DS News
January2009
Competition And The Winner Is...?
Much like Santa, Nintendo Life loves giving things away, it makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
It's come to our attention that we've been kind of lazy with our competitions, we've emailed winners but never published them on the website itself, in the vein of doing things "betta'" in 2009 we'll be publishing the winners, because we...
Tony Hawk has a new competitor for the skating crown..
When Skate originally appeared on the Xbox 360 and PS3, it was something of a revelation to skateboarding fans who had previously only had the Tony Hawk series to contend with, each iteration proving to be similar to the last. Rather than focus on huge combinations of tricks like the Hawk, Skate...
Review Littlest Pet Shop: Winter (DS)
Your chance to have your very own Pet Shop...
Even though Littlest Pet Shop Winter is clearly aimed at a younger audience, I found the game strangely addictive for a while. Defined as “a special place where your pets will come to life and you can play with them in a whole new way,” the aim of the game is to adopt all of the pets (20 different...
December2008
Review 100 Classic Book Collection (DS)
100 classic books write their way into the DS’ history
100 Classic Books has had me intrigued since it was first announced. Being the massive bookworm that I am, I’ve been itching to give this a go for a while now. It’s here at last, and the selection on offer is simply fantastic: 22 Shakespeare; 12 Dickens (Charles, not Anthony); 5 Austen;...
Talent borrows, genius steals. The developers of Dinosaur King have IQs in the thousands.
Over the years we’ve seen many companies try to beat the success of Pokemon, each with their own set of cuddly and heavily market researched monsters. Of course, nobody can beat Nintendo at their own game, but that hasn’t stopped Sega trying with Dinosaur...
The crazy world of Shawnimals comes to life in this excellent take on the 'Tower Defence' genre
Like bread always falling butter-side down and buses coming two at a time, it’s one of life’s universal truths that whenever ninjas are added to something, it becomes infinitely cooler (with the possible exception of the lamentable Ninjabread Man, of...
Review Need For Speed: Undercover (DS)
EA attempts to cram a living, breathing city into the DS - the results aren't pretty...
It’s easy to be pessimistic about EA’s Need for Speed franchise. Considering the staggering number of titles to bear the brand name (this is the 12th game since the franchise’s inception in 1994), there have been precious few true classics. However, we...
A work of art, or a real mess?
With the DS’s touch screen and wireless communications, it’s a wonder there’s no Pictionary game available. Lucky for us, here comes Sega to plug the gap with PictoImage, their take on the classic draw-it-guess-it game. The single player mode consists of 300 pictures drawn by people of all ages, from 4 upwards,...
October2008
Competition Sonic Chronicles Goodies!
Really want to get some new Sonic goodies, feeling the credit crunch? Not to worry, you can win some right here at Nintendo Life!
Our dear friends at SEGA are giving you the chance to win some Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood goodies, we've got a host of prizes up for grabs including 10 x Sonic Chronicles sets of 3 styluses, 2 x Sonic...
Review Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (DS)
Is Sonic’s first foray into the unknown land of RPG actually any good?
Let’s face it; Sonic has been a bit of a dick lately hasn’t he? You can mark the start of Sonic’s dive into mediocrity from a point in the late 90’s when someone at SEGA decided it would be “cool” to give him a “rad attitude”. From that moment onwards we’ve...
News The DSi – One Step Closer to a Portable Virtual Console?
Nintendo has just unveiled details of a new handheld console called the DSi.
But before you get too excited and spill your Sunny D all over the keyboard, it’s worth noting that it’s essentially a DS with slight modifications rather an all-new machine. Improvements include larger screens (3.25 inches, up from 3 inches), two cameras (both 0.3...
August2008
News Nintendo remain strong over the summer
Wii Fit
Recent figures suggest that Nintendo have remained strong throughout the summer in the United States. Nintendo products kept people entertained in July, whether they wanted to get fit, rock out or just play around. According to the independent NPD Group, which tracks video game sales in the United States, Nintendo DS? and Wii? again claimed...
July2008
E3 2008 Nintendo Media Briefing Predictions
Tomorrow will see Nintendo announce their latest upcoming products at the annual E3 Media Briefing, but what do we think is in store?
Traditionally E3 is the place to reveal any new "killer app" in the gaming world, gamers and fans around the world will be waiting to hear Reggie spill the beans on the latest games that we'll all be playing...
June2008
News Family Gamer: Dad Edition
Tis week Paul looks at what games Dad likes to play and when
Dads are a tricky subject. Some are loving and inspiring whilst others absent and off hand. Some are communicative and open, whilst others are as hard to fathom as the depths of loch Ness. Some are in touch with their creativity and at ease with their feminine side, whilst others are...
April2008
News Nintendo Squash "New DS" Rumour
Well that's no surprise then. What did I tell you? You can't remember. Well, I told you it was too damn early for a new DS.
And I was right. Following on from our report last week about the possibility of a new DS to be announced at E3. The news came from Hamamura-san (head of Japanese publishing giant Enterbrain) and has been squashed by both...
News New DS Castlevania Is Given A Name
More vampire-hunting tomfoolery on your portable
The Entertainment Software Rating Board of America (better known by the shorter title of ESRB) has revealed the name of Konami’s next DS Castlevania adventure: The Order of Ecclesia. Series producer IGA hinted some time ago that another DS installment was in the offing, but this is the first news...
News This Is A Pretty Hearty Rumour: DS 2 At E3?
And it's all down to an article posted by Bloomberg Japan which has caused a whole host of rumours across the nerd-o-sphere.
According to the article, the president of Japanese magazine publisher "Enterbrain" (which hosts the gaming bible "Famitsu") has commented that Nintendo may (note the emphasis) be announcing a new version...
Review Teenage Zombies: Invasion of the Alien Brain Thingys! (DS)
Brains. Yum.
Picture the scene; you’re happily going about your business one day when suddenly a vast armada of evil alien Brain Thingys descends from the sky and rapidly proceeds to zap your friends and relatives with deadly lasers. Those they don’t fry to a crisp they turn into mindless robots via malevolent mind-control, and order them to lay...
Review Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer (DS)
The biggest Japanese RPG series you've never heard of gets a new lease of life on the DS
ChunSoft’s Mystery Dungeon series (better known as Fushigi no Dungeon in its native Japan) has been running for more than a decade and has become linked with other famous videogame brands such as Pokemon, Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. Amazingly, despite the...
March2008
Ninja Reflex is essentially a minigame collection in the same vain as Brain Training, Maths Training, Sight Training, Potty Training and Learn-To-Walk-With-Nintendo. Ok so I made the last two up but you get the idea.
The only real exception with Ninja Reflex is that instead of teaching you everyday things, this game teaches you how to be a ninja –...
Review Bleach: Blade of Fate (DS)
Finally - a fighting game DS owners can be proud of
Although the DS has witnessed some truly amazing titles in its lifetime, one genre that has singularly failed to translate effectively to the format is the fighting game. While the PSP has experienced some particularly impressive brawlers (despite its woeful d-pad which is put firmly in the shade...
February2008
Review Transformers: Decepticons (DS)
Transformers: Decepticons is practically the same game as the Autobots edition told from the angle of the “evil” Starscream as opposed to the “heroic” Optimus Prime.
All the gameplay flaws are present (see our review of Transformers: Autobots for the full details) the only difference being you are treated with a whole new set of cut-scenes...
Review Transformers: Autobots (DS)
I, like most other Transformers fans was pretty upset to hear that my “backpocket interest” was to be thrust into the mainstream once again.
Having loved The Transformers since I was very young sometimes it’s pretty irritating hearing all the tweens talking about something you’ve loved so much longer than them. It must be some kind of...
Review Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (DS)
Mario and Sonic are back sooner than you think in the DS version of SEGA's biggest hit in 10 years.
With Beijing only a few months away SEGA (finally) bring us the handheld dose of Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, a game that wasoriginally to be released along side the Wii version in November. Better late than never, that's what we say. Mario...
Review 42 All-Time Classics (DS)
The problem with compilations is that as a general rule of thumb, they tend to feature a handful of good games, with the rest being a load of all tat just there to make up the numbers or act as padding.
It's even worse if you come across some of those packs that boast over a thousand games, only to discover that actually, there are probably ten...
We know what you are thinking.
You have looked at the score at the bottom of the page, noticed that it is quite high and wondering how on earth a Sudoku package could possibly be rated so highly. The answer is that it isn't the Sudoku that holds our interest, it's the rather well hidden mode of picture puzzle that has us gripped, otherwise known as...
Review Metroid Prime Pinball (DS)
Morph (pin)ball
“Chalk and cheese” is a phrase usually used when comparing two objects of juxtaposing qualities. Such a phrase could be applied to the titles “Metroid Prime” and “pinball”, so it's quite a compliment to developers “Fuse Games” that it merged these two contrasting entities into an enjoyable DS game. Metroid Prime...
January2008
News Disney Turn The DS Into An Interactive Tour Guide
Never get lost within the Magic Kingdom again - whoopee
Some interesting developments are happening in the Magic Kingdom. In a recent post on a Disneyland fan website (we don’t make a habit of visiting these places, honest), a recent vistor to Walt’s Wacky Wonderland reveals that they were asked if they would like to participate in a trial run...
News DS:London - Meetup, Have a Pint, Multiplayer DS
Who's in?
Recently I had the privilege of meeting up with a great bunch of people who make up the band of travelling DS gamers, DS: London. I got the chance to ask one of the organisers (Joe Lee – a.k.a. thiswayup) a few questions at the same time as playing some hardcore DS. DS: London is bringing the multiplayer gaming scene from the dark &...
News Apollo Justice Demo Released
And the best thing is, no DS is required to play it
Capcom has released a rather neat Flash-based demo for its upcoming legal sim Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney. The game is the next in the Phoenix Wright series of games, although Phoenix himself has stepped down and made way for the up and coming Apollo Justice. Now there’s an excellent name for...
Some of us have waited nearly two decades for this game - does Konami's latest 2D effort match the brilliance of the SNES Contra III?
Konami’s Contra (AKA Gryzor, Probotector) is one of those franchises that has struggled to make the transition from 2D to 3D. After the excellent arcade and 8-bit editions, lucky SNES and Megadrive owners were...
News Assassin's Creed DS Gets A Subtitle
Altair's back for another stab on the DS
The home console version may have been the most crushing disappointment your humble reporter has experienced in quite some time, but we’re nevertheless still quite excited about Assassin’s Creed: Altair's Chronicles on the DS here at NintendoLife. Publisher Ubisoft has released some details on the...
News First Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood Screens
First shots of BioWare's latest RPG epic, featuring Sonic himself!
American softco Bioware, famous for its Star Wars RPGs on the Xbox (as well as numerous other titles) has released shots of its upcoming Sonic title for the Nintendo DS. Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (to give it it’s full moniker) is looking very promising indeed and the...
News Advance Wars: Days Of Ruin Gets Euro Name Change
Just to make things even more complicated
Intelligent System’s latest entry in the massively popular Advance Wars series has been given a new name for its forthcoming European release. The eagerly awaited title, which will be released in the US as Advance Wars: Days of Ruin and in Japan as Famicom Wars DS 2 (which is in keeping with the Japanese...
News Infinite Frontier Super Robot Wars OG Saga
Features robots and large breasts, in that order
Fans of obscure Japanese RPGs should rejoice - Famitsu magazine has recently revealed that Nintendo's Monolithsoft is working with Banpresto to create a new title called "Infinite Frontier Super Robot Wars OG Saga". I'm sure you'll agree, that's quite a mouthful. Coding duties are being...
News Nintendo Triumphant In Japan This Christmas
Videogame giant is unstoppable on home soil
Early figures from Famitsu magazine indicate that Nintendo has dominated the Japanese sales charts over the Christmas period. Although a PS2 title (Super Robot Taisen Original Generation Gaiden) took the number one position, a quick glance at the rest of the top 20 shows that the Big N is firmly in...
News Full Game DS Downloads NOT Coming After All
A simple case of crossed wires?
It seems that our man Reggie was misunderstood in a recent interview with the New York Times. As we (and pretty much the rest of the internet) reported a few days back, his interview with the well known newspaper seemed to indicate that ‘full’ DS titles would be made available for download in the future. However,...
News Boffins Brand Nicole Kidman A Dirty Liar
Claims that Brain Training can boost intelligence may not be true after all - well, duh
You might have seen Nintendo's Brain Training adverts, in which well-known celebrities like Patrick Stewart and Nicole Kidman gleefully promote the software like it’s a one-stop miracle solution to being a bumbling thickie. "I have quickly found that...
News Virtual Console Coming To The DS?
Reggie speaks about the upcoming game download service on the DS
The rumours have been circulating for quite some time but the concept of downloading ‘complete’ games to your Nintendo DS is becoming a reality, if a recent interview with Reggie is anything to go by. Nintendo’s main man spoke to the New York Times recently about the new...
News Sim City DS 2 Revealed In Famitsu
Long-running Japanese publication has the scoop on this interesting update of the classic city building franchise
The latest issue of Japanese videogame magazine Famistu carries an interesting news story regarding the next instalment of the Sim City franchise. Dubbed Sim City DS 2, the game appears to be heavily tailored towards younger gamers with...
The DS passes PS2 lifetime sales in The Land of the Rising Sun
We all know that the Nintendo DS has been a massive success for its parent company but the latest figures from Japan still make for stunning reading; the likeable handheld has now surpassed the PS2 in terms of Japanese sales. To put this into perspective, the PS2 has sold millions of...
December2007
News Wii And DS Dominate In Japan
Sony and Microsoft struggle to get a look in
Sony’s Gran Turismo 5 Prologue may have entered the Japanese sales charts in the top 5 but a cursory glace at the rest of the chart should make depressing reading for anyone not affiliated with Nintendo. The Wii and DS continue to dominate the Japanese market in a way that hasn’t been seen since the...
News Europe Loves Brain Training
It's already sold bucketloads of copies in Japan, American and the UK - now our European friends are warming to Dr. Kawashima's unqiue brand of mental fitness.
Nintendo's amazing success story continues with the news that its Brain Training series has topped sales charts in two key European territories. Nintendo's DS Brain Training games have...
News DS Breaks UK Sales Record Again
The Nintendo DS continues to sell like cakes that are rather hot, effortlessly breaking the UK hardware sales record for the second week running.
All the predictions of a bumper Christmas for Nintendo in the UK seem to be proving accurate, with news that its consoles are selling in record numbers. The DS has now broken the previous UK weekly...
Dancing seems to be everywhere right now, so why not in your pocket?
More musical mayhem hits the DS in the form of the discotastic Boogie, a smaller, simpler sibling of the Wii title released a few months ago. The concept is quite simple, its a dancing game, pretty much in the vain of the infamous Dance Dance Revolution but with a few twists thrown...
The orcs have overrun the mountain, can you get to the bottom and save the King?
Your father, Eöl, has recently passed away and so you are travelling to meet one of his old friends, a Dwarven King named Brahm. Eöl and Brahm once fought together in a great war aided by magical weapons gifted to them by a powerful wizard. Eöl was given a talking...
Review Bomberman Story DS (DS)
Hudson pulls Bomberman out of the multiplayer arena and drops him into another game type. Is it a successful transition?
When a company succeeds in creating a strong mascot chances are it will milk the character for all its worth. Mario has driven karts, gained a PhD and hosted numerous parties, for example. However, there’s a fine line between...
November2007
Review The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS)
Join Link on his first DS adventure
No doubt many of you have already seen the many positive reviews for The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass dotted all over the Internet. We realize we're a bit late with our own critique of this highly anticipated videogame, but with a series like Zelda you simply have to take your time. It wouldn't be wise to...
We've seen several Simpsons games over the years, not all of them good... can the DS version buck the trend?
Love them or loathe them, you can’t deny the incredible staying power of The Simpsons. This popular TV series has now been on air for almost two decades and shows no sign of running out of ideas – an incredible feat when you consider most...
Nintendo's latest in the 'Touch! Generations' series hits the DS. Is this the puzzle game to beat all puzzle games?
I'm not sure about you, but I love a good puzzle. Have done for years. When I was a kid, I used to love jigsaw puzzles. Nowadays, I don't like to do anything on a Sunday before finishing the Daily Mirror's Sumdoku puzzle. It's like...
Another week, another DS puzzle title hits the shelves - but is this one worth your valuable time?
Here at NintendoLife we’re constantly surprised by the steady stream of puzzle titles released on the DS; rarely a month passes without a new game appearing on the shelves hell bent on exercising your flagging grey matter. The DS touch screen...
EA has already had several kicks at the ball when it comes to creating the ultimate DS soccer game - has the company finally succeeded with this latest effort?
With the Wii instalment of FIFA 08 leaving us extremely impressed indeed, we had particularly high hopes for the Nintendo DS version here at NintendoLife. Although the franchise has come in...
October2007
Review The Sims 2: Castaway (DS)
EA's best selling franchise relocates to a somewhat less comfortable environment - but is this a situation worth surviving?
In the modern world of capitalism it’s a commonly accepted fact that when a company hits upon a successful concept they’ll flog it for all it’s worth. This is clearly demonstrated by EA’s highly lucrative Sims franchise...
MySims arrives on the DS. Is it time to remove Animal Crossing: Wild World from your DS cart slot?
On paper EA’s MySims seems like the perfect game concept for the Nintendo DS. The machine has already proven it can play host to vibrant ‘virtual worlds’ thanks to Nintendo’s best selling Animal Crossing: Wild World. The enduring allure of the...
Competition Beat The Brat Content
To celebrate the 2008 "World Series of Poker" video game Activision welcomes you to try and Beat The Brat and win a trip to Las Vegas.
"The grand prize is a trip for two to Las Vegas. The trip includes airfare, hotel accommodations, and a trip to the spa to relax after a long day of gambling. Three runner ups will receive a copy of the World Series...
September2007
Altus bring us yet another slice of Japanese RPG gaming - but can Luminous Arc present a solid challenge to the best the genre has to offer?
While it’s certainly true that we’re all hardcore Ninty fans here at Nintendo Life, it would be silly to suggest we don’t dabble with rival systems from time to time. One manufacturer that is almost...
Review Dragon Ball Z: Goku Densetsu (DS)
Cardmehameha!
[screenshot=468bc2098dbeb]Card Based CombatSorry, I had the overwhelming urge to begin this review with a play on words involving DBZ and cards… and that was the best I could do! Anyway, to the point. Dragon Ball Z is quite easily the most recognisable cartoon to come out of Japan. I remember the days of my childhood where I would...
News Trade Pokémon With New Site
Trade Pokémon all around the world.
Nintendo have launched a new site that will help trade Pokémon all around the world. The website named Pokémon Global Trade Station is compatible with both Diamond and Pearl versions of the game. If you like Pokémon and are having trouble locating that level 100 Snorlax you may want to read on for the...
Review Worms: Open Warfare 2 (DS)
Worms kinda lost it’s way big time. Some games welcomed the switch into 3D, making them feel fresher, fuller and on the whole a lot more enchanting. Worms was not one of those games.
Last year, Team 17 decided to bring the series back to it’s routes. DS and PSP iterations of the game reminded us why the game was so crudely popular on the PC way...
News EA Get Boogying On DS (and PS2)
EA Montreal have been confirmed as making a DS version of the recently released Wii game Boogie. Release set for November: Gimmicks included...
Electronic Arts, in their wisdom, have confirmed that a DS version of the recently released Wii title Boogie is currently in development at it's Montreal studios. Pop legends such as Kool and the Gang and...
The big city is here... on the little DS.
Sim City is arguably one of the best simulation games out there: it practically wrote the book on the genre. On the PC it's a tried and tested formula. But, never before has it made a comfortable transition to any other format. So, has Sim City DS achieved the grandeur of modern day society, or does it bear...
August2007
Review Guilty Gear: Dust Strikers (DS)
The cult 2D fighting game series makes its debut on the Nintendo DS, but has the magic of the previous titles been retained?
The Nintendo DS often represents a rather difficult proposition for developers. The unique nature of the hardware can sometimes pose a significant stumbling block when it comes to porting existing franchises to the popular...
July2007
Review Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (DS)
Can EA atone for the shameful lineage of Harry Potter games with their latest instalment on the Nintendo DS, or will this particular spell fizzle out like the rest?
If you’ve had the forethought to read our recent preview of the Wii version of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (let’s compress that down to HP:OotP from hereon in) you’ll...
News Nintendo DS Camera Revealed
It's been a touted announcement on message boards for some months now but today gamers got the information they've been waiting for.
The Nintendo DS camera has finally reared it's head onto the Internet and we have the screens to prove it. The camera slots into the GBA port on the Nintendo DS and includes a stand which keeps the DS upright when...
June2007
Competition Trioncube Competition Winners
We announce the winners of our Trioncube competition, selected at random by our super computer shuffle routine.
To celebrate the launch of Trioncube on the DS we partnered up with Atari to give away 3 copies of the game to our members. We asked the question What is the name of the King in Trioncube? which of course was King Pluto. We powered up our...
The DS certainly isn't short of puzzle games. Does Namco Bandai's latest release have enough charm to stand out from the crowd and represent a worthwhile purchase?
Handheld consoles and puzzle games go hand in hand. Through the history of portable entertainment every major machine has played host to at least one truly ‘essential’ puzzler. The...
May2007
The 'lost' Final Fantasy is at last made available to the English-speaking world. Is it a glorious reinvention of a genre classic, or merely a pointless step back in time?
Given the stature of the Final Fantasy series, it’s somewhat surprising to think that only very recently has the entire franchise been made available to a worldwide audience. Up...
April2007
Review Pokemon Diamond & Pearl (DS)
Was it worth the long wait? (Yes!)
Pokémon fans have received three lackluster Pokémon Games since the Nintendo DS launch over two years ago. Pokémon Dash, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team, and Pokémon Ranger were poor offerings, almost as if Nintendo had simply slapped Pokémon on some generic games. Finally, four years after Ruby and...
Dream On Studio’s tribute to Sega’s ‘House of the Dead’ hits the DS – is it the sleeper hit of the year or as sad and shambling as the flesh-eating zombies contained within?
Zombies, eh? They seem to be everywhere these days. After starring in a seemingly endless flood of low-budget gore fests in the seventies, the festering undead enjoyed...
Resurrected from the PC original released in 1994, Theme Park on the Nintendo DS places you as the designer, developer and manager in a realistic and believable finance-based simulator.
Created by video game legend Peter Molyneux, Theme Park has a very simple concept on the surface but when you persevere with the title you will find there is a great...
Review Meteos: Disney Magic (DS)
Arguably the best DS puzzler in existence returns with a brand new appearance – but has this alliance with the House of Mouse sullied the game name of the series?
It’s never pleasant watching someone you admire sell out. Be it a band, sports personality or comedian, many of our heroes fall victim to the irresistible allure of cold, hard cash...
Tetris meets Final Fantasy? That can't work, surely? We lift the lid on one of the most interesting DS releases of the year.
When developers mix widely opposing game genres it usually results in a bit of a mess. This is the main reason why I initially gave Puzzle Quest a fairly wide berth when I saw it in my local videogame store a few weeks back...
The Wonderswan puzzler is reborn on the DS - but has Mizuguchi's Q Entertainment done enough to elevate it to truly classic status?
When Gameboy creator Gunpei Yokoi was tragically killed in a car accident in 1997 he was working on what he saw as the successor to Nintendo’s machine – the bizarrely named ‘Wonderswan’. When the handheld was...
News Wii And DS Connectivity Inevitable?
A hidden object in Super Paper Mario hints at future connectivity between the Wii and the Nintendo DS.
Super Paper Mario is already gaining a reputation of being hidden with little treats and one such gamer has found a Nintendo DS hidden within the game. On clicking it a message appears stating "Awaiting Data Upgrade". Will a Wii update in the very...
March2007
Review Hotel Dusk: Room 215 (DS)
A return to the text-based games of the past
Hotel Dusk is entirely a throwback to retro text based games with some gameplay that really shines. You play the game horizontally (Brain Age style) and only use the touch screen. By conversing with the local hotel guests, bits and pieces of the back story of the mysterious hotel come about, as well as...
