DS #2369: Arkanoid DS (USA)

[Vater Unser]

This looks interesting.

What's the gameplay supposed to be?

its like nervous brickdown i think

Hahaha, children

"What's the gameplay of this game called 'super mario bros.' supposed to be?"
"it's like crash bandicooot i think"


Anyway, this game is a huge disappointment, I can't recommend it...
It's a fucking Arkanoid game, one of the least challenging games there is for a game developer to develop, and still this game has huge gameplay flaws that makes the game really unenjoyable in the later levels, to say the least...in the later levels, expect the ball to get stuck for about a minute at least 3 times per level, getting faster and faster each time it touches the wall (which is a LOT when the ball gets stuck), while you're trying to get your ball into that tiny gap that's hidden behind another wall of solid blocks or something...it's impossible, even if the controls weren't completely broken...
The ball only flies into a limited number of directions after hitting the paddle, only like 6 different directions, so it's impossible to hit a specific block/gap on the first try most of the time, because no matter where the paddle is, the ball will just go into one of those few fixed directions...thanks to this, you also *will* encounter many occasions where the ball just flies back and forth the *exact* same pattern over and over, so you better get used to it...
So, in order to hit that specific block, what do you do?
You have no choice but to randomly hit the ball and hope that you either get it aligned properly or it hits the right block eventually...
Yes, you could take your time and learn how to align the ball the way you want by bouncing it against the wall in a specific angle in theory, but that's a huge waste of time for this piece of trash - they just shouldn't have fucked this up instead.
Why are there only like 6 directions to send your ball flying in? Is there any explanation for this?
I never had these kinds of problems with earlier Arkanoid games like "Doh It Again", so why does this game of the 21st century still have these problems?

And there's another huge issue with this game - why does every fucking stage look the same?
In order to make them look different, you have to customize each and every one of them first with skins and backgrounds that you have to unlock first - and even then it still takes a fucking eternity to apply the skins and backgrounds to every level, so I really didn't bother to do that...
What the fuck were they thinking? Would it have been so much of a problem to make every stage have a different skin and background right from the start and still make it customizable?

Apart from these huge faults, the game doesn't have much to offer, either - no enemies, no bosses (nope, a block of jello doesn't count as a boss), no awesomeness - this game is a piece of shit and the only reasons I haven't sold it yet are the paddle controller and the neat box the game came in

These are harsh words, I know, but I've seen Data Design games which were bigger efforts than this game...just think about how many BETTER Arkanoid clones there are out there, coded by some hobby coders in just a few days or weeks - and this game is all that Taito has to offer?
Just compare it to Space Invaders Extreme, it's like that game's from a whole different company

 

[papyrus]

This looks interesting.

What's the gameplay supposed to be?

its like nervous brickdown i think

Hahaha, children

"What's the gameplay of this game called 'super mario bros.' supposed to be?"
"it's like crash bandicooot i think"


Anyway, this game is a huge disappointment, I can't recommend it...
It's a fucking Arkanoid game, one of the least challenging games there is for a game developer to develop, and still this game has huge gameplay flaws that makes the game really unenjoyable in the later levels, to say the least...in the later levels, expect the ball to get stuck for about a minute at least 3 times per level, getting faster and faster each time it touches the wall (which is a LOT when the ball gets stuck), while you're trying to get your ball into that tiny gap that's hidden behind another wall of solid blocks or something...it's impossible, even if the controls weren't completely broken...
The ball only flies into a limited number of directions after hitting the paddle, only like 6 different directions, so it's impossible to hit a specific block/gap on the first try most of the time, because no matter where the paddle is, the ball will just go into one of those few fixed directions...thanks to this, you also *will* encounter many occasions where the ball just flies back and forth the *exact* same pattern over and over, so you better get used to it...
So, in order to hit that specific block, what do you do?
You have no choice but to randomly hit the ball and hope that you either get it aligned properly or it hits the right block eventually...
Yes, you could take your time and learn how to align the ball the way you want by bouncing it against the wall in a specific angle in theory, but that's a huge waste of time for this piece of trash - they just shouldn't have fucked this up instead.
Why are there only like 6 directions to send your ball flying in? Is there any explanation for this?
I never had these kinds of problems with earlier Arkanoid games like "Doh It Again", so why does this game of the 21st century still have these problems?

And there's another huge issue with this game - why does every fucking stage look the same?
In order to make them look different, you have to customize each and every one of them first with skins and backgrounds that you have to unlock first - and even then it still takes a fucking eternity to apply the skins and backgrounds to every level, so I really didn't bother to do that...
What the fuck were they thinking? Would it have been so much of a problem to make every stage have a different skin and background right from the start and still make it customizable?

Apart from these huge faults, the game doesn't have much to offer, either - no enemies, no bosses (nope, a block of jello doesn't count as a boss), no awesomeness - this game is a piece of shit and the only reasons I haven't sold it yet are the paddle controller and the neat box the game came in

These are harsh words, I know, but I've seen Data Design games which were bigger efforts than this game...just think about how many BETTER Arkanoid clones there are out there, coded by some hobby coders in just a few days or weeks - and this game is all that Taito has to offer?
Just compare it to Space Invaders Extreme, it's like that game's from a whole different company

Too bad.. I just downloaded it. You made me discouraged to play it.

 

[Vater Unser]

Too bad.. I just downloaded it. You made me discouraged to play it.

Mission accomplished.

 

[Rehehelly]

lol @ describing arkanoid as "nervous brickdown"

 

[Tanas]

Come on own up those idiots who gave this shit 10/10 without even playing it.

 

[|0xyG3N²&#1]

100% - 3026 voters
Lol?

 

[moo422]

This game is much better with the Paddle Controller. The same holds true for Space Invaders. I'm really glad I made the investment.

It works with the US version then? I remember some speculation because apparently the US version isn't bundled with the paddle


QUOTEAnd lol @ people who still compain about the two screen gap. At this point I have to think those people are a bit slow.

Yeah, surely no screen gap would screw up the angles. I'll admit to being old enough to shake my head when I saw Arkanoid being described as "Like Nervous Brickdown"

Had fun with it on the ST, think I can even remember the disk it was on, had a menu with a picture of a woman's naked ass on and Cadaver, along with some other game. Can't remember who made that cd, don't think it was one of the big two, Pompey Pirates or Automation - Medway Boys or Empire maybe?

i remember the paddle controller on the ST, but don't remember arkanoid coming out for it; i only remembered arkanoid on the NES.

as much as i love retro, Nervous Brickdown actually is more entertaining than Arkanoid DS.

 

[moo422]

This looks interesting.

What's the gameplay supposed to be?

its like nervous brickdown i think

Hahaha, children

"What's the gameplay of this game called 'super mario bros.' supposed to be?"
"it's like crash bandicooot i think"

Just compare it to Space Invaders Extreme, it's like that game's from a whole different company

Completely in agreement. SI-X, as a reinvention of the original, blows Ark out of the water.

 

[Minox]

100% - 3026 voters
Lol?

The voting function is a joke, there's no limit on how many times a single user can vote.

 

[Trebuchet]

Wow. Amazing how "arkanoid" needs to be described. I used to describe "brick-breaker" games as "Like an Arkanoid clone." And everyone knew what i meant.

I'm getting old.

LOL, got the reaction

 

[Psyfira]

i remember the paddle controller on the ST, but don't remember arkanoid coming out for it; i only remembered arkanoid on the NES.

Yeah Arkanoid was on the ST

. Watching that video clip earlier I love that they're using the same sound effects for the DS version. No enemies sounds a little odd though, add that to what someone said about skins and the screen gap (I know, dead horse and all that but changing direction while offscreen looks like a total mindfuck) and I'm not sure it's looking all that good anymore.

Bluestar: ours was questionably obtained but I haven't got a clue where it came from, only had Arkanoid on the disk, no loader menu and no nakedness either! (although for some inexplicable reason it has a basic manual for Populous on it :S)

 

[Ferrariman]

100% - 3026 voters
Lol?

The voting function is a joke, there's no limit on how many times a single user can vote.

Someone has too much time on his/her hands.

 

[jabjab]

arkanoid on spectrum was better - will try sound later as the same music would redeem it slightly
doo doo doo doodoodoodoo doooooooooooo

 

[BlueStar]

Bluestar: ours was questionably obtained but I haven't got a clue where it came from, only had Arkanoid on the disk, no loader menu and no nakedness either! (although for some inexplicable reason it has a basic manual for Populous on it :S)

Yeah, groups often put docs or cheats for their previous releases on the next disk if there wasn't enough room or they didn't have time to type them out before.

QUOTE(hova1 @ Jun 19 2008, 12:53 AM) someone please tell me if the jpn save still works with this release

Probably a little late but, yeah, it does.

 

[Try2bcool]

Wow. Amazing how "arkanoid" needs to be described. I used to describe "brick-breaker" games as "Like an Arkanoid clone." And everyone knew what i meant.

I'm getting old.

You're not alone.

yeah - i LOL when i read that poster 'describe' what Arkanoid is.....

can someone describe what pacman is?

Actually, they are all variants on Pong...Pong is the godfather of these types of games.

 

[cosmiccow]

after playing some more, i must say the way they did the gap in arkanoid is better than in nervous brickdown.
nervous brickdown just handles it as if the two screens were directly glued together, fucking up the angles in the process. in arkanoid, the ball actually travels through the gap so you get the expected angle.

still nervous brickdown is more fun because it's more varied.

 

[elric1966]

Wow. Amazing how "arkanoid" needs to be described. I used to describe "brick-breaker" games as "Like an Arkanoid clone." And everyone knew what i meant.

I'm getting old.

No you're not, I would go to the arcade when I came home on the weekends from College and pump about $10 into Arkanoid.