Flipnote Studio Review!

Written by Pokefreak

For about eight months now, there's been a DSiWare title that's been buzzing around like crazy. Our pal Pikaby even has a weekly section about it. Flipnote Studio is exactly what is sounds like (and then some), and we'll take a bigger look at it in our review. Grab those stylus's and draw!

Flipnote Studio isn't really a game. It's an art program to create your very own "flipnotes". Basically, flipnotes are videos made by drawing a picture and drawing a second one after it, slightly altered to show movement. I'm sure everyone's familiar with the concept. But it's not as easy as it sounds.

Your main tools are "pen, paint, eraser". The simple concept found in MS Paint. It may not sound like much, but with a good amount of time, I've seen plenty of guys create great drawings with these simple tools. As long as you know what you're doing, it's great. You can also add music or voice with the DS microphone.

The program also supports Wi-Fi. You can check out Flipnote Hatena (the website's DSi section) from the program itself and check out other flipnotes that people have made, or post your own (once you've made a Hatena account on the website). If you really like someone's flipnote, you can download it to your DSi and watch it whenever you want. This is a great feature

A basic drawing. Add more pages to turn it into a full video.

The rating system for online flipnotes runs in "stars". In four colours (red, green, blue and yellow) they symbolize popularity in the video. The more stars you have, the better your flipnote is. Yellow stars are common. Everyone can give those. Green stars can be given only once someone has earned it by having an account for a few months. Red and blue are moderator specific; only mods can give these out. These can sometimes be good indicators for which ones are good. But sadly, that just isn't the case.

There are some drawbacks. With everyone clear to express themselves, there's going to be some stupidity. Many people draw or write stupid things in general, or beg for starts to become famous. Many people will also use copyrighted material, and immediately gain a billion stars due to the public liking that material, not that the creator of the flipnote made it. I don't mind it; it's the immediate gathering of stars that bugs me. And of couse, many internet memes made it in, such as Weegee and OVER 9000. These are funny, but incredibly annoying after the first ten thousand.

I may have ripped on the game a bit, but I still enjoy it. If you find the right people to watch on it's online, you'll have a grand time. And if not, you can spend time practicing your drawing skills and make your own flipnotes. Do it right, and you can become as famous as anyone!

Overall Score: 8.5/10
Bottom Line: Pick your online flipnotes carefully. Other than that, it's great. Best of all? IT'S FREE!

Flipnote Studio Review!