User Reviews (1 - 11 of 23)

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stink burger

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 26
Date: March 25, 2005
Author: Amazon User

this game was the worst game exer i would never reccomend it to anyone accept 3 year olds.

Not the best game out there

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 9
Date: July 14, 2005
Author: Amazon User

It seems to me that this game was rushed to get on the market. Not only is it badly translated to english, but the game is pretty repetative and boring. The producers could have spent more time on this game or included it into an arcade style game with multiple other games. The graphics on it could have been more expirimental than just a bunch of 2-D animals and people. I have to admit that there was hardly any distortion, but what else would you expect from a new handheld? This game is definately not worth your money and if you have to have it buy it used or wait for the price to drop. Dont waste your money when you could be getting a good game.

This game sux

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 24
Date: December 27, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game sux when I got it for christmas and put it on my ds all is, is 1 puzzel game and its all about timing and rushing you when there are no matches to hit. dont get this game, get something like robots trust me!

Cute, Pointless

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 6
Date: February 10, 2006
Author: Amazon User

At times, I find the entire 'puzzle' genre suffering from a misnomer. Puzzle titles often feel more 'twitch' than cerebral. Tetris catalyzed this genre's marriage of pattern-recognition with near-instantaneous player reaction, which has long since become the primary element of games from Dr. Mario to Bust-A-Move. The reason Tetris remains the archetype for the genre is lost on a game like Zoo Keeper; in a round of Tetris, the player is always 'building' their game, despite the mound of blocks being constructed only to then be skillfully eliminated from play. Games that successfully model the Tetris experience ooze a sense of control and personality.

Zoo Keeper keeps it simple, but not in the refreshing, Spartan manner of its superior competitors. The gameplay consists of you switching the position of two adjacent animal icons in order to make a 'capture' of three straight animals. Variants of this game abound (for historians, this is the Sega `Columns' genealogy); there are several online derivations, but often they challenge you to clear the screen - thus, a puzzle with a solution. No such goal in Zoo Keeper; in the main mode, you play until retinal failure. They count on the quirky presentation to get you in the door, what with the intransigent balding Zoo Manager and a slew of blocky, impossibly cute zoo creatures.

While any constant visual input can be mildly engaging, Zoo Keeper ultimately feels like a game one would find free-of-charge on Yahoo games ("Bejeweled," to be precise). Primarily, I question how much gameplay exists beyond the simple recognition of available moves. The game's puzzle mode would have you believe that there is something resembling deeper gameplay here involving combos and chains, but the nature of the constantly refreshing screen (pieces fall from above as they are eliminated from the playing field) lend this game a degree of randomness that belies any sense of planning. Granted, maybe I'm just not apt enough at reading the entire screen as a whole, but this game delivers scant satisfaction when the occasional 10-chain hits the board. How much does the player have to do with the chains when they are so often supplied by the pieces randomly falling from the top of the screen? A Zoo Keeper Zen state would be about as interesting as mastering a word search puzzle, your eyes blurred on a field of letters.

There have been times in life in which I have sought out fairly mindless diversions such as Zoo Keeper; the modicum of skill they award, combined with the hypnotic gameplay and eye-darting around the screen, can produce a pleasantly thoughtless state (a state I enjoyed in avoiding my undergraduate work). At the end of the day, this game dutifully serves its function of wasting your free time.

Great puzzle game, but not much else.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: December 13, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game is an upgraded Tetris game. Your screen is filled with little animal heads all stacked up. Using the stylus or d-pad, you move these heads around and try to make a chain of at least three of the same head. There are many different modes to choose from, and there is even a two player mode. It really makes you think and brings out the puzzle player in you.

There are a few cons in this game, however. The two player battle mode is very short, and there is only one mode to choose from. The game may not be the game that will keep you busy for multiple hours, but instead, a game that is better played periodically. There also isn't much of a story line, just puzzles. The game is a great puzzle game, but for players who enjoy more adventure or actiony games, this is not the game for you.

Overall, this game is not bad, but not my favorite. I guess it just depends on the person playing.

The best portable puzzler in a LONG time

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 19 / 22
Date: April 30, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Zoo Keeper (2004.)

INTRODUCTION:
Ever since Nintendo released the Game Boy in 1989 and included Tetris with it, video game companies have always strived to create puzzlers for portable consoles - games that would be easy to learn but tough to master, and portable too. Although many games like this were released over the years, no one ever seemed to be able to top Tetris. With the arrival of Nintendo's new DS portable gaming system in 2004, many game companies jumped at the opportunity to make games for the new portable system. Among these games was a new puzzler - Zoo Keeper, from Ignition Entertainment. Read on for my review of the DS puzzler.

PROS:
Ignition Entertainment has succeeded beautifully at creating one of those games that is easy to learn but tough to master - and it's highly addictive, too. The concept of the game is simple enough - match up vertical or horizontal roles of animal faces to make them disappear - and bring more onto the screen. Every match brings you closer to advancing to the next level and gives you more time. Gameplay continues until time runs out. The gameplay takes place on the bottom DS screen, making this the perfect game for using your DS stylus pen (alternatively you can move the cursor around with the control pad, but you'll fast find that the touch screen is the best way to do business.) Another great feature is wireless multiplayer - you only need one copy of the game, as long as each player has their own DS. It won't take long before you're hooked to this game the way I am. And considering it's cheaper than a lot of other DS titles out there, what have you got to lose?

CONS:
Really, there's not a whole lot wrong with this game. One problem is that it's not likely to hold your attention forever (once you play multiplayer, you'll fast discover that the standard one-player games pale in comparison.) While a fun game, no puzzle game will eternally have a hold of your interest. Still, if you're bored and on the go, and you need a quick timekiller, you'll find that this game is ideal.

OVERALL:
Overall this is a great game, and one of the finest DS releases so far. Chances are that a lot of game developers are going to try to make puzzle titles for the DS, and this is proof that they're going to be able to make some damn good ones. If you've got a DS and you like puzzle games, don't hesitate to pick this one up.

zoo keeper

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 12 / 13
Date: January 30, 2005
Author: Amazon User

very good game. Only for puzzle fans though. I am a puzzle fan so i really like this game.

- get 3 of the same type of animal in a row and more random animals will fall in their place

- there are many differnent modes so you wont get bored. A little expensive for the simple game but all the modes almost make up for it.

- i havent tried the multiplayer yet so i dont know how it is

overall very good game for puzzle lovers

only con is that they set the computer highscores way too high so it's really hard to get on the hight score board

Pretty Good

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 7
Date: August 28, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I played this game at my friends house and it was more fun than i had expected. When it was 40 dollars the game was a rip off but now that its $20 its worth the price.

It's The Best Puzzle For My DS

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: May 03, 2006
Author: Amazon User

It's Pretty Much Bejewled (witch is an online puzzle game) But With Animal And On My DS. But You Will Probobly Think " Hmph. Zoo Keeper? how Childish." Well It's Not Like That. It Will Never Get Boring And Better Than (almost) Evrey DS Game. And ?There You Have it.

minute waster

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 7
Date: October 03, 2005
Author: Amazon User

It's a great game when you don't really want to get involved. Just turn on, choose the style you wish to play and go. No-brainer. It's a great game to play when you don't have alot of time to play, or you're too tired to really concentrate.
Too bad you can't save your game on a certain level to return to it later.

Mary

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