I was reminded by Leigh Alexander's adorable childhood Phantasy Star II fanworks of my own recent, abortive attempts to replay the game. What was shockingly doable when I was 11 is now painful and a little tedious. We have been coddled by role-playing games with sensible level progressions and relatively small dungeons (with automaps, even -- when was the last time you got graph paper out for a dungeon?)
With Final Fantasy III already out and IV on the way, as well as DragonQuests aplenty, Ys,Shiren the Wanderer and even remakes of PlayStation-era RPGs, the DS is going to be neck-deep in antiquated RPGs soon. How many of you have managed to get through an old-school RPG in the modern era? If so, did you have experience with them when they were new?
There are a lot of exciting games coming out in the next few months (some pretty soon, too!), but what we're curious about is what's on the schedule for the gamer-on-a-budget? If you could only buy one new DS game in the next few months, what would you pick? Are you dying for Advance Wars? Are you a diehard for the Ace Attorney? Or is there something else that's caught your eye (and your wallet)?
Generally speaking, casual games deserve the reputation of being lazy, derivative, cynical cash-ins. But there's so damn many of the things nowadays that it makes us wonder: they can't all be that bad, can they?
Which casual games have you encountered and found to be not terrible? Any that you've actually ... gulp ... quite enjoyed? Because if so, it's time to 'fess up! It'll make you feel a bit less dirty.
What's the highest height you've ever dropped your Nintendo DS from? Did your handheld survive the fall, despite your negligence? Or did it end up looking like the photo above? Also, how did this unfortunate event play out? Inquiring minds want to know.
Everybody loves Bomberman. It's a fact. Don't be fooled by the liars who will inevitably come into the comments and register their snarky distaste. Those liars are, in fact, liars.
There have been about a millionBomberman releases, all differing in various ways: some are 2D, some are 3D, some have single-player story modes, or minigames, or extra multiplayer modes, or dinosaur helpers. Some are racing games.
What do you look for in a Bomberman game? What is your ideal feature set? What makes you see a new Bomberman release and decide "I should buy this one, instead of those other ones!"
Sometimes, you encounter those weird DS games that are just perfect for online play ... except they don't have it. Okay, so it's sometimes more than just "sometimes," but what can you do? Talk about it, of course! From Puzzle Quest to Mario Party to the upcoming Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates, what do you wish had a little wi-fi multiplayer?
From swords to ... uh, more swords, we've seen quite a few special styli in our day. Some are colorful and some are extendable, but the stylus gift is pretty common with DS games. Do you own any specialeditionstyli? Do you wish you did? If so, which ones? And we're not talking about just any random stylus here, though there are plenty of awesome DS accessories, but those specifically designed for (or that come with) certain games.
Let's kick off this fine Tuesday with a hypothetical scenario or two. If someone asked you for DS game recommendations, which two would you pick? Wait, let's make it more difficult. Which two would you recommend for:
a gamer under the age of twelve?
someone new to the DS who was a longtime gamer?
someone new to the DS who was not a longtime gamer?
Of course, answers would likely depend on the person, but let's be general. We spent a lot of time recommending games to people in the last year, particularly around the holidays (when it seemed that everyone who didn't already own a DS bought one) and often ended up pushing a lot of the same titles. Dragon Quest games came up a lot, Clubhouse Games was bandied about, and we tried to push Contra 4 onto as many people as possible. How about you?
We go crazy whenever we see a game marked down significantly from its original price --- seriously, absolutely nuts. We're just in love with the idea of buying things for cheaper than however much everyone else paid for them. We're pretty sure it's a recognized mental disorder listed in the DSM-IV.
We post bargains for accessories and video games here nearly every day, but have you ever actually taken advantage of any of them? And what games are you still waiting for to drop in price before finally picking them up? Tell us now, or this wacky waving inflatable arm-flailing tube man is going to haunt your dreams.
If there's one activity we enjoy as much as playing DS, it's eating. Naturally then, combining the two results in the perfect lazy afternoon for us, but you have to be careful. As the DS involves rather a lot of touching, greasy foods such as pizza are automatically out, particularly as dirt and grime loves to accumulate on the edge of the touchscreen. This writer also prefers to avoid stuff that can drip easily -- as much as it saddens us, Coke and technology will never be BFF.
With these ground rules in mind, I find there's nothing quite like Cool Ranch Doritos and Medium Salsa dip to complement a marathon DS session, while white seedless grapes provide a healthier, almost-as-good alternative. What's your perfect gaming snack?
The awesome Leigh Alexander, who writes for pretty much everyone (including herself) thinks she has a problem. She has figured out that between playing games, making game-related crafts, and doing other game-related things (like writing about games), she may be a little unhealthily addicted. After all, as shocking as it may be, there is an entire world out there without games (we know, it hurts us to think of it, too!) So what's a girl to do?
Clearly, attempt to go an entire week without playing games of any kind. Nothing. None. Not even, as she says, Minesweeper. Having just restarted Puzzle Quest (again), this blogger feels the burn of potential obsession as well, but a whole week? Without any games? That's daunting. Could you do it?
There are a lot of great games headed our way over the next few months, like Advance Wars: Days of Ruin, Apollo Justice, Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword ... we could really go on. But out of all the highly-publicized (at least, around here) titles, which upcoming release that you hear about interests you the least? C'mon, get your hate on. We'll forgive you, and you'll feel better after you just let it out.
This topic is really aimed at those folks who attend our weekly Game Nights. Are you among them? If not, why not? We'd love to have you! But really, we have some questions for you -- and for all of our readers who get their Wi-Fi on. What are some of your favorite games to play online? How do you feel about our typical rotation? What current games would you like to see added in? We might not be able to add them all, but we'll consider it. How about upcoming releases you think might be good choices?
These days, it seems that everyone has a DS. You've got one. Your grandmother has one. Everyone in Japan has four. The dual screens are everywhere, especially at the tops of the sales charts, and the juggernaut doesn't seem to be slowing down at all.
So ... why doesn't it get talked about more often? Why don't the games get better review scores?
Listen, we may be hardcore fans here, but we're also the first to admit that the handheld has flaws. The online play isn't exactly the best. There are as many less-than-good games as there are great games. But those things can be tolerated in the name of an amazing portable experience -- and they are, by us and apparently, everyone else. So why is the DS the bastard child of the gaming community, doomed to less exposure than every other system?
We're going to be sharing our resolutions with you a little bit later on this morning, but for now, we want to hear from you! Anything you're planning on changing or doing differently this year? Companies you'll attempt to avoid? Buying fewer (or more) games? Let us know!
I was reminded by Leigh Alexander's adorable childhood Phantasy Star II fanworks of my own recent, abortive attempts to replay the game. What was shockingly doable when I was 11 is now painful and a little tedious. We have been coddled by role-playing games with sensible level progressions and relatively small dungeons (with automaps, even -- when was the last time you got graph paper out for a dungeon?)
There are a lot of exciting games coming out in the next few months (some pretty soon, too!), but what we're curious about is what's on the schedule for the gamer-on-a-budget? If you could only buy one new DS game in the next few months, what would you pick? Are you dying for Advance Wars? Are you a diehard for the Ace Attorney? Or is there something else that's caught your eye (and your wallet)?
Generally speaking, casual games deserve the reputation of being 
Everybody loves 
Sometimes, you encounter those weird DS games that are just perfect for online play ... except they don't have it. Okay, so it's sometimes more than just "sometimes," but what can you do? Talk about it, of course! From Puzzle Quest to Mario Party to the upcoming Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates, what do you wish had a little wi-fi multiplayer?
From 
Let's kick off this fine Tuesday with a hypothetical scenario or two. If someone asked you for DS game recommendations, which two would you pick? Wait, let's make it more difficult. Which two would you recommend for:
We go crazy whenever we see a game marked down significantly from its original price --- seriously, absolutely nuts. We're just in love with the idea of buying things for cheaper than however much everyone else paid for them. We're pretty sure it's a recognized mental disorder listed in the DSM-IV.
If there's one activity we enjoy as much as playing DS, it's eating. Naturally then, combining the two results in the perfect lazy afternoon for us, but you have to be careful. As the DS involves rather a lot of touching, greasy foods such as pizza are automatically out, particularly as dirt and grime loves to accumulate on the edge of the touchscreen. This writer also prefers to avoid stuff that can drip easily -- as much as it saddens us, Coke and technology will never be BFF.
The awesome Leigh Alexander, who writes for pretty much everyone (including herself) thinks she has a problem. She has figured out that between playing games, making game-related crafts, and doing other game-related things (like writing about games), she may be a little unhealthily addicted. After all, as shocking as it may be, there is an entire world out there without games (we know, it hurts us to think of it, too!) So what's a girl to do?
There are a lot of great games headed our way over the next few months, like Advance Wars: Days of Ruin, Apollo Justice, Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword ... we could really go on. But out of all the highly-publicized (at least, around here) titles, which upcoming release that you hear about interests you the least? C'mon, get your hate on. We'll forgive you, and you'll feel better after you just let it out.
This topic is really aimed at those folks who attend our weekly 
These days, it seems that everyone has a DS. You've got one. Your grandmother has one. Everyone in Japan has four. The dual screens are everywhere, especially at the tops of the sales charts, and the juggernaut doesn't seem to be slowing down at all.
_thumbnail.jpg "Spiderwick Chronicles DS")
