|
|
Toontown Online
|
|
|
|
|
|
Graphics & Sound:
A massively multi-player online RPG is one of the last things I would have ever expected to see from the house of mouse, but here it is, in all its toony glory. Toontown Online is Disney's new entry into the MMORPG market and seeks to offer families with small children an online alternative to slaying trolls in Everquest. The graphics in Toontown Online are simple, yet nice. The simplicity of it all really helps to immerse players in the feeling that they're in Toontown, and really fits with the style presented in Toontown at the Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts. Buildings are big, brightly colored and show off an architecture befitting a toon building. Just roaming around Toontown and reading the many humorous store facades (such as 'The Kaboomery: If it explodes, we've got loads!') was a blast and at times made me feel like I was walking through a virtual park. In fact, sharp-eyed players will even recognize a few landmarks from the park, like Disneyland's 'Jolly Trolley'. Player models (or should I say 'player-toons') have a cartoony look reminiscent of the character style found in 1930's Disney Cartoons like 'Steamboat Willie' and 'The Barnyard Concert'. The character creation screen, as well as the 'closet option' in your house, allow for lots of variety between character's looks. Toon animations are smooth, but have a more low-key Disney feel, rather than the over-the-top Warner Brother's feel. Sound is fun and functional, but nothing you'll remember once you exit the game. The in-game tunes and effects provide a nice, peppy backdrop during your adventures that never get in the way of anything else. It's not the most impressive package, and there's definitely room for improvement, but the package works. |
|
|
Gameplay:
As previously mentioned, Toontown Online is Disney's unique take on the MMORPG market. For the uninitiated, this means that you'll take the role as one character in a massive online world populated by other players. Unlike other online games, there is no 'offline' option to the game. The game begins by creating an account at the Toontown Online site and installing the game via a download. Downloading the game is free, but it does carry a monthly fee of around 10 dollars (a free three-day trial is also available for those who unsure about the game). This process takes only a few minutes over a broadband connection, but some Toons using a 56k connection told me their downloads took as long as 45 minutes to an hour. During installation, a Flash movie plays that sets up the premise behind the game. While visiting his inventor friend Gyro, Scrooge McDuck comes across his latest creation, a robot called a Cog. Envisioning the financial opportunity worker Cogs would present (and totally ignoring the 'Do Not Touch' sign), Scrooge activates the Cog. Once activated, the Cog begins to produce other Cogs in order to suck all the fun out of Toontown and change it into a business complex. After installation is complete, Mickey or Minnie Mouse guide players through an easy to navigate Toon creation screen (who your guide is depends on whether you're a boy or girl). From here, you can travel around Toontown performing Toon Tasks and collecting jellybeans -- the choice of currency in Toontown. Jellybeans allow your toon to purchase gags, which are used against Cogs (since jokes are their only weakness). The game also offers a variety of mini-games, like catching apples in a crate and a Pac-Man like maze game, to help boost your stash of jellybeans. Disney also plans on offering updates within the next few months that include the ability to buy decorations for your house, and embark on a career - which should give the game an Animal Crossing or Sims-like element. Toontown features an interesting, skill-based leveling system. Each gag is classified under a certain skill set, such as Throw or Squirt. As your toon uses gags in combat, the rating for that skill will increase. After acquiring a certain number of points for a skill, more powerful gags will be unlocked. Though the system is rather limiting in the beginning, it becomes much more open as your toon progresses. |
|
|
Difficulty:
Though some of the jokes will only be appreciated by adults (don't worry, it's all clean fun), Toontown Online is clearly developed with kids and their casual-to-non game playing parents in mind. The game's interface is very easy to pick up, and I'm willing to bet any 7-year old will be able to figure out how everything works within a few minutes. The game also offers a very good training mode that explains how everything works. Finding and completing Toon Tasks are also easy to pick up, while remaining challenging for younger players.
|
|
|
Game Mechanics:
Toontown Online's interface may seem a tad strange to some vets, but it works with the game's relatively slow pace. All movement is handled by pressing the directional keys, while menus are navigated with a few mouse clicks. Combat is turn-based, and features a watered-down version of the menu system found in other RPGs like Final Fantasy. After entering combat with a Cog, a menu pops up displaying all of the gags available to use. After selecting a gag, just click and let your toon do the rest. Chatting is a major part of any MMORPG that poses a major problem when trying to keep the game 'kid safe' since online games seem to bring out the Tourrette's Syndrome in a select population of players. To combat this, Toontown uses a menu-based 'speed chat' option. Whenever you want to communicate with another toon, you can bring up a menu that contains nearly every command, greeting or pleasantry you could ever need. As you meet people online, you can invite them to join your 'friends list', which then allows you to chat with them the way you would in an Instant Messenger program. I was very impressed with the game's community of friendly toons. Players were always willing to lend a hand in fighting Cogs, and were always quick to say 'Hi!'. The game is especially fun for Disney nuts since it provides them with a fan community in which to share their obsession. But, for parents who still don't quite trust the people their kids may run into online (like certain website editors), the 'friends list' can be pass worded. The only problem really holding the game back is the monthly fee, which may seem a little steep to some people. In hindsight, it is not as bad when you take into account that it basically evens out to about the cost of two games a year. I should also mention that I ran into a bit of lag at times, but this seemed to be more related to my system rather than the game servers. Being a Disney fan, it's safe to say that I was very happy with Toontown Online. Even when looking at the game through my eyes as a gamer, I still like what I've played so far, and see a lot of potential within the game to reach something of an Animal Crossing or The Sims status (at least among Disney fans). Toontown Online is a fun online adventure for people looking for a new addiction, or who are interested in seeing what all the buzz is about with online games but are turned off by the more typical fantasy-based theme. Even if you don't fit into one of those categories, Toontown is a blast and worth at least trying out the free three-day trial.
|
|
|
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker |
Minimum System Requirements:
Microsoft Windows 98, ME, 2000, or XP, 233 MHz or faster CPU, 128MB RAM memory (256MB Recommended), 100MB free space, A video card with 3-D acceleration, at least 8MB (32MB/AGP card is recommended), A 56K modem, or a faster Internet connection, Microsoft DirectX 7.0 (or newer), Microsoft Internet Explorer v. 5.01 (or newer) |
|
Test System:
Windows XP; 128 MB RAM; Intel Pentium 4 1.8 GHz Processor; Integrated 32 MB Intel 3D AGP Graphics Card; 40 Gig HDD; 16x DVD Rom, Cable Internet Connection, Microsoft Direct X 8.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
