07/20/05: Back to the roots

M: Well, now that I've borrowed a Nintendo DS (and most available games) from a friend, I have to say... cool gizmo. Nothing I can't live without,
but it's nice to see pen input in a hand-held. Or better: in any gaming device. I mean, I've been drawing on a Wacom tablet for years, but what I'd
really like to do is try an play with it. Of course, traditional games wouldn't work very well. Maybe some RTS titles, but I'm not too sure about that.
However, seeing Pac-Pix - now THIS is some interesting shit. I won't bore you with the details, and I'd like to add that I think there's still a lot of
room for improvement, especially with gesture recognition. However, a game where you have to draw to win - yeah, I'm all over that.

So why doesn't anyone out there allow this kind of stuff into their PC games? The better resolution alone... And I still remember how it was good
fun to "draw" your spells in Black & White. Initially, at least, because I never got to play anything but the preview version. Just don't use it as an
additional gimmick feature, like in that strange strategy-action title... ummm, what was its name again? Oh, right: Darwinia...

BTW: I'm still not sure the last picture is "simple" enough, but I actually had to postpone the strip for a day, because my first attempt was even
more "realistic".