DJ3K holds a special place in my heart; I joined Club Penguin the day it came out and so there were a lot of sentimental feelings toward it. While it wasn't the best game (it was pretty simple, after all), I still appreciated it for what it was: a nice, little roadside attraction.
So, when it was announced that DJ3K would be retired, I was a little annoyed. However, I still have faith in Club Penguin and I don't despise change, so, I walked into the game with an open mind.
The best thing I can say about it is that it is pretty much bug free. I only experienced lag once in my first few experiences, and even that only lasted for a few seconds. The game is also very clean and straight forward; everything is easy to find and use.
The actual music making is nice enough. There is room for a lot more variety than DJ3K provided, but, still, there isn't a huge selection of unique sounds. The sound effects buttons don't add much; in fact, I'd argue that, having listened to multiple tracks made with the game, it takes away from the song when they are used. However, there is a good variety of said effects. It's also worth noting that no elements that you were able to use in the original game remain, which is disappointing.
The game isn't incredibly pleasing to look at because it's so simple. The art direction of the menus and instructions is pretty boring. The main game is pretty simplistic and dull as well. While the buttons do have vibrant images, many of them are copied many times over and make the board look cluttered and messy. Additionally, all personality has been drained from the game; while DJ3K had various different machines to look at it, SoundStudio offers a board with buttons; while DJ3K showed your penguin and even your yellow puffle dancing, gradually becoming more and more enthused by the song, SoundStudio, again, offers a board with buttons.
The removal of coins is a shame as well, though it's not game breaking. Naming songs is kind of a useless feature, especially with the filter being broken. Recording and sharing music is easy at least, but the same can not be said about the part of the sharing feature that takes place outside of the game. The "like pad" is far too small and, much like the Friends List, rarely works right. The text - particularly the "Come back to like again tomorrow" message, is so cramped and small. More importantly, I have only been able to like my song once; there is no "come back tomorrow" part of it. And, while this is really getting picky, the "like pad's" permanent default location in the Dance Club covers up part of the Dance Contest sign, which is kind of dumb. The fact you can move it around the screen like a playercard is welcome, at least when that function actually works.
To close, SoundStudio is a largely unnecessary update to the music making system. While there's more potential for your music and the liking idea is a nice thought, the game's design is incredibly lazy and leaves much to be desired. I'm very tired of being harsh on Club Penguin, but this game is yet another creation where I have to do so.
Score: 4/10
As Billybob would say, Waddle On!
- Chillin43
The reason Club Penguin replaced DJ3K is so that it would be easier to use on the Club Penguin app. This isn't confirmed, but just look at it! DJ3K was made for an online computer, SoundStudio has bigger buttons and was made for an app. It's just my theory, you can believe what you want.
ReplyDeleteGreat theory!
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