• 20Aug 09

  A Quick Summary of All My DS Games

  Final Fantasy III
  

  
  

  Being one of my oldest DS purchases, this is one game i've still yet to finish. Like most retro RPG's, you can find yourself lost and confused with where you're supposed to be going if you put this game down for too long. The events of the game are not recorded in anyway and so if you cannot remember the last thing you did, you're unlikely to know what to do next. That is this games only serious fault however as the core gameplay is both simple and solid. The job system adds a nice level of depth to the game and the story is your typical retro Final Fantasy adventure. I couldn't recommend it over Final Fantasy IV however, as that has a better story and a progress check so you can never get lost. One last thing i'll say though is that the touchscreen controls work really well for this game. You can direct your characters on screen and can navigate menu's with ease. I much prefer it to using a D-pad.

  
  
  

  Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
  

  
  

  This game is proof you can make a great GTA game with a top down view. Some gamers argue over the exact details of the perspective in this game, but it doesn't really matter. GTA games are either viewed from above or from behind the main character. In this case, the top down view works great. The graphics are great. There is a lot of detail throughout the city, which itself is massive. There are tons of missions to find, whether they be story missions or side missions such as Rampages, Street Races and such. The controls work great for the most part, though the automatic aiming can be quite far off at times. However, the biggest selling point for me was with this games lifespan. I wont lie and say this is the biggest DS game out there. If you choose to focus primarily on the story you could finish this game in around 6-8 hours. However, if you intend to make the most of your surroundings, complete all the side missions, collect all the medals and get some multiplayer under your belt you could easily rack up a good 40+ hours of gameplay.
  
  I strongly recommend picking up this game if you're a GTA fan.

  
  
  

  Mario Kart DS
  

  
  

  This is another game that offers a lot of lifespan. It's not the most difficult Mario Kart out there, but it is a lot of fun and is probably my favourite entry in the series. The 16 original DS tracks provided are a lot of fun and the 16 retro courses chosen are some of the best in the series so there are plenty of great tracks to choose from. The single player modes include a challenge mode, which isn't amazingly difficult, but adds that extra lifespan if playing alone.
  
  The game comes into its own if you know of others who own the game. I've had the pleasure of playing against 6 other friends in the wireless mode and it can get seriously competitive. More so when you have a points table and can choose to race in upto a full 32-race series. The online mode is pretty good, but not as good as wireless. However it's most likely the only option for many DS owners so i'll quickly summarise that too.
  
  When it comes to the online mode, players are incredibly competitive. In many cases however, there are hackers and those who use tactics refered to as 'snaking'. Whilst I don't mind such tactics, they've proven incredibly unpopular with fans so you've been warned lol. All in all, a great package. It may be getting on in terms of age, but it's still one of the best DS games out there. I recommend this one if you don't have any racing games in your DS library.

  
  
  

  Metroid Prime: Hunters
  

  
  

  I'm a big Metroid gaming fan and a big FPS fan. However i've found the two don't mix as well as the critics believe. The controls in this game are awesome. They work just as well as a keyboard and mouse set up. They're as accurate as you can imagine. However, that's about all the praise I can give this game. The game is focused primarly around its multiplayer mode, which pitches 4 players against each other in medium sized areas. The concept works quite well against bots, which is an available option, but online is another story.
  
  In my experience with the online mode I have found that many of the players are extremely good at this game. So much so that after dominating matches with bots on the hardest difficulty, I still found myself getting the beating of my life. It didn't help, however, that there were a notable number of cheaters around too. This is an important factor because it's not always a straight forward task, like in Mario Kart DS, trying to identify a cheater. When a game begins to get tough, you can help but question the genuine talent of some of the players.
  
  There is a story mode for those who aren't all that keen on multiplayer shoot 'em ups. However it's a very poor effort. The single player mode is built up from the small arenas found in the multiplayer mode, and you'll find yourself revisiting similar rooms time and time again. There are no real puzzles in this game and the same few bosses are re-used throughout the game, again and again. All in all it's a pretty repetitive and dull experience and not worth your money. I recommend giving this game a miss and trying something like Call of Duty: Word At War instead.

  
  
  

  New Super Mario Bros
  

  
  

  This is a great platformer and a great game. The controls are slick and the level design is great. There are over 80 levels in the game, with plenty of variety in terms of actual design. The multiplayer is short, but sweet and there is the welcome return of touch screen mini games from Super Mario 64. Only this time with added 4-way multiplayer. My only problem with this game is with its difficulty. It's not really a difficult game at all. This becomes more apparent when you return to play other games in the series such as the first Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros 3 or Super Mario World. All 3 are far more challenging games. However, that's not to say New Super Mario Bros isn't enjoyable. At no point throughout the game did I feel bored. I didn't even dwell on the difficulty until I completed the game because at the end of the day, you're playing through more side-scrolling Mario material and iis always a blast. I strongly recommend this one!

  
  
  

  Super Mario 64 DS
  

  
  

  There's not much to say about this game, other than it is brilliant. The gameplay is ported over from the 64 version intact. Don't concern yourself too much with how Mario navigates the 3D world with a d-pad instead of an analog stick because it works really well. He's still as sluggish as he was on the N64, but you'll manage it as well as before with a little practice. The graphics have been given a nice touch up and remain some of the best 3D graphics on the console to date. The games difficulty remains its highlight. You wont breeze through this game unless you're a Mario 64 veteran, and even then there's an extra 30 stars to find. Some of which are pretty tricky. The multiplayer mode is nothing to shout about, but the touch screen mini-games are plenty and pretty addictive. It's just a shame there are no online leaderboards for it.
  
  All in all a great, lengthy game and worthy of any DS collection.

  
  
  

  The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
  

  
  

  This, like New Super Mario Bros, is another great entry into a familar gaming series. The games story follows on from Wind Waker, though you do not have to play through that game to be able to follow this one, and plays out much like Wind Waker too. You'll navigate a boat over open seas to seek out and explore new islands, many of which will contain your typical dungeons and villages. The game looks just like Wind Waker too and the cell-shaded graphics work really well on the DS, however its the gameplay mechanics are the highlight of the game.
  
  Many gamers have questioned the control scheme, which sees you performing everything with the stylus and touch screen, whether you're attacking, using items or just manouvering link about the screen. I assure you, however, that with just a few minutes of pratice you'll be completely comfortable with how it all works. It's a really fluid controls system and any DS game using a top down perspective should take note.
  
  Just like New Super Mario Bros, my only real complaint with the game lies with its difficulty. The game really isn't that hard, though some of the dungeon puzzles will keep you busy for a while. That and it's not the longest of Zelda games either. I completed the gae through, on my first attempt, in about 13 hours. A lot sooner than I had expected. Anyways, I recommend this game to anyone, if mainly for the gameplay mechanics.

  
  
  

  Trauma Center: Under the Knife
  

  
  

  Last, but not least is Trauma Center. This game suprised me. I wasn't really interested in playing this game until a friend had shown me it. It's not a surgical sim by any means. Yes, it involves you performing surgical practices, but the game has this arcade feel about it. There is always a timer on screen, you learn a special ability that slows down time and in some cases you're performing things other than surgery, like disarming bombs. It sounds odd, but its actually quite fun. There are a few surgical techniques to learn, though you're guided through these during your first few operations. If you find yourself forgetting any of these techniques however, you can return to and try previous operations again and again. Once comfortable, you'll begin strolling through the game at a consitent pace. At least for a short while as the difficulty ramps up quite high. I've still not completed this game because i'm stuck, but it's been enjoyable trying to better my rank on previous operations.
  
  I hear the game ins't particularly long, but this was my 3rd DS game back in 2006 and i've still not finished it lol. If you fancy a tough challenge or something completely different in your DS collection I recommend checking this out.

  • Posted Aug 20, 2009 2:32 am PT
  • Category: Games
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• 16Aug 09

  I almost sold my Nintendo DS

  The other day I went into my local GameStation to sell my DS, or at least get it valued first. I'd been contemplating doing this for a while now. My original thought was to sell my DS to help fund an Xbox 360. However, in recent weeks i'd been considering boosting my retro collection instead. I've been playing the NES and Master System a lot more recently and having played through most of the games I own, I thought I could do with some new games. Anyways, I take with me 8 DS games to be valued. These are Final Fantasy III, GTA: Chinatown Wars, Mario Kart DS, Metroid Prime: Hunters, New Super Mario Bros, Super Mario 64 DS, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass and Trauma Center: Under the Knife. Now I know a fair few of these games are sold at around £22 second hand, which is only £5-8 shy of a brand new DS game, so I suspected I would get a fair price for selling these games. How wrong I was.

  As I wait anxiously while my DS is being valued, I began thinking about how much money I had invested into my DS over the years. The console had cost me £120 when it first came out and the games I had bought were no cheaper than £30 each. All in all, I'd spent around £360 on my DS, not including other games i'd bought and sold in the past. So to be told by the store clerk that he had valued my DS and 8 games at a mere £45 was pretty damn insulting. That's just £15 more than a single brand new DS game. Needless to say, I took my DS and games and left the shop.

  After this experience I decided I will never ever sell anything gaming related ever again, at least not to a gaming store, and I advise everyone else to do the same. If you're selling a relatively new game to fund another, then perhaps that's ok. However, if you're selling a small collection you've built up over the years then expect to be completely ripped off. Lesson learned.

  If anyone actually reads this blog post I might write up a second, breifly reviewing the 8 DS games I own. I know they're typical first party material, but surely there are people out there who don't own some of these games right? lol.

  • Posted Aug 16, 2009 11:31 am PT
  • Category: Games
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• 8Apr 09

  Video Game Reviews & Ratings

  Over the years i've read through plenty of negative user reponses to critic ratings on a number of games. It seems the majority of gamers believe the ratings given out by particular critics are generally too harsh. For example, Madworld was recently awarded a 6/10 by EDGE magazine. As this news was broken to GameSpot users recently, many immediately wrote off the magazine in question, stating that they are often too harsh when it comes to reviewing games and do not know what they are talking about a lot of the time. In another case, a recent review of GTA Chinatown Wars was dismissed simply because it criticised aspects of the game that had so highly praised by nearly all other critics. Such conclusions in similar circumstances have lead me to questions a number of different things.

  Firstly, do people realise that a review is simply an opinion? The reviewers in question are being paid to give a professional opinion, or if you like, a general diagnosis. The review itself wouldn't mean much if they were to simply agree with everyone else and slap on a score that reflects the views of every other critic.

  Secondly, do people ignore the actual reviews and just note the scores? When ratings are posted on forums, users are quick to state which reviewers they trust and which they don't. Many will state why one review is harsh and why the other is more 'accurate'. Usually a short time before the game in question has even been released. Rarely do people come out and say what parts of the review they disagreed with, rather they just disagree with the overall rating generally.

  This leads me to my third point. How are people interprating these rating systems? It's a pretty common sight on gaming forums to have users dismiss a game simply because it failed to score amazingly well. Many gamers have cut off points within the rating system, in which if a game scores lower than a particular value then it is no longer worthy of their interest. This is most common around the 7/10 mark, or 70% if you like. Although i've seen many times that gamers out there refuse to by anything generally rated lower than 90%!

  To me, 90%, or a 9/10 rating suggests to me that a particular game is a near perfect. There may be a couple of complaints, but nothing major. A 7/10 game is still very good. There are a few aspects of the game that need to be looked at, but the overall experience is very much enjoyable and thus worthy of purchase, assuming it's the type of game you're likley to be interested in. I think even a 6/10 rating should suggest a game is worth looking at, because it has some quality attributes.

  This leads me to my fourth point, and brings my rant round full circle. I feel that most gamers out there over rate their games. Especially those who have 'cut-off' points within the general rating systems. I am not suggesting that people aren't enjoying their games as much as they believe, but that their general expectations of game simply aren't high enough. For example, i've recently finished watching an amusing review of GTA Chinatown Wars over at EscapistMagazine.com. It highlights nearly every aspect of the game that has otherwise been praised universally and quickly pulls them apart.

  Now unless you've played the game, you'll not fully understand the criticisms made within the review, but having played this game and rated so highly myself, I am having to sit back and try to understand why I rated this game so highly in the first place. According to GameRankings, GTA Chinatown Wars has an average rating of nearly 95%. That is an incredibly high number. My own personal rating was 9.0 and as I said earlier, for me, such a score suggests a near perfect game. However I found myself agreeing with this particular review, in which the game recieves little praise, on a number of occasions.

  I wont go into detail as to why I agreed with it so much. If you wish to view the review in question, there is a link at the bottom of this post. However I will say, until watching this review it was almost as if I were ignoring the tiny faults within the game, even though they do hamper the overall experience some what. I was aware of all the negative points raised and spoke about them with other GTA fans. However, our overall opinions and impressions of the game never changed.

  Maybe it's the hype and excitement of a new game, but I find I tend to lower my original ratings of games a short while after competing them. I'll be sure I know how good the game is, but then i'll look back at it weeks later and think 'no this game wasn't as great as i'd believed, although still a good one'. I think this something that catches out many gamers. Especially those who are taken in by the hype of a new game. That's not to say they do not have good reason to disagree with a particular review. However they should at least form some kind of constructive arguement to back their claims by reading the actual review in question and ignoring the numbers at the end. If they bothered to, they might well find they actually agree with many of the points raised.

  GTA Chinatown Wars Review: Click Here.

  • Posted Apr 8, 2009 11:46 pm PT
  • Category: Editorial
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