| Trace Memory | 
 enlarge | From: Nintendo
Category: Video Games
List Price: $19.99
Buy New: $15.65
You Save: $4.34 (22%)
Buy New/Used from $11.90
Avg. Customer Rating:   (58 reviews)
Sales Rank: 4130
Platform: Nintendo Ds
ESRB: Teen
Media: Video Game
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Age: 12 - 20 years
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 5.4 x 4.6 x 0.8
MPN: 100730
Model: 45496735777
UPC: 045496735777
EAN: 0045496735777
ASIN: B0009G1A2W
Release Date: September 8, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 56-58 of 58 | | « PREV 1 ... | | |
 Great October 2, 2005
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is a great game, probably the best out for the DS yet.
Overall, this is a must have!
Greatest DS game i have played yet October 1, 2005
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
This game was the best, i loved every minute, the puzzles were great, It is neat how they use features of the ds you couldnt imagine, like using the top as a stamp and stamping the bottom screen, and reflecting the iamge of the top screen onto the bottom screen. Whoever created these puzzles, has a great mind and i hope to see a sequel! Because this one ended so soon. I would say buy it, it is not super high priced like some of the ds games, and it is probably the best one, so definitely buy!!!
A great mystery in a great game. September 28, 2005
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Trace Memory is really a bit of a throwback. There's a genre of game that consists of static scenes that you move through to gain pieces of story and items and puzzles. Usually these are mystery games, and examples I know of are Shadowgate, Deja Vu, Myst (and all it's imitators). Trace Memory also falls into this category.
In Trace Memory, you take the role of a 14 year old girl who is searching for her father. Believed dead, he contacted her on her birthday to ask to meet her on Blood Edwards Island. Once there, she finds the island deserted and sets off to find her father (and unravel the mystery of his disappearance). To tell you any more would be cruel, as it's best to find out for yourself.
The game takes place over both screens. You control Ashley (the heroine) on the bottom screen in a top down view. As you explore, you'll see static pictures of your view on the top screen. If you want to examine them, the static picture drops to the bottom screen and you can point at and examine items to see if they're of interest.
It sounds clunky, and it could be, but with the stylus and touchscreen it flows beautifully. Trace Memory really works with the DS. In fact, many of the puzzles require ingenius manipulation of items with the stylus to find the solution. It works, and breathes new life into an old genre.
The puzzles themselves are somewhat typical of the type of game, but they all work and for those new to this style will seem innovative (which some indeed are) and difficult (which is also true for the uninitiated). Many times, sadly, frustration comes from simply not knowing what items you can and can't interact with, but this is a rare faulting.
The graphics of the game are beautiful, with a melding of pre-rendered scenes, polygonal puzzle-settings, and characters done in gorgeous hand-drawn style. It's really perfect in creating the mood and atmosphere of Blood Edwards Island, and immerses you in the story.
Sadly, I can't talk about that story, which is the most interesting and entertaining part of the game. It is simply too good to spoil, so I will only implore you to play it, and enjoy it for yourself.
One note, also, is that the game is fairly short. I imagine that it wouldn't take more than 8 hours to play through it, though I am only half through. Replay value depends upon the person, I imagine, though the game gives you new information and a slightly different ending your second time through.
All in all, I can't recommend this one enough. It's a great game, a great example of an old genre brought to the modern stage, and--above all--a deep and emotional story.
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