Nintendo DS Archive

Review: Dragon Quest VI: Realms Of Reverie (DS)

Review: Dragon Quest VI: Realms Of Reverie (DS)

If there’s one criticism of JRPG’s that is consistently peddled out, it’s that by and large they all follow a very similar path, from release to release, from franchise to franchise. While there are clearly exceptions to this rule – Final Fantasy XII, Persona 3, Half Minute Hero, etc – I don’t think it’s an unfair accusation to make and I for one have grown weary of the genre to a great extent.

The zenith of this re-hashing must surely be the Dragon Quest series. Square-Enix’s other role playing game, which revels in tradition in each numbered release. Featuring fan favourite enemies, a similar art style, signature tunes and a combat system that is barely modified from its original appearances on the NES. Yet I never grow weary of DQ.

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Review: Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! (DS)

Review: Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! (DS)

Owners of the ever versatile iPhone or iPad might notice some similarities when they play Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem. It feels so much like a casual game you might buy for a couple of quid. Not in terms of production values though, this feels like a very solid Nintendo title. It does however exude a very casual air.

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Review: Professor Layton And The Lost Future (DS)

Review: Professor Layton And The Lost Future (DS)

It’s a tough one to know where to begin with Professor Layton and the Lost Future. Like so many other huge franchises, a review of it is a bit of a moot point. It can be summed up simply with the sentence “if you liked previous titles in the series, you’ll like this.” Bit of a problem then considering I’ve got a word count to keep to. It’s true though. Professor Layton and the Lost Future is great, but if for some odd reason you didn’t like previous instalments you won’t be impressed here. It’s more of the same, but that’s exactly what fans want.

This time round, Professor Layton and Luke are attending a time machine demonstration when something goes wrong and the Prime Minster and scientist disappear. Don’t you just hate it when that happens? So it’s time for Professor Layton and Luke to sort things out by travelling back and forth between time zones. Ultimately the story belies the same old pattern of Professor Layton, whereby really all you care about is solving puzzles. However, the story is distinctly stronger than previous instalments and the humour is spot on once more.

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Review: Face Training (DSi)

Review: Face Training (DSi)

We’ve had Brain Training, Maths Training, even Sight Training, so it’s not a huge leap to get to Face Training. It might not sound overly appealing to those who like games on their consoles but it does serve a purpose. Honest.

Face Training aims to improve the muscle strength and suppleness in your face by encouraging you to exercise daily. As it explains upon first loading, all muscles need regular exercise to keep strong and your face is no different. It happily explains how increased blood flow does your muscles the world of good which is exactly why you should do these exercises. Presumably if you did them every day, you’ll have beautifully toned skin and no sign of wrinkles when you’re old. I haven’t got decades to confirm that but exercise can never be a bad thing, right?

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Review: Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels Of The Starry Skies (DS)

Review: Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels Of The Starry Skies (DS)

Dragon Quest IX is full of juxtaposition and contrasts. It’s familiar to veterans of the series yet different. It’s welcoming to casual newcomers, yet never condescending to old hands. It offers an extraordinarily social multiplayer while not at the detriment of the single player mode. It’s a tricky formula to master but it really does work. It’s the everyman of the DS RPG world and worthy of a place in anyone’s collection.

Like almost all RPGs, you really need to play Dragon Quest IX for a few hours before you realise the brilliance. I say this fully in the knowledge that when I first started playing it, I was underwhelmed. The story felt shallow and excessively lightweight, the fact that unlike the previous Dragon Quest game, all the other controllable characters are faceless drones. This wasn’t what I wanted in an RPG at all. I play them for the deep and emotive storylines, with characters that I can become attached to. As time went on however, I realised that this method was to Dragon Quest IX’s advantage.

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