==This first part is preface. If you're easily bored, skip down to the bold line for when I actually get to the point.==
I was reading this article about how DSi-exclusive games are starting to appear now.. which for somebody who staunchly refuses to follow Nintendo's minor hardware upgrades every handheld generation, is pretty annoying. I owned a GBA, turned my nose up at the SP and Micro. I've owned a DS original since launch, and have no interest in either the DS Lite or the DSi.. but they could never make a Micro game my GBA would refuse to play. Not so here.
So I got to thinking.. what would it take to make me buy the DSi? It'd have to be a DSi-only game so interesting and effective in using the DSi only features that I simply couldn't go anywhere else for a similar experience. The answer is the following game idea, which I originally thought would be cool on the Gizimodo, but got in my head again after seeing the DSi ghost hunting ARG online..
==(My idea)==
An ARG, or "altered reality game" is one that takes elements from real life and enhances them with in-game elements. In my idea, you're a monster hunter ala Van Helsing, and go around in the real world fighting monsters seen through the DSi.
Features:
-Altered reality view: You simply look at the real world through the DSi camera to see what you're fighting and where. Select items on the touch screen and use them in real life; you could aim a weapon onscreen and use a shoulder button to fire your gun or swing your sword, etc.
-Battle in real world space: Let's say a monster swings at you. Take a step back in the real world to avoid.
-Location specific encounters: A GPS receiver in the cartridge, or an accessory of some kind can be used to map these fights to appropriate areas. Maybe you can fend a werewolf off in your back yard, or zombies advancing down the street and across your lawn. The game downloads a satellite map of your vicinity on first boot and asks you to mark areas like your home, nearby parks and open areas, roads, etc. The game can alert you to when a significant encounter is happening, and where.
-Seek encounter: Turn the game on and put it to sleep in your pocket, then go about your day. It will turn on and make an alert noise if you approach a monster encounter in the real world.
-Real time clock: Some monsters only appear at certain times of year, or during the day/night. You obviously won't see a vampire during the day, and the zombies chill out as well. Werewolves only show up during full moons, and maybe a yeti comes by to hassle you during bad snowstorms.
-PvP features: Now that you're running around putting the smackdown on monsters, what stops you from taming and raising them? You can use these to fight other monsters, or send them to specific locations to cause trouble for friends who also play the game. Imagine booting up one day to discover your buddy down the road just let loose a level 15 furok in your front yard!
Cons:
-You'd look like a nutter running around with your DS and fighting invisible monsters.
-Badly placed points of interest could have a werewolf encounter happen in the middle of traffic, or something like that. On the other hand, this would introduce real world survival of the fittest to the game, as unintelligible users would be squashed by cars. =D
-You might throw the system by accident. This game would need to come bundled with a wrist strap like the original DS had.
So anyway, those of you still reading.. what do you think?
I was reading this article about how DSi-exclusive games are starting to appear now.. which for somebody who staunchly refuses to follow Nintendo's minor hardware upgrades every handheld generation, is pretty annoying. I owned a GBA, turned my nose up at the SP and Micro. I've owned a DS original since launch, and have no interest in either the DS Lite or the DSi.. but they could never make a Micro game my GBA would refuse to play. Not so here.
So I got to thinking.. what would it take to make me buy the DSi? It'd have to be a DSi-only game so interesting and effective in using the DSi only features that I simply couldn't go anywhere else for a similar experience. The answer is the following game idea, which I originally thought would be cool on the Gizimodo, but got in my head again after seeing the DSi ghost hunting ARG online..
==(My idea)==
An ARG, or "altered reality game" is one that takes elements from real life and enhances them with in-game elements. In my idea, you're a monster hunter ala Van Helsing, and go around in the real world fighting monsters seen through the DSi.
Features:
-Altered reality view: You simply look at the real world through the DSi camera to see what you're fighting and where. Select items on the touch screen and use them in real life; you could aim a weapon onscreen and use a shoulder button to fire your gun or swing your sword, etc.
-Battle in real world space: Let's say a monster swings at you. Take a step back in the real world to avoid.
-Location specific encounters: A GPS receiver in the cartridge, or an accessory of some kind can be used to map these fights to appropriate areas. Maybe you can fend a werewolf off in your back yard, or zombies advancing down the street and across your lawn. The game downloads a satellite map of your vicinity on first boot and asks you to mark areas like your home, nearby parks and open areas, roads, etc. The game can alert you to when a significant encounter is happening, and where.
-Seek encounter: Turn the game on and put it to sleep in your pocket, then go about your day. It will turn on and make an alert noise if you approach a monster encounter in the real world.
-Real time clock: Some monsters only appear at certain times of year, or during the day/night. You obviously won't see a vampire during the day, and the zombies chill out as well. Werewolves only show up during full moons, and maybe a yeti comes by to hassle you during bad snowstorms.
-PvP features: Now that you're running around putting the smackdown on monsters, what stops you from taming and raising them? You can use these to fight other monsters, or send them to specific locations to cause trouble for friends who also play the game. Imagine booting up one day to discover your buddy down the road just let loose a level 15 furok in your front yard!
Cons:
-You'd look like a nutter running around with your DS and fighting invisible monsters.
-Badly placed points of interest could have a werewolf encounter happen in the middle of traffic, or something like that. On the other hand, this would introduce real world survival of the fittest to the game, as unintelligible users would be squashed by cars. =D
-You might throw the system by accident. This game would need to come bundled with a wrist strap like the original DS had.
So anyway, those of you still reading.. what do you think?
