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Puzzle Quest 2
It's no secret that the first Puzzle Quest was a huge hit amongst iPhone users as well as more traditional gamers, but the overall package was actually a bit of a mess.
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Mega Man Zero Collection
It's a bit shocking that developer Inti Creates has managed to recapture the special magic of Mega Man in their recent 8-bit styled entries. During their decade-long stewardship of the Mega Man series, they've more often indulged in all the design choices that drove the mainstream away from the Blue Bomber than they did in the dynamic simplicity of the series' classic entries.
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Dementium II
I was initially sceptical of Dementium II. I had a hard time believing that the DS' diminutive dimensions could offer a foreboding, atmospheric horror experience. But I couldn't deny the ambitous nature of the game's design, and while it doesn't always succeed, Dementium II surprised me with its quality and depth.
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Picross 3D
I like puzzle games a lot, even the ones I'm not particularly great at, because they're more methodical and slow-paced than action heavy games. They require the same set of skills -- precision, reflexes, spatial and logical reasoning, etc. -- but the pace is far more manageable and it's nice to turn down the volume on the twitch muscles and rely on the old noggin once in a while.
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Infinite Space
Despite its RPG roots and its heavy use of stats, Infinite Space actually has a lot in common with the Phoenix Wright franchise.
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WarioWare D.I.Y.
From 8-bit sound effects to the occasional 1980's-era Nintendo reference, it's apparent that the WarioWare titles are lovingly crafted for hardcore fans. But what makes the series so fun are the hilarious mini-games which are accessible and varied enough to grab anyone's attention, even if they've never played a Mario game (if those people actually exist, that is).
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Nintendo DSi XL
When it comes to electronics, smaller is usually better. Everything, from refrigerators to hard drives, have gradually shrunk as time went on -- the two main benefits being increased efficiency and reduced cost.
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Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver
It's a little insane to think that I've been playing Pokemon for almost half of my life. From the first Red and Blue versions on the classic Game Boy through the Nintendo DS entries, I've invested years of effort into "catching them all." It's a testament to the franchise's addictive nature that, despite a lack of major changes to core experience, I'm always drawn back in with each new instalment.
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Ragnarok DS
Taking the axe to a popular MMORPG and paring it down to fit on a handheld platform is risky business, particularly when the massively multiplayer online portion of the equation is what made the experience so enticing in the first place. Ragnarok DS may look and play very much like its online counterpart, but the sacrifices made to bring the game to a portable format wind up hamstringing the adventure. After slogging through many hours of hacking up scores of creatures with my small band of warriors, I found out the hard way this dry, generic anime RPG has a few decent carry-over elements and a whole lot of tedious grind.
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Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth
Some five years ago, certain small, niche-y corners of the gaming world were buzzing about something called Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, a point-and-click game for the DS.
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Sands of Destruction
Where most Japanese role-playing games shoehorn you into the role of a naïve teenager on a salvation quest, Sands of Destruction does the polar opposite: it actually tasks you with the job of destroying the world, albeit it in a strangely heroic fashion. Unfortunately, that promising premise quickly becomes generic and it ruins the experience before this adventure ever has a chance to save itself.
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The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
The Legend of Zelda franchise has been a gaming staple for decades, starting with Link's glorious debut on the NES, and though the culture of gaming has undergone dramatic changes over the years, it has managed to remain relevant by staying true to its core values of epic storytelling, interesting characters and vibrant worlds.
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Style Boutique
We'll get something straight out of the way: Style Boutique has not been designed for gore fiends. If you can't play a game that doesn't involve bonus points for decapitation, you’re probably not even reading this review in the first place.
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Band Hero (Nintendo DS)
With Rock Band's release in 2007, a plastic guitar and a set of noiseless drums were all it took to make any group of friends feel like the next Led Zeppelin. Now, after two years of rhythmless drum solos, broken pedals and a new taste for 70s music, Activision has decided to snatch a slice of the pie, transforming Guitar Hero into the all-new four-way band. But where Harmonix stopped at life-size peripherals, Band Hero went one step further: the handheld.
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C.O.P. The Recruit
It's common knowledge that ex-criminals make the best cops (or C.O.P.s, which is an acronym never totally explained by the game). So when street racer Dan Miles gets arrested for, you guessed it, racing in the streets, the local police force makes a wise decision and instantly hires him to be an armed officer of the law. And so begins one hardened ex-racer's quest for justice in a tough city that looks and feels like present-day New York.
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Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes
If there's one gaming area where the DS's technology lends itself well, it's the puzzle genre. Due to Nintendo's touch-sensitive handheld, the genre has seen a massive resurgence, and no longer are gamers exclusively forced to listen to a Russian folk tune while spinning various blocks if they want to puzzle-it-up. However, gamers can only manipulate colored forms for so long before they start craving some action, and it's with that notion that Ubisoft created Clash of Heroes.
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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Arcade Attack
There are few grizzled, old gamers who don't look back fondly at the beat-'em-ups of yore. If you cite classics such as Streets of Rage and Double Dragon as favourites, you shouldn't be any stranger to roaming the streets as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
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Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
Although he's caused Mario and his friends all kinds of headaches, King Bowser has slowly evolved into one of the most lovable characters in the Nintendo universe. He's lived in Mario's shadow for most of his career but he's finally getting some much deserved time in the spotlight in Bowser's Inside Story, a wacky RPG that centers on the self-centred and wilfully stupid monarch.
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A Witch's Tale
I was quite looking forward to A Witch's Tale ever since playing it at E3. The charming manga-styled visuals, fairytale-inspired characters and settings, and stylus-driven controls gave an impression of an RPG with particular appeal to young girls, but that wider audiences could also enjoy.
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Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
In February of 2010, athletes from across the globe will head on over to Vancouver, Canada, to participate in the Winter Olympics. For a couple of weeks, sports we wouldn’t otherwise care about will be plastered over our televisions, and everyone will suddenly become a curling expert in conversation.