All DS Previews

Nanostray 2 (Nanostray 2)

Dec 3, 2007

Dec 3, 2007 Say what you will about the original Nanostray, it was a cut above your average shooter and a worthy successor to all those side-scrolling, intergalactic assaults Shin'en has lovingly bestowed on us in the past. Similar to more "recent" classics like Einhänder (if you can call a game released a decade ago recent), you get to select the class and position of a variety of weapons (lasers, mines, Ionblaster: you get the idea) as your 3-D ship blasts across an otherworldly, 2-D ...

Nanostray 2 - First Look (Nanostray 2)

Oct 5, 2007

October 05, 2007 You know, despite all our fancy graphics cards and online this and emergent gameplay that, there's still nothing that delivers instant, adrenaline-injecting action quite like a good sci-fi shooter. The controls are simple, the goals are instantly understandable - shoot EVERYTHING - and the threats to your life are so constant, so obvious, that there's no time to be bored. That's why we're excited about the remarkably good looking DS shooter, Nanostray ...

Naruto: Ninja Council 3 (Naruto: Ninja Council 3)

Apr 19, 2007

Our last look at Ninja Council 3 covered pretty much everything you needed to know about the game. It's a run left and right kind of affair that covers all sorts of aspects from the Naruto universe. These types of games are fairly common, where you punch a bunch of things in the face, get some points and move on to the next area, but we can at the very least say Council 3 strives to offer a little more than other titles in its neighborhood. Rather than play the game level by level, you have a ...

Naruto: Ninja Council 3 - hands on (Naruto: Ninja Council 3)

Jan 3, 2007

Given the continued success of both the DS and the Naruto anime juggernaut, it's a no-brainer that the orange-clad ninja would make a new handheld appearance. Due later this spring, Ninja Council 3 will offer more run-and-jumpy action for fans of the series while tossing in a new mission-based level system that loosely follows the plot of the cartoon. Instead of beating one level after another, you're given the option of clearing individual missions within a given world. Each mini area has a ...

Naruto: Ninja Destiny (Naruto: Ninja Destiny)

Feb 19, 2008

Our earlier hands-on with Ninja Destiny outlined all the game's key features. So, when we had the opportunity to play an unlocked version of the game and deliver an exclusive preview on its contents, we weren't sure what there was left to say. ...

Naruto: Ninja Destiny (Naruto: Ninja Destiny)

Jan 16, 2008

Jan 16, 2008 There's no shortage of Naruto games on any platform, that's for damn sure. So we have to admit a bit of "oh... ok" every time a new title is announced, even if, overall, the franchise tends to score fairly well. The most recent entry (which in a matter of days will no longer be the most recent, we're sure) is Ninja Destiny, a 3D brawler that, in keeping with tradition, doesnt look half bad. Naruto has seen this genre many times before, though until now only on consoles. The best ...

Naruto: Path of the Ninja - hands-on (Naruto: Path of the Ninja)

Sep 17, 2007

Sept 17, 2007 As often as we've seen some glisten of role-playing ambition in past Nartuo games, it's finally set to take the center stage in the DS' upcoming Path of The Ninja. Scrounging for items and turn-based battles are the name of the game here, and for many fans, this'll be cause for much celebration. If you've ever cared for the storyline at all, and we're assuming you do otherwise you wouldn't be reading this, then Path could be your bowl of ...

Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2 - hands-on (Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2)

Aug 12, 2008

Last year’s Naruto: Path of the Ninja brought turn-based battling, item collection and party customization to the Naruto franchise, which had otherwise been confined to chop-socky fighting and action-adventuring. For a first-timer’s RPG and a GBA port, it wasn’t too shabby. Path of the Ninja 2, due for a September release, looks to be in the same vein as Path 1. ...

Need For Speed Carbon (Need for Speed Carbon)

Jul 14, 2006

At EA's recent Studio Showcase 06, we got a glimpse of the future of one of the most popular racing franchises in gaming history (next to Gran Turismo, of course). The tricked-out racing rides of Need For Speed are back and even more customizable than ever - with hyper-tense, high stakes tracks to match. To start, EA has added a new feature called Auto Sculpt that blows the doors off of the term "vehicle customization." Instead of simply strapping on pre-formed after-market parts to your sleek ...

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! ...

Neves - hands-on (Neves)

Aug 23, 2007

Aug 22, 2007 Neves: at first it seemed like the name is too mysterious to be understood by any ordinary gamer, but then we realized that it's seven backwards. Seven because the game uses seven puzzle pieces, and backwards because that's how things work in the fast paced world of DS puzzle games. Deal with it. If the game looks familiar that's because it's based on the Japanese game Hanayama's Lucky Puzzle - here in the US, you may have heard it called Tangrams (we have some previous ...

New International Track & Field - interview (New International Track & Field)

Oct 18, 2007

Oct 18, 2007 This is ostensibly an update of eons-old button-masher Track & Field - the one with the odd mustachioed athletes. But really we think NIT&F is the spiritual successor to Konami Krazy Racers - the Konami-soaked GBA launch game. Dave Cox of Sumo Digital speaks… Did it take a while to settle on the controls? Dave Cox: Yes. One thing we learned is that everyone has a different take on how to play, so users can configure the controls how they want in the final game - if you ...

Mario in motion (New Super Mario Bros)

May 5, 2006

New Super Mario Bros. may not have the most creative name, but after just a few minutes with the classic platforming action made our eyes tear up with nostalgia. Before we head off to E3 for all of next week (where you'll see even more info on this title, plus a boatload of others), we're posting a quick runthrough of Mario's new adventure. Just click on the videos tab up above for a look at the first world, including Bowser's untimely, gruesome demise. May 5, ...

New Super Mario Bros. (New Super Mario Bros)

Mar 22, 2006

An entire generation of kiddies has grown up, graduated high school and moved on to careers since Mario and Luigi last graced the world with their platforming presence. The Super NES' pack-in game, Super Mario World, dropped in 1991 and remains the "newest" original title of the Bros. resume ... until May 15 that is. Nintendo's slipped out some shiny new screens of New Super Mario Bros. that show off some of the single-player areas Mario will tread through. They all look familiar in frozen, ...

New Super Mario Bros. (New Super Mario Bros)

Feb 25, 2006

Has it really almost been 15 years since the last old-school Mario platformer? That would imply that an entire generation has yet to experience a brand new, wide open, side-scrolling wonder such as Nintendo perfected back in the '80s living room. Thankfully, we're about to get an updated taste of these simple pleasures with an all-new, classically themed, side-scrolling platformer set to ratchet back the innovation to NES days, while amping up the fun. Forget the fully 3D Mario adventures of ...

New Super Mario Bros (New Super Mario Bros)

Feb 15, 2006

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 ...

Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword (Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword)

May 31, 2007

A few weeks ago, we told you about our first look at Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword when it was shown at a Tecmo event in Tokyo. The short and sweet is that the game looked spectacular for a DS title, even displayed on a large screen in front of a room filled with people. Well, we finally got the opportunity to play it, and the crazy thing is that this portable Ninja Gaiden feels every bit as promising as it looks. As if that werent enough, super-developer Tomonobu Itagaki himself was on hand to ...

Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword - first look (Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword)

May 11, 2007

Today in Tokyo at publisher Tecmo's Nite Out 07, we were allowed to get our first taste of Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword, via a demo by outspoken Dead or Alive creator Tomonobu Itagaki. During the stage presentation, Itagaki played the game live, projected onto a large screen television, using a Nintendo DS development system. Even displayed much, much larger than it would be on an actual Nintendo DS, the game looked sharp and appealing. The main character is the same as the full sized Ninja ...

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 ...