TouchMaster 2 (Nintendo DS) - Review by Andrew

Introduction

A few years ago now Midway had a worldwide hit with the original Touchmaster with casual gamers everywhere lapping up the 23 games on a single cart. Although the mini-game collection is something the DS is hardly short of, the difference here was that each of the games was completely independent of the others and there was no story or adventure mode to tie them together. Obviously aware of the success of the first outing we now have the sequel, but with the original touching on just about every tried and tested gaming type is there anything left for this game?

Gameplay

Like the previous TouchMaster there's no adventure or story mode here, instead there's a collection of mini games divided up into separate categories: cards, action, strategy, picture and puzzle. The first thing you'll notice is just how hard the developers have tried to come up with something different in the cards section and with so many DS titles out there using the playing card structure it's a wonder this genre was included at all. Still you are treated to Combo 11 and Carpet (which is based on Solitaire) with a Poker game thrown in for good measure. The remaining games are a little more bizarre including Catwalk Caper, which challenges you to grab all of the money whilst being pursued by the police and a 'top-down' racing game called Speed Demon. Then there's Mahki and a collection of dice games in Strategy and the Picture section features a collection of spot the difference and hidden object games. Finally the puzzle section features a handful of word-based games as well as the opportunity to navigate a sizeable Catacomb.

As with most mini-games the chance to play against a 'real-life' opponent really brings things to life and, so that you can fully enjoy this feature, the developers let you send a copy of your puzzle to another DS. This is something that wasn't available in the last outing, although there was an on-line feature that was incredibly difficult to fathom out. Even if you can't find anyone to play against there are more reasons than ever to revisit TouchMaster, thanks to the Trophy system. This allows you to add awards, such as fastest time or best score, to your profile as you play though the games. This really does help to, not only tie the whole thing together, but also encourages you to try out games you wouldn't normally bother with rather than leave without any awards at all.

Controls

It's all touch-screen and reasonably intuitive, but like the original you are given instructions just before each game.

Graphics

If you've played the first game, there's very little different here and the visuals remain functional rather than anything outstanding. The overall interface is vastly improved however and the games are now much easier to navigate between.

Sound

The soundtrack is actually quite pleasant and while hardly memorable nor does it interfere with the overall enjoyment of the games. The sound effects (as you'd expect) are pretty generic but again, nothing's really too irritating.

Dual screen

Like the first outing all the various interactions have been kept very simple and, although there may still be the odd game that can be a little temperamental as far as collision detection is concerned, this never stops things from being enjoyable.

Final comments

The second outing for TouchMaster certainly chooses quality over quantity and the results make for a far more cohesive package. Yes, there are fewer games and the wi-fi connection (which the original had) has been removed completely but the developers appear to have focused on fixing the shortcomings of the original. There are still some poor games here but most of them are highly enjoyable and the Trophy system will definitely keep you coming back for more, making this an essential purchase for all you casual gamers out there.

Pro: Twenty Mini-Games, Trophy System Improves Replay Value
Con: A Few 'Filler' Games.
Final score: 7.7

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