22/12/2007 20:05:00
Mario Party DS is the 10th installment in the series of Mario Party games, and the fun doesn't seem to end here. With 67 minigames, Mario Party DS is sure to please.
The game starts with a short little movie. It's a starry night, and five dazzling objects shoot across the sky and plummet towards the earth. One of them happens to fall near Mario. The next day, Mario tells the crew about what happened last night. It turns out that this dazzling object was a Sky Crystal! All of a sudden, there is another surprise; the crew receives a letter from Bowser. They open it up, and it's an invitation. Bowser is having a party (with lots of food) to apologize for being such a jerk. Mario and his crew decide to attend this party, unaware of the danger they've made themselves vulnerable to. Shortly after arriving, Mario and his gang find themselves trapped in a cage, and soon shrank to size by Bowser's Minimizer. This was all part of Bowser's plot to get Mario's Sky Crystal. Now Bowser needs to get the remaining four. Mario and his crew wake up and find themselves far away from Bowser's Castle. They decide that they must find the other Sky Crystals, beat Bowser, and return to normal. And so, the party begins.
Characters Mario Party DS features 8 playable characters: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Wario, Waluigi, Yoshi, and Toad. All of these characters are available from the start, so you won't have to unlock them. Boards Mario Party DS has a total of 5 game boards to choose from. However, only 4 of them are available from the start. Each board has its own unique way of making players obtain stars. In one, you must climb to the top of the board, and then you may buy as many stars as you can afford. In another, there are three star boxes. You must pay 10 coins to open each one, but only one holds the star. This keeps the game a bit more interesting.
Minigames: There is a total of 67 minigames in Mario Party DS. There are thirty-two 4-Player minigames, twelve 1-Vs.-3 minigames, thirteen 2-Vs.-2 minigames, five Battle minigames, and five Boss minigames. The minigames feature a variety of control methods. Some of them must be played with the stylus, while others are played with the D-Pad, A,B,X, and Y buttons, and the microphone. These various control methods also help to keep things interesting. Graphics: The graphics in this game aren't mind-blowing, but they look nice. I'd say that they resemble the graphics of Mario Party 3 for Nintendo 64. Nothing special, but they aren't bad.
Gameplay: If you're familiar with the Mario Party games, you'll be able to predict the way you play this game. The object of the game is to obtain the most stars at the end of the match. The game starts off with all four players standing in a line at the beginning of the board. Each player hits a dice block to determine the order in which the players will go in each round. Once the order is decided, each player will hit the dice block and move the amount of spaces rolled. The highest is 10, and the lowest is 1. After all four players have gone, a random minigames is played. If all four players have landed on a blue space, it will be a 4-player minigames. If one player landed on a red space, while the other three have landed on a blue space (or vice versa), you will play a 1-Vs.-3 minigame. If two players land on blue spaces, and two players land on red spaces, you will play a 2-Vs.-2 minigame. Whoever wins the minigame receives 10 coins.
Items: The items in Mario Party DS are essentially no different from the items in any other Mario Party game. The names have been changed from previous games, though. So to make things more clear, I'll use their old names. Some of the items are mushrooms, gold mushrooms, and genie lamps. You can buy these items in the various item shops scattered throughout the boards. There are also hexes that you place down on the board as a space. One type of hex is a 10 Coin Hex. If an opponent lands on your 10 Coin Hex, they give you ten coins. There are star hexes, and 20 Coin hexes.
Single Player: The single player mode, Story Mode, isn't very fun in my opinion. I only play it when I'm REALLY bored. In my opinion, Mario Party is the kind of game that you have to play with your friends, or else you won't really get the full effect of the game. What you have to do in Story Mode is complete 5 game boards and obtain the five Sky Crystals by being the superstar of each stage.
Multiplayer: In my opinion, multiplayer is what makes the Mario Party games fun. There is no WiFi in Mario Party DS, but you can play via DS Download play with either single-card or multi-card. The multiplayer is the main reason I got this game.
Closing Comments: Mario Party DS is a GREAT game to play with your friends. However, if you don't have anyone else to play it with, I wouldn't fully recommend getting it.
22/12/2007 11:08:00
Good old Wario Ware, will always cause a laugh when you play it. Stupid mini-games, stupid cut scenes and stupid characters. But stupidness aside has Nintendo delivered a plate of mini-game goodness? Bluntly, yes. Hundreds of mini-games spread across about 15 characters with their own theme of mini-game (Wario-Basic, The robot guy- microphone minigames). Like all Wario ware mini-games this will have you laughing, cheering, shouting, whooping and crying at he DS screens. This being a DS launch game means you'd expect the 2 screens to be used heavily but surprisingly not the game could survive with only one screen, but the microphone is used a lot even more-so with the touch screen. Nearly every single mini-game does use the touch screen or the microphone. But is this repetitive ness or just a great use of inviolability? Wario ware games shine with their humorous multiplayer, but no to everyone's disappointment Touched! is only 1 player. So was this because of the mass amount of mini-games? Or just a mistake made by Nintendo? (I do ask a lot of questions don't I?) (Look there was another!). The sound and music on Touched! isn't the best thing ever, the odd catchy tune and stupid noises throughout, but If you do want to tear this game apart, turning you volume down is pleasing, as it may eventually give you a headache. The lifespan is a fair bit getting a rose on each mini-game (reaching a certain high-score) will prove tough. For hardcore gamers this becomes a walk in the park, there is a fair bit to unlock but not as much as I'd like. I have been a bit negative in this review but this game does nothing amazing and outstanding but to clarify it doesn't do anything rubbish either. But that's not to say its an average game its more fun that it is boring and its got more lifespan than a lot of games on DS. - Darkstar (Apologies for the massive size, expoted stright from mag and can't be changed)
03/09/2007 11:45:00
In 1995 Team 17 launched a game that would soon become a multi
console platform phenomenon. The title labeled worms first hit the
Commodore Amiga in 1995. The aim of the game in a way was simple.
Players would take on other players in a situation of open warfare. The
game basically is a turned based strategy game and this formula would
earn Team 17 world wide recognition. And without a doubt, Worms Open
Warfare 2 is the best worms game to hit consoles in years.
The original Worms Open Warfare was a DS flop. From it's
buggy/limited weapons and terrible top screen only display, the game
was on a hiding to nothing. Well this time around Team 17 co developed
with Two Tribes BV to bring what can only be called the most definitive
worms game in years. Apart from the classic strategy formula, the
package comes with a whole host of new game modes and features that
will keep worms fans gripped for a very long time.
So what does this particular Worms DS game offer you?
Classic Single Battle Play
Well we are talking here classic worms play spread across two
screens with great 3D background environments (unlike the first game).
We are talking a whole host of single player campaign stages that will
challenge the gamer in various ways. We are talking about 31 various
weapons to use in battle (depending of course on how many you unlock
within the game). The touchscreen is also used very well within Worms
Open Warfare 2. From bringing up your weapon selections via a simple
stroke to aiming various weapons, it's impact is small but yet still a
nice little feature. The touch screen however comes more into play
other various game modes.
Extra Single Player Game Modes
The first extra mode is puzzle mode. The aim here is to use weapons
and various items to get your worm past various obstacles and enemies
in order to reach the exit. This is a well thought out mode and very
enjoyable but my favorite mode must be the draw mode. In draw mode you
have one worm and by drawing lines via the touch screen with the
available amount of virtual ink, it is your aim to use explosions and
the lines you draw in order to get your worm safely to the exit. Then
there is the blow mini game in which the player is to blow into the DS
microphone and direct your worm around various landscapes to reach the
exit/exits.
The extra game modes are not tacky add ons. They actually provide
the player with a good experience and just adds extra value to the
overall package.
The Worms Shop
The worms store is a nice little feature indeed. Basically for all
your success in classic single player mode and in the mini-games, the
player is rewarded via credits and these credits can be used in the
shop to unlock extra content. We are talking here additional levels,
backgrounds, weapons etc. Again another nice touch to make the single
player mode seem much more beneficial.
Level Creator/Editor
If you ever wanted the chance to create your own landscapes and use
them within the game then now you can. Get your artistic thoughts ready
because the editor offers a nice number of features indeed.
The strongest element: Multiplayer (Wi-Fi)
Of course the big plus of the package is classic worms game play and
its multi-play options. Worms is at it's best in multi-player mode and
with Open Warfare 2 you are in for a multi-player treat. The game
supports single card play and multi-card play but the big bonus comes
via Nintendo Wi-Fi connection.
Just think about it lone worm fans. You are the sole gamer in your
home and you have never really been able to take advantage of Worms
multi player. Well now you can and the experience is flawless. Worms
Wi-Fi supports ranked worldwide play, random play (random play supports
three different modes of multi player games) and friend/rival play. The
big bonus of random play is that when a match concludes, players are
then able to add their opponents into the rival list if they desire to
do so.
But then there are the Wi-Fi leaderboards. The Wi-Fi leader boards
offers the gamer the ability to view various stats and see how they
rank amongst worms players through out the world. But there are more
stats on offer than simply checking out on world rankings. Via Wi-Fi
you can browse the following stats:
Worldwide Ranks
Worms Defeated (The game lists this as Worm's killed but they keep coming back. Defeated sounds so much nicer than killed anyway).
Worms Lost (This table keeps stats regarding the number of worms that have been lost in battle).
Total Playtime (Can you believe that some people have clocked up over 15 hours already).
Disconnects (Here the worlds worst disconnectors are ranked).
Most Boring Awards
Most Exciting Awards
Most Useless Awards
Most Strategic
Most Accurate
Basically put there is a ton of stuff and I can see this title being played mass amounts for a good long time to come.
01/08/2007 11:49:00
During the year 1995 Nintendo released Mario Picross Worldwide. The
game itself takes the classic formula that lays behind a nanogram, but
of course it was all very much designed Nintendo style. Sadly it seems
that the west wasn't ready for such titles like Picross so future Mario
Picross titles were not released outside of Japan. Things however have
changed, casual gaming is big and Nintendo's touch generation series is
popular. Thanks to the DS games like Big Brain Academy, Brain Age and
Suduko have mass appeal and now Nintendo believes the world is ready
for Picross.
On Friday Picross DS hit Europe and I am already
addicted. Below is a typical Picross DS grid and its 10x10 in size and
please note how numbers are positioned horizontally and vertically
around the grid. Now here are the rules and I will try to explain them
in the best possibly way I can.
1. Within each puzzle the player is required to work out what squares need to be filled or left emptied.
2. Now pay attention to the numbers. The numbers before each row or
on top of a column indicate exactly the pattern of filled squares
within each row or colum. For instance look at the top horizontol row
on the grid, before it you see the number "4". What does that tell the
player? Well it tells you that somewhere within that row there is a
sequence of four filled squares, it is the players job to find out
which squares they are. But look at the next line down, there we see
numbers "2 2". So what does this mean? Well the game is telling you
that within the row there are 2 sets of 2 filled squares, however
between those 2 filled squares there will be a number of empty squares.
The player marks empty squares by using crosses. Now take a look at the
numbers above the vertical rows and look for numbers "2 1 1". "2 2 1"
means that the pattern required within that row is 2 filled squares,
some empty squares, 1 filled square, more empty squares then another
square etc. Your main aim is to figure out the position of filled
squares and empty squares, once you have done that then your reward
will be to see what picture was hidden beneath within the grid.
Now if classic Picross wasn't enough then get a load of this, below
I've left a list of in game modes that basically overwhelm me and
please remember this is a budget title.
* The game consists of a main mode in which the player can choose
puzzles from beginner to advanced level. Overall the game contains
around 300+ levels so there is enough to keep you entertained for a
good while.
* There is a Daily Picross section that comes with Non Stop Attack
mode and 4 Extra game modes to unlock. Non Stop Attack mode challenges
you to complete 5 Picross Puzzles in the quickest time possible, your
time is then stored and then on a daily basis you can challenge
previous times to see if you can improve. Non Stop Attack is just one
mode, so just imagine the fun one can have once the other modes are
unlocked.
* There is a My Picross mode on which you can design your own levels and play classic levels from past Jupiter Picross games.
* Picross boasts fantastic Wi-Fi support. On Wi-Fi you can play
worldwide and challange anybody in game in which players are required
to complete 2 puzzles in the quickest time. Players are given rankings
over Wi-Fi so that adds a lot of interest. Players can also add friends
and play against folk they are in contact with over the internet. But
there is even more than that to inform you of. Players can download
classic levels from previous Picross games and puzzles according to new
themes set by Nintendo. Players can also upload store 10 of their own
level creations so that friends can download and swap levels with other
players.
This title boasts great features and truly is the best logical puzzle game on DS by far. Stand aside Suduko, Picross is king.
18/06/2007 19:37:00
Flexi-Grip stylus Many styluses for the popular Nintendo DS have been made. The big question on that subject is...which is the best to use? I've tried a lot of them and you probably as well, I will show you my opinion on which stylus is the best for gaming. From the very first tiny stylus that came with the first DS back in 04' to a disturbing mew stylus. Read on for the information on the best stylus to use in gaming with the bottom screen.  First of all I have to regret not getting a screen protector for my first Nintendo DS. After a few thousand hours and over exertion of pressure on the screen it became a ugly screen. So I suggest you all buy a cheap screen protector for you DS before its to late. When testing out stylus to use you don't know what will happen when you test out a new stylus. You could end up with a big deep scratch right in the middle you're your DS, like what happened to me awhile ago. So I suggest that a screen protector for the bottom screen is the best option for everyone.  Now onto the styluses subject, The first stylus was quite small and only made the first DS look so much bigger and bulkier. It came in numerous colors but the standard was gray. Its size made it perfect for kids with small hands but adults...not so much. I never experienced any cramps in my hand are wrist but there has been many occurrences in adults experiences with the DS. It was decent but people quick learned that it could be improved so we got some variety besides color. Some of the first I remember was a metal tipped one. Though kinda suck, I used it and after a few tries it broke on me and left a big scratch in the screen.  (This is a real japanese mew stylus) Then came the extenders which broke due to the fact that it was weak when extended. Some huge ones were developed that were the size of an actual pen which were comfortable but not suitable for handheld devices in my opinion. Then came the claws...They would be put on your finger like a glove and looked like you had claws which would be used to touch the screen with. They unfortunately fell of easily on fingers and didn't fit on others. So what is the best stylus to use? In my opinion it is the flexi grip.  The flexi-grip stylus is basically a long bendable stylus. It bends around any finger that you want to touch the screen with. About as thick as the regular stylus but almost twice as long. It comes in a few colors to choose from, Pink, Blue, Red and White. As for the price of the stylus I haven't bought mine by itself but with a screen protector for the bottom screen and the stylus it was $10.00 USD. The real determining factor here is how well does it work? It bends but not when in use. If I want to play some fast pace gaming it won't bend on your and make you screw up. It bends fairly easy around your finger and stays there. The tip won't scratch your screen if used properly and is overall a good stylus. But what are the down sides to this unique accessory? It will sometimes be uncomfortable if you make it to tight when wrapped around and will make your finger turn purple. That solves the question...will it accidentally fall of your finger? No it won't if its on tight. The material it is made out of is not slippery and will grip onto finger.  Conclusion: There has been many styluses, It is really a matter of what you find comfortable. This appears to be better then most stylus out there and is a good quality. If you are in need of a new screen protector then pay a few more bucks to get this along with it.
14/06/2007 23:18:00
Star Fox. A franchise that has received lots of criticism. It was all
positive until the GameCube came out and Rare decided to make an
adventure game using Fox McCloud. Is it the most hated Nintendo game?
Probably. But I liked it. In my opinion, there's simply no way Star Fox
can go wrong. E3
2006 gave us a very pleasant surprise. Star Fox was coming to the DS.
The demo was good, and many people thought the franchise was going back
to it's roots.  So what happens when a console-only franchise makes the leap to the handheld world? One word: Cashin! Star
Fox Command uses mostly stylus based controls. To fly around just move
the stylus. To do a Speed Boost tap twice the upp part of the screen.
To slow down, tap the bottom half of the screen twice. To do a barrel
roll scribble right and left quickly. To do a U-Turn and a Loop, just
tap their respective icons. And to shoot use any button. Pretty simple
huh? Best thing is, it gives no cramps. The story is nothing
original. Some evil alien force who lived on Venom, a planet where life
was supposably impossible, wants to conquer the galaxy. Their name is
the Anglars, and they are ugly...really ugly toads. Well, the allied
planets are overwhelmed with Anglars so the newly promoted General
Peppy calls the Star Fox Team to save them all. That's as much as I can
tell you, mainly because there are 9 different endings depending on the
choices you make in the game.  Here comes the new stuff. Why is
it called "Command"? That's 'cause of the strategy element. The game is
based on turns. You draw your fighter's route and of he/she encounters
an enemy, you'll fight it in good ol' fashioned All-Range Mode. Defeat
all the enemies to go on. It gets a bit monotone to do this in all
missions and that's one of the few things Star Fox Command can be
disliked for. On to the Multiplayer aspect. Star Fox
Command features a 6 player LAN battle mode using only one game card. I
haven't tested this out because I know no one with a DS. The online
mode is good though. How about sound? Music is great. Like in
every Star Fox, it has a militar feel to it. However, the gibberish is
infernal. Characters will only talk in gibberish (think AC:WW). And
even though there's the option to record your voice, I'm not even sure
that's me. Your voice speeds up with the characters so it will be
unrecognizable. To talk about the online mode let's first
forget things you'll get in every single online game: disconnectors.
Now that's out of the way let's concentrate on what makes this online
mode special.
04/06/2007 06:34:00
Back in the 90's pokemon was released, and wow, it spread like a virus. A quick run down of what pokemon is, would be creatures with abilities run about, you take a pokeball to go catch them. Which then you can breed them, train them or study them. But most of the time it is the first two choices. The goal in the game is to CATCH THEM ALL. Then, go fight the elite four and right after that is the champion. If you beat him you become the champion of all trainers. Though if it stopped there the game formula wouldn't be that addictive. Each one has a set of attacks, stats, natures, ability, ID number and type. There are 17 types in all and each one usually has something to be super effective against. They usually evolve at certain levels and gain stats points. You catch them, name them, train them, breed them even dress them up and dance around with your pikachu.  After the game starts you do the nostalgic event of getting your first pokemon, which is either a fire, water, or grass type. You then go from gym leader to gym leader helping people training and doing contests until you get to the elite four and beat the champion. Each game has a legendary or 5 in it which are much stronger than others in the stat department. In pearl it is Palkia. Once you beat the game you can do numerous things. I would list them but it would take a long time. Battle tower, Stark Mountain, Catch the 493 pokemon. Super Contests, Breed and battle. Most of all WiFi! In the previous games everyone thought they were the best, due to the low difficulty level, if you have level 100 pokemon you can pretty much defeat anyone. Now that you can trade, battle and voice chat it opens up a new dimension to battling competitively. Tournaments can be staged to see who really is the master of the world with their pocket monsters. There is another thing which is the Poke'nav of pearl is the Poke'etch. The Pokemon Watch is a device that has around 20 gadgets for your use, from a calculator to a notepad to draw on or a type calculator for you to use on the bottom screen. With 493 pokemon to battle with you'll keep going for a long time.  If you are one of those people looking for an RPG to play on your Nintendo DS and have never played pokemon before. Then this is your game, each pokemon is unique to catch and has its own secrets and powers to exploit. Collecting pokemon is easier than ever with the GTS. The Global Trading station which is genius for the pokemon collectors. You first sign on to the Nintendo WiFi Connection you can either search or deposit a pokemon. When you deposit a pokemon you choose what pokemon you want for it, what level range and what gender. If you sign on later and find that someone has met the requirements you then get that pokemon automatically. Also you can search which pokemon you want (must have in pokedex), what level range, and gender. You then get it immediately from the GTS. One thing that is very interesting to do is wireless play. If you know someone else that has the game you can do numerous things with them... mostly the normal WiFi stuff and some extras. For one, there's the battle tower. In here, you can battle together against the tough trainers of the world (though the pokemon are controlled by the cpu). I would say the biggest thing is the underground. Early on you get an explorer kit. With it you can go down a pit anywhere in the game and you travel around an area that is as big the whole map(which is huge as well). In it you create a secret base to decorate, dig for treasure and meet up with 8 friends.  What really matters is why would you stop playing pokemon pearl or diamond? The funny thing about that is that there is no reason to stop playing! If nothing else there are places to explore and people to talk to. Just go out there buy this game, get 6 pokemon, and have fun! It's a good investment because you won't find that you get bored soon. I know myself that I will log about 600 hours at least on it. The average time to beat the game if you take pit stops and mess around with training and that would be about 30-40 hours. With countless extras and forming of teams, the fun will never stop. Closing Comments:Pokemon Pearl will be addicting to play. The multiplayer in it is great fun and expansive. The pokemon are widely different, so catching one pokemon and catching another won't be something that feels deja vu. Not every one pokemon can be obtained in this game through the wild. But with WiFi and Nintendo-play you can look around for people to give you the pokemon you need. If you have played pokemon since Red version then stop reading this now then go buy pokemon!!
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