Game Spotlight: AlphaBounce
When the Nintendo DSi was released, Nintendo was kind enough to offer 1000 DSi points for free… though at the time there wasn’t anything WORTH buying from the DSi store. Luckily for me, I chose to bide my time long enough to find at least one game worth spending those free points on.
People who are old enough to remember games from the early 90s all the way back to the 80s will know of these kinds of “brick breaking” games. For those who don’t know, the idea is to use a paddle and a ball to break bricks on the screen until there are none left. It’s a pretty simple concept which is why it was so popular back in the day, however AlphaBounce takes some inspiration from Puzzle Quest by adding an RPG element to the mix.
Game Spotlight: The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass + Spirit Tracks
Here’s another dual Game Spotlight for the two recent Legend of Zelda games for the Nintendo DS. Expect a couple of more dual reviews in the coming months since No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle and Super Mario Galaxy 2 are on their way down to Australia.
The Wind Waker was a shock to Zelda fans when it was first revealed. Its cartoonish art style didn’t seem to go down very well initially, however after the ranting was silenced and people actually played the game, they realised it was one hell of a game and that the art style itself had a lot to do with why it was so great. I’m personally glad that Nintendo didn’t take what people had to say initially to heart, because the art style of The Wind Waker has lived on and is present in The Minish Cap, Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks.
What we want from Pokémon Black and White
A lot of us are gripped with a bit of Pokémon fever with the release of Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, and Nintendo has just accelerated things with the announcement of Pokémon Black and White for the Nintendo DS…
Initial reactions to this news don’t seem to be as positive as you’d think. Sure, it’s great to have a new generation of Pokémon games, however from seeing comments from around the net, it’s clear that a lot of people would prefer to have the series debut on the Nintendo 3DS so it can take advantage of whatever new features the new system will provide.
So what do people want from the 5th generation?
Cing: When great developers fall under hard times…
This entry is obviously a reaction to the recent news that developer of Another Code/Trace Memory, Hotel Dusk and Little King’s Story, Cing, Inc. has filed for bankruptcy… It’s sad when good developers go through tough times.
Hotel Dusk: Room 215 is one of my favourite games on the Nintendo DS, it’s up there with the entire Ace Attorney series by Capcom which I also hold in extremely high respect. However, unlike Capcom, Cing is a developer with very few games under its belt. A PS2 game, a few Japan-only mobile phone games, a few DS games and a couple of Wii games. Quality over quantity is the way Cing operates, and their recent games on the DS and Wii were all very well made, quality games.