ninjaguy454

There are a variety of words I could use to describe this game. Unique, weird, interesting, addicting, gimmicky, easy. I think each could be applied based on what someone is looking to get out of it. I visited this title 16 years after its release. When I first stumbled upon it, I figured it was something that came out towards the end of the brand's life, somewhere around or after 2010, maybe trying to cash in on the movie. The fact that it came out 5 years prior, at the beginning of the NDS lifespan leveraged it more leeway from me. Looking back at the old critic and user reviews it seems as though this was a rather unexpected release for the series. Something that's more of a tie-in spin-off game, as opposed to an adaptation like Sands of Time for the GBA. To be fair, who could expect a turn-based strategy game with a couple of twists. Going into it, I certainly didn't expect it, and I immediately became hypercritical... that was until I played the game. The gameplay is by no means perfect. It has an 'Advanced Wars' sort of vibe with the familiar Prince of Persia skin pasted over it. I've heard people describe card-game elements about it, but really this extends to the fact that you give orders via a set of dealt playable cards out of a customizable deck. The cards can provide buffs to your troops and/or debuffs to enemies with a fair variety and a wide selection of options to choose from. I think it adds more to diversify the combat and works you to be more strategic with more limited options. Although it does add a degree of RNG, I haven't found even the ultra-rare cards to have a game-altering effect where I might've won where I would've lost or vise versa. But that was solely during the single-player campaign, I'm not sure how it would affect multiplayer. Overall, I found the gameplay is very addicting, but there are a few concerns or complaints I have about it: - First, disable the battle animations. Although they're fun to look at, I found them to be too slow and they add little to the gameplay. - Second, the campaign felt very easy. Although I had a fun time playing through it, I didn't lose a single scenario and I can't determine if that was due to the poor AI or perhaps just some tilted stats in the player's favor. - Lastly, I don't care much for the controls. This was kind of a key giveaway the game was developed early in the console's lifespan (or that I hoped it was). The controls felt like they may have made more sense on a PC, where you have to use the DPAD to cycle through units and choose whether you want to move your view with the stylus. The way the camera moves isn't done via dragging akin to how you navigate a browser sayyy on a smartphone. Moving the stylus instead moves the camera based on which edge of the screen you move it towards. Akin to a strategy game on PC. The game did hook me and I would recommend checking it out if you can. I'd love to check out the multiplayer if I could. This is definitely a weird take on the franchise, but I think it has a niche and can definitely occupy someone else who enjoys the genre for a solid 10-20 hours at least.

Babysitting Mania on the DS is a fairly faithful adaptation of its PC counterpart. Technically it functions well and I came across few issues when playing. The touch screen on the DS serves the gameplay well. Arguably better than playing it on PC. Given the fact that it's a port of essentially a low-end PC title, it is limited in its graphics and gameplay. It has very arcadey gameplay reminiscent of something like Diner Dash. You will progress through households with increased difficulty. These may introduce more kids, babies, etc. Basically, kids will run around the house and mess it up, you have to pick up any existing messes while trying to keep the kids in time out (which is essentially you just knocking them to the ground lol) and get these tasks done before they get back up. If there is a baby you need to do things like change its diaper, make bottles etc. If there is laundry or trash laying around and you begin to pick it up you need to put it in the washing machine or throw it out to move onto a separate task. If you get the house entirely picked up the day is over and you can put the kids in bed one by one. If you do this before the set bedtime (essentially just a time limit) you get a bonus. That's the entire game. There's not much reason to revisit old levels other than completionism or trying to beat your high score. There's not much of a community surrounding this game. So there isn't much reason to revisit this at all. If you find this game at a bargain and want to buy it as a surprise gift, or maybe for a casual gamer like an elderly or young relative it may be a good fit. Otherwise, I can't recommend the purchase outside curiosity or collection-sake.

B-17 Fortress in the sky is an admittedly faithful port of the original game from 2001 on the PC and even does a fairly decent job of adding a few QOL features. But the problem is that the original PC game wasn't good unto itself. The original game, while being technically functional and playable is not fun. It has a very repetitive shallow gameplay feel to it. As has been stated numerous times by other reviewers, there are pretty much just 5 phases. 3 of which, you are shooting down oncoming planes that deal damage to your aircraft. I've not had any issues with the game technically other than it seems you are unable to damage the planes until they get almost too close to your bomber. Also, you are the only person shooting and that paired with the distance limitation, it is very easily overwhelming. Not that it seems to matter as I never died from not being able to shoot down aircraft. This is where the majority of the meat of the gameplay lies and it's disappointing at best. When you are not alone gunning down oncoming aircraft, you are dodging anti-air missiles in the second phase. These are basically just puffs of smoke, kudos to whoever can navigate left or right and not get hit by a single one, as your craft is so wide and the shots are so frequent and random that I'm almost certain it's not possible. Overall, it is a shallow experience and again, is very repetitive. 3rd phase has you go back to shooting, and it's the exact same gameplay as phase 1. 4th phase, you are now dropping bombs. At the beginning of each stage, you are given primary and secondary targets. Because the graphics are so bland it's really hard to differentiate what each of the buildings you are bombing are and where they are located within the cities. I pretty much just spam bomb and hope for the best. The final phase is another turret defense like the first and third. After returning to base the mission is complete and you are told whether you not you failed. I don't understand why this game was ported to the DS. The original game didn't do well and was cited as being shallow. I was curious to see if the original even sold well so I tried to find any sort of sales figures on it and was unable to find ANY documentation outside of the fact it existed, and who developed and published. Hell I couldn't even find the financial information on the original developers (Sunstorm interactive as stated on this site) outside of what other games they published and what eventually led to their fate. I have a feeling this game was a contributing factor to that. With that being stated, I do wonder why this game was even made. I know DSI was responsible for the port and with the other experiences I've had with them... I'm not surprised by its rating. Overall, the game doesn't really have much for glitches and the sound design is pretty good, but the gameplay is too dull and shallow to merit a recommendation to anyone.

Animal Planet Emergency Vets is a mini-game compilation that fails to deliver. For a game released in '09 the graphics that come with the game are rather unimpressive as goes with the music which has that grainy, low-quality compressed sound to it. However, it is worth noting that you or the child you plan to purchase the game for doesn't care much for graphics or the music if you or they are interested in taking care of animals and tasks regarding veterinarian work. So how does it deliver on this front?.. Well again, it's a bit underwhelming. It is a mini-game compilation through and through but even falls flat when doing so. The games just feel too basic and aren't that fun. Perhaps for a young child (5-9) they may reap some entertainment out of them, but I can't recommend this to any adult. You'd have more fun playing the Super Mario 64 DS or New Super Mario Bros. mini-games that came bundled in. This rating is a bit weird as it is a bit low but in an extraordinary niche situation where you have a child who is a die-hard vet at heart, and is playing a DS and sees this game, and the game is priced for less than $5, then sure, go ahead and buy it for them it may give them a few hours of fun every once and a while.

This entry in the Army Men series feels as though it was close to being something good, but the developers rushed it and it greatly diminished the playability of the game. Apart from the graphics, which are somewhat impressive, the game is just boring and annoying. I guess the story is that you are a boy playing and pretending to be an army man. So you take the mantle of that and go around shooting the tan army men with your dart gun. The environments are fully 3D. There are 3 maps. There is no ability to jump. Apart from the coolness factor at comes from the environment in the Army Men games, there's not much more the maps offer you and again, there's only a handful to choose from. The controls are a bit janky. You shoot and aim by tapping your target on the screen, you move with the D-Pad and you can swap weapons I believe with the Y button. You can pick up medkits for more Health, and there are also guns laying around, but I didn't notice a difference when doing so. I found the AI to be so abysmally stupid that most of the time I just ran past them and ignored them when I could. Theres only a handful of missions and the game can be beaten in just a few hours. I really don't recommend it. Play the game muted because the music is awful, repetitive and grainy, and the sound effects are grating as well. It's sad to see this was the entry for the DS, as I really love the series and was hoping for something good here.

Animal Crossing Wild World was a fan's dream for the franchise when it came out and I loved the original on GC. The idea of being able to play it on the go was something I could only dream about and seeing it come to fruition on the DS was incredible. Considering how early on this came out within the DS' lifespan it is a masterpiece by all means. Graphically, gameplay-wise, technically, and with its music. Stylistic, casual, comforting are the notes that Wild World hits and if you want to just kick back and relax then this would have been the game for you/ I think now, the newer entries in the series would be more suitable, but it is worth saying that this game is a classic and has a special place in my heart. I'd go into further detail, but this game has been reviewed into exhaustion.

Away Shuffle Dungeon is a bit of a sleeper on the DS. The gameplay overall is fairly solid and it has a basic enough storyline to suit what it's trying to do. I think at first, the gameplay feels a bit exciting and original, but does eventually wear a bit thin Essentially you've moved to a town and everyone has slowly been disappearing until one day everyone does. Now you have to find items that were left behind by your neighbors, these open portals to shuffle dungeons for you to navigate. Each dungeon has multiple levels for you to access through. These are small and fit on the size of the top and bottom screen on your DS, but encompass many floors. The gimmick of the game is that after several seconds, the top or bottom half of the screen with a shuffle to a new part of the dungeon. So you have to time when to pick up items otherwise you're left waiting for it to reshuffle. After you finish navigating the dungeon you face a final boss and then you can re-navigate through the dungeon not return the villager. So the second half of each journey turns into a bit of an escort quest. Now, you can pick up key villagers like Shoppe Keeps, and then you can use items you find in the dungeons so the shoppe keeps can upgrade their shops and provide better goods for you. Also you level up as you defeat enemies within the dungeons, but there isn't a clear leveling progression system that I was able to find. I guess you just get a bit more HP and do a bit more damage over time. You basically have 2 attacks. You do a front-AOE with your sword, or you can collect these little blob monsters that you can raise to become stronger. These essentially shoot a ranged attack to do damage and you are limited to shooting up to 6 at a time. So be resourceful. I think the game has the ability to be a timesink, but the gameplay is far too repetitive and shallow and hold it back from doing so. It has a bit of charm. I think it's worth checking out, but I can't really recommend it.

Aliens infestation has the potential to be a good game and I keep telling myself to play it. However, I just think what holds it back for me, is how clunky it can feel at times. I think the controls alongside the enemy movement leads to some of the worst combat interactions I've had. Enemies spawn instantly after they leave your screen and return, it doesn't matter how many times you kill them. I feel like the character moves to slowly and clunkily to get away in a meaningful time and avoid enemy shots. Perhaps this is an issue with my skill when playing the game, but I didn't find it difficult in any positive or meaningful way. Moreso, that issues with the game were impeding with how well I was able to play. Aside from the gameplay issues I had. I think the game does a nice job at feeling atmospheric and has a good concept of a squad-based 2D shootemup. You essentially have 4 characters to play as within a mission alongside various weapon and ammo choices. You have to navigate throughout the stage and figure out essentially what has happened. I enjoy the music and sound effects. The graphics re very stylistic and I think it has charm and I may recommend to fans of the franchise. The game just isn't for me though.

The rating for this game has personally the most contested out of the ones I've done so far and I would label the game as a sleeper hit. The plot for Avalon Code is rather basic, but interesting and makes me curious. It roots itself in the 'chosen one' trope like many other games do, but where it's interesting is the story that the game is based around. The world is about to end as foreseen by your character, who is chosen by 'The book of prophecy' to save the information of those whom he deems worthy or unworthy to save into the next world. Among this, you find out some other information about the prior chosen one before you and some political intrigue that is going on while the apocalypse is looming. Overall, I think it's interesting and kept me engaged with the game. The graphics are outstanding in this title. I love the art style used for the setting, characters, and monsters. The overall aesthetic of the game is very pleasing and it's great to see such a nice looking game that runs so well on the DS. Avalon Code's gameplay is pretty solid but does have a couple of weak points. I found the dungeons to be a bit underwhelming, and as mentioned before by other reviewers, navigating the book can become tiresome. However, I think it was a cool idea and helped sell the idea behind 'The Book of Prophecy'. Essentially, you can "scan" an item into the book by whacking it with the book. This saves the data and any essences that may be affecting the person/plant/monster/item's strength. You can use this to your advantage and the aspect of changing these essences plays out somewhat like a puzzle. It's fun to solve these and try to tilt the battles in your favor. Exploring the world is very much like Zelda, or Pokemon in the sense that there are individual micro-maps that all link together to give off the feeling of an open-world and it sells it well, although I feel the plot is a bit linear. The combat in the game only gets more fun the further you play through it. I think it really picks up when you learn your specialties and performing attacks like 'Judgement Link' successfully feels rewarding and is just fun too by itself. Look up "Avalon Code Judgement Link" on youtube and you will be greeted with what I consider to be one of the most entertaining attacks in a game. You literally just juggle the enemies as high as you can, into the air, until they explode. It makes me chuckle every time. The Soundtrack for Avalon Code fits the game well and has become one of my favorite. There's something whimsical and classical about it, with a hint of mystery. It makes me feel like I'm adventuring within the world as well as relaxing at the same time. It's a soothing soundtrack and the pieces within it do much to enhance the gameplay experience. When facing bosses or in dire situations, the music reflects that beautifully. You can feel the danger looming. Overall, I thoroughly recommend Avalon Code. I debated whether I should give it a 10/10 and almost did had it not been for the few shortfalls of the gameplay. As of right now, this is the closest I've come to consider a game on the masterpiece while working my way through the DS library. Pick it up and check it out if you're considering it!

Ace Attorney Investigations - Miles Edgeworth has checked off everything I wanted from an Ace Attorney game in the series as well as add some interesting twists in the gameplay. Haven't had a chance to fully go in-depth on the details of the game, but from what I've played so far I am deeply enjoying it. Will likely update this with more info in the future. But I recommend this for fans of the franchise.

As stated by the critics, ATV Wild Ride is the definitive ATV racing game for the DS and even one hell of an arcade racer on its own. Visually the game is rather impressive with some very memorable and thematic tracks ranging from across the world. Although they are limited in number (I believe about 8 of them in total) they each stand out on their own and are enjoyable to race through. The game does boast some impressive 3D graphics and it shows the developers took what was learned from others and themselves over the course of the DS's lifespan and applied it here. Gameplay-wise ATV Wild Ride is fun. The physics, although unrealistic, work well and fit that arcadey vibe and it compliments the game well. The game plays like a traditional off-road racing game with the exception of you being able to perform tricks to score points and gain nitro to boost yourself past your competitors. It's a simple system that rewards good timing and understanding of each trick you can perform and it feels rewarding and enjoyable. There are several game modes as well as ATVs and racers to choose from. Although the customization isn't great compared to other racing titles like Asphalt on the DS, what's available is enjoyable and appreciated. The game modes range from single races to a 'career mode,' multiplayer with friends on other consoles, and some custom arcade races based on the racing typ4es you come across within the career mode. All of these are a great time to be had. ATV Wild Ride is certainly a solid title, and pretty much the de facto ATV game on the platform. I'd certainly recommend picking it up if this type of game interests you.

ATV Quad Kings is a subpar racing game at best. It isn't very challenging as I find myself coming in 1st place quite easily even in the hardest difficulty setting. The music is obnoxious and I would recommend having it muted when playing Graphically it passes but isn't anything marvelous considering it released in 2010 and the art style is rather uninspiring. You can buy new ATVs but there doesn't seem to be much incentive to other than to qualify in more races. It's a rather disappointing entry for those looking for a fun ATV racer or even off-road racing. I haven't come across a game in this genre thats been ported well to the DS yet.

ATV Quad Frenzy is one of the worst racing games I've ever played. The controls and physics of the quads are insanely hard to handle and you flip if you look at the game the wrong way. Sure there is a sizeable amount of tracks, but the textures look like diarrhea. The music is a poor quality early 2000s techno. The game seems like it had potential and it was squandered.

Atelier Annie is a great game with a slow, rocky start if you're a new player. However, once you get past that there is a very fun game hidden underneath and this is coming from someone who isn't deeply into JRPGs outside of pop culture icons like Pokemon. So the just of the story is that you are brought to Sera Island to participate in an alchemy contest. Your ancestors were and apparently you are as well. Of course, you've grown up not knowing this your whole life, so you are trusted into this competition while still trying to learn the ropes. The story is about as cheesy as that. The entry requirement for the competition is a shop... sign..? Which you make and get a gold medal letting you in... Nice. The story is basically that cheeky. I didn't care much for the dialogue after the first few hours of playing. The story didn't really seem superb enough, nor as funny as others made it seem for me to spend much more time focusing on it so instead I moved my focus towards the gameplay. When talking about gameplay I must say it is excellent. After you get past the insanely long tutorial that is the beginning of the game, the rest of it comes forth and you get a decent JRPG with some city-building-esque and crafting elements built into it. The game itself revolves around the contest and the shop. If you do well in the contest (Which is fairly easy) you get awarded medals and based on your placement you get more or less money you can use towards building new attractions on the island. To perform alchemy you need to go around the island to collect materials. This can be done by searching key areas, or fighting and killing monsters and collecting the loot. You can perform alchemy on collected items to create other necessary items for more advanced recipes. You can also augment purchased items like weapons and armor to help yourself out and your party members, which you can have up to 2 accompanying you by the way. You can hand the items in at the locations you build or the adventurers guild which helps out the fame of your shop or those locations. More fame means more customers which means you get more money each month. With the monthly income, you can use that towards building new locations or renovating your existing ones. A basic system, but one that feels rewarding and is fun to play through. There are also some mini-games to play at your built locations which reward you with some adventuring goodies. I suppose if you keep playing these you can increase the difficulty to your desire, but I didn't find these engaging or necessary enough to do so. Overall the gameplay feels very rewarding. You feel like you are progressing and it's earned as you play through the game. The story I think is the weakest part of the game. Annie is a character I just dislike and I opted to skip through most of the dialogue once I got a basic understanding of the plot. Thank goodness this game has a 'skip' option. It's like they know how tedious the dialogue is. I found the music to be a bit charming, but it felt repetitive after a while so I ended up muting it a few hours in. Overall, I think there's a great game here for the DS. If you're already familiar with the gameplay mechanics or the series you can probably pick it up much quicker than someone like me. I think newer players would easily be turned off by the intr, get past that and there's some fun to be had.

Atari Greatest Hits Vol. 1 is a compilation of 50 games, as it says. I presume if you are an older individual that either grew up playing these and/or witnessed the birth of these games this compilation may bring back some nostalgia. There are both arcade titles and 2600 titles, but to be clear there are 9 arcade titles and 41 Atari 2600 titles. Some of which being arcade ports... Other than the historical prospect I never found the Atari 2600 titles to be that appealing. They kinda felt like shovelware and many of them are blamed for the video game crash in the '80s. Nonetheless, from a technical perspective, this compilation seems to play all of the games included with no hiccups, at least that I could tell. If you are interested here are the games that are included: The arcade titles are classics and I love most of them, I just don't care much for 2600 games outside the historical respect for them. Apart from that the music on the title screen is pretty bad, the same as the first title. The visuals on the menu are alright. Same aesthetic as the 1st title with a different color scheme. There are some pretty neat extras. A quiz game, some manuals for the 2600 carts and a US military simulator based on battlezone. I prefer the extras in vol. 2 to be honest, but these are still nice. There is compatibility for wireless multiplayer built-in, which is a nice feature to have included Here is the list of games Arcade: Asteroids Battlezone Centipede Gravitar Lunar Lander Missile Command Pong Space Duel Tempest 2600 titles: 3D Tic-Tac-Toe Adventure Air-sea Battle Asteroids Atari Video Cube Basketball Battlezone Bowling Centipede Championship Soccer Dodge 'em Flag Capture Football Fun with Numbers Gravitar Hangman Haunted House Home Run Human Cannonball Math Gran Prix Miniature Golf Missile Command Outlaw Realsports Baseball Realsports Boxing Realsports Football Realsports Tennis Realsports Volleyball Sky Diver Slot Machine Slot Racers Sprintmaster Star Ship Stellar Track Submarine Commander Surround Swordquest: Earthworld Swordquest: Fireworld Swordquest: Waterworld Tempest Video Checkers Look at this list, decide if there are enough titles that you love and would like to play on your DS and if it's enough for you to buy the game. If not, move one. If so pick it up. Compared to Vol. 2 it seems as though there are more bargain bin games included.

Atari Greatest Hits Vol. 2 is a fairly packed compilation of games. 50 as it says. I presume if you are an older individual that either grew up playing these and/or witnessed the birth of these games this compilation may bring back some nostalgia. There are both arcade titles and 2600 titles, but to be clear there are 9 arcade titles and 41 2600 titles. Some of which being arcade ports... Other than the historical prospect I never found the Atari 2600 titles to be that appealing. They kinda felt like shovelware and many of them are blamed for the video game crash in the '80s. Nonetheless, from a technical perspective, this compilation seems to play all of the games included with no hiccups, at least that I could tell. If you are interested here are the games that are included: The arcade titles are classics and I love most of them, I just don't care much for 2600 games outside the historical respect for them. Apart from that the music on the title screen is pretty bad, the same as the first title. The visuals on the menu are alright. Same aesthetic as the 1st title with a different color scheme. There's some insanely cool extras like some internal interviews, an arcade gallery, some 2600 manuals for the games, but most cool of all in my opinion... There is an ATARI 400 BASIC emulator built into the cartridge. I'm sorry but they did not need to add that and the fact that they did really won some bonus points from me. I prefer it over the military simulator in the first compilation On top of that, there is compatibility for wireless multiplayer built-in, which is just a cool feature to add. Here is the list of games Arcade: Asteroids Deluxe Black Widow Crystal Castles Liberator Major Havoc Millipede Red Baron Super Breakout Warlords 2600 titles: Backgammon BASIC programming Blackjack Brain Games Breakout Canyon Bomber Casino Circus Atari CodeBreaker Combat Combat Two Concentration Crystal Castles Demons to Diamonds Desert Falcon Double Dunk Fatal Run Golf Maze Craze Millipede Night Driver Off the Wall Quadrun Radar Lock Realsports Basketball Realsports Soccer Return to the Haunted House Secret Quest Sentinel Space War Star Raiders Steeplechase Street Racer Super Baseball Super Breakout Super Football Video Chess Video Olympics Video Pinball Warlords Yar's Revenge Look at this list, decide if there are enough titles that you love and would like to play on your DS and if it's enough for you to buy the game. If not, move one. If so pick it up.

Astrology DS is not so much a game, as it is an application with some small minigames built-in. Nonetheless, it is on the list of DS 'Games' for me to play so I checked it out and it is a functional application. I don't really dabble with astrology or horoscopes or any of that stuff so I can't really speak as to whether or not it's... accurate with what other stuff says? I don't know how things work in that scene. I just know that as an application it was very functional and if you're someone who is into this kinda stuff you may find something here you like. To me, based on the stuff it spewed out, it seems like the application is geared towards those who haven't matured entirely yet. Whether it's teenagers or young adults. It talks about career prospects, future love life, stuff like that. Reminds me of adolescence.

This game is like a clunky 3D asteroids clone. The game has a hilariously silly plot, I get some C-grade movie vibes from it. It's kind of charming actually. Before each game, you can customize your ship... You are given almost no information as to what anything does. The graphics are largely unappealing... Just go play asteroids or another game with a more appealing presentation. The game works mostly well enough, it just isn't pleasant enough to look at or listen to for long periods of time.

Astro Boy the video game based on the CGI movie feels like a Mega Man knockoff. I really wanted to like it for that reason, but the game just feels so clunky it throws off the experience. Really you just travel throughout the stage with some clunky platforming. You are forced to stop rather frequently to fight groups of enemies in areas that make it somewhat impossible to dodge anything, but it doesn't matter much as you are so powerful that it isn't that difficult anyway. If you are looking for any sort of challenge, certainly crank the difficulty up. The music is grating and repetitive and I felt the need to mute it shortly after beginning the play experience. Overall I cannot really recommend the game. THe GBA port seems to be a better port for those interested in an Astro Boy game.

Arthur and the Invisibles is a poor man's Warioware. Functionally the game is a boring technical mess. Collision is wonky, the instructions, although intended to be quickly understood fail to do so. The gameplay for each of the mini-games is unrewarding and feels more like you are lucky that the controls worked rather than the success was due to yourself. Either the gameplay is too difficult due to poor design or controls, or it's far too easy when the controls are working. It is unrewarding to put simply. The music is far too repetitive and becomes grating merely minutes after play. Honestly, I'd recommend playing with the game muted. There appear to be some collectibles, but there doesn't seem to be any clearly laid out objective to obtain them. Even while playing the game and doing things that I would figure would unlock items, I didn't earn one so I don't know what to do. I get what they were trying to do, but it feels like the studio was quickly contracted and rushed to make a game in like 6 months. I would recommend staying away from this title, at least on the DS.

AC II: Discovery was a pleasant and much needed improvement over its predecessor. The game feels much more akin to the Chronicle series and it seems to take the mold of what that series became. Gameplay-wise, the game has been converted to a 2-d sidescrolling stealth game as opposed to a 2.5 or 3D game like Altair's Chronicles. I think this did wonders to help streamline the gameplay and allow the developers to really focus on that over a 3D environment they simply would not be able to replicate on the DS. There are a few different gameplay modes where you are either doing stealth missions, escape, or free roam and they are all fun in their own way. The combat was simplified over the first title and it was needed. The game wants you to avoid combat, but when you engage in it, it is typically a quick skirmish of timing your blocks and attacks right. It feels rewarding. On top of that, you are rewarded for how well you play through missions and are scored based on that. If you wish, you can use these score points to buy unlockables for your character in the main menu (kinda like unlocking cheats). I think this does a great deal to incentivize the player to carefully play through each level and also allows them to lower the difficulty if they desire. It is a very rewarding system. I noticed almost no lag while playing, it was buttery smooth. This was significant over AC 1 where it was nearly unplayable at times. Even though the graphics were simplified, the environment still looks good and is much more stylistic. The sound effects are pretty great as well, although the music appears to be hard to hear most of the time, which to me isn't a big deal. But it is nice to listen to a good soundtrack while playing an equally good game. Overall Assassin's Creed II: Discovery is a superb DS title and one I would consider a must-play and would recommend to anyone looking for another great game to play while revisiting the system.

AC: Altair's Chronicles is a title that I feel was ambitious, especially for the time. However, the ambition did not age well. Visually, the game looks really good. It has a neat concept considering the DS's limitations and it does a fairly good job of working the gameplay around that. I think many of the minigames that Gameloft implemented come off as gimmicky and unnecessary. The combat is that titular classic AC style. Block, counter, block, counter, block... you get the idea. The moderate satisfaction you get from that is ruined by the frame-rate which is just horrid. While alone, you get 20-30 fps. When you come into a busy scene or combat, the framerate tanks to single digits and it felt like I was playing a slideshow at times. I think the game on the DS showed potential and that was recognized by Ubisoft when they released other AC Chronicle titles. Due mostly to the abhorrent frame rates I cannot recommend this to anyone.

Asphalt 2 was an awkward change of pace from the first title and it introduced many gameplay elements I've grown more accustomed to when I started playing the series later in its life time. The regular racing in this game is turned up to 11. This game goes from being an arcade need-for-speed-like game to a high-octane ultra racer where physics is given the middle finger and your more worried you may accidentally break the game. This is actually good, and I loved this part of the game. Upgrading my car so that it can go faster and handle those turns with nonsensical precision was a joy and there were times where I had a couple of laughs and thought I was gonna break the collision. It was a joy. Unfortunately, it seems like the AI just can't keep up with me. It's like they took the difficulty from the prior game and just threw it out the window. If the races were more than 2 laps I could easily lap my opponents within the 3rd or 4th lap because you just blaze past them. If there's ever an opponent you are struggling to get ahead of, just bash them into a wall. It takes them wayyy too long to get back up to speed and you've basically won. It's a shame because I think I'd enjoy this game more than first if it weren't for how absolutely easy it is. I'm sure a kid may get a kick out of it, but come on. Give the AI a bit of a fight. It doesn't hurt to let the player come in 2nd or 3rd even. it's good motivation to get better. The music I think Is as good if not maybe a bit worse than the first game. I ended up muting it after a few hours because I thought it got kind of repetitive and the revving noises sound like a low-quality recording of a diesel truck. This game still looks great visually and it was fun playing some new tracks and re-visiting some other familiar ones. Technically, I felt as though this game suffered. I noticed more lag in the title screen and even while playing. There were some glitches I discovered during gameplay as well. Notably, one that I thought was kinda silly was where the handling for how quickly you can turn your vehicle is absurd shortly after the race begins. I think the first game may be the superior title over this one, but I wouldn't exempt it and would even recommend playing with friends.

For a game that came out so close to the release of the original DS Urban GT is impressive, but certainly has its quirks that needed to be worked out. Graphically the game manages to hold up well with nearly full 3D models and environments. I'd say Gameloft went out of their way to see what they could pump out of the DS and it shows. I noticed no slowdown either even in the heat of action. The gameplay is rather arcadey while racing. Accelerate, drift, and try not to hit things, but even if you do it's not the end of the world. In fact, you can hit something a barrier going like 150+ mph and it won't have much impact but hit a pedestrian-vehicle and you spin out. I tried to use this logic to bump my opponents, but it didn't seem possible, unfortunately. On top of the pretty good arcadey racing, there is a pretty decent tournament mode where you earn money the better you do and use that to buy new vehicles and upgrades for your vehicles. This reminded me of GT or Forza which is what I am more used to playing and I was pleasantly surprised seeing that, especially on a DS game. There is also just regular quick racing you can do either for fun or practice or what have you, and you can race against up to 3 other friends which is cool. The music is enjoyable. It has a very early 00's vibe about it, but it's cool with me. I enjoyed listening to it and the tracks are somewhat fast-paced and do a good job of getting you in that adrenaline, racing mood. If I had anything to complain about it would be how some of the vehicles handle and the dynamic of the race, which I believe is just a part of the series now, so more of a personal complaint. The races are lap races, but you always start far in the back forcing you to try and catch up and 'Outrun' your opponents, like the series of the same name. This doesn't really work though because of the limited time you have in the race, so I feel rushed to get to first which can take me up to a lap to do so, and then it's a tricky balance to hold that place until the end of the race. But that could very easily just be me needing to get better. The only other major complaint was how some of the vehicles control. For an arcade game, they feel rather stiff, but once you get the hang of drifting it certainly becomes less of a problem and you are pretty much incentivized to do that it feels like. All-in-all Asphalt 1 is a great game and I'd definitely recommend it. I can't wait to revisit the next title in the series!

Around the World in 80 Days is a 3-match puzzle game based in the Jules Verne universe of the story and is a port of a PC game. This was a pleasant surprise as I was expecting a late movie adaptation of the 2004 film which had a GBA title to release alongside and that was very lackluster. ATW plays very similarly to something like Bejeweled, or more familiarly, 7 Wonders. There is some loose story told as you progress through levels bother through a journal your character writes, as well as some 3rd person dialogue cut scenes. I didn't care much to follow along with the story in the game as I already know it, but it serves its purpose well enough. The gameplay was surprisingly excellent. Technically it functions as it should. Each level is 1 day in your journey meaning there are 80 levels to play through and from the extent that I've played they do progress in difficulty rather nicely. England does a nice job getting you used to the basic systems. Halfway through France, they throw in some more curveballs and the level layouts are tricky enough to make you really plan ahead. Being a 3-match puzzler it's inherently addictive as well if you are into those types of games. The music serves as a nice ambiance. You can choose to leave it off and you won't miss much. However, it can set a bit of atmosphere and is a bit calming, which is nice. I'd certainly recommend this game to 3-match puzzler fans. Does it do anything revolutionary? No, but it is still a competent, good title.

This is a game that I'd expect to be sold in a bookfair for $5 and even at that price, I'd be offended if I paid for it as a kid, especially considering it came out in 2012, 1 year before the DS' 9-year lifecycle ended. This game plays like a poorly coded browser flash game. If I paid for it, I'd probably play it for a decent time just so I would justify however much I paid for it. If it were actually a free flash game, I'd quickly close it and play another one. This cartridge comes with 2 separate games loaded on it, and neither are captivating in any manner. I would somewhat justify this if it were in the least educational, as it is published and sold by Scholastic Books. However even the educational status of these games is very basic. The amusement park one has the capability of being a decent business simulator, perhaps a game that teaches you about maths, or budgeting, but it doesn't. You just have an amusement park with like 12 lots, you have to select which ride you want to place in each lot, you have to play memory to assemble the ride, and then you have to maintain them. They have minigames that allow you to earn money for more rides, but you lack any basic element you may find from other park simulators that offer a much more engaging experience. The Digging for Dinosaurs game at least tries to be a bit more educational by providing some facts about the dinosaurs you dig up, but it somehow manages to have gameplay even more grating than the amusement park game. If I have to about the damn brush one more time I think I may lose my mind. The music and sound effects the games use are either non-existent or so simplistic and short that they become very repetitive and they play quite loudly. Even if this is a game intended for young children there are much better games I recall being more captivating than this when I was younger. Really there is no reason to get either of these titles nor this bundle of each unless you are a completionist collector. Pass if you see it.

The game shows much potential but ultimately falls a bit short. Compared to 1 vs 100. I feel there is a much better difficulty curve with the questions provided in AYS, but due to a limited question roster, you will come across duplicates. Furthermore, there is only 1 game mode, and that's the game itself, no multiplayer included, and no other game modes. Just start a game and try to get a high score. If you get the $1 million. That's it you beat the game. Nothing more to achieve. Outside of the intro, there isn't much in the way of music. The sound effects are serviceable, they aren't noticeable enough to be annoying. The voice acting is generic and I feel falls a bit short. With such a limited question roster, it would have been nice if they at least voice acted the question. Overall, it just feels like a game quickly pumped out for an easy cash grab. I enjoyed it more than 1 vs 100, but I look forward to see how it's improved in later entries

Arkanoid DS is a pleasantly addicting Breakout-esque game on the DS. I get a weird nostalgia while playing it that reminds me of the early 2000's and it feels like something you'd find on an old flip phone or on Windows XP. I love it. The music and sound effects have that early millennium feel to them, and the soundtrack really kicks while you're playing. The gameplay is just like Breakout. You've got some power-ups. A risk at getting some power-downs (so to speak), some varying block tops, a cheesy story mode to tie in the levels together, and a variety of gameplay types. I really enjoyed how you play through each "World" or satellite, and after you complete them, you unlock the levels for bonus objectives in the game's other modes. On top of that, there is a multiplayer mode against friends or even a competent and challenging AI. There are varying control types, and it may be frustrating while playing on the original DS, but I found little issue while playing on my 2DS or 3DS. The only complaint gameplay-wise is that there is seemingly a small portion of the playfield that is invisible between the top and bottom screen. Although no blocks spawn there, it does make trying to position yourself to hit the ball a bit more tricky. Although I kind of enjoy the challenge it presents. I find myself hooked when playing this game, and I will likely revisit it in the future!

AYS 4 may be the best version of the bunch, but if you are looking for a challenge you may want to stick with the original. Although there was a drastic improvement in the number of gameplay elements, it seems like the developers realized the game is selling primarily to children, and as a result, the questions became significantly easier. I think if you were a child looking to play the game, this may be the best way to go. You can customize an avatar, there is wireless multiplayer (although I've not yet played it), as I mentioned the questions would be much more akin to something you would be able to answer at a younger age, and it wouldn't be insultingly easy for a child either. I think the gameplay diverges from the show's gameplay and shortens it up a bit. There are only 3 classmates to choose from now and only 10 questions. You basically answer each and tally your total score for a high score. As opposed to working to $1 million. Furthermore, the prior quickplay features made it's way back in with Multiplayer alongside a pop quiz feature which is basically what those minigames are in between answering questions during the main game. They offer a decent break in gameplay and offer a nice bonus. They added a stat screen to show you the number of questions you answered for each subject and how many times you got them right. A nice way of seeing where your strong and weak suits may lie. Overall, I'd say this is the most solid title from the series. A very pleasant break from form over the prior 3 titles. It is still a rather mediocre game and you wouldn't be missing much if you skipped out on it.

AYS 3: Game Time is essentially the same game that was sold the 2 prior years, published by THQ. This time, alongside the existing modes from the prior 2 games, they added a 'Quick Play' mode. What is quick play mode? Well, you select a grade difficulty and it just spitballs random questions within that difficulty from any of the applicable topics. I guess it's good practice? Really other than that, the game is virtually identical aside from a few minor visual tweaks from the prior entry. At this point, it was nearly 4-5 years within the DS's life cycle. The game looks aged, what it could marginally get away with a couple of years prior, is now very apparently recycled and I'd feel ripped off if I bought this. I went over the Multiplayer very shallowly in AYS 2. Now that they've had 3 games and a chance to improve on the mode, but didn't I want to address a complaint I've had with the multiplayer. There is no incentive to take the harder questions. If I take a harder question first, I don't get any bonus points, every single question regardless of difficulty is worth 1 point. If you get it wrong, you lose 1 point. So you're better off trying to take the easy ones first and this puts the first player at an obvious advantage. It ruins any minimal strategizing a player could get out of a Multiplayer mode. Although this is the best version out of the series I've reviewed so far, I feel like there is so much more that could be done with the game. I am hopeful that the fourth entry finds a way to expand, improve, or at least derive from the same recycled game.

AYS 2: Make the Grade is basically an updated version of the first game that adds a basic multiplayer function to the game. I think that one minor change adds much more playtime to the game. Otherwise, the game is functionally identical to the first, Perhaps a couple of tweaks here and there. The multiplayer, although a welcome addition disappoints. Only available as a hot-swap, one of the modes I guess you have to hit the trigger faster than the other play and whoever hits it firs gets to answer and then choose the next question. There are 2 different MP modes and they're almost identical. I can still appreciate that minor addition and I think it warrants a slight score increase. I am curious to see what AYS 3.0 brings to the table.

I'm not sure why a game like Arctic Tale exists. I didn't know there were many games released based on documentaries. It's a bit peculiar to see a game based on a somewhat educational documentary to lack those educational elements as well as any story elements that the source material produced. The game throws you in with a simple paragraph of prologue story, that is forgettable and ultimately has no impact on the gameplay. The gameplay itself essentially has you switching between animals to play minigames located across multiple parts of the map. These are all clunky and basically consist of collecting items and trying to beat a time. What for? Personal glory... I guess. There are no clear objectives, you basically walk around the map, collect food so you don't die, and play minigames. Sometimes you switch between the fox and the narwhal, but it doesn't make much difference since the gameplay is just about the same. You have a health bar, but this acts also like a stamina bar. So you can run, but it drains your health. So you need to eat food to maintain this... You can also just abuse it like myself by spamming the sprint button as it doesn't drain your hp until a few seconds after pressing it. Also if you get attacked by an animal and fail to escape, you lose a life. To escape a hostile animal, you have to spam L+R... This seemed utterly random and no matter how hard I spammed these I either escaped or didn't it didn't seem to make a difference. This game offers no unique experience. If you just have a pure undying love for the documentary, then I guess check it out for the novelty, but I cannot think of another reason to recommend this game outside of that.

The best way to describe Aqua Panic is that is a mixture of Where's My Water? And lemmings. Aqua Panic is a puzzle game put simply, but the games clunky controls do it little justice alongside it's zany level design (and not in a good way). If one were to find themselves to be a hardcore fan of this genre, they may find some amusement here, but I just think the game is too clunky to be enjoyable and I would sooner point players towards other, more enjoyable titles.

Aquarium by DS is a neat little simulation game that does an alright job at being just that, a simulation. The gameplay is simple. You can customize your tank, the music, which is pretty chill, reminds me of that 90s r&b oceanic piano music and is somewhat relaxing. The multiplayer consists basically of trading fish with other players. Which I'm not sure why this is even a feature, because you can just plop any fish you want at any time into your tank. Other than adjusting your tank there doesn't seem to be much consequence for your actions. Some fish are locked, but I don't see any clear objectives to unlock them. No currency, nothing to research no noticeable achievements. The game has as much gameplay as a nice screensaver but has the misfortune of being limited to the DS screen and hardware. It may be a relaxing application, but it isn't an engaging title. I wouldn't call it a game, it's more inline with a piece of software or a customizable screen saver.

Animates cannot decide whether it wants to be a virtual pet game or mimic The Sims. The gameplay seems to indicate the latter in an empty way as you are spending the entire time managing needs and pretty much controlling your AniMate's daily functions. Typically the point of a virtual pet game is to have an AI pet you take care of. They can entertain themselves for a time (although will need some stimulus after a while) can eat and drink on their own given they have their servings dished out. Maybe you can manage their diet, train them, teach them some tricks. You can play with them and so on. Does AniMates do any of this? No, not really at all. In AniMates, you are in fact supposed to be taking care of a digital pet, but you are pretty much controlling the digital pets interactions. They do not move unless you tell them to. If you don't control them, they essentially wither up and die. There is no interaction between you and the pet, since you basically take on both the role of caretaker as well as the pet. Outside of the flaws of the game's own mechanics, it plays dreadfully slow. I hadn't witnessed any technical bugs with the game. Only complaints are how slow it plays as well as the poor camera angle that you seemingly cannot adjust. The music and sound are of low quality, but other than that it's inoffensive. Nothing remarkable The graphics are passable for the time it released. More akin to cell-shaded 3D graphics. They're alright. There are many other games that set out to do the same thing and do it better. So I really cannot recommend this to anyone, or even their children looking for a real pet replacement.

Animal Paradise: Wild, offers minor improvements over its predecessor that do help the gameplay a bit, but don't inch it into territory that makes it a worthwhile play for myself. With that being said, the game does improve over the previous entries and I think is more interesting as it has you caring for wild animals compared to domestic ones. Not to mention it has some small trivia tidbits for the player to go along with The graphics are alright, probably edging on dated as it came out 2 years after the predecessor and still sports the same simplistic 3D models for the animals with a clearly 2D backdrop. The music still has the Japanese gamey vibe that you might expect from something like the 'Cooking Mama' series. Nothing annoying or grating, but certainly noticeable at times. I think if you have a child (or are a child) and enjoyed Animal Paradise, there will be even more enjoyment to be had with this sequel.

AMF Bowling is a bowling game on the DS. That’s what it is. It is very repetitive very quickly. The controls are not really immersive as they fail to utilize the touch screen. With the exception of the 3d graphics, there isn't much reason for this game to exist on the DS as the game doesn't even take advantage of the DS' signature feature during gameplay, instead using it as a scoresheet…. Why make that decision?.. Other than the boring competitive gameplay it does have some character and the music was alright. I didn't get interested the multiplayer mode as the gameplay itself just gets far too repetitive for me.

Animal Paradise is cute, but it doesn't make for compelling gameplay. I think it is worth noting that the game is taking more of a virtual pet gameplay style as opposed to anything really engaging. The majority of gameplay seems to be playing with the animals or caring for them in some way to gain their affection. After doing so you unlock some mini games as well as the ability to capture their photos to save to an album. As a grown adult... Not really my cup of tea. If I were a child I could probably garner some enjoyment out of this, since it does remind me of the Nintendogs series minus some gameplay features. Some frustrating parts of the gameplay is a clear lack **** to reach while taking care of the animals. For example, you can pet or give them a bath but it's not made clear if you can just keep doing this, or if you have to do it for a certain amount of time. With washing, it seemed like there was little indication as to whether I was doing it right. petting they gave a little frustrated signal if I pet them wrong. It isn't clear if it's because I'm petting the incorrect spot, or if I'm doing it too tough, or anything. I don't know. There just seems to be very little to gauge the little playtime you do spend, which doesn't really allow me to optimize while playing... but perhaps the point is just to relax and enjoy the game. That being said, although the graphics are pretty good for the DS especially with how early it released, the gameplay is a bit too simple and boring to enjoy. But it isn't to say a child couldn't get a kick out of it.

Animal Genius was likely released as a discount game, probably at book fairs. Or at least that's what I hope. The gameplay consists primarily of a multitude of minigames, quiz questions, seek and find, puzzles, etc. The problem is there isn't much content to be had, and the minigames they offer just aren't that fun. I guess if you were a young child who is super in zoology it may be fun for like an hour, but coming from a kid who was super into it when I was younger, I could see myself getting bored quite quickly. Technically, the game functions, I didn't spot much in the way of technical glitches or poor performance. The graphics are pretty much just 2D pictures, it isn't very stylistic or tasteful. Bland is the best way to put it, but it serves its function. I simply cannot recommend it.

The controls for the game are upside down. Why though, to attack you have to balance your left and right-handed attacks and to defend and dodge you are to utilize the A-Y buttons. Why not just have the screen-oriented normally? If you can get used to the wonky controls, the game is a fair challenge and has some pretty decent visuals. There isn't much in the way of music outside the menu. It's an alright experience, may be worth checking out or playing with friends.

Released only 6 months after its predecessor, it is obvious that THQ used the same engine/assets from Julie's adventure to make Kit's game. The controls are so clunky it makes the game a chore to play through. Although the aspect of trying to solve mysteries in a Depression-era environment is interesting, it doesn't get represented well here, and again, I'm led to believe other mediums do this story better justice than here. It's games such as this one that contributed to THQ's demise years back. It is worth noting, that although repetitive, I'd say the music is a bit more atmospheric in this title than in Julie's adventure. Also worth noting is the 3D environments which are still not too much of an eyesore to look at when you get around the stiff controls/camera and framerate issues.

American Girl: Julie Finds a Way is proof that some games should probably just stay better in their original intended art form. I'm sure the book has much inspiration and lessons to be learned based on the game. For that reason, it does stink that the game is so technically marred by its slow gameplay, poor framerate, and poor controls. The camera and movement of your character are so stiff you find yourself getting stuck in the most peculiar places when trying to navigate the environment. This is a shame as the environment, although a bit basic, is truly 3D and it just adds to the atmosphere of what the story of the game is trying to sell you on. The music is repetitive, but not grating. It can be noticeable, but it isn't that bothersome. You get nice little voice clips from each of the characters, which is kinda cool. I don't see how the game could ever be a 'masterpiece' per se, but any potential it brings forth is truly damaged by the technical difficulties that mar the game as you try to play through it. For that reason, I'd propose fans of the series stick to the books or possibly any other adaptations that may be the story justice.

Given how long ago the title was released as well as the source material, I did have relatively low expectations for this game, and they were minorly surpassed. This game is essentially a 2.5D platformer with some action elements thrown in. The platforming is a bit janky and boring to be honest, but the action is fairly fun and transforming into a dragon, and balancing your abilities and timing adds some fun to the game. The graphics were quite alright given how close it came out to the DS' release. There did seem to be some pitches I experienced while playing mostly with collision. For fans of the show, if there are still any, I could see this being a great time. Otherwise, I'd recommend a pass. It is worth noting, there is a multiplayer mode in the game, but it seems like it was an afterthought as it is so janky and rudimentary it's almost not worth playing at all. Shame as it seems like it would be quite fun had it been more technically sound.

America's Next Top Model is a peculiarly and truly unexpected competent title. The developers were given the arduous task of taking an adult reality TV show and converting it to a Nintendo DS game rated to be played for kids... I think they succeeded as well as they could, given the source material and target audience. The gameplay in my experience was a bit slow, but otherwise takes the dressup, needs, and relationship mechanics from the Sims and throws in that "America's Next Top Model" twist where you are competing with other contestants into the mix. I haven't sent enough time to know if you can actually get voted off or lose, but given the competency placed in the graphics and functionality of the title, I wouldn't be surprised. There are multiple dialogue options when talking to characters, but it doesn't seem like they hold much weight in the overall context of the game other than personal satisfaction, if that's what you're looking for. The music is nothing to write home about but acts well as ambient background noise. It isn't overbearing or annoying and I think that's it needs to do accomplish in a title like this. The dialogue is a bit sappy and silly at times, but functional. The sound effects seem to work well. The game really looks quite well. Fully 3D environments and characters, minimap that's easy to access and read to help guide the player if needed. maps that are fairly large, yet easy to learn and navigate. The colors aren't bland or over-the-top. Really the only complaint is that the style looks dated, but I think that just comes with the fact that it's a style game set 10-15 years ago. I never experienced any technical problems. The game ran well, never showed any bugs or crashes., In all honesty, I had very low expectations going into the title, and they surpassed greatly. The game isn't excellent by any measure but certainly accomplishes what the developer set out to do and is a competent game.

Note: This is not a game for the DS, it is an application in cartridge form, and a great one at that. This is a compilation of a few hundred recipes for you to follow along with on the DS. There are some great features that allow you to filter out ingredients (maybe because of an allergy or you just don't like them), as well as providing quick and easy item and utensil lists for each recipe. The application gives recommendations for meals based on days and holidays. Like, when writing this review it is July 3rd, the game gave me recommendations for appetizers, entrees, desserts, and more for the 4th of July. The is a nice charm and atmosphere behind it, and it's too bad I don't love cooking more because I'd certainly enjoy playing around with the app and it' recipes more.

The Amazing Spider-Man was a woefully disappointing title that I had some decent hopes for. Although the release date compared to the presentation of the game should have been a red flag, I still entered the game initially impressed and excited to see what I had in store. The game plays like a 2.5D, beat 'em up and with that alongside it's later release date on an 8 year old platform, I expected things like varying settings and color palettes, as well as some other features, possibly like a skill tree or upgrade system as you progress. Although you may receive minor upgrades to things like your health, the game offers very little incentive to progress through it. The gameplay Is, as many say, very repetitive, you will find yourself consistently web-slinging and then punching. This is fun the first few times but wears thin quickly. The enemy AI is rather poor and often when you engage in fights, you don't feel that sense of power you get from a superhero game. If you have more than a couple of enemies at once you become easily overpowered, especially when the enemy is able to perform a ranged attack. The music is drab and hard to even hear. The art style is reminiscent of that mid-to-late 2000's gray and muted color palette. If the game came out closer to the release of the original DS it may be more forgivable; but to release in 2012, nearly 10 years after the DS' release makes the poor presentation more egregious. Outside of the bland gameplay, the game does function well and I found little in the form of bugs or technical glitches in my short time playing. I cannot recommend this game, except maybe to completionists and die-hard fans of the franchise.

Amazing Adventures is a port from popcap games that provides a relaxing casual experience with a game type that is partially suitable for the DS. There is a relaxing charm to the game and it certainly is not for everyone, but for those who just want some fodder to enjoy or a nice, quick, easy to pick up and put down experience. I think this game can offer that experience.

This game is inherently good. For anyone looking to pick it up they would pleasantly surprised. The Music is just such a wonderful score and is so thematic to the game, it actually enhanced the experience for me. The sound effect quality is lack luster. The graphics are very stylistic, the game runs well and looks and feels stylish. It suffers for me personally with gameplay and controls. The game controls almost solely through the DS's touch screen and I just don’t know why they had to go that route. It just makes playing it feel like a chore. And the game itself is essentially one long escort quest which… do people like that?.. If there are people that are into that 2D-platformer & escort style gameplay they would be very surprised with this movie tie in game. One feature that stuck out a bit to me was that you can place reminders on the mini-map to help yourself when going back to explore, very cool. And the overworld map works like a jigsaw puzzle that you jump between and connect the pieces to, to swap levels. There are some other unique mechanics that are in the game, for example the starting character you play as (that's right you play as multiple characters as the game progresses, able to swap them as needed) he is able to manipulate time to get through obstacles. It is not the game for me, but I know the people that like this style and gameplay would love this.

This game is so bad I'm not actually sure where to start. The gameplay consists solely of performing services in the form of mini games for the titular characters. These are not in the slightest rewarding. They are boring at best, and offensive and technically broken at their worst. The graphics for this title have no place on the DS. Maybe a poorly coded flash game, but to ask money for this game is an insult to consumers. Other than the music sang by the characters (with rather poor audio quality) any other music is boring, forgettable and just bad. Just stay away. There is no reason to spend time with this game.

In terms of Alvin and the Chipmunks games, this is a step-down, both technically and functionally. Although the game expanded its song roster by more than double the previous entry, it doesn't say much since Squeakquel only had 11 songs. Not to mention the removal of a multiplayer mode with whatever features that added. The concerts are now just the 3d models with a 2d backdrop, so a graphical downgrade of an already unimpressive title. The gameplay is still a rhythm game, but this time you are… drawing lines and shapes instead of tapping or swiping. It's funny because the series went from tapping to swiping, to drawing all within a specific time frame. Although the swiping in the prior title actually enhanced the difficulty and made it somewhat more engaging over the first. Having to draw shapes isn't really fun, moreso tedious. Alvin and the chipmunks may be a decent line drawing simulator, but it isn't a fun game.