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I may not be on the cutting edge, or a vanguard of new technology, but even I, cheapest bastard on the block, eventually get around to acquiring new video game gear. Not too long ago, I finally took the plunge and picked up a Nintendo DS. For those of you who aren't aware, it's a handheld video game system - you must've heard of the Game Boy, right? Well, a DS is essentially a Game Boy with two screens instead of one, and one of those screens is touch sensitive.
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The system is actually compatible with both DS native games (which come on little square cards, roughly the size of flash memory cards that you'd use in a digital camera or mobile phone) and Game Boy Advance games (but not Game Boy or Game Boy Color games). You can select one screen or the other for GBA games to display on, and there's enough buttons on the DS to cover all the GBA controls. DS specific games, however, use both screens - sometimes even to good effect. For example, the Metroid demo cartridge that comes with the system uses the top screen for a first person view of your shooty adventures, and the bottom touch screen displays a map (and doubles as an initially-difficult-to-get-used-to-but-ultimately-really-good replacement for the mouselook you'd expect on a PC first person shooter . . . tapping on the screen makes your character jump).
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The touch screen can use either the stylus that comes with the system (it slides into a hole on the back of the base of the system for safekeeping), the thumb strap (there's a strap attached with a small plastic piece that you put over your thumb, and use to rub the screen, or as a sort of mouse pointer type idea, depending on the way the game you're playing uses the touch screen - this sounds odd, and as I mentioned about the 'Metroid' demo, takes a little getting used to at first - but is effective in its own way) or whatever appendage you have handy, keeping in mind you don't want to scratch, gouge or stain the screen.
Fortunately, Nintendo finally learned their lesson with this hardware - there's internal lighting for the screens. Good news, you don't have to set off an atomic weapon over your head to see the game you're playing anymore! Also, the system comes with a rechargable battery (and AC adaptor) as standard, and uses a standard headphone jack, too. The original model DS isn't too bulky at all, doesn't weigh all that much, and feels comfortable enough to hold for extended periods, but Nintendo have already brought out a "DS Lite" which is even smaller, lighter and thinner. I'd imagine my going out and buying the original model is what triggered the upgrade, but you may want to wait until you can see a Lite unit before taking the plunge yourself.
Four paragraphs, and I haven't even mentioned one of the most impressive features - WiFi. Straight out of the box, you can use the DS to wirelessly connect to and communicate with other DS systems, either within a certain range, or over the internet if you have a WiFi dongle connected to your LAN or PC. A number of games feature multiple player modes, and some games only require one cart, and just download temporary copies to the other systems involved. You'll only need one cart to have Mario Kart DS battles with your DS owning friends. Another game, or more like interactive toy, "Nintendogs", lets you set the system to bark when a dog of similar temperament is nearby, and you can have the different dogs from each system play together. I can personally vouch for the over-the-net play working well, too.. friends of mine have played multiplayer matches with competitors from Korea, Australia and the United States all in the one race with no problems. The DS also has a program called "Pictochat" built in which also can be used for sending messages to a friend via the WiFi link - you can type to them using the touchscreen keyboard, or draw pictures using the provided stylus. There's also a clock and calendar in the system, too.
How about the power of the system itself? It's certainly no PSP, but then it's also half the price of a PSP, and far less unwieldy to hold for extended periods of time. I'd say the system's power is roughly equivalent to that of a Nintendo 64, or slightly better. It makes sense, really, as you could make rough equivalencies between SNES and GBA, and between NES and GBC. I'm not sure what you'd compare the original Game Boy to - perhaps a digital watch? Oh, snap!
Wanna know about the games? I only have a few so far, but here's my impressions of them:
Super Mario 64 DS
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This is, on the surface, a port of the groundbreaking Nintendo 64 launch title, "Super Mario 64". The game, however, has been expanded significantly, both to expand on the original game (there's now 120 stars to collect instead of 100, for example, and you can play as Yoshi, Luigi or Wario as well as Mario in the game) and to add completely new features. There's a number of 'Wario Ware Inc'-esque minigames you can play (and unlock through the main game) that're quite a lot of fun, and there are also multiplayer features you can explore with your pals. The graphics and sound are certainly up to snuff, with the game looking at least as good as I remember the original Mario 64 being.
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Mr Driller Drill Spirits
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Mr Driller is a fun puzzle/action game where you are constantly drilling your way down a tunnel full of multicoloured blocks, and have to avoid getting squashed or running out of air. If multiple blocks of the same colour land adjacent to each other, they disappear, causing more blocks to tumble down, and so on - it's a very frenetic game as you make more progress. The constantly running down oxygen keeps you from spending too long strategising which blocks to drill out first, but there's oxygen bottles to pick up now and then, assuming you can get to them. There are also blocks which take repeated attempts to drill through, and drain a significant percentage of your oxygen - in later (deeper!) stages, you'll find these often surround oxygen bottles, making you think harder about what and where to drill to best effect.
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This is a game that's been around for some time, at least as far back as the arcade, PlayStation 1, Dreamcast and Game Boy Colour. Why buy it again for DS? It uses both screens to expand the viewable playing area, which is handy, and you can optionally use the touch screen to control the little tyke, although I found that rather difficult to do successfully on first attempt. I suppose the main selling points would be the extra play modes, including multiple players over WiFi. I've yet to actually try that, but I sure as hell want to!
Ridge Racer DS
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There was a sale at Electronics Boutique around the time I was getting the DS - a bunch of games for various systems for 2 for $AUS50. Amongst these games was DS Ridge Racer (and Pac Pix, but that's another story).. I've been a long time fan of the Ridge Racer series, to be honest with you - I loved the first one on PlayStation 1 (and still do), enjoyed RR Revolution and Rage Racer a hell of a lot, even respected the fact that Ridge Racer Type 4 existed, although I found it strangely disappointing. I could go on, but the point is, I'm a big Ridge Racer fan. I asked a bunch of my buddies about the game, and the universal response was "it's crap, not worth the effort". Hell, I asked the guy in an EB branch, and even he said "it's shit".
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What do you think I did, given all this advice?
The good news is that I'm enjoying the heck out of it - great graphics and sound, the gameplay is very reminiscent of the original couple games (which is a good thing in my book). It's more or less a port of the Nintendo 64 version.. unfortunately, the touch screen controls are really difficult if not outright impossible to use - a steering wheel is represented on the screen, and you can move it with your finger/thumb strap/nose/etc, but good luck getting decent race results.
I hesitate to recommend it for a number of reasons, notwithstanding the limited amount of tracks and hence replay value.. but I still love it. Let's just say I'm glad I only paid $25 for it. Hell, pawn shops here in Australia charge more than that for second hand GBA or DS games.
Pac Pix
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This is an example of a game which really takes specific advantage of the touch screen feature on the DS. It's a Pac Man game where you draw the Pac Man yourself - draw a small one and he moves really fast, draw a huge one and he moves really slowly. Once you've drawn your Pac Man, you have to draw walls on the screen to maneuver him around the playfield - you'll lose a life if he goes off the screen. Later levels include ghosts floating around on the top screen that you have to fire arrows at - drawing an arrow shape pointed at them will do the trick.
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It's a simple game, but it's very fun and will keep you entertained for quite a while - just try not to get too frustrated when it takes you a while to draw arrows succesfully in a consistent and timely fashion . . . not that I'm bitter.
The next games I'm getting include Trace Memory, Meteos, Age of Empires 2 and Advance Wars DS, so if you're really lucky, I might even review those next month.
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