This year, Ubisoft really went all out on their casual side of gaming.  In fact, there were so many games available to see, I wasn’t able to see all of them in the two hour span I set aside for the meeting.  For the "hardcore" gamer, you may not appreciate their offerings with the slim pickings of Prince of Persia and Shaun White.  However, those with young girls may certainly like to hear what they will be putting up for sale this holiday season.


Prince of Persia: The Fallen King (DS)

For the new Prince of Persia, the artwork has changed along with how you’ll interact with the Prince.  Instead of the standard affair of D-pad and buttons, you’ll be controlling him with your stylus and tapping instead.  The Prince will have help in the form of Zal, a magical user who can help you out in tight spots.  Zal follows you on your journey and is impervious to attacks.  To control him, you’ll be using the buttons to command actions.  Save points throughout the 50+ levels planned to be in the game may help on tricky situations that require more than one attempt.

So far, it’s coming along, though I do worry about the controls becoming tiring after awhile.  Still, Ubisoft’s Casablanca studio seems to be doing fairly well with the basics of touch screen control for The Fallen King.


Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip (Wii)

At the Nintendo Media Briefing, Cammy Dunaway made snowboarding look a bit easier than it actually is.  While trying out Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip, I found using the Wii Balance Board to not work as well as I had been hoping.  This could be due to the extremely limited space in this particular booth, so I wasn’t able to shift my weight exactly the way I’d like to have been able to.  Shifting your weight, like in real snowboarding, is key and this is no different.

To do tricks, you’ll be using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk.  Using the D-pad allows you to select different tricks while holding the A or B button will activate them.  For grinding rails, you won’t need to do anything but approach it and keep your balance.

Not that I didn’t enjoy trying to hit the slopes with this game, I just feel it needs a bit of fine tuning on the controls.  Also you’ll need more space than I was allotted to try this out, such as a nice open living room.  Still, for one of the first real ventures with the Wii Balance Board from a 3rd party developer, this could be great if they put the polish on it.


Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party (Wii)

For those that have played the other Rayman Raving Rabbids games and enjoyed them, I can say you’ll definitely want to pick up TV Party.  Out of all the games I was shown at the Ubisoft booth, this stood out as the best.

Like previous versions, TV Party is a game composed of mini-games.  This game however features the use of the Wii Balance Board.  Out of the three games I played with the demonstrators and fellow journalist Marco from Nintendojo, two of them used the board.  First off was a game consisting of posing when the screen and music asked for you to do so.  While this may seem easy for most, I have a slight problem with trying to figure out positions with models facing me.  This makes working out from videos a chore as I need to pause things to get the full idea.  As there’s really no fair way to pause the game while you’re playing with others, I found myself flailing my arms in what seemed like a good position.  Only after the pose had been made had I realized that I was backward compared to everyone else.  Again, may not be an issue for most, but for those who share this type of problem, it may be troublesome.

Luckily for me however, the last two games were using the Wii Balance Board.  Next up was a sledding game where one player sits on the board and uses the shifting in weight to steer.  Strangely, I found I was able to control this better than the Shaun White game.  Going off ramps enters a special trick mode that you’ll be using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk for.  So others are not bored while you are going downhill, they are able to throw snowballs at the screen to block your view at key moments.  For a bit I thought I might contribute my failure in the controlling aspect of Shaun White to the fact I have a dexterous posterior only, but with the last game, my doubt was erased.

The last game is a space surfing game that has you standing on the board instead of sitting upon it.  You steer once again by shifting your weight which is important to go through the rings setup in the level.  You can also boost (or fart power) through rings which provides a bit of pep if you’re zipping through the level with ease.

With an all new party mode to play co-op with your friends, or battling it out, it’s going to be a great game for parties.  I’m looking forward to picking this up and heading over to Kiwi’s to have her help me have some fun with it when the game releases.


Imagine Party Babiez (Wii)

This game puts young girls in the role of a babysitter.  It’s a party game and has many customizable options for each baby.   The game also uses the Wii Balance Board for certain games.  Seasonal activities have also been implemented, which gives this a bit of longevity for parents looking to get a game for their child that might last.  

While this has many aspects of a party game, girls won’t need a slumber party to play this game.  There is also a single player mode available that encourages solo gaming.  

I’d say overall it’s not a bad little package for the young girl in your family if they’re in the babysitting phase.


Imagine Teacher (DS)

In Imagine Teacher, you’re put in the role of a teacher in a classroom.  You’ll be teaching your students and grading their papers.  Players will also have to keep those who don’t get along apart in order to maintain a non-disruptive environment for students.  This alone will not prevent disorder in your classroom however.  Keeping an eye on your students as they study and picking out the troublemakers will ensure an orderly classroom.

This game seems more like babysitting than it does with the actual teaching part, but then again that’s the same as I remember it growing up.  Still, it might be fun for kids to do the activities presented and not have to worry about No child Left Behind as the real teachers do.


Petz: Monkeyz House (Wii)

I didn’t get to see more than a few minutes of this in development title, but from what I did see was bananas.  In the game, you’re in charge of the well being of monkeys in a house.  Players will be able to play with their monkeys with toys, not to mention handling.  Treats can be given out to teach them to behave properly and do tricks.  You’ll be in charge of their diet and their well being too so don’t give out too many treats.  Your monkeys will misbehave as well so it’s in your best interest to treat them well otherwise you’ll be cleaning up after their mess.

Think Nintendogs, but with monkeys instead.  Children I’m sure will love the way they move on the screen and how they’ll be able to interact with them.


My Secret World

For girls who want to use their DS as a personal diary comes My Secret World.  This is pretty much for girls who love to customize things and share it with their friends.  In this title, you’ll be able to make your avatar, take quizzes with your friends, and make a scrapbook.  If your friend doesn’t have a copy, that’s not a problem since My Secret World allows your friends to try it out on their own save.  Worried that someone might read something you wrote that you don’t want them to?  No problem with a secret code that personalizes it to the creator.

For tweens with a DS who are looking for more to do with their handheld than just game, this might be something worth looking into.

Overall

I’m not too pleased with the quality of some of Ubisoft’s titles shown thus far.  Many of their games are lacking polish that I’m used to on Nintendo consoles.  That’s not to say the games that don’t appeal to me are shovelware or lower quality for anyone.  Quite the contrary, those games aimed at the younger crowd are shaping up to be good titles for the age group.