DS Daily: Let's talk High School Musical
by Alisha Karabinus 
{ Aug 17th 2007 at 9:00AM }
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?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Martin @ Aug 17th 2007 9:07AM
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).
Trogdor @ Aug 19th 2007 7:54PM
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.
pas @ Aug 17th 2007 11:00AM
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.
Nushio @ Aug 17th 2007 11:20AM
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.
diedie @ Aug 17th 2007 11:29AM
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...
Archibold @ Aug 17th 2007 11:33AM
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."
dreamparacite @ Aug 17th 2007 11:31AM
*shivers*
Disney original movie? Disney channel?
Disney channel DS game?
*dies*
Covarr @ Aug 17th 2007 12:14PM
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.
ambient @ Aug 17th 2007 1:47PM
"OMG OMG OMG ponies!"
Hee, that cracked me up.
hvnlysoldr @ Aug 17th 2007 2:47PM
Pirates wore eye patches for night vision.
mrdrew78 @ Aug 17th 2007 4:11PM
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.
Ricardo Arcos @ Aug 17th 2007 4:35PM
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.
FlimFlammy @ Aug 19th 2007 4:21PM
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...
Don Patch @ Aug 21st 2007 5:29PM
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.