Taboo The Sixth Sense (NES) Review
System NES
Developer Rare Publisher Tradewest Genre Simulation # of Players 1 Release Date January 13, 1987 |
Pros
Interesting premise for a game Manual is filled with a lot of information on tarot card readings Cons No real gameplay Replay value for most will be limited Without the manual the game is limited |
Review
by Thonos
Taboo is a tarot card simulation game developed by Rare and published by Tradewest. This is a interesting concept for a game since tarot card readings in general are subject to interpretation of the person receiving the reading. Although the concept is interesting, the execution, while achieving what it sets out to do, falls short in a few categories.
First off this game has no real gameplay to speak off. The whole game is that you enter your name, date of birth, whether your male or female and then you enter your question. The game then shows you a animation of it shuffling cards and places ten cards on the screen. It then goes thru the cards in a particular order, showing you the card and explaining the reading one at a time. After the reading you select what state you live in and the game shows you your lucky numbers. This is the extent of the game. Now while this is a good representation of how a tarot card reading is done, when you put it into a game format, this leads to a very short game. Now you can go thru the process again and ask a different question, but the replay value of this game is very limited unless you plan your life around tarot card readings.
Graphics are limited due to the lack of any real action taking place. What graphics are in the game are suitable and get the job done, but nothing great, even for a NES game. Sound follows the same pattern here, it works for the game but nothing spectacular.
Even though the game itself might feel limited, the game manual is filled with a wealth of information pertaining to the art of tarot cards. The manual goes over some of the history of tarot cards, explanation of card placements and talks about the meaning of the cards. I found this to be a very good read and if someone is interested into learning more about tarot cards this could be a good information source if you happen to get the manual with the game. However, more than likely if you got this game now you would only be getting the game cartridge, and its a shame that the game isn't as informative.
Making a game based on tarot cards sounds like a fun idea. The problem with this is that when its all the game does, its novelty wears off after about thirty minutes and you are left with a game that isn't really a game and unless you are interested or fascinated with tarot card readings, this is a game only for game collectors.
by Thonos
Taboo is a tarot card simulation game developed by Rare and published by Tradewest. This is a interesting concept for a game since tarot card readings in general are subject to interpretation of the person receiving the reading. Although the concept is interesting, the execution, while achieving what it sets out to do, falls short in a few categories.
First off this game has no real gameplay to speak off. The whole game is that you enter your name, date of birth, whether your male or female and then you enter your question. The game then shows you a animation of it shuffling cards and places ten cards on the screen. It then goes thru the cards in a particular order, showing you the card and explaining the reading one at a time. After the reading you select what state you live in and the game shows you your lucky numbers. This is the extent of the game. Now while this is a good representation of how a tarot card reading is done, when you put it into a game format, this leads to a very short game. Now you can go thru the process again and ask a different question, but the replay value of this game is very limited unless you plan your life around tarot card readings.
Graphics are limited due to the lack of any real action taking place. What graphics are in the game are suitable and get the job done, but nothing great, even for a NES game. Sound follows the same pattern here, it works for the game but nothing spectacular.
Even though the game itself might feel limited, the game manual is filled with a wealth of information pertaining to the art of tarot cards. The manual goes over some of the history of tarot cards, explanation of card placements and talks about the meaning of the cards. I found this to be a very good read and if someone is interested into learning more about tarot cards this could be a good information source if you happen to get the manual with the game. However, more than likely if you got this game now you would only be getting the game cartridge, and its a shame that the game isn't as informative.
Making a game based on tarot cards sounds like a fun idea. The problem with this is that when its all the game does, its novelty wears off after about thirty minutes and you are left with a game that isn't really a game and unless you are interested or fascinated with tarot card readings, this is a game only for game collectors.