Ten Nintendo DS Micro Reviews

A series of micro reviews for the Nintendo DS games I own, with a visual aid provided by Delicious Library.



Electroplankton: One of the most amazingly bizarre, beautiful, Zen-like games ever. Can you call it a game? I don't know. It's sort of a musical instrument. Won't appeal to everyone, but those that it does appeal to will love it. Not easy to find, though.

Brain Age: One of my favorite games ever. I've reviewed it here before, but the gist is that a series of minigames are designed to train your brain for speed and accuracy. The thing that makes the game fun is that the challenges are not hard. The emphasis is on the speed of the overall task. It's addictive in a good way.

Big Brain Academy: Based on similar concepts as Brain Age, but with more emphasis on visuals. This is a good game if considered in its own right, but if you're trying to decide between the two, go for Brain Age because writing out your answers by hand is fun.

Contact: It's hard to know what to say about this one. For the most part, it's a traditional Japanese RPG game, but the story and characters are quirky in different ways. The most unusual thing is that the story breaks the fourth wall. You play yourself in the game, and one of the main characters is aware of what an Nintendo DS is and that you're using it.

Mario Kart: It's Mario Kart. I don't know what else to say.

Metroid: Recreating a Game Cube franchise on the DS can't be easy, but somehow this game manages to capture the same feel and mood as its big brother. The graphics and audio are outstanding. The controls are a little awkward, but completely manageable. I hear it's worth getting a thumb-based stylus instead of using the pen.

New Super Mario Brothers: One of the finest games ever made.

Starfox Command: I reviewed this  already. A number of fun game elements, very natural controls, stunning graphics. A great interpretation of Starfox for a portable setting.

Mario 64: Again, one of my favorite games ever. Being in 3D, it's a distinctly different than New Super Mario Brothers, but it has a character all its own.

Tetris DS: It's class Tetris with a number of different modes and classic Nintendo-themed elements everywhere. If you like Tetris, you'll like this version.

Now just waiting for Zelda.

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