New Touch Party Game DS (Nintendo DS) - Review by skarma

Introduction

New Touch Party Game concludes our trilogy of recent releases from publisher 505 Games. It is, of sorts, a mini-game compilation. It is rather odd as the entire game is set in a haunted house, and the story mode consisting off a little kid ridding the house of evil by playing such games as word hunt and... Uno (though called 'Page One' here). With such a strange mix of games, can Taito knock down 42 All-Time Classics from the top spot for DS mini-game compilations?

Gameplay

The game is really a mixed bag. While the game offers quite deep card games such as 'Speed' and 'Page One', others are very mediocre simple titles such as Darts and Ghost Hunt (where you tap a ghost when it appears on screen, similar to Whack-A-Mole). Each of the 7 games has 5 difficulty modes which, providing you enjoy said game, will keep you entertained for quite a while. Even though there is only 7 games, there is almost something for everyone here as they seem to occupy a wide variety of puzzle, card and action games. While some of the games are quite enjoyable, the problem really relies on quantity in this case - there just isn't enough games to satisfy a full retail-price purchase.

None of the games are customizable as well, outside of the initial difficulty level. Another thing that keeps it from reaching above average status is the fact that multiplayer is not single-cart. Since this game is best enjoyed in multiplayer (I was lucky enough to find another player with the game), it misses out quite an important feature that is expected in almost every multiplayer-focused DS title.

Controls

Everything is controlled entirely by the touch screen, and really works as you would expect. To play darts you pick it up and throw it at the board, to play Page One you just drag a card from your hand to the pile. Works well and, surprisingly, offers the best control out of our 3 505 Games reviews.

Graphics

The whole game is Haunted House themed, though most of the games don't really fit around the theme. Regardless, the graphics are very simple and very nearly get the job done. The only criticisms here are the fact that the font is very bland and spaced out, a problem with cheaply translated import titles. And the second one being with the cards, it is quite difficult to make out what symbols and numbers are on them. Not a huge problem of course, but quite a pain non the less.

Sound

Erm... there was music? Oh yes, the whole game basically has a haunted house track playing in the background, and sound effects are very silent and play when shuffling cards or hitting a ghost, that sort of thing. I didn't really expect a fully blown EA Trax or orchestrated music, but they at least could have tried.

Dual screen

The bottom screen is where all the action is at. The top screen is just used to display things like computer level, mission objectives etc. Useful, but not state of the art innovation.

Final comments

Despite the fact that the game is a let down on almost everything except gameplay and controls, it still manages to be fun. Which is extremely rare for a game nowadays. If you are going away on a train/plane/car journey anytime soon and see this going on sale for cheap, I do recommend it. Though it must be very, very cheap, as the budget priced 42 All-Time Classics includes 42 totally customizable, fleshed out single/multi-cart multiplayer, and an online option to give very stiff competition. I definitely recommend that title over this if you are looking for a mini-game compilation, but that doesn't mean this title is bad at all.

Pro: Some games are actually fun.
Con: Lacking in almost every aspect. This vs 42 ATC is a no-brainer.
Final score: 6.8

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