The DS touch screen is innovative

[ChairoNoMe]

This post is addressed to all those who think that the DS touch screen concept isn't revolutionary. Many on this board have claimed that the games that use the touch screen can be duplicated with a PC's mouse input. This is not true.

If you are wondering why the stylus input is significantly different from a mouse input, try this exercise. Sign your name on a piece of paper with a pen. Then, open up Paint or some other graphics editor, select the pencil tool, and try to sign your name with the mouse. Compare the two signatures. If a mouse is the same type of control as a touch screen, then why does your signature signed by your mouse look totally different than the one signed by the pen?

Think about it for a moment. Why do professional artists put out the extra money for a digitizer input if the mouse can be used instead? Well, the most obvious answer is that the stylus offers precise control that is not offered by a mouse.

This is a good thing for games. Although technically this technology has been around for a while on PDAs, the types of games available on the DS are nothing like what has been available for PDAs (mostly because PDAs are marketed as tools, not toys). It's no coincidence that DS games like Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Trauma Center: Under the Knife, and Nintendogs are some of the most original games since many of the titles on the Dreamcast - new control methodologies encourage game developers to come up with new game concepts that may not have been possible with the old control methodologies.

[DaMenace]

Amen brother!

[Shane R. Monroe]

Preachin' to the choir ... Touch screens aren't new ... MAINSTREAM touch screen gaming IS new. Trauma Center is probably the finest example of tactile gaming.

[WorknMan]

Innovative or not, I hate it when games try to use the damn thing even if it doesn't gel with the rest of the game (*cougl* Dawn of Sorrow *cough*). I mean, just to have to stop playing, pick up the stylus, and draw on the screen for no other reason than some marketing exec figures they gotta use the touch screen for *something* ... I just want to smack somebody.

[DaMenace]

I actually do concur with that WorkNMan, that whole deal is especially annoying in Castlevania DS.
Works ok with me in Mario 64 DS because I dont have to use the touch screen to move Mario, I actually used the D-pad through the entire game.. I did occasionally used the camera buttons on the bottom screen..
I also only used the D-pad in Advance Wars DS as well.. It's especially nice when you have a choice on how to control and play..

Then there's Lost in Blue where those bits where you use the touch screen to spear fish or dig - those parts aren't that bad at all really because you'll likely have the stylus in hand as you're only going to do those actions - you usually aren't in a situation where you have to make extravagant motions to do stuff like dodge bullets or chase after something in that game anyway.
Trauma Center, I think, could have actually been a little better if somehow they gave you some actions to do on the Dpad and buttons (as in selecting the right tools, zooming in and out)..

[Shane R. Monroe]

I can't imagine Trauma Center any other way than the way it is ... HOWEVER, you should be able to squelch that goddamn nurse during the surgery. That's my only real bitch.

[DaMenace]

I can't imagine Trauma Center any other way than the way it is ... HOWEVER, you should be able to squelch that goddamn nurse during the surgery. That's my only real bitch.

Oh yea, that also. A lot of people didn't like that. Ruins the concentration.. and you really need to focus in this one..
I do make this mention because in some spots I needed to induce my own slo-mo by tapping the pause button to pass some of the more insane operations..

[WorknMan]

Hey, I didn't say that every game that uses the touch screen is bad ... in fact, most use it quite well. Just that sometimes, they tend to force it even when it's not needed.

[Shane R. Monroe]

I agree ... its been done and its not right. I'm surprised the mic isn't more whored than it is. I think we'll see more ingenious uses of it later on.

You know what would rock? A light Karaoke Revolution game. At first, I thought - can't be done ... where you gonna put the songs? But what if you could STREAM the songs as needed over the free wifi service? How demanding can Karaoke Revolution REALLY be??

[WorknMan]

Using compression, I would think you could fit quite a number of songs on a DS card.

[gondar]

I agree ... its been done and its not right. I'm surprised the mic isn't more whored than it is. I think we'll see more ingenious uses of it later on.

You know what would rock? A light Karaoke Revolution game. At first, I thought - can't be done ... where you gonna put the songs? But what if you could STREAM the songs as needed over the free wifi service? How demanding can Karaoke Revolution REALLY be??
Tony Hawk got some real songs in it does it not? Should be possible without streaming. Nothing you will play in public thou :)

It was bad enough when I was showing Nintendogs to some friends. My little sister had borrowed it before and taught the dog some new tricks. And when I showed it to my friends we saw one trick listed as “ass hole”. As you know it’s all done by recording your voice, and since I don’t sound anything remotely as my little sister we got no response just the question marks. So, long story short, without thinking we all stood in the middle of cafeteria and shouted “ass hole”. You do get some funny looks when you do that you know :P

[Womp]

I agree ... its been done and its not right. I'm surprised the mic isn't more whored than it is. I think we'll see more ingenious uses of it later on.

You know what would rock? A light Karaoke Revolution game. At first, I thought - can't be done ... where you gonna put the songs? But what if you could STREAM the songs as needed over the free wifi service? How demanding can Karaoke Revolution REALLY be??

Its totally possible....Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! Has about 12-14 full music tracks from cover bands of popular Japanese music on it and they are loud (For the DS speaker) and very good quality. Its a music rhythm game and quite cool I might add although it takes a bit to get into it.

[miner2049er]

I can't imagine Trauma Center any other way than the way it is ... HOWEVER, you should be able to squelch that goddamn nurse during the surgery. That's my only real bitch.

So it finally got to you too right?

When I posted about it you said you didn't mind it too much, but I guess it's an annoyance that grows.

That was the reason I sold the game in the end.

If she came on for the first couple of tries on a new level then fine, but on a difficult level when you're playing it for the 25th time she just keeps popping up and you can't ignore her. Dumb dumb dumb.

[Shane R. Monroe]

Its really a shame ... it breaks up the otherwise MASTERFUL tension in the game.

Honestly, its not a show stopper ... as I said before. But yeah, she IS annoying.

But ... to say "Gee, I wish I could use the dpad instead" - you might as well play Pac-Man with a track ball. That's how counterintuitive those controls would be. You ever play Quantum with a joystick? WORTHLESS game.