We've gone over why Geometry Wars: Galaxies was worth its full $30 price several times already despite its cheaper Xbox Live Arcade predecessor -- portability, a robust campaign, a cooperative mode, touchscreen support, drones, etc.
Now that the game has seen a universal price drop, bringing its retail price to $19.99, right in that budget-title range, you'll have a tougher time arguing that the added features aren't worth the price. Basically, if you're a fan of multi-directional shooters and if you have twenty bucks just laying around, pick this up!
Hey, guys! Check it out ... it's My Horse and Me! We know you've been waiting for this one for a long time, and at last, this week, your dreams can be fulfilled. The only thing that could possibly make it better is if it was instead My Horsez and Me. Everyone knows the 'z' is a mark of quality. What's that? You're actually interested in finding out more about Azzazzin'z Assassin's Creed DS? Well, okay, if you insist. We're really leaning toward the horse(z) here, though.
Even with its new multiplayer mode, single-player campaign, and game-changing features (e.g. customizable drone), Geometry Wars: Galaxies is a hard sell for the people comparing the DS's $30 update to the original $5 download on XBLA.
Meijer's $19.99 online sale for Galaxies is still a lot more expensive than five bucks, but when you consider all the extra content Kuju Entertainment threw in, that price doesn't sound bad at all. Besides, the DS version has a huge advantage over the old and crusty XBLA release that you shouldn't forget: portability!
Wherever you are this week, there's not a lot to choose from. That isn't to say there aren't a few worthwhile titles hitting the shelves, but the key words here are "a few." As in "not many." As in, "not a big burden on your wallet." Considering everything we've got coming up for the DS, around the world, that's probably pretty good news.
Corvette Evolution GT
Miami Nights: Singles in the City
Nanostray 2
For the rest of the world's major markets, see the release lists after the jump.
Bill Tangeman clearly has a pretty high tolerance of cramp, if his highest score on Geometry Wars: Galaxies is anything to go by. But what really gets us about the above video is that he could have gone on and on and on and on and Ariston, until he developed Carpal tunnel syndrome reached whatever score he damn well pleased.
As it happened, he was happy to settle for a piffling 5,000,000,000, a total that saw Bill top the regional Galaxiesleaderboard. We're slightly dismayed to learn there's a difficulty ceiling in the game, but it's safe to say that we're quite a distance from breaking it.
2007 is almost over, and the end of the year brings joyous tidings of List Season. It's the time for taking stock of the last 12 months of gaming, and trying to make sense of it by putting things in numerical order. Join DS Fanboy for our best-ofs, worst-ofs, and other categories-ofs.
Weasked, and as always, you guys delivered. While the top-voted game of the year will probably come as no surprise to anyone, especially since it ran away with all the votes, the other five games that topped out in our readers' choice polls demonstrate not only the wide variety of content on the DS, but the depth of taste among DS Fanboy readers, as well. While the top games were above and beyond, every title feature snagged its fair share of votes. This can only mean one thing: it was one hell of a good year to be a DS owner.
So which six games were most deserving of attention this year, according to you guys? Mosey on past the break to see the winners.
Yesterday, we focused on some of the bigger games of 2007, as chosen by you. Today, however, we thought we'd look at the other games, the titles one or two people mentioned, somewhat wistfully, when we asked for your choices for the best and brightest. These games may not have gotten as much attention as titles like Phantom Hourglass, but that doesn't mean there aren't some real gems in the mix. From the quirky humor in Chocobo Tales to the portable and addictive destruction of Geometry Wars: Galaxies, these games all deserve another moment in the sun. The real question is: which are your favorites? Vote early, vote often!
Gaming sites are inundated with holiday gift guides at the end of the year, listing the best and most popular games that everyone pretty much already has (or knows about). Well, we're not going in for that this year. Our gift guide will help you find the best gifts in categories the other sites won't cover -- because we just made them up.
Nintendo's indifference towards PAL regions is infamous, but there's arguably less room for complaining when it comes to the DS. See, the DS is (and we do not use this phrase lightly) an importer's dream. It doesn't faff around with region-specific software, there's a huge library of diverse and interesting NTSC-only titles, and the games themselves are cheap. As in, cheaper than they'll be when they arrive in the UK/Europe/Australia six months from now. Frankly, we can't think of a good reason for you not to import.
Which brings us to our latest anti-guide, featuring the five DS-related gifts that PAL regions won't be seeing until 2008 at the earliest -- if ever. All deserve to be imported without hesitation, so read on fellow PAL folk, and prep that credit card!
It's been a good year, but sadly, like all those other years, it must come to an end. Before we roll out the red carpet for 2008, however, we wanted to give 2007 the send-off it deserves -- and what better way to do that than by offering up huge prize packs for our loyal readers? All you have to do is leave a comment on this very post telling us which DS model(s) you own, between now and December 26. The giveaway closes that night at 11:59 p.m. EST, and we'll announce the winners, chosen in a random drawing, on December 27. You may only enter once per day, and as usual, entries are limited to legal U.S. residents age 18 and older. Please check the official rules for any other questions.
But enough of the details -- let's get to the prize packages!
DS Fanboy's End of Year Fanswag Blowout Grand Prize
Limited Edition Gold DS Lite + The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (bundle) ($149.99)
Nintendo DS headset ($9.99)
Custom Robo ($29.99)
Dementium ($29.99)
Drawn to Life ($29.99)
Fullmetal Alchemist: Trading Card Game ($19.99)
John Deere: Harvest in the Heartland ($29.99)
Mega Man ZX ($29.99)
Pokémon Diamond ($34.99)
The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night (GBA) ($19.99)
Geometry Wars: Galaxies swag
Dementium skin
Pokémon Diamond stylus
Cruise on past the break to see the rest of the prizes!
Another DS Fanboy contest has sadly come to an end. Well, it's sad for everyone who isn't Crazylink, anyway. Crazylink picked up copies of Geometry Wars: Galaxies for both the DS and the Wii with this comment:
Damn, I always forget about the ones that say once per day.
Looks like you didn't forget this time! Congratulations to our lucky winner, and to everyone else? Watch this space -- it's only a matter of time until the next DS Fanboy contest rolls out!
Do you burn to get your hands on not only the DS copy of Geometry Wars: Galaxies, but also the Wii version? Just think of the possibilities, especially during the holiday season. You can give one away to a friend (and still reap the benefits of unlocking the extra galaxy), or you can just hoard 'em all for yourself and play however you want, whenever you want. It's a whole new world, friends, and all you have to do is go leave a comment here. One lucky reader will get to walk away with both games. Ain't life grand?
Geometry Wars is one of those games that shows up on every system possible, and yet it always manages to be a little bit different in every iteration. And if you played it first on Xbox Live (let's all raise our hands), then you might be wondering -- as I was -- just how the game, which worked so well with a dual analog setup, would translate instead to dual screens. The result not only plays and controls better than expected, but ends up being just as much fun as the original ... if a little tougher on the ol' hands.
The real question here is: how do you take a cheap downloadable title and turn it into a full game? This is a question a lot of DS games have faced, and with Geometry Wars: Galaxies, there's plenty of added content that makes the shooter feel fully expanded. The lower price on the DS title (as compared to the Wii version) surely never hurts, though!
DS Fanboy is offering one lucky reader the chance for the ultimate Nintendo Geometry Wars: Galaxies experience. In order to unlock a special galaxy (in both versions of the title), gamers are required to have both the DS and Wii versions of the game -- so we're giving away that very pair! To pick up both the Wii and DS (valued at $39.99 and $29.99, respectively) versions in one ultimate package, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post between now and Monday, December 10th. The contest closes that evening at 11:59 pm EST, and we'll announce the winner on Tuesday morning.
As per usual, the contest is only open to U.S. citizen legal U.S. residents over the age of 18, and you can only enter once per day. Beyond that, all you have to do is leave a comment -- so get on it! And don't forget to check out the official rules if you have any questions.
Update: The contest is open to legal U.S. residents, not U.S. citizens. You have to be living in the U.S. to be elligible to win. Sorry about the confusion. Thanks for the heads up, Pixelantes Anonymous!
There aren't many reviews out just yet for the newly-released DS version of Geometry Wars: Galaxies, but so far, it seems like a solid take on the XBLA title. The only real problem? Those sneaky hand cramps that accompany some DS titles.
Gamespot -- 70%: "... Geometry Wars: Galaxies proves its worth. This isn't just the same $5 game all over again for a higher price. The content added with the galaxies mode and the multiplayer functionality adds a lot of depth to the experience, and the control changes to both versions, while not as spot-on as a straight-up dual-analog control setup, work well enough to be not only playable, but fun as well. If you were a fan of the original game or just like intense shooters, Geometry Wars: Galaxies fits the bill."
Games Radar -- 80%: "Piloting your ship with the D-pad and directing your fire with the stylus feels surprisingly accurate. But the pad isn't as easy on your thumb as an analog stick, and you may find your left hand cramping up as you frantically apply pressure to keep your ship on the move. You can enjoy a cramp-free round of Galaxies once you learn to relax your death grip and move with gentler taps, but this will take a bit of getting used to ... But even strangers to the series will be hard pressed to find a shooter as satisfying as Galaxies on the DS."
Finally, gamers in the U.S. get a break from the deluge of releases. Draw a breath and hoard your pennies, DS fans ... there's more to come soon, and this lull won't last long. This might also be a good time to catch up on some of the games you've got lying around. Unless, of course, you're going to be picking up one of this week's releases! Gamers in the rest of the world aren't as lucky this week -- or are luckier, depending on your point of view -- and Japan in particular faces a spectacular array of DS games. Importers might want to take a closer look.
We've gone over why Geometry Wars: Galaxies was worth its full $30 price several times already despite its cheaper Xbox Live Arcade predecessor -- portability, a robust campaign, a cooperative mode, touchscreen support, drones, etc.
Hey, guys! Check it out ... it's My Horse and Me! We know you've been waiting for this one for a long time, and at last, this week, your 
Even with its new multiplayer mode, single-player campaign, and game-changing features (e.g. customizable drone), 
Wherever you are this week, there's not a lot to choose from. That isn't to say there aren't a few worthwhile titles hitting the shelves, but the key words here are "a few." As in "not many." As in, "not a big burden on your wallet." Considering everything we've got coming up for the DS, around the world, that's probably pretty good news.
Geometry Wars is one of those games that shows up on every system possible, and yet it always manages to be a little bit different in every iteration. And if you played it first on Xbox Live (let's all raise our hands), then you might be wondering -- as I was -- just how the game, which worked so well with a dual analog setup, would translate instead to dual screens. The result not only plays and controls better than expected, but ends up being just as much fun as the original ... if a little tougher on the ol' hands.
There aren't many reviews out just yet for the newly-released DS version of Geometry Wars: Galaxies, but so far, it seems like a solid take on the XBLA title. The only real problem? Those sneaky hand cramps that accompany some DS titles.
Finally, gamers in the U.S. get a break from the deluge of releases. Draw a breath and hoard your pennies, DS fans ... there's more to come soon, and this lull won't last long. This might also be a good time to catch up on some of the games you've got lying around. Unless, of course, you're going to be picking up one of this week's releases! Gamers in the rest of the world aren't as lucky this week -- or are luckier, depending on your point of view -- and Japan in particular faces a spectacular array of DS games. Importers might want to take a closer look.
_thumbnail.jpg "Prince of Persia: The Fallen King")
