Blogcritics The critical lens on today's culture & entertainment
Now players of all ages, especially students, have even more reason to carry their Nintendo DS everywhere with MyDoItAll. This party-like mini game collection has several practical and educational uses. The easy-to-use modes have great applications to other games while meeting several real-life needs of organization.
You can custom your own basic avatar (eyebrows, nose, skin color, hair style, etc.) as well as color and sounds. There is easy navigation and scrolling mechanics as you flip through choices like you would open a suitcase lock. The game modes apply well to other games (e.g. up to six dice with 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, or 20 sides for role playing/card games, etc.), but may be over simplified for older players.
The standard password and security questions keep your information secure if you decide to pass around or share information – a relief for parents of young players. Players can also reset the password entirely even if they don’t remember the information or answers to the questions.
Social information is covered in the address book (a.k.a friend card), which can be transferred wirelessly to other players. A privacy option prevents certain addresses from being sent. You can also send your schedule or play card games, a polling game, and clown chance game to other players. The calendar can keep you organized.
Need to write? Try the auto date journal and write up to 10 notes in the notepad mode using the keyboard interface, which is simple with the easy stylus controls. Free hand-drawing capabilities would have been a simple addition to this feature.
Mathematics gets special treatment in the expansive calculator. Currency, volume, formulas, conversions, constants, equations, temperature, weight, and length are all covered. It's a great reference tool for test taking too, but just make sure it's allowed before you utilize it.
Geography elements include an inclusive world map (Uzbekistan is on there) featuring detailed, encyclopedia-type information including time zones, so it’s useful for travel as well. The U.S.A. map also features individual state details.
The well organized periodic table covers science aspects like atomic numbers plus melting and boiling points. Just make sure you console isn’t anywhere near your experiment.
What’s life without love? Players can use the spinner to play spin the bottle with two to eight people. Of course the spinner makes other random choices for you as well, like which movie you’ll watch tonight or anything else you can't decide.
Explore sound and music with the voice changer mode (yes, you can play it backwards) and sound effects which include animals, weapons, and machines. The rhythm machine, anchored with a metronome, allows some creative composition, especially in the percussion department, but it’s still not as detailed as a music title like KORG DS-10. Save options are missed here as you’re limited to tinkering and quick creations, though they're more ideal for younger players anyway.
Games of chance include Boxes of Doom, Ninety Eight and Crazy Eights. Boxes of Doom is like Memory and a twist on the classic the shell game, as you avoid finding the clown as you lift each box. Ninety Eight, which can be played with one game cartridge, basically is Blackjack up to 98 as you count until you’re out. Crazy Eights mirrors UNO as you match colors or numbers with the face card until you have no more cards left.
The graphics could use more personality and design work, which is challenging when informational content supersedes action or character. The stylus controls are great and everything is easy to use. This title definitely skews to younger aged players though because many older players will have a device that already does all these things (though the Nintendo DSi isn’t far away).
This purposeful game has great functions, educational applications and reference tools while continuing to blur the line between game and learning tool, similar to several recent “coach” titles. More integration of the game/entertainment aspects with the productivity applications would have improved the overall experience. For unlockable options think of related games/items for codes with five letters on each side – 10 characters total (e.g. LOVEL-YLISA).
MyDoItAll is rated E (Everyone) by the ESRB for comic mischief.
