Topic: Magician's Quest: Mysterious Times: What AC:City Folk should've strived for...

[Mannypon]

Hey people, haven't been on this site since back during the PlanetGamecube days.  I created this thread over at another site but thought it'll be a good idea to bring it over here allso as I see this topic hasn't come up (searched the forums for the titile).  I think this game has a good chance to be a sleeper hit but hopefully more.  Magician's Quest: Mysterious Times is a DS game by Konami which could be called a mix between Animal Crossing and Harry Potter.  Someone over at the Gamespot forums has put some time into the japanese version and posted some info on his experience with the game.  I'll provide you with his post as I believe it provides key details which help showcase the differences with it and Animal Crossing. 

post on Gamespot by RayHorak

Yes, I played the Jap Version for some time to try it out, and although I couldn't read a single word, this one seems just soo much better than AC in virtually every aspect. The world feels actually alive and the residents actually do stuff instead of walking around randomly, sometimes holding a tool but doing nothing with it. The people do have real diverse personalities, also depending on your relationship with them and you can actually do stuff with them instead of just talking (adventures anyone?). There is some kind of storyline going on with the adventures you get once a week.There is much more to this game to do besides just collecting all the items (Although you can do that too of course, there are about 1,500 different items or so). You start out living in a dorm, but I read you can buy your own house later on (Other residents live in houses, in the doorm I believe and there is a hotel in the city where there are guys). Now also the people themselves are much more diverse than in AC. In Ac, you had all kinds of animals, with you being the only human. Here, you also have animals, humans, and other weird characters. Guys with Pumpkins as head, At least two robot-like guys (which you can date, yes, you can date a robot. And the robots actually TALK like robots too! It seems they spent much time for little details like that) In AC there were 6 different personalities in total (3 for male, 3 for female residents), so you ended up with not much diversity. Here the people do have personalities and wether you have a good relationship with them or not has actually an impact on the game.

The brooms are basically your vehicle in the game, you go faster with them and there are a lot of different brooms there.

Let's not even go how the whole game area has so much more than in AC, Here you have the school, the city, a beach, caves to explore, a haunted house, there are soo many places to visit and do stuff with.

Everything you do actually has an impact on the world and the people and they will change accordingly.

The whole magic component has so much to it too, spells for making yourself invisible and stuff just makes the game soo much fun and the wi-fi potential for multiplayer fun is basically endless.

There is also a thing called "Strange time" or "Mysterious time" that happens randomly when you play. In "Strange time", you guessed it, all kinds of strange things happen. Dead come to life, weird characters appear and possibilities for rare items open.

Yes, I am really anxiously awaiting a release of this game I can actually read, and so should all of you, this might just be the best game of its kind ever.

Here are some pictures also to give you an idea of how it looks.





Here is the info from the product page at Gamestop.

1,500 customizable features including clothing, characters, spell upgrades, furniture and accessories

52 mysterious adventures for players to solve using their magic abilities
150 in game characters each with unique reactions depending on how players interact
 
Time based evolution ranging from day to night, week to week over 365 days

Single player story mode, 2 player co-op or 4 player co-operative play

Use the standard alphabet or magic alphabet to chat with any player via Wi-Fi

Using the Nintendo DS download stations at retailers consumers can access additional items for their game

Magician’s Quest: Mysterious Times utilizes both Nintendo DS screens; one for casting spells and character interaction and the second for telling the game story.

Play with up to 4 friends via Wi-Fi to complete tasks together and combine magical abilities

As you can see, the game looks almost like an exact carbon copy of Animal Crossing but when you think about it, thats not such a bad thing.  For all of us who have grown tired of the AC formula that Nintendo has failed to significantly advance over the years, this is our game. 

I seriously can't wait to get my hands on this game.  Hopefully it'll give me that same special feeling of wonder and discovery that I got when I first played Animal Crossing on the Cube years back. 

If really hope this game gets the attention it deserves and succeeds enough to get Nintendo's attention.  I'm suprise its taken this long for someone to copy the AC formula but I hope this gets Nintendo to get off their ass and push out a legit AC sequal.

This game is due to release May 5 in the US but its coming out March 13th in the UK.  I'm more than likely going to import the game so as soon as I get it, I'll be more than glad to answer any questions.  Sorry for the lengthly post lol.

[SirSniffy]

*Falls in love instantly*

[BeautifulShy]

Hmm this is interesting. I like Animal Crossing alot but my Wii isn't working properly.Got to send it in.So I might pick this up for my new DS Lite that I got for Christmas.

[Mannypon]

*Falls in love instantly*

Tell me about it, once I read a little more on the features of the game, it started to give me that special feeling of wonder and excitement I got when I first tried out AC on the Cube.  I'm heading out in a while but I'll be back tonight and look for a specific trailer I had seen which really show off the world and music.  Its looking to be an amazing game.

[vudu]

Yes, I played the Jap Version for some time to try it out

Oh dear.  Read this.

[Mannypon]

I'm sorry, I wasn't aware of that term being taken in such a way.  I do have to clear up though that I didn't use the word, the line stated above was taken from a post on the Gamestop forum which I quoted.  I do have to say though that I always took the term "Jap" as being the abbreviated term for Japanese.  Again, I didn't mean any disrespect but providing that quote in my post. 

I just popped in to check the progress of the thread, once I'm home tonight I'll be back on with a link to the video I spoke of earlier.  Once again, I'm sorry to any I've offended indirectly.

EDIT:
Well I'm back home and in order not to double post, I'm just adding to this one.  I haven't been able to find the exact video I wanted but IGN has the same video in German.  I'm sure it'll still serve its purpose.  Here's the link to the video.
http://ds.ign.com/dor/objects/14275431/enchanted-folk-and-the-school-of-wizardry/videos/Enchanted_Folk_ds_082008.html

[Mannypon]

Sorry for the double post.  Finally, I got my copy in from the UK.  I haven't been able to play though but I'll be putting in some time later.  Have to divide my time between this, Professor Layton (sweet game by the way, I'm a late bloomer lol), Suikoden and Rainbow Six 2 lol. 

I'm free to answer any questions once I sign back on.  I'll try to add some initial impressions too.

[GoldenPhoenix]

I'm enjoying AC: CF too much to really care much about this game. Maybe later on I'll feel differently.

[Mannypon]

Well I'm glad that AC:CF is still doing it for you.  Whenever you get tired of it, if ever, at least you'll have this thread to read up on to help you decide your purchase.  Back to to topic at hand.

I've managed to put in a few hours into the game last night and a little this morning.  The game does give you that AC vibe.  Here's my take on some of the aspects of the game

Sound and Music.
The characters talk in a similar fashion and some of the music in the game is reminiscent of the moody tracks you hear around town.  There are some more upbeat music every now and then.  From what I've read on other forums, there are variations to classical music in the game too. 

Graphics.
As for the graphics, they are sweet.  Using both screens for 3d really gives the world some depth.  Your dorm especially looks nice from the outside.  Also, the artistic style is very unique.  Everyone outside of the dorms seems to live in a tree house.  Character models also seem to be bigger and full figured.  You can purchase jeans and sneakers to go along with the shirts and hats. 

Gameplay.
This part I can only elaborate on to the extent of what I've seen.  There seems to be a lot more to do and I still trying to get the grasp of the game.  I'm still trying to figure out a good way to earn money furnish my dorm room.  As for the classes, so far they've been very easy and simplistic.  The magic system looks like it has enough room to really become a deep system.  There's so many variations you can do with your spells and incantations.  The gameworld is a good size.  Theres the school, the dorms, the merchant district, the area with the tree houses, a beach, island, a forest, a cave, and a haunted house.  I have yet to experience solving a quest or taking part in mysterious time so I can't comment on those. 

The only negative I've experienced so far is that the characters and their dialogue aren't as charming as AC's. 

I'm sorry if my impressions seem to be all over the place but theres so much going on in the game (compared to AC) that its hard to really touch on everything in an organized fashion.  I think the problem this game is going to have in winning over AC fans is that AC fans have such fond memories of their time with the game that it might cloud their enjoyment of the game.  I have fond memories of AC given that it was the first game of its kind I every played.  Nothing could ever replicate that experience.  I just hope everyone has an open mind with this game.  The better it performs, the better chance we have of a Wii sequel and Nintendo getting off their ass and doing with AC what we think could be done with it.

[Djunknown]

I skipped on AC: Wild World, so I don't have a 'communication game' on the go.

From what it sounds, it does what ideally 3rd parties should do with games that Nintendo makes famous: Takes the formula, runs with, takes in directions that Nintendo won't go. See Okami.

From IGN's preview:

In one of the first classes (seen in our game video) I learned a spell for making people fart, and went on a rampage of gas-ness across town. Some people got upset with me, but others just casted back, causing me to rock my own nasty flatulence right along with them. Good times were had by all.

It has my attention 

This game is due to release May 5 in the US but its coming out March 13th in the UK.

That's strange, why such lag time? Nonetheless, I'll keep an eye out for this one.

[Mannypon]

I have yet to learn that spell but from the looks of it, the magic system has the foundation leading me to believe it could be something huge.  There are so many combinations possible that 50 spells (at the least) could easily be reached if the developers so chose to create them. 

On a side note, I just noticed a nice little feature to the game.  At the local *bar*in the game, you can learn whatever music they happen to be playing by just listening to it long enough.  Once you've learned the song, you can order the cd from the local store but that's not the best part.  These songs that you've memorized, can be wistled or played with an instrument.  If you do this out around the other characters, they join in and play a long with you.  What makes it unique is that each character has their instrument of choice so the same song played with different characters will sound somewhat different.  I was having a ball tonight breaking out into bands even though I don't have an instrument yet and had to resort to wistling lol.

[KDR_11k]

Does it let you improvise? Then it'd be the total replacement for Wii Music.

[GoldenPhoenix]

If some of the people on the boards bought this who I play online with in AC: CF I'd consider getting it. It does look like fun though.

[Mannypon]

Nah, you can't improvise, that'll be sweet if you could.  You can just play the song with whatever instrument you've purchased and with any other characters that happen to pass by or are hanging out with you.  The only variation is with which instruments are used by the characters.

The game is due out in May so hopefully word of mouth spreads and this game gets some decent sales.

[Smash_Brother]

I just want to know how robust the multiplayer is going to be.

And yeah, looks like Nintendo wouldn't advance the AC formula to the next logical evolution so Konami went and did it.

This seems to be incorporating a number of features I had come up with for AC so I'm apparently not the only one.

[NWR_pap64]

One thing is advancing the AC formula. The other is achieving the same level of quality the AC level has.

Let's face it, many other games (most notably the My Sims series) have tried to outdo AC with their own takes on the franchise, but have failed to make it as captivating.

City Folk may not have been a huge advancement, but the experience is a very polished one because it takes what already worked on the first two games, enhances them and polishes them to make it the most definitive version of the series.

Not ragging on this game since it DOES look interesting, but what I am saying is that simply because it hopes to make the AC experience grander it doesn't mean it will make it better.

Remember the Pokemon series has been imitated and even improved upon by other companies, but fall short when compared to the main games.

[Mannypon]

The only knock I have towards this game so far is the characters don't feel unique as they did in AC.  In AC everyone had their own personality.  Here it always seems like everyone is generating dialogue from the same conversation pool.  Sometimes it seems like its happening mid conversation where they'll say one thing then go right into a different topic.  It just comes off weird and unnatural.  I'm not sure if it was because there are around 150 characters in the game so they didn't have the time or space to implement unique personalities for each character.  All in all that's the weakest part of the game.

As for multiplayer support, that has always been, at least to me, up to the gamers to create in these types of games.  I think this game does leave a lot more possibilities for things to do with other gamers online.  I'm sure a lot could be done around the whole magic system but intill I see a complete list of magical abilities, I can't really comment on that any further.  I've heard, but don't quote me, that there are spells to make you invisible and to controll other characters in the game.  I'm not sure if a game of manhunt or hide and go seek could be created around that.  There are also brooms in the game.  I haven't purchased one yet but if they do improve your speed, I'm sure players can create multiplayer races on brooms. 

Multiplayer is really up to your imagination.  Just by the vast amount of options and abilities you have in this game derived from the magic system, I'll go out on a limb here and say, ultimately, this game will have more options for multiplayer play.

[NWR_pap64]

The only knock I have towards this game so far is the characters don't feel unique as they did in AC.  In AC everyone had their own personality.  Here it always seems like everyone is generating dialogue from the same conversation pool.  Sometimes it seems like its happening mid conversation where they'll say one thing then go right into a different topic.  It just comes off weird and unnatural.  I'm not sure if it was because there are around 150 characters in the game so they didn't have the time or space to implement unique personalities for each character.  All in all that's the weakest part of the game.

As for multiplayer support, that has always been, at least to me, up to the gamers to create in these types of games.  I think this game does leave a lot more possibilities for things to do with other gamers online.  I'm sure a lot could be done around the whole magic system but intill I see a complete list of magical abilities, I can't really comment on that any further.  I've heard, but don't quote me, that there are spells to make you invisible and to controll other characters in the game.  I'm not sure if a game of manhunt or hide and go seek could be created around that.  There are also brooms in the game.  I haven't purchased one yet but if they do improve your speed, I'm sure players can create multiplayer races on brooms. 

Multiplayer is really up to your imagination.  Just by the vast amount of options and abilities you have in this game derived from the magic system, I'll go out on a limb here and say, ultimately, this game will have more options for multiplayer play.

Regarding multiplayer, the same can be said about AC. Both games require you to use your imagination in order to create a great experience with friends online. If magic plays heavily into the multiplayer then yeah, I could see it as a huge advancement over AC. But if the magic is limited in multiplayer then there's no real factor that puts this above AC and this would basically be an AC clone but with limited magic abilities.

[Mannypon]

Well the magic isn't limited in multiplayer, its the same exact system as in single play.  It is what you make of it.  The system seems like there could be alot of deapth to it but I won't know until I progress in the classes and learn more tricks. 

Let me just explain how the magic system works so everyone can see how it has the potential for a huge set of magical tricks.  There is a menu of magic linguistics, as they call it, which you are to combine in a series of 2-5.  This combination is what creats a spell.  I'll give an example in a minute, let me get into the different sets of linguistics.  There is the BASIC linguistics that are 2 pages deap with each page holding 15 individual linguistic terms.  Then theres the WHO set which is 3 pages deap, 15 terms a page.  The DO set which is 2 pages, 15 terms a page.  The WHAT set, which is 3 pages, 15 terms a page.  The WHERE set, 3 pages deap, 15 terms a page.  Finally there is the WHEN set which is just 1 page of 15 terms.
Now for the example, in order to cast the treasure hunt spell, which helps you find hidden treasure, you need to combine the BASIC term "Magic" with the WHAT term "Secret" and the DO term "seek".  After doing so, this spell gets saved into your staff which you can then cast at any time.  There are 2 types of magic in the game, Staff magic and incantations.  I've only learned staff magic which is magic you can physically do but I assume incantations are magic that would affect the world somehow, maybe altering time or weather I guess.   

Its not as complex as it seems, trust me.  So as you can see, which so many different terms to combine and the many different posibilities for combinations, the amount of magic possible could be staggering.  As I'm just getting into the game and the fact that it takes place in real time, its hard for me to see everything the game has to offer so soon.  All I'm saying is that the game has huge potential.

[SirSniffy]

*casts 'life2' on topic. The game is almost heeeere! I read a small import review of it, and got a few chuckles. I can't wait to get my hands on this game actually. Nothing will ever take the place of AC in my heart, but I am now hooked on this whole 'town/relationship building' genre.

However there's no sign of hateful feudalist Tom Nook, and no obligatory instant loan to the tune of several billion Bells.

I lol'd at this statement, cause that is a perfect description of Nook!

here is the review

[jakeOSX]

*casts 'life2' on topic.

w3rd.