DS Fanboy Review: Kirby Super Star Ultra
DS Fanboy Review: Lock's Quest
Lock's Quest solves my tower defense problem, creating something that is playable by even non-crazy people. In the process, developer 5th Cell has added something that seems rather difficult to add to this kind of game: a story, and a good one at that.
Gallery: Lock's Quest
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DS Fanboy Review: Mystery Case Files: Millionheir
Gallery: Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir
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DS Fanboy Review: N+
Metanet's N is a game in which the player is tasked with running very quickly through obstacles and jumping with high levels of precision in order to reach the exit door. It takes place in small, self-contained levels, uses simple, clean graphics, and has no real story to remember.Though it first appeared as a freeware PC game and was then remade and enhanced as an Xbox Live Arcade game, there is no denying that N is an ideal handheld game. You really couldn't come up with a better design for an on-the-go game.
N+ from Atari is basically N, on the DS, with new levels. So, naturally, it works out pretty well.
DS Fanboy Review: Bangai-O Spirits
Bangai-O Spirits has all the hallmarks of a Treasure shooter. It doesn't take itself seriously, but provides more than enough of a challenge for any gamer. It features the same gimmick as the other Bangai-O games, and will be instantly familiar to fans of those. In fact, it seems to be the ideal Treasure game. At the same time, it completely subverts the usual Treasure dynamic, with brilliant results.
DS Fanboy Review: Soul Bubbles
I struggle to think of anything at all that is wrong with this game. At the risk of sounding like an overly soft reviewer, Soul Bubbles is a masterpiece, with evidence of loving thought in everything that goes on the screen(s).
DS Fanboy Review: Final Fantasy IV
That doesn't mean that this particular version is great -- it just means that the DS remake of Final Fantasy IV is built on an excellent foundation. But it's not exactly the game you remember, and if you didn't play it, it's also pretty far removed from many of the other RPGs on the system. The result is an odd hybrid of old school and new.
Gallery: Final Fantasy IV
Not-So-Iron Fanboy, Part II: Evaluation
So we've tracked down ingredients, crafted our meals, and gobbled down the results ... but how effective is the Cooking Guide, really? Will it turn a total newbie into a master chef? Will it at least help you make dinner? The intrepid DS Fanboy "chefs" who undertook the cook-off are back for a deeper look at the title, which is headed soon to the U.S. Once it's out, should you give it a shot? Let us help you decide.
Essential Extras: Penguin United 24x Gaming Pouch
A game case really only needs one thing: a place to securely hold games. Everything else, including cuteness, is basically extra, even if we consider it essential (and oh, we do). We know the Penguin United cases are cute. We know they hold a lot of games. But are they worthwhile? The short answer is yes. The long answer is full of misdeeds, games, and vinyl, and is located after the break.
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Review: Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns
Izuna may not be the most legendary of figures in the world at large, but around here, she's a star. She's only unemployed in the ninja sense; she's got other gigs on the side. And for a second time, she's back with a roguelike challenge set to kick you all around the dungeons.Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns is a lot like its predecessor -- it's tough, it requires more than a bit of caution, and there are a lot of silly jokes about boobs and being in a game. If you didn't play the first one, that's okay; feel free to pick up the sequel, as all you'll miss out on is a little bit of the backstory and relationships between characters ... none of which is particularly important. The story of Izuna 2 is merely stage-setting. It gives you something to watch between dungeons.
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Izuna 2: Hands-on with an Unemployed Ninja
If you enjoyed Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja (or at least thought you might), then there's good news: the sequel is just as charming, just as engaging, and perhaps even a little more fun than the original. The sequel has a lot of new things, including a second baby step toward making Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns a hair easier on your sanity and frustration levels.That's right -- while Izuna's games definitely fall under the roguelike label, they're a fingernail easier than the traditional dungeon crawler. That doesn't make them any easier to me, but the hardest of the hardcore may scoff at Izuna's differences, while the rest of us can actually attempt the game without "accidentally" dropping the DS or anything. What's different? In both Izuna 2 and its predecessor, when you die (and will you ever die), you keep your levels. In keeping with the roguelike tradition, you lose everything else, but it's not absolutely everything in a square-one sort of way. Izuna 2 adds something else on top of that: the tag team system. And that's where things get a little sticky.
DS Fanboy Review: Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
But length and depth aren't the only measure of a game. For some the latest Tactics may be a great way to while away the month(s), but others will find the paper-thin story and the hand-holding approach a turn-off. In a field of excellent Square Enix titles, Grimoire of the Rift isn't exactly a stand-out, but mediocre Square Enix still tends to be pretty good in the long run.
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DS Fanboy Review: Civilization Revolution
Civilization is an intense experience. After all, you're starting with a few guys dressed in ill-fitting skins and attempting to conquer the world through a variety of strategies. The games are often enormous, sprawling across a map that can take up most of the globe (oceans be damned), and due to the sheer size of the games, they've just never worked well on consoles. This game changes that, but in a very intriguing way. Civilization Revolution isn't a port. It's not a remake, or even really a reimagining. It's a complete rebuild, with such radical changes in some areas that it hardly feels like the same game, and yet, the base gameplay of one of the world's best turn-based strategy franchises somehow manages to remain intact. It's not without flaws -- and some are pretty serious -- but Civilization Revolution does manage to accomplish a very simple goal, and that's stripping down Civ and making it a manageable (and fun!) portable experience.
DS Fanboy Review: Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2
But when the gameplay is so good that there are few complaints, it's a lot easier to nitpick other aspects of the title, and we've got nitpicks in spades. That's all they are, though: tiny complaints that hardly matter. Under the Knife 2 should be remembered as one of the most satisfying experiences on the DS. Unfortunately, that's not likely to happen.
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DS Fanboy Review: Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of Lagaard
Enjoy that little feature while it lasts ... and it doesn't last long. After that, Etrian Odyssey quickly becomes one of the most difficult experiences to date on the DS -- but it's also one of the most fun. Heroes of Lagaard isn't for the faint of heart, though, so if you glaze over when we wax philosophic about Shiren and Izuna, this one may not be for you. If you're willing to jump in, though, Heroes of Lagaard will deliver one of the best gaming experiences of the year.
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