| Nintendo DS Reviews - complete |
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Professor Layton and the Curious Village (USA)
Reviewed: Mar 2008
They don’t call St Mystere ‘the Curious Village’ for nothing. Of course, before you can find out why exactly they do call it that
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Advance Wars: Dual Strike (USA)
Reviewed: Nov 2005
Intelligent Systems’ ‘Wars’ series has been in existence since the NES days, yet it was only with the release of the first Game Boy Advance
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Animal Crossing: Wild World (USA)
Reviewed: Mar 2006
Having played it daily since US release, we finally make time to review this gem of a game
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Another Code (EUR)
Reviewed: Aug 2005
Point and click adventures, such as "Day of the Tentacle" and "Sam and Max", have become one of those genres left by the wayside
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Apollo Justice (USA)
Reviewed: May 2008
Every end has a beginning; every beginning has an end; everything comes full-circle eventually. Such is the nature of life; such is the
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Bangai-O Spirits (JPN)
Reviewed: Jun 2008
There's a stage just a short way into Bangai-O Spirits' main game that's seemingly impossible to survive. There is little room for Masato
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Big Bang Mini (USA)
Reviewed: Aug 2009
You can tell when a company really cares about its game, and Big Bang Mini is really cared about. A box, with a gorgeous lenticular sleeve
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Big Brain Academy (EUR)
Reviewed: Oct 2007
The release of Brain Training struck a chord with many people who’d not normally consider themselves gamers. Mums, dads, even
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Brain Age 2: More Briain Training (USA)
Reviewed: Aug 2007
In the grand scheme of things, the brain is a pretty important aspect of life. It is what makes most of us better than chimps
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Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (JPN)
Reviewed: Oct 2005
Although he currently occupies one of the most coveted positions within Konami, you can’t help but feel a little sorry for
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Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (USA)
Reviewed: Mar 2007
Konami's Castlevania franchise is in a strange place right now. Appearing in the mid-eighties and enjoying more than a decade
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Catch! Touch! Yoshi! (JPN)
Reviewed: Mar 2005
Could this be the game that finally gives us a worthy sequel to Yoshi's Island, one of the greatest 2D platform games ever
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Children Of Mana (USA)
Reviewed: Jul 2007
The Secret of Mana was one of the finest games of a generation. Borne from a game lineage known as Seiken Densetsu in Japan, it was in
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Chokkan Hitofude (JPN)
Reviewed: Jan 2005
Take a selection of beer mats or coasters, line them up and what happens? Nothing. They don't disappear, explode, or change colour. So who
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Chou Soujuu Meka (Mecha) MG (JPN)
Reviewed: Feb 2010
"Chou Soujuu Meka MG" literally translates as "Super Control Robot: Gear". The robots in the game are essentially puppets controlled by the player. Each unit has different
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Contact (USA)
Reviewed: Dec 2006
RPGs have certainly found a comfortable home on portable platforms. While hardcore RPGers love nothing more than spending hours in front
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Cooking Mama (JPN)
Reviewed: Aug 2006
Cooking Mama screams niche. For starters it’s a cooking game. It features Japanese recipes. It’s all in Japanese. The good news is
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Coropata (JPN)
Reviewed: Feb 2010
Coropata may be the cutest game you’ve ever seen, but don’t be fooled; while it generally doesn’t know how hard it wants to be, for the most part it seems fairly
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Crosswords (USA)
Reviewed: Jul 2008
There are some puzzles the DS is made for. The fact that 94% of the games available for it contain some sort of Sudoku mode is
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Daigasso! Band Brothers (JPN)
Reviewed: Jan 2004
Daigasso! Band Brothers may have been one of the less prominent Japanese release titles for the Nintendo DS but, by heck, it demands
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Densetsu No Stafi 4 (JPN)
Reviewed: Aug 2006
Unreleased and largely unknown in the West, Nintendo’s Densetsu no Stafi series, developed by TOSE, is centred on the undersea, platform-based exploits of a little yellow starfish name Stafi.
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Diddy Kong Racing (USA)
Reviewed: Jul 2007
Ask N64 owners back in 1997 which they preferred, and a good proportion would have insisted that Diddy Kong Racing was the best racing
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Dig Dug: Digging Strike (USA)
Reviewed: Feb 2006
In a bizarre crossover between the real world and the game realm, Taizo Hori, the star of the original Dig Dug games from years ago, is
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Donkey Kong: Jungle Climber (JPN)
Reviewed: Oct 2007
As Donkey Kong finally makes his solo DS bow, one must wonder if we will ever see another Donkey Kong game developed by Shigeru
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Dragon Quest Heroes Rocket Slime (EUR)
Reviewed: Mar 2008
It shouldn’t be a surprise that the gaming franchises that are able to support a spin off are the property of Square Enix. While
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Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker (USA)
Reviewed: Jan 2007
What are you left with when you take the collecting out of a monster-collecting game? From the start it’s apparent that this is no
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DS Lite Browser (JPN)
Reviewed: Aug 2006
WiFi is everywhere and most people own at least one piece of WiFi-ready equipment, be it a laptop, a PDA, a PSP or a DS
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Egg Monster Hero (JPN)
Reviewed: Jul 2005
Hanjuku (soft-boiled) Hero has been around since the days of the NES. It's a comedy wargame title that has remained under the radar
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Electroplankton (JPN)
Reviewed: May 2005
It's not a game, so what is it? Matt and Matt investigate
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Feel the Magic (USA)
Reviewed: Dec 2004
Wario Ware was like a breath of fresh air in a currently somewhat stale gaming environment. True, it may not have been 100% original
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Final Fantasy Chocobo Tales (USA)
Reviewed: Jul 2007
Square-Enix has a habit of pushing their franchises in as many directions as possible in order to reap a few quid. Recently a raft of
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Fist of the North Star Pachislot (JPN)
Reviewed: Aug 2005
The internet is currently choked with Japan people, locked in a desperate battle to see who can make bigger fools of themselves. Like
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Freshly Picked: Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland (EUR)
Reviewed: Feb 2008
Video gaming has created some memorable and unique characters and there are few as unique as Tingle, the gloriously fruity man who
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Geometry Wars: Galaxies (USA)
Reviewed: Feb 2008
Having grown from cult mini-game in Project Gotham Racing 2, to Xbox Live Arcade favourite and now this
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Guitar Hero: On Tour (USA)
Reviewed: Sep 2008
When creating the DS, it was Nintendo’s aim to get non-gamers gaming. There were two main markets they were after: girls, and old folk. Activision have duly noted
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Gyakuten Saiban 2 (Phoenix Wright 2) (JPN)
Reviewed: Dec 2006
When Gyakuten Saiban, or Phoenix Wright as we know it, was finally translated and released over here last year, it rapidly gained a cult following
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Harvest Moon DS (USA)
Reviewed: Jan 2006
Cowpats. Foot and Mouth. Marrying your sister. Emmerdale. These are some of the things that might flash into your consciousness when someone mentions
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Hotel Dusk: Room 215 (USA)
Reviewed: Apr 2007
What plays like Trace Memory, is set out akin to a series of "24", and has characters that appear as if they came straight from the set of A-Ha's "Take on Me"?
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Impossible Mission (EUR)
Reviewed: Nov 2007
It's hard not to crack into the "Another visitor..." spiel when starting a review of this game, and surely it will happen in many other
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Jam Sessions (EUR)
Reviewed: Nov 2007
Nintendo systems are where you want to head if you like your gaming experience just that little bit different, using the term gaming here
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Jet Impulse (DS Air) (JPN)
Reviewed: Apr 2010
DS Air was shown to the public back in May 2006. Since then there has been no communication, thus it could feasibly be declared legally dead now, at least to the English-
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Jump Super Stars (JPN)
Reviewed: Aug 2006
Before E3 2006, it seemed that most people had forgotten Jump Super Stars. Close to a year after a flurry of reports from
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Ketsui: Death Label (JPN)
Reviewed: Mar 2010
Like a lot of modern-day Japanese shooters, Ketsui is held in high regard by that particular gamer that sees bullet patterns every time they close their eyes.
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Kimochi Chiyosa Rensa Puzzle Trioncube (JPN)
Reviewed: Feb 2007
Many strange people whom God does not love find puzzles therapeutic. ‘Tis often said that Plato could not have powered his way through the
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Kirby Canvas Curse (USA)
Reviewed: Dec 2005
Nintendo's plump, pink mascot has been doing the rounds for some years now. Sadly there's been a noticeable gap since his
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Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (USA)
Reviewed: Jan 2010
Taito's Densha de GO! series has never made it outside of Japan. Why not? Perhaps the idea of a videogame where all the player does is drive a train is believed not to appeal
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Lode Runner (JPN)
Reviewed: Jun 2007
Finally, a DS game that’s got some kick. After being disappointed with the severely non-taxing difficulty level in games
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Loopop Cube: Lup * Salad (JPN)
Reviewed: Apr 2008
It’s tempting to call Loopop Cube: Lup * Salad DS the best game for public transport since Guru Logic Champ hit the Game Boy
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LostMagic (USA)
Reviewed: Jul 2006
"Look son, actually you don't know who I really am, but here's my Wand of Light, one of the most powerful artefacts in the world
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Lunar: Dragon Song (USA)
Reviewed: Mar 2006
Optimism might suggest that in every bad game there is a good game trying to get out. Yet such optimism is difficult to uphold after
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Mario and Luigi 2: Partners in Time (USA)
Reviewed: Jan 2006
The original Mario and Luigi game on the GBA was heralded as a classic, a slightly rounded take on the popular Paper Mario game and one
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Mario Kart DS (USA)
Reviewed: Dec 2005
Everyone has a favourite Mario Kart game. It is a peculiar quirk of the series in that it polarises the majority of its fans towards
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Matching Maker (JPN)
Reviewed: Feb 2010
The idea of the Matching Maker games is that, in the role as "Mr. Matching Maker", the player creates a town. This is not like Sim City, though. The standard SC formula involves
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Mawasunda (JPN)
Reviewed: Sep 2006
In Mawasunda, Taito has brought us a new spin on the mini-game genre, literally. The title manages to mix a number of classic Taito
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Megaman ZX (USA)
Reviewed: Aug 2007
We so desperately wanted to enter into this particular review with a clean slate and an open mind concerning the Megaman franchise.
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Meteos (JPN)
Reviewed: Jun 2005
We want you! Save our planet! Meteos greets you with a call to enlist – a war is raging and recruits are needed to protect the
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Meteos: Disney Magic (USA)
Reviewed: Apr 2007
The original Meteos was a milestone DS title in that it demonstrated what the machine was really capable of. The touch-screen
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Metroid Prime Pinball (USA)
Reviewed: Jun 2007
Considering Samus can freely morph into ball-form whenever and wherever she so desires, it would seem more than likely she was the
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Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii: Ouendan 2 (JPN)
Reviewed: Jun 2007
One. Two. Three. Four. One twoslide. Three. Four. Five. One two three four five six seven. Onetwothreefourfive six seven eight nine ten
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Mr Driller: Drill Spirits (JPN)
Reviewed: Jan 2005
Updating a classic puzzle game for a new console must be a tricky task. A few changes must be made to convince players to upgrade
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Mugen Kouro Infinite Space (JPN)
Reviewed: Dec 2009
"Infinite Space" is the planned English title when this game is released outside of Japan in 2010. To some, having "infinite space" may imply there being infinite possibilities
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Mugen No Frontier: Super Robot Taisen OG Saga (JPN)
Reviewed: Feb 2009
- review
"Based on the DNA of Super Robot Taisen" claims promotional material; and based it is, though very different from the standard
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My Japanese Coach (USA)
Reviewed: Mar 2009
It doesn't take too long for an intrepid westerner to discover that Japanese can sometimes seem the most illogical of languages to
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Nanostray (USA)
Reviewed: Aug 2005
Nanostray may be the first shmup to grace the DS, but what a way to lose its virginity! It is developer Shin’en’s third vertical
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New Rainbow Islands (JPN)
Reviewed: Apr 2006
It's almost hard to believe that nearly twenty years have passed since TAITO's Rainbow Islands coin-op was released. It's true though
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New Super Mario Bros (USA)
Reviewed: Jul 2006
Life is full of seemingly unanswerable questions. Where did we come from? What's the meaning of life? Why are Curly-Wurlys so
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Ninjatown (EUR)
Reviewed: Sep 2009
Ninjatown has that certain charm such that even before you play it, just looking at the box will give assurances that the experience will be
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Nintendogs (JPN)
Reviewed: Jul 2005
The thing with Nintendogs is that everyone who wants to import it probably already has done. There's not really much that we could add to
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Nodame Cantabile (JPN)
Reviewed: Apr 2008
In the realm of videogame adaptations, Tomoko Ninomiya's Nodame Cantabile makes a case of quirky resistance. Resistance
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Okaeri! ChibiRobo Happy Richy Oosouji (JPN)
Reviewed: May 2010
Okaeri! ChibiRobo Happy Richy Oosouji, or Welcome back! ChibiRobo: The Happy and Rich Big Clean, is the third ChibiRobo game and the second on the Nintendo DS.
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Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan (JPN)
Reviewed: Nov 2005
Take control of a team of male cheerleaders as you endeavour to help people with their day-to-day problems through the medium
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Oto wo Tsunagou! Gunpey Reverse (JPN)
Reviewed: Oct 2007
Although it has only really existed on the fringe of popular
puzzle games, Gunpey (famously a tribute to deceased
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Pac'N Roll (EUR)
Reviewed: Dec 2005
Like many other DS games, Pac’N Roll initially impresses solely because it works. You slide the stylus over Pac-Man and he rolls in
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PacPix (JPN)
Reviewed: Mar 2005
PacPix is one of those rare joys - it's a puzzle game that doesn't bear any resemblance, not even vaguely
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Panel De Pon (JPN)
Reviewed: May 2007
At what point does the revolutionary become the mainstream? It's a question that is not often asked in the usual videogame discourse
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Phoenix Wright 3 (Gyakuten Saiban 3) (JPN)
Reviewed: Oct 2007
So finally here we are, the conclusion of the original trilogy arc. In similar fashion to the previous two DS re-releases, this version
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Phoenix Wright, Gyakuten Saiban Mask Vision Murder (JPN)
Reviewed: Oct 2005
In Japan, Gyakuten Saiban (translated as Reversal Judgement) is a well-established series. Originally surfacing on the
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Point Blank (USA)
Reviewed: Sep 2006
It's hardly surprising that reviewing truly amazing games can be a pleasure. Waxing lyrical about a game that has been nothing but
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Pokemon Diamond and Pearl (USA)
Reviewed: Aug 2007
It has been long awaited by the fans, close to three years since the launch of the DS, and now it is finally here. This is
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Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (USA)
Reviewed: Dec 2009
Deja vu. It's something not entirely unavoidable in today's society and especially the videogame market. Take this puzzle for instance: An unknown number
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Puzzle Series vol. 11 - Nurikabe (JPN)
Reviewed: Aug 2007
For the eleventh in their Puzzle Series on Nintendo DS, Hudson introduce us to the rather splendid Nurikabe.
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Resident Evil: Deadly Silence (USA)
Reviewed: Apr 2006
Ten years. That's how long it's been since Capcom unleashed the Biohazard franchise onto the Playstation. To celebrate
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Retro Game Challenge (USA)
Reviewed: Jun 2009
Retro Game Challenge (leaving aside a name that tries to sell the game as something it’s not) is your childhood made manifest on
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Rhythm Tengoku Gold (JPN)
Reviewed: Nov 2008
The original Rhythm Tengoku for the Gameboy Advance was something of a cult title. Since it never received an English release, it reached this status outside of Japan
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Rittai Picross (JPN)
Reviewed: Jun 2009
The move to 3D has killed so many games. Remember the glory days of Sonic the Hedgehog? Running from left to right as quickly as his
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Sawaru Made In Wario (JPN)
Reviewed: Feb 2005
This reviewer remembers the first time he encountered the despotic character Wario in Super Mario Land 2 on the GameBoy: the cheeky bugger had stolen Mario’s (rather
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Scribblenauts (USA)
Reviewed: Nov 2009
There are few things that rile a gamer as much as hype. We’ve been burned far too many times before. If a reviewer was to refer to Scribblenauts as the best game ever (fact)
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Shunkan Puzz Loop (aka Magnetica) (JPN)
Reviewed: Jan 2007
Puzz Loop. Magnetica. Ballistic. You might even know it as Zuma, the shameless copycat game that’s available on a whole host of platforms from mobile devices
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Simple Series: The Billiards (JPN)
Reviewed: Apr 2006
While many of the initial Simple DS Series are Mahjong, puzzle or card-game based titles (though it’s still early days), this
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Simple Series: The Party Game (JPN)
Reviewed: Apr 2006
The Party Game seems like a great idea. You’d imagine the qualities that make home console versions of party games such as Atsumare
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SNK Vs Capcom: Card Fighters (USA)
Reviewed: Jun 2007
We all know that there are certain intellectual properties, whether they are films, records, books or whatever, that are proper
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Snowboard Kids (USA)
Reviewed: May 2006
The titular sound effect that kick-started the N64 Snowboard Kids cart was a joyous shriek that encapsulated the game’s
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Sonic Rush (USA)
Reviewed: Feb 2006
There’s quite a hefty number of video game icons that are easily recognisable to the ‘Average Joe’ on the street. Flash a picture of a
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Soul Bubbles (EUR)
Reviewed: Jul 2008
There is no shortage of decent puzzling fare for the Nintendo DS. There is no shortage of bog-standard shovelware available for it
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Space Invaders Extreme (JPN)
Reviewed: May 2008
Space Invaders: a name that requires no introduction in videogame culture. In fact, it's a name that probably doesn’t need any introduction
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StarFox Command DS (JPN)
Reviewed: Sep 2006
In the beginning, Nintendo (and Argonaut) created StarFox and it was good. The original StarFox (or Starwing, as the UK received it),
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Super Mario 64 DS (USA)
Reviewed: Jan 2005
The year 1996 saw a lot of change and event: the Taleban took over Afghanistan; life was discovered to have existed
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Super Princess Peach (JPN)
Reviewed: Apr 2006
It is a stroke of luck that Mario got kidnapped during Princess Peach’s time-of-the-month. Whilst it may seem that the monthly cycle
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Super Robot Taisen: W (JPN)
Reviewed: Mar 2010
Parts of this review could easily apply to many other Super Robot Taisen games. The many games released so far usually follow a similar formula – the story of each game
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Super Robot Wars OG Saga: Mugen no Frontier EXCEED (JPN)
Reviewed: Jun 2010
The enemy-juggling lovelies are back, and with 200%* more jubblies than before! (*Approximate figure.) For the uninitiated, Super Robot Wars Original Generation Saga
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Taiko No Tatsujin (JPN)
Reviewed: Sep 2007
Rhythm action games are starting to find themselves a niche on the Nintendo DS. Well, at least in Japan they are. It seems most gamers in
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Tales Of Hearts (JPN)
Reviewed: Jul 2009
December 18th 2008 saw the release of the third 'Tales of' game on the Nintendo DS: Tales of Hearts. But what was so different about this
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THE Genshijin SIMPLE DS Series vol #35 (JPN)
Reviewed: Jan 2010
The SIMPLE game series is just that – simple. It can be a good point or a bad point. The simplicity of THE Genshijin DS tips the scale towards "good", but not all the way.
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The Simple DS Series Vol 32: The Zombie Crisis (JPN)
Reviewed: Jun 2008
The Simple DS Series Vol 32: The Zombie Crisis has an excellent title, and fairly nice cover artwork; sort of like some Resident Evil spin-
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Tokyo Beat Down (USA)
Reviewed: Aug 2009
Anyone who remembers "Beat" Takeshi Kitano's directorial debut, Violent Cop, might have pinned hopes on Success's similarly themed
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Tomodachi Collection (JPN)
Reviewed: Sep 2009
Tomodachi Collection, literally "Friend Collection", is a DS extension of the Miis that are used on the Wii. Small
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Trauma Center: Under the Knife (USA)
Reviewed: Dec 2005
The initial disclaimer that flashes up on loading the Trauma Center cartridge warns that the quasi-futuristic medical
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Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble (USA)
Reviewed: Apr 2006
What is it with Capcom? When they're not making exceptionally brilliant games like Resident Evil 4, Devil May Cry 3 and Phoenix
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Wario Master of Disguise (USA)
Reviewed: Aug 2007
Wario is a pretty likeable rogue, even though he’s basically a crook, a cheat and all-round selfish scumbag.
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Where Do Babies Come From? (USA)
Reviewed: Feb 2006
It’s early morning. Breakfast time in fact. Mum and Dad are in the kitchen. She’s busily making toast, while he sits at the table
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World Soccer Winning Eleven DS (JPN)
Reviewed: May 2007
World Soccer Winning Eleven DS is one of the most underwhelming additions to the series so far. It will probably come as no surprise to find it contains
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Worms: Open Warfare (EUR)
Reviewed: Apr 2006
Worms on the DS is, quite possibly, the biggest missed opportunity in all of gaming history. The classic multiplayer game, in which
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Zookeeper (USA)
Reviewed: May 2005
A game of trading places. Without Dan Ackroyd or Eddie Murphy. That is the easiest way to summarise the concept of Zookeeper in a few simple
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