His vision fading, Ryu Hayabusa slumps to the ground as the hundreds of fiendish abominations surround him. It seems as though evil has won this day as Ryu breathes his last and falls to the ground. Elsewhere, a controller is hurled against the wall as the words GAME OVER decorate the screen once again. This sounds like something out of a gamer's nightmare, but it was the typical story for anyone who played Ninja Gaiden on Xbox. A great game to be sure, but how will its surprising descendant fare on the Nintendo DS? After all, Nintendo and …
[Read more...]

Admittedly, I'm not a fan of real-time-strategy games, and it would take a darn good one to hold my button-mashing oriented attention. So while Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command for Nintendo DS is not a game I would go out and buy, I can confidently say it's not a horrible game, either. Actually, the multiplayer and Wi-Fi modes are enough to warrant a purchase for hardcore RTS fans, many of whom salivate over everything Warhammer anyway. But several things hold this game back from pleasing everyone else. Based on the popular table-top series, …
[Read more...]

Finally Contra fans are treated to the nostalgic masterpiece they've been waiting for since the original. The fourth in series has all the right elements from the first game, but takes it to the next level with excellent level design, insane difficulty, and frenzy paced spread shot killing that feels and plays like a true Contra sequel. That said, Contra 4 is not for the passive gamer. The levels are often challenging beyond belief and only the true fan of the series will appreciate this. What makes Contra 4 work so well is that the developers …
[Read more...]

If you ever wanted your hand in designing your own game without the hassle of programming and story development, then you might find Drawn to Life for the Nintendo DS quite appealing. Drawn to Life lets you take your DS stylus and create a variety of things, from your character's avatar to the weapons you'll use in your adventure. While the limitations of the designs are left to the holder, the ability to design unique images for your character is a lot of fun, and it's cool to see your work put to use as you play through the platformer. …
[Read more...]

Pinball games tend to fit perfectly on the Nintendo DS because of the position of the two bumpers and the second screen for increased table length. While the DS has seen its fair share of traditional pinball games, Zen Studios has taken it a step further and has created a colorful pinball world that feels more like a platform explorer than a straightforward pinball table filled with bumpers and bonus ramps. The most obvious transformation of the pinball table paradigm is the use of environments within the world your ball travels. You'll find …
[Read more...]

We usually get an uneasy feeling every time we sit down with a game that is simultaneously released with a summer blockbuster, and Transformers: Autobots is no exception. While the console version of Transformers lets players choose whether to play as the Autobots or the Decepticons, DS players are forced to choose sides using their pocketbooks, as each side has its own game. Our first thoughts were that the two titles would be the same experience, with the only exceptions being voiceovers and robot skins. Thankfully the developers created two …
[Read more...]

With two nearly identical Transformers games coming to DS on the same day, we refer you to the nearly identical review for Transformers: Autobots in addition to this one. However, if you just want to read a single review, read this one and consider it applicable to both games. After all, the games are pretty similar -- and both of them disappoint in a big way. We usually get an uneasy feeling every time we sit down with a game that is simultaneously released with a summer blockbuster, and Transformers: Decepticons is no exception. While the …
[Read more...]

Ok Konami, we get it -- you have a huge library of classic arcade titles, and you're willing to use 'em. We get it, honest, but if you're going to port them to every platform under ths sun, it'd be nice if you made sure the gameplay would feel right on each platform. Case in point - the huge pack of games in Konami Classic Series for DS. For the most part, the collection is a good one, but there are some games on here that are so hard to play, that it saps the enjoyment from some of the better titles. Case in point, Scramble, a game that may …
[Read more...]

Talk about a simple concept for a game - take a look at two pictures and spot the differences. That's all there is to Namco-Bandai's QuickSpot for DS, and while it seems pretty simplistic, the game achieves its goals of being enjoyable without requiring hours of your time. It's simple enough for kids to pick up, but challenging enough (in the advanced settings) to keep any adult busy. Being that this is a DS title, and brain-builder titles are all the rage on the DS, the game is positioned as yet another brain-age type title. While …
[Read more...]

Hotel Dusk: Room 215 was a mystery to many. The game came out of nowhere, with few previews and even fewer screenshots and news announcements. What little we knew was this - 1. It was a mystery title 2. It had brilliant art stylings, a mix of pencil drawings, animation and colors 3. It was meant to be a sort of interactive fiction, to the point where you even held the DS like a book 4. There were going to be lots of challenging puzzles that took advantage of the DS' unique features On the first three accounts, Nintendo really knocked it out of …
[Read more...]