blurredvision
Lifer
Well, after a nice Christmas, I garnered a nice chunk of change to spend on myself. I always try to blow any money I get for Christmas presents, because it should be something I normally wouldn't buy myself and not saved. After getting around $100+ in cash overall (minus all the actual goods I got), I had decided to either get a Nintendo DS or a Logitech diNovo bluetooth setup. After heading to the mall today, I went into the local EB to find that they actually had 3 DS's in stock. In shock, I decided then and there I should get one since they actually them, and the sales guy held one for me while I looked at the games. Keep in mind there are about 50 people (seriously, 50) in this small EB, and by the time I get back to the counter, this old couple is in front of me buying the other 2 DS systems. While I waited for them to complete their transaction, 2 other people asked if they had any left. Luckily, the sales guy had my back and told them no more. I completed my purchase with Super Mario DS as well.
Once I got home, I first checked the prices on eBay, but they weren't going for the profit that would be worth my time. So I opened it up, and immediately turned it on without reading the instructions. The first thing that struck me was the stereo sound. Man this thing is loud! It comes cranked out of the box, so I searched for the volume and turned it down. As I set up my username, time, date, and other things, I then noticed the VERY nice quality of the screens. Until the PSP hits, these are the nicest screens on a handheld. The backlight is perfectly evened across the screen, and the colors are vibrant. Both screens look brilliant, and I couldn't be more surprised. I also started to notice how heavy this thing is. Not too heavy, but if you're used to the GBA, you'll notice it too.
After setting everything up (which took about a minute), I looked through the manuals and such. Everything you need comes with this, including an extra stylus. For those in the know, I haven't used the thumb knob yet, but will get back to everyone on this when I do. My brother came over with his DS (which he just got for Christmas, I hadn't had a chance to check his out), and we hooked up on the built-in PictoChat. It worked flawlessly over wi-fi. We only sat 3 feet from each other, so we didn't test length. My apartment is no longer than 15-20 feet anyhow, as the instructions state to start at a maximum of 30 feet from each other for the best signal.
I then hopped into Super Mario DS, and to my joy, I found a nice recreation of one of my favorite games of all time. Once again, the brightness and color of the screens look very nice. And let me say, as a doubter of the DS's capabilities, the screenshots you will see does not do the actual movement much justice. It looks much better in motion, although you can very well tell it's not a pixel-by-pixel recreation of the original. Some of the edges are a little jaggy, but nothing you can't ignore. Overall, it runs fast, there's no slowdown. I'm impressed, as I've never seen true 3D on a handheld before.
I then pop in the Metriod: Hunters demo, and the graphics here are also well done, possibly the best on the system so far in it's short life. Aiming with the stylus takes some getting used to, and I noticed that every so often the cursor hiccups due to my releasing my grip on the stylus. Using the thumb knob may prove better, but we'll see. I also have yet to try any alternative control setups. Overall, the game looks great, and may be a purchase when it's released.
Overall, I'm mightily impressed by the system. I surprised myself by buying it, and now I'm glad I did. The touch screen has potential, but it also has it's downfalls. I hope that companies don't start to get into the mindset that they HAVE to use it, but we'll see. This thing also has a mic on it, so that could have some potential in the future. Also, the sound is fantastic for this little thing, atleast in my opinion. I plan on enjoying this thing until the PSP comes out, which then I'll decide whether or not to sell it. Without experiencing this handheld, I would've gave it a C based on what I've read. But after using one for myself, I give it an A. Could have better graphics (only because we've seen the PSP), but that's about it. Now let's just hope some great games come in the near future.
If anyone has any questions, ask away.
UPDATE:
I picked up Madden 2005 for the DS on Monday in order to have a couple of different options. I was kind of weary about it, as it was getting just average reviews across the board. I must say that at first I was a little surprised at how fun it was to play, but after a couple of games, it is merely just an average game.
First up, the graphics are both horrible and great at the same time. It's like playing Madden 95 all over again, but then again, you haven't seen football graphics this good on a handheld before. It's a blessing and a curse. But this game screams being rushed to make launch, so I'm sure the graphics will improve tremendously next season. The players a horribly pixelated, and look plain weird sometimes with the animations they do.
The sound sucks, but that's expected. Not much commentary at all, but this is perfectly fine. There isn't but about 5 lines of dialogue in here anyway.
The actual gameplay is hit or miss. There's a lot more here than I expected, but then again, there's stuff missing from the console versions. You once again get to pick your favorite team for menus, and this will just show the colors and logo in the top screen while the menu is in the bottom screen. One thing I found odd was that with the main menus in the bottom touch screen, you can't touch to pick your option. Ok, whatever I guess. Getting into the game is fast and simple. You have seperate options such as a single season, practice, and 2 minute drills type situations. While in a game, the graphics are in the top screen, and you have a top-down view of the field on the bottom. It's a really cool addition to football to be able to see the whole field of X's and O's to see who's open, but it proves difficult to keep from the sack while looking at that screen. It's all about skill I guess.
Wireless multiplay is smooth, as my brother also picked up Madden for his DS. However, you can't use the touch screen to pick plays anymore, which is odd, plus the ability to line shift and call audibles is notably absent as well. Chalk this up to another rush job, as it makes no sense to cut that out. But once you get playing, it's smooth sailing, with no problems.
The season mode is highly stripped down, and consists of the regular "Play Week" option, with stats pages and weekly awards. The stats pages suck, as I haven't found a way to sort columns yet. You may be able to, but nothing I pushed worked (I haven't read the manual). So you're stuck with whoever has the highest rating. And after 1 game into my season, my QB doesn't show up on the list anywhere that I've seen. My RB does show up on his list, but conversely, none of my WR's show up. And I had a great passing game with 250+ yds passing and 4 TDs. So this is kind of disappointing. I'm holding out the possibility they'll show up after another game. I do like, however, when you look at stats, whoever is highlighted, their profile shows up in the top screen with all their ratings. Also, when looking at weekly awards, the defensive player of the week shows up on top, offense on the bottom.
Overall, I like it, but most reviews are dead on. It's merely average. It was obviously a rush job, so I think there's much they will improve on next time.
Once I got home, I first checked the prices on eBay, but they weren't going for the profit that would be worth my time. So I opened it up, and immediately turned it on without reading the instructions. The first thing that struck me was the stereo sound. Man this thing is loud! It comes cranked out of the box, so I searched for the volume and turned it down. As I set up my username, time, date, and other things, I then noticed the VERY nice quality of the screens. Until the PSP hits, these are the nicest screens on a handheld. The backlight is perfectly evened across the screen, and the colors are vibrant. Both screens look brilliant, and I couldn't be more surprised. I also started to notice how heavy this thing is. Not too heavy, but if you're used to the GBA, you'll notice it too.
After setting everything up (which took about a minute), I looked through the manuals and such. Everything you need comes with this, including an extra stylus. For those in the know, I haven't used the thumb knob yet, but will get back to everyone on this when I do. My brother came over with his DS (which he just got for Christmas, I hadn't had a chance to check his out), and we hooked up on the built-in PictoChat. It worked flawlessly over wi-fi. We only sat 3 feet from each other, so we didn't test length. My apartment is no longer than 15-20 feet anyhow, as the instructions state to start at a maximum of 30 feet from each other for the best signal.
I then hopped into Super Mario DS, and to my joy, I found a nice recreation of one of my favorite games of all time. Once again, the brightness and color of the screens look very nice. And let me say, as a doubter of the DS's capabilities, the screenshots you will see does not do the actual movement much justice. It looks much better in motion, although you can very well tell it's not a pixel-by-pixel recreation of the original. Some of the edges are a little jaggy, but nothing you can't ignore. Overall, it runs fast, there's no slowdown. I'm impressed, as I've never seen true 3D on a handheld before.
I then pop in the Metriod: Hunters demo, and the graphics here are also well done, possibly the best on the system so far in it's short life. Aiming with the stylus takes some getting used to, and I noticed that every so often the cursor hiccups due to my releasing my grip on the stylus. Using the thumb knob may prove better, but we'll see. I also have yet to try any alternative control setups. Overall, the game looks great, and may be a purchase when it's released.
Overall, I'm mightily impressed by the system. I surprised myself by buying it, and now I'm glad I did. The touch screen has potential, but it also has it's downfalls. I hope that companies don't start to get into the mindset that they HAVE to use it, but we'll see. This thing also has a mic on it, so that could have some potential in the future. Also, the sound is fantastic for this little thing, atleast in my opinion. I plan on enjoying this thing until the PSP comes out, which then I'll decide whether or not to sell it. Without experiencing this handheld, I would've gave it a C based on what I've read. But after using one for myself, I give it an A. Could have better graphics (only because we've seen the PSP), but that's about it. Now let's just hope some great games come in the near future.
If anyone has any questions, ask away.
UPDATE:
I picked up Madden 2005 for the DS on Monday in order to have a couple of different options. I was kind of weary about it, as it was getting just average reviews across the board. I must say that at first I was a little surprised at how fun it was to play, but after a couple of games, it is merely just an average game.
First up, the graphics are both horrible and great at the same time. It's like playing Madden 95 all over again, but then again, you haven't seen football graphics this good on a handheld before. It's a blessing and a curse. But this game screams being rushed to make launch, so I'm sure the graphics will improve tremendously next season. The players a horribly pixelated, and look plain weird sometimes with the animations they do.
The sound sucks, but that's expected. Not much commentary at all, but this is perfectly fine. There isn't but about 5 lines of dialogue in here anyway.
The actual gameplay is hit or miss. There's a lot more here than I expected, but then again, there's stuff missing from the console versions. You once again get to pick your favorite team for menus, and this will just show the colors and logo in the top screen while the menu is in the bottom screen. One thing I found odd was that with the main menus in the bottom touch screen, you can't touch to pick your option. Ok, whatever I guess. Getting into the game is fast and simple. You have seperate options such as a single season, practice, and 2 minute drills type situations. While in a game, the graphics are in the top screen, and you have a top-down view of the field on the bottom. It's a really cool addition to football to be able to see the whole field of X's and O's to see who's open, but it proves difficult to keep from the sack while looking at that screen. It's all about skill I guess.
Wireless multiplay is smooth, as my brother also picked up Madden for his DS. However, you can't use the touch screen to pick plays anymore, which is odd, plus the ability to line shift and call audibles is notably absent as well. Chalk this up to another rush job, as it makes no sense to cut that out. But once you get playing, it's smooth sailing, with no problems.
The season mode is highly stripped down, and consists of the regular "Play Week" option, with stats pages and weekly awards. The stats pages suck, as I haven't found a way to sort columns yet. You may be able to, but nothing I pushed worked (I haven't read the manual). So you're stuck with whoever has the highest rating. And after 1 game into my season, my QB doesn't show up on the list anywhere that I've seen. My RB does show up on his list, but conversely, none of my WR's show up. And I had a great passing game with 250+ yds passing and 4 TDs. So this is kind of disappointing. I'm holding out the possibility they'll show up after another game. I do like, however, when you look at stats, whoever is highlighted, their profile shows up in the top screen with all their ratings. Also, when looking at weekly awards, the defensive player of the week shows up on top, offense on the bottom.
Overall, I like it, but most reviews are dead on. It's merely average. It was obviously a rush job, so I think there's much they will improve on next time.
