The Lowdown: Robocalypse is a DS RTS with a big emphasis on humor, thanks to a script written by Spongebob Squarepants creator Jay Lender and his award-winning partner Micah Wright. Use over ten different kinds of robots and over 20 types of weapons as you field your forces against the enemy, controlling everything with your stylus. Enjoy robust multi-cart multiplayer for up to four players at once, with special maps and co-op modes.
The Hype: You'd think the DS would have more RTS (and that so much of what it had wouldn't be made by Square-Enix), but this is not the case. Robocalypse stands a chance of plugging a hole in the DS's game library, then, depending on how good and accessible the multiplayer is. Making it a funny RTS should only broaden its appeal.
The Snark: You guys have no idea how hard it is for me to try and pass off "written by Jay Lender" as a selling point.
Anyway, some super-cartoony screens behind the cut.
Robocalypse
The Lowdown: Chrono Trigger DS is a long-awaited enhanced port of the SNES original. The game's look, story, and sound haven't been messed with a bit, all that's added are new touchscreen controls for the bottom screen. New optional features include a bonus dungeon and an unspecified "wireless play" mode for 2-4 players.
The Hype: Chrono Trigger is one of the greatest SNES RPGs of all time, and yet one of the franchises Square's been most reluctant to exploit. Even if it's just a port of the original game, content-starved Chrono fans are happy whenever anything new is done with the property. Heck, maybe this port could turn into a proper sequel...
The Snark: ... or, maybe Square-Enix realized they could make way more cash off of a barely-changed DS port than they could off of a $8 Virtual Console release.
Anyway, some huge new screens behind the cut.
Chrono Trigger
The Lowdown: Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen is an enhanced port of the original Dragon Quest IV for the NES, sporting 3D graphics and new monster animations. Play through a series of chapters that tell the story of each of your party's colorful characters before the finale unites them with the game's hero to set on a quest to save Zenithia. A new translation in the style of the acclaimed Dragon Quest VIII breathes new life into this classic story through use of dialect and more faithful translations than the NES original. There's also a "Chance Encounter" mode that unlocks optional content in a way I don't quite understand.
The Hype: Dragon Quest IV is widely considered one of the absolute best games in the series, but not hitting the States until 1992 - after the Super Nintendo was already on sale - doomed it to relative obscurity. The DS remake gives a new generation a chance to enjoy this nearly-lost game in nifty portable form.
The Snark: I got nothin', not even a Virtual Console complaint. This is a game that just really deserved re-release.
A handful of pretty screens behind the cut.
Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen
The Lowdown: Rare's Vivata Piñata franchise comes to the DS with Pocket Paradise, a game all about building the perfect habitat for your favorite piñatas. Design your garden and keep an eye on your piñata troupe's needs, or try to collect every creature in the Piñata Pyramid. You can even trade piñatas and items with friends, and play around sandbox-style in Playground Mode.
The Hype: 360 fans insist Viva Piñata is a better game than anyone gave it credit for, and maybe they're right. Pocket Paradise, at least, is a completely engaging virtual pet experience, with just the right amounts of designing, caretaking, and plot-following to keep things interesting.
The Snark: Running to the DS to get Viva Piñata to its target audience, Rare? Why not break down and make a Wii game while you're at it?
Some brightly colored screens and art behind the cut.
Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise
The Lowdown: Lock's Quest challenges players to defend against attacks from incoming hordes of bad guys by creating defenses, and then slugging it out with enemies. In Build Mode, you can set up a defense of walls, traps, and turrets, and then in Battle Mode you see if you can weather the enemy assault. Lock can fight enemies or repair damage to structures, making you decide carefully how to use your time in battle.
The Hype: Lock's Quest is the latest title from 5th Cell, developers of Drawn to Life. While not quite as madly out of the box as their first game, Lock's Quest blends RPG and RTS elements for the Nintendo DS in a fresh, fun way. Use your stylus to construct walls in simple, intuitive ways, and to move Lock around the battlefield.
The Snark: I've got nothing here-- Drawn to Life was a pretty decent game, but Lock's Quest looks much better and is way more fun to play.
Some screens and a little bit of art behind the cut.
Lock's Quest
The Lowdown: Not a reboot, not a spin-off, not a sequel, not a "new interpretation": Mega Man 9 is a straight-up 8-Bit Mega Man game, with a new series of Robot Masters to battle and Dr. Wily's castle waiting at the end. Only now you can buy items to make your journey a little easier, and there may be other unknown features waiting as well...
The Hype: It's a real Mega Man game after far too many years of lousy pretenders running around in Mega Man's clothing. The authentic 8-bit graphics just make it funnier.
The Snark: A lot of the sprites look suspiciously like re-edited sprites from old games...
Bonus: Things That Killed Me When I Played Mega Man 9
- Spikes
- Pits
- Giant Robot Elephants
- Cannons
- Robot Birds
- Stuff Dropped by Robot Birds
8-Bit screens await behind the cut.
The Lowdown: To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the release of the original arcade Track & Field in 1983, New International Track & Field is updating the experience for the Nintendo DS. Now you can play with one of 18 cute SD characters designed by UDON, and unlock bonus Konami guest characters. Use your stylus to guide your athlete through events, each with its own special rhythm and technique. Play individual events, compete online, or take on the challenge of career mode with more than 20 events to master. Share your game to let up to four players compete off of one cart. Customize your athlete's appearance with unlockable costumes, and shout words of encouragement into the microphone to give your athlete a boost.
The Hype: New International Track & Field is feature-rich to an absurd degree, and the UDON characters add a lot to the game. As long as the controls are solid, this one's a winner.
The Snark: The original Track & Field amounted to "hit buttons fast". Will New International Track & Field amount to "drag stylus fast"?
Anyway, some screens with action and the crazy stylus manipulation areas behind the cut.
New International Track & Field
The Lowdown: Time Hollow is an original adventure game, the brainchild of Suikoden writer Junko Kawano. With his mystical "Hollow Pen" that lets him change the past, Ethan Kairos must unravel the mystery of his family's sudden disappearance. Players must use the Hollow Pen to unravel the secret of Time Hollow, a story-driven adventure interspersed with anime sequences produced by studio AIC.
The Hype: The DS is a good system for adventure games, and the Hollow Pen is a great mechanic. If the story is worth finishing, then Time Hollow should be a great game.
The Snark: Nothing to snark about, really, in part because the Konami demo put you in the middle of the game and made things kind of incomprehensible.
Screens of art and dialogue behind the cut.
Time Hollow
The Lowdown: Lost in Blue: Shipwrecked takes the franchise onto the Wii, where you can better enjoy your tropical environment thanks to enhanced 3D graphics. Now mundane tasks like fishing, cooking, and carpentry come to life as special mini-games featuring Wii Remote motion input. Play mini-games competitively with friends, use your pets to gather island, and explore your island as thoroughly as possible.
The Hype: Lost in Blue scratches a simulation gamer's itch in a really weird way, offering plenty of activities to do and the basic challenge of building up a survivable home. If the exploration gives the proceedings more depth, then this could be the best game in the series so far.
The Snark: Not content with making the same game twice for the DS, Konami has boldly decided to remake it a third time for the Wii.
Anyway, check out some screens of your new pet monkey and dog in action behind the cut.
Lost in Blue: Shipwrecked!
The Lowdown: Catch the 64 omega Elebits and use their special powers to solve puzzling problems and finish challenging quests. Once you've caught your Elebit, you have to raise and take care of it carefully if you want to unleash its full power. You can also play an Elebit-capturing challenge game for up to four players.
The Hype: The first Elebits has some vocal fans, and the second has some terribly great sprite art. If the gameplay is up to snuff and the puzzles worth solving, it'll do just fine.
The Snark: Maybe it's just me, but this game seems to seriously encourage Elebit cannibalism. The only way to charge up an omega Elebit is to feed it tinier Elebits. I felt bad while playing it.
A handful of cute 2D screens behind the cut.
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