• (3)DS(i)

by Arcee on 04.24.11

You can chalk this review to the parent inside me, but I wanted to take a look at the video game Hop: The Movie out for the Nintendo DS. While the movie Hop may have been a financial success thanks in part to it being released weeks before the Easter holiday that it is centered around, it did suffer overwhelming negative critical response. Still, never underestimate the power of the family market. With that being said, I was wondering if the game would feature that same appeal that the movie had on kids. With that, I would have to say that yes and no.

Before that, honestly speaking, there is no way that this game would ever be considered by an adult gamer as a great game. While it may be cutesy and fun, it have some pretty simple flaws that could have easily been fixed; mainly the graphics. I saw better looking games when the DS was first released than this game features. I know that looks alone don’t sell a game, but this is almost unbearable to look at during some levels. The mini-games look great, but the moving story levels looks ugly at best. On that note, did the entire top half of the DS screen need to be solely dedicated to the health bar? That screen could have just as easily been used to see what is in adjacent rooms and screens, which would have been real helpful at times, rather than a full sized chocolate Fred representing your overall health.

That being said, just because the game is rated E for Everyone doesn’t necessarily mean it is made for everyone; and I am not talking about adults here. I gave the game to my soon to be 5 year old daughter to try out. And while she did eventually get the hang of the game, despite some early frustrations, it is a huge learning curve some kids may not enjoy getting around. This is mostly due to the developer’s choice to involve the use of the stylus rather than have it be an optional choice. It took her quite a while to get used to the d-pad and stylus combination. I believe it would have been simpler for the target audience of the game to use the d-pad and buttons rather than being forced to use the stylus.

Still, overall my daughter did have fun with the game despite being put off by it early on. She did learn how to use the stylus in conjunction with the d-pad, but this could be a turn off for many other kids and parents whose children have put the game down may feel a bit ripped off by that fact. In contrast, when my coworkers 8 year old had a chance with the game, since he is a bit more used to the stylus combo as he has older toys that allow him to maneuver his hands about, he had a much better time playing the game; though at 8 he already felt the game was to “kiddie” for him. So while it was easier for him to play he was turned off by the kid appeal of the game where as my daughter who loved that aspect of the game felt a bit overwhelmed by the game play mechanics employed.

I don’t know if that will be the case with every 5 and 8 year old who plays the game, but I am just basing my judgment on what I see. One big positive for the game though is that it does closely follow the movie. While it may not be scene for scene, it is close enough that you have a sense of where the game is going and how far along you have progressed. I can see how this would satisfy children who play the game as they can truly feel a sense of accomplishment as they get closer to the end of the game and can track where they are if they have seen the movie. On that note, I will give credit to the developers of the game.

Overall, Hop: The Movie isn’t going to win any kind of Game of the Year awards from most gaming media outlets, but it can entertain the target audience it was meant for… if they can keep from being frustrated by the learning curve of the mechanics of the game. While this game is meant for everyone, be sure your child can handle the game play before buying. Other than that, this game is about as good as every other kid game out there for the DS.

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