Soul Blazer (SNES)

Click here to pick up your copy!

Full disclosure: when I was younger - I didn't care much for standard role playing games. Growing up, my only real experience with RPGs was playing over at my friends' houses. Typically, they would have another buddy already over there and they both would be huddled around the Super NES with controllers in-hand trying to blast through Final Fantasy II or III (or Final Fantasy IV and VI in Japan.) Which usually meant I had to patiently wait around near-silent for a few hours while they leveled up, combined magic, and screamed at the screen. Meanwhile, all I wanted to do was rip into Mortal Kombat a few times before I had to go home again. Outside of Faxanadu and Castlevania II - I didn't really own games with more than mild RPG elements. Naturally, this left me with a bad taste in my mouth for RPGs that lasted until a buddy of mine leant me a game that completely changed my view on RPGs forever. It was way outside of the realm of "typical" RPGs and played more like an action/adventure game (which I would later find out was similar in nature to Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, one of the greatest Super NES games of all time.) It was called Soul Blazer and would prove to be one of my favorite games for the SNES. I recently bought my own copy from Lukie Games to see if it still holds up to the nostalgia I've held onto since 1992. So the question is: does it live up to my memories?

Typically one of the most important elements in an RPG is the story. However, for the uninitiated - Rpgs can be an incredibly long time-sink that require paying attention to minute details and dialogue trees. "Where did the king tell me to travel to again?" "How am I supposed to free the mighty blade from the ground?" In Action/RPG games such as Soul Blazer, the story is still important in the overall enjoyment of the game; however, it is not nearly as lengthy or crucial as in games such as the Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior, or Ultima series. In this game, you control a hero sent from "the master" to resurrect a series of towns held captive by the evil Deathtoll. Along the way you meet a cast of characters who give you items to progress through the story and to bring these dead cities back to life. It is a classic tale of good versus evil and is similar in tone to other Enix games with spiritual/religious undertones such as EVO, Illusion of Gaia, and the Actraiser series. The story and dialogue are decent enough, but might not satisfy the hardcore RPG crowd. For everyone else, this is a good primer for the RPG genre and the story moves along quick enough to not hinder the action.

"Paging Craig. Clean up on Aisle 5!"

Speaking of the action - it is quick, exciting, and effective. You have a sword attack and magic (both of which you will find upgrades for as you progress through the game.) Different swords, armor, and magic will be useful in different situations. IE: in the underwater city, it is crucial to have your bubble armor equipped - lest you take damage and drown. Some swords and magic are tailored against certain enemies, such as rock monsters or flying enemies. For the most part, you can progress through the game with your most powerful equipment on at all times - but in order to unlock all secret items and get through to the final stage - it is important to know what tools to use where. Battles are uncomplicated and flow in a swift pace (ala Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.) Instead of typical turn-based battles - you are free to hack, slash and even run past enemies if you wish. There are boss battles at the end of each level and thankfully three warp zones per level to return to the safe room - where you can save, load, and travel at your will.

BAH! What the heck is THAT thing?!

One of the main highlights of Soul blazer may also be my biggest criticism: at times, the game is perhaps a little too accessible. The challenge level is perfect for people who do not have much RPG experience under their belts, and for an 8 year old Chris - it was a perfect primer for the genre. However, I have now taken down several RPGs since, and what once was a cute, engaging action game has become a breeze to play. Most bosses have easy to master attack patterns and with the right technique can be killed without taking much damage. Most enemies can be struck down with one or two sword blows if you're properly equipped. Finally, aside from having to hop back and forth between levels in order to track down all of the hidden booty that you missed while you were a weakling - the game is linear enough that you're never going to get lost. When I stopped playing Chrono Trigger for a year and came back to the game - I had literally no idea what my last move was, so there was a lot of backtracking in order to figure out what to do next. In this game - I could leave it 90% finished, come back in three years, and know exactly what is left to finish the game. That is a terrific feature for beginners, but as a somewhat seasoned gamer it makes the game easy enough to beat over a long weekend.

That little green donut unlocks a bird...or a mermaid...or a...

So the question needs to be answered - is Soul Blazer as awesome as I remember it? Absolutely. It's fun, addictive, quick, and action-packed. It's also ridiculously easy now that I've clobbered more complex RPGs and admittedly - the story is a little thin. However, it is still well worth your time and investment for a relatively underrated Action/RPG classic. It's a bit on the collectible side these days so it may run you a bit more than your average SNES cart - but it's worth it. Pick up a copy for yourself!

Mike’s Gameboy Game of the Week: Yu-Gi-Oh!! Eternal Duelist Soul

Yu-Gi-Oh!! Eternal Duelist Soul is the first Yu-Gi-Oh!! game released on the Gameboy Advance platform (in the United States at least). Eternal Duelist Soul is a huge and competent step-up from Dark Duel Stories for the Gameboy Color as it not only follows the TCG’s rules the game contains all the cards that existed in the actual TCG back in 2002 (About 819 different cards). Since the game was made during the early stages of the card games development there is no forbidden or limited list meaning you can use any cards you want sans god cards because the  legal versions of them hadn’t been made yet.

 

For good reason I suppose. 

Eternal Duelist Soul was one of the first games I bought for my Gameboy Advance way back in the early 2000’s and I remember pouring in around a hundred hours unlocking all the cards and all the other duelists. Even after I had purchased Pokemon Ruby and Legend of Zelda I still poured countless hours into this game as because getting everything in the game wasn’t as clear cut as just beating duelists to unlock all the cards. Eternal Duelist Soul could essentially be an completionists nightmare as there is a strong luck element to getting the cards and you can’t even get some until you’ve beaten all the duelists about five times but to unlock the a couple of the duelists several duelists like Simon or the Dueling Robot you have a set random chance that they will become unlocked while you are playing so the game can take quite a while to “beat”.

Which can feel pretty trying as all the duelists sound so condescending.

Card games are generally very complex and Yu-Gi-Oh!! is no exception to this (the lack of tutorial doesn’t help) as there are plethora of rules and card types that need to be learned in order to play the game. Even after learning all the facets of the game you still have to find a play style that suits you best, be it a super aggressive style where you use equip cards to augment the strength of your monster cards, or you could try to deplete your opponents deck by making them discard all their cards. For the sake of keeping this review somewhat concise I’ll avoid trying to explain how you play the actual game as that alone couple be a stand alone article due to its length. So here's a link to a website that can teach you the basics.

I’m serious this stuff can get insane!

Eternal Duelist Soul is a pretty straight forward game. It has several main features that can broken into two sections, Campaign mode, and Deck Building Mode.

The Campaign Mode consists of the Campaign feature which is a single player mode where you duel computer opponents to unlock cards and other stronger duelists to battle, tying into that is the calendar and record modes the calendar  mode shows you what day of the week it is (game time) and on certain days you will receive some free cards or be challenged by a random duelist. The way time works in the game is that after the conclusion of any given duel the game will advance one day instead of running on an in-game clock or some sort of real time clock it follows an archaic “Perform and action, time passes” setup. Record mode record your total win loss ration and the individual win loss ratios against any duelists you have faced or unlocked. Lastly is link battles which is the mode you and a friend enter in order to duel each other with whatever decks you have thrown together, in order to do this a link cable is required and two copies of Yu-Gi-Oh!! Eternal Duelist Soul.

 

When you start the game you enter your birthday and the game will even wish you a happy birthday.

The Deck Building mode is split up between the Deck Editor and the Password and Trading features. The Deck Editor is where you can swap cards into and out of your deck and side deck for use in link battles and the Campaign mode. The Password mode is where you can enter the codes from the bottom of the cards you already own in order to add them to the game. Unfortunately you can only receive one copy of any card whose code  you enter (i.e. If you enter the code for the Blue Eyes White Dragon you will only ever receive one copy of the card no matter how many times you enter the code.) If you have a hard time unlocking or finding certain cards you can use the trading mode to help you get them by trading for them with your friends, so long as you don’t try shorting them in the trade its a fairly reliable way of getting rarer cards.

Sometimes its the only legit way of getting the alt versions of some cards.

Eternal Duelist Soul has few flaws so long as you buy the game knowing that it’s nothing but an emulator for a card game. It has many features all of which work as they are intended and a campaign mode that has a perfect difficulty scale so that you are made to always try improving your ability and your deck. Of all the Yu-Gi-Oh!! games on the Gameboy Advance this is the one I most highly recommend because it doesn’t try to force itself to be something that it should never be. Eternal Duelist Soul is a fairly common game that you should be able to nab for anywhere from $5 to $20 and for any fan of the series this should be a priority if you are looking into experiencing either some semblance of nostalgia or want to see how much the card game has evolved since it first started well over a decade ago.

Normal Monsters, Normal Monsters as far as the eye can see!

Mikes Gameboy Game of the Week: Yu-Gi-Oh!! Destiny Board Traveler

Yu-Gi-Oh!! Destiny Board Traveler is a board game adaption of the popular card game by Konami. The game plays much like the regular card game as you alternate between turns with three other players only instead of a playing on a card field everything occurs on a simple square 5x5 game board where each player walks around trying to get the most monsters in play. Destiny Board Traveler boasts a cast of twelve characters (six you have to unlock) all of which have a unique special power that you can use to attempt to turn the tide of the game in your favor. You cannot use these powers whenever you want, you instead have to wait an indeterminate amount of time until the game prompts you to use them, after that you can use the power at your discretion. Before I go any further let me warn you this game has no tutorials. Everything that occurs in this game you will have to learn by yourself through trial and error unless you buy a copy with a manual.

Seriously, what is going on?

Dice. Dice are a thing in this game. Now this isn’t like Dungeon Dice Monsters where you strategically place dice trying to out maneuver your opponent instead you are rolling dice in order to place a monster and in order to activate effects in battles. A system entirely built upon dice rolls normally would work if you had the freedom of putting together some sort of strategy to go with it, instead when you choose the character you want to play as it automatically assigns you a default deck that you cannot edit so you are stuck with the poorly put together decks based on the decks of the main casts anime decks. In my play through of the game the most common problem I encountered was situations where the monster I was summoning was to weak to take a creeper space. Oh I didn’t mention creeper spaces and how they factor into the gameplay? Well as you travel around the board there are twelve spaces which you can summon your monsters, but to do this you need to defeat whatever monster is already there and by default there is a random monster in each spot called a “creeper”.

“But Mike what is the significance of summoning monsters?”

Well I’ll tell you!

They ride around in black vans and try to attract you with stories of ponies and candy.

Typically in a Yu-Gi-Oh!! game the main objective is to drain your opponents life points or force them to run out of cards, in Destiny Board Traveler life points are still a factor, but instead of losing through running out of cards they replaced it with winning by getting [x] amount of stars (with x being an amount you set before you start the game). These stars you acquire are based on the combined levels of all your monsters, say you needed ten stars to win, by having five level two monsters or two level five monsters you would instantly win the game. The objective of any given game is to either get whatever the designated amount of stars are or to knock all of your opponents life points down to zero.

As I currently do not have my Gamecube Player I was only able to play the game on my Gameboy Advance and Nintendo DS and one of the biggest problems I encountered (besides the lack of any sort of tutorial on how to play) was that the text in the game seemed squished and sometimes was hard to read. The card artwork was very low-res compared to other Yu-Gi-Oh!! games released at the time like Stairway to the Destined Duel or Eternal Duelist Soul, the character sprites also lacked any sort of animation besides the walking and standing animation which was pretty lame as the boards were interestingly designed. For all this games faults it is still an interesting experiment, Konami was obviously trying out different things with its big money making series (see: Dungeon Dice Monsters and Capsule Monsters). A great example of this is that you can link together 5x5 boards to increase the overall size of the playing field after you’ve beaten the game enough times (assuming you have the patience to endure that long). I' would recommend any regular fan (or any Non-Fan) of the Yu-Gi-Oh!! series stay clear of this game, this game only has appeal to those who are looking to collect games or to those who want to experience a failure of a game.

It does have Kaibaman, I guess that's a positive thing?

Sunset Riders (Super Nes, Genesis)

Buy the Super NES Version Today!

...or buy the Sega Genesis Version!

Konami is known for bringing outstandingly high-quality games to arcades and home consoles for years. They brought us such classics as Contra, Metal Gear, Legend of the Mystical Ninja, Rush 'n Attack, The Simpsons arcade game (which, let's face it - is one of the only great Simpsons games,) and TMNT: Turtles in Time just to name a very few. They also are responsible for many sleeper hits, including this 1991 arcade masterpiece known as Sunset Riders.  While it is not the household name that games like Contra, Tiny Toon Adventures or Lethal Enforcers are - it is a fantastic game that is an absolute must for your collection.

Originally released in the arcades in 1991, Sunset Riders was ported to both the Sega Genesis and the Super Nintendo. Like most games brought to both systems, there are differences between each version. I personally have more experience with the Super NES release, so most of this review will focus on that particular version. However, it's important to get the differences between the two versions out of the way; that way you can make an informed decision on whether or not you would prefer the Super NES version or the Genesis version.

Doesn't my Pancho look soooo fashionable?!

The original arcade game allowed up to four players at one time and of course, (being the original release) does not suffer from hardware limitations or strict censorship codes - thus being the truest version of Sunset Riders. However, Lukie Games doesn't have arcade cabinets of it on hand and you're not likely looking for a big bulky cabinet anyway. The Genesis port came first and has a handful of differences from the arcade - mostly due to hardware limitations and localization. For starters, your roster of four characters is truncated to only two: Billy and Cormano. The amount of bosses is also cleaved in half - leaving you four of the original eight bad guys. The levels are rearranged and altered as well. However, something that the Genesis version has uniquely above the other two releases is a versus style gun fight where you and another player can test your quick-draw skills.

The Super NES version is more faithful to the arcade version, but also has a few changes here and there. For starters - your roster of characters is correct; however, only two players can play this game at a time. C'est la vie, multitap! Much of the other changes are due to Nintendo's conservative censorship policies. For example, the ladies in the game are wearing much less revealing attire, your characters no longer smoke or booze it up, and the Native American boss is renamed Chief Wigwam from Chief Scalpem. How this is more politically correct is kind of a mystery, but I'll buy that they were at least TRYING not to peeve the Native community. The graphics, sound and music are all top notch on the Super NES version and are noticeably less impressive on the Sega Genesis port. However, the Super NES version fetches a higher price tag, so it is up to you whether or not these differences will impact your buying decision. For serious collectors - why not get both?!



The gameplay of Sunset Riders is fast and addictive! If you love Contra, you will be well prepared for Riders, because the gameplay is very "Contra-with-cowboys." It takes great skill to avoid those bullets and your finger will constantly be on the trigger button at all times. If you want an extra challenge, crank that baby up to HARD mode and it will really feel like Contra. The western elements are all over this game and it makes you really feel like you're Clint Eastwood or John Wayne wasting a village full of bandits. There's stage coaches, saloons, train-hopping, cattle stampedes, falling boulders, and more. The game is fun by yourself, but even better with a teammate! This is definitely the game you bust out if you have a friend, girlfriend, cousin or whathaveyou come into town that wants to check out your game collection. Unless you're a seasoned gamer or have the difficulty set to easy - you'll really appreciate the extra help another player can provide in getting further in this game.

Yippie Ki Yay, Wagon-chucker!

Some of the highlights for me are the music, sound and humor. The game is full of great wild-west music and sounds that feel ripped right out of an episode of the Lone Ranger. The gunshot sound effects and stampeding bulls are satisfyingly accurate to a good, cheesy old-school western. There are hilarious scenes like the first boss battle where you knock Simon Greedwell out of the window and he bellows "Bury me with my...money!" Which sounds like "Marry me to my...money" through the Super NES' soundchip, but nonetheless is a comically corny one-liner that makes Sunset Riders feel like the authentically American western that only a Japanese game company could produce!

"Angry bees stole my...honey!"

In all honesty - aside from the few localization changes and the absence of a four-player co-op mode, I have absolutely no criticism of this game. It's addictive as all get out, the graphics are colorful and detailed, and the game feels like an authentic arcade port in your own home. It's a pricy game, but it's worth it. Grab a copy and a friend and blast through 8 levels of cowboy goodness. Yeehaw!

Front Mission Evolved (Xbox 360)

Front Mission Evolved is a spin-off from the mainline Front Mission series and takes a step away from the turn-based strategy concepts of the other games in the series and substitutes them for all the gloriousness that is a third person shooter, the end product is unlike anything ever seen in the series before. Front Mission Evolved is the first game in the series not developed by the actual Front Mission team and instead was made by Double Helix Games instead of by a studio under Square Enix, it also is the first game in the entire series that was not worked on by the series creator Toshiro Tsuchida. To the games credit it was supervised by Shinji Hashimoto who did supervise some of the other Front Mission games. Front Mission Evolved succeeds and fails in two major regards, the controls and gameplay are top notch and incredibly easy to learn and master, but the story of the game is not only short but is both contrived and utterly silly.

O.C.U.’s finest.

So the story of the game is pretty simple and isn’t anything that hasn’t been seen before, the main character is a grease monkey/researcher who designs and builds mechs (but has the free time to workout and gel his hair) who’s father is killed prompting him to seek revenge. Over the course of his quest for revenge he joins the military and falls in love with a woman he shares only minor dialogue with, then with little explanation she joins the big bad and the main character decides his mission is no longer about revenge but about saving her. By the actual end of the game, and several pointless deaths later, the main characters priority should be about saving the world but instead decides saving the girl he barely knows is far more important.

On the bright side the protagonist is easy on the eyes.

One of my biggest gripes with the game is the story and the pacing, the story is broken up into five acts and each act can be cleared in an hour at most. The stages aren’t very expansive and limit exploration making the game very linear. You more or less travel in a straight line from start to finish with a boss battle at the end of each act. When the game starts we are introduced to the main character who all we ever learn of is that he designs Wanzers and so does his dad, he receives no other character development and his motives throughout the entirety of the game are all selfish making him pretty unrelatable as a character. The rest of the cast gets little introduction and besides the love interest who gets about five minutes of backstory most of them just die in a way that if they had been developed would have been tragic. I spent a good deal of the single-player campaign screaming “What?” at my television because I wanted the game to explain how a person inside an apparently undamaged (or at least not exploded) mech could possibly die especially when that person has experienced no physical trauma. What little story there is in this game moves far to quickly for any events to fall into place and the end result winds up being a game with a story that raises far to many questions and ends without tying any important loose ends.

Like what the hells this guys story is!

Front Mission Evolved has one redeeming quality, the controls. The controls for Front Mission Evolved are so well done and the gameplay is so great that I almost forgot how shitty the story is. The controls are similar to that of the Armored Core games, but the Wanzers are for more responsive and move more realistically. The opening tutorial didn’t take very long and I found myself mastering the controls by the end of the first level. At no point in time during my play through of this game did I die or get hit unfairly due to bad controls. If I ever got shot and blown up it was because I suck at video games and not because there was some asinine delay in controls or some other such nonsense. Honestly I would recommend this game based solely on the experience of the controls, I have never to this day played a game with such fluid controls and place this in my personal favorites list purely because of them.

If only all these zombie games had controls like this.

Front Mission Evolved has a few bonus features like Online Multiplayer (no local :( ) and the option of replaying any of the stages from the single player campaign. I tried several times to find a game to join online but was always greeted with empty rooms, meaning that I could not experience the online multiplayer. If youtube videos do it justice it looks like it would have been a jolly good time. I feel that this game is more one of those guilty pleasure ones, it’s to bad to recommend to a friend but it has qualities to it that you just can’t help but secretly enjoy it behind closed doors. To those who are looking for some turn-based goodness I’d recommend you avoid this, but if you want a contrived love story with great controls and giant robots this is definitely the game for you.

Did I mention there are giant robots?

What Handheld should I get? Pros and Cons (Gen VII Edition) Part 1–The Nintendo DS

In the same vein as my last article on the Pros and Cons of the PS3, Xbawks 360, and Wii I’ll be looking at the two main hand-held consoles and their variants. For those uninitiated the two major Handheld Consoles being discussed in this article are the Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable. Each handheld has had multiple variants released over the years that either had extra features of better compatibility. I won’t lie and profess that the only handheld consoles released in the seventh generation of consoles were the PSP and the DS but consoles like the Gizmondo, CAANOO, GP2X, Pandora, Zone 30 in 1, and the Mi2. These other handhelds never achieved mainstream popularity and are pretty hard to find in a conventional store, so I have chosen to omit them and instead look at the two behemoths the Nintendo DS and PSP and each of their revisions. This will be a two part article due to how long they will each be.

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Nintendo DS

The Nintendo DS is the successor to the Gameboy Advance and was Nintendo’s handheld foray into the Seventh Generation of gaming consoles and was originally released on November 21, 2004. The Nintendo DS was the first successful handheld to utilize a touchscreen and started a trend of companies attempting to be innovative in the gaming industry. The Nintendo DS uses 8-512 Megabyte cartridges utilizing flash memory for all saves (unless of course you are too cool for saving), the increased size of the game carts over their Gameboy Advance cart nephews allowed for improved graphics and even 3D sprites. Another feature of the DS was the beginning of the trend to include WiFi connectivity in handhelds replacing the old link cables of yesteryear. WiFi made playing multiplayer games a breeze and generally had a range of about 7 or 8 feet. WiFi could also be used to play games with people far away by using your own internet connection to connect to a Nintendo server. The revolutionary features don’t end there, you could use the DS to download game Demos from the Wii and for some games you could connect your DS to the Wii itself.
Since the creation of the Nintendo DS it has gone under several revisions including the Nintendo DS Lite, Nintendo DSi, and Nintendo DSi XL. Not to mention the many collectors variants of the handheld.
Pros and Cons of the System (Overall)
Pros:
Large Number of High Quality First Party Games: The Nintendo DS has an overabundance of great first party titles from many stable franchises like the Mario Bros., Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Pokemon and Star Fox.
Decent amount of Quality Second and Third Party Games: Atlus and other third party companies release quite a few good games on the console from stable franchises like the Megami Tensei series and Namco’s Harvest Moon and Rune Factory series.
Inexpensive: Depending on Model a DS won’t usually set you back $60-$75 with the most being around the $100 range.
Almost Non-existent hardware issues: Sans the DS Lite, the DS series suffers very rarely from design issues with the worst possible thing usually being a speaker dying in an old DS Phat.
Large Gaming Library: Overall the Nintendo DS’s game library is massive and caters to a variety of audiences.
Touch Screen Utilization: The Handheld has a touch screen, it works flawlessly.
Cheap and Easy Repair: Regardless of Model Nintendo DS replacement parts are easy to find and for the most part are easy to replace. Screen replacement is as easy as opening the handheld up, unplugging a ribbon and plugging the new one in.
Good Battery Life: All of the DS models have battery lives ranging from 12 to 15 hours of continuous play while having screen brightness set to default. On maximum settings its around 6 to 8 hours.
Region-Free: All DS games are region free and can be played on any Nintendo DS except the iQue Model,because China is communist >:(
Microphone: The Console(s) have a built in microphone which is utilized in certain games that require the player to talk or for certain games that allow voice chatting via Nintendo WiFi Connection or Local WiFi.
Cons:
Region Locked Consoles: The DSi and DSi XL are region locked.
Large Amount of Shovelware: As with any console with a large library (see: Playstation) there is bound to be a good deal of Shovelware. For every Mario and Luigi game there will be about 15 Imagine Ballerina games.
Limited Backwards Compatibility: Of the line of Nintendo DS’s the only two capable of backwards compatibility are the Original Nintendo DS and the Nintendo DS Lite. These two handhelds are capable of playing Gameboy Advance games but not Gameboy or Gameboy Color games.

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• The Nintendo DS (Original/Phat)
• Released: November 21, 2004

The Nintendo DS Original or “Phat” as the internet tends to refer it, was the first model of the console and is the second largest in size of the series of consoles. Being the first in the series it only contained the basic features of the console. The Original DS had basic WiFi connectivity in order to play games locally or online via the Nintendo WiFi Connection service. It also has PictoChat, a local chat feature which can accommodate up to 8 people per chat room and there are 4 rooms meaning up to 42 people total in a given area can engage in PictoChat.
Pros and Cons (of the console)
Pros:
Backwards Compatibility: Capable of playing Gameboy Advance games, not but Gameboy or Gameboy Color games.
Sturdy: From my hands on experience I have deduced that the DS Phat is practically invulnerable when it comes to drops, getting kicked, being sat upon, and other situations in which a lesser console would become irreparably harm.
Cheap and Easy to Repair: Repair parts are cheap and easy to find and require no soldering or any advanced techniques to replace.
Cheap: The Original Model DS is the cheapest model, so for the price conscious it may be best to purchase an Original Model DS.
Cons:
Small Screen Size: The Original Model DS has a very small screen which is around the size of the Gameboy advances. So for those with very bad eyes it may be better to avoid this particular version.
Dead Pixels: Commonly the Original Model DS’s would have Dead Pixels, which ultimately don’t inhibit Gameplay but are very annoying.
Shortest battery life: Averages 6 to 8 hours.

Best Game of 2010!

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• Nintendo DS Lite
• Released: June 11, 2006

The Nintendo DS Lite is the most popular model of Nintendo DS, it combines a sleek lightweight design with all the functionality of the original Model. The Nintendo DS Lite has the most color variations and limited edition bundle versions out of any of the Nintendo DS’s and up until recently was the staple DS of choice for many. Despite some aesthetic differences the DS Lite is exactly the same as the Original DS.
Pros and Cons of the System
Pros:
Compact Design: The DS Lite is about 20% smaller with a sleeker design.
Adjustable Backlight: The DS Lite is the first DS to have an adjustable backlight which could increase battery life by setting the DS the lowest brightness setting, or you could maximize that biatch and illuminate a room. (There are four levels of backlight.)
Easy to Find: Despite the Original Model being cheaper the DS Lite is slightly more common due to it’s overall popularity.
Cons:
Flimsy Design: Unlike it’s larger older brother, the DS Lite is plagued with problems due either cheap plastics of overall weakness of design. The most common problems are the hinge to the top screen breaking, the shoulder buttons malfunctioning, and the D-pad ceasing to function.
Glossy Finish: The glossy finish on the handheld broadcasts fingerprints and scratches to the entire universe. (Might be a Pro to some people, this is mostly an aesthetic thing.)

You get what you pay for amirght?

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• Nintendo DSi
• Released: April 5, 2009

The DSi is completely different from the DS Lite and the Original DS in every aspect, while being slightly more compact than the DS Lite it includes two .03 Megapixel cameras built in and a redesigned user interface. The DSi also uses a much more powerful processor and has about 100% more internal memory which can be expanded through the addition of an SD card (up to 32 Gigabytes). Along with the changes the DSi had an E-Shop in which one could purchase applications and games. There are also games which when played on the DSi will either move faster or will have certain features unlocked. An Example of a DS game with bonus features is Pokemon Black/White which not only run faster on the DSi but has a feature for local video chatting utilizing the camera and microphone on the console.
Pros and Cons of the System
Pros:
Adjustable Backlight: Just like the DS Lite the DSi has an adjustable backlight, only instead of four levels there are now five levels to which you can adjust the backlight. Just think, you could illuminate an entire house with that many levels!
Improved UI: The improved User Interface not only is incredibly smooth and pleasant to look at but it also removes one of the frustrations of the older systems that makes it so that you have to shutdown the console before removing or inserting a game. Now you can merely reset the console by tapping the power button and while on the home screen you can freely remove and insert DS cartridges.
Matte Finish: Unlike the DS Lite the Matte finish on the DSi makes it harder for the handheld to be scratched and doesn’t attract fingerprints.
WPA WiFi Connectivity: The DSi is capable of both WEP and WPA WiFI connectivity making it more compatible with WiFi hotspots.
E-Shop: The DSi has an E-shop where games and applications can be purchased with DSi Points, there are also free applications like Flipnote Hatena which is very popular.
Built-in Camera: The DSi has two built in cameras which can be used to take pictures or video.
Expandable Memory: You can insert an SD card (up to 32GB) to expand the consoles memory for storing games, pictures, or video.
Web Browser: The DSi can download the Opera web browser and can surf rudimentary websites like forums or review websites, though it has a tough time handling video websites.
Cons:
No Backwards Compatibility: The DSi lacks a slot for Gameboy games so all that can be played on it are DS games and games purchased through the E-Shop.
Expensive: The DSi is one of the most expensive versions only second to the DSi XL.
Region Locked: The DSi is region locked.

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• Nintendo DSi XL
• March 28 2010

The Nintendo DSi XL did not particularly bring anything new to the table as a revision, the only striking detail about it is that the handheld is significantly larger then all of its predecessors in all respects. Upon release the handheld came with two free games and one free application, however the application is now free and the games were just two copies of Brain Age so it isn’t a huge loss. The DSi XL had the poorest sales out of all the DS models, this is due to the fact that around the time of it’s release the 3DS was announced as the next big handheld. I’m pretty sure we all know where this is going. You can pretty much reread the DSi section as the DSi has no new features besides being larger.
The Pros and Cons of the System
Pros:
Bigger Everything: For those with bad eyes or what have you, the DSi XL is massive with screens that dwarf all the previous iterations screens.
Special Editions: The DSi XL has a couple of special edition models which are neat.
Free Stuff: The DSi XL will generally come with two copies of Brain Age and a copy of Flipnote Hatena preinstalled.
Cons:
Expensive: The DSi XL is very expensive, for the price of a DSi XL you may as well go and buy a 3DS as they tend to be $100+
Bigger Everything: Because of the size of the console it is harder to transport as it won’t fit in more pockets like all the previous models, generally you will need some kind of case if you intend to transport it.
Region Locked: The DSi XL is region locked.

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The Verdict:
I’d recommend either the Original Model Nintendo DS or the Nintendo DSi, both are pretty easy to find and provide the most features with the cheapest price-tag. The reason I would recommend them over the Nintendo DS Lite or the Nintendo DSi XL is that the DS Lite is incredibly flimsy and has a high chance of breaking, the DSi XL is just a bigger variant of the regular DSi so you aren’t getting anything extra for the bonus $50-$60 you will wind up paying for it. Ultimately it comes down to what you want in a handheld, the DS Lite is slightly more portable then the regular DS and has the most color choices and special editions out of any model, the DSi XL is big.

 

I’ll just take the one that works.

Chris' Undiscovered Gems: Legend of the Ghost Lion (NES)



This week only - catch Siegfried and Roy! Only at the Mirage!

Often when I talk to friends about classic RPGs the same few titles pop up over and over again. Final Fantasy 3, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 7, Earthbound...all great games: none of them for the NES. If there's anything that collecting NES games over the past few years has taught me, it's that the Nintendo had boatloads of solid and undiscovered RPGs. From the quirky (Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom,) to the adventurous (Faxanadu,) heck, even the point-and-click adventure games (Shadowgate, Uninvited, etc) offer a lot of challenge and excitement for adventure gamers and RPG gamers alike. There are tons of RPGs that few talk about outside of the Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior franchises. While there are certainly games that don't quite cut the muster compared to these classics, Kemco's "Legend of the Ghost Lion" deserves some honorable mention in the halls of RPG-dom, if for nothing other than its ridiculously 80's cover art and wacky story.

*Quick note before we get started: The title of this game can lead to some confusion if we're not careful. The cart says "Ghost Lion," a search for it will often bring up "Ghost of the Lion," and the title screen calls it "Legend of the Ghost Lion." Pick your poison. There's a Lion, he's presumably a ghost, and the story is legendary. So legendary that almost nobody has heard of this game!*

The game opens with a well-drawn, albeit strange cut scene. The plot is laid out thusly: there is a legend that your village was attacked by a mysterious white lion. Most of the village cowered in the corner, peeing their pants and getting mauled and whatnot - but a young adventurer named Moja came to the rescue and drove the white lion out into the cave of evil. So naturally, your parents feel the need to search for this ghost lion for some inexplicable reason and leave you; a young girl named Maria, behind to fend for yourself. So of course, instead of following her parents' advice, she runs off to go track them down as well. The fact that your parents are dressed more like they're going to hop the next boat to Jamaica to go do Jager-bombs on a cruise ship instead of trek through the perilous jungle (for no logical reason) means that we're in for an interesting - albeit relatively nonsensical journey.



"WOOOOO! CABO! - Do another Jello-shot Linda!"

So the first thing we notice once getting past the introductory cave is that the game is remarkably similar to games such as Dragon Warrior and Ultima. If you're familiar with either of those two series, this game should be easy to crack into. You can search around your feet, speak, check your inventory and stats. Waltzing around the main screen will bring up random battles (ala nearly every RPG from this time,) and you have the option of attacking or running away. Much like in the Final Fantasy series - the run function wont do you much good against enemies that are equal or better than you because they nearly always track you down and quickly kill you. You can either attack them with whatever weapon you're carrying at the time or consult your spear or lamp to summon Moja or Twana the lamp spirit respectively. During a tough battle these two really come in handy, as the enemies will be more likely to attack them instead of the frail little tween swinging a dagger around and making goofy anime faces. Your "dream" power is what you use to summon these two spirits - which is nice because you do get plenty to get the job done. Courage is your health - and you start out with woefully too little to last more than a few bouts. Starting the game, Twana the lamp spirit seems much less effective than Moja until you advance and learn more powerful spells.

I'm thinking they meant "YOUR" courage...but maybe I'm just splitting hairs...

Which leads me to one of the main downsides to the game: leveling. In most normal RPGs, leveling is a pretty straightforward affair; you fight an endless sea of blue goobers, ghosts, skeletons, bats, etc and eventually you get rewarded by being able to take more hits and to smash enemies in a single blade strike. Sadly, in this game - I tried grinding for XP for an hour and some change before I realized that; yes, I was getting a pretty nice stack of money - but I was still having to run back to the healing fairy pool every two battles. Oh yeah, I didn't mention that - this game has healing fairies ala Zelda. True story. Instead of whacking at an endless supply of Kobolds and Zombies, just kill enough to get a decent weapon and proceed to the nearest cave. It is here where you will find treasure chests that often contain the "level up" you need. If you happen to get snuffed out before you get the opportunity, just realize that you lose some of your money every time the magical pixies need to save your butt. So if Sierra online games taught us anything: "Save early, save often!"

That mean ol' Zombie took my teddybear!

So how does "Legend of the Ghost Lion" stack up against some of the NES' RPG heavyweights? It is actually a pretty addictive game once you get past some of the quirks and the learning curve involved in the leveling system. The graphics are pretty solid, the gameplay is familiar to anyone who's played some of the top-shelf games, and the difficulty is somewhere in the low to mid range. I'll admit that it doesn't quite have the replay value of a game like Dragon Warrior IV - but few do. It's not quite as quirky as Princess Tomato - but it's still fun and wacky in its own right and it also has the rare distinction of being a game with a female protagonist. It's a relatively uncommon game and I think that if you've already burned through some of the top-tier NES titles, it's a good place to start exploring the less traveled road of the Nintendo RPG library.



Imagine this badboy airbrushed on an RV!
Oh, and click here to buy a copy!