"It's Like Paying For A Free Sample, Only Worse."

Let me start of by saying that Ping Pals almost cannot even be considered a game. The main target of it is to provide a chat system so you can talk to nearby people from your DS to theirs. This sounds swell and all, but there are some major problems.

Problem #1
Like I said, Ping Pals is a chat system basically. Well what is the point when every Nintendo DS comes with a built in chat system called Pictochat that is just as good? To clarify, Ping Pals may be more "customizable" as you can pick a background and make a goofy avatar, but to be honest, no one is looking at your avatar anyways, and the backgrounds just get in the way. Not to mention, everything you want to get in Ping Pals (items, clothes) you must buy at the Ping Pals store with money you earn in the game.

Also, compared to Pictochat (the free, built-in program), Ping Pal's keyboard is harder to see and use, the writing area is much smaller, and all you can use is English letters. Pictochat has a larger area, a cleaner and better looking keyboard, and many different symbols/characters, and even some Japanese letters.

Problem #2
Okay by now you should understand that Pictochat is built into every DS for free. So why would somebody pay $30 for a char program that is basically the same thing, maybe even worse? And to top it off, both people who want to chat must have the game. So what are the changes of you buying this $30 "game" and another friend buying it and then you both happen to wind up within 100 feet of each other, both with a DS and Ping Pals. Slim to none, which is why this game is no good.

Problem #3
Ping Pals does have one player games, so you don't NEED to have a friend to use it, but the one player games are corny, such as Hi-Lo or Top 10. And the only real point to the mini-games is to earn coins to buy more clothes and items. And the clothes and items are basically pointless unless you have another friend to see them, so why even bother? I don't want to sound like I am bashing, I am only telling the blunt truth.

Other Stuff
Sure, Ping Pals lets you edit the sound of chat messages, you can change text colors, and make an avatar just for yourself, but like I states in Problem #2, no one else is going to notice your avatar/settings, mostly because there is a slim chance that any of your friends even own this game. So what fun is it to customize an avatar that only you will see? Heh, try and answer that one.

And as you already know, but I must say it again... when you purchase Ping Pals, you are basically buying something that has been given to you for free, and you are getting ripped off in my opinion. The DS's built-in Pictochat has a bigger writing space, a nicer looking interface, different pencil widths, and more keyboard options.

If you are looking for a cruel game with short, not-very-fun mini-games and a more vibrant interface, then go ahead and get Ping Pals. But when you are stuck chatting to yourself, earning coins after already buying everything in the store, don't say I didn't warn you.

Reviewer's Score: 1/10, Originally Posted: 02/18/05