Worst DS Game Ever, So Far

I’m adding the qualifier “so far” because they can always come up with something worse. But even if they tried to come up with worse, they’d be hard-pressed to top this one.

The Clique: Diss and Make Up – Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive, Developer: Gorilla Systems

Learning, after some research, that the game is based on a book series doesn’t make it any better. In fact, it makes it far, far worse. That this kind of filth is published proves that young girls need much more choice and guidance in books to read.

Synopsis of the game: The game allows fans to play as a new student in school attempting to make friends and increase their popularity in an effort to join the ultimate clique, the Pretty Committee. Players take on a variety of challenges and experience tricky situations as they interact with characters from “The Clique” books and new characters created specially for the game. Players can increase their social standing by playing a variety of mini-games to earn money for the latest clothing and accessories. (ds.ign.com)

Another synopsis: players assume the role of the new girl at school, taking on the challenges of climbing the social ladder to join the ultimate clique, the Pretty Committee. The Clique: Diss and Make Up is an empowering game of social maneuvering where the player attempts to survive in one of the most harsh and unforgiving environments on Earth – Octavian Country Day School (OCD). Player will use gossip, fashion and wit to make friends, join cliques, attend classes, and even work after school “jobbies” with a variety of exciting mini-games. Play a variety of exciting mini-games to earn cash or increase your cool. Along the way a variety of challenges and tricky situations make the climb up the social ladder tough including getting invited to one of the hottest parties of the year. (Amazon.com)

I find it amusing that the school’s name is abbreviated OCD.

Playing the game for only about a half an hour, I felt my stomach turning the entire time. No-one will speak to you unless you’re dressed “appropriately,” which means to dress to fit the clique you’re trying to impress that week. In between classes – which are just mini-games based on a school subject – you must chat up girls in the clique, run errands for them, listen to and give gossip you’ve picked up, and try to worm your way into each clique, with the ultimate goal being getting invited to that cliques’ party at the end of the week. Going to the mall each evening to earn money and shop for clothes and accessories seems to be a requirement to get enough variety to make sure members each clique will speak to you. Each piece of an outfit (no matter how hideous it looks when they’re put together) has a certain amount of clique influence, and only when a meter is full on the top screen will girls of that clique speak to you. The ultimate, ultimate goal is to be invited into the “Pretty Committee” clique and get invited to their parties.

It’s a mind-numbing game to say the least, with simplistic mini-games throughout. The scores in class mini-games don’t seem to make any difference to overall game play, while the mini-games at the mall earn you cash to buy clothes & accessories. I suspect things might become unlocked if I chose to progress, but I suspect this is another game of mine that will rot on the shelf.

Bottom line – this game embodies every thing I despised about high school. Except even worse – this is based in a middle-school setting.

Yours In Tech,

Jett

New Tech, How I Loathe Thee

This post is most definitely going to come across as whiny. And well it should, especially since everyone else is, on one platform or another. Google’s new collaboration tool, Google Wave, was launched approximately a week ago. It’s accessed on the web & all the information you dump into it is kept “in the cloud” just like their email, documents, bookmarks, & all the other goodies these eggheads have dreamed up. It’s a fantastic concept, & I’m sure that as it’s explored further, an amazing array of applications for it can be utilized, from academic to business to entertainment to even political.

But the issue remains – how can you explore a collaboration and communication tool when noone you know is able to access it? Another blaring question – once you’ve got company on Google Wave, how do you know if they’ve sent you (or updated) a wave? If you’re not checking Google Wave every 10 minutes (like I did Wednesday) you have no knowledge of Google Wave activity. You don’t know whether your contacts are using the service or not, either. Furthermore, the system is extremely sluggish. “Instant” collaboration is only as fast as the system it runs on. The synching doesn’t always work, and I’ve come across “phantom waves” – the system tells me I have “lots” of Waves when all I see are empty slots where Waves would be if I was awesomely popular & had a ton of active contacts.

All my complaints aside, I have high hopes for Google Wave. It’s a fledgling program, hardly anything is perfect right after initial development & creation. Things need to be tweaked, adjusted, added, & made available to more users. But before the system could even consider more users, the first goal should be speeding things up  & making them more stable. Only then should more users & adjustments be added & changed.

I think I’m content to ride this Wave until it’s more commonly available.

Yours In Tech,

Jett