ALL Aussie Launch Game Previewed and More!

Thinking of Buying a DS? Well if you are and you still dont know what games to buy or what games are even out for the DS within Nintendo Australia’s Launch Window. While these are smaller Previews the bigger reviews will come later when the console actually hits the shelf.

PS: There is still the Tiger Woods, Spiderman 2 and UBZ Previews to Come! Super Mario 64 DS
Mario 64 DS is the launch game to have, out of all the game released at the launch (at least in the US) None Surpassed the shear Brilliance that is Mario 64, However if your like a certain person I know (you know who you are) and have played the Original to death then there is not a whole lot of changes and additions to the game. That last sentence really made it sound bad didnt it? Well its not as bad as it sounds there is quite a lot of new additions such as, revamped and tweaked story, new Gameplay dynamic (Yoshi and friends) mini-games, more stars, Single Cart VS Battles and Tons of really fun Mini Games, oh and of course that very controversial touch screen control.

Controversial is the word, one of the reason why Mario 64 was so good back in its day (and still stand tall today) is the Analogue Control and as you know the DS has no Analogue Control stick. So how does it play you ask? Well there is 2 Modes the Faux-Analogue mode using the Touch Screen and the D-Pad+Y Button to run mode. The Dpad mode is fine until you get to the really difficult bits and then its better to use the Fake Analogue Mode. Both provide a different experience from the game, but remember its no Analogue Stick.

Graphic Wise Its Fine, better then N64 graphics (due to smaller screen, jaggies dont show as much) Remixed music and more Vocal sounds really refine the games. The VS Mode and Minigames offer more value into the Cartridge providing near hours of fun just in the mini-games alone, but once you start playing Mario 64 Wireless and Lag Free Multiplayer you can truly appreciate this game.

Oh BTW I didnt play Mario 64 too much back in the N64 era (too much Goldeneye) so thats why Im looking forward to it, you may have played it more then me and have a different view on it.

Why You Would by this Game:
Its Mario 64 Portable for Gods Sake!
Mario 64 Multiplayer and Genuinely Good Mini Games
Main Adventure has been Re-Jigged with New Characters to Play As

Why You Wont Buy this Game:
80% is still the same as the Old Game
You cant get your Head around No Analogue Stick
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Project Rub (Released in USA as Feel the Magic XX/XY)
Feel th… Project Run has one of those fascinating pop art styles to run the story and the Gameplay can only be described as something from WarioWare mixed with a dating simulation. (Not that Kind of Dating Simulation. Project Rub stands out as one of those distinctly different games at launch.

Also Project Rub is only one of the Few if only DS games to use all of the Features the DS offers (except Wi-Fi) you can play Project Rub with touch screen, your voice or your breath, the games is like Wario Ware in the sense that it has mini games however they are not in numerous amount however they do last longer. The graphics are simple but not bad. They work enormously well towards the minimalist art direction that it try’s to portray. Project Rub is artistically attractive title, but one of the DS’s more technically impressive titles. The Music Contained within the game and the sound bits and samples work quite well and fit appropriately to games theme.

I Really only have two problems with Project Rub one it’s PAL Region Title, What the hell is Project Rub? Feel the Magic is much better and the Subtitle XX/XY indicates that that it is in fact a semi dating game. (For people who failed Science XX/XY are chromosomes) Also the over length of the game is a bit of a bummer with only a few reply modes and customisation there is little to come back to after you have finished the main game.

Why You Would Buy this Game:
Some New and Different to Play
Loads of Humour translates to Fun!
Stick SEGA games in the GBA Slot and Customize the Lady

Why you wouldnt buy this Game
No Artistic Flair
Giggling Japanese Girls would excite fellow Class Members
No Multiplayer and Lack of Length
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Wario Ware Touched!
Wario Ware is one of only the few new franchise’s (with or without existing characters) to be developed in the current Era of Nintendo Consoles, and like many new franchises before hand was a hit with young and old. Wario Ware has since had 2 games made already and while the premise of them is similar (and same premise throughout this game as well) The Nintendo DS version does little to change away from the standard form of Wario Ware, however the Nintendo DS give you a entirely new way to play it, an experience that’s not available on any Console or Handheld.

Wario Ware is played by you the playing choosing a Theme or Categories in which you will play, you will then be thrown (not literally) random mini games from that theme and have only about 5 second to play them, It starts off easy but once the play time from each game drop time it get not only more fun but more challenging. All Wario Games (not Just Wario Ware) have always had a special kind humour often poking fun at Nintendo or itself, and the trend continues here.

And just our luck Nintendo Australia will launch Wario Ware Touched! Just in time for the Aussie release of the DS. This time Wario and his crew of misfits (and two new ones) will be bringing in over 180 awesome Minigames that make use of the Nintendo from the Touch Screen to the Microphone. As before each character has its on theme within there Mini games.

Here are just some of the crazy games Nintendo has come up with this time, copy Japanese characters that are displayed one screen to the other, play the NES version of Mike Tysons Punch out using the Touch Screen, Scratch Wario’s Back, A Simon Says type game, Cut up Veggies as they are throw as you, as you can there is lots of variety and lots of fun to be had.

After Mario 64 DS this is the game to get, with its great use of the DS and that absolute hours of fun you will get from this title are worth every cent.
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Pokemon Dash
Nintendo has decided instead releasing a full Pokmon Game to give us another spin off of the Pokmon franchise, Pikachu is the star of this one (but of course he is) and with makes his way over to the Nintendo DS for the first ever (and probably not the last) racing Pokmon Title. In this one you use the touch screen to navigate Pikachu and other Pokmon around many course over all sorts of terrain, battling and exploring, very similar to the main Pokmon games but still very different. Pokmon Dash also takes advantage of the DS Download Play allowing you to do a 6 Player Race with 5 or your mates. Pokmon Dash should be out for launch or shortly after.

The Race involves stroking the touch screen fast at a good pace in the Direction you want Pikachu to race off in. The game is set in Birds eye View, and the aim of the race is to reach all the checkpoints before the other Pokmon. Also there is different ways to get over tough terrain such a using Lapras to cross water or using balloons to float over. There are 25 different courses and more can be added by using you Pokmon Advance games in the NDS; however how this will work is still not fully known.

If you like Pokmon you will have to settle on this for now as I wouldnt expect Pokmon Pearl or Diamond before the end of the year. Pokmon Snap worked to an extent and its good to Nintendo try a spin on the usual racing formula.
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Polarium
Remember Tetris? Thought So, Polarium promises to be what Tetris was but on the Nintendo DS. Polarium is simple puzzle take, that doesnt require much processing power and doesnt really look that good however it does have the same addictiveness as Tetris. Polarium is like the board game Othello; youll have to flip over tiles to remove them from the screen. As the blocks slides down from the top screen you will have to make lines to make a row disappear and stopping it from reaching the top of the top screen. The game also throws in Grey blocks that enable you perform combos.

While it may seem confusing (heck I don’t get it still) once you play it once youll never forget it. There are over 100 puzzles in the game with a range of varying difficulty. There is other modes such as endless and also you can send someone else who owns a DS (not just Polarium) for them to try, however there no mention of a Vs Battle Type Mode.

Polarium could be the next Tetris, and hopefully it is.
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Asphalt: Urban GT
Well known Java Phone Game developer Gameloft are behind this one, however its not the first system this game has been released on.(The others being N-Gage and S60 Java Phones) So what does this Version of Asphalt bring to the DS?

Asphalt have a selection of cars that include such famous brands as Lamborghini, Jaguar, Audi, VW and tons more, and its the closet thing youll get ti street racing at least until NFSU2 hits the DS here. There is around 9 different tracks, which a representations of Famous cities around the world. Also there is a Jump Camera for when you go over Jumps or Have a Major Crash. Also like the NFU series Asphalt allows you to edit and modify your cars and also add performance upgrades.

However the second screen for this game is not badly implemented just not used to its fullest. It contains a Map during races and just acts as the menu when you press pause or before you getting into the race. Graphically Assault looks better then Ridge Racer DS however it does not have Single Card Multiplayer like Ridge racer which is why It might put you off buying it, as Multiplayer looks to be a real blast.
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Zoo Keeper
As if you didnt know Zoo Keeper is a puzzle game and of course being a puzzle games, it just HAS to have any explanation or even a story. Zoo Keeper story is that the Animal have all revolted against you (The Zoo Keeper) and you have to put them back into order!

Being derived from the flash game of the same name Zoo Keeper is another game that does not need any input from the D-Pad or Buttons you uses your Stylus completely. Now the next sentence has the possibility of either turning you off this game completely or not. Zoo Keeper follows thing same principal as Bejewelled. With each gem now consisting of an Animal that you have line in a row of three, of course there is the alibility to get combos of 4 or even 5 animals and sometimes you may earn extra point when the Animals above fall down because you have just removed some.

The graphics and sound a quite simple, the music is what I call thinking music, its enough to by useful however you probably wont take notice of it when you get to the higher levels. The graphics are a very colourful and well animated mix with big bold Sprits taking up the game screen and the other screen displaying stats and even more animations. Look forward to Single Card Multiplayer as well, with a 2 player mode.

If you not sure of what game to get at least give Zoo Keeper a shot as it genuinely fun.

Sprung
The first dating title apart from Project Rub to be released on the DS in Aus is Sprung. The Game offers the player a choice of two characters to; Brett a normal looking dude who is bumbling fool around the ladies. You can also play as Becky, a girl who no doubt has had more rides then a 10 year old at the Fair.

Both characters a on holiday at a ski Lodge, and the whole idea is as the genre sound, Dating, its a game of choices if you answer right you get the Warm Apple Pie if you dont you get slap and kicked in the head. The bottom screen displays the person who you are currently interacting with and the top screen show an avatar of you and how you are reacting to the whole thing.

Obviously youre either going to like it or your not, so its up to basically.
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Ridge Racer DS
Ridge Racer DS is a semi-port of the N64 version of Ridge Racer, this time with over 20 tracks, sweet graphics for a handheld and the ability to play it 6 Player with only one game card. You may want to consider this one on launch day.

Beginning its console life on the PSone, RRDS offers the same fast gameplay, loads of cars and tracks; however there is one difference with one, the Touch Screen. Forget about the stylus on this one, youll be using the thumb strap to use a Virtual Wheel on the bottom of the screen. The E3 and later show demos of this feature were apparently really bad however there is lots of reports of the touch screen although having a huge learning curve, eventually is a great way to play.

The Game runs at 30FPS giving those graphics (although jaggy) a smooth looking finish that doesnt do the screen shots justice, you really have to see it running. Although probably not a launch title here it should be out soon afterwards. Ill reserve my finial judgement till then.
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Madden NFL 2005
Due to be Released around the Launch Window, Madden Launch on the DS with full touch screen utilization, you will still use the D-Pad and buttons for controlling the players however the touch screen is used as a field radar so you can tell were you team members are, what play to play and also a kick meter. The quite good graphics of the DS are shown off here, with all the NFL uniforms recreated and a quite detailed stadium. Madden on the DS also features stats for every team and player as well as a full season mode for even the most die hard fan.

Americans love this sport however they have been quick to point out that this version of Madden will need at least another year; this title was obviously rushed for the launch and with a bit more tweaking and more features, like multiplayer.

Madden is not a bad sports game however unless you know how to play Madden you will probably not enjoy it as much.
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Ping Pals
Ping Pals is Pictochat on Acid, and it will cost you $69 dollars more for the privilege. Even though there is features like an Item shop which changes for which time of the day and time it is. You can transfer this game to 16 other players and then you can edit you avatar (if you own the game). The mini games are like Mario Party except Not as good.

However Ping Pals is not bad, its just the fact that you get Pictochat for free and anyone can use that. Ping Pals is more colourful and more customizable then Pictochat. The Drawing Pane is smaller then Pictochat as well which is not as bad as it would seem because unlike Pictochat you can use colours. If it was released for a way cheaper price then a Full Priced Game then it may have been worth a definite purchase however you already have Pictochat… so its up to you.

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