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Posted in Sports

Nintendo DS – Imagine Series

My Secret World is the latest in a long line of Imagine games released for the Nintendo DS. The series seems to be just getting started with more spin-off titles than you can, well…go figure.

In 2007, four Imagine games were released. These were Happy Cooking, Fashion Designer, Pet Veterinarian and Babies. Four games in a series is pretty unusual in video games, but the developers of the Imagine series, Ubisoft, were just getting warmed up.

In 2008 they released an almost unbelievable 11 new games for the series. These Imagine titles were; Figure Skater, Girl Band, Teacher, My Secret World, Babysitters, Baby Club, Fashion Model, Modern Dancer, New York Fashion Designer, Champion Jockey, and Pet Hospital.

Wait, that’s not all. Before the end of 2008 they plan to release 7 more. The next 7 Imagine titles are; Party Babyz, Interior Designer, Wedding Designer, Gymnast, Movie Star, Ballet Star and Fashion Party.

18 games in a series in a single year is unheard of. Even with Nintendo seemingly releasing every second title as a Mario game, it still doesn’t come close to this. So why are so many Imagine games being released in such a short amount of time?

Ubisoft is targeting the female gamer audience that, until recently, has been pretty much underserved. This hasn’t just been a case of game developers being sexist. Many game developers have tried games aimed at women, but the sales just haven’t made it a profitable venture.

The Nintendo DS has succeeded in attracting a more even audience of men and women for the first time. This has been done through the production of games such as Nintendogs, which focuses on a theme that is seen as less male-oriented. Since the Nintendo DS has succeeded where others have not, Ubisoft has set itself the goal of capitalizing on the large proportion of women who own the DS.

While video games generally focus on adventures and battles, casual female gamers tend to be more drawn to more realistic situations. For example, in Imagine: Teacher, the player takes on the role of a teacher, rather than leading an army or raiding tombs. Others in the Imagine series aren’t really what you’d consider a game. My Secret World for DS is more of an interactive diary with personality tests than a game.

You might question how high the quality of these games is, since so many are being produced in such a short amount of time. The games certainly don’t give the appearance of a rushed job with attractive and unique interfaces in each one. However, the gameplay feels shallow and repetitive.

The Imagine series is arguably more relatable in its theme, cute graphics, packaging, and ad campaign than its gameplay. It certainly seems that the series is successful but it does not have good reviews. Video game review website IGN claims that Imagine: Teacher is the best of the series and still only rates it 7.5 out of 10, while others score even lower with Imagine: Rockstar scoring only 3.2 out of 10.

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