Category: DS

Golden Sun: Dark Dawn

There is no doubt Golden Sun: Dark Dawn could have been better. Its Game Boy Advance predecessors were landmarks for the system and for Nintendo on account of their impressive quality and of the fact they gave the company a traditional RPG franchise to call its own. And better yet, the saga uniquely tackled the conventional role-playing gameplay by introducing degrees of puzzle solving and exploration that at times made it interestingly flirt with the adventure genre. Golden Sun: Dark Dawn certainly carries those characteristics, meaning it is a good game. However, playing it is bound to be slightly bitter thanks to how, rather than pushing the franchise forward, the title shockingly tones down on puzzles and exploration while making a few notable mistakes that were not present in the prequels. For that reason, the third installment of the Golden Sun franchise is only truly recommended to fans, since everyone else is better off going for the superior Game Boy Advance epics.

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by Matt

Castlevania: Order Of Ecclesia

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia is an absolutely incredible entry in the franchise. Part homage to its classic action adventure origins and part labyrinthine exploration of a massive castle, the game wisely abandons the format of its five portable predecessors to unearth a framework that feels wonderfully refreshing. In doing so, it establishes itself as the peak of the line of Castlevania games that graced both the Game Boy Advance and the Nintendo DS. Understanding it could not topple the landmark that was Symphony of the Night by simply emulating its constitution and knowing the handheld titles that had come before it had already exhausted the formula, it sets out to discover its own niche and finds it. Order of Ecclesia is one of a kind; more important than that, though, is how its uniqueness is not vapid. It is there for a purpose, and in combining linear levels taking place in varied scenarios with the often visited Dracula’s Castle, it feels grand, it is stunningly fun, and it becomes a mandatory stopping point for both fans of the franchise and all gamers who value the power of originality.

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by Matt

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney − Trials And Tribulations

Trials And Tribulations is a worthy conclusion to what is not just one of the Nintendo DS’ most beloved properties, but also one of the best franchises to ever hit a portable system. In Trials And Tribulations, players ought to find all elements that make the Ace Attorney saga so special: the cartoonish goofiness, the gripping mysteries, the tense courtroom events, the revealing investigation moments, the wacky characters, the brutal personal dramas, the moving human stories, the hilarious dialogues, the expressive animations, the picking apart of testimonies filled with contradictions, and the constant unfolding of cases that are impossible webs of crazy twists. Given its position as the last chapter of the trilogy, though, Trials And Tribulations covers all of those elements with an extra touch of grandeur; one that allows it to feel like a rather special event in spite of looking and playing a whole lot like the two titles that preceded it.

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by Matt

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars has got it all. It contains violence, humor, action, crime, suspense, good music, excellent stylized visuals, and enough content to turn Liberty City into a secondary home for players who go into it. Although grim in theme, this is a game that does not lose sight of fun, and it displays that wisdom in a wild assortment of varied missions that go from thrilling to ridiculously absurd and in a myriad of extra activities with enough range to pack the perils of drug dealing, the absurdity of stealing an ambulance to save patients, and the arcade mindless fun of going on a destructive rampage to accumulate a high score. Partially true to the franchise’s modern grandeur and partially loyal to its wild top-down origins, Chinatown Wars is not just a technological achievement; it is also the perfectly balanced Grand Theft Auto effort given it has a foot on outlandish antics and another on serious ambition.

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by Matt

Wario: Master Of Disguise

Wario: Master of Disguise has a lot going for it. Putting Wario in the shoes of a thief is an ideal premise, and the game uses that starting point to resurrect the signature transformation mechanics of the Wario Land franchise while turning the series’ famously intricate stages into puzzling mazes so branching that they can only be navigated with the help of a map. And as it fills these areas with treasures, locked doors, keys, and backtracking to previously visited locations with new skills, it pushes its levels to the very alluring edge that separates platforming stages from full-blown mazes. It is an utter shame, therefore, that its greatness in design is severely damaged by forced touch controls that affect its gameplay in numerous ways and by frequent mini-games that are sadly too dull to live up to the saga’s traditions. Wario: Master of Disguise, then, is best approached carefully and with the knowledge that frustrations need to be overcome for one to glimpse the quality that lies behind the problems. And if that is achieved, what players will see is a very unique platforming quest, one that interestingly pushes the Wario Land framework to a refreshing point, even if it does so with a lot of bumps and bruises.

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by Matt

Castlevania: Portrait Of Ruin

As a game that desperately needed to find elements to separate it from its predecessors, Portrait of Ruin does a great job when it comes to uncovering these ideas. The fact the two big shifts it executes are not perfect, however, should not cloud the title’s greatness. Unquestionably, the mechanics involving its two protagonists could have been explored with more consistency; besides that, the standalone locations of its overworld, which are accessed through the paintings found in the castle, could have been more thematically varied and slightly bolder in terms of design. Still, not only is this an excellent Castlevania game with great visuals, a spectacular soundtrack, and a solid story, but it would not be absurd to look at it as a product that topples – or at least matches – Aria of Sorrow, which had set the standard for portable entries of the saga a couple of years earlier.

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by Matt

Advance Wars: Days Of Ruin

By giving the franchise a somber visual overhaul, Advance Wars: Days of Ruin could have easily been accused of not only diminishing the property’s cartoonish charm, but also of falling into a thematic pit where hundreds of games containing a grim and serious portrayal of war can be found. Yet, even if those accusations do hold some value, they are ultimately undone because here, for the first time ever, the excellent battles of the saga are met with a storyline that is much more than an excuse for conflict. Given such seriousness in tone happens to overflow into gameplay, which is far more stripped down than that of its predecessor, Dual Strike, Advance Wars: Days of Ruin might be seen by some as excessively dry. But in the end, this characteristic is more of a feature than a flaw: the game does not sink because of it; quite on the contrary, it emerges as an installment that is unique because it is consistently solemn. And it is exactly in this manner that the title does what seemed to be impossible or at least very unlikely: producing yet another Advance Wars game that operates in restrict strategic traditions, but that finds a niche to call its own.

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by Matt

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney − Justice for All

Fairly, some may complain Justice For All is too similar to the first Ace Attorney game, since it features the same exact visual presentation and even goes as far as using twists that recall those of its prequel. But, in the end, the truth is that what it provides is pretty much what fans of the saga expected at the time; that is, an extra batch of cases starring the gaming world’s most famous defense attorney and the greatly beloved cast of secondary characters that surround him. Yes, this sequel could have used some extra time for new ideas to flourish more naturally and for fresh gameplay mechanics to be evaluated. But as far as fulfilling fans’ desire for more courtroom action goes, Justice For All is a success, since it packs more thrill in its trials than most action games out there contain in all of their missions.

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by Matt

Metroid Prime Hunters

Much of the incredible success of the Metroid Prime franchise can be attributed to its decision to embrace a first-person perspective while keeping true to the saga’s roots, therefore ignoring the shooting tendencies that dominated the market at the time. As a game that jumps on that initially undesirable action bandwagon, it is easy to look down on Metroid Prime Hunters like a quest that abandons the series’ idiosyncrasies in favor of more straightforward gameplay. Making that judgment too quickly, though, could be a mistake, because although it is undeniable the title presents that transition, it does not shun the Metroid aura completely. Certainly, it has much more blasting foes than exploring and backtracking; it can be too formulaic; and it has key flaws that most of the top shooting games would not have. However, the thrill it produces cannot be overlooked, and by creating a Metroid experience that obviously favors shooting but that does not forget the value of eventually making players question where they need to go to, Metroid Prime Hunters is a smart detour with respectable quality. It could not possibly compete with its console peers, so it chose to build a niche of its own. And even though the operation is not perfect, it is good enough not to be dismissed.

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by Matt

Super Princess Peach

The bottom line is that people looking for accessible and enjoyable sidescrollers made by Nintendo are likely to first venture into the Super Mario series, which is perfectly understandable given the strength of its name and the quality of its design. On most fronts, Super Princess Peach cannot compare, making it – therefore – an option only for those seeking something slightly different. Yet, there is plenty of value to be found here. Experienced gamers will probably think the adventure is too easy, but Peach’s first solo quest can please anyone with a love for leisurely platformers. It may never be brilliant, but it is very competent, stunningly charming, as well as finely produced. And thanks to the unique abilities of its protagonist, the existence of Super Princess Peach is more than justified, even if it might be overshadowed by its more acclaimed peers.

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by Matt