DS Reviews - Page 8

A pass, with a few minors.

Here in UK before you can attempt the practical driving test you must pass the Theory test. Pass Your Driving Theory Test by LDC aims to get you through the theory test. The game, if you can call it that, is played with the DS on its side. The questions are on the normal screen and the answers are on the touch screen. When first started up there are 2 user accounts to..

Can Kirby prove that his latest DS adventure is a super offering?

It’s not at all hard to love Kirby – after all, he’s an adorable little puff ball! Nethertheless, despite being cute and on the short side, he packs a powerful punch and is not scared to dish out pain. This gives Kirby the appeal to satisfy young and old gamers alike, which has...

Paint the town red. And orange, and yellow, and green, and blue...

Creative freedom has become an essential element of game design. Without it players are left following the path developer have set, and where is the fun in that? Worry not however; Kirby Canvas Curse allows players to express themselves in ways you probably wouldn’t expect. Forget...

A dark and twisted adventure that takes the player deep into the depths of the human psyche - both a truly rewarding and at times painful experience.

Lux-Pain has a tried and tested set-up common in many Japanese visual novels; an idyllic suburb of a Japanese city where all is not what it seems. Fans of the genre will be pleased by the wealth of...

A TV show about a man playing videogames actually works as a game itself.

Retro Game Challenge was originally released in Japan back in 2007 under the title Game Center CX: Arino’s Challenge. This is because the game is actually based on the Japanese TV show titled Game Center CX, which stars Shinya Arino, a popular Japanese comedian who tackles a different difficult game in every episode. He’s..

Flower? Nope. Sun? Very little. Rain? In buckets.

Flower, Sun and Rain is the first DS game from game director Goichi Suda, aka Suda51. It started life as a Japanese PS2 game, but it's been ported over to DS presumably to take advantage of the feature-rich console. Or so you'd think... Known by many as the mastermind behind classic style-driven games as Killer7 and No More Heroes, Suda knows how to..

A blast from the past or something best left forgotten?

If you are a Nintendo fan living in North America, you probably remember the heavily publicised launch of the Club Nintendo program last December. Additionally, if you were a big investor at the time, you were probably hoping that you had enough recent Nintendo products to afford the coveted...

The definitive version of Square Enix's latest FF outing.

Square Enix has made some outlandish choices in the past, but none as strange as their decision to port Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time to the Wii. While the home console version wasn't all that impressive, its portable partner is a much more enjoyable experience. With the original Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles on..

Shaping the minds of tomorrow or simply boring them today?

Junior Brain Trainer is a learning game in a similar vein to the slew of other "brain training"' games released for the Nintendo DS. The genre was made famous with the massive popularity of Nintendo's Dr.Kawashima's Brain Training and many games since have attempted to capitalize on this popularity. Junior Brain Trainer is aimed..

Mama trades her spatula for a shovel; will the result be a blossom of fun, or a game only a Mama could love?

Our bright-eyed Mama is back and this time instead of breaking eggs, mixing ingredients and needing dough to make mouth watering recipes, your task is to grow a garden that rivals Eden. As with the entire Mama series this final goal will be accomplished by beating an entourage of mini games..

Grand Theft Auto makes the jump from the big screen to Nintendo’s small screen.

Whenever studios branch out and transform series well suited for consoles into the handheld format, there is always an element of risk – none more a prolific example than Rockstar’s GTA Chinatown Wars for the DS. Though we’ve already seen the Grand Theft Auto...

Who knew Little Red Riding Hood was so much fun?

At Nintendo Life, we very much doubted that anyone expected a great deal from Little Red Riding Hood’s Zombie BBQ. The title sounded like it would attract a very immature audience, and the box art didn't exactly inspire casual gamers to buy it either. So imagine how surprised we were when we played...

Another great RPG hits the DS in the form of Final Fantasy IV.

When Final Fantasy IV was originally released on the SNES in 1991, it quickly became a hit. Unlike many of the other RPGs at the time, it boasted a large cast of characters that were tied into a deep and intriguing plot, and this helped elevate it above the crowd. In 2005, Final Fantasy IV finally made it to American shores as a GBA..

Can Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword live up to the standards of previous titles?

Set six months after the events of the original Xbox version of Ninja Gaiden, Ryu Hayabusa has rebuilt Hayabusa Village. Momiji, a resident of Hayabusa, is abducted by the Black Spider Ninja Clan. During his quest to find her, Ryu uncovers the mysteries of the Dark Dragonstones and the secret behind the Dragon Sword. Unlike..

Mistwalker gives their Blue Dragon franchise a real-time strategy makeover and the end result is one surprisingly entertaining DS title.

When the original Blue Dragon title was released on Microsoft's Xbox 360 console, it became one of the system's first traditional RPG experiences. Blue Dragon captivated the gaming audience with its unique charm and epic quest, so it came as no real surprise that..

It's not quite as fun as it should be

Released simultaneously with another Taito revival, Space Invaders Extreme, Arkanoid DS is an attempt at trying to breathe life into an old arcade classic. When Arkanoid was originally released, it was essentially a clone of the Atari classic Breakout. Despite this shameless copying, Arkanoid became quite a hit and Taito duly ported the concept to pretty much..

Take a trip to heaven, Nintendo style!

Simplicity in game design is often a double-edged sword. On the positive side, the player is provided with a sleek and easy to understand interface. However, this often has an equally negative impact on the depth of the experience and what you’re left with is a quick 'pick up and play' variety of game. With Rhythm Heaven however, simplicity fuses with a..

What if you awakened one day as a Pokemon?

What if you awakened one day as a Pokemon? What if all of a sudden you find yourself in an unknown world, where you can speak and interact with many other Pokemon? Well essentially, that’s what happens in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team; you wake up one day in a strange new world where you have...

Saving our ecosystems, one park at a time.

Chibi-Robo Park Patrol is one of those few great games that many people are just going to skip over because of its exclusivity to select retailers. Well at Nintendo Life we took it upon ourselves to give this game the review it deserves, and we must say that doing so put huge smiles on our faces; the unique story and amazing gameplay, bundled with the..