Joystiq

Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogobig.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: Crosswords DS]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/19/gaming-to-go-crosswords-ds/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/19/gaming-to-go-crosswords-ds/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/19/gaming-to-go-crosswords-ds/#commentsFiled under: Gaming to Go

Ready to slow things down a bit? Sure, sitting down with a good ol' crossword puzzle might not get the blood pounding, but there's something simple and serene about filling in the grids at a leisurely pace. It's a game of patience and dedication, not to mention smarts -- not the typical fare for today's high-adrenaline gaming, but definitely a worthy alternative when you want a pleasant distraction next time you're on the go.

Crosswords DS, yet another Nintendo entry in the Touch! Generations lineup, provides such a distraction. It's simple, fun, and caters to crossword puzzlers of all skill levels. Add to that numerous word searches and anagrams and you have a pretty well-rounded package, one that even a staunch anti-puzzler could find something to like in. Want to hear more? Check out this week's edition of Gaming to Go and see for yourself if it's time to switch out the Sunday paper for your trusty DS.

Gaming to Go: Crosswords DS originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 19 Jan 2009 11:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anagramscrosswordcrosswords-dsjoystiqfeaturespuzzletouchgenerationswordsearchMon, 19 Jan 2009 11:08:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: Exit DS]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/12/gaming-to-go-exit-ds/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/12/gaming-to-go-exit-ds/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/12/gaming-to-go-exit-ds/#commentsFiled under: Gaming to Go

Sometimes the stylus is a beautiful thing. Such a tiny white stick has infinite potential for interaction, introducing new control schemes and input methods to a industry clinging dearly to its buttons. Nintendo clearly has no qualms taking a risk with its input devices, if that semi-popular magical remote thing is any indication, though its more diminutive sibling demands its own share of the limelight. When it works, it works, and the stylus becomes an indispensable part of the gameplay.

Sometimes it doesn't work as well as it could. For exhibit A we have Exit DS, a poster child for the "Buttons are Best!" camp. Call me picky, but the option to select a more traditional button control scheme is Exit's saving grace, since I don't think I would have made it very far in were I forced to wield the mighty stylus through all one hundred and fifty levels. It helps too that there's a pretty interesting game behind it all, one that's easily worth checking out if you don't mind putting up with a few control quirks. That game happens to be very well-suited for Gaming to Go, as you might have guessed. Want to hear more? Hit the A button to advance to the next screen!

Gaming to Go: Exit DS originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 12 Jan 2009 12:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Gaming-to-GoMon, 12 Jan 2009 12:41:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: The Quest Trio (p3)]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/05/gaming-to-go-the-quest-trio-p3/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/05/gaming-to-go-the-quest-trio-p3/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/05/gaming-to-go-the-quest-trio-p3/#comments

You have a pretty good deal here, considering that the entire package runs for only twenty dollars. Mah Jong Quest Expeditions and Jewel Quest Expeditions both debuted for around the same price back in 2007, so getting both of them with a new game entirely for the same cost makes for a bargain-hunter's dream. If you're looking for solid incarnations of Bejeweled and Mahjong to bring with you on the road, the versions included here rise to the task admirably. The strange game of solitaire thrown in is worth giving a go too, so what are you waiting for?

Ready for the stats?

Sleep time: Not a single title in the trio will pause for you, but nor do they really need to given that the games aren't time-based affairs.

Load time: Around twenty-five seconds to get going with one of the games, courtesy of the usual culprits. On the bright side, though, one of the corporate logos is a surprisingly entertaining animation!

Play time: A single level in each game should run you around five minutes, with exceptions made for the Mahjong puzzle mode, for instance. That one probably depends on how much empty space you have between your ears.

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Gaming to Go: The Quest Trio (p3) originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: The Quest Trio (p2)]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/05/gaming-to-go-the-quest-trio-p2/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/05/gaming-to-go-the-quest-trio-p2/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/05/gaming-to-go-the-quest-trio-p2/#comments

variety of formations, most of them overturned until you can use the few cards atop each particular stack. You can add a card to your foundation pile so long as its value is either one above or one below the card currently overturned next to the pile. You'll keep adding cards to the pile until the remaining numbers out on the field don't fall into the required range, at which point you'll flip over the next card in your foundation pile and hope for the best. The number of cards in your foundation pile is limited, so you'll want to remove as many cards from the field as you can before needing to flip.

If that description has you scratching your head, breathe easy. A tutorial is included with the game, but it's unnaturally lengthy, so I'd advise just diving right in and seeing for yourself how everything works out. Playing is much easier than it probably seems, and it's pretty fun, too, especially once you throw the jewels into the mix. Every time you add a card to your foundation pile, a jewel for whatever suit that card is will fall into a board on the top screen. Once you've removed every card from the field, the board will take over and give you a limited number of turns to start swapping. Clearing a set of three jewels will turn the spaces beneath them gold, and you'll want to turn every space on the board that same color. You'll receive a sizable boost to your score for the effort.

Having a board full of the same gems will help quite a bit, obviously, which adds an element of strategy to the card play. You'll want to keep a careful eye on the suits you're removing from the field, as it's best to keep the cards you're pulling off in the same suit instead of bouncing back and forth between suits just to get the next sequential number. This is another intuitive process you'll lock in to the moment you encounter it in the game, so take another deep breath if my long-winded description has you a little worried.

Jewel Quest Solitaire is surprisingly fun, once you wrap your mind around the rules, and it's pretty quick, too, once you get going. More rules and gameplay tweaks are added as you progress through the game, all of which help add layers of depth without bogging down the flow noticeably.

The second of the trio is Jewel Quest Expeditions, which is pretty much a straight rip of Bejeweled with the rule set of the jewel board mentioned above. As the name implies, you'll be matching shiny jewels

as you go throughout the adventure, though things like gold coins and buried jewels give you a bit more to do beyond the basic. Matching up three gold coins will give you a special move for moments of desperation, while buried jewels have to be matched up with two of the same color of jewel before they're unearthed. They're nice enough deviations from the basic gameplay to keep things interesting, and can even add a little challenge to the proceedings, a welcome addition to what would otherwise be a simple quest to turn every space on the board gold and move on to the next level.

The last game in the trio is Mah Jong Quest Expeditions, a simple game of Mahjong solitaire coupled with a few additions to the basic formula. You're still matching two tiles together to remove them from the board, but now you have delightful things like balloons and dynamite to deal with. They don't revolutionize the gameplay by any means, but they're still welcome inclusions to an already solid game of Mahjong. There's also a puzzle mode that tasks you with clearing out a specific layout of tiles using basic Mahjong tiles, and even a Classics mode that includes numerous more games of Mahjong solitaire at varying difficulties minus the tweaks found in the regular Quest mode.

The main complaints with this version of Mahjong are the size of the tiles, which is admittedly pretty small, and the absolutely atrocious menu, which throws a few strange icons your way and forces you to try and get to where you want to go by trial and error. It's an utter pain in the ass to maneuver until you memorize which icon does what, and a completely unnecessary addition to the game, especially when plain text would have removed any guesswork at all. Still, if you can swallow the fact that the menu is an awful game itself, there's a fun and solid game of Mahjong beneath it, one that's just as well-suited for gaming on the go as the other two titles in the trio.

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Gaming to Go: The Quest Trio (p2) originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: The Quest Trio]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/05/gaming-to-go-the-quest-trio/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/05/gaming-to-go-the-quest-trio/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/05/gaming-to-go-the-quest-trio/#commentsFiled under: Gaming to Go

You've played this game before. Probably. See, here's the thing -- The Quest Trio isn't a singular title so much as it is a collection of games, as an in-depth analysis of the title would probably suggest. For your money you'll get a variant of Bejeweled, an interesting version of Solitaire, and a pretty decent take on Mahjong, three classic games that should be fairly familiar to just about every person ever. The Quest Trio gets interesting, however, when you consider that two of the titles in the package have been previously sold as standalone products -- and for everyone's favorite handheld, no less!

It might sting a wee bit to discover you already own one member of the trio. It might hurt a hell of a lot to discover you already own two of them, in which case I'd advise you sit this one out and find a warm corner to cry in. For everyone else who loves the sound of three great games bundled together for your gaming pleasure, click that big button down there and see if this week's edition of Gaming to Go covers just the sort of puzzle compilation you've been questing for.

Gaming to Go: The Quest Trio originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionbejeweledjoystiqfeaturesmahjongpuzzlequesttriosolitairethequesttrioMon, 05 Jan 2009 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: Space Invaders Extreme (p3)]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/29/gaming-to-go-space-invaders-extreme-p3/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/29/gaming-to-go-space-invaders-extreme-p3/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/29/gaming-to-go-space-invaders-extreme-p3/#comments

So what are you waiting for? Space Invaders Extreme is apparently out of stock on Amazon until January 2, 2009, but even the thought of dragging the piggy bank out and hitting up your local store shouldn't deter you. If you haven't experienced it yet, this version of Space Invaders is one definitely worth picking up, as it's pretty satisfying to play whether you're on your commute or just lazing around during the holidays.

Ready for the stats?

Sleep time: Space Invaders Extreme won't pause unless you force it to, sadly.

Load time: Around twenty-seven seconds to jump into the Arcade mode, courtesy of everyone's favorite corporate logos.

Play time: The first few levels shouldn't take you too long, provided you're not awful. Later ones can be pretty challenging, so let's say this one is up to your personal skill level. Still, the levels are short enough to be ideal for gaming on the go, and that's what counts, right?

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Gaming to Go: Space Invaders Extreme (p3) originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:47:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: Space Invaders Extreme]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/29/gaming-to-go-space-invaders-extreme/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/29/gaming-to-go-space-invaders-extreme/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/29/gaming-to-go-space-invaders-extreme/#commentsFiled under: Gaming to Go

My fingers hurt. If Space Invaders Extreme is anything, it's an absolute workout for the fingers, a test of endurance, passion, and an opportunity for developer Taito to take an old formula and crank things up to 11. Very rarely does slapping on the word 'extreme' actually mean anything, but this latest incarnation of Space Invaders is an exception to that rule, as my sore thumbs can attest.

Did you miss out on the original Space Invaders? The classic was before your time, perhaps, or deemed unworthy for whatever coins you could bleed out of your piggy bank. Dry your tears, friend! This extreme update of a retro classic is your greatest chance to find peace in these discordant times. Come along with this week's edition of Gaming to Go to see why saving quarters all those years ago might have been a good idea after all.*

*So now you can buy this, see? Not because the original was bad or ... nevermind.

Gaming to Go: Space Invaders Extreme originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>joystiqfeaturesspace-invadersspace-invaders-extremesquare-enixtaitoMon, 29 Dec 2008 14:47:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: Sonic Rush]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/22/gaming-to-go-sonic-rush/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/22/gaming-to-go-sonic-rush/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/22/gaming-to-go-sonic-rush/#comments

This is the other occasion where you're allowed to roll your eyes and say "Well, duh." A Sonic the Hedgehog game being featured for its emphasis on speed? Yeah, it's not a revolutionary concept, but it's still not quite the immediate conclusion one might have drawn some ten or fifteen years back. Where the much-maligned hedgehog used to be known for ultrafast platforming, recent entries in the series have introduced all kinds of kooky new gameplay elements, often stealing the spotlight from eye-melting rollercoasters and placing it firmly on beloved new characters like Big the Cat.

Sonic Rush, however, is a throwback to the olden days, when a typical Sonic level had twists, turns, and strategically-placed spikes after every freaking loop. That's the precise formula the series built its name on, and it's this exact same formula that makes Sonic Rush such a thrill ride to play. It's pretty possible to blaze through some of these levels in under three minutes, especially early on in the game, making it a title pretty well-suited for this week's edition of Gaming to Go. Thinking of giving Sonic another chance? Click that big button down there and see for yourself if it's worth bringing this hedgehog along on your daily commute.

Gallery: Sonic Rush

Gaming to Go: Sonic Rush originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 22 Dec 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>DimpsSegaSonicSonic-RushSonic-TeamMon, 22 Dec 2008 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: Prism: Light the Way]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/15/gaming-to-go-prism-light-the-way/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/15/gaming-to-go-prism-light-the-way/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/15/gaming-to-go-prism-light-the-way/#commentsFiled under: Gaming to Go

CALAMITY! The light is gone!

In the dark? You aren't the only one. The cute little story sequence at the beginning of Prism: Light the Way speaks of Bulboids, Glowbos, and an even stranger assortment of words, describing some horrific process wherein a star monster is totally crashing an intergallactic party or something. The thread-bare plot in Prism isn't the greatest thing you'll read this week, but the solid puzzle mechanics beneath it sure make the whole thing much easier to bear, especially if you're interested in trying a puzzle game that doesn't involve matching up three or more blocks of the same color.

One look at Prism's interface and accompany soundtrack might make you change your mind, admittedly, but persevere and you'll find a fairly satisfying adventure awaiting. With over 100 different puzzles to conquer and a few additional modes to mix things up a bit, Prism: Light the Way is definitely worth a more in-depth look, so why not come along with this week's edition of Gaming to Go and see if this unknown puzzler will tempt you to lighten your wallet a bit?

Gallery: Prism: Light the Way

Gaming to Go: Prism: Light the Way originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 21:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>eidosjoystiqfeaturesprismpuzzleMon, 15 Dec 2008 21:49:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: Touchmaster]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/08/gaming-to-go-touchmaster/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/08/gaming-to-go-touchmaster/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/08/gaming-to-go-touchmaster/#commentsFiled under: Gaming to Go

Touchmaster? It's a great game, sure, what with the twenty-three different activities packed tightly into that tiny plastic cartridge. I can scarce imagine the marketing ploy that lead to naming it something quite so charming as Touchmaster, though, which invokes imagery of things totally not appropriate for a family-friendly console. Still, if you don't mind the curious choice of name, the game offers quite a bit of value for its price, and -- here's the best part -- it's pretty well-suited for gaming on the go!

It's also pretty similar to previous favorite Clubhouse Games, though there's enough difference here to make both titles worth picking up. Where Clubhouse offered digital versions of classic card games, Touchmaster expands the concept a bit, introducing some quirky clones of popular games otherwise not seen on the DS. Sound like a good time? Touchmaster has a lot of things worth checking out, so come along with this week's edition of Gaming to Go and see for yourself what the fuss is all about.

Gaming to Go: Touchmaster originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>joystiqfeaturesmidwaytouchmasterMon, 08 Dec 2008 14:10:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: Picross DS (p3)]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/01/gaming-to-go-picross-ds-p3/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/01/gaming-to-go-picross-ds-p3/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/01/gaming-to-go-picross-ds-p3/#comments

And there's the simple fact that it's fun, too. I've never been huge on number puzzles, but the ones included in Picross DS deftly combine good challenge and good entertainment, making it a great title to take with you whenever you're on the go. Amazon has it for a little under twenty bucks at the moment, which is a little higher than I had expected, but given the great wealth of content present in the cartridge, it's a pretty fair price.

Still a little leery about all of those numbers? I don't blame you. But puzzling my way through Picross DS's numerous challenges -- short and long! -- has helped me see the light, so to speak, or at the very least helped me enjoy a different kind of puzzler whenever I'm on my daily commute. I do love me some crazy block action, sure, but it's nice at times to go for a calmer, more logical challenge, and Picross DS provides that in spades.

Stat time!

Sleep time: Picross won't automatically pause the timer whenever you close the lid, so be sharp whenever you take the DS out of sleep mode. This won't seem too important until you're exactly one eight-minute mistake away from bumping your completion time over an hour. Every second counts!

Load time: Less than twenty seconds to jump into a Daily Puzzle, though that time can drop to a clean fifteen if you're loading Quick Save data from an unsolved puzzle. Short load times are glorious.

Play time: This one depends entirely on the puzzle and your personal skill level. I wish I could offer a general estimate, but trust me when I say this: some of the puzzles will fly by. Others will take forever.

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Gaming to Go: Picross DS (p3) originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: Picross DS (p2)]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/01/gaming-to-go-picross-ds-p2/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/01/gaming-to-go-picross-ds-p2/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/01/gaming-to-go-picross-ds-p2/#commentsA description of how a typical Picross puzzle plays out won't be the most exciting thing you'll read today, but bear with me for a moment as I run through the rules. You'll start with an empty grid of varying size

-- starting at 5x5 and ultimately running up to 25x20 -- and a series of clues for each column and row. A typical clue will read something like "2 1 2," which means there is a group of two squares, a group of one square, and another group of two squares in that row or column -- in that order, and with at least one blank square between them -- that must be filled out. Filling out the right squares in each column and row will ultimately create a picture and yield a successful completion of the puzzle.

If you have any familiarity with nonograms, you'll do well with Picross DS from the start, though the learning curve might be a bit steep for anyone going in blind. Following the clues and filling out the correct squares on the grid may not seem so simple at first, but the game employs an excellent progression to the hardest puzzles, starting you out with small, simple grids and letting you develop your logical thinking before you can unlock and tackle the most difficult challenges.

You're given a sixty-minute time limit in Normal mode to complete the puzzle, though every time you fill in an incorrect square you'll be docked a certain amount of minutes. It isn't a real threat early on in the game, when you can take a puzzle with you on the road and spend maybe five or ten minutes to work through it, though the sizable final puzzles will require a longer investment. Picross provides the option to save your progress in a puzzle and return to it later, however, allowing you to turn the DS completely off and not have to constantly resort to sleep mode whenever you fiddle with a large puzzle over the course of the day.

Picross DS also comes with a wealth of gameplay modes that change up the rules just enough to be keep things interesting. Free mode ups the difficulty a bit by not informing you of any mistakes and generally making the puzzles more challenging, though you're given a Try It Out option where you can study the puzzle and create an overlay to try and solve the puzzle without fear of horribly screwing up the puzzle itself. If you like what you do with the overlay, you can directly apply it to the puzzle itself, making overlays an essential tool for solving Free mode's numerous difficult puzzles. My Picross mode allows you to create your own picross puzzles, which is a surprisingly nifty addition, though the impatient can instead dive in and download some additional puzzle packs over the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

Daily Picross mode is where things really get interesting. The initial challenge provides a series of five 7x7 puzzles, tasking you with completing each as quickly as possible to earn the highest ranking. Each mistake will cost you five seconds, however, which makes things decidedly more difficult when you're trying to get an A ranking and complete each puzzle under thirty seconds. Playing the Daily Picross mode multiple times is the only way to unlock the additional four challenges, all of which mix things up in surprisingly mean ways. Memory mode, for example, requires that you sit and study the clues for twenty seconds before you can start solving the puzzle. Once those twenty seconds pass, the clues will disappear, forcing you to rely on both your memory and the occasional clue that'll pop back up over the course of the attempt.

Achieving an A ranking in all five of the daily modes is far easier said than done, though developing your skills over repeated attempts is a great way to spend a few minutes each day. And there's always a plethora of Normal or Free mode puzzles to work through, most of which -- depending on your brain power, admittedly -- shouldn't take too long to complete. Picross DS may not have the speediness of other titles this column has covered so far, but it's still pretty well-suited for gaming to go, as you can take a puzzle with you on your day and work through it as quickly or slowly as you want whenever you have time for a break.

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Gaming to Go: Picross DS (p2) originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: Picross DS]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/01/gaming-to-go-picross-ds/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/01/gaming-to-go-picross-ds/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/01/gaming-to-go-picross-ds/#comments

Math is fun! Or something. Normal people likely don't put much stock in the words, but every now and then a complex equation or three can be a great way to get the mathy part of your brain up and going. You could also just play Picross DS, an interesting take on the puzzle genre that emphasizes numbers and clever calculations over explosions and unbridled quirkiness. That probably paints Picross in one of the least interesting ways possible, but, uh, just run with it, okay?

Picross is fun. I didn't fully expect it to be the first time I fired it up, but wonders never cease when a refreshingly different kind of puzzle and the charm of Nintendo's Touch Generation series unite in nerdy, digital glory. With a ton of puzzles to conquer and numerous different modes of play, Picross certainly has a bevy of content to work with, transforming it into a title definitely worth snagging for your daily commute. Sure, some of those later puzzles might take longer than your lunch break, but Picross DS is still a supremely portable title, and one definitely suited for this week's edition of Gaming to Go. Want to hear more? Click that big button there and start believing in the power of numbers.

Gaming to Go: Picross DS originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>joystiqfeaturesjupiterpicrosspuzzletouchgenerationsMon, 01 Dec 2008 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: Zoo Keeper (p3)]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/24/gaming-to-go-zoo-keeper-p3/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/24/gaming-to-go-zoo-keeper-p3/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/24/gaming-to-go-zoo-keeper-p3/#comments

But what of sleep mode? Yeah, Zoo Keeper lacks it. I've read it comes from a bug in the programming which was fixed for European release, though that doesn't help the American audience much in the grand scheme of things. Being able to close the lid and put your game on hold is one of the more obvious reasons for why the DS is such a great handheld, so forcing a sizable portion of the consumer base to go without it makes giving Zoo Keeper the Gaming to Go seal of approval much more difficult than it should be.

Ignoring that one flaw, Zoo Keeper is a great portable title, taking the classic Bejeweled formula and tweaking it enough to create a highly-addicting and satisfying game. If you can get your hands on a European copy of the game, I'd say go for it, especially if you plan to take it with you on your daily commute. But even the bugged American copy runs only ten dollars on Amazon, making it a cheap and accessible way to get your block-matching fix. If you're willing to overlook the lack of sleep mode, Zoo Keeper is a great game to spend your time with, though you might have to get used to turning the game off whenever you're on the go.

Ready for the stats?

Sleep time: Seriously, what were they thinking?

Load time: Fifteen seconds to jump into Time Attack mode, which is likely the best number we've seen yet. Not having to cycle through thirteen screens of corporate logos makes getting to the good stuff supremely easy.

Play time: This one depends entirely on what mode you play. Time Attack, the one mode made ideal for gaming on the go, will run you six minutes every time, though Normal mode and a few others can in theory go on for hours if you make enough matches to consistently keep the timer from running down.

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Gaming to Go: Zoo Keeper (p3) originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 24 Nov 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Mon, 24 Nov 2008 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: Zoo Keeper (p2)]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/24/gaming-to-go-zoo-keeper-p2/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/24/gaming-to-go-zoo-keeper-p2/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/24/gaming-to-go-zoo-keeper-p2/#commentsZoo Keeper is what we've come to grow to love from classic titles like Bejeweled and Planet Puzzle League. You'll see a random assortment of icons

on the screen, more falling down every time you successfully switch the blocks around and line up three or more of the same type. Zoo Keeper puts its colorful stamp on things by taking the formula and throwing animals into the mix, turning plain blocks into charming animal faces.

It also introduces a welcome twist into the scoring mechanic. You can slide animal blocks around until your stylus finger bleeds and try to rack up the highest score possible, but the only way to 'level up' is to clear a certain number of each animal, the required amount increasing with every new level. Later levels also up the difficulty a bit by introducing new animals and speeding up the timer, which steadily decreases as you play but is refilled a small amount every time you make a match.

These aren't revolutionary changes by any stretch of the means, but they're still pleasant deviations from the norm, propelling Zoo Keeper out of clone status and into its place as a welcome addition to the DS's library of puzzle games. The gameplay is solid and the animals are pretty cheerful, so it's easy to have a good time with Zoo Keeper's normal mode, though one can argue that some of the more interesting features of the game lay outside of it.

Time Attack mode, for example, challenges you to rack up the highest score possible in six minutes. Needing to capture a certain amount of each animal in order to advance in level -- which bumps up your score considerably every time -- makes things much more interesting and challenging than just trying to line up one match after another. It can be a little annoying when the blocks for the last animal you need are nowhere near each other on the screen, admittedly, but you'll still earn points for every match you make trying to get that last creature, so getting your name on the high-score list is doable even if you don't advance too much in level.

Quest mode is where things get pretty quirky. Your boss, the soul-crusher of a man mentioned on the first page, tasks you with a completely random set of challenges, grading you after each one and changing your score to reflect it. The challenges themselves run the gamut from capturing a certain animal 20 times, capturing each animal only once, moving a special flashing tile to the bottom of the screen, and so on. Most take an equal

amount of skill and luck to complete the challenge as quickly as possible, as the boss man is quite possibly one of the most temperamental jerks I've seen on the DS's bottom screen. When you perform a task to his satisfaction, he might be so generous as to double or triple your score, but dawdling too long on a difficult challenge can invoke his ire and cut your score by seventy percent, which is just as painful as it sounds.

Getting the highest score in Quest mode can be pretty difficult, as you can imagine, especially when you encounter one of the more difficult challenges right before you've completed the required ten. And then you lose seventy-percent of your score. The tears shall flow. You'll likely than scamper back to Time Attack mode, which provides the best of what Zoo Keeper has to offer in a fairly small and speedy portion. Ignoring the allure of getting the highest score in each mode, I'd argue that Time Attack is probably the most fun experience the title offers for a gamer on the go, especially if enjoy the challenge of conquering on an old high score in such a relatively small amount of time.

But earning the highest score in each of the game's four central modes isn't completely necessary unless you intend to unlock the Super Hard difficulty, which isn't so much more difficult than regular Hard mode as it is more profitable. Playing on Super Hard is the best way to rack up super high scores, so keep that in mind if you're interested in the beating the game as thoroughly as possible. I'd argue that sticking with the original three choices -- Easy, Normal, and Hard -- can still provide ample entertainment for most gamers, though the option to achieve some fairly astronomical scores is there for anyone who wants it.

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Gaming to Go: Zoo Keeper (p2) originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 24 Nov 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Mon, 24 Nov 2008 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: Zoo Keeper]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/24/gaming-to-go-zoo-keeper/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/24/gaming-to-go-zoo-keeper/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/24/gaming-to-go-zoo-keeper/#commentsFiled under: Gaming to Go

Zoo Keeper did two things I frankly never expected the moment I finally got my mitts on the cartridge. The first was a highly distressing personal evaluation delivered to me by a balding man with a suit and a cigar: "You are a total failure." These words stand alone in a sea of poorly-translated lines he throws out during the course of the game, being both completely accurate and completely depressing. Thanks, Ignition Entertainment, for properly translating only one part of Zoo Keeper -- the part that completely ruined my life.

The second thing was to raise an interesting question about an-oft expected aspect of portable gaming on the DS. Is sleep mode, wherein you close the DS's lid and go on with your day, absolutely necessary? In every case I would say yes, as putting the handheld in a low-power state is the best way to conserve energy for repeated gaming throughout the day. The question then becomes whether I can truly recommend Zoo Keeper for this week's edition of Gaming to Go, as the game is completely lacking in that vital feature. What do you think? Click the big button down there and decide for yourself if Zoo Keeper is worth picking up despite such a glaring flaw.

Gaming to Go: Zoo Keeper originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 24 Nov 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ignition-entertainmentjoystiqfeaturespuzzlezoozookeeperMon, 24 Nov 2008 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: Professor Layton and the Curious Village (p3)]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/18/gaming-to-go-professor-layton-and-the-curious-village-p3/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/18/gaming-to-go-professor-layton-and-the-curious-village-p3/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/18/gaming-to-go-professor-layton-and-the-curious-village-p3/#comments

Amazon even has Layton for five dollars off right now, so what are you waiting for? Yes, the puzzles are difficult, but the fantastic graphics and charming storyline complement them well, so there's really no reason not to pick it up. Unless you hate puzzles. In which case you disappoint me greatly.

If you're willing to give it a shot, though, you'll definitely be rewarded. Professor Layton and the Curious Village is a perfect way to pass the minutes whether you're on the road or sitting comfortably at home, so I'd heartily recommend it to anyone wanting to work through a few brain exercises while we all wait patiently for the sequels.

Ready for the stats?

Sleep time: Layton doesn't pause the game whenever you close the lid, but nor does it really need to, so that's pretty forgivable.

Load time: Around forty seconds to resume a saved game, though that number will likely go up depending on how far you are into the plot. Layton shows a "Story so far" segment to remind you of what happened during your last play, so the seconds aren't wasted by any stretch of the means.

Play time: This one depends entirely on that thing between your ears. Some puzzles will fly by in an instant, but some of the later challenges -- and some of the unlockable puzzles -- can get just a wee bit difficult.

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Gaming to Go: Professor Layton and the Curious Village (p3) originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:47:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: Professor Layton and the Curious Village (p2)]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/18/gaming-to-go-professor-layton-and-the-curious-village-p2/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/18/gaming-to-go-professor-layton-and-the-curious-village-p2/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/18/gaming-to-go-professor-layton-and-the-curious-village-p2/#commentsLayton goes out of its way to make this whole puzzle-solving thing an even more pleasant experience. Some of the gameplay mechanics even make the title decently well-suited for gaming on the go, which is admittedly not what I expected at all the first time I fired it up.

The big thing is being able to skip puzzles. Layton has a ton of them available for your perusal, but it only forces you to complete a handful in order to advance the plot, letting you take the ~~wussy~~ easy way out and return to the more difficult challenges at a later time. It's a fantastic addition, in my opinion, considering the sheer variety of brain teasers you'll encounter over the course of the game. It's a given that some of the puzzles will be more difficult than others, particularly with each player's individual strengths, but Layton provides a fair playing field for all by letting you skip some of the more infuriating puzzles and continue to push the plot forward.

I've had to skip a few puzzles myself so far. Embarrassing? A little, sure, but my incredible shame is a small price to pay for my sanity. Layton's brain teasers are challenging, if nothing else, though there's a nice mix available to keep the game from quickly becoming a chore of one soul-shattering teaser after another. And even the most difficult puzzles can be solved through use of the hint system, which provides up to three clues in exchange for hint coins cleverly hidden all across the curious village of the title.

Hint coins are available in a finite quantity, but you should still be able to find enough to get you through the game. In case your pride simply has no use for coins, hints, or sanity, you can just tackle each puzzle as it comes and work tirelessly until it's complete. That's an effective strategy in its own right, but not one without consequences. Solving each puzzle will earn you a certain amount of picarats, the game's measure of keeping score. Every time you screw up on a teaser, however, the maximum amount of picarat you can earn for that puzzle permanently decreases, which encourages you to take your time and work out each puzzle instead of guessing like mad...until you realize picarats are nearly useless.

You'll need a certain amount of them by the end of the game in order to unlock the secret content, though just working through all 135 puzzles should be enough to do that regardless of how much picarat you pull in from each teaser. Knowing this, Layton becomes an even better portable game, as it lets you take the teasers with you whenever you're out and about and provides an entire catalogue of puzzles for you to solve at your leisure.

That's what I've been doing, at least. A number of the puzzles have so far withstood even the awe-inspiring power of my mind, so I've taken note of which ones and brought them with me on my daily commute, spending whatever free time I have staring in blissful agony at the screen. Sometimes a change of environment is an excellent opportunity to change the way you're thinking about a puzzle, so why not spend a few minutes on it whenever you're out and about during your day?

And once you've worked your way through all of the puzzles and completed the game, the fun isn't quite over. A new puzzle is available for download every week, and has been since the game's debut in February, though fellow puzzle fiends have noticed that the new puzzles aren't so much downloadable content as they are unlock codes for puzzles hidden on the cart. Still, downloadable or not, the puzzles are a great way to extend the life of the game, and each can still be taken on the road and agonized over in your free time until you finally come up with the solution.

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Gaming to Go: Professor Layton and the Curious Village (p2) originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:47:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: Professor Layton and the Curious Village]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/18/gaming-to-go-professor-layton-and-the-curious-village/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/18/gaming-to-go-professor-layton-and-the-curious-village/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/18/gaming-to-go-professor-layton-and-the-curious-village/#commentsFiled under: Gaming to Go

A game revolving solely around time-consuming, tear-inducing brain teasers likely isn't anyone's first guess for the kind of quick gaming the DS so clearly excels at. Layton might be an unusual choice for this week's edition of Gaming to Go, but it's most certainly not a bad one, as the unique hybrid of puzzling and adventuring makes a number of concessions that'll help even someone who is pressed for time advance through the game unhindered.

Skipping freely through the game's myriad puzzles is hardly ideal, of course, but what can you do? Some of Layton's 135 brain-destroyers can make even a grown puzzle-solver cry, so it's a testament to the solid game design that you can still feel the satisfaction of completing the game even without experiencing all of the content it has to offer. In the mood for a fantastic puzzle game but not so keen on spending hours just to slog through every challenge? Click that big button down there and see why Professor Layton and the Curious Village might be exactly what you've been searching for.

Gaming to Go: Professor Layton and the Curious Village originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>joystiqfeatureslaytonprofessor-laytonpuzzleTue, 18 Nov 2008 14:47:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/10/gaming-to-go-castlevania-order-of-ecclesia/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/10/gaming-to-go-castlevania-order-of-ecclesia/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/10/gaming-to-go-castlevania-order-of-ecclesia/#commentsFiled under: Gaming to Go

Surprised? The Castlevania series typically isn't associated with speedy, high-intensity gaming, so I can say with utter honesty that I had no intention of writing about IGA's latest delicious Metroidvania whenever I finally got my hands on Order of Ecclesia. The game has surprised so far in being pretty different from its immediate predecessors in both combat and environments, the combination of which is like a clean, refreshing punch in the face.

It's hard, guys. Really hard, in fact, but with the kind of irresistible challenge that'll have you firing up your DS at every free moment to try and beat that next boss or just make it through the next level without failing too miserably. In that regard Order of Ecclesia is surprisingly well-suited for this week's edition of Gaming to Go, as in at least the first half of the game you'll encounter numerous levels which can be run through and completed without losing vast amounts of time. Whether you'll make it to the end of that level alive is an entirely different matter, mind you, but that's half the fun! Want to hear more? Click the big button down there and see why masochism is good.

Gaming to Go: Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>castlevaniaigajoystiqfeaturesmetroidvaniaorder-of-ecclesiaMon, 10 Nov 2008 19:24:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (p2)]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/10/gaming-to-go-castlevania-order-of-ecclesia-p2/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/10/gaming-to-go-castlevania-order-of-ecclesia-p2/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/10/gaming-to-go-castlevania-order-of-ecclesia-p2/#comments

In a different regard, however, it's pretty damn difficult. Perhaps the years have messed with my memory, but I don't recall predecessor Portrait of Ruin being this challenging, though it had certainly had some intense moments. Order of Ecclesia kicks things up a notch by throwing a large assortment of new enemies at you, each with fresh new attack patterns and so many ways to send you to an early grave. You'll adapt quickly enough to the constant danger, though let it be said that not often will you be able to waltz into a new level or boss fight and emerge victorious on your first go.

So what can you do? Fight! And explore a little, both of which Ecclesia does very well and both of which are pretty well-suited for short-burst gaming. I knew there was no way in hell I could get through the aptly-named Skeleton Cave at my current level, so I spent five or ten minutes running through a few of its rooms racking up experience points, after which I returned, a few levels bolder ... only to be massacred on my first try.

Frustrating? Not as much as you would think. Ecclesia's combat emphasizes quick combos and even quicker evasion of enemy attacks, so going back through the Cave the next time I had a short break was a thrill once I realized I knew the attack patterns and could easily destroy the opposition without problem.

And let's not forget the exploration! Ecclesia has a surprising number of secrets tucked away within its numerous levels, some of which can't be accessed until later on in the game. And while backtracking is rarely an entertaining thing, running through some of the earlier levels with a strong character can still be fun, if only for the pleasure of utterly demolishing the enemies that used to rock your world. But the real entertainment is had in exploring every nook and cranny of those levels with your new powers, as abilities like double jumping can open up entirely new sections of levels that would have been easy to forget about otherwise.

You're bound to fight new treasures, secret rooms, and perhaps even people to save, or at the very least finally figure out what the hell is in that chest sitting just high enough to where a regular jump can't reach. It's a great way to spend a few minutes and and make sure you experience every part of the game, especially since exploration is the key to getting the best ending.

And once you've done that, why not give the Boss Rush mode a try? Or the Time Trial? Both require a strong understand of the game mechanics and an even stronger character to make it out alive, which is likely why I still haven't completed them. But they seem like great additional challenges to the main quest, albeit more time-consuming than the activities described above. No matter how you play it, though, Order of Ecclesia is a fantastic way to pass the minutes.

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Gaming to Go: Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (p2) originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:24:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (p3)]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/10/gaming-to-go-castlevania-order-of-ecclesia-p3/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/10/gaming-to-go-castlevania-order-of-ecclesia-p3/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/10/gaming-to-go-castlevania-order-of-ecclesia-p3/#comments

So what are you waiting for? Ecclesia's utter newness means it still commands full-price, through thirty bones for such a quality title seems pretty reasonable. And the the game itself is well-suited for both speedy gaming and longer stretches of play, meaning you'll get your money's worth no matter whether or you have five minutes on the toilet or an entire afternoon of blissful nerdiness.

Ready for the stats?

Sleep time: The game doesn't pause when you close the lid, so be sure to hit the start button yourself if you have to set the DS down during a boss fight.

Load time: A little over thirty seconds to jump into the action if you skip the cinematic that plays before the title screen. It's a gorgeous piece of work, though, so make sure you watch it at least once.

Play time: Revisiting old areas for both treasure and experience is typically quick and pretty fun, especially as your character grows in strength. You'll spend a bit more time running through a level for the first time, of course, provided you don't do what I do and die in the first few screens.

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Gaming to Go: Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (p3) originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:24:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: Warioware: Touched (p3)]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/03/gaming-to-go-warioware-touched-p3/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/03/gaming-to-go-warioware-touched-p3/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/03/gaming-to-go-warioware-touched-p3/#comments

Touched's age means it can command around twenty bucks on most online retail sites, though that isn't a terrible price for a game that (partly) epitomizes the entire point of this column. It really is a game based purely on speedy entertainment, so if you want to add a little wackiness to your daily commute, Touched likely won't lead you astray.

You have five seconds to read the stats. Go!

Sleep time: Touched actually pauses the game when you close the lid, which is expected yet still awesome. Most DS games neglect the auto-pause, though it's all-but essential in a title like this.

Load time: Depending on whether or not you skip a 'plot' sequence, you could likely jump into a character's microgames in just thirty seconds.

Play time: Ignoring the lengthy plot sequences, playing through a set of microgames should run just a few minutes, provided you're not trying to do a marathon session and rack up a high score.

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Gaming to Go: Warioware: Touched (p3) originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: Warioware: Touched (p2)]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/03/gaming-to-go-warioware-touched-p2/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/03/gaming-to-go-warioware-touched-p2/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/03/gaming-to-go-warioware-touched-p2/#comments Touched stage works. You pick a character, watch an overly long introduction sequence about said chara

cter's activities, and then launch into a number of super-fast minigames (microgames, y'see) before finishing with a 'boss' fight of sorts. Each of those microgames will require you to think quickly and use your stylus in some consistent way, whether it's rubbing, slashing, etc. The activities are just short enough to keep things interesting and to make sure your attention is focused purely on the lower screen, which should make each set of microgames pass by much quicker than you realize.

I'm not kidding about the speed here. It shouldn't take more than two or three minutes to get through a typical set of microgames, though the Touched's remarkable quickness goes out the window when you consider the aforementioned introduction sequences. At least one of those sequences rolls through five minutes of silly exposition, which is a little depressing when one considers that the set of microgames won't last nearly that long. On the bright side, you can easily skip those sequences once you've seen them once, which you'll need to do if you decide to go back and play through each character's microgames.

You'll probably end up doing that. Touched's collection of microgames is overall pretty entertaining and worth at least one playthrough, though anyone who goes for it might be surprised to discover the game is over in just a few hours. Still, you'll have to replay old levels -- which usually randomize the microgames you encounter -- in order to beat your old score, unlock new toys and challenges, and so forth, which adds a decent amount of replay valu

e for the collectors among us. Some of those challenges you can unlock are great amounts of fun within themselves, which should make filling both Toy Rooms with unlockable activities much more interesting than it sounds.

And, should you ever find a microgame in particular that rocks your world, Touched includes an album feature that houses every microgame you've ever played, allowing you to go back and experience your personal favorites. It's a nice touch, especially since it introduces more than just an opportunity to play a single game. Album mode throws the same game at you at increasingly fast speeds, challenging you to go for as long as you can. Doing well can unlock some of the previously mentioned toys, so it's worthwhile to run through some of the collection if you get a chance.

All in all, Warioware: Touched provides pretty decent entertainment for a gamer on the go. It isn't perfect, given the lengthy 'plot' sequences and the inherent nature of a minigame collection, but for anyone looking for instant gratification, you'll find it here. Touched gives you fast and often frantic ways to entertain yourself, making it pretty ideal for someone with just a few minutes to spare.

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Gaming to Go: Warioware: Touched (p2) originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: Warioware: Touched]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/03/gaming-to-go-warioware-touched/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/03/gaming-to-go-warioware-touched/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/03/gaming-to-go-warioware-touched/#commentsFiled under: Gaming to Go

Wario is weird. Anyone who has ever given Mario's portly nemesis a spin in his numerous games can easily agree with that, though it's a truth most evident in the Warioware series of titles. Touched is Wario's first appearance on the DS and something of a landmark for the handheld, utilizing the stylus for almost everything and showcasing the unique strength of the system. It's also pretty freaking strange. The admittedly odd design choices complement the gameplay pretty well, however, which involve a series of blindingly quick microgames designed to test both your reaction time and tolerance for utter silliness.

The sheer speediness of it all makes Warioware: Touched an ideal candidate for this week's Gaming to Go. Unfortunately, for everything Touched does to streamline the gameplay down to a few exciting seconds, it isn't a perfect experience. Want to hear why? Click that big button down there and see what all of the fuss is about.

Gallery: WarioWare: Touched

Gaming to Go: Warioware: Touched originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>joystiqfeaturesminigamestouchedwariowariowareMon, 03 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: N+]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/27/gaming-to-go-n/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/27/gaming-to-go-n/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/27/gaming-to-go-n/#commentsFiled under: Gaming to Go

Perhaps you've heard of N+. It's been covered only a teeny bit here on DS Fanboy, so it's pretty unforgivable if this is your first encounter with the masochistic Ninja platformer. Masochistic may not even be a strong enough word, honestly. N+ has built up a reputation all across the vast internet as being ridiculously difficult, much like its web-based predecessor. Whether N+ is a solid recreation of the original N's gameplay is a somewhat controversial subject, but anyone who's given it a whirl can probably agree on one point: it is awesome for gaming on the go.

Your miniature ninja is blessed with amazing speed and skill, though it comes at a heavy price: a lifespan of precisely 1.5 minutes. As you might imagine, this makes N+ perfect for quick bursts of play, as you'll never spend more than a few minutes trying to clear a set of levels. Sound interesting? Stab that big button down there and come see why N+ is a beautiful thing indeed if you're looking for some quick ninja-flavored challenge in your daily commute.

Gaming to Go: N+ originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>atarijoystiqfeaturesnplatformsilverbirchMon, 27 Oct 2008 18:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: N+ (p2)]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/27/gaming-to-go-n-p2/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/27/gaming-to-go-n-p2/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/27/gaming-to-go-n-p2/#comments

ut alive.

And that's it! Let it not be said N is a complicated affair, though anyone who has been drawn in by the devious level design and satisfying challenge will agree that it doesn't need to be one. N+ takes that gameplay and ports it pretty well to the DS's dual screens, giving you all of the ninja goodness on the go. Rather than giving you a set of levels to work through, N+ opts for an episodic approach, letting you tackle episodes of five levels at a time. When you consider the sheer number of levels available -- think over two-hundred -- and add on to that the optional level editor, you'll soon realize that for such a simple concept, N+ provides a lot to do with your precious time.

Simply put, it's fun. And fast fun too, the best kind for a gamer on the go. Putting a time limit on each episode is ample motivation to get through each level as quickly as you can, though the gold pieces do allow room for mistakes. Even so, death will come often, though it's as simple as a button press to start the level over and jump back into the action. The lack of any real death penalty puts the emphasis on speed, forcing you to put your skill to the test and try to get through the level even faster than the time before. The result is a distilled kind of gameplay that might not be well-suited for long stretches of gaming, though it's ideal for the times when you want an entertaining way to pass a few short minutes.

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Gaming to Go: N+ (p2) originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: N+ (p3)]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/27/gaming-to-go-n-p3/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/27/gaming-to-go-n-p3/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/27/gaming-to-go-n-p3/#comments

And considering the game runs for twenty bucks on Amazon and most major retailers, why not pick it up? A single ~~Benjamin~~ twenty isn't hard to give up when you consider the staggering amount of levels and the infinite possibilities allowed by a level editor and online sharing of custom content. If you're still not sold on it all, there's also the original version of N floating around the internet, though it is very much lacking in the portability that the DS so clearly excels at.

Ready for the stats?

Sleep time: N+ doesn't pause when you close the lid, so be sure to hit the start button before you do.

Load time: About twenty-seven seconds to get into a single-player episode. The process would go just a touch quicker if you didn't have to slog through three screens of ever-entertaining company logos.

Play time: Gold pieces can extend the time beyond your ninja's ninety seconds of life, though getting through an episode -- excluding the inevitable retries after dying -- shouldn't take more than a few minutes.

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Gaming to Go: N+ (p3) originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: Kirby: Canvas Curse (p2)]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/20/gaming-to-go-kirby-canvas-curse-p2/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/20/gaming-to-go-kirby-canvas-curse-p2/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/20/gaming-to-go-kirby-canvas-curse-p2/#comments

ers have gone completely off track, however, HAL Laboratory nails the control scheme effortlessly, turning what already would have been an interesting platformer into an excellent one.

You'll use the stylus to stun enemies, boost Kirby forward, and draw ramps and walls, all with the intention of rolling Kirby from point A to point B. A multitude of enemies and environmental hazards mix things up nicely, forcing you to use quick strokes of the stylus to keep the pink ball from harm. The stylus is ideal for this kind of control scheme, and the way such a simple scheme enhances the core gameplay is evident by the first few levels of the game.

The number of levels, additionally, cannot be ignored. Kirby titles characteristically are considered short games, and while Canvas Curse isn't a true exception to the rule, you'll need to sink a good twenty hours or more into it if you hope to unlock every single secret. The main adventure levels won't last nearly that number, but if you're one of those crazy completionist types, you'll find an incredible amount of things to do. And even if you're not, you can still have a blast working through the levels themselves, as most are just short and interesting enough to be ideal for a pleasant burst of gaming.

Another way to entertain yourself is to try and collect all of the medals. 250 of them are scattered throughout the game, a total which will require you to find every medal in every level and then work your way through the subgames,

line trials, and time trials. Some of Canvas Curse's most entertaining experiences come from those time trials, where you'll have to find a way to push Kirby from one end of the level to another in the shortest time possible. These sorts of challenges are clearly well-suited for gaming on the go, especially since a fair number of the levels have time limits of five minutes or less.

Even if you aren't the completionist type, however, you'll still find plenty to do in Canvas Curse, especially if you stick solely with the main adventure. It'll take you through around twenty-five colorful levels, with boss fights -- the aforementioned subgames -- occurring regularly. Those three subgames provide a pleasant diversion from the main adventure, challenging you to use your stylus skills in new ways -- explosive connect the dots comes to mind -- to lead Kirby to victory. It's unfortunate that only three subgames are available, but the differering difficulty levels for each make playing through them again worthwhile. The subgames also last about as long as your typical level, making them equally ideal for quick gaming.

As you might have already guessed, however, both the time trials and subgames aren't immediately available for quick play. You'll have to work your way through the main adventure to unlock them, or, in some cases, earn enough medals to purchase the ability to play them freely. It's an unfortunate thing for anyone wanting to just jump in and see everything the game has to offer, but the main adventure is fun enough that playing through it is easily recommendable.

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Gaming to Go: Kirby: Canvas Curse (p2) originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 20 Oct 2008 18:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Mon, 20 Oct 2008 18:25:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: Kirby: Canvas Curse (p3)]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/20/gaming-to-go-kirby-canvas-curse-p3/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/20/gaming-to-go-kirby-canvas-curse-p3/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/20/gaming-to-go-kirby-canvas-curse-p3/#comments

Despite its age, Canvas Curse can still run about twenty bucks or more online. It isn't an overly demanding price for a platforming gem, but if you can track it down for cheaper, don't think twice about picking it up. If you enjoy Kirby, clever platforming, or just one of the best uses for the stylus I've seen, you could certainly do worse than to pick up Canvas Curse for your library.

But if that isn't enough to convince you, why not read on for the stats? They probably won't change your mind, sure, but at least my segue is working just as planned.

Sleep time: Canvas Curse won't pause the game whenever you close the lid, so make sure you hit the start button yourself before you put the DS to sleep.

Load time: About twenty-three seconds to jump into the first level, though you may want to go through training (probably an additional minute) if this is your first time playing.

Play time: This depends on your skill level and whether or not you're medal-hunting, but as a rule levels don't seem to take more than five minutes to complete. There are always exceptions, of course, but so long as you follow the map, you shouldn't waste too much time if you get lost.

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Gaming to Go: Kirby: Canvas Curse (p3) originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 20 Oct 2008 18:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Mon, 20 Oct 2008 18:25:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: Kirby: Canvas Curse]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/20/gaming-to-go-kirby-canvas-curse/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/20/gaming-to-go-kirby-canvas-curse/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/20/gaming-to-go-kirby-canvas-curse/#commentsFiled under: Gaming to Go

The beach is awesome. The life of a game blogger is a difficult one, my friends, so it's nice to step away from the monitor, sink into the white sands and catch up on that glorious invention known as sleep. Such a relaxing week could only bring good things, and I'm incredibly pleased to say it did: it gave good David a chance to talk about Electroplankton, one of the DS's most eccentric titles, and it gave me a chance to give the Kirby series a go.

You can imagine my delight, then, to finally gets my sandy hands on one of the DS's premiere platformers, to see how one cute and cuddly pink ball can inspire so much adoration. Kirby has made a number of appearances on everyone's favorite handheld, but this week's edition of Gaming to Go will be focusing on the first time the prolific cake eater showed his face on the portable. Kirby: Canvas Curse, in case you haven't given it a go, is all about drawing. You'll use the stylus exclusively to fling our spherical friend through many different adventures, all of which are short, colorful, and an absolute blast to play. Want to hear more? Point your stylus at the big button down there and race on to the next page!

Gaming to Go: Kirby: Canvas Curse originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 20 Oct 2008 18:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>hal laboratoryHalLaboratoryjoystiqfeatureskirbykirby canvas curseplatformerMon, 20 Oct 2008 18:25:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: Super Collapse! 3 (page 3)]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/06/gaming-to-go-super-collapse-3-page-3/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/06/gaming-to-go-super-collapse-3-page-3/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/06/gaming-to-go-super-collapse-3-page-3/#comments

Super Collapse! 3's heritage on PCs (and Macs!) means you can pretty easily find a demo for the series somewhere on the 'net, just in case the though of yet another block puzzler doesn't immediately grab your attention. I can't say I'd blame you for falling in that camp. The number of puzzlers on the DS that involve moving squares is pretty mind-boggling, but Super Collapse! 3 does separate itself from the crowd courtesy of its numerous worthy modes of play. The game's also available on Amazon for the pretty charming price of 10.99, which should be just cheap enough to make it a title easily worth a purchase.

No, it isn't the great puzzler the DS will ever see. But nor is Super Collapse! 3 a bad title by any stretch of the means, so why not give it a shot? If you want a very solid, fast-paced puzzler that requires sharp reflexes and a keen eye, Super Collapse! 3 should help you spend those precious few minutes of freedom with a smile.

Ready for the stats?

Sleep time: Super Collapse! 3 doesn't pause when you close the lid, so make sure you hit that tiny little start button before you do.

Load time:Around thirty-four seconds to jump into Quick Play mode, provided you're new to the game and have to create a profile.

Play time: Unless you're playing continuous mode or just trying to rack up a high score in classic mode, most games shouldn't last more than a few minutes. You'll be tapping pretty quickly to overcome the new lines of blocks that pop up every few seconds.

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Gaming to Go: Super Collapse! 3 (page 3) originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: Super Collapse! 3 (page 2)]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/06/gaming-to-go-super-collapse-3-page-2/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/06/gaming-to-go-super-collapse-3-page-2/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/06/gaming-to-go-super-collapse-3-page-2/#comments

That's pretty much it. The process goes pretty quickly, especially when a new line emerges quicker than you had anticipated, making for some pretty frantic minutes as you try and collapse enough blocks to keep them from stacking too high. The premise does get a little more complicated with the inclusion of items -- bombs, unsurprisingly -- but doesn't expand much beyond that. The real variation in gameplay comes with the seven different game styles included in the game, all but one of which must be unlocked by journeying through the colorful and quirky lands of the aptly-named Quest mode. Yeah, it isn't the most exciting thing you'll ever do with your DS, but it does offer an excellent chance to get your feet wet with the different gameplay modes. Later parts of the quest can be surprisingly difficult, so you'll ~~curse~~ appreciate the opportunity to work through them and develop your skill.

And just a quick word of warning: Quest mode does not auto-save, meaning shutting the DS off without backing out of all of the Quest mode menus to save your progress will make you a very sad person indeed.

But I'm not kidding about the difficulty, my friends. When you only have three colors of blocks to concern yourself with, things are fairly peachy, making the beginning of the quest a pleasant excursion for the new player. Once additional colors are added, however, the challenge ramps up considerably, as you'll have to get much better at spotting sets of matching blocks in order to keep up with the constant addition of new rows. If speed isn't really your thing, you could always forgo the classic mode described above in favor of one of the six other styles, all of which are satisfyingly different from each other to be worth playing.

Puzzle mode gives you a screen full of many colors of blocks and challenges you with tapping them in the right order to clear the entire screen. Strategy mode drops the few seconds delay between each new line and simply adds a new row every time you collapse something, meaning you'll have to choose your moves much more wisely than before. Relapse mode is identical to class mode, albeit with a new set of blocks emerging from the top of the screen, forcing you to switch back and forth to prevent the top and bottom sets from growing and hitting each other.

Slider mode is also similar to classic mode, though it throws a fun twist in by moving each row of blocks to the left or right as you play, making the game more exciting overall. Continuous mode is pretty self-explanatory: it's classic mode with no set amount of lines you need to clear, starting off fairly simple but introducing new colors the longer you play. Finally, Countdown mode is a race against the clock to rack up the highest score you can get in two minutes.

Once you've unlocked all of the gameplay variants, you'll be able to enjoy them in Quick Play mode, a convenient alternative to questing that focuses purely on letting you jump into a game and jump just as easily out. I dumped Quest mode pretty quickly once I unlocked all of the games, as the occasional unique mini-game you'll encounter throughout the adventure isn't nearly as interesting as the core gameplay variants. Honestly, the two I keep coming back to are Relapse and Slider modes. Both bring in an interesting enough twist on the basic gameplay to keep things entertaining, and both can be plenty challenging in their own way. Classic mode is mostly fun too, though the sheer number of lines you'll have to clear in some of the later levels can be disheartening.

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Gaming to Go: Super Collapse! 3 (page 2) originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: Super Collapse! 3]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/06/gaming-to-go-super-collapse-3/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/06/gaming-to-go-super-collapse-3/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/06/gaming-to-go-super-collapse-3/#commentsFiled under: Gaming to Go

With so many titles currently available for Nintendo's popular portable, a number of gems are all but guaranteed to be overlooked by the millions of players struggling through the DS's large library of games. Sometimes those unknown titles are examples of portable gaming at its finest, utilizing the stylus and touchscreen in ways both clever and fun. Sometimes they're not. Super Collapse! 3 toes the thick line between those two extremities, representing a puzzle game that's neither amazing or awful. It's simply good, through and through, a title largely unknown that can still be plenty of fun if you're willing to give it a go.

The Collapse! series of puzzle games has been around since 1999, though Super Collapse! 3 is the first title in the lineup to make the jump to the DS. Reviews generally suggest this incarnation does little to improve or mix up the basic gameplay of the series, though that's perfectly fine if you've never given the games a spin. I hadn't even heard of Collapse! until about a week ago, but what I've played since has been a pretty solid amount of fun, so why not come along with this week's edition of Gaming to Go and see if you might enjoy it too?

Gallery: Super Collapse! 3

Gaming to Go: Super Collapse! 3 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>collapsegamehousejoystiqfeaturesmumbojumbopuzzleMon, 06 Oct 2008 16:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: Clubhouse Games (page 3)]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/29/gaming-to-go-clubhouse-games-page-3/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/29/gaming-to-go-clubhouse-games-page-3/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/29/gaming-to-go-clubhouse-games-page-3/#comments

For budget-minded readers, Clubhouse Games even comes with the benefit of a cheap price tag. The pretty reasonable price of twenty bucks will net you a delightfully large collection of games, so what are you waiting for? Go buy it!

Yes, you'll have to suffer through stamp mode, and no, there' s no way around it, but a few hours to unlock everything isn't too terrible when you consider everything the game has to offer. There's likely no better way to play so many classics games on the go, either, so why not take advantage of the DS's inherent portability? Sure, you could likely play many of these games on the computer for cheap, but it isn't a perfect solution. What happens if you want to play Ludo on the toilet? Trust me on this one: don't put yourself in that position. Just don't.

Ready for the 42 3 stats?

Sleep time: Closing the lid doesn't appear to pause the game, so make sure you hit the start button before you put the DS in sleep mode.

Load time: Only twenty seconds or so to jump into the Free mode, which is one of the best times we've seen yet.

Play time: This one depends entirely on which game you play, but rest assured that most of these shouldn't take you too long to play.

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Gaming to Go: Clubhouse Games (page 3) originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:54:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: Clubhouse Games (page 2)]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/29/gaming-to-go-clubhouse-games-page-2/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/29/gaming-to-go-clubhouse-games-page-2/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/29/gaming-to-go-clubhouse-games-page-2/#comments

For the sake of my sanity, I won't list all 42 games contained in the Clubhouse package. If your curiosity simply won't be abated, check the Wikipedia article on the title, where it breaks down the eight categories of games and lists every title contained therein. The rest of you can just trust me when I say that there is a lot to do here. Each

game is a fairly faithful recreation of its real-world counterpart, a pleasant surprise considering just how many digital classics you'll get to unlock over the course of the game.

Oh. I didn't mention that you have to unlock them all? Yes, ladies and gents, you won't be able to immediately start playing your favorite card games the minute you pop the cartridge in. You'll first have to go through the aptly-named Stamp mode to unlock all 42 games, a process which ultimately ends up being just as exciting as it sounds. It isn't a difficult experience, thankfully, utilizing a stamp system to advance your progress through the lineup. Grabbing first place in a game will net you three stamps, which is the minimum you'll need to advance to the next game. Second place will net you two, third place or lower will net you one, forcing you to play each game at least once and at most three times in order to move on.

In practice, it's a good system. If you happen to be a world-class champion of checkers, you won't need more than one try to earn coveted first place, so there won't be much time nor effort needed to move on to the next game. And even if you're not quite at that level yet, you'll still move on after one or two plays, a number which should provide sufficient familiarity with the game in case you decide to return to it later.

So what's the issue here? That fact that you have to go through stamp mode at all. Clubhouse Games, in case you haven't guessed it, is an excellent title for gaming on the go, with such a wide variety of classic titles for you to play around with. Having to spend a couple of hours just to gain full access to the library doesn't really mix well with the pick-up-and-play mentality, provided you're new to the title. Turning on the game for the first tim

e only to discover you can't play Blackjack immediately can be a little disheartening, especially if you're not all that interested in some of the other categories of games. But once you've cleared stamp mode, everything turns rosy, as you'll be able to hop into the aptly-named Free mode and play any game you like.

This one complaint aside, Clubhouse Games still shines for a number of reasons. The interface is intuitive, offering the official rules for the game you're currently playing with a single tap. And if the rules themselves aren't to your liking, why not change them? Clubhouse lets you tweak the rules for most games freely, providing great potential for replayability even in games you've mastered or never grew overly fond of. If fiddling with the rules still isn't enough to satisfy you, you can always give Mission mode a try, where you'll tackle specific objectives for each game. The tasks you'll have to fulfill vary greatly, providing even more content for players to chew on outside of the games themselves.

Clubhouse's biggest achievement, however, is also its simplest: it gives you a bunch of fun games and lets you take them wherever you want to go. Sure, not all of the classics are well-suited for gaming on the go -- chess comes to mind -- but quite a few of them are excellent ways to spend a few minutes of your free time. Hangman-inspired Word Balloon and card game Spit stood out to me as great fun that didn't require much of a time investment, though those are only two in a large library of titles.

What do you all like? Any games in the Clubhouse collection that you gravitate towards whenever you're out and about? Let me know!

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Gaming to Go: Clubhouse Games (page 2) originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:54:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: Clubhouse Games]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/29/gaming-to-go-clubhouse-games/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/29/gaming-to-go-clubhouse-games/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/29/gaming-to-go-clubhouse-games/#commentsFiled under: Gaming to Go

Remember checkers? How about chess? And blackjack? What about dominoes? And Shogi and Ludo and Hasami Shogi and Koi-Koi and -- ahem. Don't recognize those last few names? No worries! I didn't know them either. There's still time to learn, however, and this is where Nintendo's Clubhouse Games comes to party.

It contains 42 -- yes, 42 -- classic games for your enjoyment, running the gamut from bowling and billiards to Mahjong solitaire and Pig. An incredible amount of variety exists in this tiny DS cart, making Clubhouse Games one of the most involving titles the DS has seen in recent years. The mind-boggling amount of games also makes it ideal for this week's edition of Gaming to Go. Sure, I might not recommend starting up a game of chess on your next lunch break, but why not go for a quick game of Connect Five? Whatever your mood fancies, Clubhouse Games has you covered. Want to hear more? Click that big grey button there to see what you've been missing.

Tick tock of the clock ringing in your ears? Tell your timepiece to shove it! We live busy lives, but remember this: there's always time to game. Check back with Gaming to Go every week for the latest and greatest titles you should spend your precious few minutes with.

Gaming to Go: Clubhouse Games originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>42-All-Time-ClassicsBoard-GamesCard-GamesClubhouse-GamesGaming-to-GoMon, 29 Sep 2008 16:54:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: Mario Kart DS (page 3)]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/22/gaming-to-go-mario-kart-ds-page-3/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/22/gaming-to-go-mario-kart-ds-page-3/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/22/gaming-to-go-mario-kart-ds-page-3/#comments

Mario Kart DS still commands a decent price on sites like Amazon and eBay, so any of the sad few who haven't played it yet might not find enough incentive here to finally break out their wallets. Still, any one who plays the game as often as I do can vouch for the price tag, as few other DS games are so enjoyable whether I'm alone or geeking out with friends.

Perhaps that's the most remarkable thing about it -- even though I've fought my way through every cup and blazed a trail on every track, I still grab Mario Kart DS whenever I head out for the day. It's fun, fast, and truly indicative of the strengths of a portable system. What else can you ask for?

Ready for the stats?

Sleep time: Thankfully, the game pauses when you close the lid. The world would be a far darker place if it didn't. Can you imagine having to jump immediately back into a 150cc race?

Load time: A little over thirty seconds to start a grand prix, though you can probably trim it a bit by skipping the track introduction cinematic.

Play time: Usually around two or three minutes, though it does depend on the track size and how often you get hammered by items. I still shudder when I think of how many blue shells came my way last time I raced.

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Gaming to Go: Mario Kart DS (page 3) originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:29:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: Mario Kart DS (page 2)]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/22/gaming-to-go-mario-kart-ds-page-2/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/22/gaming-to-go-mario-kart-ds-page-2/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/22/gaming-to-go-mario-kart-ds-page-2/#comments

I can scarce imagine any DS Fanboys not knowing how Mario Kart works, so I won't focus too much on the finer details of the gameplay. The basic formula for Nintendo's kart racers has gone largely u

nchanged in its many iterations, and the DS version is no exception. Online multiplayer was a significant step, and the use of the second screen introduced an interesting element of strategy to the races, but anyone who has spent time with the title can agree that Mario Kart DS's greatest achievement is how it takes a classic formula and tweaks it to near perfection.

What's not to enjoy? A colorful cast of Nintendo favorites, a fantastic mix of old and new tracks, and the delightfully chaotic racing that comes when you combine go karts and spiky blue shells. Races are short and exciting whether you're playing with friends or by yourself, as grand prix mode's three different cc classes cater to all skill levels. There's also time trial mode, which pits you against no competitor save yourself as you race to beat your best time and complete three laps in as few minutes as possible.

For gaming on the go, you can't really ask for much more. It's hard to complain when a title gives you solid gameplay and variable challenge in quick bursts as often as Mario Kart does, yet there are a few negative things prevalent in the DS title worth mentioning.

For all of its portable goodness, the DS version does have one design quirk that prevents it from being the ultimate on-the-go racer: the inability to save your progress in the game's Grand Prix mode and return to it at a later point. When wi-fi isn't available, you'll be spending quite a bit of time running through the many different race cups, so it's a shame that you'll have to stick with a grand prix until the last race lest you exit out and have to completely start over.

For console versions, it's an understandable choice, as a pause screen and the luxury of time make working through a cup an excellent leisure activity. Portable racing, however, is a slightly different animal. Sure, you can close the DS's lid and resume your racing at a later point, but being unable to play any of Mario Kart DS's many other modes without quitting the grand prix can be more than a little frustrating. Knowing that you'll have to complete the entire grand prix for it to count could make it a less appealing choice for a gamer on the go, especially if you're trying to complete the cups to unlock the game's extra characters and karts.

Other dubious elements include the snaking technique, which quickly grew to dominate the multiplayer arena, effectively killing some players' interest in competing. The infamous rubber band AI common to the Mario Kart series is also present, though still manageable by skilled players.

These still seem like niggling complaints, however, when one looks at the big picture of Mario Kart DS. Excluding the few things mentioned above, it captures the spirit of kart racing like no other, and shines even brighter by giving us the package in portable form.

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Gaming to Go: Mario Kart DS (page 2) originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:29:00 EST<![CDATA[Gaming to Go: Mario Kart DS]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/22/gaming-to-go-mario-kart-ds/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/22/gaming-to-go-mario-kart-ds/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/22/gaming-to-go-mario-kart-ds/#commentsFiled under: Gaming to Go

Go ahead. Roll your eyes.

Mario Kart? An incredibly obvious choice, perhaps, but for one important reason: it's good. Very good. It's easily the best racer on the DS and one of the greatest titles in the handheld's library, if the review scores are any indication. But beyond the numbers and critical analysis rests the simple fact that Mario Kart DS is fun, fast, and very much worthy of your attention, especially if you're looking for motor madness just as enjoyable now as it was when the game raced onto shelves back in late 2005.

Sure, there's this newfangled Wii version making the rounds, but for all of its technological advances, Mario Kart Wii is lacking in one vital area -- you can't take it on the toilet. If that realization is all it takes to convince you to dust that tiny cartridge off and put it back in action, you're in the right place. Grab a few bananas and peel out* to the second page as this week's edition of Gaming to Go revisits a portable classic.

*I'm so sorry.

Tick tock of the clock ringing in your ears? Tell your timepiece to shove it! We live busy lives, but remember this: there's always time to game. Check back with Gaming to Go every week for the latest and greatest titles you should spend your precious few minutes with.

Gaming to Go: Mario Kart DS originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>joystiqfeaturesmariomario-kartmariokartracingMon, 22 Sep 2008 14:29:00 EST