Wario: Master of Disguise (DS) 75% - Game starts out pretty funny and seems like a normal platformer, except it's really heavy on the stylus usage. (Arrows and Face buttons do the same thing, left right, duck, jump. All abilities are used with stylus.) As soon as you get more than one or two disguises (which give different abilities like lazers, making blocks, etc) it becomes apparent that you have to change costumes way too fucking much to get anywhere. It gets old having to draw circles and checks and increasingly more complicated symbols on Wario's head to have to get anywhere. It's a good concept, but it would've been a lot better if you didn't have to change as much or if there was just a button to rotate costumes or something. 
Custom Robo Arena (DS) 80% - The story for this game is awful so far (like an hour or two into it). The game is all about a bunch of kids where you're the new guy and you play with these custom built fighting robots. You get pieces for the robots to give them different movement and attack abilities, much like Armored Core, only less involved. The combat is actually pretty fun, but it's also very simple. Run around a small arena, shoot lazers, shoot bombs, shoot missles. All this game is seems to be Armored Core or Chromehounds for a much younger audience. It's not a very good one either.
Monopoly, Boggle, Yahtzee, Battleship (DS) 95% - This game has no flaws. It does exactly what it says; the good old board games are beautifully presented. The CPUs aren't bad to play against no matter what difficulty you like, it's fun, and if you like the board games or want something quick to play, this is it. Only problem is that for some reason, it is extremely rare and goes for a hefty price tag on e-bay. Maybe wait for a second printing or try and find it at a Gamestop. If you're lucky they might have one. In any event, if you like the games in the title, get this. The only reason it is rated not 100 is because it does not have wifi. 
3-in-1 Uno/Skip-Bo/Uno FreeFall (DS) 95% - I have not played Skip-Bo or Uno Freefall yet because uh...why bother when there's Uno? 
This game is phenomenal for the same reasons as Monopoly, etc. is. It's also rated the same because it does not have WiFi. 
New Zealand Story Revolution (DS) 90% - This game is available currently in Europe and Japan only I believe. If you played the original arcade game, you know what you're getting into. You're a little chick trying to save other little chicks (baby chickens, not girls). It's a sidescroller puzzle game kind of like the Klonoa GBA games or Milon's Secret Castle for NES. You have different weapons that you find by beating enemies, like a Sword/Shield and different types of arrows. It's pretty fun, but the jumping controls are a tad weird to get used to and it is a lot easier than games like the ones I mentioned. If it's cheap and you have the ability to get it, it might not be a bad one to pick up.
Theme Park (DS) 94% - EA's classic game comes back to life in it's entirety via the DS. If you like Sim games like Railroad/Dino Park/Mall Tycoon, or if you just want to play the original again, this is a really fun one. Stylus control is excellent and it has a fantastic tutorial for new players. No inherent flaws to speak of, but I guess if you don't like Sim games, then this might not be the best thing ever.
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords (DS) 85% - A puzzle/RPG game? What the hell is this? Well..it's Bejeweled with a stats system. That's it. You go to the different levels on the world map and play bejeweled with creatures and warriors from lands abound. It has a generic "Save Kingdom from Doom" story and you get experience from comboing Experience jewels in the actual game. Same with gold. You damage opponents by comboing Skull jewels. Different moves are gained by leveling up (automatically get all the exp jewels on the board, stun your opponent for a turn, stuff like that). You use them by using mana. Mana is gained by comboing jewels of whatever color mana you want. (You might need 6 red and 6 blue to cast a spell.) Different equipment you buy with gold obtained in the game increases how much mana/damage you get/do with each combo performed. Honestly, it's pretty damn fun if you like Bejeweled, but it's not as interesting as a lot of people are making it out to be.
Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2007 (DS) 98% - Ever want to play a different card game from MtG, but Yu-Gi-Oh! (the only other popular one) seemed too retarded and childlike to admit to playing? Well, it still is! But now you can play the card game from the Anonymity of your own home without having to get into any of the retarded anime that is connected to the game. That's right, YGO:WC2007 does not have a story mode. All it is is the card game.
With a fantastic tutorial to teach you the basics of the game, an abundance of CPU duels and challenges to do ranging from beginner to the most advanced play, and an avatar system to boot, there is not a goddamn thing wrong with this game. You get cards for your decks by beating opponents and earning money to buy booster packs from the game's shop, so you can't just create ultimate decks right when you jump in. It has Wi-Fi, but I haven't actually joined a game yet because I'm still new. You search for people to play with based on Location, Skill, Type of Game, and Card Limitation settings (U USE EXODIA?!!? OMGHAX). Friend codes are here just like all the DS games, so no worries there. Not sure if it has a lobby, or if it's gay like Mario Kart. I will test more after I finish the rest of the tutorials and a couple practice duels.
The card game is actually really fun and a nice middle ground between the ease of Pokemon and the difficulty of MtG. Graphics are great and the music is nice. You can download content from a list of offered stuff like avatars, cards, up to date banned card lists, etc. I really can't think of a bad thing to say about the game except that it is still affiliated with the horrible YGO:GX series. You can get avatars and stuff from the other two YGO games on DS though if you absolutely must play as Yami or Anzu or something. 
Basically what I'm trying to say is get this game if you want a card game to play that's free to get more cards for and online.
Between sieging towns, doing quests, capturing mounts, training monster skills, collecting gear and building up your char... so much to do, heh.
Some of the monster capture puzzles are outright diabolical though, my god. And the western elf city is imhumanly hard to siege... you buff all it's stats every time you cast, it can convert it's mana bars into backup life and it's damage scales the more gems it aquires on the board... it just accelerates into an unstoppable juggernaut
I like how the longer you go in the game, the more complex the puzzle aspect itself becomes since you aquire more and more abilities that allow you to manipulate the board in a variety of ways far removed from the normal bejeweled set-up.
After you fight a monster type 3 times, next time you run into it you get a 'capture' option next to fight. Each monster has a pre-generated puzzle where you have to clear the entire board, big complex messes that you have to figure out the correct order to move all the pieces. Get stuck with one red gem left? Start over!
You capture monsters in the overworld and they end up in your dungeon, from there you can learn their abilities and add them to your own line-up, but learning their abilities requires you complete a specific type of puzzle where you have to get X of each type of gem + X scrolls, which take the place of wildcards, gotta make 4 or 5'ofs to get one to appear. If you get a mana drain, you lose and have to start over. But really handy since you can pick up abilities that use the types of mana you aren't focused in as a backup in case you happen to be getting piles of it you wouldn't be able to use to much effect normally.
Some monsters instead operate as mounts, providing an innate ability to you, a movement speed on the overworld map and a passive bonus, like the simplest mount... giant rat! Give you +1 cunning for every 4 levels it is. Upgrading mounts puts you in a battle against it at it's current level, but with a time limit on your turns, higher you want to get the mount, quicker and quicker the turns become.
You can also explore small areas on the map, all the huts and ruins and crap that aren't cities, each one has a rune and a runekeeper you must fight (Runekeeper being a regular enemy with insane runekeeper gear that gives them some nasty bonuses). Runes can be combined together to create custom items based on what items you combined them with, each rune provides a bonus and they are mix and matched to make whatever the hell you want. Different rarities on runes so I suspect there are some pretty scary ones late game.
Sieging towns puts them under your control, assuming you can kill the city's citadel which is a normal fight for the most part except they have OBSCENE life and unique city only equipment with different effects based on what city you are trying to take. Elf city can barricade itself behind it's green mana for instance. Towns under your control generate gold that you can collect every so often if you visit that town
Luckily there is a companion (Secondary character that tags along with you anc contributes help on certain scenarios, like a girl that distracts any lawful enemies so you always get to go first, or an archer that perforates any undead at the start of the fight for damage) you get that boosts your skills against cities, hehe.
Game has bosses too, along the main storyline... first one was a downright broken two headed ogre but once you kill him you get a neat little cut scene showing his corpse in front of the city you were defending, heh. Vorago fucked around with this message on 03-29-2007 at 11:58 AM.
I agree with you on all of your reviews though. Have you played Lost in the Blue 2? Thinking of 'acquiring' it, since I just love tedious micromanagement.
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When the babel fish was in place, it was apparent New Age Bane said:
Woah Gains either your a rich bitch or have a flash cart.
I agree with you on all of your reviews though. Have you played Lost in the Blue 2? Thinking of 'acquiring' it, since I just love tedious micromanagement.
Also, I'll play Lost in Blue 2 and report later. Didn't play the first one, though!
In the DOS original, coaster tracks could pass over paths and such in the park. You could have paths pass underneath roller coasters, and the monorail track could actually go all through the park. Heck, I've even seen screenshots of the Genesis version with monorail trail going through the park.
In this one however, you can't. All coaster rails can only be placed on grass, even monorails. To make things even worse, entrances to all the track rides can only be placed with the entrances/exits facing south - they can't be rotated like in the DOS version.
After playing extensively, I've noticed it's a very close port of the DOS version - unfortunately, that includes many familiar bugs:
1. Mechanics will get stuck in the center of track rides like the rubber tubing or race car ride; and will answer their radio over and over, but not move until you move them. Guests can get stuck there, too.
2. The "-Acts" rides (Cowboy Acts, Medival Acts, Clown Acts) are still notorious for getting people stuck in that little two square area in their upper left corners, and people can get stuck even on a path directly north of them.
3. It still assigns upgrades at random for both rides and employees - many times you'll max out training, and the mechanics and handymen get no upgrades... but the guard goes to 5.4, no trouble. This may be "Intentional" due to difficulty levels - for when the handymen and mechanics get even a few points in them, they start moving at warp speed, making your life much easier.
But, it also means if you cap out ride upgrade research before you get some of the later rides, they won't be upgraded.
It's still a great game though, well worth the time and money, I just wish they'd spent some time fixing many of the old DOS version bugs.
I've been hounding a few of my DS-owning co-workers to get this game, as well as my nephew, so we can unlock some of the remaining items - like the Super Toilet and new guests. Mightion Defensor fucked around with this message on 03-29-2007 at 06:15 PM.
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Mr. Gainsborough had this to say about Captain Planet:Also, I'll play Lost in Blue 2 and report later. Didn't play the first one, though!
It's not a direct sequel. New island, new characters.
Question... Any Wi-Fi features or Local Wireless? Monica and I play these things together.
Also I recently learned Monster Rancher will be coming to DS. XD Yes, I know it's a niche game, but I love the series... I even liked MREvo.
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Check out the big brain on Naimah!
Puzzle Quest doesn't really matter unless you feel like ordering it online. The thing has pretty much disappeared from stores. Really frustrating.
I managed to find a single copy at EB today.
Oh, and Gains, I grabbed Yugioh. So now we can play, fag.
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Faelynn LeAndris had this to say about Captain Planet:
Puzzle Quest sounds awesome.Question... Any Wi-Fi features or Local Wireless? Monica and I play these things together.
Also I recently learned Monster Rancher will be coming to DS. XD Yes, I know it's a niche game, but I love the series... I even liked MREvo.
Yup, multi cart wireless play. No internet play though (/sadface)
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Falaanla Marr had this to say about Pirotess:
I managed to find a single copy at EB today.Oh, and Gains, I grabbed Yugioh. So now we can play, fag.
Hot shit.
This game is really friggin' involved. You have to be way more defensive than in Pokemon or Magic, it seems like.
Also wth is Monster Rancher really about anyways? I kinda wanna try it but eh. Mr. Gainsborough fucked around with this message on 03-30-2007 at 04:27 PM.
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Mr. Gainsborough's fortune cookie read:
Hot shit.This game is really friggin' involved. You have to be way more defensive than in Pokemon or Magic, it seems like.
Also wth is Monster Rancher really about anyways? I kinda wanna try it but eh.
You get monsters from these Disc stone thingies,(In the ones for PS and PS2 you put in a CD or Dvd or something and it would read the data from the CD and gave you monster based on that, it was kinda cool. There was a GBA version though not sure how that work worked.) You then raise them on a farm, and by raise I mean make them do stupid training excises to build up their stats then you battle them in contests. Its like Pokemon but gay.
Lost in the Blue 2, my first impressions: The start is much smoother than in the first one. There is actually an introduction to tell you what the hell to do! Unlike in the first one where you wash up on the shore and then are free to walk around, and die in the first five minutes while your trying to figure stuff out. New Age Bane fucked around with this message on 03-30-2007 at 04:44 PM.
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Mr. Gainsborough had this to say about Optimus Prime:
Also wth is Monster Rancher really about anyways? I kinda wanna try it but eh.
Think Princess Maker(Stat building) meets Pokemon(battle.)
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This insanity brought to you by Maradon!:
I have absolutely zero interest in any of the games reviewed in this thread so far.
Who cares?
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x--WilliasO-('-'Q) :
thats nice
DJ Max Portable 2 (PSP) - Like rhythm games? Got a PSP? Get this. It's just like the first one only everything is better. If you didn't play the first one, description = Beatmania on PSP basically. Great soundtrack, online play, full videos for each song available to watch in the movie player with the game. You can link with the old game for something. Still comes with the ludicrously hard unlock system though, it seems.
I was a big fan of Survival Kids, and was disappointed by the scathing reviews of LiB 1. IGN had better things to say about 2, but I've read less-than-flattering reviews of that as well.
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Skaw thought about the meaning of life:
Think Princess Maker(Stat building) meets Pokemon(battle.)
Sorta, on a very very basic comparison level. I'll see if I can explain this, but I'll probably just make it sound really really confusing when it's really not.
Okay basically it starts out, kinda like Skaw said, only a lot more in depth in the building aspects. Unlike Princess Maker for one, you wont just have one character you are trying to raise statwise for specific endings and such, and Battling, Rasing, Ranch building, and breeding(Combining Monsters) are incredibly more vital than the skimpy bits you get from something like the games mentioned. That aspect of it is more along the lines of a virtual pet, or animal breeding game. Only a whole lot cooler and infinitely more involved/fun. There is also a bit of Animal Crossing type aspects in the game as well, and standard RPG fair.
The pokemon aspect comes from the fact that are litterally hundreds of little monsters and creatures to find/make, and they grow and evolve. Unlike pokemon however, you have DIRECT control over how you want them to grow and what thier strengths and such will be. I'm a perv so I generally make a ton of itty bitty bouncing boobie pixies to play with, or the kick ass Zan's (Think Ninja monsters); but there are hundreds more varieties. And the combining raising aspects leave it entirely open ended on what kinda of fighting machine/adventure bot you can make. The monsters (For the most part) are tons cooler than Pokemon. This is more for grownups than kids, as evidenced by the fact of the near naked pixie type monsters and such, and the meaner looking monsters including the Grim Reaper/Death-Like Jokers.
You basically start out with a small ranch and go get yourself a starting monster. How you get monsters is pretty cool, and will take up SHITLOADS of your time just making and creating them. You basically make a monster by putting any CD, DVD, or PS2/PS1/Xbox/NGC disc in the machine and the game uses and algorithim to create various monsters from the data on the disk for its type, personality, starting stats and abilities and such. The same disk will always make the same monster. So like I said, you'll spend HOURS just going through all your various disks and music/movie collections just to see what all kinds of monsters you have hidden on them. Certain disks make special monsters too, so it's always fun to find one of those. Although certain monsters wont be available until you've completed certain tasks in the story.
Once you have a monster, you have to raise it and train it for the tournaments and adventures you take part in later on. This is where Skaw's Princess Maker analogy comes in because you assign training classes and gadgets on a weekly basis which raises(or lowers in some cases) certain stats. You'll also breed them to make even tougher versions, or all new badasses as time goes on, for the next generation. In later games these training excercises became a lot more interactive and fun, so it's better to get involved in the later parts of the series like Monster Rancher 4, rather than the earlier ones because those could become quit boring after a while just assigning tasks and having em be automatic. The whole stat building, improving the ranch, item collecting, and unlocking is very RPGCentric but it can get admitedly dull after a while if you have nothing new to do or new monsters. Luckily there is TONS to do and a lot more after that which brings us to the next part.
Now that you have your prize monster it's time to battle! You enter tournaments to win money, items, and prestige (As well as skills on occasion, or to unlock newer more pwerful monster breeds). The combat system is rather unique, strategic (In later games) and perfectly customizable to the way you WANT to play (within reason). It's real time and skill heavy. It can get addictive after a while, and you will find yourself pushing as far as you can just to prove you can do it.
Other things are adventures. During the game you'll have access to certain adventure zones (Evo is especially adventure heavy unlike the standard series, but it has its own issues. It's enjoyable in it's own right but a lot less involved and lacks the same amount of depth. It is a more accessible game for non Rancher players though.). You'll also unlock special adventures and quests/tasks as the story progresses too. These are zelda like exploratory missions with the exception that there are random encounters like a standard RPG and combat in these encounters are tougher versions of tournament battles. You win money, experience, and sometimes skills/abilities this way as well as you do from training. You also explore the area for various items, quests, tasks and whatnot that you need to perform to advance to later parts of the game.
It is a very open ended, personal experience type game series. You do have to keep in mind though, it is a niche and you will either absolutely love it or completely despise it. It's a 50/50 deal those who love it adore it and it has a really large following, but those that don't like it absolutely HATE it. So keep that in mind. Another thing to keep in mind, even though you might want to (Especially when you are using your CDs to unlock monsters, or become addicted to tournament breeding) this game is meant to be played in bursts and NOT over long periods of time in one sitting. If you just sit down and play it non-stop you will burn out incredibly fast due to its pacing and hands off nature of the earlier parts of the game. If you just play it for a few hours at a time, here and there though, it will always stay fresh and remain entertaining.
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Vorago impressed everyone with:
Yup, multi cart wireless play. No internet play though (/sadface)
Thanks.
Internet play would be nice so I could play with her while I'm at work, but I can live with just wireless. It sounds fun enough. Need to get enough saved up to go multicart though.
On a side note Konami Arcade classic rocks for wi-fi features (As well as games!) really cool that you only need one cart to play any of the games multiplayer (Like Arcade Contra) and the fact that you can demo out the full games for as long as the DS is powered on. Faelynn LeAndris fucked around with this message on 03-31-2007 at 08:25 AM.
