I've finally managed to procure a Nintendo DS, which I'm very pleased with overall. The technology is well implemented, I've had no problems with the touch screen. So far I've purchased the necessary Mario game, and this afternoon I treated myself to a copy of Nintendogs. I'm not typically a sim gamer, nor am I inclined to purchase games based on "cute" factor, but the games appearance is actually quite deceiving; there's enough depth here to sink an armada.

Instead of discussing the points of the game, there's an issue I have with the game play; it requires you to wait between certain activities. Normally, this would seem logical with a game of this particular genre, but I've spent over an hour waiting for my dog to settle down in order to teach her new tricks. Setting the clock forward doesn't seem to help either, so for the moment, I have a game that isn't working in order to satisfy realism of owning a dog.

The idea of gameplay facets based on timing isn't new. A game that used this to what I think is it's own detriment is Boktai for the game boy advance. This game was excellent, combining Hideo Kojima's signature stealth with some action segments. The idea of using the sun was a mix of interest and frustration. Not being able to play without sunlight (i.e. inside, at night, on a plane, etc....) significantly reduced it's appeal to me.

Zelda: Ocarina of Time was a brilliant game that used a variety of different mechanics, including timing. Though it was nice, changing the scenery, and what enemies were abound in the land of Hyrule, the effect was minimal. Certainly it didn't detract from the experience, but it almost seemed superfluous in the way it was used.

Final Fantasy 11, an mmorpg for the pc and ps2, used timing based gameplay for certain aspects of the game. For example, fishing at certain times of the day, week, and month could gather your character different items. Fishing, while relying on timing, was not dominated by it, and it certainly didn't hinder gameplay to frustrating levels, which is exactly the syncretism that developers should strive for.

Regardless of what my preferences are, I'm stuck with a game that I can't play, and while certainly this entry may seem like simple churlish frustration, it's a plea for developers to understand that no matter what goes into a game, if you sacrifice fun for gameplay, you've sacrificed the game.