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  • Nintendo DS News

    by Published on January 1st, 2011 19:18
    1. Categories:
    2. Nintendo DS News,
    3. DCEmu Games Reviews



    Platform: Nintendo DS
    Developer: Nippon Ichi Software
    Publisher: Square Enix
    Ratings: Not yet rated by PEGI

    ESRB:


    Disgaea DS is not a new game. The original Disgaea was released on the PS2 in 2004. Disgaea DS is a port of the PS2 version, albeit with some changes suitable to the DS such as stylus support and less shiny graphics.

    The main character is Laharl, a demon prince of the Netherworld. He has slept for the past 2 years, during which his father, the king, has died and his throne is under contest. Laharl naturally believes that the throne is his inheritance, so he sets off to become King of the Netherworld. He is joined by a variety of different characters, including an angel and a team of earth defenders, to assist him with his goal. Main story events are recounted with voice-acting for the main characters, and it's very good voice acting too.

    The game takes a very light hearted approach to the story, many character are amusing, even Laharl's servants such as dragons and chimeras come off as comical and lazy. This is a diversion from most RPG's which take a very serious story, but it's a welcome change. What it doesn't change however, is the genre's other notable aspect: deep mechanics.

    The battle system is an isometric, turn-based strategy system. Your team will spawn, one at a time in the order you choose, from a starting tile. You may then move them and attack with them as you see fit. A couple of twists to this grant the player more control and strategy. One of these is the team attack system. By placing characters next to each other and having one attack, there is a chance that those in base contact with gang up on the enemy, with each of them letting off an attack. While each attack is slightly less powerful than a normal blow, the total damage is greater than any individual attack. The other change is that movement can be canceled unless an action is taken. This allows a smart player to move his units to a team attack formation, let off one attack, then cancel the movements of the team to allow those who didn't attack a chance to move elsewhere, and possible take part in another team attack!



    Each level may also contain pyramids known as geo-effects. These geo-effects grant a bonus or penalty onto any colour of tile which they sit on. For example if a geo-effect with the bonus of “+50 defense” is placed on a red tile anyone, friend or foe, who stands on a red tile will gain that bonus. Furthermore destroying a geo-effect will cause all tiles of the colour its on to change to the colour of the geo-effect damaging anyone who stands on those tiles, should a different coloured geo-effect be destroyed in the process all of the new tiles will change colour also. This gives the potential for huge damage combos and is possible to wipe out an entire map of enemies in a single turn by smart positioning and destruction of geo-effects.

    Regarding the skill system of the game, Disgaea takes a very in-depth approach. Everything in the game can be leveled up. Items, spells, skills and characters. Characters are leveled up by defeating enemies. Skills and spells are leveled up by using them. Items however require a different approach.

    Each item in the game has its own world with 'inhabitants'. There inhabitants provide bonuses to stats when that item is equipped. It is possible through the use of an NPC to enter the item's dimension known as an Item World. If you do this you fight through randomly generated levels back to back filled with enemies, defeating the inhabitants subdues them and allows you to move them to other items. Also each level you defeat increases the natural bonuses of the item. This item world allows you to take even the starter weapons of the game and turn them into very powerful items.

    Whilst there are story characters which join you, these don't comprise your entire team. There exists a Senate, through which any of your characters can make propositions, these can include more expensive items in the store, unlocking a secret world, but the main use is to create characters.
    Now every time a character defeats an enemy, they gain mana equal to the level of that enemy. The higher the mana, the more powerful a new character they can create. What kind of character can you make? Any monster you have defeated, yes including dragons, or any humanoid with classes such as cleric, mage, warrior, ninja etc. More classes get unlocked as you progress in the game. In addition to this the new character will be the pupil of the one who created him. When a master and pupil are in base contact, the master can cast any spells the pupil can. If the master levels up that spell, he learns it permanently. This grants huge control over the skills and spells of your characters, allowing even your cleric to cast very high level fire and ice spells.

    Now all this sounds very complicated, and it is. However the main story of the game is well balanced and even if you only create characters with no care for master/pupil or learning spells, you can still complete the game with the bare bone basics.

    My only problem with the game is that it gives you too many options too quickly. From your first chapter of the story you are able to enter the item world, approach the senate, create new characters and learn all manner of skills. Whilst more hardcore RPG players or Disgaea veterans won't be bothered by this, it could be off-putting to a new player.

    Sounds: Very good voice acting, though the battle cries in combat become annoyingly repetitive. Music is varied and fits the scenes well. Also includes the option to buy tracks to have as the music for the Item World

    Graphics: Anime style characters allow for easy showing of emotion. Animations of combat and special abilities are all very good. However the graphics are a downgrade from the PS2 version.

    Gameplay
    : Fantastic in-depth RPG. Many many options and near infinite team combinations available. Weapon and Armour use isn't restricted by class allowing a wide variation of equipment. Inclusion of top screen mini-map and camera rotation allows easy location of hard to see enemies and tiles.

    Overall: Great game. It can be overwhelming in the beginning, but none of the advanced functions are necessary to beat the game, allowing for as casual or hardcore a game as you choose to make it. If you enjoy RPGs and never had the chance to play Disgaea before, pick this up and you won't be disappointed.

    by Published on January 1st, 2011 18:00
    1. Categories:
    2. Nintendo DS News,
    3. DCEmu Games Reviews


    Because my best review yet got deleted before it was even posted.

    Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution
    Publisher: 2K Games
    Developer: Firaxis
    Players: 1-2
    Genre: Turn based Strategy
    ESRP: $29.99

    A revolution for handheld TBS games, in a good way.

    I've been a Civilization series fan since the release of Civilization: Call to Power. Funny that I thought it was so great, since critics didn't. But I wasn't alone as it seemed, since it ended up being one of the best selling Civilizations of all time and...well never mind that. Point is that the turn-based Civilization series has always had a place in my gaming psyche. Civilization Revolution actually seems in a way like a step backward from the Civilization Revolutions out on the PS3 and 360. But that's easily to be expected from a handheld iteration of the game that was always speculated to just be a crappy console port like most DS games that are cross-console seem to be. Well rest assured Civilization fans that they didn't screw the DS version up. However, they did take it down a notch on features, as you could imagine(Did you really think that a handheld version of console game could possibly be as good?). The end result of these changes makes the game feel a whole lot like a mix between Civilization IV and Civilization II. You'll find out why in a minute.

    Like past Civilization games, the point of the game is to build a Civilization from scratch, and win the game through either a Cultural, Military, Scientific, or Wealth Victory. Any one of these will lead you to Victory, though all of them take time to accomplish. About time. Previous Civilization games often took many, many hours, and often, days to win the game through some form of victory. It was practically impossible to beat it in an afternoon, much less a few hours. Civilization DS doesn't follow that same formula. I probably beat the Free mode, which was "The Game" for past Civilizations, in about 2-3 hours. That doesn't mean your through though, it practically means you haven't even begun. Each map in Free mode is randomly generated, so it has an infinite amount of ways your Civilization can go. This, combined with the ability to choose from a host of Civilizations, leads to not only a wasted afternoon, but a possible wasted month, depending on how much you like it. I mentioned how you can choose from many Civilizations to start your game. This isn't just for looks like the Civilizations of old used to have them. Each Civilization has its own skill about them that makes it more or less good or bad at whatever. The thing is, through out my play, the skills I had for my Civilization didn't seem to make much of a difference in the least, it didn't seem to help my opponents in the game very much either. I guess its to keep it as equal as possible, but that's where "honing your strengths" comes in. About knowing your strengths and weaknesses...this game has a pretty iffy learning curve.


    It looks pretty complicated, but you'll get used to it fast.

    Most Civilizations in the past had a fairly steep learning curve to them, and while Civ Rev is no exception, it does seem to be a bit less complicated this time around. Having played Civ Rev on the console and Civilizations in the past, I was able to jump in quickly to the games more sophisticated points,(government, science, city management blahblahblah) but I soon found that most of them feel like they've had a downgrade to them. Not a downgrade in features so much as the game does more of the annoying stuff for you.(This may be why it is so much easier to play through the game so fast) For example, after almost everything that happens, an advisor pops up and gives you a hint as to what to do next. However, you can disable this from the option menu. When that's taken away, you soon figure out that the reason it feels more downgraded is because the menus are so simplified. Each thing tells you exactly what they do and how they do it, whether they be wonders, building, units, etc. Rather then this ending up being annoying, it becomes helpful, and allows the game to progress more smoothly. Now something that hasn't been simplified at all, or maybe its been OVER simplified, is battling.

    Probably the biggest part of any Civilization game are the battles. if your a fan then you know most of the issues already: Weaker enemies constantly beating stronger enemies, defensive terrain sometimes counting for nothing, and the oh-too-often knight destroying the helicopter.(Yes, it does happen. Still.) But Civ Rev gets a little extreme on it. At one point in the game I was attempting to take over an enemy city. They had a single archer defending it and I had about 7 legions, 8 riflemen, 2 knights, and 3 cannons standing at ready to be thrust in fierce battle. As I send each of them, the battle animations take place, and my jaw just drop out of frustration. Each and ever one of my units could not score a SINGLE hit against the archer. Each time I attacked the archer shot one arrow and nailed them before they even got close. Now this doesn't mean the whole battle system is screwed up, though it seemed like that when I tried. It meant more that archers CANNOT BE KILLED. At first i thought it was just because I was using short range attackers, but when my riflemen couldn't score a shot, I got pissed. Good news is, where all 20 of my units failed, I sent a tank and mauled that archer. That really was the main time that something that screwy happened in the games battle system. Granted, the battle system suffers from the same problems of the past Civilization games, but ranged units seem to be good against just about everything in this game. Close combat unit battles seem to be the most fair thing about the combat. Now about the graphical aspects of the combat system...

    As you can probably tell from the screnshots, this game isn't the most beautiful thing you've ever seen. If anything it reminds me of Civilization II for the PSX; it was a great strategy game but its graphics looked like chop suey. But when it comes to battles, this game sports some really great looking sprite-animated battles. Unlike past(way past) Civ games, Civ Rev takes off Civ IV with real time battles when engaged. (And if your losing, you can even retreat before they are all dead) While some of the earlier units sprites look questionably good, later sprites like Bombers and tanks look very nice when blasting off rounds in a certain archer's forehead. While battles look pretty good, the rest of the game has some pretty awful graphics. All sprites, and all without changing animations for directions, they all look bad. Now you can take it from me though-- the more you play the game, the less you'll care. I was less then thrilled to play this game when I first started, but after about 30 minutes the graphical mess didn't even bother me a bit. Its weird; its like the strategic element of the gameplay makes your mind forget all about the other aspects of the game. Still, whether you forget them or not, they are still there, and many of you won't be shutting your mind out to the graphics. Well, it is supposed to be all about thinking right? So images shouldn't matter much, right?.....uh...

    Well for the most part anyway, though this game really could have used some better sprites, since it could have easily handled them. Unlike graphics though, the SFX is something you probably won't block out of your head. Civ Rev has some very clear and nice sound effects. Knights and warriors beating each other up have the distinct sound of steel against metal, and clubs against shields. I guess this falls mostly under the category of "battle sounds" though. As for other sounds, well, there aren't too many. However, for most of your accomplishments, such as building a city, or creating a unit, or finishing a wonder, they all have some charming SFX to each of them. Something that i wouldn't mind muting indefinitely is the terrible, half-muttered, half-gibberish that your opponent Civilization leaders say when you talk to them about war, money, advances ect. But that may well be a good thing, because it gives you a definitive reason to want to destroy they're civilization. As far as music goes, there really isn't whole bunch of it here. The few numbers are during battle sequences and the menu screens. Both of them have some nice sounding tunes to them, but each is too short to really make you care.


    They are no match for us, now, or ever!

    Now Civilization isn't all about battling, as I probably made it sound, though it is a major part. You have to make your own Civilization flourish before you can try to take down other civilizations. The key to this is city improvements, or buildings, that you construct in your cities. As you make more buildings, you cities will begin to produce more gold, more production to build things faster, more science to find new stuff, new food to thrive..a good lot of things. About science. Like past Civilization games, science is quite possibly the single most important thing in the game(Though if you go all toward science, you'll still fail. You need a good balance.) As you learn more things you are able to make more advanced weapons and improvements, and even wonders. Now these things are where Civ Rev really shines. the strategic elements to this game are great, especially considering its a handheld game. Most handheld TBS games are stripped of most of they're best and most in-depth features. Like I said earlier, it is stripped of a good bit of features from the console versions, but it has more then enough to make it an authentic Civilization experience. If you do things right, and keep the right balance at the right times, your Civilization will thrive. If you create a terrible balance, or don't balance enough toward a certain thing at a certain time, you probably won't make it to your next turn.

    Lets finish this up, so my entire review doesn't get lost again...

    Major Selling Points:
    -- Great handheld strategy game
    -- Very deep and intuitive gameplay
    -- A faithful Civilization Recreation
    -- Random maps means infinite gameplay

    Major Breaking Points:
    -- Horrible Overworld graphics
    -- Some unfair battle issues
    -- Feels a little stripped

    Story: N/A
    Since there really isn't a direct story, this can't really be a score
    Graphics: 2.5/5
    Pretty horrific. The sprites even aren't that good, but battling they look fairly slick.
    Sound: 4/5
    The sounds that are here sound great. Music is good too, but short, and doesn't play very often.
    Gameplay: 4/5
    Despite some combat issues and some stupid A.I., Civ Rev is a deep, fulfilling strategy game. The touch screen can or can't be used, your choice.
    Replay Value: 4.5/5
    Random maps means tons of replay value in free mode alone, not even counting the many scenarios and WiFi play.
    Value: 4/5
    A great strategy game that is well worth the price, but only if your into strategy games. otherwise you may get bored, fast.
    Overall:
    A great, if scaled down, Civilization experience to fit in your pocket. It has the makings of a good TBS game, and is a great start for the genre on handhelds.
    by Published on January 1st, 2011 17:59
    1. Categories:
    2. Nintendo DS News,
    3. DCEmu Games Reviews


    With an a new "card" for my DS, I have been inspired to go back to my forsaken DS and try out more DS games. Safe to say you can probably expect more NDS game reviews from here on out.

    Dementium: The Ward
    Publisher: Gamecock
    Developer: Renegade Kid
    Genre: Survival-Horror FPS
    Players: 1
    ESRP: $29.99

    An ideal example for later Horror games on DS. Sort of.

    Game Summary
    In Dementium: The Ward, the take the role of an unnamed admitted patient to a mental hospital. After awakening in a daze, you find yourself one a blood-soaked bed in one of the rooms. Thats not the only blood-drenched feature you find in the hospital, as you soon realize that this may either be a hospital, or a butchery. Fight with up to 8 different weapons against a myriad of horrific monsters as you strive to understand the secrets of Dementium: The Ward.

    You wake up in the hospital...
    And thats as near close to a story as you get in this game. The storyline is one thing thats not a major seller for Dementium. As far as interaction with others in this game, you get absolutely none, which makes you depend on various notes and clipboards in the mental asylum to figure out the story. Even then, even after you pieced everything together, you'll find yourself thinking "Oh...really. Well thats a twist...I think." Suffice to say, the storyline never goes beyond a single idea to make it good, and even that idea is a bit overused. I think I should back up a bit and talk about the beginning. The Prologues in games are usually one of the single most important parts of the storyline, where it sets the setting, most characters, and the general idea and gist that the game was trying to make its players feel. Not this one. The beginning is literally just you being rolled in a wheelchair through a blood-and-guts filled hospital with demonic little girls and zombies in it. This lasts about 15 seconds. Next thing you know, you wake up on your nasty bed, and go to beat up some monsters. Now this game does have cut-scenes(surprise.), but for the most part, they are only there to introduce you to new monsters, or to fight a boss. There is almost no spoken dialogue in the game, and the written dialogue is usually just confusing. If you get horror games for the often-superb storyline, then well, this game isn't for you.

    Gore - Now in 3D
    And I'm not talking about the tree hugger. Dementium is one of the few games to sport a high res 3-dimensional engine on the DS. Enemies too are fully rendered in 3D, and they are probably the high point of the 3D engine in Dementium. The enemies, although they may look at sometimes more funny then scary, are very well done for a DS game, and look even better then most N64 game enemies. Sometimes the enemies can look downright stupid, though. Take for example the screaming heads, or "banshees". Scary, sure, but not because of how they look. They look more similar to a cats head with madusa snakes then a decapitated woman's head. Regardless of a few fimply dumb looking enemies, Renegade Kid showed devs that full 3D is not only possible on the DS, it can be made both good, and solid. By solid, I mean that there are little to no clipping issues, glitches, textural errors, framerate issues, or pop-in. The engine is about as hard as a rock. Anyway. Environments are mainly texture based, as just about every wall and floor in the game is the same white wall with blood on it. Courtyard levels prove a little more varying, with some walls looking decrepid and old, and others having rusted surface on it. Now about the darkness. Renegade Kid went beserk when it comes to shadowing areas. To put it simply, when you fire at most enemies, you won't know whether you hit them or not. The flashlight illuminates these areas, but to shoot your gun you have to switch back to a gun, thus making you basically blind for far enemies. It has a severe case of Doom 3-itus to it, except you can't even melee with it this time around. But to be truthful, this game really wouldn't be scary at all without every room being dark as hell. Still, it becomes very frustrating, especially when fighting zombies that spit acid further then you can see. Environments are littered with, well, litter, among other things. Blood splashed trash cans, hospital beds, medicine cabinets and many other hospital-esqe appliances pervade, and often impede, the world of Dementium.


    The 3D engine at work. And it does some good work.

    Creek...creek...*piano solo*
    Sound. The music is one of the major defining features to make this game a horror game. Creepy organ and piano music plays while grunts of zombies and screams echo the hallways. There is an option to turn off the music though, in which case the game does became a good deal less scary. Though the scariest thing here is that most of the music all sounds exactly the same. Another odd designer choice is that some certain rooms don't have music at all, and I still can't well figure out what sets these rooms apart from the others. Music is the scary to this games sound department. Occasionally the sound effects offer a little shiver, but it was too apparent that Renegade Kid was arbitrarily trying to make it scary, so most of the enemies just come off sounding funny. Can't blame them too much, creating a scary handheld game is quite possibly one of the hardest things a dev can do. To that end the sound and music does make the game a good deal scarier--but that doesn't mean that either is very good. They both work though they will get annoying.


    I bet he's friendly.

    A bit broken, but survival horror at the core
    This game may very well be the first well made attempt at survival horror for the DS. Coming into a world of E and E10 rated games pervading the DS's huge library of games, Dementium sets itself apart, which can be seen even from the cover art(Which looks conspicuously like Final Doom. Anyone else catch that?). Dementium is a survival horror game to its core. It has the classic ideas at heart, such as limited ammo, few health packs, and a barrage of demonic monsters that don't seem to care how much ammo you have to waste on them to dispatch them. Ammo does become a bit more plentiful in the later levels, but you'll find yourself running past most enemies to try and conserve ammo for the most part. Beginning weapons are about as imaginative as my toenail, but later weapons are, while not exactly creative, welcome changes from the boring pistol and shotgun. now, the core shooting isn't exactly Metroid Hunters. Control works great, but some issues with the crosshair and where the bullet goes present problems. And even if the enemy is in visible sight, if your crosshair isn't red, you can't hit him. Most enemies, specifically the banshee, take an unnecessarily long time to kill with weapons, and with ammo very limited, that becomes a frustrating problem. Boss battles are rather fun, but some normal enemies are even harder then the bosses. Some intelligently designed puzzles are thrown into the game, but some become an annoyance to try and complete, such as the one to obtain the buzzsaw. You have to backtrack a good bit in that level, and every time you reenter a room, all the enemies you previously slain are respawned, to make you waste as much ammo as possible. Don't take this all the wrong way though; the shooter mechanics are a bit broken, but by no means bad. They worked well and fine, but many smaller annoyances can ruin some to most of the experience. Another thing is de ja vu. Most levels look extremely similar to one another, and may very well be, seeing as there are little to now landmarks to make me think otherwise. Core level design is done decently, but repetition may get on your nerves.


    Puzzles are consistantly numeric based.

    One way through, no two ways about it
    Replay value isn't Dementiums strong point. No multiplayer, no branching stories, and as far as I can tell, no different difficulties. The story mode is a decent length, but after that theres very little to do. I can't see myself playing through this a second time, and I doubt you will be either.

    Alright.

    Major Selling Points:
    -- A full survival horror adventure
    -- M rated on the DS
    -- Good scary game
    -- Great 3D engine

    Major breaking Points:
    -- Small Story
    -- Sub-par FPS control
    -- Repitition shows itself later in the game

    Story: 2/5
    Even with notes and booklets and whatnot, the story behind Dementium is, at best, flat.

    Graphics: 4/5
    One of the best 3D engines on the DS, and some of the best enemy models. Pity most environments look exactly the same.

    Sound: 3/5
    Music becames repetitive, and sound effects prove to be the main scary part of the game. Music is a bit scary though.

    Gameplay: 3.5/10
    An addition to the needed FPS genre on the DS, though the shooter mechanics need work. The survival horror is definatly there.

    Replay Value: 2.5/5
    A bit of a decent sized champaign mode, but after that you are done. Totally done. honestly though, If multiplayer was in here, I wouldn't want it. The shooter mechanics would be painful.

    Value: 3.5/5
    It really depends on how starved for a horror game you are on the DS. If your dying for one, heres your man. if not...well that comes into personal preference.

    Overall:


    Dementium raises no bars on the horror genre, but for DS, it sets a standard. Still, a bit better of an FPS nature to it wouldn't have hurt any.

    Audio reviews canceled.
    by Published on January 1st, 2011 17:59
    1. Categories:
    2. Nintendo DS News,
    3. DCEmu Games Reviews

    Because Ninja Gaiden on DS = Awesomeness. At least the idea does.

    Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword
    Publisher: Tecmo
    Developer: Team Ninja
    Genre: Action
    ESRP: $39.99

    Ninja Gaiden Lite.

    Once again, you must take up the role of famed ninja Ryu Hayabusa, one of the last remaining of the Dragon Lineage. The Greater fiends plot to envelope the world in darkness and chaos, and Ryu is the world's last hope.(again.) Fight through a multitude of levels from tombs to volcanos as you battle to stop the fiend's ambitions.

    A Ninja's story. Rated PG.
    Ninja Gaiden isn't known for its amazingly in-depth storylines, or just about anything pertaining to the story. Rather, its known by its console versions for having absurd stories, that are often so wacky that they become good. Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword isn't so easy to classify. Unlike the console versions Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword is aimed at the younger age group, obviously in response to the DS main customers. This means that the story won't be bloody, or nasty, or violent, or erotic, or whatever the normal Ninja Gaidens tend to do. Bare in mind though, that this isn't necessarily bad. The story itself isn't near as random as the other NGs, and its character design shows a good bit of cartoon influence. The characters each look as though they came out of an anime rather then the normal getting-to-realism look that Team Ninja primarily does. Still, some of the story is linear and you-saw-that-coming-miles-away, often during parts that are supposed to surprise you. As far as a 6-14 year olds game goes, though, the story is perfectly fitting. Cartoony characters combines with the classic 'caring' hero(I'll be honest with you. I do NOT see Ryu Hayabusa caring about pretty much anything but his duties. This game thinks otherwise.) with, while its still a bit unique, a linear and stereotypical story makes for a very well marketed NDS game.

    Again--damn, Ninjas look good
    Dragon Sword did for the DS what Team Ninja does for just about every console and game--created great looking character models with very fluent animations. Ryu looks spectacular, and even in his fast flurry of attacks you can see some very nice animation if you look closely enough.(Animation in a game has always been my favorite graphical part. If animation looks crappy, then...no.) Enemies are a bit different. While still sporting some decent looking Character models, compared to Ryu, Momijii and the bosses, they don't look as good. Mainly spider-ninjas and ware-wolves, but all around they do still look nice. Just not great. Enemy animations are still in tact though, as you can relate each one to its root animations in Ninja Gaiden Xbox. Most, anyway. Backgrounds are diverse and colorful, but interaction is non-existent. Unless there is a puzzle or a door, there is zero interaction with the environment. The freestyle running of the Ninja Gaidens has been taken out. There is a reason for this though. The backgrounds look 3D, but don't be too fooled, too fast. Most backgrounds, with a few exceptions, are fully 2D textures. That doesn't stop them from LOOKING 3D though, and to this day, the look has always been what matters most, not the technical ideas in place. As for technical stuff, even in the biggest battles I have never experienced a framerate drop. Clipping is very rare, and the whole engine is rather solid. Seems most DS game engines are that I've played. Ninpo effects are actually sprites(most of them), but they all look well done, and do give you the feeling that you have a little control over nature itself.


    Insert Rocky Balboa Music here.

    Ninja Gaiden Black, sound off
    Sound. The music mostly consists only of music from the original NG. Some lighter hearted songs were added in, probably because of the games younger audience. These are mainly in the Hayabusa village and other non-action parts of the game. But lets get something straight--it may be recycled, but that doesn't mean its all too bad. Annoying to my nerves, simply because I've played NG black before, but to most, it will seem like a decent and well placed soundtrack. Nothing amazing, but it certainly works for what it does. Sound effects also have been recycled, but there are a good bit of new ones in there. All dialogue is text; no voice acting. While it may be a shame to have no voice acting considering the job of the voice actors in the first NG it may or may not be so bad. You decide.


    Young Ryu? Nope. Nintendo Ryu.

    A furious fighting action title
    To let out a summery of whats to come: This game rocks. Gameplay. The core gameplay is just like the console NGs, i.e., slashing bashing and dicing enemies, while enjoying some light platforming puzzles. One may thing at first that Ninja Gaiden, being a usual button-masher game wouldn't fit well at all on the DS. Errrrr. The touch screen was made for these kinds of games. Unlike the normal NGs, Dragon sword has you play with only one hand. You hold the DS like you would a book, and use the touch screen vertically. To attack opponents you merely need to slash them with your stylus. Though it isn't that simple. Certain stylus movements string certain combos, and this game has combos aplenty. Despite having only one melee weapon, the Dragon Sword(I know, I know. I really wanted the Vigoorian Flails in there too.) there are multitudes of combos to pull off, including fan favorites such as the Izuna drop and the Flying Swallow. Buying upgrades for the sword and some extra combo scrolls boost the amount of attacks you can do. The only real annoyance with the combat system is to block you must press a button, often the left bumper where your other hand will be. But to roll, you have to touch a part on the screen, often making Ryu roll in the wrong direction. Besides that minor problem, the melee combat is one of the best on DS, though they really missed out without multiple melee weapons. Like past NG games, you also have ranged weapons, such as the bow and shurikan. Except this time, neither is useless and neither is boring. Simply tap the part of the screen you with to throw/shoot your weapon. Yes thats right, shurikan doesn't suck this time around.(Yeah I know, right?) Ninpo magic is like Ninpo on steroids. You can (and always do) take out many enemies with each massive ninpo you use, and there is a wide variety of element based magics in this game. Not all is good though. At most you can only use Ninpo one time before you must find another dragon statue to recharge it. About the dragon statues. They save, give you full health, and recharge your ninpo. However, in this game you can do that an infinite amount of times. Enemy combat is like watered down Ninja Gaiden. Nowhere near as hard, the enemies pose little threat until about chapter 6, where it starts to build up in difficulty. Even though it gets a bit challenging later on, by comparison this game has nothing on its console brothers in the way of difficulty. Enemies still do have cheap grab attacks, as per usual. Boss battles are linear, but fun. As conclusion to this paragraph, I'd say its probably one of the best DS action title I've ever played.


    Bosses are big and scary, but they're generally pushovers.

    2 Ninjas, 2 play-throughs. Maybe?
    After you beat the game, you get hard mode, which you won't beat. You also get some art. Finding all the Purple birds may be an addicting challenge. Momijji's campaign is fun, but short. Even Ryu's campaign is rather short, take only about 5-8 hours to beat, depending on how thorough you are. This game will last you a good time, but its not exactly the kinda of the the others were, where you had a huge multitude of unlockables. Trade it in after your done, but not until you DONE done.

    mmmKay.

    Major Selling Points:
    -- Fast and furious Ninja Action
    -- Looks great, good design
    -- Authentic Ninja Gaiden experience(unlike Sigma. You know why.)
    -- Endearing, if wacky, story

    Major breaking Points:
    -- May prove not difficult enough
    -- Only a single melee weapon
    -- Watered down Ninja Gaiden 2


    Story: 3.5/5
    Really not too bad. It does have some overly linear plot developments though, and is aimed mainly on the younger crowd.

    Graphics: 4.5/5
    Spectacular characters and design. Backgrounds look good, which really matter. Interaction doesn't exist.

    Sound: 4/5
    Its recycled Ninja Gaiden, sure. So?

    Gameplay: 4.5/5
    A great, authentic Ninja Gaiden experience. Deep hack and slash fighting, and some light puzzles.

    Replayability: 3.5/5
    There really is little to do after the first play through. The second campaign some may want to do though.

    Value: 4/5
    $40 may be a bit steep, but this is one of the DS finest. At least deserves a rent. And yes, Blockbuster does rent out NDS games.

    Overall:


    It may be Ninja Gaiden Lite, but the touch screen works something great, and all the ideas of NG are in tact. A great action game on DS; easily one of the best.
    by Published on January 1st, 2011 17:59
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    Published by: Nintendo
    Developed by: HAL Laboratory
    Genre: Action
    Number of Players: 1
    Price: $29.99



    PODCAST REVIEW BELOW!

    Overview:
    OH NO! Kirby has been cursed! well, lets show everyone how we roll! in this amazing kirby game!

    Gameplay:
    Unlike the rest of the kirby games, here, you control kirby by drawing a path for him with your stylus, this takes some getting use to, but later on you will be able to fluently move him arround.

    You can tap kirby to make him attack and this will also absorb the power of anyone who has it, instead of sucking them in, he rolls faster.

    As always, you play as a ball of fat and air named kirby, except this time, you have been cursed, so now your arms and legs have been removed turning you into a perfectly circular sphere.

    Now that you are a sphere, you are trying to get revenge (and maybe your limbs too) but to do this, you must first go through a series of levels with bosses every three levels you complete; There are three different types of bosses, and you can choose which one to fight. (don't wanna spoil so I won't tell what they do)

    In each level there are three hidden medals you can collect to later spend away on extras from boring songs, to new playable characters!

    Gained some weight haven't we kirby?

    Graphics:
    Even though the graphics are 2D, they look great, a game like this doesn't need 3D graphics, it is after all a side scroller. The backgrounds look colorful even when they are suppose to be dark, the characters are sprites, simple, but they fit in with the game's art style.

    Animations are not often seen, characters walk and explode, very simple, it seems as if they had $5 to make the animations you see in the game.

    This scene may have been scarry without the pink ball riding the rainbow.

    Sound:
    The game has fun and happy music for the most part, but it is mainly overshadowed by the sound effects, you really won't notice that it is there unless you listen for it.

    Replay Value:
    With unlockable characters and hidden medals, you will want to go back and play through some of the maps again (after you are done with a level, you can play it again at any time) it IS after all fun to play as a different ball of fat every now and then.

    Seriously, don't be fooled, at first you will find nothing extra to do, but it is all in the medals, collect medals = collect fun. and then off course if you beat the game there is a special extra feature added.

    Conclusion:
    It is too bad this game has no multiplayer, but it DOES have good ammount of content outside the main story mode,that is, after you beat the game.

    and even if it didn't have the extras, story mode alone is one great reason to get it.

    Difficulty:
    Spoiler!


    I give this game a:


    mah review survey
    by Published on January 1st, 2011 17:58
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    The World Ends With You Review by pas (for the I-touch4DS Compo):

    Platform: Nintendo DS
    Publisher: Square Enix
    Developer: Square Enix / Jupiter
    Genre: Touchscreen Beat ‘em up
    Players: 2


    Overview :
    The World Ends With You is a awesome, really stylish game that is a new approach to RPG’s by the RPG Masters themselves, Square Enix. It’s weird art style took the gaming world by storm, much like their last Masterpiece ages ago: Final Fantasy VII.

    But let’s begin at the start:

    Gameplay :
    The Game has quite a complex Gameplaysystem and Story, so I will have to split this part up into several segments.

    - Story:
    First of, to mention the story. You wake up as Neku Sakuraba in the wonderful (the pun was intended) city, shibuya. Slowly, your are realizing what is going on around you:
    You are part of a Game, a big game that takes off every year and decides players who need to participate. After realizing what’s going on you will find some kind of Pin that allows you to read peoples minds, but that isn’t all, this pin isn’t the only pin you will encounter, infact you will encounter A LOT of them, so stay tuned for a detailed explanation on that later in the review.

    You will also met several People, the first of them being a trendy teenager girl called “Shiki”. Together with your partners you will then fight numerous battles, do quests for driving forth the main storyline by defeating enemies (more on that later) and solving puzzles.

    Moving the Main Character from place to place (e.g. walking) is done by pointing the stylus into any direction of the touchscreen to have neku and companions follow it “Phantomhour-glass-style”.

    If your Character reaches the end of the screen you will either enter a new restrict or the Screen will scroll, allowing you to see new unseen places.

    - Battle-System:
    Now on to mention the most interesting part this game has to offer besides the deep (!) story and extensive question: the Battle-System.

    You can enter a battle at any time when standing around in Shibuya by pressing the Player Pin Button in the bottom right corner of the DS’s Touchscreen to reveal peoples thoughts and – in this case even more important – Noise swarming around them.

    If you tap one of those Noises you will automatically enter Battlemode which works like that:
    On the Top Screen you have your Partner and on the bottom, you – as neku. You will have the enemies on both screens and need to defeat them on both screens in order to be successful.
    Your partner is controlled by the d-pad while you yourself (neku…) are controlled with stylus movements, swipes etc. Different kind of attacks can be applied by equipping pins, those again can be earned by fighting and defeating enemies in chain battles (up to 4 or more battles right after each other with no health refill) or just buying them in stores and stuff like that. To round this up, the Battlesystem has a lot more to offer than mentioned above, so has the Game itself, various Minigames like Tin-Pin-Slammer (Beyblade-ripoff ?) and others keep you busy for quite some weeks, therefore this deserves the full score:
    5/5

    Graphics :
    Like mentioned before, the Graphics in this game (including the cutscenes) are really stylish, and totally fitting the Game’s setting of the modern Japano City.

    This deserves extra points because it was done so well:
    5/5

    Sound :
    One word: Earworm Danger
    Once you started playing this game and heard for example the song Deja-vu you won’t be able to get those little pieces of art out of your head so soon again, which is a good thing, and combined with the smashing count of 35 tracks deserves yet again 5/5 since it includes songs for everyone.

    Replay Value :
    This is the first department which is a bit tricky to handle. The game offers a lot, a extensive storyline with secrets to be unlocked (I don’t mean your regular secrets… the secrets in this game are special, but to find that out you have to play it yourself since I won’t spoil the fun), a very customizable Battle system and Characters, each with their own story. Still, this game can have quite some replay value if you want to take a look at every pin, see every secret and beat every enemy, but that is not enough to keep some players playing it, so this section will get a 4/5.

    Conclusion :
    It is nice to see Firms taking a different approaches on subjects, which in case of The World Ends With You / It’s a wonderful world was a full success and makes hope for more like this. I for one totally think Square Enix has gone into the right direction with this game and therefore deserves the full score and nothing less:

    Final Score:
    ...
    by Published on January 1st, 2011 17:23
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    Platform: DS
    Publisher: Nintendo
    Developer: Game Freak
    Genre: Adventure/Puzzle/Strategy
    Players: 1 - 4


    Overview:

    Pokemon Diamond (and Pearl) is another great addition to the Pokemon series, with new Pokemon, attacks, and areas in the whole new region. It''s not like any other Pokemon game out there.

    Gameplay:

    If you've played any Pokemon game before, you would know that you have to battle, catch, and raise Pokemon for your advantage, not to mention solve puzzles and do chores for people. You can even play some minigames along the way to becoming the greatest Pokemon trainer of all time. In Pokemon Diamond, this is all presented in a great way through the graphics, game layout, and the overall awesomeness of the game.

    Graphics:

    The graphics of Pokemon Diamond (and Pearl) are pseudo-3D, meaning they seem 3D, but aren't really 3D. The Pokemon still have 2D sprites, but the rest is just plain amazing. The trees, rocks, hills, and even the NPCs look 3D, which adds to the cool factor of this game.

    Sound:

    This is probably one of my favorite aspects of Pokemon Diamond (and Pearl), seeing as the music is very stunning. Most of the music in Diamond (and Pearl) is calm, but some areas throughout the Sinnoh region have upbeat, energetic music to fit the mood. The music is just plain awesome, which is why I have some of the OST tracks on my iPod (no joke!).

    Replay Value:

    200 hours into the game, and the fact that I still enjoy it shows that Pokemon Diamond (and Pearl) has a great replay value. I spend my time trying to catch all the Pokemon I haven't caught, raising my low level Pokemon, and even going through Sinnoh battle trainers I haven't yet, or re-battling trainers using the Vs Seeker. No matter what Pokemon game you're playing, they never get old.

    Conclusion:

    Pokemon Diamond is the latest installment in the handheld adventure portion of the Pokemon series, and it is a great one. It's worth the $35 (or 30, I got it on launch, so I can't remember) USD, and with all of the great new features, it's a bargain. I actually hated Pokemon after the Gold/Silver/Crystal time period died down, but when I tried the Japanese version of Diamond my friend had, it was my 7 year old childhood all over again. I still play it, and I'm still trying to do everything that is possible to do in this game. I definitely recommend Pokemon Diamond (or Pearl).

    Overall Rating:

    ...
    by Published on January 1st, 2011 17:23
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    The world ends with who... me... not uh.... Really?


    Information about the game:
    The World Ends With you is a Single player Nintendo DS Role-Playing Game published by Square Enix and Developed by the Kingdom Hearts Team and Square Enix, Jupiter. Single player Game

    Plot Synopsis:
    You take on the role of Neku Sakuraba as he wakes up with little memory, to find he is a part of a mysterious game constructed by a group known as the Reapers.

    Overview:
    In this game, you are basically thrown into a strange world, with nothing left to do except fight. To beat the game, you have to survive all 7 days with your partner, Shiki Misaki, and do whatever it takes to not get"erased" (there form of getting killed). The Combat system in this game is very unique in the fact that you are controlling 2 characters at once (One character for each screen) And may seem to be overwhelming at first, but in time you seem to get used to it. On The top screen, you got a Dance Dance Revolution style game-play to attack, while on the bottom, you get to slash away "noise" (or enemies) with your stylus. Another interesting feature is the pin system. The pin system is where you collect all types of pins that give you diffrent types of attacks, but you can only have a certain amount working at once. I like the idea, and it is fun to collect all the pins. The Game seems to me like a more modern Kingdom Hearts on the edge. In this game it will cuss and the main character seems to be a little dark himself.

    Graphics:
    Graphics in this game are a little So-So. Character design and just the art in the game is really well done, but when you control the character on the streets, it is VERY pixalated. The thing is, while in combat the game looks like a solid DS game. Nevertheless, Do not buy the game if you are looking for Crazy High-Def amazing graphics, cause you are not going to find it here.

    Sound: Well, other then the fact that the music is annoying Japanese songs that will play over and over and OVER again, Sound is good. The SFX are pretty superb in battle.

    Replay Value: On a bored weekend and I am craving RPG goodness, I will give it another play through. The game itself is addicting.

    Overall: The Game is fun, addicting and new, which will give RPG gamers a new look at what they have seen in RPG's so far. The new combat system makes the game unique by itself, if you guys don't count the Edgy-ness of the game unique too. Though Sound and graphics are sub-par, you will come to look over these things for a solid game with a great story and great gameplay. Despite the few problems in the game, I would say go ahead and buy it!

    Story 5/5
    Sound 3.5/5
    Graphics 3/5
    Gameplay 5/5



    by Published on January 1st, 2011 17:21
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    My current game of play has been CSI:Crime Scene Investigation (Dark Motives)....

    After thorough game playing I would personally give I high recommendation on this particular game.

    But I do suggest you have a complete read of the instruction manuel before playing, NOT A QUICK SCAN! or you will struggle to progress through the differant stages. I do beleive this game is good in the respect it is has a detailed and fuffiling feel to it, this is no cluedo! On the other hand there are the expected floors, some of the clues are so unobvious and hidden to the naked eye this can almost make certain areas impossible complete, I admit I had to search for a walkthrough to give me hints (not an easy task in it's self so I suggest contacting me if this is an issue). Once i realised all the differant areas of clue detction it was an enjoyable experience, this is why I suggest full manuel reading! There are high quality film sequences, large collection of tools and detection devices, locations and characters which add to that oh so wanted CSI TV SERIES FEEL! I think the game could of been slightly longer but considering the large amount of detail etc and it being a Nintendo Ds game it was satasfactory. This a trully wonderful game to keep going back to, for those of us who like snooping around and solving mysterys! ...
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