digibutter.nerr

[Popple]

The Digibutter series is back for it's second year on the PC, and if this Madden like trend continues, I wouldn't be suprised if we see this franchise released for many years to come due to the startaling popularity of this originally cult popular game. For those not in the new, Digibutter is a game based on social interactions much like Animal Crossing or The Sims, although your goals are to aquire popularity as opposed to funds or items. And unlike the games it is often compared to, it as an advanced text based communication system that can pick up on combinations of key words and phrases to produce an answer. In retrospect it really is a modern day return to the text based RPGs of old.

The most dissapointing aspect of this newest installment in the Digibutter franchise you will likely notice as soon as you boot it up is the fact that the presentation has barely changed at all. There are several new skins for the menus, but aside from that it seems that the layout of the game hasn't changed since '07. Now this is hardly a complaint, seeing as last years art direction was fantastic, but really it just gives you the sense of sameness that eminates throughout the entire package.

Another problem carried over from the prior installment is the difficulty, something not normally associated with games of this genre. Just as in the pervious game their are several distinct classes of NPCs to interact with. These are Spammers, RPers, Arties, Neerds. There are also the Moderators and the Admin NPCs that serve as the in game libraries of information. Your character will begin as a n00b, and wich group you choose to associate with after that will determine what new skills your character will learn along with how other NPCs will feel towards him or her. For example, gaining the approval of the Spammers is a fairly easy task early on in the game, but by gaining popularity in their group you lose large amounts in almost all of the other social classes, especially RP. And this is where the difficulty sets in. Aside from the spammers, it takes months and months of in game time for the other groups to even realize your exsistance, especially RP, making the process of joining the group more of a chore than the engauging activity it is described as.

Aside from this key flaw, the gameplay in Digibutter still remains one of the more unique in the industry. Just as last year you enter text to communicate with NPCs as well as creating items to show off and a personal avatar to reflect yourself in the game world. This year has several new features including the ability to draw picture in the game as well as play in minigame tournaments for money, items, and popularity points. The Role Play option is back that lets you switch between multiple characters on the fly in certain areas, but honestly it still feels too restrictive in terms of what you can do with them, not to mention that three alternate characters is really too few. You can still make friends with specific NPCs as well, and you will find yourself spending more time on this than particiapting in the group warfare that is the games self proclaimed best feature.

The NPCs themselves are still the highlight of the game. Several of them have some truly witty or thought provoking things to say, and it really is some of the best writing I have seen in recent titles.The Spammer NPCs tend to get annoying though as the tend to all say the exact same thing, which on the whole usually means a one or two word phrase. I understand that it is part of their backstory, but really I think they could have come up with something better considering the effort that went into the other NPCs. The RPers are by far the most ineresting to interact with in the game, though once again it is near impossible to actually gain enough of their respect to get into anything deep. I don't think I can stress enough how much of a factor the broken factions play in ruining some of the best parts of this game, it simply is a shame. Perhaps next years installment can fix the problems and we can finally see what the writers are capable of at their best.

All in all, Digibutter is a pretty fun and unique game. If you liked last years installment, you will like this game as well. It's more of the same with a few new feature, and honestly that might not be such a bad thing. Although there are still a few flaws, the most prominent being the broken group system, it is still a worthwhile piece of software for anyone looking for something a little different.

FINAL SCORE:
7/10

[MALAK]

OH MY GOD YES

FRANCIS FRONTPAGE THIS

[Francis]

Hello, I am a programmer at nerr.biz, the developer of digibutter '08. I wanted to mention that we are hard at work on new DLC to extend digibutter's lasting appeal all year round. We don't just drop support for '08 once it's out the door. Expect a patch soon that will address many of your issues!

(new achievements coming too!)

[Black Yoshi]

[Gold Prognosticus]

[Super Cyber Mario]

That was really good, well thought out. FRONT PAGE!

[Frozenwinters]

That was so fun to read. x3

[Super Maiq the Liar]

[Para]

You win at everything forever.

[Count_Bleck]

[Dragus]

That's an amusing way to put your thoughts.

[Macha]

I think you just won a little, Popple. o:

I do think the programmers could work a little on the alt system for next year, though. =D? *shot*

[Goron Mask]

All I can say is...epic.

[Super Nate Pyrokai]

A-mazing. Also, I'm surprised I was the first to cookie this post o_O

[Zelnor]

Truly amazing, Popple.

In before "What faction am I, Popple ?" questions.

I think I'm RPer. Hopefully.