Review - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized (DS)
December 10, 2009 by Mike · Leave a Comment
Is Mobilized all flash and no bang?
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, the recently-released Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has been making waves on current generation consoles. Taking advantage of Modern Warfare 2’s popularity, Activision has simultaneously released a similarly-titled DS version. There’s good reason to be wary of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized; it’s the handheld edition, so people expect it to be watered down. Is Mobilized just a flash in the pan, or is there a worthy shooter lurking under the pretty sheen?
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Reviews Surfing - The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (DS)
December 9, 2009 by Mike · Leave a Comment
Link and Zelda team up in Spirit Tracks!
There’s no denying it—the biggest DS game right now is The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. You may be a bit disillusioned with the last Legend of Zelda because of a certain recurring level, so you may not be your usual Zelda-loving self. It’s perfectly understandable! But good news—Nintendo has learned its lesson in Spirit Tracks, and has ditched the punishing design of the previous game.
Despite this improvement, Spirit Tracks‘ overall rating is slightly lower compared to Phantom Hourglass. But you know what? I’ll take a slightly-lower score over better overall design any day. Here’s what the critics think of Spirit Tracks:
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Lufia II trailer shows plenty of action
November 30, 2009 by Mike · Leave a Comment
You know the hero in Lufia II is going to be badass.
If you’re an RPG fan, then you may have observed that the DS is in dire need of more action RPGs. Notice that for every Lunar Knights, Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles, Phantasy Star 0, The World Ends With You, and Mario & Luigi, there are months (or even years) of waiting between them. And beyond these games, there aren’t that many options in the subgenre worthy of your hard-earned money.
The next action RPG you should be looking forward to is coming, but again, you’re going to have to wait. Lufia II, as revealed in the new trailer, is coming to Japan on February 25, 2010. Alas, no North American release date has been announced, so all you can do for now is watch and drool at what Lufia II is going to offer.
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Review - Phantasy Star 0 (DS)
Yes, like other console RPGs, this one has a "magical" girl.
If there’s one common characteristic of the console RPG subgenre, it’s this: combat is usually detached from the real action. Fighting is carried out by choosing options from a menu, and the only tangible feedback shown is the damaged character blinking. Apparently, someone from Sonic Team has been taking notes, and has crafted Phantasy Star 0 for the DS. Interestingly, Phantasy Star 0 plays a lot like Phantasy Star Online, a Dreamcast game released almost a decade ago. The difference—you get to play Phantasy Star 0 on the road.
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The nightmare continues in Dementium II
November 24, 2009 by Mike · Leave a Comment
Dementium characters are oozing with charisma.
Survival horror games for the Nintendo DS are rare because—let’s face it, scaring people is tough when your hardware isn’t powerful enough and the display is small. You need great graphics and sound to invoke terror, and the DS, while capable of such feats, is considered to be at a disadvantage. The last survival horror game that graced the handheld was back in 2007, when Dementium: The Ward came out. Incidentally, the next survival horror game is a sequel to Dementium. Welcome to the Bright Dawn Treatment Center, the setting for Dementium II.
If you’ve finished the original Dementium, then you should know that the nightmare isn’t over. Prepare for phase two of the operation.
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Wii, DS could regain lead in Japan in Q4
November 21, 2009 by Mike · Leave a Comment
Nintendo's holiday performance rests on Mario and Zelda.
Despite the Wii and DS’s hefty overall lead in the system wars, this week’s Japanese hardware charts show that the PlayStation 3 and PSP has taken a chunk out of Nintendo’s advantage. According to Kotaku, PSP sales have shot to the top spot, leaving the DSi and Wii in third and fourth place, respectively. The PS3, on the other hand, “declined” to number two.
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Review - Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans (DS)
November 20, 2009 by Mike · Leave a Comment
Attack of the Saiyans is short and sweet.
As a game franchise, Dragon Ball is known for its hyperkinetic fighting titles. If you’re an avid fan who pays attention to everything that pastes Son Goku’s mug on the box, then you probably know that there are also a few Dragon Ball RPGs in existence and Attack of the Saiyans is one of them. The Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans story follows the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament and goes all the way to the Vegeta-Goku showdown. Like a Dragon Ball fight, Attack of the Saiyans is fast and action packed, but is it any good?
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The Legend of Zelda pre-launch twist revealed in trailer
Spirit Tracks holds a secret!
Since its inception in the mid-1980s, The Legend of Zelda has always been about rescuing Princess Zelda, but things have changed. In the next Zelda for the DS, the titular princess would be accompanying our Hylian hero Link in his quest to restore the Spirit Tracks. There is however a surprise: Zelda isn’t quite her royal self.
Let the video after the jump tell you all about it:
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Review - C.O.P. The Recruit (DS)
November 12, 2009 by Mike · Leave a Comment
C.O.P. The Recruit is a technical achievement.
Let’s get one obvious thing out of the way: C.O.P. The Recruit is a Grand Theft Auto clone. It’s set in a virtual, open-world New York City. The primary mode of transportation is driving, and like GTA, you can jack almost every vehicle you see. The main difference between C.O.P. and GTA is perspective. GTA games are told from law breakers’ side of the fence, while C.O.P. lets you play policeman. C.O.P. The Recruit is certainly derivative, but you can’t find fault with developer VD-Dev for crafting a well-realized, handheld-sized sandbox game for the Nintendo DS.
But wait–is a well-realized virtual world all that is needed to make a quality GTA clone? Let’s find out.
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Review - Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (DS)
October 22, 2009 by Mike · Leave a Comment
Only a carpet would ever like Roxas in this KH installment.
Hearts—it’s all about the hearts. The title refers to hearts; the characters are on a quest to get hearts. Welcome to Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, an action RPG for the Nintendo DS. You’ve probably learned by know that the Kingdom Hearts series is well-liked to say they least. The first two PlayStation 2 games sold for a combined 9.2 million copies or so, while the new DS release is moving almost a million units as of this writing, and it’s not even out for over a month yet.
So what’s the deal with Kingdom Hearts? Why is it insanely popular? Two things: Final Fantasy and Disney. But is the underlying game in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days as prodigious as its commercial success? We find out.
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