Not quite a game, not quite a puzzler; Nintendo's Brain Age simulation title gets an average review score of 79 at the time or writing. If you're looking for something new and have $20 bones to spend, this might be a nice pickup. However most critics are calling it a hybrid sim/puzzle title rather than a true game so maybe head on over to a DS download station for a free demo before you buy.
Gamespot 72% - "All in all, Brain Age is a quirky and unique product that's worth taking a look at, largely thanks to its budget price. Whether or not it's improving your mind or just improving your ability to perform its specific tasks is ultimately unclear, but there's currently nothing else quite like it on the market, and fans of logic puzzles and other basic puzzle games should enjoy it quite a bit."
1UP 86% - " Even if the effects aren't immediately recognizable, the placebo effect alone is powerful enough to make you feel like you're thinking clearly. It's not a game, and because you're never taught anything new, it's not really even "edutainment" -- Brain Age is a tool, one that sharpens your mind not just for playing real games, but living real life as well."
Gamerz Edge 79% - "Depending on your approach, Brain Age could either be very fun or quite boring. Perhaps the best criteria to judge your compatibility with this type of game is: 1) Do you enjoy learning or are you interested in keeping your brain “young?” 2) Do you find mathematical, logical, and memory-based exercises to be fun? 3) Do you enjoy or are you interested in Sudoku? 4) Do you have friends or other people with whom to play and compare your results?"

http://www.joystiq.com/2006/04/18/me...-brain-age-ds/ ...

The beauty of the Homebrew Computer Club, one of the first formal computer clubs in the country, if not the world, was that it kind of broke new ground. The state goal was to bring computing to the masses. The Homebrew Mobile Phone club, however, seems to have missed the boat. Phones are here and locked down tight. I’m sure Verizon et al won’t enjoy a bunch of haxors modding their smartphones. If they were tooling around with homemade cellphones back in 1985, then maybe we’d give them some props.

Anyway, if you want to figure out how to upgrade your phone, go to their meeting out in California on May 4.

http://telefono.revejo.org/article/1...ile-phone-club ...

New Commercial DS Game released:



More info --> http://www.yesasia.com/?/info.php?pro...2&lsaid=219793 ...

New Commercial DS Game released:



More info --> http://www.yesasia.com/?/info.php?pro...2&lsaid=219793 ...

News From Lik Sang



The end of the preorders queue for the Nintendo DS Lite Crystal "Cocaine" White has been reached last week, a few days after Ice Blue and Enamel Navy got cleared. Now we also hold sufficient stock (of all three colors) to take care of every single remaining order left in our backlog, whether it was placed a couple of weeks ago or even during this Easter week-end. All shipments are getting prepared as we speak and should be out the door shortly. In fact, we even have a bit of a buffer for those snatchers out there still on the look for their favorite flavor of the new Nintendo handheld machine. NDS Lite Enamel Navy, Ice Blue and Crystal White are currently all bearing the holy "ships within 24 hours" status, and we hope this to last for at least a few days. ...

News From Lik Sang



The end of the preorders queue for the Nintendo DS Lite Crystal "Cocaine" White has been reached last week, a few days after Ice Blue and Enamel Navy got cleared. Now we also hold sufficient stock (of all three colors) to take care of every single remaining order left in our backlog, whether it was placed a couple of weeks ago or even during this Easter week-end. All shipments are getting prepared as we speak and should be out the door shortly. In fact, we even have a bit of a buffer for those snatchers out there still on the look for their favorite flavor of the new Nintendo handheld machine. NDS Lite Enamel Navy, Ice Blue and Crystal White are currently all bearing the holy "ships within 24 hours" status, and we hope this to last for at least a few days. ...

Like a hedgehog in a tuxedo packing a Walther PPK and discussing thunderballs with the opposite sex while winking knowingly, RTS games on console aren't that common. Still, EA reckons there's gold to be found in them thar RTS-on-console hills, the company dipping into its Lord of the Rings license to march real-time strategy game sequel The Battle for Middle-earth 2 onto Xbox 360. Due June, new screenshots from the next-gen version of the follow-up have been released.
Will BFME2 on Xbox 360 will prove anything other than a small, smelly and vicious little Gollum that no one wants to touch with a 10-foot barge pole? Or will it make a supreme RTS sacrifice before falling into a lake of fire. Well, we'll know for sure in June.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com....php?id=137661 ...

Ken Edwards let me know of a review for the GP2X he has recently done, heres an excerpt of that review:

The GP2X is a Korean-made, Linux-based handheld that shares many features with the PSP. In some cases, the GP2X dances circles around the PSP. But the GP2X is not for everyone. It is not the most accessible handheld — it takes some tinkering to get things working the way you want.

GamePark is planning on going toe-to-toe with Sony and Nintendo with the release of the XGP and XGP Mini, set to launch this year. GamePark Holdings, with the original GP32 design team, released the GP2X to keep with the goals of the GP32 audience.

If you can get past the fact that this is not a Sony or Nintendo handheld, and things crash here and there, you will do fine with the GP2X. It is nothing out of the ordinary from running Debian or Fedora on your PC.

With a video player, music player, photo viewer, e-book reader, and Linux based emulation and homebrew applications, this is truly a portable multimedia powerhouse. Add to that support for things such as DivX, XviD, and OGG, and you really have the complete package

Read the full and very detailed review over at Blogcritics.org here --> http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/04/17/193251.php ...

QazzaQY2K has reviewed the game Ossu! Tatakae! Ouendan!, heres some details:



Ouendan makes you a member of a local helper squadron. Your goal is to help out people who are in a pinch, thereby bringing peace to the world. Ouendan's gameplay is based around a simple concept that combines comic-book style storytelling with rhythmic gameplay. You interact with the game by touching numbered markers, called Hit Markers, that appear on the screen and slowly begin to shrink. The timing of your touches is important, as you have to strike the Hit Markers in time with the movement of a Timer Cycle, displayed at the top on the screen. Connect successful strikes together, and you build up a combo which adds to your score. Successful play affects the outcome of the an episode that unravels on the top screen.



Heres the Review in full

Ossu! Tatakae! Ouendan!

Platform: NDS
Game developer: Inis
Game publisher: Nintendo
Link: http://www.yesasia.com/?/info.php?pro...8&lsaid=219793

Reviewed by: QazzaQY2K
Word count: 644

I got this game on my birthday and I must say it blends perfectly together with my insane addiction to music, rhythm & anime. You might not know but I’m an addict to Dance Dance Revolution, what’s that you say? You might have seen it at the arcades.

The game often has a large screen going with pumping music, lamps and most importantly, right in front of it, dance pads. You might know it as that game with the arrows going up the screen. Yeah! That’s the one. The big idea is to hit the arrows just right to the beat of the music. Same thing goes for “OTO” Ossu! Tatakae! Ouendan!

But will I understand the Japanese?

“OUEEENDDD-
AAAANNNN!!!”
Frankly, not really, not the kanji (symbols) but the game is so straight forward and simple that you don’t need to understand it. You’ll understand the basic idea of every stage, as they come with a Manga “comic” story to every stage. IMPORTANTLY: Yes it will work with any region of Nintendo DS out there as Nintendo DS don’t have any region protections. So this is a very IMPORT friendly game.

OK! Now we got that issue sorted. So what is this? It’s a dream come true to all music fans that like new original games. But WHAT IS IT!? Calm down and I’ll explain it to you.

There you are with one big mess around you and the deadline is coming just around the corner. Everyone wants a piece of you, you can feel the walls cramping up closer and closer and there’s only one way out of this. OUEEENDDDAAAANNNN!!!
“Ouendan” Cheer-leaders of three men come to your rescue. They know you can do this, with some cheering on you, showing BELIEF in you, you feel it is possible to do anything, with their music, dance and rhythm they help you believe in yourself to do amazing things.

Game play
As I said, it starts with you helping them. The main objective is to feel the beat to the music and hit markers on the lower screen numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5… The markers looks like a round button and around it is a bigger circle getting smaller, just as it becomes the same size as the button
“Get or not to get, that is the question.”
*HIT* you press it… and with a nice beat of jpop or jrock (Japanese music) you start to do *HIT* *HIT* *HIT*…*HIT*. Wait for it, wait for it… *HIT* *HOLD* *DRAG*… Follow it… Don’t loose it… *SPIN*… With the flow of the fantastic music. You clear the first part of three in the stage, a cut scene is shown and the story unfolds depending how well you *HIT* the buttons. *HIT*: Miss, Good, Great, Perfect.

With a superb combo you make the first part. If you didn’t make it the cut scene is different as you failed BUT! If you energy bar at the top is still there… Life goes on and so does the Ouendan, as you make it through the stages and improve, you unlock even harder modes and up to fifteen people in need of some good ass kickin’ and cheering. Helping them make you feel good about yourself just as in real life.

Get or not to get, that is the question.
I’d recommend you to check out some cool game play videos, listen to the music and see how it’s played and jump up on the first plane to Japan and rent it, or mail-order via internet, which is cheaper. I believe this is the game if you want something new fresh and inspiring to your Nintendo DS collection, something no one else got for you to show off to others.

Excellent Review, do you agree or disagree then please give feedback, we would also love your reviews ...