonable level of difficulty is keeping controls simple. There are some smart approaches taken in the heads-up display that remind players which attack corresponds to which face-button. The shoulder buttons have special actions and aren't used all that often, but more in the online battles. As you play using different types of Invizimals, you'll get feedback from the game about compatibility. Rather than stick to the tried and true Ice/ Fire/ Water/ Earth setup, Invizimals took a chance and threw in some special elements like Jungle. Since it isn't immediately apparent what would be strong or weak against Jungle, Invizimals lets you know when you try a non-effective attack. It gives you a snappy little slogan, like "You can't slice ice," that reminds you which attacks are a flop in which battles. This system will be a natural for players accustomed to other elemental battling games, even if the slogans sometimes make no sense. Getting your Invizimals into battle, collecting power, and trading in "clubs" you open up throughout the game is about as complicated as the growth curve gets. It's fun to watch your Invizimals mature without having to do a big song-and-dance mechanic. A final note about that card: If you lose the original, you can go online and print a replacement, but the one packed in with the game is very cool. The entire package is very cool, for that matter! There will be much opprobrium heaped on herky-jerky camera movements and simplistic character development, but trust us when we say that your kids will freak out over this. The cool factor is huge, and even if you aren't down with the online gameplay, the campaign is fairly deep. PSP Camera and Invizimals, the game is on!
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-Fridtjof, GameVortex Communications AKA Matt Paddock |
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