THQ explains Cross Save
Unlock stuff in kids games by buying more of them. Or something.
THQ's revealed that the PlayStation 2 copies of four of its licensed Nickelodeon games can spot each other's save data on a Memory Card and unlock new toys upon its discovery.
Tak: The Great Juju Challenge, SpongeBob SquarePants: Lights, Camera PANTS! and Nicktoons Unite! currently support the feature, while Barnyard - apparently due out in the second half of 2006 - will also benefit.
THQ calls the feature "Cross Save", and reckons it's quite unique. Players can apparently unlock costumes, more health, magical abilities, vehicles and all sorts of other things.
Unique would be a bit of a stretch though - in fact, we can think of several examples of publisher whose titles look for existing save game data. Konami's Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance, for example, would unlock a few otherwise-restricted bits and pieces if it found Document of Metal Gear Solid 2 data on the Memory Card.
Meanwhile, EA's sports titles have been intermingling like this for some time. Tiger Woods, for example, searches for existing save data and then gives you some starting funds if there's anything present, and there are also examples of sports games that search for games from the same publisher and reward those too.
Still, it makes a change for me to have my PANTS! complementing something else and not the other way around.