Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow

Up until very recently, I called this the best game on the DS, and it's still up there as one of them.

Castlevania is one of the best action game series ever released. This title really delivers. It brings back Soma Cruise from the GameBoy Advance title Aria of Sorrow. Soma is the reincarnation of Dracula, and has control of the evil beasts. He's called upon again, but this time to stop an evil cult who wants to see Dracula return to power and rule the world (and has found other heirs to his throne).

The game is a 2-D action platformer, but with an equipment and experience system that keeps you wanting to level up. You also (randomly with different percent chances) absorb the souls of the enemies you come across and can use their powers afterwards (or powerup your weapons with them). It really gives it a "Gotta Catch 'Em All™" feel from Pokémon.

One of the things that will have you glued to this game is the map. Not only is it awesome to have the map on the top screen and always open, the game scores you based on how much of the map you've explored. Can you get 100%? There are lots of hidden rooms you know (but there might be a soul somewhere that helps you find those!).

Again, I couldn't put this one down for weeks while I finished it. I still pick it up from time to time just to relive the adventure.

By far, a must have title if you own a DS.

Neves

I've said it before: Puzzle games are either hit or miss. This is a hit for sure. It's so simple that it can't miss.

I can't explain it any other way than this: You've given sillouettes of different objects and then a group of shapes that will fill the sillouette exactly. The hard part is the shapes are all very simple things like triangles, quadrilaterals, and pentagons of different sizes. There's only one way to solve each puzzle and it's a serious brain teaser.

With hundreds of puzzles and several different modes, this game will keep you busy for months.

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My latest slide show. I do these periodically.

Club House Games

This game is a true sleeper hit. I've had it for almost a year-and-a-half, and it's in my DS almost every day.

There's not too much to say about this game. It's a collection of 40 simple games. Card games like Go Fish, Rummy, Bridge, Poker, War, Texas Hold 'Em, and others. Board games like Battleship, Chess, Checkers, Chinese Checkers, Backgammon, Dominoes, and others. Simulation games like Reverse Jenga (build a stack), Bowling, Darts, and others. There are at least two games for everybody and this appeals to all age levels.

Another great part is that the computer is actually a good opponent on all of the games. If you don't want to play against the computer, no problem. Every game on Club House Games works over the WiFi! I've yet to find a night where no one is up for a round of bowling or darts.

If you have $30, don't hesitate with this game. If you own a DS, it's a crime not to own this game.

Ultimate Mortal Kombat DS

I remember a time when, if you wanted to play a really good video game, you had to go to an arcade. I also remember when fighting games first picked up at the arcade. I was a Street Fighter 2 addict, and the machine was always packed with players. Then, one day, a new fighting game was set up next to it. It had real looking people instead of cartoons. The violence was off the charts as the fighters bled everywhere when they got hit. The selling part to me, was that after winning, you had the chance to kill your opponent. WOW! This game was amazing. This game was Mortal Kombat.

Over the years, Mortal Kombat has changed for the better and worse many times over. Finally they've gone back to their roots. This wonderful portable pack of greatness is the arcade version and quality of Mortal Kombat 3. Two of my favorite fighters are missing in this edition (Baraka and Johnny Cage), but at least I have Sub Zero. Don't let that fool you, though, this is every character from the arcade edition.

The gameplay is fluid and very responsive. The graphics and sound are outstanding. The WI-FI MULTIPLAYER is a needed and wonderful touch! Everything you could possibly want is included and works great.

Like every game, there a couple of downsides. The biggest, to me at least, is the lack of difficulty settings. The gameplay is very fast, and has a high learning curve when you haven't played in several years like me. It would be nice to put it on easy for a few days while I get used to everything again. Other than that, I can't complain at all!

Another nice inclusion is Puzzle Kombat. It's a Dr. Mario style game done two player format. You can play against the computer or a friend (only one cart needed). It's simple, but fun if you need a break.

If you were a fan of the classic age of fighting games, this is a must have!

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

This is, by far, my favorite series on the DS. Never did I expect to like this series as much as I do.

The game is fairly simple. You read the story as it goes, and occasionally answer a question or try to solve a riddle. You also have to look for clues.

Phoenix is a lawyer, specifically a defense attorney. The game gives you (in this edition) five murder trials that get progressively harder. You have to press witnesses and find holes in testimony while walking a thin line of pissing off the judge.

I don't fully understand what's so fun about this. It may be the intriguing stories. It may be the insane comedy that pops up as it's needed. It may be the joy in catching a liar every so often.

The whole game took me around 50-60 hours to finish, so there's lots of game to be played. The *ONLY* negative thing I can say is that there is no replay value to it unless you can sit it on a shelf for a few years before you play it again. That said, the fourth in the series is about to hit the US, so there's no lack of stories to play.

As an extra bonus, while this game was VERY hard to find when it was first released, the distribution was dramatically increase with its wide popularity and the price has even been dropped to $20 for a new copy. If you have the cash, pick this one up and you won't regret it!

Yoshi's Island DS

Usually, if Mario is put in a game, it's going to be pretty good. This game is no exception.

If you're thinking about picking this up, the original version (part one) is available on the GameBoy Advance for $20 new, and is a great warm up.

In this game, you play as Yoshi. Mario is a baby, and rides on your back. If you get hurt, he gets knocked off and cries his head off until you can catch him again. There aren't any life bars, but you only have so many seconds to pick Mario up before the baddies grab him up.

The really neat differences between this DS sequel and the original on the SNES/GBA are the dual screen views and multiple babies. The second screen shows even more areas to go. You really have to watch both to know what's going on. The multiple babies gives you some great puzzle style challenges. Mario can see and hit blocks that others can't. Peach's parasol can catch updrafts and let you float around. Donkey Kong can climb vines. Wario attracts coins and other metal objects.

Overall, this is an amazingly fun game if you can get past the babies crying. It's not a must have title, but it's worth picking up if you're just looking for a new game.

Dementium: The Ward

Wow. Just wow.

This game is described as Doom meets Silent Hill. They're NOT kidding! This game is great!

Obviously this game is a first person survival/horror game. They did a great job of putting one on the DS with this title. The graphics aren't the greatest I've seen on the system, but they're not horrible, either. The sound is great, though. It really takes advantage of the surround sound speakers on the DS. The control scheme is simple and makes an appropriate use of the touch screen.

The game takes place in an insane asylum. You break out of your room one night, and the power is out. You can only see a bit when the lightning flashes outside. Thankfully, you find a flashlight pretty quickly. There's blood everyone, and no one can be found.

The enemies are few and far between, making them way more scary. The first I found was 15 minutes in and I almost wet my pants. A zombie burst out of a closet I opened. I had my flashlight in my hand and flipped it on and off rapidly in a vain attempt to hit the zombie. I finally switched to a nightstick I found and beat its head off. Just as it's about to collapse, the rib cage burst open and started trying to bite me. It was that moment that I realized that not only was this scary as hell, it's super creative.

If you like being scared, this is a great title to pick up. I've had trouble putting down, but I usually play right before bed. That's not the best idea with this title! ;)

Luminous Arc

For those that enjoy RPGs, but want a change, this is the game for you.

Luminous Arc is a really great RPG. There's lots of good story cut-aways with real dialog in most of them, and the game is very addictive. I has the standard RPG elements of leveling up, taking turns, equiping items, and learning spells. Unlike my nemesis, Final Fantasy, the game will wait on you if you have to look away for a moment.

There's a twist to Luminous Arc, though. If you've played Final Fantasy Tactics, for the GBA, you already have experienced it. The combat is grid based. You have to walk your characters around a grid on their turns, choose which way they face, and their attacks can go a certain distance (ie: sword is one square, lance is two, magic can be more). This adds a whole new layer of strategy to an already great genre.

This game is not for children. There are heavy religious overtones throughout the story. There is plenty of cursing. There's even some drug use. Bear that in mind if buying this as a gift for someone. That said, I think this is a very entertaining and challenging game for young adults and adults.

WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2008

Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm a huge fan of professional wrestling. I may not watch much WWE anymore, mostly in favor of the independents, but they are the ones who make the games.

As such, I was really looking forward to Raw vs Smackdown 2008. It stood to be (what I thought) the first good wrestling game to hit a portable console that I had (still waiting on a price drop for the PSP). Boy, did I get shafted, though.

The "geniuses" at THQ thought it would be a good idea to give this game full touch screen controls. That's right; The buttons do NOTHING! How do you play a wrestling game with the touch screen only? YOU DON'T! This "game" has been likened to flipping a coin for twenty minutes.

Here's a simple breakdown: The wrestler's circle each other (you don't get to pick where they go). Once they close in, you can quickly choose one of three attacks. Then, they require you to spin a circle over and over, or draw a line over and over. If you do it to the game's satisfaction, you'll hit the other guy. If not, they'll hit you. Then it repeats. THIS IS THE ENTIRE GAME!

This game was so poorly design, that I got a GameStop to accept it as a return for being defective. The manager agreed there was no game to play. This is from a company that's notoriously rude to their customers.

In the 22 years I've been playing video games, this is, far and above, the WORST VIDEO GAME I'VE EVER PLAYED. I don't say that lightly, either. At least the terrible ones had CONTROLS!

Seriously, don't buy this game for yourself, or anyone you really care about!

Picross DS

Puzzle games are either a hit (Tetris), or lost to time (Catrap). This game, I can say without a question, is even better than Tetris.

Picross takes the concept of Sudoku and adds are really great twist to it, opening it up to a larger crowd. You're met with a board of squares that has numbers around the outside. The boards vary in size, based on what level you're on (5x5, 10x10, 15x15, 20x20, and 25x20). The numbers are which blocks you need to fill in, and which ones you leave blank or put an X over. It's a bit hard to describe, but thankfully Nintendo put a demo on their download station at local stores. Three minutes of that demo had me sold.

One of the best parts of the game is the WiFi feature. You can download new puzzles made by other players, or send your puzzles across the web. That way, you'll never run out of new ones to play.

As if this game can't get any better, it has a retail price of only $19.99 which makes it a must buy.

This is simply a game that I cannot put down, and I've easily put over 100 hours into since I bought it. I cannot recommend this enough!

The Simpsons Game

On Thursday, I picked up a game that I wasn't expecting much from, The Simpsons Game. I'd heard a lot of negative things about the console version, but a little positive about this one. I was really hesitant since it was made by EA. They've yet to release anything good for a portable system. Either way, I gave it a shot.

To my great surprise and pleasure, this game is amazing! It's a total throwback to early 1990's platform action games. It also has great puzzle elements to it, as well. One level was even a remake of Frogger. Throughout all of this, there are insane amounts of dialog from the characters. Most of the humor is very adult oriented, also. I've never laughed so hard while playing a video game (other than Rayman Ravid Rabbids on my Wii).

My only complaint about this game is how short it is. I'm 25% of the way through it with just over an hour put in to it. That said, I'll happily play it again when I'm done.

If you have a DS, I whole-heartedly recommend picking this title up. Buy it used, though, so you can return it when you finish the game in less than a week. :)