This week’s Nintendo DS Demos
As most everyone who owns a Wii knows, the Nintendo Channel gives DS owners the ability to try out demos of upcoming and recently released DS games. But who really has the time to go through all of the new demos that become available every week? And what about non-Wii owning DS holders? Do they get to know how the games are? Well, now they do. Starting this week I’ll be “reviewing” the new DS demos that come out so you don’t have to bother playing the crap, and can get right into trying out the things that are worth trying out.
This week I’ve taken a look at TrackMania DS, Monsters vs. Aliens, Rhythm Heaven and Gardening Mama, and found myself surprisingly happy at the quality of the titles. Most of them anyway…
TrackMania DS
With TrackMania DS (Firebrand Games, Atlus), I found myself looking to be a little disappointed after my most recent portable racing experience left me feeling slightly empty and annoyed. TrackMania DS, however, left a very good first impression on me immediately upon start up. It looks fantastic – colorful, bright and crisp – and while some of the background textures are a little blotchy, the immediate 3D distinction of the game was really high quality. What was even better is that when the race started up, the frame rate never faltered and the visual prowess was never compromised. This is made more impressive by the fact that this game is fast. Not ludicrously Sonic-the-hedgehog fast, but pretty speedy and visually demanding, granted that the tracks are generally very small, and it is only a demo. Aside from visually though, the game is very solid as far as controls. I only got to play three levels, but what I played was very well designed and all around very fun, albeit containing a few level design issues.
My bottom line? Worth trying out.
Monsters vs. Aliens
Based on the new Dreamworks movie, Monsters vs. Aliens (Beenox, Amaze Entertainment) is your typical movie-based video game. Nothing stands out, and everything is dull. The graphics are very bland, the controls are sub-par, and the construction of the demo was very poorly done. Without having seen the movie, I had no idea what I was doing, who my character was, or why I should care, and since it was lacking a solid gameplay foundation to uphold itself, the deficiency of anything to make me care about the game was the frosting on the “Not Recommended” cake.
My bottom line? Just leave it alone.
Gardening Mama
There isn’t too much to say about Gardening Mama (Cooking Mama Ltd., Majesco) other than that it follows the footsteps of its older sisters (or “mothers” if you prefer). If you’ve never played a Cooking Mama game, the idea is simple; through a series of minigames, players make food and get scored based on how well they do. Gardening Mama is exactly like its predecessor in more ways then just premise though: The graphics, the buttons, the animations, the controls and the music are all so reminiscent of Cooking Mama that it would be hard to tell the difference had I not played both games. Gardening Mama feels more like a Cooking Mama expansion pack than anything, and in that respect it is very good. As its own game, however, it is too similar to its forerunner too be worth a purchase.
My bottom line? Fun, but repetitive and too alike Cooking Mama.
Rhythm Heaven
Rhythm Heaven was the best of the bunch this week, making for a happy end to a fairly satisfying demo undertaking. Developed by TNX and published by Nintendo, Rhythm Heaven has sold 1,568,000 copies in Japan alone, becoming one of the top sellers in 2008. The game is simple; tap, flick or hold the stylus on the touch screen in tempo as actions take place on the left screen (the DS is held sideways). If you can do it perfectly in time, certain things will happen, racking up your score in order for you to unlock more games. One such game that was included in the demo (titled “Glee Club”) has the player hold the stylus down on the screen. When the stylus is lifted, a small cartoon boy will begin singing very loudly, only to stop when you place your stylus back on screen. Your goal is to sing in time with the others in the choir (of which there are two) and if you make it to the end, you unlock a new game. The controls are very tight (albeit simple), and the premise itself is very, very addictive. Rhythm Heaven can only be likened to games like WarioWare, in the sense that it is nothing more than an innovative minigame collection; but who’s to say that that’s not enough?
My bottom line? Go try it out.
