Quick Nintendo DS Game Reviews

Since the DS launched, I’ve purchased 11 games. Right now, I’m agonizing over whether or not to purchase Nanostray. The reviews are pretty good, but I don’t want to spend $30 on a weekend’s worth of fun.

FYI, you’ll notice that some of the games I mention are Japanese versions. I purchased them at Network Video in San Mateo, California and Play-Asia.com. Both stores have decent prices and service.

Kirby’s Canvas Curse(Japanese): Best DS game so far in terms of polish, gameplay, originality and depth. Worth the money.

Yoshi Touch & Go: 2 basic game mechanics(with a 3rd unlockable). Very few actual level designs. Lots of fun, excellent use of the touch screen. I’ve gone back to this game several times. Worth the money.

Nintendogs(Japanese): I don’t enjoy playing this game much, but my daughter really likes it. Usually virtual pets involve monotonous management, but not Nintendogs – it’s very forgiving and easy to interact with for short periods of time. Not worth the money, because it was an expensive import. BUT, the US version is supposed to be cheap. With a UI in english, I’m sure it’s going to be a good buy.

Star Wars Episode III: Not a very good licensed game. Not worth the money.

WarioWare Touched: Haven’t picked it up since I bought WarioWare Twisted. Not worth the money. BUY WARIOWARE TWISTED RIGHT NOW, INSTEAD.

Pac-Pix: Worth the money, definitely. Most unique game experience I’ve had in years. It’s short, but reuse comes with showing it to other gamers. It’s also one of the only games that I really felt used the second screen really well.

Electroplankton(Japanese): Like Pac-Pix, this ‘game’ is enjoyable for it’s uniqueness. Electroplankton also has variety in its favor – lots of cool little mini-experiences. Worth the money.

Super Mario 64 DS: Worth the money. I never played the original, so to me this game has a ton of depth for a launch title. I even enjoyed using the touch screen as an analog stick.

Meteos(Japanese): I’m really tempted to buy the English version now that it is out to see if it is more enjoyable, but I suspect that Meteos is only a ton of fun if you can play it with other DS owners. Unfortunately, I don’t know any other DS owners. Not worth the money to me, but I can see where it would be if my gaming buddies also owned DS’s.

Spiderman 2: Cool 3D/2D effects. Ridiculously unforgiving gameplay. Not worth the money.

Feel the Magic: Very polished, fun game. I really enjoyed Feel the Magic because it combined the mini-game-pack genre popularized by WarioWare with a lot of polish and a consistent feel. Worth the money.