My Top Ten RPGs #1: Chrono Trigger

While SquareEnix might be one the biggest names when it comes to video game RPGs, I have to say I haven't found many of their games to be very compelling. I've tried many of the Final Fantasy games but none of them really kept me entertained. I heard of Chrono Trigger's epic reputation, and when it came out on the Nintendo DS I was hoping I would at least like it. I didn't just like it, I loved it!

My Top Ten RPGs #7: Pokemon Gold/Silver

In 2000, I had played Pokemon Blue so much, there wasn't much left to do. I don't ever remember exactly wishing for a sequel right away, but when I heard about it was a big deal. The original was a such a master-piece, and a sequel with new improvements and pokemon was a dream come true.

A Look Into Video Games: Diddy Kong Racing (N64)

While Mario Kart has been king of kart racing games since 1992, it has seen many imitators and rivals.  Diddy Kong Racing was the first kart racer (that I know of) that Nintendo had done outside the Mario series. Though technically Rare (who made the Donkey Kong Country series) were the real team behind it.

A Look Into Video Games: Bowser (Super Mario 64)

Even though he's now been defeated numerous times, Bowser's appearance in Super Mario 64 on N64 (and DS) is one his most memorable. Mainly because he shows up all the time.

Planet Puzzle League (DS) Review

 Back in 2007 I remember when Planet Puzzle League came out for the Nintendo DS. It gained notable attention in the United States as it was the latest sequel to Pokemon Puzzle League on N64, and Tetris Attack on SNES. In Japan the series is known as Panel de Pon, but in America Nintendo has merged it with other popular video game series to make it more appealing. I loved Tetris Attack so this was one of the games I asked my fiancee to get me for Christmas, though I took me a few months to finally play it.

A Look Into Video Games: Pokemon Trozei! (DS)

 Besides Mario, the Nintendo series with the most spin-offs is probably Pokemon. In 2006 Nintendo released Pokemon Trozei! a puzzle game for their new handheld.

A Look Into Video Games: Elf Bolwing 1 & 2 (DS)

 Back in the early days of the Nintendo DS, Elf Bowling 1 & 2 was released. I had no idea the series had a decent amount of popularity on PC. However that wasn't enough to convince me to get this strange little Christmas game.

A Look Into Video Games: Balloon Ability (Kirby)

Kirby's balloon ability power made it's only appearance in Kirby: Canvas Curse for the Nintendo DS. Since Kirby is basically a balloon with arms, it's not exactly the most memorable special power he's ever used. Though it's decent, and I like the range of it's attack. 

A Look Into Video Games: Tetra

 Tetra is the leader of the pirate crew in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. While she isn't a pure heroine, she's generally good hearted.

A Look Into Video Games: Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble! (DS)

 Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble! was the first portable game in the series released in 2005. While I loved the first game in the series, I didn't get this sequel.

A Look Into Video Games: Pac-Pix (DS)

Pac-Pix was a Pac-Man spinoff released in 2005 for the Nintendo DS. While the DS had a very lackluster first year, there were some interesting spin-offs and unique games for the platform. Pac-Pix was certainly one of them, and it's probably the most distinctive of the franchise.

Things I Like: Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt (DS)

 Back when I got my Nintendo DS in the Christmas of 2004 (the system's launch year) Nintendo included a free demo game called Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt since the actual Metroid Prime Hunters would not release until early 2006. It was a bit of a long wait, but it was cool to be given something at the start of a system's lifetime. They usually never do that until much later on.  

Tetris Party Deluxe (DS) Review

I got into Tetris many years ago through a borrowed NES version. I used to sit in my chair for hours and play and play. I then got my own Gameboy version, and loved that almost as much. Then I really enjoyed Tetris DS and the original Tetris Party on Wiiware a few years ago. Since I no longer have a version in easy access (sold Tetris DS and my girlfriend has my Wii), I decided to get Tetris Party Deluxe on DS.

Tetris Party Deluxe manages to continue the tradition of including original Tetris gameplay with new modes. However since Nintendo created some fantastic modes in Tetris DS, they are omitted and replaced with new original modes here. Sadly I can't say any of them are really more than quick time-wasters. I did like bombliss mode and master mode, but everything else was rather iffy.

The main reason why I picked the game up was to play multiplayer online again. I was extremely disappointed that the game is no longer the same excellent multiplayer matches featured on Tetris DS. It's a long wait to play a match with no special rules, and the items featured in the first option are terrible. They're random, hard to keep track off, and easily abused and misused. My last multiplayer match was against a player with well over 8000 rank points (you start at 5000 and can lose them) and he ended the match in less than a minute. Either he was the best Tetris player in history (and I was really good at Tetris DS) or the game is filled with rampant cheaters. I'm going to assume it was the latter.

While Tetris Party Deluxe tries to spice up classic Tetris with new modes, that alone isn't enough to fully recommend. And the online multiplayer is not ruined, but I would say rather flawed. If you're a hardcore Tetris player I'd say skip this version. But if you're a Tetris newbie, this could be a decent option. 

Score: 7 out of 10

A Look Into Video Games: Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (DS)

 While Splinter Cell: Choas Theory was a huge success on the Xbox, Ubisoft's DS version was not so much. It was released early on in the DS's lifespan, and I actually admit that I wanted this game back then. Until I heard all the bad reviews and complaints.

 Unlike the GBA Splinter Cells, the DS version was in full 3D. I have to say that the graphics were pretty impressive for the time. While the DS is commonly believed to be N64-level visually, they did crank out some games with rather remarkable visuals in comparison to it's console counterpart.

 It did feature a rather similar game-play style to it's Xbox big brother as well. Sam uses the same gear and tools, and you get to play a legitimate single player adventure. Not only that but multiplayer as well.  It featured the 2 player story co-op that made the original version such a hit, and the Spy vs Mercenaries mode that was originally introduced in Pandora Tomorrow.

A sluggish frame-rate, and awkward controls from what I hear is what killed Chaos Theory on DS. While Ubisoft deserves praise for the amount of work they did on the game, but the system's limitations (especially controls) were too hard to overcome.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Nintendo DS) Review

So why a Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer review at the end of May? Well my girlfriend bought it at Gamestop, and finished it in 2 days so I thought it'd be worth a laugh to check it out for myself. I've seen the game on the shelves since it came out in 2010, and I always wondered if it was shovelware (i.e. terrible games made intentionally low-quality) or a decent attempt to make a real game based on my favorite Christmas tale? Well it's kinda neither...

The game isn't really a game, it's more like an interactive storybook. You go through story-mode and it gives you little mini-games that relate to the movie. It can be simple races, match games, simon sez, coloring, and a couple more. They're mildly amusing at first, but they get old pretty fast.

I finished story mode in about half an hour, and while they have a few bonus modes it really is a very short game. Admittedly I am an adult, and can easily figure out these simple puzzles and tests that the games throws in my way. I'd guess it'd take a kid maybe 2 or 3 hours to play through it at least once.

As a DS game, Rudolph's virtual outing is a complete failure, but as a interactive storybook it's not that bad. Since you can find it now for next to nothing, it may not be the worst idea as a little stocking stuffer for your children this Christmas. However for anyone else, you have to be the biggest Rudolph fan in the world before I could recommend it. So my score below reflects it's value as a game, not as an interactive storybook.

Score: 2 out of 10

My Top Ten Worst Sonic Games #9: Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood

I was actually really excited for Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood when it came out. I liked Sonic sure, but it was a RPG by Bioware which was the company behind Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. It seemed like a win-win, but I felt nothing but shame.

 The game features typical Sonic characters and areas mixed in with a new story. Something about aliens and evil stuff. Honestly the story was trash and I bet only 2 people understood it.

The combat system was a decent touch-screen based set-up, yet the game's difficulty jumped out of nowhere and rendered me helpless. But I didn't mind giving up since the dull fights and dreadful areas. It seemed like they had some nice ideas, but overall the game gave me a worse impression for both Bioware and Sega.

My Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day! (DS) Review

I remember buying the original game on day 1, and having a good time with it. When Brain Age 2 came out about a year later, I sat out on this sequel. However recently my girlfriend picked up a copy of her own, and I borrowed it. How well does it stack up? Not much to be honest.

It's got brand new exercises to play sure, but even though they acquire more originality and depth it loses the point of the first game. Some of them are ungodly complicated and not very fun to complete. I did like the Cashier exercise where you had to figure out what kind of change to give out. But other than that, most of others don't feature the simple fun from the first game.

The other mini-games have things like figuring out what dates are when, finding the finishing place of a stick-figure runner, and the one I loathe the most: the piano mini-game. While Brain Age 2 might feature about the same amount of mini-games, it's quality drop is far too obvious after 30 minutes of play-time. 

 

Sure it also features some Sudoku puzzles and a tiny bit of extra stuff but those can't keep my attention for more than five minutes. I didn't play Sudoku much in the original, so I'm not starting now. I can see why we never recieved a Brain Age 3, because while the original was a neat idea it was just that. It didn't really warrant a sequel, and if it did it should have been an expanded re-release. Don't feel guilty if you passed on this one too. 

Score: 5 Out of 10

My Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day! (DS) Impressions

I remember buying the original game back in 2006, and really liking it. Then it gets a little old, and you feel kinda sick of it. Sorta like listening to a really good song a billion times. So I never got the sequel that came out a year later. However my girlfriend picked it up used, and I tried out her copy.

My Favorite Memories: Mario Kart DS Family Race

Back when the DS first came out, my brother and I quickly got one. My cousin also had one too. So the 2nd Christmas it was out, we went over his house, and we played our copy of Mario Kart DS. He lacked a copy of his own so we had a gimped choice of courses, but it was fun nevertheless. My cousin Justin is on the left.

A Look Into Video Games: Play-Yan

The Play-Yan was an accessory for the Nintendo DS as well as Gameboy Advance that allowed you to play MP3 songs. It plugged in an SD card an a GBA cart, and plugged in on any system that could play GBA games.