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Dementium – The Ward Review

Score 7.8/10

At first glance of this game I was was very impressed. The setting is an abandoned mental hospital, covered with smears of blood and gore, so as you can probably tell this game isn’t for kids. I guess that’s what appealed to me, as the majority of DS games are targeted at the younger gamer and there are only a few games that have an adult feel to them. This game kind of reminds me of Touch The Dead crossed with Resident Evil.

This is an arcade game, there may be a story line but I have not paid much attention to it. You simply walk around endless corridors looking for weapons to kill the hordes of zombies. It sounds pretty boring, and it has been done to death (excuse the pun), but at the end of the day it is what some people want out of a game.

Graphically it outshines most DS games and it has a real dirty feel to it. The 3D engine is pretty powerful for a DS game and there are several little graphical touches that give the game a greater sense or realism. For example, the top screen which is the first person view point has a texture on top of it which gives the game a feeling of grit and dirt. Using a combinations of steering your direction with the touch screen and d-pad and firing with the L button, moving around the environment is intuitive and within a few minutes you pretty much know what you are doing.

Check out these graphics

The sound is great on this game. A few times I was actually scared by zombies jumping out of nowhere! Its not often a game gets to me like that, in fact the last time I remember that happening was Resident Evil on the Playstation. (The bit where the zombie dogs jump through the window!)

All in all this game is a bit of fun. It looks fantastic and the environment is believable. Somehow though I am left a bit disappointed, this game is missing something, perhaps its depth. It is a fairly linear title, which despite a great aesthetic delivery fails to sustain any long term play and is all too predictable. The only saving grace being its control method, although this in its self does little to garner any extended time from a title you have probably played before.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass Review
Score 9.6/10

It has been a good few weeks now since I started playing this fabulous game and I still haven’t completed it yet. As you can probably tell from my first sentence I am very pleased with how this game has turned out. Initially I was really concerned that the method of controlling our hero Link, by use of the stylus would ruin this game, however I find that if anything it has improved it considerably.

Most gamers are familiar with the Zelda story lines so I will spare you the history lesson, less to say that the Zelda franchise has taken many incarnations since 1986 and the majority of these games are based around the idea of saving a princess named Zelda. More recent games tended to have a particular theme. Majora’s mask is about a mask, the Ocarina of times is themed around an instrument, and this game has an hourglass. The hourglass is used to preserve your health whilst in the Temple of the Ocean King. A simple concept, but there is much more to the game than that.

At first I thought this version of Zelda was going to be a quick one to conquest. After all I have completed The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past many times over the years and I am familiar with the way Zelda games work. I soon realised that this game was holding back, it was just revealing part of what it had to offer, and it is a much bigger game than I first imagined. The storyline is engaging and the puzzles are rewarding and this game feels fresh.

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Worms Open Warfare 2
Score 9.2/10

If you played the original Worms Open Warfare on the Nintendo DS then you probably think this game isn’t worth looking at. Lets face it, the first attempt, if you can call it that was poor at best. However I am delighted to say that Worms Open Warfare 2 is a magnificent game, in fact I would go so far as to say its one of the best games I have played on.

For those of you that have been living in a cave for the last decade, the Worms franchise is a large one with countless variations of the game on multiple systems. The plot is simple, you have 4 worms each and you take it in turn trying to kill each other. Think Lemmings with guns.

This game has been completely rebuilt from the ground up and it shows. Beautiful, smooth running graphics with fantastic game play is a winning combination. There are a large assortment of weapons from your usual bazookas and mines to the more unusual, and much more dangerous super-sheep, donkeys and holy hand grenades. What really makes this game so great is the sheer amount of variation: there are loads of weapons and levels, but more importantly there’s a large assortment of game modes. Believe it or not, the 1 player mode is actually very good, something I have yet to see on another version of the game. As well as various change modes there are also some game modes that are unique to the Nintendo DS. In particular, I really enjoyed the “Laboratory” mode where you have to get your worm to the target point using hand drawn lines and explosives.

The game described above is an amazing one, but add the amazing wireless modes and we are laughing. This must be the first online game that comes anywhere close to the experience on home consoles such as the Xbox 360. As well as your friends list there is also a rivals list which you can add to immediately after a match with some random person, there’s no bits of paper with 10 digit codes, just the press of a button – now why don’t more games work like this?

As mentioned above what makes this game great is the sheer amount of variation and customisability. You earn points from completing tasks which you can exchange for rewards. For example you can by new voices and weapons. Talking of voices, there’s a load of them including classic, brummie, scouser, redneck, Irish and cyberworms to name just a few.

This level of charm and dedicated attention to detail is rare in a game, and part of me thinks this is an apology from Team 17, the makers of the first Worms Open Warefare game. I have a copy of Worms on my Xbox 360, and sure its only the Xbox Live Arcade version, but its nowhere near as good as the one on my DS. Worms Open Warfare 2 is an amazing game. If you don’t own a copy already, you are missing out big time!

Castlevania - Portrait of Ruin
Score: 8.2/10
This is Konami’s second offering from the highly successful and blood thirsty series, and without a doubt retaining all the quality and 2d charm of its fore bearers.

Portrait of ruin offers the choice of two playable characters, vampire hunter Jonathan Morris and Magician Charlotte Aulin. The story is that our two friends are united in battle to prevent a pair of evil vampiric sisters - Loretta and Stella - from resurrecting Draculas castle in a heinous plot to unleash a world of pain unto an unsuspecting world, already ravaged by the events of the second world war.

Much of the stylus requirements from Castlevania: Dawn of sorrow has been done away with in place for other varied concepts, the buddy up system being the most noticeable addition to the formula. Whether this is a positive move could purely boil down to personal preference, although it is fair to suggest that the experience does not suffer as a result overall.

Our two protagonists can be played individually or together to combine their special skills, as freely as the player may wish. Although some sections of the game are impassible without such collaboration you will find that up to 95% of the game can be played single handedly, which does suggest a missed opportunity rather than a bolt on feature.

Technically, despite the portrait format, these paintings are actually landscapes depicting the various locales available for exploration and besides, landscape of ruin anyone? But the inclusion of portraits as portals has allowed for some of the more unusual and exotic settings seen in the serious, from a mad circus inspired environment to one based on Egyptian mythology. Access to these environments is not restricted and there are various map portal dotted around each level to maintain the pace of the game.

New to the series are a selection of specifically structured quests, courtesy of a trapped ghost character defeated by Dracula known as Wind. Quite possibly the strongest addition to the series, our players are invited to complete certain objectives in reward for special skills and abilities unavailable elsewhere, although other attributes such as strength power,weapons and special items are all found as you progress through the multitude of dungeons. Although not strictly an RPG, The user does have access to a RPG orientated menu where by you can customise the weapons, spells and other such attributes to either suit your style of play or to defeat a given section of the game.

The wireless inclusion of this title enables the player to have a friend help out in a co-op version, which in turn is probably better suited to utilising the combined attributes of the players in the single player mode although this sadly seems only to apply to the boss rush mode. Again,a definite missed opportunity.

There is also a shop mode which allows for the trade of various other items, although some items are actually beyond any use with regards to progression of the game.

The graphics are worthy of a mention, with an almost seamless addition of 3d elements and stunningly realised boss characters add to a visual treat. The music is passable, and although there are speech elements, none seem to amount to any more than phrases harking back to the days of the SNES. Given the machines blatant technical superiority, a little more spoken dialogue between the pivotal characters would of been more than welcome.

Although the game doesn’t quite carry the initial gravity the first title offered, it is in no way an inferior product. There are no noticeable problems with the game but in a similar vein to the earlier version, there are some sadly missed opportunities. Whether or not Konami choose to up the bar or continue to offer a different and unproven experience in a further title remains to be seen. But as far as the Castlevania series is concerned this a worthy addition and should keep fans and new comers more than entertained.

Bleach 2 DS 2nd (Japanese version)
Score 8.6/10

This game isn’t out anywhere except in Japan, which is a real shame as technically its one of the best looking games I have seen on the Nintendo DS. I remember years ago queuing inside chip shops waiting to play on the ahead of its times Neo Geo arcade machine. With my 10 pence ready I knew I would only have one shot at getting to level 2, otherwise I would be forced to join the que once again.

This game certainly reminds me of your classic Japanese sword wielding fighter. It has smooth and fast paced graphics with no visual glitches that I can see. There are loads of completely over the top special moves from rocks, lightning to a giant a wild boar that runs down your opponent. My favorite special move is when one of the characters turns into a super sized giant and you are able to smash your ant size foe with either of your building sized arms.

Although I don’t speak or read Japanese, I can tell there is much depth in this game. As well as all of the different mode types (including wireless) there seems to be an assortment of power ups and upgrades, and I am pretty sure there is some sort of shop too.

This is a sequel, but so far I haven’t played the original. I do hear this one is an improvement, but if the original is anything like this one, then it must be good.

All in all this is a great game, and I would recommend you import this game right now if you are a fan of fighter games. I haven’t seen another fighter on the DS that can match it.

Nervous Brickdown

Score: 8/10

Nervous Brickdown is a great little game. Simply put it an old style Pong type game that has been completely revamped. You use the stylus to control the bat which comes in various forms and your aim is to hit all the blocks with a balland get the the end of the level. Sounds simple but its a very challenging game. There are loads of game modes, some of them very visually appealing. There is a distinct retro feel to this title, so if your into that sort of thing this game is for you.

The sound is pretty amazing, so turn your little speakers up or use headphones. During play you are able to upgrade your bat with several different attributes. One of them is the ability to blow into the mic to adjust the direction of the ball. This has one minor drawback: if you are on a car or train the ball will get stuck at the top of the screen!

All in all a great little game that is highly addictive and should last you a long time.