One of the few games that successfully managed to embrace and exploit the unique features of DS when the handheld first launched was Sonic Team's flamboyant offering, Feel the Magic.
Candy coloured graphics blended with kooky, off-the-wall gameplay gave Feel the Magic an irresistible edge that proved hugely playable and delighted gaming freshers and old hands alike.
The Rub Rabbits is Sonic Team's follow-up title and we recently enjoyed a vigorous session of intimate stylus stroking with the
By
Edge_
posted February 15, 2006
"What is it...? What IS it?" Barry Burton, still struggling with what passes for acceptable voice acting, hopes it "isn't Chris's blood."
Anyone who's had to uncurl their toes from the horror of this opening scene will know exactly what it is: a direct port of the PlayStation original.
This is partly true. Deadly Silence does contain a Classic mode; an exact replica of the original, complete with its unintentionally amusing dialogue and horrendous intro.
The transition to the DS, however,
Mario... smash! The Godzilla-style rampage is... um, well, it seems like a bit of a gimmick, actually.
After bouncing through a couple of level's-worth of traditional Mario fun, you finally find a mushroom that takes several head-butts to dislodge, growing each time.
Scoff it and Mario gets super-sized, ready for a block-walloping rampage that only lasts about 20 seconds. Fun, but ultimately just a bit distracting.
The real fun's in the more conventional Mario action. Though it's similar to
By
NGC_
posted January 11, 2006
Metroid Prime Hunters is broken up into a series of specific missions, which you receive from the Galactic Federation before each level.
The game's story basically revolves around an artefact hunt - technology of vast power that's scattered around the galaxy. Using her ship, Samus will need to travel around the system to search for them.
However, these artefacts are not only sought after by Samus, but also by a number of other bounty hunters.
Each bounty hunter is nastier than the last,
There's no movie sequel to the The Incredibles on its way, but that hasn't stopped THQ from making up their own. With a plotline that follows on from the original film, Rise of the Underminer begins right where the film ends, where the Underminer is threatening to wreak havoc on the residents of Metroville. You have to battle against him, travelling through the city and the underground maze beneath it. You play as Mr Incredible or Frozone, who each have their unique skills. Mr Incredible uses
It slipped, honest. Yeah, our patient only had a bit of broken glass in his arm, and we didn't really need to use the scalpel at all. But his chest was right there and we were sure we'd be able to sew him up again and... Well, it all gets a bit hazy from there, but the nurses went mental. Get past the urge to slash patients up, though, and Trauma Center is one of the most original, inventive and addictive uses for the DS stylus we've seen so far. This is thanks to the ingenious way it's used to
By
Edge_
posted July 21, 2005
Another chance to sample the pleasures of Mario Kart DS, away from the clamour of E3's showfloor, ought to have presented an opportunity for a more reflective, studied examination of the game's handling nuances and track design. It did, but in practice it was much more important that there was no one else waiting to jostle you off the demo pod, giving you the freedom to have another race... and another. And another. And then a few more.Double Dash may have been the first instalment in the
Compared to EA's newest racing acquisition Burnout, the last Need for Speed outing was a little underwhelming.
While it sold well to those gamers who prefer to spend their money on fully established, 'safe' buys, Need for Speed wasn't anywhere near Burnout's level.
However, thanks to the new graphical splendour bestowed upon this new iteration by the advanced power of Xbox 360 (or should we say, ), NFS has been given a new lease of life.
Everything's just so much more intricately detailed
By
NGC_
posted November 26, 2004
What's the first thing you do when you boot up Super Mario 64? Triple-jump straight to the first tree and fire off a stylin' dismount? Waterbomb the pond with a huge diving attack? Whatever it is, it'll be the first thing you do when you get your hands on Mario 64 DS - the conversion is that close. The world is almost exactly as you remember, and Nintendo have been incredibly inventive in converting the original controls to fit DS's digital set-up.Nevertheless, controlling Mario on the D-pad is
