Ping Pals

When the Nintendo DS was announced, it promised to include wireless communication via an instant messenger feature called PictoChat and when we got the handheld system the feature was included (for free!) and it was everything we dreamed it would be and more.  Yet here is Ping Pals, THQ’s attempt to gussy up a feature that already, in my humble opinion, looks pretty stylish and cool already.  Then again there are some that like a flashier look and this software definitely does just that but a dressed up version of something we get for free doesn’t necessarily make this a Must-Have item.  Is Ping Pals worth the money?

Ping Pals is, in essence, mainly a way to dress up PictoChat and reward users for simply chatting with friends and sending messages back and forth.  Unlike PictoChat that simply places you in a Chat Room created in the Lobby using your Screen name, Ping Pals places you in a chat room with an avatar that represents you and your friends.  You’ll find the same virtual keyboard (only here the letters are just a tad bigger) and the ability to send doodles using your Stylus.  There’s options to change the background colors and text color and five mini-games that can be played solo or with friends.  As this is an instant messenger, though, there’s nothing out of the ordinary that will make Nintendo DS owners want to run out and buy this because, let’s face it, these features are hardly revolutionary tools that improve your instant messaging experience.

Your avatar appears on screen whenever you enter a hosted chat room and even when you’re the one hosting it as well as friends (up to seven) who initiate conversation.  The bizarre thing is that even if you’re alone, you can initiate conversation in Solo Chat.  Solo Chat has you chatting with an assortment of characters and this could have been a fun idea if the conversations didn’t often have you simply replying Yes or No to everything.  Chatting earns you coins to unlock new items such as new attire, hairstyles and accessories for your avatar.  You can even sell said items to the in-game shop.  You can even take a snapshot of the person you’re chatting with and this basically saves another player’s avatar, personal info (like names and birthdays) and a message.

There are five mini-games that can be played solo or with your friends but they hardly even come close to the uniqueness or fun of the Game Boy Advance’s WarioWare Inc. micro-mini games.  Top Ten, a single player game, has a game character shout out a word like “Backpack,” for example and you’re given a few minutes to type in items related to it (like “Pencil”).  Doodle, a multiplayer game, is a game of charades using your Styles as a friend attempts to guess what you drew.  The rest fall in the ho-hum category like Solo Chat and Hot Potato that simply has you “passing” a bomb just by typing the word PASS.  Hi-Lo, another single player game, has you attempting to guess a number from one to ten.  Hmm, okay, two out of five isn’t that bad . . . right?

The good news is that you can download a short version of Ping Pals using a single cartridge.  By short I mean you’ll only have some limited features and thus just allows you to keep backgrounds, your customizable avatar and the text color.  The bad news is that you’ll most likely find that your friends would much rather like to keep their PictoChat.

Because it’s made to make PictoChat far more presentable, Ping Pals offers some pretty colorful characters, background and text colors.  The avatars come in both male and female and depending on a player’s taste (as well as how many coins you’ve earned) you can dress your avatar as stylish as you want.  Add a multicolored Afro or bandages on your character’s head or even slap some crazy glasses on him or her--it’s all up to you since there are a large number of choices available.  The backgrounds are pretty neat as well.  The text colors, on the other hand, can often be too colorful that you’ll be straining your eyes attempting to make out the words.  There’s music but it’s mainly at the start of the program . . . it’s pretty neat but nothing really out of the ordinary.

There’s just no denying it--Ping Pals is the most redundant item for Nintendo DS thus far.  Sure it’s pretty neat to have your own personalized avatar and the ability to change the original program’s background but with instant messaging software already installed for free there’s just no real good reason to pick this one up.  Sorry THQ but this is definitely a MISS. 

Gameplay: 2.0
Five mini-games aside, there’s no real gameplay value here.

Graphics: 4.5
The manga-styled avatars have a variety of clothes and accessories to do with as you please and the ability to change the background color is nicely appreciated.  However, some colors make it hard to make out the text during chat.

Sound: 4.5
Upbeat tinny music is your companion as you chat and there are some blips and beeps. 

Difficulty: Easy
Unlocking new items is easy as cake and the five mini-games aren’t at all challenging.

Concept: 2.0
Basically just window dressing for PictoChat, you might want to consider Ping Pals only if you like Bratz-like characters and a better background.  The mini-games offer limited fun and the solo chat is just plain weird.  At least friends can upload a limited version of the software using a single cartridge.

Multiplayer: 3.5
It’s all about the multiplayer and the fact that you can allow friends to upload Ping Pals to their DS is a good thing.  There are some multiplayer games but unless you have friends that think a stale version of Hot Potato and the classic Guess-A-Number-Between-One-And-Ten are fun you’ll be okay.

Overall: 3.0
Chat function software for a handheld system that already comes equiped with an excellent chat function doesn’t make any sense at all.  Sure the changeable avatars add some decorative value to PictoChat but as it stands Ping Pals is an unnecessary tool that is not worth the price tag.  You’re better off spending your money on any of the Nintendo DS’s other current lineup of titles.