Ping Pals – NDS – Review

When the Nintendo DS was
announced, it promised to include wireless communication via an instant
messenger feature called PictoChat and when we got the handheld system
the feature was included (for free!) and it was everything we dreamed it would
be and more.  Yet here is Ping Pals, THQ’s attempt to gussy up a feature
that already, in my humble opinion, looks pretty stylish and cool already.  Then
again there are some that like a flashier look and this software definitely does
just that but a dressed up version of something we get for free doesn’t
necessarily make this a Must-Have item.  Is Ping Pals worth the money?

Ping Pals
is, in essence, mainly a way to dress up
PictoChat and reward users for simply chatting with friends and sending
messages back and forth.  Unlike PictoChat that simply places you in a
Chat Room created in the Lobby using your Screen name, Ping Pals places
you in a chat room with an avatar that represents you and your friends.  You’ll
find the same virtual keyboard (only here the letters are just a tad bigger) and
the ability to send doodles using your Stylus.  There’s options to change the
background colors and text color and five mini-games that can be played solo or
with friends.  As this is an instant messenger, though, there’s nothing out of
the ordinary that will make Nintendo DS owners want to run out and buy this
because, let’s face it, these features are hardly revolutionary tools that
improve your instant messaging experience.

Your avatar appears on
screen whenever you enter a hosted chat room and even when you’re the one
hosting it as well as friends (up to seven) who initiate conversation.  The
bizarre thing is that even if you’re alone, you can initiate conversation in
Solo Chat.  Solo Chat has you chatting with an assortment of characters and this
could have been a fun idea if the conversations didn’t often have you simply
replying Yes or No to everything.  Chatting earns you coins to unlock new items
such as new attire, hairstyles and accessories for your avatar.  You can even
sell said items to the in-game shop.  You can even take a snapshot of the person
you’re chatting with and this basically saves another player’s avatar, personal
info (like names and birthdays) and a message.

There are five mini-games
that can be played solo or with your friends but they hardly even come close to
the uniqueness or fun of the Game Boy Advance’s WarioWare Inc. micro-mini
games.  Top Ten, a single player game, has a game character shout out a word
like “Backpack,” for example and you’re given a few minutes to type in items
related to it (like “Pencil”).  Doodle, a multiplayer game, is a game of
charades using your Styles as a friend attempts to guess what you drew.  The
rest fall in the ho-hum category like Solo Chat and Hot Potato that simply has
you “passing” a bomb just by typing the word PASS.  Hi-Lo, another single player
game, has you attempting to guess a number from one to ten.  Hmm, okay, two out
of five isn’t that bad . . . right?

The good news is that you
can download a short version of Ping Pals using a single cartridge.  By short I
mean you’ll only have some limited features and thus just allows you to keep
backgrounds, your customizable avatar and the text color.  The bad news is that
you’ll most likely find that your friends would much rather like to keep their
PictoChat.

Because it’s made to make
PictoChat far more presentable, Ping Pals offers some pretty
colorful characters, background and text colors.  The avatars come in both male
and female and depending on a player’s taste (as well as how many coins you’ve
earned) you can dress your avatar as stylish as you want.  Add a multicolored
Afro or bandages on your character’s head or even slap some crazy glasses on him
or her–it’s all up to you since there are a large number of choices available.
The backgrounds are pretty neat as well.  The text colors, on the other hand,
can often be too colorful that you’ll be straining your eyes attempting to make
out the words.  There’s music but it’s mainly at the start of the program . . .
it’s pretty neat but nothing really out of the ordinary.

There’s just no denying
it–Ping Pals is the most redundant item for Nintendo DS thus far.  Sure
it’s pretty neat to have your own personalized avatar and the ability to change
the original program’s background but with instant messaging software already
installed for free there’s just no real good reason to pick this one up.  Sorry
THQ but this is definitely a MISS.

#Review Scoring Details for Ping Pals

Gameplay: 2.0
Five mini-games aside, there’s no
real gameplay value here.

Graphics: 4.5
The manga-styled avatars have a
variety of clothes and accessories to do with as you please and the ability to
change the background color is nicely appreciated.  However, some colors make it
hard to make out the text during chat.

Sound: 4.5
Upbeat tinny music is your companion
as you chat and there are some blips and beeps. 

Difficulty: Easy
Unlocking new items is easy as cake
and the five mini-games aren’t at all challenging.

Concept: 2.0
Basically just window dressing for
PictoChat, you might want to consider Ping Pals only if you like
Bratz-like characters and a better background.  The mini-games offer
limited fun and the solo chat is just plain weird.  At least friends can upload
a limited version of the software using a single cartridge.

Multiplayer: 3.5
It’s all about the multiplayer and
the fact that you can allow friends to upload Ping Pals to their DS is a
good thing.  There are some multiplayer games but unless you have friends that
think a stale version of Hot Potato and the classic
Guess-A-Number-Between-One-And-Ten are fun you’ll be okay.

Overall: 3.0
Chat function software for a
handheld system that already comes equiped with an excellent chat function
doesn’t make any sense at all.  Sure the changeable avatars add some decorative
value to PictoChat but as it stands Ping Pals is an unnecessary
tool that is not worth the price tag.  You’re better off spending your money on
any of the Nintendo DS’s other current lineup of titles.