Healthy Holiday Gifts
Add to: My AOL, MyYahoo, Google, Bloglines
Joystiq presents

DS Daily: Let's talk High School Musical

We promise we won't tell anyone that you talked about High School Musical, but odds are that if you don't live under a rock inside a cave, you've been exposed to this crazy phenomenon. Maybe you've even played the new DS game. It's okay, you can tell us. We're all friends here -- and we've seen some pretty solid reviews on it!

So, any rhythm game hounds thinking of giving this one a try?

Related Headlines

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Martin1

8-17-2007 @ 9:07AM

Martin said...

I might give it a whirl on my Supercard, but from what I've heard it sounds a ton like EBA (which is okay by me).

Reply

2 starsvote downvote upReport
pas2

8-17-2007 @ 11:00AM

pas said...

Fu***n Flashcard ! Why do you blame us ? Want to get less quality titles ? Keep going telling anyone how superb it is to use pirate software and hardware... Geek

Hmm... this game sounds bad.

Reply

2 starsvote downvote upReport
Nushio3

8-17-2007 @ 11:20AM

Nushio said...

I've been waiting for this and the new Hannah Montanna game! OMG OMG OMG ponies!

With these two, and my Raven, Zack and Cody and the rest of the Disney Channel filth games, my collection shall be complete!*


*No, I do not have any of the previously mentioned titles, neither do I want HSM or Hannah Montanna. Screw them to hell.

Reply

2 starsvote downvote upReport
diedie4

8-17-2007 @ 11:29AM

diedie said...

pas, flashcards actually saves us from getting bad titles...at least for me it is. It's like a free rental store, I'll try out a game that I want first on my flash cart, if it's good, I ll buy it, if not, then I won't bother. So if more people start to do it, then less garbage game will be made....

it made no sense i know...

Reply

2 starsvote downvote upReport
dreamparacite5

8-17-2007 @ 11:31AM

dreamparacite said...

*shivers*

Disney original movie? Disney channel?

Disney channel DS game?

*dies*

Reply

2 starsvote downvote upReport
Archibold6

8-17-2007 @ 11:33AM

Archibold said...

As if it wasn't enough that I was disinterested with these games earlier, Disney's press conference just completely turned me off of them. I mean, it was a disaster. The people from the "crowd" that immediately came up and did the danced, the failed attempts to elicit enthusiasm, it was all disgusting. So you can go ahead and put me down for a "no."

Reply

2 starsvote downvote upReport
Covarr7

8-17-2007 @ 12:14PM

Covarr said...

I played this game. Conceptually, it's like Elite Beat Agents, but every once in a while it stops you in the middle of a song to put a basketball in a hoop or choose an instrument. Also, the framerate is unsteady (hopping back and forth from 60fps to below 30fps), and the timing is off.

The story sequences are extremely time consuming and monotonous, and they don't make sense unless you've already seen at least the first movie, to know who the characters are. Even then, it's a bit tough to follow because the dialogue does a poor job explaining what's going on, and it doesn't actually follow the story of the first movie (I obviously haven't seen the second since it's not out, but I imagine it doesn't follow that story either).

The music is from both High School Musical movies (or else all from the first and I just don't remember some of the songs so I thought they were from the one I hadn't seen). It's not actually that bad, but Vanessa Hudgens can't sing very well. Also, the music is often not as loud as it should be, so headphones are a must. Then again, since the timing is off, it's actually easier to play with sound off altogether, and not treat it as a rhythm game.

There are two modes, singing and dancing. There are some minor differences between these modes (such as the mindless stylus activities the game interrupts you with), but no significant differences. You don't actually sing in singing mode; just tap circles. The game really shouldn't have even included this mode.

You can choose to follow the story, or to play songs you've already unlocked. This isn't like Elite Beat Agents, where you simply choose a song and if it's the next song in the story you can continue afterwards; it actually has story and repeat songs in separate places from the main menu, similar to tournament and exhibition modes in a sports game. This is a good thing, because the map in EBA was kind of tedious.

Overall, this game has its ups and downs, but I advise against getting it due to the off timing. It seriously defeats the purpose of the entire game.

Reply

2 starsvote downvote upReport
ambient8

8-17-2007 @ 1:47PM

ambient said...

"OMG OMG OMG ponies!"

Hee, that cracked me up.

Reply

2 starsvote downvote upReport
hvnlysoldr9

8-17-2007 @ 2:47PM

hvnlysoldr said...

Pirates wore eye patches for night vision.

Reply

2 starsvote downvote upReport
mrdrew7810

8-17-2007 @ 4:11PM

mrdrew78 said...

I played this game. Ok , I endured this game. In Parts. It was similar to EBA , minus the fun . And I think most of the songs were re recorded with different singers, it was wierd. Maybe cause im a almist 28 year old guy, but I guess I just didnt get it. And yes, I saw the first movie (with my niece, yeah, thats my story) The "story" sequences were confusing and juxtaposed, the pics during the "story" scared me most of the time, the huge beaming faces smiling or smirking at me.

Reply

2 starsvote downvote upReport
Ricardo Arcos11

8-17-2007 @ 4:35PM

Ricardo Arcos said...

I'm amazed seeing how, just for curiosity, some people have already gone into enduring this terrible game.

Well, it's a dirty job, but someone have to do it.

Reply

2 starsvote downvote upReport
FlimFlammy12

8-19-2007 @ 4:21PM

FlimFlammy said...

This game has its highlights... but unless you are a desperate fan of the movie and need your fix... do not get it...

Quoting Eternal Darkness... "Oh... THE HORROR!"

I swear half the songs are not even sung by the original singers. They borrow some things from EBA/Ouendan with a star track that directs you to the next marker that serve no purpose because they are not even consistent with it.

There are some interesting things they did. Have you drop a basket ball in hoop or trace a shape in the middle of the songs. Or on is where you play different instruments mid-song and depending which instrument you select depends on the multiplier score.

But no... do not get this game. Its plane terrible. I am curious how the Wii version is though...

Reply

2 starsvote downvote upReport
Trogdor13

8-19-2007 @ 7:54PM

Trogdor said...

NEVER!!!! If it has pansies on the front of it, I will NEVER touch it! I don't care if it's like E.B.A.! It's like Meteos: disney Magic! I can't touch that game simply because it has a Disney liscense and Disney songs instead of alien planets with distinct songs.

Reply

2 starsvote downvote upReport
Don Patch14

8-21-2007 @ 5:29PM

Don Patch said...

Just for having the name "High School Musical," no. The movie sucked hard, and from what everyone else here is saying, the game plays almost, or just as, bad. It probably isn't worth a try on my flashcard, so a big PASS for me.

Reply

2 starsvote downvote upReport
reviewsAnti-Gift Guide'07 Blowout!
Features
DS Daily (280)
DS Fanboy Lite (13)
DS Fanboy poll (33)
Friday video (41)
Game Night (112)
Metareview (35)
Show and Tell (34)
The DS Life (26)
What are you playing? (62)
Bits
Accessories (66)
Downloads (46)
Fan stuff (1195)
Features (217)
GBA (102)
Hacks (67)
Homebrew (131)
How-tos (63)
Imports (466)
Interviews (105)
Meta (64)
News (2208)
Nintendo Wi-Fi (163)
Reviews (150)
Sales (87)
Screens (419)
Video (396)
Rumors (99)

RESOURCES

RSS NEWSFEEDS

Powered by Blogsmith

Featured Galleries

Sim City 2 DS
Lunar Knights
Puzzle Quest
Pokemon Diamond and Pearl
Bleach: The Blade of Fate
Dragon Quest V
From the Abyss
Populous
The World Ends With You

 

Most Commented On (14 days)

Recent Comments

Weblogs, Inc. Network

  • Autos
    • Autoblog
    • AutoblogGreen
    • Autoblog Spanish
    • Autoblog Chinese
    • Autoblog Simplified Chinese
  • Technology
    • Download Squad
    • Engadget
    • Engadget HD
    • Engadget Mobile
    • Engadget Chinese
    • Engadget Simplified Chinese
    • Engadget Japanese
    • Engadget Spanish
    • TUAW (Apple)
  • Lifestyle
    • AisleDash
    • DIY Life
    • Gadling
    • Green Daily
    • Luxist
    • ParentDish
    • Slashfood
    • Styledash
    • That's Fit
  • Gaming
    • Joystiq
    • DS Fanboy
    • Massively
    • Nintendo Wii Fanboy
    • PS3 Fanboy
    • PSP Fanboy
    • Second Life Insider
    • WoW Insider
    • Xbox 360 Fanboy
  • Entertainment
    • Cinematical
    • TV Squad
  • Finance
    • BloggingBuyouts
    • BloggingStocks
    • WalletPop
  • Also on AOL
    • African-American Culture
    • Autos
    • Games
    • Maps
    • Money
    • Movies
    • Music
    • News
    • Sports
    • Switched
    • Television
    • Travel

Other Weblogs Inc. Network blogs you might be interested in:

PS3 Fanboy
  • PS3 Game of the Year, as chosen by other media outlets
  • Mysterious Final Fantasy XIII art surfaces
  • Deal of the day: Logitech Precision controller for $10 at Amazon
  • Behold, the opening cinematic of Devil May Cry 4
  • PS3 Poll Police: Which 2008 game will get mad delays?
Subscribe with My AOL, MyYahoo or Bloglines
WOW Insider
  • Welcome to "noob season"
  • WoW is a game -- you're supposed to enjoy it
  • First Ashes of Al'ar drop bought for 190k gold in China
  • Encrypted Text: A stealthy year in review
  • WoW Insider's top ten WoW stories of 2007
Subscribe with My AOL, MyYahoo or Bloglines
PSP Fanboy
  • PSP Game of the Year, as chosen by other media outlets
  • Fake PSP is shocking (literally)
  • Kingdom Hearts battle system gets Fatal Mode
  • Man robbed of PSP on Christmas Eve
  • Worldwide PSP releases for the week of Dec. 30
Subscribe with My AOL, MyYahoo or Bloglines
Joystiq
  • The Political Game: When it came to games, 2007 was politician heaven
  • Your 2007 year-end review
  • Hudson making big plans for Bomberman in '08
  • Bubble Bobble, Top Hunter, Light Crusader come to Virtual Console
  • Rumorang: Jade Empire sequel in the works
Subscribe with My AOL, MyYahoo or Bloglines
Engadget Mobile
  • HAI brings home automation control to your smartphone
  • Sprint halts sales of LG Rumor?
  • Hands-on with Quickoffice 5
  • Texting delays a given on New Years, celebrate accordingly
  • Pink Centro coming to Sprint early next year?
Subscribe with My AOL, MyYahoo or Bloglines
Autoblog Green
  • A view of the 21st Century: Bjorn Lomborg's "Cool It"
  • How better to power the underwater sQuba car than on batteries?
  • What's the plural of Prius?
  • Citigroup: New energy bill will push ethanol prices higher
  • Petrochina plans to install new biofuel facilities
Subscribe with My AOL, MyYahoo or Bloglines
Engadget
  • Alpine announces iDA-X200 and X300 iPod-friendly headunits for 2008
  • HAI brings home automation control to your smartphone
  • Sprint halts sales of LG Rumor?
  • Nintendo support recommends Wiimote abuse to puzzled caller
  • Taiwanese solar car may not appeal to the fashion conscious
Subscribe with My AOL, MyYahoo or Bloglines
The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)
  • Motley Fool declares Apple stock of 2008
  • Travel reminder: Spare laptop batteries now verboten in checked bags
  • Last chance to save lemurs with Delicious developer Mike Lee
  • Gear Live posts followup iPhone v1.1.3 video
  • 1Password updated to 2.5.8
Subscribe with My AOL, MyYahoo or Bloglines
Autoblog
  • 24 Hours of LeMons Thunderhill wrap-up
  • Industry leaders predictions for '08; Lutz angrier than ever
  • Porsche studio wins iF Product Design Award
  • Chery A6 coupe heads into production
  • Senator carjacked for 22-inch chrome rims
Subscribe with My AOL, MyYahoo or Bloglines
Gadling
  • Travel tip: Do not hide monkey in hat during flight
  • A country you've never heard of (continued)
  • One for the Road Looks Ahead: Ten Travel Books on Tap for 2008
  • Times of India and circle of peace: An expat story
  • Notes from Portugal: Hertz Hurts
Subscribe with My AOL, MyYahoo or Bloglines
Engadget HD
  • Ringing in the New Year on your sofa? Join the crowd.
  • Canon said to be developing own tech for SED TV production
  • HD decoding CPU usage shootout: ATI vs nVidia
  • China's CCTV begins OTA HDTV broadcasts tomorrow
  • Tennis HD launches on DirecTV
Subscribe with My AOL, MyYahoo or Bloglines
Download Squad
  • Google Extra - Get more out of your search results
  • Runscanner: Free system utility to find all running programs on your computer
  • Undress TinyUrl links with Greasemonkey script
  • Wordpress 2.3.2 released to squash "Urgent" bug, adds a new feature
  • Hoosgot - The return of LazyWeb (in spirit)
Subscribe with My AOL, MyYahoo or Bloglines