In this remake of the classic NES title, Intelligent Systems seeks to successfully integrate the spirit of the original with nearly twenty years of subsequent gameplay refinements.  Fortunately, what they've come up with is enough to please nearly any tactics fan.

Technical mastery meets questionable design.

Though the DS typically thrives from innovative ideas, sometimes it’s not a bad idea to follow lead on previously established success. Take Neopets Puzzle Adventure for example. After witnessing the success of 2007’s Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, Capcom has followed suit and provided their own Othello based version of the game using the widely known Neopets license. This hig...[Read More]

It's about time.

SNK's Metal Slug series has seen years of successful sequels and releases on platforms ranging from Arcade to Wii. Now, SNK is bringing Metal Slug to the Nintendo DS in the form of Metal Slug 7. Not available on any other platform at this time, Metal Slug 7 offers players more of the intense platforming action we've come to know and love from the series.

Systems as successful as the DS, GBA, Wii, or PS2 don’t necessarily require developers to create unique games in order to be profitable. If people are buying the system (which is/was the case with these systems), chances are there’s some group of people that will buy your game, regardless of its quality or distinctiveness. Thus, over the years, core gamers have had to sift through a large amount o...[Read More]

Respect the puffball.

 The Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS have more than seentheir share of puzzle games over the course of the last 8 years. The portabilityof handhelds seems to be one the best reasons why puzzle games are sosuccessful on these systems and the DS’s wonderful touch screen controls makefor quite the experience. This is precisely why I enjoy being a Nintendo editorso much and why handhelds are without ...[Read More]

With all of the intricate, expensively produced games on the market, it’s very refreshing to see some titles that attempt to simplify gaming while still providing a highly robust experience. Many of the newest downloadable titles on Xbox Live, PSN,and WiiWare have been throw backs in gaming to a time when gaming didn’t need to thrive as much on cutting edge graphics and lengthy stories but rather ...[Read More]

Point and Click enthusiasts behold as yet another mystery title has hit the Nintendo DS. Utilizing the many advantages of touch screen controllability, the mystery franchise has had big success on this portable player. But does Unsolved Crimes deviate from the well known formulas enough to make this game worth your time or is it just another rehash of mystery monotony?

If you’re into old-school RPGs or even newer ones, the Dragon Quest series could be right for you. Sure, it embodies most of the characteristics of an old-school RPG but if you can adapt to the upped difficulty and requirement of gaining levels, some truly incredible adventures are in store for you. Simply, if you’ve never played through a Dragon Quest game before, I would be the first to tell you...[Read More]

Though it’s a dream of any DS fan, we still have yet to see a truly traditional RTS on Nintendo’s dual screen handheld. Current RTSs on the system are already few and far between and the ones that exist are either terrible or somehow make it work by hybridizing RTS with some other form of gameplay. Most notably, the current RTSs include 2 titles by Square Enix including Heroes of Mana, and Final F...[Read More]