Destineer PAX 2007 Booth Overview
By: Steven Hopper

Destineer offers a bevy of games with the casual set in mind.

At this year’s PAX in Seattle, Washington, several publishers and developers were out in full force, displaying their offerings for the near future. Destineer Games was one such publisher on hand at the show, showing a varied mix of Nintendo DS and Wii games that offered a broad appeal to a spectrum of gamers. With titles ranging from the racing genre to casual puzzle games, Destineer will offer something for everyone this year.

Perhaps the biggest title on Destineer’s plate this upcoming holiday season is Indianapolis 500 Legends, coming for NDS and Wii. The game is a recreation of the Indy car racing experience from 1961 to 1971, which many Indy purists consider to be the golden age of the sport. The cars exhibit the front engine “Speed Racer” look of that period, leading all the way up to the “Whoosh” mobiles, which were basically jet engines with wheels strapped on. The game uses the commonplace “Wii” way to control your car, basically holding the Wii-mote sideways and steering like you would a car. The game also had some pit mini-games where you’d have to point the Wii-mote at the screen and perform pit tasks like refueling and changing a tire. There will also be quite a few extra missions, like Battle missions where you must beat a historic rival and basically change the outcome of a well-known race and Dodge missions, where you must navigate your way through spectacular crashes in order to not become a part of them. While the NDS version will feature only half the cars of the Wii version with fifteen, the NDS will use full stylus controls for steering, which actually feel quite comfortable. Aside from this, the two are essentially the same.

Next up at Destineer’s booth was Homie Rollerz for the Nintendo DS, the first title to be based on the Homiez merchandise franchise. The game will be a kart racer similar in theme to Mario Kart where you can purchase upgrades as you go, like hydraulics that allow you to lean into curves. The game will feature no stylus controls, making for a simple D-Pad controlling scheme. Ten tracks will be available to play in the game, with varied environments like a Circus and Hollywood to race on. There will also be ten available characters to race as, two of which are unlockable. While the game had a long way to go at the PAX display, the game’s simple controls and accessible gameplay make it one that casual gamers or fans of the merchandise may enjoy.

The newest entry from Destineer to use the Fullmetal Alchemist license at the booth was the Fullmetal Alchemist Trading Card Game for Nintendo DS. The game will be a niche title that may have some fairly limited appeal, but fans of the card game will find a lot to appreciate here. The game will feature voice acting from the actual voice actors featured on the show, the cards will be thirty percent larger than in any other Fullmetal Alchemist card game, and will offer a full card view, where both DS screens will display the whole top to bottom card. The game will use local wireless and WiFi as well for online play.

WordJong is an upcoming DS game that could very well be a sleeper hit for Destineer. The game is a cross between Mahjong and Scrabble, requiring you to clear the tiles off the screen by spelling out words with the available letters instead of matching the same tiles. The game is pretty addicting, offering ad-hoc and online play, as well as a daily mode that allows you to compete against yourself in a match that you completed at an earlier date.

The last title on Destineer’s roster was John Deere: Harvest in the Heartland for Nintendo DS. Showcasing some obvious inspiration from the successful Harvest Moon series, Harvest in the Heartland is a game that allows you to create your very own farm, with fields to plow, water and harvest and farm animals as well. The game will utilize stylus controls by having the player stroke up to pull weeds and those kinds of chores, swipe down to chop down tree stumps, and so on. The John Deere license comes into play at later points in the game, where you are able to purchase and use John Deere tractors and so on, which allows you to work faster and be more productive.

Destineer’s booth showcased some titles that could have some broad appeal for casual gamers this year. Considering how the casual gaming market is currently exploding, this could be a big year for Destineer.

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