Magic Pengel

[+kisrael]

Anyone here try Magic Pengel? The RPG game is just a Pokemon-derivative, with a enhanced "Rock-Scissors-Paper" combat, but it is SO cool that you can doodle up something in a paint program and have the PS2 bring it to animated life...they use some really clever algorithms for animating the hits and kicks and walks and so forth.

 

Really, I think that bringing kids' (and adults') sketches to animated life is EXACTLY the kind of things computers should be used for...I only wish the combat were more direct, that I could control whatever monstrosity i doodled directly in head to head combat, rather than having the design I made determine what attack options are on a boring menu...

 

A slightly longer review I made can be found on my website...

[Jess Ragan]

Great graphics, awful combat system. It's a shame, because with better play mechanics, Magic Pengel could have been a whole lot of fun from start to finish. As it is, it's more fun to create the characters than to put them in fights.

 

I can't wait for a sequel on the Nintendo DS. The only thing the game was missing aside from enjoyable fights was the ability to actually draw the characters with a pen, rather than a kludgy joystick.

 

JR

[+kisrael]

I don't think the fight system was that bad...it would be better if it were, say, more like Smash Bros. or Zelda and less like Pokemon or FF, but overall it's not that awful...

[sigma]

Looks interesting, but haven't gotten to try it out yet