Just Bought a Nintendo DS

[skace]

Originally posted by: Aikouka
Sudoku is definitely the best aspect of Brain Age. In my opinion, Brain Age also has the best console sudoku implementation. That opinion comes from me playing Sudoku Mania! (DS), Go! Sudoku (PSP) and the version in Brain Age. I feel like I'm leaving one out, but oh well.

You are forgetting Sudoku Gridmaster: http://www.ebgames.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=180144

Which I believe is the exact same one as in Brain Age. Too lazy to confirm.

 

[Aikouka]

Originally posted by: skace
You are forgetting Sudoku Gridmaster: http://www.ebgames.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=180144

Which I believe is the exact same one as in Brain Age. Too lazy to confirm.

Yeah, I had that game too (that's the one I couldn't remember that I mentioned). It was garbage too. I think that variant got even less playtime than Sudoku Mania! before I couldn't stand the implementation anymore. My brother seemed to have no problem with any of them (excl. PSP games, since he doesn't have a PSP), but I'm very picky and won't put up with a crappy interface.

 

[skace]

Oh you are right. I thought it was done by the same people but I'm wrong.

Sudoku Gridmaster is obviously a product done by a completely different development studio than Brain Age. In fact, the game feels an awful lot like a contractual obligation between Nintendo and Hudson - Nintendo already had a Sudoku hit with the version in Brain Age, but instead of building off of that engine, the company instead went with a totally different product with a presentation that doesn't look or feel anything like Brain Age's sterile-but-very functional Sudoku mode.

From http://ds.ign.com/articles/713/713603p1.html

Ah well, my mom didn't seem to mind

 

[Aikouka]

Yeah, the problem with me is it's like I went from an 8800GTX back to my 6800GT... it's a downgrade and I don't like downgrading . In this case, the game downgraded my user experience. But if you just enjoy the game itself or have never played Brain Age, you're usually fine with those.

 

[Frodolives]

I love playing Sudoku on my DS in Brain Age, however I wouldn't call it a "lot" of puzzles. Sadly though the number of games in dedicated Sudoku cartridges tends to be way too low imo.

You can get a little Chinese handheld battery operated dedicated Sudoku game for like $6 and it has something like 7,000 puzzles, so why should it be such a big deal to expect more than a few hundred puzzles implemented in a dedicated cart like Gridmaster?

 

[VIAN]

Originally posted by: Aikouka
Oh and VIAN, FFIV is a GBA game (although they are playable on the DS, I just wanted to distinguish). I also have this game and have noticed no problems with it.

Yes, I know it's a GBA game. I forgot to mention it. Here is my review:

I've finished the game a few days ago with about 20 hours of gameplay, and, although, it?s a bit late to be releasing a review, I?ll do it anyway. The game started out decent and slowly curved towards boredom. It was also had many port issues, which were noted in a thread that anandtech has deleted, that made the game more and more annoying as it progressed.

Some might argue that FFIV (Final Fantasy IV) can't be compared to today's Role-Playing Games (RPG's) because it's a classic, but I think differently. FFIV is sold at a premium price. To be fair to the other games at the same price point, FFIV will be stripped of its ?classic? status and will be tried as if the game were brand spankin? new. Plus, I?ve never played it before. Is FFIV worth your money?

[GRAPHICS]
The graphics of the game aren?t very interesting to look at. They come directly from Super Nintendo and are a far cry from FFI&II (Final Fantasy I & II) release for the GBA (Game Boy Advance). The sprites are lower resolution and grainier compared to FFI&II and have very little animation. The animations might as well have been from one of those Tiger handheld games. The background art isn?t as detailed either. Why are these things important? Because you spend most of the game fighting and fighting, slow moving battles, and you need something to keep you entertained. But these graphics just don?t do it.

[STORY]
The story is about crystals. After mentioning that, you?ve probably just run for cover in fear of clichés. Yes, not only is it a cliché story, but the game over-dramatizes many parts of it. It tries to go deep into character?s heads, but just dips into them. It?s not, at all, a complex story.

[GAMEPLAY]
The games starts out pretty good, but gets boring after the halfway point. For most of the game, you?ll be fighting slow-moving battles with boring graphics and boring fighting mechanics. I had to set the speed of battle to the fastest to make it more interesting.

All your characters come with these special moves that only they have. But they?re not much use because they don?t evolve. Only one character?s special move I found to be useful. For instance, a girl character has a special move called Pray. When used in battle, she prays for health. It heals by 30 HP (arbitrary number). Ten levels later when your max HP has double, it still heals by 30 HP. What?s the use in that?

And you might think still, maybe the story can save it. Sometimes, the story is so mysterious, you feel like playing just to find out what happens next. This did happen a few times earlier in the game and towards the middle, but it didn?t save the game from being boring. It?s just not complex enough.

[CONCLUSION]
I don?t think the game is worth the price it?s sold for; especially with all the bugs. It?s a cheap port at a premium price. Unless you have some nostalgia about this game, I would avoid it or wait for it to get much cheaper.

 

[andrewbabcock]

Originally posted by: VIAN
You may like Brain Age, but I don't think it makes you smarter. It may "make your Brain work harder," but I think you'll only be faster at doing those simple calculations. You won't work faster with other things, it's like a learned behavior or playing a FPS, with practice, you become better and faster. But only with those exercises.

Speed of comprehension and intelligence aren't related so what are you trying to say here?

 

[KoolDrew]

Originally posted by: daveybrat
:thumbsupefinitely Castlevania, awesome graphics and sweet bosses.

:thumbsup:

 

[VIAN]

I don't understand the question. I am merely noting that I think that Brain Age doesn't make your mind faster.

 

[pookguy88]

Mario and Luigi partners in time, that game is awesome

 

[Jel2h]

There's a bunch of good games, it all depends on what your tastes are. Resident Evil DS is good if you like resident evil games, and I hope they bring Resident Evil 2 to the DS.

Also, Warioware is alright, but has too many cutscenes that drag on. mario hoops is great.
If you're a fan of worms games then pick that one up. Although I can't figure out to play against the cpu in anything other than quick game format in that game.
Mario vs Donkey 2 is a good one. heard good things about elite beat agents. and there are future releases like the new zelda for ds, and yoshi's island 2 which show promise.

 

[Vortex22]

Mario Kart
Metroid
Tetris

I know you said you don't like racing games, but there is just something about being able to play it online that makes it amazing... Go for the Wifi games and you can do 4 player over the internet. Tetris and MK are insanely fun with online play.