Is that a Rhino in your pocket?

I had the chance to play Zoo Tycoon 2 for the Nintendo DS recently and I am pleased to say it is an improvement over the original. If you like animals and like to get up close and personal with them, then you'll enjoy this update over the original DS offering.

The first thing you'll notice is that you can actually interact with the animals in 3D in a series of mini games that let you groom them, feed them, pet them and care for them when they're sick. The animals will react to your treatment in fun ways, but be aware that the animals will not walk away and you cannot stroll through the zoo like you can in the PC version of Zoo Tycoon 2. Also, the interaction is a far cry from the level of play in Nintendogs.

The animal collector card system has been updated as well. Instead of buying cards blindly like you did in the original game, the cards are earned by placing the animal in your zoo. Pretty easy, huh? Clicking on an earned card lets you view the animal in 3D where you can view the animal from all angles and make it play all of the animations for the beasts.

There are other unlockables in the game which are fairly straightforward. Most of the unlockables will be achieved by earning awards in the campaign game. Those that you can't earn in the campaign game you can earn in this manner:

Step 1: Make a freeform zoo.
Step 2: Add animals and get the zoo up the the maximum (7 star) rating - if you've completed the campaign series, this will be second nature to you.
Step 3: Plug your DS into a wall outlet and leave it on for a few hours. Check periodically and replace any animals that die of old age.

That's it. All you have to do is sit and let your zoo run until you hit the 50 year milestone and you will have unlocked all of the remaining awards.

Sadly, this game does not have much in the way of replayability. In spite of the fact that there are a variety of animals, all of the exhibits feel the same. Once I had done it all (see above) I really didn't want to play anymore. Which is a big strike against any game in my opinion.

In summary, Zoo Tycoon 2 is a vast improvement over the original. This game is far more playable and the interaction with the animals is a nice plus. If you love exotic animals, you might want to give this game a try.

Stuck

I'm still struggling with the cold I caught, so just a few updates today.

This week's cartoon concerns priorities. Gotta have 'em, right?

There comes a time in many games where I hit a wall - I get stuck and have to decide how many times I'm going to put my head down and run full speed at that wall before giving up. In Star Trek Legacies, it happens with a mission full of asteroids and the assistance of three computer controlled ships that can't be trusted to blow their nose, much less guard a point and destroy oncoming targets. After much struggles, I have put that one away - maybe I'll take it up again later and wonder what all the fuss was about - but I doubt it.

Another game is Zoo Tycoon DS - in it you have a limited amount of time to breed two specific animals. However, (and the game itself admits this) there is nothing you can do to make sure the animals breed before time runs out. So time after time I would complete all of the other mission requirements, get one of the animals to breed, and wait for the other to do absolutely nothing!! Completing the mission depended entirely on luck - not the sort of thing you want in such an involved scenario. So thanks for nothing, Zoo Tycoon DS.

I have hit a couple of walls in Advance Wars Days of Ruin, but have managed to get past them after a few tries and searching the message boards on the internet. In at least one case, when I found the solution, I was surprised at how easily the computer opponent rolled over for me. To put it mildly, I crushed them after countless exasperating times when I was the one being crushed. So I technically haven't hit the wall on this one yet, but I've come close a couple of times.

So that's the news for today. Stay tuned for more.