All DS Previews

Bokura wa Kaseki Holder – import review (Bokura wa Kaseki Holder [import])

Jul 18, 2008

If you’d prefer to work for your Pokemon, then Bokura wa Kaseki Holder (translated as ‘We Are Fossil Holders’) is for you. This dino-baiting Poke-’em-up asks you to build your prehistoric war beasts from scratch. ...

Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise (Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise)

Jul 14, 2008

Viva Pinata and the DS. A match made in Eden? ...

Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise (Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise)

Jul 3, 2008

Let’s face it; most of us didn’t buy a 360 so we could play as a gardener for a bunch of sweet-filled paper animals. Which would suggest why not many of you could be bothered to give it a go last time around. But then, that’s your loss because it means you’ve missed out on one the most original, strangely addictive games of recent years. So Rare is giving you the chance to redeem yourself with a new version, ...

Brave: Shaman's Challenge - hands-on (Brave: Shaman's Challenge)

Jun 13, 2008

Since Puzzle Quest, we’ve been dying to see more plot heavy puzzle games, and Brave: Shaman’s Challenge might give us our much-needed fix this Fall. The game promises to blend a deep story with Puyo Pop-esque puzzles. Don’t know what that means? Never played Puyo Pop? For shame. Well let’s kill two birds with one stone.

Both games revolve around pairs of tiles falling from the top of the screen. In Brave, ...

Ninjatown - EXCLUSIVE hands-on (Ninjatown)

Jun 11, 2008

Games based on movies, cartoons and comic books have existed for ages, but publishers have only recently begun seeing the potential of internet phenomena. Penny Arcade and Strong Bad got their own games and now, with the upcoming Ninjatown on DS, another popular online property is getting the star treatment. We recently got some hands-on time with the adaptation. If you've got questions, we've got answers.

What and/or where is ...

Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 (Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2)

Jun 5, 2008

Stare at our wall o’ surgery - and stare you should - and it’s impossible not to see the debt Under The Knife 2 owes to its big Wii brother. Revamped graphics - the more solidly-3D Wii bodies and organs have been shipped in - are accompanied by the various surgical tweakings implemented for the remote. The rib cage and leg operations see the terrific bone jigsaws return and we’ve also seen the defibrillators make their ...

NeoPets Puzzle Adventure - hands-on (Neopets Puzzle Adventure)

Jun 3, 2008

Wait a second, don't run away! Yes we know, the Neopets name might sting like poisoned gasoline but hear us out. You like Puzzle Quest, right? You like going on quests, busting gems to gain mana for spells, buying items and all that fantasy crap that made an already addictive game downright irresistible, right? Thought so. And that's exactly why you're going to like ...

Capcom's Captivate 08 coverage (Neopets Puzzle Adventure)

Jun 3, 2008

Last week Capcom revealed one of its strongest lineups in ages during the Captivate 08 event (we briefly talked about it on TalkRadar). The embargos have lifted and now we're able to say what we saw, what we played and what totally stole the show (it surprised the hell out of us, that's for sure). We'll be adding links throughout the day, so read on! ...

Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff - hands-on (Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff)

May 29, 2008

The real pull of Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff on the DS isn’t the game itself. It’s the nostalgia for the old days that comes flooding in when you play it. We’re talking about those 8-bit salad days when blowing the dust out of those old carts and loading them into your NES in just the right way was a sacred ritual.

It’s all because Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff is all about keeping things old school and that’s a good thing. ...

Soul Bubbles (Soul Bubbles)

May 21, 2008

New screenshots and gameplay footage from Soul Bubbles have just floated in. Soul Bubbles’ unique storybook look and fresh use of the stylus have piqued our interest since our last preview.

But since then, we’ve also noticed a bit of smugness on the part of the game’s developer, Mekensleep. They know they’ve created something that breaks away from the beaten path, and before the game begins, a hilarious ...

Dinosaur King (Dinosaur King)

May 19, 2008

At the recent Sega gamer’s day, most of the titles enjoyed placement in their own rooms, replete with giant wide-screen TVs and distracting color-changing ambient lighting. A couple sad, wallflower DS titles got to hang out across from the hors d'oeuvre bar. One of these was the kid-friendly title Dinosaur King.

Like Pokemon, and just about every kid cartoon these days, Dino King involves children that capture/summon/train ...

Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of Lagaard hands-on preview (Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of Lagaard)

May 19, 2008

In the midst of game designers stumbling over themselves to reach into the newfound wallets of “casual gamers,” it’s nice to see a game like Etrian Odyssey 2. Aimed solely at the traditional hardcore gamer, Etrian Odyessy 2 is an old school dungeon crawling grind fest that makes no apologies. There are no tutorials or training levels, and after a brief introduction you’re thrown into the Labyrinth and ordered to ...

Bleach: Dark Souls - first look (Bleach: Dark Souls )

May 16, 2008

Okay, let’s clear something up: the man character’s name isn’t Bleach, it’s Ichigo. They call him Bleach because his hair looks bleached and they call the manga/anime series “Bleach” because “emo anime guys doing cool shit with swords and ghosts” doesn’t fit so well on a TV screen. If you already knew that, then you probably know about Bleach: Dark Souls, the Sega game coming to the ...

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia announced (Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia)

May 15, 2008

Game Boy Advance had three amazing Castlevania games in its lifespan, so it's no surprise to see the third DS entry announced. Order of Ecclesia lands this fall and stars magic-flinging girly girl Shanoa, who's out on a quest to - you guessed it - vanquish Dracula. Quite frankly, that's all we need to know. We'll be there on day one. ...

Rock Revolution (Rock Revolution)

May 15, 2008

Last night, Konami unveiled Rock Revolution, their newest music title for Xbox 360, PS3, Wii and DS, which is scheduled for a fall release. In Rock Revolution, a drummer, bassist, and guitar player jam together much as they do in a certain other high-profile music game about forming a band that rocks.

Lets just get the sell-sheet info out of the way, so we can get on with our impressions. The game will ship with 40 songs, ...

First details on Bayonetta, MadWorld, and Infinite Line (Infinite Space)

May 15, 2008

Publisher Sega just delivered the first scant details on MadWorld, Infinite Line, an unnamed game, and Bayonetta, the first four projects from new developer Platinum Games Inc. And yes, new games are announced almost every day, but this is special. Why? Because Platinum Games is made up of the men who invented cutting-edge classics like Resident Evil, Okami, Viewtiful Joe, Devil May Cry, and the mech-tacular Steel Battalion. Simply ...

Developer interview - Mushroom Men (Mushroom Men)

May 14, 2008

Mushroom Men is Red Fly Studio’s first full game, but the team has plenty of previous experience working for the likes of Ion Storm (Deus Ex), Retro Studios (Metroid) and Terminal Reality (Bloodrayne). We traveled all the way to the Mushroom Kingdom (well, Austin, Texas anyway) to have words with Dan Borth, CEO and Creative Director at Red Fly.

So you’re currently working on Mushroom Men on the Wii and DS, and the ...

Big Bang Mini (Big Bang Mini)

May 14, 2008

When you think of firework games, the mind immediately pings to Boom Boom Rocket (or for us older stagers, Fantavision). Both of these were cracking little titles - but developer Arkedo reckons it’s not a bit like either one of them - and it’s definitely not a puzzler!

Instead it appears to be a ballistic-based battler, a shoot-’em-up-into-the-sky, if you will. The object is to create barrages of beautiful ...

Doodle Hex (Doodle Hex)

May 13, 2008

Drawing games have never been high on the priority list of all but the most junior or unhinged gamers. But this little fella looks as though it holds some promise. You’ll play as one of a gaggle of Doodlers - students at a school of rune casting - and in your spare moments you trawl the corridors looking for fellow trainees to have runic battles with. ...

Skate It - Hands on with Wii and DS (Skate It)

May 13, 2008

Natural disasters have turned San Verona, Skate's concrete paradise, into wreckage. The populace has been evacuated. So what's a skater to do? Answer: Carve a pinewood path through the scattered remains of all our favourite Skate spots, drops and jumps in EA's Wii and DS spin-off, Skate It.

Skate's best feature - the Flick It trick system - clearly won't transfer directly to Wii or DS. So developer Black Box has had to think of ...