Game Reviews
Latest Reviews
Browse our collection of reviews.
Latest Reviews
Review: LEGO Rock Band (DS)
Does the series’ DS debut rock or roll over and die?
DS music game fans have a pretty good selection for a portable, with Nintendo’s own stellar Rhythm Heaven and Activision’s Guitar Hero and Band Hero outings eager to put your rhythm skills to work. Harmonix’s Rock Band series has now taken the handheld’s stage for the first time in the bricked-out form of Lego Rock Band; should it stay..
Review: Nostalgia (DS)
One of the most unique and enjoyable DS RPGs to date.
The developers of Nostalgia have repeatedly stated that they've been putting the game together for the better part of a decade. While this might seem like an exaggeration at first, when you begin playing the finished product you'll quickly see the many different eras of RPG influences that make up the game. We've already seen quite a few solid..
Review: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (DS)
Enjoy Winter Olympic fun on the move.
Refreshingly for a simultaneous release on Wii and DS, the handheld version is a completely different beast to its big brother: far from being a stripped-down conversion it’s a decent accompaniment to the Wii version, although one aimed at a completely different gamer. Where the Wii game looks to capture the lucrative family and party crowd, DS owners have..
Review: MechAssault: Phantom War (DS)
A stomping good game?
MechWarrior. You’ve got to love it. The very concept of stomping around in your own personal giant robot, crushing things underfoot and blowing things up really is the sort of thing we gamers live for. Go on, admit it: every one of you has at some point had ‘the MechWarrior fantasy’. Up until 2002 however, the MechWarrior fantasy could only be lived through the PC,..
Review: Big Brain Academy (DS)
A bit of a mental lightweight
There’s something intrinsically addictive about the whole genre of ‘brain training’ games. Implicitly we all want to better ourselves to a greater or lesser degree. By being told just how much a success or a failure we are at intelligence-related tests, there is definitely a major hook in this whole genre of games that makes them nearly irresistible to anyone out..
Review: DJ Star (DS)
Will DJ Star get your party started?
Sold as a sort of DJ-ing equivalent to the Guitar Hero franchise, DJ Star offers up the Guitar Hero concept for the Ibiza generation. You won’t find any guitars here: your instrument of choice is instead a set of decks, and your mission is to fill the dance-floor with as many dancers as possible. Loading up DJ Star’s career mode you could easily be forgiven..
Review: Scribblenauts (DS)
Write your way to victory!
You don’t have to solve - or even begin - the included challenges to fully appreciate what Scribblenauts is trying to do. Right after the opening credits slide show, you are greeted by Maxwell standing in a field with nothing to do but smile as he always does. So you give him something to do. Anything. Type “pterodactyl” and he’ll have a prehistoric beast to ride..
Review: Rayman DS (DS)
Any port in a storm?
For those of you who missed out on the PS1/N64 generation of the late 1990s, Rayman was actually quite a big deal. Viewed by many well recognized gaming institutions as one of the ‘Greatest games of all time’, Rayman 2: The Great Escape received many plaudits for its innovative level design and gameplay features. Though a good few years have passed since those heady days of..
Review: Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (DS)
Is the third time the charm for the Mario & Luigi series?
After years of hearing Super Mario RPG fans clamor for a sequel, Nintendo put developer AlphaDream to work creating a new Mario-themed RPG for their Game Boy Advance system back in 2003. But instead of copying the same ideas used in the original Super Mario RPG, AlphaDream came up with the idea of making the player use the two Mario Bros. as..
Review: Professor Layton and Pandora's Box (DS)
Is Professor Layton's second adventure the worthy sequel fans are hoping for?
After the success of the first Professor Layton release on the DS, it should come as no surprise that we'd get a sequel. The game's unique blend of mystery storytelling and brain-teasing puzzles somehow forms one of the most unique and engrossing gaming experiences available for the system and a game that's already..
Review: Fossil Fighters (DS)
Is Fossil Fighters a worthy new IP or really just a prehistoric Pokemon?
Nintendo is constantly looking to expand their horizons when it comes to new IPs, and you'd have to think that was their intention when they brought Red Entertainment's newest title Fossil Fighters on board as a first-party release. The game takes fossil hunting and builds an interesting Pokemon-style battle experience around..
Review: Yoshi's Island DS (DS)
A decent game sullied mainly by its overshadowing predecessor
Following a critically-acclaimed title like Yoshi's Island, the immediate question that most will ask after learning the existence of Yoshi's Island DS will be: is it better than the original? Actually, scratch that: anyone who has played through the sublime SNES platformer will know what the more appropriate question is: does Yoshi's..
Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (DS)
More hogwash than Hogwarts
Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince is, as I’m sure most of you are aware, the latest entry in the massively popular series concerning the teenage wizard Mr. Potter. For those muggles out there unfamiliar with the plot “The Half Blood Prince” is where the epic tale of good versus evil really heats up; the nefarious Lord Voldemort is back and with one and one..
Review: Dementium: The Ward (DS)
A healthy, suspense-ridden shooter, or just another flatliner?
Due to the limitations of the platform, first-person-shooters are not a common sight on DS. Indie developer Renegade Kid is one of the few out there to fully take advantage of the lack of competitors, but is Dementium good enough on its own merit?Dementium begins with a commonly overused starting scenario: you have no memory of who you..
Review: Moon (DS)
A science fiction FPS on DS? Lunacy!
The DS’s heritage for first-person shooters has been a little – wait for it! – hit and miss over the years, with Metroid Prime: Hunters singlehandedly flying the flag as titles such as GoldenEye: Rogue Agent drag the poor machine’s name through the dirt. One developer determined to craft the handheld’s definitive first-person experience is Renegade..
Review: Mario Kart DS (DS)
Mario Kart has always been great multiplayer fun, but does this live up to the standards of its predecessors?
The Mario Kart series started on the SNES, and it has since become one of Nintendo's best multiplayer options, right alongside the likes of Smash Bros and Mario's many sports outings. With that in mind, Nintendo coded up another Kart game for their highly successful DS system. They could..
Review: The Legendary Starfy (DS)
The Legendary Starfy ultimately lives up to its name.
The Starfy series has enjoyed a great deal of success in Japan over the years, but Nintendo's release of The Legendary Starfy in North America marks the first time that many gamers outside of Japan have had the chance to experience the game's unique charm. The developers obviously didn't want to stray too far from the successful formula used in..
Review: Disgaea DS (DS)
Demons make work for idle thumbs.
For those unaware, Disgaea DS is a remake of a PS2 turn-based tactical RPG that's gained cult classic status over the years. It follows the story of youthful demon, Laharl – the son of the late overlord – on his quest for dominance in the Netherworld. Held in high regard by many PS2 owners, Disgaea has finally brought hell to the DS – and about time too! Now,..
Review: Line Rider: Freestyle (DS)
Line Rider slides from a PC Flash game to the consoles: will it ride to success or crash into failure?
Line Rider was originally a simple Flash game where players could freely draw slopes for their sledder to ride down. Even though the game had little structure or goals, it gained considerable popularity among PC gamers, which resulted with many individuals posting their tracks on YouTube – some..
Review: Knights in the Nightmare (DS)
Strategy-RPG goes bullet-hell in this unique and thoroughly demanding game
Let me put a word to you, folks: hardcore. That's right, hardcore. It's a word used to describe something overwhelmingly tough or resilient, something that crosses a perceived threshold of difficulty and endurance and reaches a level that few others can hope to match.Within the world of gaming, however, the word..
