That is, if you have the proper equipment to support homebrew on your DS. And, on top of that, the port of Quake II on the DS runs less than optimally. So, there will need to be a few sacrifices on your end if you so desire to enjoy the FPS on your DS.
First of all, there's no multiplayer at this time. Sucks, we know. Second, some of the code can get a bit funky. Because the game demands so much from the DS hardware, some of the levels don't really run that well. And, on top of that, some of the textures are misaligned. We're sure there are some other spots that need to be ironed out, as well.
It may not be a perfect release, but we're glad to see the homebrew community trying projects like this. The DS may not have been designed with PC games in mind, but seeing the homebrew community work toward solid releases for these games is something we very much appreciate.
EA has dropped the price of the DS game Orcs & Elves. Supposedly, this is to commemorate the release of its sequel, Orcs & Elves II, on mobile phones (you can read id's press release here regarding that). We could care less about what it's commemorating, to be honest. We just like cheap games!
If you were on the fence regarding the game, maybe this new price of $19.99 will bring you down? Or, did you just not care for the title, regardless of price?
The rumored project from id got a little more possible last week, when husband and wife super-duo John Carmack and Anna Kang commented to Wired that they'd been planning on bringing Wolfenstein to the DS and would like to do the same with Quake Arena (as well as bringing Orcs & Elves to the Wii). Now, it's been confirmed that Quake Arena DS is happening.
Carmack commented that Quake Arena DS would not be made for mobile and DS together, stating "...we're currently looking at potentially two more DS titles in the next year a Wolfenstein title and a Quake Arena title. Wolfenstein 1 being done in concert with a mobile title, the Quake Arena title would be DS specific." He also wants to assure us that the game won't just be another sloppy port and will maximize the handheld's unique features. "We're never going to try and cram a square peg into a round hole with this." He went on further to say "That's kind of our whole theory behind the mobile stuff, is, we're going to do things that work well on mobile, rather than try to do the things that we're historically known for and push it onto mobile."
We're excited, believe us, but if this game doesn't have Wi-Fi Connect support, we're not sure it could work.
The choice to bring the title to the DS seemed like a no-brainer to id and publisher EA, as Orcs & Elves fared quite well on the mobile phone circuit. And, the critics that have tossed their two pennies into the virtual arena of thought seem to agree that the game has its merits. But, what's scarier, is the fact that the users over at Metacritic find the game to have a lot less value than the critics have said. So, who's to believe?
GameDaily (80/100) says "Although it's easy to poke fun at the story, it harkens back to a day when hardcore role players locked themselves in their basements and played Dungeons & Dragons with friends, and because of that, Orcs & Elves has an old school charm missing from the latest Final Fantasys."
GameTap (80/100) thinks "Fortunately, graphics aren't what makes a game fun--actual game content does. And while the story doesn't break any new ground, this is a solid little dungeon crawler to spend a few hours with."
GameSpy (70/100) is of the mind that "Its simple elements are well-blended in an adventure that only lasts about eight hours but still manages to fill its time with great fighting, fun puzzles and a general nostalgic atmosphere. It might not be for everybody, but it certainly hits a niche that has been neglected by mainstream developers in recent years."
Have any of you picked up the game yet, or given it a try?
Hot on the heels of yesterday's Orcs & Elves boxart comes a sheer avalanche of new screens for id's first-person RPG -- 28 of the things, to be exact, which we immensely enjoyed downloading and then uploading again. Cough.
Anyhow, the game is looking suitably dark, gloomy and dingy, as any good old-fashioned, pointy-eared slice of dungeon-crawling worth its salt should.
Look forward to slaying the orange chap to the right next month, and feast your eyes on the screens below in the meantime.
We've had our eye on Orcs & Elves for some time now, as we're dying to see how id's mobile phone game that received much acclaim would fare on the DS, perhaps receiving fame. See what we did there? We like to call ourselves wordsmiths.
Anywho, all of our off-topic quipping aside, what do you all think of the boxart? We like all of the creepy smoke, but think that EA logo couldn't be more out of place. What say you all?
While we'll agree that Orcs & Elves could definitely use some better graphics, as well as maybe a more intuitive control scheme as far as controlling your character's movement goes (not the spell casting, that certainly looks fun enough), but that doesn't mean we're just going to write the game off.
1UP recently got their hands on the game and found it to be oddly engaging. They obviously share our sentiment that the game lacks a fine touch in the graphics department, but feel the rest of the title they were lucky enough to get their hands on was actually pretty good. We're happy to hear that, to be honest.
During an interview with Fountainhead's Anna Kang, Orcs & Elves was the main focus. And, with it leaping from cell phones to the DS, naturally other titles must be looked at as possibly being able to be ported or re-created for Ninytendo's platform. And a game we would like to see brought over is one they're already talking about, apparently: Doom RPG.
"Well, we've been talking about that. We would like to bring it to the DS," Kang said. She further added that there could be some issues with the younger audience that the handheld commands, stating "there's a real significant change that we'd like to make, and the interesting thing is that the DS is a much younger audience gaming platform. And Doom being Doom, we're not sure whether a mature rated game would do well on the DS."
At the recently concluded QuakeCon 07, Orcs & Evles was shown off to the press. Considering the game was announced back in January, we're glad to finally be able to see something on the game. It's also revealed, during the sneak peek, that the game will be available this holiday season.
The level we get to check out is the Prison. While the atmosphere looks to be on point, we have to say that moving the hero around looks pretty cumbersome and difficult. Also, we get to see one of the game's bosses, but it's kind of dark so it might be hard for you see.
Hit up the video past the post break and let us know if you think the jump from cell phone to DS is a good one.
John Carmack may have released quite a big cat from quite a big bag at QuakeCon. He made comments in regards to a version of Quake Arena making its way to the DS during his keynote. He also said that, should it happen, he'd want a different control scheme than you may initially expect.
Unlike the touch-screen input of Metroid Prime Hunters, Carmack voiced his opinion that a d-pad, restricted movement control scheme like that of Doom would be better-suited to the title. Personally, if this were even to happen, we'd prefer the touch-screen controls, as they more closely resemble the mouse and keyboard. Of course, Carmack's intent to put the game on the DS isn't anything new, but it's certainly a bit more plausible now, if we may say so.
When the first version of Quake DS was released by coder Simon Hall, we all saw his ambition. However, the first version of the game was not able to match that ambition, instead providing us with a slower, uglier version of Quake on our DS. Well, we're glad to report this is not the case any longer, as the second version of his project has released, offering up a slew of improvements. Of course, if you want to play this, you're going to need a flash card for your DS, along with a copy of Quake for your PC (supports retail and shareware).
For a full breakdown on what's new, head past the post break.
It's been a while since we heard about the homebrew DS port of Quake. But now the coder, Simon Hall, has emerged from his Tower of Porting Ordeals and made his work available for public consumption! If you have a DS flash card and a copy of Quake for the PC (shareware or full version!) then in just a few short minutes you could be on your way to playing a flat-shaded, slow, imperfectly-emulated, but still undeniably QuakeyQuake!
We are willing to cut them some slack on the technical issues, since the release is still a work in progress, and the fact that it works at all is keen. They've also added touchscreen camera control and the ability to toggle god mode with the R button!
We have great memories of playing multiplayer Quake at one of those pay-by-the-hour LAN gaming centers at our 16th birthday party. We also have great memories of playing our DS earlier today. Seeing the two come together is just blissful. We love the ingenuity of the homebrew community.
We're going to crank up the Nine Inch Nails and get to installing.
During an interview, id's John Carmack drops a bomb on us all, revealing that the company's game Orcs & Elves is headed to the DS. For those unaware, Orcs & Elves is one of the company's recent projects in the cell phone gaming community. John hopes that the game can be improved on Nintendo's handheld and is hoping "to do a DS game version of Orcs and Elves, moving over and enhancing the cell phone game on there, which would be our first real direct entry back into the Nintendo world."
Many of Nintendo's loyal had bad things to say about the guy and his company, and for good reason. However, the prospect of getting a Doom game on the DS is something we can get behind. What about you guys? Think that Orcs & Elves on the DS is something that noone will care about or enjoy?
If you don't know the name John Carmack, then it's likely you aren't one who's ever traversed the hellish landscape of both Mars and, well...Hell. You've never taken a chainsaw to an Imp's face and you've likely never obliterated a Cyberdemon with a Big F**king Gun. Well, John Carmack, who is the id Software co-owner/technical director and helped bring all these wonderful scenarios to PC gamers the world over, recently spoke at Quakecon, commenting on both Nintendo platforms.
In regards to the DS, John stated that he could possibly see the company bringing its cell phone games to the handheld, but didn't really express much interest to do so, which goes against earlier reports. Stating that even if this were to happen, which he obviously could care less if it does by the sound of things, Carmack stated that the games would be instead published through another third-party rather than Nintendo directly. Eh, who needs him, anyway?
The 
Hot on the heels of yesterday's 
During an interview with Fountainhead's Anna Kang, Orcs & Elves was the main focus. And, with it leaping from cell phones to the DS, naturally other titles must be looked at as possibly being able to be ported or re-created for Ninytendo's platform. And a game we would like to see brought over is one they're already talking about, apparently: Doom RPG.
John Carmack may have released quite a big cat from quite a big bag at QuakeCon. He made comments in regards to a version of Quake Arena making its way to the DS during his keynote. He also said that, should it happen, he'd want a different control scheme than you may initially expect.
During an interview, id's John Carmack drops a bomb on us all, revealing that the company's game Orcs & Elves is headed to the DS. For those unaware, Orcs & Elves is one of the company's recent projects in the cell phone gaming community. John hopes that the game can be improved on Nintendo's handheld and is hoping "to do a DS game version of Orcs and Elves, moving over and enhancing the cell phone game on there, which would be our first real direct entry back into the Nintendo world."
If you don't know the name John Carmack, then it's likely you aren't one who's ever traversed the hellish landscape of both Mars and, well...Hell. You've never taken a chainsaw to an Imp's face and you've likely never obliterated a Cyberdemon with a Big F**king Gun. Well, John Carmack, who is the id Software co-owner/technical director and helped bring all these wonderful scenarios to PC gamers the world over, recently spoke at Quakecon, commenting on both Nintendo platforms.
