DSiWare Game Reviews
Review Sujin Taisen Number Battles (DSiWare)
Swap your Shuriken for a stylus and get ready to play!
Sujin Taisen: Number Battles is a digital rerelease of the Japanese title, Suujin Taisen, which was released on Nintendo DS over two years ago in Japan. The game combines elements of classic games such as Mah-jong and Dominoes and mixes them with strategy elements to create a deeply rewarding...
Review Flipnote Studio (DSiWare)
A DSiWare application that you'll definitely flip over!
It's no secret that Flipnote Studio has been one of the most anticipated DSiWare releases to date. The application has been described as like having your own portable animation studio right in the palm of your hands. Not only can you draw sketches and import photos, but you can then use the...
Review Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters (DSiWare)
Brain Age: Arts & Letters manages to capture the brain teasing appeal of the retail releases, just in a smaller dose.
Nintendo's Brain Age releases have already been hugely successful for their DS system, so it should come as no real surprise to see them releasing small groups of these exercises as individual DSiWare releases on their fledgling...
Review City Transport Map Volumes 1 & 2 - 2009 (DSiWare)
Now you have no excuse for getting lost on a city break.
City Transport Map Volumes 1 & 2 contains ten travel maps in total and offers a selection of detailed routes for trains, subways, trams and airport shuttles. The maps vary in size depending on the city and different transport methods and specific lines can be highlighted via the touch...
Review Guitar Rock Tour (DSiWare)
All the right notes, just not in the right order.
Guitar Rock Tour is a rerelease of the game of the same name we saw on Nintendo DS late last year. The game falls into the genre of games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band, albeit on somewhat of a budget. There are fifteen tracks to tap along to and two modes of play over three levels of difficulty...
Review A Little Bit of... Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training Sudoku (DSiWare)
The best Sudoku experience on DSiWare yet?
The DSi is quickly becoming the place to be for Sudoku fans with three different titles already available on the service – a fair amount considering the overall amount of games currently released. “A little Bit of…Brain Training Sudoku” is the latest game in the genre and is of course taken from the...
Review A Little Bit of... Puzzle League (DSiWare)
A bit of a rehash, but a good rehash nonetheless.
The Puzzle League or “Panel de Pon” series as it is known in Japan is one of the lesser-known Nintendo flagship gaming series. Over the years the game has appeared under various guises coupling well-known characters from both Pokémon and the Super Mario titles. “Planet Puzzle League,”...
Review Brain Challenge (DSiWare)
Make your grey matter
The DS is rightly lauded for introducing many new gamers to the fold, and it’s pretty much single-handedly created the “brain training” genre - whether that’s a good thing or not likely depends on whether you’ve played more than three games on your DS in the past four years. Gameloft already had a crack at the genre...
Review Sudoku 50! For Beginners (DSiWare)
Less points, less puzzles, same difference?
Sudoku 50! For Beginners is, in essence, a scaled down, dramatically easier version of the recently released Sudoku 150! For Challengers. It seems a little odd that Hudson decided to release the more difficult game first and not release both titles together, but nevertheless Sudoku 50! For Beginners offers...
Review Art Style: BOXLIFE (DSiWare)
Thinking outside the box is strictly forbidden.
If there's one thing that can be said about Nintendo's Art Style series, it's that no two games are alike, and we wouldn't have it any other way. BOXLIFE is certainly another unique entry in the franchise: box 'em up and ship 'em out! Greeted by a cute little theme song you will immediately notice - if...
Review Mario Calculator (DSiWare)
Even with the Mario theme, this calculator application still doesn't add up.
First there was the Animal Crossing Calculator and now Nintendo brings us the Mario Calculator for fans of the famous Italian plumber. While the functionality of the actual application is basically identical to that of the Animal Crossing Calculator (well duh, it's a...
A waste of time
We've already seen Animal Crossing Clock released on the DSiWare service, so a Mario Clock was a foregone conclusion. Not much has changed really; Nintendo has basically taken the very same clock functions available in the Animal Crossing Clock application and tossed in a Super Mario Bros. theme over the whole thing. While the entire...
Review Asphalt 4: Elite Racing (DSiWare)
Quick off the grid.
For all Nintendo’s innovation in creating its DSiWare download service, it can’t be helped noticing that the Big N’s contribution to the line-up is pretty lacklustre – its calculators and clocks are derided, and for every Art Style there’s a Master of Illusion Express. They would do well to learn from Gameloft, who are...
Review Sudoku 150! For Challengers (DSiWare)
Does this add up to the 500 points asking price?
The Sudoku craze began a few years ago and since then the quaint Japanese number puzzle has become cool, whether on the train, chilling at home or simply in need of something to occupy your time, Sudoku offers a relaxing alternative to the crossword puzzle and a break from hardcore gaming. With its...
Review Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! (DSiWare)
Is it a shameless cash-in or a worthy expansion of its forbearer?
Some have already voiced their concerns as to whether Minis March Again! is a shameless cash-in by Nintendo, simply copying Mario vs Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis and not really providing us with extra content or even new stages at all – which is certainly not true. What they...
Review Art Style: KUBOS (DSiWare)
Another fiendishly addictive Art Style puzzler joins the DSiWare library.
Art Style: KUBOS is the fifth game in the popular Art Style series to hit the DSiWare service. Series developers SKIP Tokyo have once again built a game around a creative and abstract puzzle concept; they really seem to have a knack of making simple games that are fiendishly...
Review Mighty Flip Champs! (DSiWare)
Is Mighty Flip Champs the DSiWare service's first must-have title?
It's no real secret that the majority of DSiWare releases to date can be described as uninspiring at best. DSi owners have had to sit and watch as one mediocre DSiWare title after another has been released on the service with nothing truly unique or original in sight - at least until...
Review Art Style: NEMREM (DSiWare)
The latest instalment in the Art Style Series - NEMREM.
As soon as you fire up the game you're greeted with a visually very pleasing welcome screen that demonstrates a great example of the unique graphical style we have come to expect from the Art Style series. On the stage selection screen something resembling Morse code is “played” in the...
Is Nintendo's second clock application an improvement over their first release?
Photo Clock is actually the second time keeping application to see a release on Nintendo's DSiWare service and isn't really all that different from the first one when you get right down to it. This time around, instead of an Animal Crossing theme, you get to decide what...
Review Pop Superstar: Road to Celebrity (DSiWare)
This one definitely goes through to the next round!
The premise is a common element of Saturday night television: a young hopeful with aspirations of stardom and a desire to perform on one of the seemingly endless “talent” shows. Previous games, especially on the handheld platform such as the 2003 Gameboy Advance title Pop Idol (American Idol in...
Review Art Style: PiCTOBiTS (DSiWare)
DSiWare goes to bits and pieces.
Creating a killer puzzle game is a difficult task these days, mainly because pretty much all of the decent ideas have already been taken. However, Nintendo (along with developer Skip) have succeeded in cooking up an entirely fresh take on the 'falling block puzzle game' for DSi, and in doing so they've proven that...
Review Animal Crossing Clock (DSiWare)
Is Animal Crossing Clock a useful DSiWare application, or just an ironic waste of time?
Animal Crossing Clock is the second Animal Crossing-themed application so far for Nintendo's DSi system. Nintendo has carefully put together a clock application and tossed in a bunch of Animal Crossing audio/visual influences to create yet another semi-useless...
Review Animal Crossing Calculator (DSiWare)
The Animal Crossing theme adds charm to this basic application - but is it ultimately enough to justify the cost?
With the popularity of the applications available for Apple's iPhone, it comes as no real surprise to see Nintendo releasing apps for their DSi system. Animal Crossing Calculator takes the standard calculator function and builds an...
Review Clubhouse Games Express: Card Classics (DSiWare)
Call Nintendo's bluff or fold.
In the vein of the previously released Express titles, Clubhouse Games Express: Cards Classics offers a very slimmed-down, bite-sized version of its full-featured cartridge release. Whether this package offers enough to warrant a purchase is the question, and although this is a strong hand, ultimately there's no real...
Review Real Football 2009 (DSiWare)
A good effort, but does it hit the back of the net?
As the first Premium title available on DSiWare, there’s a certain amount of expectation surrounding Gameloft’s Real Football 2009. Do you get enough game for your 800 Points? First things first – Real Football 2009 is more or less a straight conversion of the same game that was released on...
Review Dr. Mario Express (DSiWare)
Dr. Mario Express retains all of the addictive charm of past releases and proves to be a great fit for the DSiWare service.
Over the years, Dr. Mario has become one of the most beloved Tetris clones available for any game system. From its original inception on Nintendo's NES console to the more recent offering on the WiiWare service, Dr. Mario has...
Review Master of Illusion Express: Deep Psyche (DSiWare)
Master of Illusion: Deep Psyche proves to be yet another tiny segment of average magic tricks taken directly from the DS retail release.
Master of Illusion: Deep Psyche is essentially a small selection of magic tricks from the DS retail release packaged into a tidy little 200 Point DSiWare release. While the two new tricks are fun enough, once...
Review Master of Illusion Express: Shuffle Games (DSiWare)
Does Nintendo's second Master of Illusion DSiWare release stack up any better than the first iteration did?
While the retail version of Master of Illusion was an interesting package, it didn't exactly light up the DS sales charts, nor did it get much love from the media either. So how exactly does a second stripped down version of the game fare as...
Review Mixed Messages (DSiWare)
Activision's DSiWare debut leaves a sour taste in the mouth.
Mixed Messages could be classified more as an experience than an actual game, since there's actually no clearly-defined goal. You basically just alternate typing sentences and drawing pictures to try to match each other in an attempt to keep the original message intact. As you can probably...
Review Brain Age Express: Math (DSiWare)
It may be a stripped-down version of the original retail release, but Brain Age Express: Math retains much of the charm and fun from past titles.
Nintendo's Brain Age DS releases were very successful titles, so it comes as no real surprise to see them releasing a trimmed-down version of the games for their brand new DSiWare service. Whereas the...
