TGS 2006: Zoids DS Preview

Takara has tried to bring the Zoids series to America, but something about it just won't catch on the way it has here in Japan. Maybe it's that it's a series that inspires a game with gigantic robotic creatures, illustrated with surprisingly amazing detail and some gorgeous 3D effects, and those robots are playing Rock-Paper-Scissors with each other.

Still, as silly as that concept sounds, the newly-announced Nintendo DS Zoids game is somewhat fun. On the surface, it's just plain old Roshambo, where you choose a hand and then the enemy chooses a hand and whoever wins gets to hit the other ... this time, with fire breath and slashing attacks and missiles rather than just a tap on the wrist or a slug in the arm. The complication here is that the Nintendo DS's touchscreen features come into play -- when you win, you may have the option of modifying your move, either by winding up a wheel like a record turntable or else tapping a button exactly on a moving target. There's also a system for collecting and trading battle cards, although this was difficult to understand how it will function in play in the TGS showing. (How much more complicated do you need to make Roshambo? Do you really need to add cards to Rock-Paper-Scissors?)
Zoids on DS looked unusually beautiful to us, utilizing impressive 3D that animated extremely well (including bending for strikes and having working smaller parts on the body), plus the effects for fire and smoke and skidding dust were first-rate. It's still a turn-based game, so prettying up the graphics in a turn-based game doesn't affect the gameplay, but it does make us want to play it more.

This DS Zoids game was marked at TGS as 70% completed. With the series sometimes attracting an American audience off and on, it's possible that this game may make it stateside -- we'll keep you posted.

Via IGN