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...IGN Gamescon Preview
Keeping the software experience fresh, new and exciting on Vita is going to play a huge role in keeping the handheld relevant over the long term. Doing the exact opposite is going to be a detriment to Vita's success. The good news for gamers interested in Frobisher Says! is that, in premise, it's certainly in the former camp. A fast-moving minigame compilation similar in nature to a Wario Ware title, Frobisher Says! has a lot of great things going for it. But there are issues that are too obvious to overlook as we get closer and closer to its release.
Unlike most of the other Vita titles that have been revealed, we know when Frobisher Says! is coming out. The developer who showed me the game as I sampled it said that it was set to be a launch title at a PSN-level price point, though there's no word on if or when the game will make it outside of Europe. So there's time to fix some of the problems this game has, though time is of the essence compared to many of the other games from Vita's roster that we've sampled so far.
The big problem Frobisher Says! suffers from is its utter lack of coherence. The game has a quirky and humorous feel to it, and I really liked what it was trying to do. But it's still too nebulous and unforgiving, and it's bound to turn most players off almost immediately. Minigames last mere seconds, and there's little room for error. If you died in the build I was playing, you'd be kicked back to the menu, where a random sequence of minigames would begin again.
The major issue with the game isn't what it's trying to do, but rather with how it tells you what needs to be done. It's not always clear what the solution to one of these minigames is. As Frobisher Says! is a Vita game that relies entirely on the touch screens, cameras, microphone and tilt controls, it's integral that you know what to do almost immediately. But the icons don't always tell the tale properly, and it's easy to get lost. And I can imagine that this game will become incredibly frustrating if you're failing and simply don't know what you're doing wrong.
Frobisher Says! will be packed with 50 total minigames, though I was only able to sample a group of 16 of them. And the variety of the exercises is certainly one of the game's strong points. For instance, one minigame requires you to use the Vita's camera to catch a flying bird in your sights. Another has you use your fingers to cover up leaky pipes on the screen. A third game asks you to cool-off a woman by waving your Vita like a fan. Yet another game requires you to scream or whisper names into the microphone.
There's great variation here, and that's cool, but even with 50 games, repetition is going to almost immediately kick-in. The idea here seems to be creating chains, and sustaining yourself for as long as possible without failing. As long as this game can be had on the cheap, that's totally fine. But it has to be priced like a PlayStation Mini to be truly compelling. Its great graphical flair is unlikely to hide this fact.
Frobisher Says! is a brief one-off game that will probably only entertain you for a few days or a week, and that's totally fine. But the in-game instructions need to be stronger, which will allow the gamer to get into a groove and develop a cadence. Without that, this game is bound to frustrate. And I imagine Frobisher would say that that's not a good thing.
You must love your fellow as yourself
lol...Wario Ware Euro style...
I'll get it if it's cheap...
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That's exactly what it is.Originally Posted by OmniStalgic
And it's free!
Not as much variety as Wario Ware and generally not as polished but you guys know how I whine about wanting a 'handheld experience', well this game was the best by far on VITA far as handheld experience.
I really loved it, wish there were more games. There is a pack for under £2 that adds 15, but I am thinking around 60s
Elaborate on why it's not as polished: Endless mode doesn't have the count between levels, that's one very important thing. In Wario Ware seeing that number go up between levels got you excited. Here that number is nowhere to be seen. It in fact annoys and distracts you because at the back of your mind you are thinking "I wonder what number I am on now?!...".
There is an annoying camera game that says "find me a colour red, green etc" and it's just a pain. It's timed as well. So have something bright red and green next to you if you are going for high scores.
And there is another camera one that has you chasing a fly like thing and it makes you do 180 spins and stuff. Kinda annoying when I was chilling back trying to beat my high score then that came out of nowhere and messed up my game (I wasn't prepared to move around).
I do like this guy's commentary more than Wario's WAAAHs and AAAAHs as well
Promising stuff overall, just not fully fleshed out. Frobisher 2! better come and it better top Wario Ware. Great right track for VITA and since launch (SuperStardust mainly) first time I was happy to play it....There is hope yet it seems for Sony "getting it"
Last edited by masteratt; 05-03-2012 at 04:27 PM.
You must love your fellow as yourself
glad to hear....I'll put it on my list of buys along with Sound Shapes/Mutant Blob/Gravity Daze
I hope Sony is getting it though, I'm still seeing much more 3DS announcements atm...
Last edited by OmniStalgic; 05-03-2012 at 07:11 PM.
“Had the religion of Christianity been preserved according to the ordinances of the Founder, the state and commonwealth of Christendom would have been far more united and happy than they are. Nor can there be a greater proof of its decadence than the fact that the nearer people are to the Church, the head of their religion, the less religious are they.”
"By their Fruits, you will recognize them..."
Senior Citizen
I cant believe you guys would rather play crap like this instead of games like Uncharted, GOW and Bioshock on the go. I would laugh if it wasnt so sad. I guess the analysts are right about mobile gaming if your two opinions are echoed by the rest of the core community.
You must love your fellow as yourself
^lol...all those games are just fine on PS3, portable versions are usually inferior, whereas a game like this is perfect for passing around with friends or spouses, pick-up and play for 3 hour sessions or 5 minutes on the couch. It's not really about being out of the house either, certain experiences are just nice to have on a smaller screen. I know a lot of gamers prefer grinding on portable platforms not hogging the TV or using up a ton of power.
This is what portable gaming is about first and foremost IMO, playing Uncharted/GOW/Bioshock on the go is an added bonus, but I want the experiences tailored to the portable community.
“Had the religion of Christianity been preserved according to the ordinances of the Founder, the state and commonwealth of Christendom would have been far more united and happy than they are. Nor can there be a greater proof of its decadence than the fact that the nearer people are to the Church, the head of their religion, the less religious are they.”
"By their Fruits, you will recognize them..."
Senior Citizen
You dont really belive that because you are just itching to play RPG's on the system as you have stated many times over. So why should they bother because they will play better on PS3
You must love your fellow as yourself
Some are I'll admit...but many really aren't...For example, I would prefer playing a game like Disgaea or FF Tactics on PSP/Vita rather than my PS3. The epic visual treat RPG's, yeah, I want on my HDTV in all it's glory of course
“Had the religion of Christianity been preserved according to the ordinances of the Founder, the state and commonwealth of Christendom would have been far more united and happy than they are. Nor can there be a greater proof of its decadence than the fact that the nearer people are to the Church, the head of their religion, the less religious are they.”
"By their Fruits, you will recognize them..."
Senior Citizen
But those that are made for Vita will be designed for it and will take advantage of its features. Vita isnt taking these games away from PS3. Its quite the opposite. Just like on PSN Sony is forging new partnerships with developers like Ready at Dawn and Nihilistic. No one is stpping those big spectacle games on PS3. This i wont buy a Vita or im gonna trade mine in if there arent more games like Frobisher attitude is just ludicrous especially considering how versatile Sony's game portfolio already is compared to everyone else. In a year when Vita has this massive portfolio im going to link both you clowns to this thread
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If it's a huge portfolio of down-sized PS3 games, I'd buy about 20% of them, trust me. I am not saying don't have them, I am saying, I bought a new brand new format to play games in brand new ways. Why would I want to play down-sized versions of PS3 games. I know you re saying "VITA can do a lot!", I don't care, it can't get close to PS3 and I already experience those IPs on the PS3, so anything on VITA, no matter how great, is going to feel like a downgrade.
We had this conversation before though and I feel I am expressing myself too extremely and you keep thinking I am shunning a VITA God Of War and the likes, I am not. I just think Sony is lacking (to be kind) in bringing NEW experiences for the NEW format.
Seeing port after port of PS3 IPs is depressing to be honest. No imagination, no excitement, just playing the safe bet, that's not what Sony is about.
With that mentality in mind, my most anticipated VITA game is Gravity Rush. Like Resistance is coming, but I am simply "bah". It's just going to be Resistance but...downgraded. They are not going to have the bridge set piece. Not going to have the tunnel chase set piece. It's not going to be anywhere near Resistance PS3 quality so I can't et excited to play the same IP in a less grand way.
Sorry for the repeat, just want to make clear where my disappointment is, since this keeps coming up, something seems to be left unclear.
Last edited by masteratt; 05-03-2012 at 08:21 PM.
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