It's a depressing fact that cheating will always be a part of online gaming, regardless of your platform of choice. For some time, those of weak moral fiber have been able to grant themselves infinite energy, infinite ammo, and the ability to levitate in Metroid Prime: Hunters (encouragingly, Nintendo claims it is now taking measures to prevent this), while the whole Mario Kart DS/snaking debate has rumbled on for some time (though we know of at least one Nintendo representative who would argue that the method isn't actually cheating, and we're sure many of you would concur).
Today, we'd like to hear about some of your own experiences of cheating opponents. Which games do you find attract the most online cheats, and have any of you indulged in this dark art yourselves?
Personally, we had a blast playing The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass last night. Many of you were late in arriving to the chat, throwing down in some Metroid Prime Hunters, Overall, it was a pretty good night, but we're sure that most of you regulars could've managed to make it. We understand things come up, but you better be there next week.
Oh, you better ... or else.
Update: Due to popular demand, we've added Worms: Open Warfare 2 to the poll. If you want other games added in the future (or ... right now), let us know in the comments here or feel free to email me at david at dsfanboy dawt com.
Last night was special. We hope it was as good for you as it was for us. You're going to call us, right? Right? Well, in the interest of making engagements, we've gone ahead and added a hot new game to the poll list below, resetting the poll itself. So, let's see if this new game can beat other fan favorites ...
Last week we didn't have that good of a showing as far as Game Nights are concerned. This week, though, we want to fix that. So, if you are planning on ditching tonight's Game Night, know this: we will find you. We will emerge from a bush or a dark closet within your close vicinity and ask you why you didn't show up.
Sadly, I was unable to partake in the festivities last night. No worries, we've been doing this Game Night thing for quite awhile now. So, you can bet next week I'll be there, with several bells on. In the meantime, why don't we figure out what our theme game for next week will be by voting below.
This week has been a close race in determining what our theme game will be for tonight. And, if you're a regular here at Game Night, you're likely already forming a picture of what games are running at the top of the pack. So, let's not waste time. Head past the break and get all of the details you need.
Last night's Game Night was kind of a bust, we must admit. There wasn't that great a turnout and connection problems plagued the participants. But, hey, that's life; we can't control everything. But, there's always next week to look forward to. And, it's also time to reset the poll, so let's get to it!
When we saw the Call of Duty 4 video, we immediately thought about the possibilities for FPS titles on the DS. Sure, we've received a Quake-style title in Metroid Prime Hunters, but the controls cause our hand to cramp up pretty quickly. We never got a chance to check out Brothers in Arms, but other than that, what is there?
Do you think the system can't possibly expect to see a quality FPS title in its future? Do you think Call of Duty 4 could pave the way for future entries in the genre on the handheld?
Welcome to Thursday, folks, and welcome to our weekly Game Night session. See, we get together once a week and throw down in some Wi-Fi games. If you have any Wi-Fi games, you should stop by our chat and play, as we can almost guarantee someone else will be trying to play that game, too. Where should you go to join the action?
Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connect service just wouldn't cut us a break last night, as several people in the room experienced problems trying to connect in Mario Kart DS. But, we are determined to enjoy our Game Night every week, crappy service be damned. So, hit up the poll below and vote for next week's theme game.
For some reason, the iced tea in our glass tastes sweeter, the air seems crisper and we're in a wonderful mood. We wonder why that is? Oh, right, it's Thursday. That means we get to play some games with you all tonight! Awesome!
Shooters are rare on the DS, but not unheard of, though they often debut to mixed reactions. Metroid Prime Hunters is one of the system's most polarizing titles, and the same seems true of the more recent Touch the Dead. Yesterday's impressions of Dementium: The Ward seemed promising, and of course, IGN's Matt Casamassina continues to insist that someday, we're going to see Halo DS, maybe, kinda, probably -- not really.
But do shooters really belong on the system? The touchscreen and other controls manage to do a lot of things really well, including some things that are really off the wall, such as acting as a full-fledged guitar. But is the DS suited to shooters? Considering the smaller screen size, some system limitations, and the unique control system, we can't help but wonder if we really need shooters, or if they're suited to the system.
Don't get us wrong -- we love a good FPS. But that doesn't mean we necessarily have to have one on every available system, so we think it's a fair question. On the other hand, is there any reason not to have any FPS titles on the DS? Where do you stand?
All this week, the DS Fanboy staff is letting you in on a few of their favorite titles. Each day, a different member of the staff will present their personal top five DS games along with a snapshot of their gaming paraphernalia and habits, in an effort to provide our readers with a little more information on the tastes and personalities of our writers.
As the lead blogger of PSP Fanboy, one might be questioning why I'm here. It's true: I love my PSP and take it everywhere (except the shower). But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy Nintendo's handheld. I've grown up with Nintendo handhelds, owning every iteration of the Game Boy ever. My stash of Nintendo valuables would make any Nintendork jealous. Now that I'm older and spending less time arguing in message boards, I've learned that true gaming bliss comes from having access to all the games I can get. Hopefully, you feel the same way too.
So please, take my "top five" list as an olive branch to end the bickering between the two Fanboy sites.
Our last glimpse at First 4 Figurines' Metroid-based statues almost caused a heart attack in the DS Fanboy staff. Heck, even our first glimpse at their prototypes was the stuff that resulted in large puddles of drool collecting by our feet as we blankly stood forward, eyes bugging out from our skulls. Their latest figure, which depicts the Kriken Trace from Metroid Prime Hunters, is nothing short of fantastic.
How far would you go to get Nintendo's attention to tell them that their security is not efficient? Aside from stripping naked wearing nothing but a Mario hat running around their HQ screaming the Zelda theme song, you could hack their Wi-Fi site.
Apparently, such was the tale of the hackers who actually succeeded in taking down the Metroid Prime: Hunters leaderboard, scores and usernames.
Downtime was brief but they may have gotten their point across. Shortly after the attack, the page reappeared seemingly untouched.
The question is -- effective or not? Did these hackers make their point? Or did they merely have their 15 minutes of fame?
When we saw the 
Shooters are rare on the DS, but not unheard of, though they often debut to mixed reactions. 
