GameSetQ: Mind-Reading & The DS' Dual-Screen Opportunities?
So, this is partly an observation, and partly a call for ideas and suggestions. I rented Touch Detective for the Nintendo DS the other day, which is a decent, but very very Japanese adventure game where you randomly run around solving crimes and trying to combine/use objects in an illogical fashion.
The game itself is, you know, OK - but what I was excited about was the fact that a picture of the main character (Mackenzie) fills the top screen, alongside location info, and her internal monologue is actually timed to what's going on in the game. For example, in this screenshot, you can see another character talking, but if you want to glance up to the top screen, you can see what Mackenzie is thinking at that exact time.
This mechanic (which, for this game, is just icing) wouldn't work so well without the dual screens. There are actually some great gameplay possibilities spinning off ideas like this. I could imagine it being integrated into a detective game where you could interrogate people, turn on your special mind-reading powers, and see their thoughts pop up at the top of the screen. You could then speak to them and try to divine their true motives. But you could only use mind-reading for particular periods of time so you'd have to pick when to turn it on, etc.
So my GameSetQ is - what has been the best use of the DS' non-interactive top screen you've seen in a game so far (here's a list of DS games to help you out.) Have you guys got an idea for using it in an even more clever way that hasn't been done yet? Don't worry about spilling the beans, no game developers read GSW or, uhh, anything.
Comments
Hmm, they could do something like that with Golden Sun, that RPG series where you go around reading everyone's mind.
I just picked up Hotel Dusk this week, and in addition to having a brilliant localization so far, it does interesting things with the use of both screens. Aside from the fact that the left (non-touch) screen shows a first-person view while you control movement on the right (touch) screen's overhead view, conversations are handled with large animated portraits of both characters at once, one on each screen. Occasionally during a conversation a question will flash through the main character's mind (I think kind of like what you're describing with Touch Detective). Also, you can open up your notebook and make actual handwritten notes while on the other screen you see an animation of the main character writing that roughly follows your input. This is really just eye candy, but I find it amusing to have Kyle Hyde contemplatively staring into his notebook while I make him scribble "BOOBS".
I can't say yet for sure whether it'll wind up as underwhelming as Trace Memory, but so far the writing is top-notch and it uses the DS hardware to the fullest and most creative extent. Oh, and there's tons and tons of pretty 2D art.
Posted by: Shih Tzu | January 27, 2007 12:59 PM
Haven't picked up Hotel Dusk yet, but I've heard lots of good things about it - and sounds like it does use some of the same tricks as Touch Detective!
Posted by: simonc | January 27, 2007 5:21 PM
Talking about Trace Memory, it uses the upper screen in two ways never seen since (as far as I know), although I am not sure if that counts.
Posted by: ReyBrujo | January 27, 2007 10:25 PM
Elite Beat Agents... while you're concentrating on tapping the touchscreen, a cartoon plays out on the top screen that alters depending on your performance.
Justification (for those who haven't played it): The cartoon serves the dual purpose of rewarding you (with "good" scenes) and distracting you from the tapping, making it just a little bit tougher. A replay function means you can watch the cartoon in its entirety later.
Posted by: Joe | January 28, 2007 5:33 PM
God I hate elite beat agents.
I own Trace Memory, Touch Detective and the new Hotel Dusk.
Hotel Dusk is by far the greatest of the bunch.
But as for the non-interactive screen. Touch Detective was the most fun : )
Posted by: Gunblade | January 29, 2007 10:13 AM
I love EBA and Ouendan, but its use of the two screens is just silly because it's not practical to pay attention to both at once. Eye candy, really - and not even eye candy which will be appreciated.
Advance Wars DS has a decent use for the two screens with its "two-front war" mechanic.
Surprisingly, the Missile Command retread in the otherwise-mediocre Retro Atari Classics package really does use the top screen well. You can touch the lower screen to fire off missiles, but to access the top screen, you have to hold L1 and either tap the corresponding location on the lower screen (which makes aiming tricky) or use the keypad to move the targeting crosshairs (slow). It's a very interesting way to balance the use of the 2 screens, and adds a fresh element to the game. (It does seem to be re-balanced to accomodate this.)
Posted by: 5p. | January 30, 2007 12:10 AM