November 18, 2004 - You see her across the way, for just a moment as you are passing by. It's just a glimpse, certainly a one-sided notice. You have no effect on her -- another in a crowd is all you are -- but what she does to you without even trying is this: she changes your life. Her beauty, it's something you can't describe. It is something you can't even picture. She is the imageless picture of love. You haven't fallen for her at first sight -- you've been knocked over by her mere presence, and whatever glimpse or scent or sound you have caught of her in that instance keeps sending you tumbling faster and faster. She is at once nothing and everything. You don't know who she is, where she is going, or what she is all about ... you just know that she is somebody that you would die for.

Your move now is to approach this woman, pass her the Nintendo DS, and say, "Excuse me, miss, but this game seems to be all about you..."

Features

• Quirky storytelling and innovative gameplay
• Unlockable game modes and costume changes
• Touchscreen, microphone and GBA port support
• For 1 player
• Only for Nintendo DS

Feel The Magic: XY/XX is a story about love and longing, danger and dancing, shouting and stunts, rabbits and red skirts, and most of all, lots and lots of touching. It's Sega's first offering for the new Nintendo DS, following in the grand tradition of Sega experiments such as Space Channel 5, Samba De Amigo, Seaman ... heck, even The Ooze. Like all of those games (and incorporating elements of each of them in some unique way), Feel The Magic is an experimental experience that, while likely to be copied by or lend influence to several games in the future, will always remain unique. Also like many of those games, unfortunately, those unique qualities don't allow for a lot of variety or replay value to the game.

The charm of Feel The Magic is instant: this is a game out for your heart, and for its brief time with you, it'll have it. Ventured through about 25 minigames (a few repeat, with variations in between), the game romances you with the story of a man who's fallen head-over-heels for a woman he's just met. Through bizarre circumstance (and I do mean bizarre -- it has something to do with a group of bunny-eared performance artists called the Rub Rabbits, a guy who's accidentally swallowed goldfish and needs you to push them up and out of his stomach, and a terrifying stamped of bulls that must be fought off while skiers slush down the same mountain), you do get to become close to the girl and eventually win her favors.

	It's a little perverted, a little silly, and a lot of fun.

The silly story is endearing, but one of the biggest credits to this game is the way it plays the story out interactively. Everything is just minigame after minigame (with simple cut-scene interstitials along the way), but several of these micro gaming experiences bring you right into the story in ways that you've rarely been drawn in before. The stage where you two fall in love by holding hands -- a stage where you are an active participant, as you touch her swinging hand on the touchscreen as you two walk through a park, then brush attacking bees away while being mindful not to swat your heartthrob in the process -- rivals games such as Ico in making the player honestly fall in love with someone who is only digital pixels on a screen.