Foster's: Imagination Invaders videogame for Nintendo DS - coming November

[Ditchy McAbandonpants]

Man, I am one busy little bee of late,but I thought I'd hop along briefly and share this semi-interesting tidbit I found on IGN. Aren't I good to you? :P

In short, it seems that Bloo and co. are going interactive on Nintendo handhelds again, following on from last year's Game Boy Advance title Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends, from Crave Entertainment. This November, however, it's the snazzier, more fashionable Nintendo DS getting a piece of the Foster's lovin', courtesy this time of publishers Midway.

Here's the very brief blurb from the IGN news article (http://ds.ign.com/articles/799/799888p1.html):

Master Blooregard Q. Kazoo hits the Nintendo DS in Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: Imagination Invaders. New space aliens have been imagined and have taken Madam Foster hostage in search of the The Greatest Thing in the Universe, and you, as Bloo, must rescue her.Sounds to me like the plot of the game is based loosely on that of the episode "Make Believe It Or Not"...well, that's about all we know for now, so discuss, I guess. Licenced games do have a tendency of sucking, particularly when they're based on kids' shows, and the Foster's GBA game was no exception from most accounts; still, I suppose it's encouraging that this new title is being produced by a slightly more upmarket publisher, and on a beefier machine. I'm not holding my breath or anything, but who knows? Maybe it'll be at least diverting. :frankiesmile:

[Sparky]

Thanks for the info. I'd like to see a Foster's game for a non-handheld, myself but whatever. Of course, I don't have a Nintendo DS...

[WiltFan]

Sounds like an awesome video game. I can't wait!:D

[Cassini90125]

Let me know when it's available for PC.

[Bloo2daMacs]

OH MY GOOD GOLLY GOSH!!

I've SO gotta get it, and I'll enjoy it even if it ain't fun.

Wait, that does't make any sense....

[Foster's Geek 287]

I wanna PC game. :jk:
Oh well. It looks like a "Cheese a Go Go"/"Make Believe it or Not"
Type thing.

[taranchula]

Well Midway did do a half decent job on another game based on a Cartoon Network property, that being The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, so hopefully this new Foster's game will fall into the same category.

Once we get a look at some pictures of the early build of the game we'll have a better idea of what to expect.

[antgirl1]

All glory to the Gamecube! :D

Sorry, I just had to throw that out there.

[CG]

Foster?s Home for Imaginary Friends: Imagination Invaders (http://ds.advancedmn.com/article.php?artid=5651)

The episode of 'Make Believe it or Not' is transformed into a Nintendo DS Game. Goo's Space Nut Boogies return (arrive first time? eh) in the house and you have to find the greatest thing in the universe.

Seems cute. I won't buy it, since who knows when they'll release it in Australia. Have any of you guys seen/heard of it yet?

Apologies if this has been posted elsewhere in other gaming boards. I just felt it deserved it's own place.

[ptps]

Well, as long as it doesn't suck like it did when Foster's got released for the GBA, I'm cool. :) First time I've heard of this.

[Shelltoon]

Hopefully it's better than the GBA one. Just hope that they'll make decent use of the stylus controls, because a few licensed games on the DS don't use the stylus that well.

[Lynnie]

I first heard of it about a month ago now. "Make Believe it or Not" is one of my favorite episodes and I remember thinking How cool it is to have a Nintendo game about it! Haven't seen anything else on it yet, though. I won't be buying it since I don't have a Nintendo, and frankly, have never really been into the whole gaming scene. But I've played Nintendo games before, and they're fun. I'm still curious as to what this new Foster's game is like.

[xxxClaire]

That's cool! I'll probably pick up a copy. :)

[Sparky]

Apologies if this has been posted elsewhere in other gaming boards. I just felt it deserved it's own place.

Sorry for just now getting to this...Ditchy did post about this not too long ago, in this same board, so I'm merging the two threads now.

[Little Baby IceCream]

Sounds cool, but I''m probably not going to be buying it.

~Little Baby IceCream~

[emperor26]

I'm no so sure about its new publisher, since Midway is known for sports games and the Mortal Kombat series.

But if they can capture the spirit of the show within this game, then this might not be so bad.

[taranchula]

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/22587.html

Here is the E3 trailer for Foster's: Imagination Invaders , Which mixes in some game play footage with various clips from Make Believe It or Not. (And one or two from other season four episodes.)

From the looks of things they are trying to go for some kind of Metal Gear styled stealth action game with some Marioesque platform elements, which if history have taught us anything can be very good or very very bad.

I hope the final build of the game has some kind of use for the touch screen, (Even if it's some kind of map or something)

Otherwise what would be the point of putting a game like this on the DS when you can make essentially the same game on the PS2 or XBox360 or even the Wii and have it look much better and have full on voice acting and lots of video clips too.

[One Radical Dude]

I just saw the preview video. It doesn't look too bad; but there really isn't much to add on that. Hopefully at the end, this game will not disappoint.

[Shelltoon]

Hmmm... that footage doesn't give us enough. Shame on you CN for teasing!! Oh well... at least this showed up at E3, compared to the Nicktoons games which get like... no publicity. But if anything, it should be an improvement over the GBA Foster's.

[ptps]

Found a copy of the video on YouTube: http://youtube.com/watch?v=iJL1YDMSrAo

IMHO the game looks good from what I can see (though it seems to be just another "collect stuff" type gameplay like the GBA platform and Awesome House Party), but the trailer is, frankly, TERRIBLE! I mean, overly reused footage from "Make Believe it or Not"? Lazy text intercuts zooming towards the screen? Really, really bad choice of audio for the ending? (Bloo: (not-really-hyper) "Awesome." Mac: (sounding furious) "Well, I can't argue with that!" - clip taken from Bloo's the Boss, after he's yelled at Bloo) It doesn't reflect too well on the game (or maybe the game just IS that bad. >>; ) More than anything it looks like a really badly put-together AMV.

Honestly, they could have at least gotten Keith and Sean to read tow new lines for the promotion; they did it for Bloo's little rollover stint in Awesome House Party, and that game was free. >_>

I know it's linked to the episodes, but I was expecting them to show game clips of Bloo or whoever actually transforming into their make-believe selves, if that was included in the gameplay; it seems totally pointless to show the episode itself in that case. :/

[cartman414]

Seeing that from outside the noisy din of the convention center, I'd have to say that was pretty disappointing for a trailer. Not to mention that the clips from "Make Believe It or Not" had me fooled into believing it was based on that episode. To quote Wilt, I feel so stupid.

Now if they could make a game out of Cheesequest, that could be awesome.

[taranchula]

I got to play test this game at comic con and to be honest it was a little better then I expected it to be, the game looked pretty good graphically and had a constantly smooth frame rate.

The controls them self were pretty simple. You had your basic jump, fire, dash and examine keys. And they were all pretty responsive, there was no instances of pressing the jump button and not jumping for example.

The play control was pretty tight as I didn't have any problems with the light platforming sections while jumping from one ledge to another.

From what I could tell there was no major issues with in game camera, which is a good thing as a bad or unresponsive camera is often the kiss of death for many 3'rd person games.

The build of the game I played did put to use both of the DS's screens, like in the previews all of the in game action takes place in the top screen, while the bottom screen is now used for the in game map (Which is a always a godsend for action adventure games that contain a lot of exploring, which is well what Foster's: II is.) and the inventory.

The touch screen was also used for some kind of mini game, which occurs if you get captured by an enemy one time too many, you have use the stylus to cut Bloo free before he faces the wrath of the Space Nut Boogie tickle weapon. I am certain we are to see some more sections in the game that use the touch screen in the final product.

So all in all I am somewhat impressed, and hope that the finished product takes everything that was good about the demo and builds on it to turn out the kind of game that proves to be another exception to the rule of thumb about licensed games being cruddy.

[Sparky]

Does anybody have this yet? It was supposed to come out yesterday (the 12th) but GameStop says it won't come in until tomorrow. :P

[Subzeroace]

Does anybody have this yet? It was supposed to come out yesterday (the 12th) but GameStop says it won't come in until tomorrow. :P

Yeah, I'd like to see a nice full version review from one of you guys about this game. My local Blockbuster and Rogers don't rent hand held games anymore (but still sell them o.O) so I'd have to buy it to play. I normally stay away from licensed games, so an "ok" would be good enough for me to pick it up (since it is Foster's an all XD)

[Shelltoon]

I had this on reserve. I'll let you know how it is when I get it tomorrow.
Does anybody have this yet? It was supposed to come out yesterday (the 12th) but GameStop says it won't come in until tomorrow.
GameStop gets new shipments every Wednesday, 11/12/2007 was the shipping date, the actual street date, or when the game is out on shelves and racks, is 11/14/2007.

[Sparky]

I have it on reserve too, I'm supposed to get an automated phone call the night before it is available in the store. Nothing yet though it could still come I suppose.

[Shelltoon]

So I went today hoping to pick it up... BUT NOPE, they didn't get it in with their shipment! I got an automated call today from GameStop saying it was going to be in tomorrow afternoon. So to not set myself up for a wild goose chase, I'm calling them tomorrow afternoon to make sure it's right.

[Sparky]

All right, maybe I will get that call too this evening. I didn't bother swinging by there today as I wasn't called last night.

[Sparky]

Well I picked up my copy, haven't opened it yet though. Just fyi that it is indeed out today.

[taranchula]

Cool, I can't wait to hear peoples opinions on the game, seeing as how none of the major game sites that I normally visit has yet to say word one about it.

IGN in particular is pretty annoying as they seem to be reviewing every single licensed game that had recently come out for the DS ...except for Foster's.

Not that I particularly put a lot of stock in IGN's reviews, but if they can find time to write up a review about the new El Tigre game, then they should also be able to find enough time to pound out a review about FHFIF: II.

Fair is fair after all.

[Sparky]

I'm on Level 5 now. I like this game tons more than the GBA one that's for sure...never got far in that one, mostly because I just plain didn't like it. I suck at video games so I'm playing in Easy mode, though I think I could probably have done fine in regular mode. You don't seem to have a set number of "lives", its just that if you get captured by the SNBs a few times (its probably three) you have to help Bloo escape the tickling machine, all you have to do is rub your stylus on the ropes to free him. And then its back to the game as if nothing happened. I don't know, maybe being in regular mode makes it so that you have to start over if you're captured...

Anyways here's two screenshots I thought were funny:

Bloo's opinion (http://www.fosters-home.com/forum/myimages/ii1.jpg)

Frankie's opinion (http://www.fosters-home.com/forum/myimages/ii2.jpg)

Anyways so, you're Bloo and basically you're running around searching rooms (making a royal mess for Frankie to clean up later) looking for items. Basically when you need someone's help, you have to go find them 6 or 8 or 10 of something. Mac, Ed, Wilt, and Coco can help you in certain places if you see a tile with their face on it (you stand on it, click X, and then you have to use your stylus a certain way, so you have to basically be holding the stylus the whole time - I'm new to the DS so I'm still getting used to that). This will require you backtracking quite a lot, once you've "unlocked" each friend. Other characters make appearances, so far I've seen Mr H, Creaky Pete, Cheese, Jackie Khones, Imaginary Man, and Nemesister (who is a Boss). Goo of course helps you by singing badly and bringing the SNBs to their knees, lol.

Well, there's something to go on for now. ;) I don't know if I'll have time, but maps of the rooms with at least the locations of all the character tiles would be really helpful...

[Shelltoon]

Full review here, courtesy of... ME!

Last Year, Crave Entertainment's Foster's game on the GBA left a bit of a bad taste in our mouths. A year later, Sensory Sweep and Midway took over the Foster's license, and took on the objective of trying to make a good game. Does it pay off? Yes it does, Imagination Invaders is miles ahead of the GBA game, but leaves a bit to be desired in the area of challenge.

The story is based on the episode Make Believe It or Not, and for those of you not familiar with this episode, I'll explain it to you. On a rainy day at Foster's without any power, Mac, Bloo, Coco, Wilt, Eduardo, and Goo play a crazed game of pretend about Spacenut Boogies and The Greatest Thing in the Universe. The next day, Goo accidentally imagines the Spacenut Boogies in her sleep, and hilarity and adventure ensues. This episode keeps that idea, but at the same time takes its own path by having Madame Foster being kidnapped by the Spacenut Boogies. The story for this game was written by Amy Keating Rogers in case anyone is curious, and it's a great story.

The meat of this game consists of searching rooms for various objects for the friends at Foster's to advance in this game. Every room will contain either an all-seeing eye which if landed on triggers a Spacenut Boogie to throw you out of the room, or a Spacenut Boogie who will start chasing you when he finds you. Bloo can use his spitwad to stun the Spacenut Boogies for about two seconds and get away, or use a Mac tile if available to use the Space-Time Freeze Ray. Along the way, you'll discover tiles for Mac, Wilt, Eduardo, and Coco, and using these tiles will require you to use the stylus. There are also some stylus action mini games and can take away from the sometimes repetitive nature of searching rooms. All the control in this game is responsive, from a simple jump to using your stylus. The camera is static, but thankfully it is not broken given that a lot of games of this type can always have a bad camera. Unfortunately, this game suffers from a lack of challenge, even on the normal difficulty. If a Spacenut Boogie captures you, you are thrown out of the room. If you are caught three times, you have to play a Stylus mini-game to free Bloo and start from outside of the room you were in. If a boss hits you three times, you are thrown out of the room and have to start the fight all over. You pretty much have unlimited lives in this game, so these slip ups will usually just extend your gameplay sessions.

The graphics in this game are simple, and cartoony. Just what we expected, so it's not pushing the DS to its limits, but it does a great job representing the feel of the show. The game does run smoothly, but the static camera makes me wish I could rotate it and see all the character models from every angle, otherwise they're nicely rendered. The music in-game is pretty much from the show, and is perfectly rendered, so NOTHING is lost on the hardware. The sound effects do leave a bit to be desired though, simply in that they're a little sparse. Voice clips are played from time to time, but only from Mac and Bloo. I think they play "I'M NOT HIS SIDEKICK!!!" a little too much in the dialogue, but it's funny to just hear it.

The biggest problems I have with this game is the lack of challenge, and that it's way too short just like the last game. However with all the Coco cards to be found in this game, you'll want to go back and play another sitting to make sure you got them all. Overall though, it was fun while it lasted, but I just wish it could have been a little longer. This is definitely one for the kids given its short length and lack of challenge, but it's a GOOD kids game.

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/9216/enjoyablenj3.png

[Subzeroace]

I went to the mall today looking to buy the game (or Silent Hill: Origins) and the three store I went to didn't have ether (EB Game, The Source, and HMV) I might go out latter tonight and hit Future Shop and Bestbuy, maybe Wallmart too...

Is it released in Canada? Normally the date is the same for US and Canada :\

[Sparky]

I don't know if we should make a separate thread for gameplay help, but I've become unexpectedly stuck so I'll use spoiler tags:

The last piece of the disguise (according to Mac) was the alien antennae or whatever they were called, and I gave the bust pieces to Frankie and she gave them to me, but I don't see them on the little picture of Bloo on the clipboard and when I try to sneak past the guard I can't and Mac says my disguise isn't complete. So apparently I *don't* have the antennae. Um...why not? :terrconf: I'm stuck until I can get past that guard.

[taranchula]

IGN finally has a review up and it's not kind to say the least, the gave it a 4.0 out of ten.

They basically say while the game has the look and feel of the show down pat, they consider the lack of challenge, the games short length and the sheer amount run and fetch quests to be serious game killers.

So that's their opinion and they seem to be sticking to it.

[Shelltoon]

Meh, I never trust IGN or any press for their opinion since they can be off about something. Case and point: Gran Turismo 4. It is a racing simulator that has not fixed its many problems since Gran Turismo 1, it has a bunch of useless cars, and it has a ridiculously long career mode. IGN basically gave that a really high score since it's a high profile title, but my opinion differs GREATLY from everyone else's. That was off topic... anyway...

As I said, it's primarily a game for kids, so they're the target audience.

[KazooBloo]

I've played this DS game and I enjoy it. :D