Pipe-Mania (DS) Review
Posted by Drew Robbins on 12.26.2008
Love the Bioshock hacking game? Nobody did, but the men and women of Empire Interactive have taken that formula and polished it off, creating an interesting puzzler for the DS.
Title: Pipe Mania
Publisher: Empire Interactive
Developer: Atari
Genre: Puzzle
Players: 1
Rated: E for Everyone
Also available on: PlayStation 2, PC, PSP
Plumbers have had a pretty grand effect on the gaming industry, as they are, of course, the basis for the legendary duo of Mario and Luigi. That isn’t to say that Mario and Luigi are the only plumbers in gaming, and to prove that fact, we have Pipe Mania. In Pipe Mania, we are introduced to two characters who are sure to be remembered for years to comemonths to come a few days. There names are, and this is just great, Fawcett (the girl) and Alfonso Junior. Now as commissioner of bad puns, I understand why Fawcett is there, but what kind of name is Alfonso Junior?
With that out of the way, let’s shift focus to the main story. Often, developers will take a game with a ridiculous concept and taking it seriously, but the brains at Atari were above such absurdities! What we have here is the single most ridiculous story of all time, involving cowboy plumbers, and, well, cowboy plumbers, that is all you need to know. This opening is actually pretty decent for a few reasons, namely this game knows that the story is rubbish, and the animation isn’t terrible. Even the voice acting didn’t make me want to have someone go Mike Tyson on my ears.
After the introduction you are whisked away to a menu, which gives you three choices on how you can go about playing the game. What we have here is really just the basics, story, arcade, and a remake of the original Pipe Mania. Yes, believe it or not, this game is actually a remake, of a game that is about 18 years old. Things, for the most part, haven’t changed, except for the box art…which is completely bogus, I mean, look at this!
Tell me that doesn’t just scream excitement!
As a remake, Pipe Mania actually does improve on quite a few things, first and foremost being the graphics. The game used to look like Mine Sweeper, and now it looks much more presentable. Backdrops for the pipe-puzzles are generally colorful and certainly aren’t harmful to the eye.
Something that is more or less the same, though, is the gameplay. As you play through a level, you will strategically place pieces of pipe, hoping to fit several together into a larger pipe that will reach the goal. The game requires you set a certain amount of pipe, to make you more creative in how you pursue the goal. A few of you may remember my Bioshock review a couple of months back, where I mentioned that the hacking mini-game was the only real setback of the game. Why is this relevant? Well, Pipe Mania and the Bioshock hacking are very similar, but I can assure you that the pipe gameplay in Pipe Mania is much more polished and doesn’t serve only to frustrate you. Instead of playing more of a “match game” a la Bioshock’s pipe game, you are given a drop-down menu displaying which kind of pipes are on deck next, similar to Tetris DS.
Normally I’m supposed to delve into a game’s sound but, once again, like with Unsolved Crimes, I don’t have much to talk about. During your pipe-missions a tune plays that, well, it isn’t terrible. However, my recommendation is to have your MP3 player handy, as it isn’t anything really worth hearing. When voice acting is present, though, it is somewhat enjoyable, as it is outlandishly goofy to hear a middle-aged man talk about Cowboy plumbers.
The 411
Pipe-Mania is an interesting game, many will pass it off as shovelware but it actually turned out quite well. It is the first DS game I’ve played in a while that tacked on interesting touch screen effects without hampering the gameplay, and the game’s puzzles force you to find inventive ways to the finish. Even when you think you’ve seen it all, the game throws in a few interesting twists to keep the game fresh.
For a value of $12 at your local Gamestop, it is a pretty decent deal. There are certainly better puzzle games on the DS, but if you are tired of falling blocks or sudoku, this could very well be the game for you.
Graphics
6.5
Overwhelmingly average, though the animated cutscenes are pretty well done.
Gameplay
7.0
More polished and less frustrating version of the Bioshock hacking game, with some decent touch-screen effects.
Sound
4.0
Pull out your iPods!
Lasting Appeal
6.0
A very short game, but the arcade mode and remake mode could hold your interest for a while longer.
