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Developer: Sonic Team
Publisher: Sega
Genre: Puzzle
Region: NTSC
Format:
Release Date: 13 Feb 06
User Rating
9 (1 vote) -
- A similar mould as the quirky Feel the Magic, get ready for a fairly confusing plot involving a slew of mini-games, most of which aren't that exciting at all.
Overview
It was not too long ago that Nintendo announced that it was releasing the Dual Screen, that I along with many were saying how this handheld seemed nothing more than a mere gimmick like the Virtual Boy. But now in 2006 we are seeing the Nintendo DS not only being a contender, but leading the handheld race due to games that have successfully used its features to their advantage. SEGA was able to do that with their previous game Feel the Magic: XY/XX and hope to be able to again in the oddly titled game, The Rub Rabbits for the Nintendo DS. Can Sega and Sonic Team create a great Nintendo DS game? Read our full review to find out!
Gameplay
One of the things that have made the Nintendo DS a powerful machine is not so much the hardware behind the machine, but instead is the ability for developers to use its features to their fullest potential. With that being said, the game we are talking about today, The Rub Rabbits is a weird game to say the least, but what it tries to do is use the DS hardware to its advantage to make for a very quirky but engaging experience.
To try and explain the story would be just a task that not many editors are willing to take. Although I would love to try, I don't want an angry e-mail from someone at Sega saying I am missing the whole idea. I did notice is that the game starts off with an innocent love scene where you're walking past a beautiful young lady and need to chase after her. Simple enough right? And from there a major turn of events happens and lands you in this really odd and sometimes funny story mode that takes you through not ten, not twenty, not thirty, but thirty five mini-games.
The DS has really been a platform of mini games, and The Rub Rabbits (the name still is weird) is a perfect example of this. I found throughout the experience that while most of the games use the stylus, there are the others that use the microphone to try and mix things up. One thing I was disappointed with this game was the fact that a lot of the mini games were actually somewhat tedious. The game itself is actually still very short, and will only take an hour maybe two to complete.
The game does allow you to go back and play the games over and over again, but to me I never really wanted to play 90% of them over again. I say this because the whole game itself is full of mini games that are enjoyable yes, but only for the first occasion. After that, they just loose their special feel and become more of a chore than anything. In the end, The Rub Rabbits falls in the same trap as the original game.
Graphics
Visually I have to say that the developers of The Rub Rabbits did another great job with the visuals of the game. Feel the Magic started it all with a very unique style, which is continued here in The Rub Rabbits. I really enjoyed the fact that the developers used a very unique and stylized view that really separates this game from others on the market today. If I had to grade the game completely on style, I would have given this game a near-perfect mark.
Fun Factor
The point of a game full of mini games is of course for it to be an enjoyable experience. Now in order for a game to be enjoyable, you really need a great concept and great execution. Well Rub Rabbits has one of the two in that it has some great ideas, but the execution seems flawed. Although I enjoyed the somewhat weird/peculiar storyline, I found myself wishing the games themselves had been more fun, instead of just leveraging on the hardware and ignoring the fun aspects of the overall experience.
Overall
Like I mentioned above in terms of style Rub Rabbits is a great game, but in terms of enjoyment the game suffers. The Rub Rabbits is short, well intentioned, but in the end lacking what it takes to make a great DS experience. If you enjoyed the first game, then you will find the same style game here and you will probably enjoy it. But for those who complained about the shortcomings of that game, they are still present in The Rub Rabbits.
- Gameplay
6.0 - Graphics
8.0 - Fun Factor
6.0 - Overall
6.0
