Bakushow Nintendo DS review
Rob looks at the latest in the DS' line of unique gaming experiences with the bizarre and very fun Bakushow
Sunday evenings are dull, with little more than either Songs of Praise or Heartbeat to watch on TV. Entertainment-wise they are sort of a wasteland, and thus seemed the perfect time to indulge in some fresh DS madness.
It seems that once again Nintendo/Rising Star has gone for the entertainment value over graphics for this new release as Bakushow isn’t really that much to look at. But that doesn’t actually matter, because it’s a hoot to play.
Needing only one copy of the game, Bakushow can be shared among up to four DSes, creating a mini-network via the wireless connection in which each player and the quiz ‘host’ can interact together, solving basic ‘Pictionary’ like quizzes as well as small text and visual puzzles such as odd-one out or fitting shapes into holes. While we only had two DSes set up to play this for our review, one being the host and the other being the contestant, this didn’t really take away from the enjoyment as the fun of seeing your girlfriend or parents attempt to create a drawing of a cat in thirty seconds using the DS stylus. Comedy gold.
A little research on the internet revealed that the development team for the game consisted of just five guys, and while it shows that the game had neither the budget, development time or resources of Zelda or Pokemon game, that really isn’t a problem. The game’s simplistic cartoony visuals and ink-blot like characters do not need to do a great deal and it’s your interaction and ability to draw and bodge up chunky crayon influenced kack-handed pictures that really makes the game
Whether it was the state of mind (with a little assistance from some… okay, lots of wine) or the simplicity of the game, the entertainment value of this little gem cannot be argued with. Admittedly some of the mini-games could be done with Post-it notes and pens but the ingenuity and sheer entertainment factor shows that the DS has evolved way above and beyond a standard handheld console.
A mix of Family Fortunes, Wario Party and numerous other Wii ‘Party’ games Bakushow is a ‘lite’ version of Wii Sports, never pretending to be anything more than just a pick up and doodle game. But it’s simple fun, and easily rewards the modest asking price.
Cost: £14.99
Written by