Bloody Thumbs Podcast

G4's Favorite Nintendo DS Games

The DS is five years old today, so the G4 staff got together over a long e-mail thread and discussed everyone's favorite games for the system that surprised everybody. ("Two screens? What are they thinking?")  As a testament to the DS' amazing library, there were no duplicate submissions for favorite game. Feel free to join the thread in the comments below!

Mike D'Alonzo -- Manager, G4 Interactive Services

To this day, my favorite DS game is still Brain Age. There’s nothing that motivates you to want to be smarter more than the shame of being told that your brain is literally years older than you are. It’s always fun to feel your lack of intelligence and your mortality, all at once. Should it, perhaps have been called Shame Age? You bet!

Rob Manuel -- X-Play Associate Producer

The World Ends With You: Daring, innovative, quirky; there are few games that can tout such praises, let alone a JRPG from Square Enix. The World Ends With You takes full advantage of everything the DS can dish out such as battles occurring on two screens simultaneously, touch screen combat, and even Wi-Fi enabled pin trading. You can even gain experience when you’re not playing the game. How cool is that?

Patrick Klepek -- News Editor

DS proved itself to me early on. Kirby Canvas Curse proved what the platform's technology could do to traditional video games through an application of touch screen gameplay few games have been able to replicate since. Even though DS has become a wonderful platform with a large and rewarding library of games, many do not really take advantage of the hardware's main differentiator. But Kirby Canvas Curse, giving you the ability to move Kirby through levels on your personal wind current, did that years ago. I still go back to it, as a reminder of what's possible when less is more. Speaking of, where's my sequel?

Tim Jennings -- X-Play Associate Producer

Let me start out by saying that I don’t normally like sports games. I’m as uncoordinated throwing a pass in Madden as I am in real life. That said, I loved Tecmo Bowl Kickoff for the DS. In my mind, this title does a lot of things right to make it a perfectly addictive DS game.

#1 – The nostalgia factor. I played Tecmo Bowl as a kid. I also played Tecmo Super Bowl as a kid. Kickoff captures what was great about those games but tweaks its gameplay just enough to keep the Tecmo football nostalgia alive while not making a game that feels “old”. Furthermore, the games wireless versus option reminded me of taking on my friends in the NES versions as a kid.

 #2 – Kickoff keeps it simple. Plays are easy to run and the action never feels overwhelming. It’s simple just like the games on the NES that it references. If I wanted a complicated football experience, I’d play Madden and I wouldn’t play it on a handheld. Sometimes something simple can be a wonderful thing.

#3 – It’s bite-sized. What I want out of a DS game is a distraction I can pick up while I’m on the train, waiting for a flight, or am moderately bored. I play it, it’s satisfying for the moment, and that’s it. That’s what a handheld game should be as far as I’m concerned, and that’s what Kickoff delivers.

Jake Gaskill -- Feed Writer

I haven’t been as genuinely surprised, enthralled and pleased with a game as I was with Level-5’s mystery puzzle title, Professor Layton and the Curious Village. Not only does it feature beautifully crafted cinematics and a wonderful mix of whimsy and dread, but the premise is just instantly engrossing. Seriously, who doesn’t love exploring mysterious towns where bizarre and unexplained things are happening, unbeknownst (or beknownst) to its citizens? Throw in a crazy amount of truly mind-bending puzzles, and a Sherlock Holmes-inspired narrative, and voila! Instant DS classic.

Brian Leahy -- Previews Editor

Just as Lumines captured me on the PSP, Q Entertainment’s Meteos caught my attention on the DS. I sunk a lot of time into the games modes and I thought the stylus controls worked really well for the game’s mechanics. The different planets and effects added some depth and strategy and Meteos didn’t leave my DS for an extremely long time. I’m still waiting for the iPhone version over here!

Abbie Heppe -- X-Play Editorial Coordinator

If you define “favorite” as the game that barely left my DS for over a year and that I actually wore away a small part of my touch screen playing, I have to nominate Majesco’s New York Times Crossword Puzzles. Sure, years have passed and now I have an iPhone app that feeds me the puzzles daily, but it doesn’t let me sit down and play co-op or competitive crossword puzzling with friends, and most importantly, my dad, who bought a DS the second he saw the game.

Sterling McGarvey -- Reviews Editor

As much as I love Phoenix Wright and Trauma Center, Tony Hawk’s American Sk8land is still my personal favorite DS game. As you might’ve read in my article on a decade of Tony Hawk, this DS debut was the brightest point of a rapidly declining game series. Why? Vicarious Visions adapted the best parts of Tony Hawk -- arcade-driven madcap fun -- and made lemonade from lemons. The handheld lacks the visual panache of a PSP, but the cel-shaded animation runs fluidly on Nintendo’s handheld. Throw in some great online integration (customizable skateboards and awesome multiplayer), and you have a handheld experience that stood toe to toe with the likes of early PS2-era Birdman games. If you’re lamenting the death of the series and you’ve overlooked Sk8land, seek it out. It evokes the best moments of the series, and none of the bad.

Eric Eckstein -- Director of Editorial, G4tv.com

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney may be as much a training tool as Pauly Shore’s Jury Duty, but what it lacks in accuracy, it makes up for in sweet goofy stories that revolved around revenge and spirits.  It also stars Larry Butz, solely to offer a joke about “if something smells, it’s usually the Butz.”  Between that, touch-screen CSI-lite antics and the ability to yell “Objection!” into the mic to counter arguments, it was easily one of my favorite DS experiences.

Michael Demski -- X-Play Writer

I’m sure everyone’s saying Mario Kart DS or New Super Mario Bros. but my pick is Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin.  After an extended hiatus from the series, I immediately became re-hooked thanks to the solid gameplay and that obsessive drive to discover 100% of the map.  I also appreciated the fact that the game didn’t include unnecessary touch screen gimmicks and microphone nonsense just for the sake of having it (no one wants to blow really hard into their DS on a bus).

Andrew Pfister -- Senior Games Editor

I'm frequently finding myself in situations where A) I'm over my head and B) I really need to hear some good music to help me through it, so it's natural that one of my favorite DS games is Elite Beat Agents. Known and loved as Ouendan in Japan, EBA is the music game that got overshadowed by the plastic instruments, but it's one of the DS' most unique and endearing games. Plus, Chicago's "You're The Inspiration" just might make you cry as you tap each heartbreaking circle.

Jonathan Goorvich -- Interactive Content Specialist

Happy Birthday DS! The two things I love about you most are The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass and the very unique form of carpel tunnel syndrome you gave me. Phantom Hourglass brilliantly utilized everything the DS was built for, from drawing boomerang trajectories, to creative ways of utilizing the dual screens, to annoying an entire airplane full of people when I had to yell into the DS microphone during a red-eye flight. Thank you for all that, and five wonderful years!

Daniel Whitehill -- Director, New Media

Picross DS:  If Soduku were fun, it would be Picross. This overlooked gem and my trusty iPod has gotten me through plenty of flights. Plus, you can make your own puzzles and scar your friends with digital dongs and breasts. The cost used on Amazon? $12. Surprise 8-bit digital nudity? Priceless.

Stephen Johnson -- Lead Editor, The Feed

PictoChat: Not enough attention is given to the Nintendo DS’s groundbreaking ability to allow friends to share crudely drawn pictures of dongs. Before this innovation, I had to use pieces of loose-leaf paper – it was like the Dark Ages. Oh, and Mario Kart DS is twice as addictive as Quaaludes.

Five Years of the Nintendo DS

November isn’t just a time for big games to launch. It’s traditionally a time when game consoles make their big splash in the States. With the exception of the PlayStation 2 and the PSP, every major game console of this decade has launched in November in the US. Can you believe that Nintendo DS launched a half-decade ago? I sure can’t. Alongside the console big boys, one of this decade’s most important gaming platforms came out in November. Like the PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360, I’m taking a look at the history of the platform, and the prognosis for the coming year.

Launch Date: November 21, 2004
Launch Price: $149.99

Significant Price Drops and Hardware Iterations

Nintendo DS Lite (released June 11, 2006 for $129.99) revamped several features from the original DS hardware, including:

• Weight (21% lighter than launch model)
• Size (58% smaller than launch model)
• Extended Battery Life lasts up to five hours long than launch model
• Four tiers of adjustable brightness

Nintendo DSi (released April 5, 2009 for $169.99) reiterated on the DS Lite hardware innovation, but removed the Game Boy Advance cartridge slot. It also included a matte finish as opposed to the glossy (read: fingerprint-friendly) DS Lite, two cameras, an SD card slot for music, photo, and game storage. With the DSi launch, Nintendo launched DSiWare, a downloadable service similar to WiiWare that allows players to buy downloadable games for use on DSi.

Games of Note

Year One: 2004-2005

• Mario Kart DS
• Nintendogs
• Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
• Kirby: Canvas Curse
• Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

Year Two: 2005-2006

• New Super Mario Bros.
• Animal Crossing: Wild World
• Tetris DS
• Brain Age
  
• Elite Beat Agents

Year Three: 2006-2007

• The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
  
• Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
  
• Planet Puzzle League
  
• Lunar Knights
  
• Pokemon Pearl/Diamond

Year Four: 2007-2008

• Professor Layton & The Curious Village
  
• Final Fantasy Tactics A2
  
• Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
  
• The World Ends With You
  
• Space Invaders Extreme

Year Five: 2008-2009

• Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story
• Scribblenauts
  
• Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
  
• Chrono Trigger DS
  
• Professor Layton & The Diabolical Box

Features That Made It Better

• Without a doubt, Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. After willfully ignoring online during the GameCube era to its own peril, Nintendo wised up and delivered an awesome online experience for handheld games.
• DS Lite hardware. The DS Lite exemplified a real upgrade and gave true incentive to upgrade your hardware, even if it was years later. It improved so much on the original model that few gamers batted a lash at updating their hardware.
• Software that goes above and beyond gaming. The likes of Brain Age and Personal Trainer: Cooking demonstrate that the platform has a purpose outside of just gaming. Lifestyle software finally broke out of Japan with the DS, and it helped enhance the usefulness of the system.

Things We’ll Try to Forget

• The Nintendo Seal of Quality. Wait, we didn’t forget it, but maybe Nintendo did. When a platform hits the half-decade mark, you get a fair amount of crap -- look at the shovelware that pervaded the PlayStation in 2000 or the PS2 in 2005 -- but neither platform had the likes of Homie Rollerz.
• The DS hardware’s five year-old Wi-Fi capabilities. There’s nothing I love more than dumbing down my router security to play DS games online at home. And before you object, that Nintendo-sanctioned Wi-Fi dongle was pulled from the market following a lawsuit.
• The DSi is starting to symbolize the worst parts of the Nintendo consumer experience instead of the best. Since its April launch, Nintendo has failed to show us anything that would make a DS Lite owner give up that GBA slot. DSiWare seems as bogged down with forgettable pap as WiiWare’s casual cash-ins. Even with more advanced Internet security settings and firmware updates, you can’t connect to Nintendo Wi-Fi with your DS chips if you’re running WPA. Adding insult to injury, Nintendo has already announced the DSi XL, which touts a bigger screen -- no word on whether DSi early adopters can transfer any purchases to the new console, but don’t hold your breath. Nintendo, just stop and fix what you’ve already got, please.

Prognosis for Year Six: 2009-2010

Positive. Whether you agree with Nintendo’s lust for two new hardware iterations in such a short time, there’s no argument that the DS has made its mark. There have been cynics and detractors throughout the years (in 2004, no one expected a two-screened machine to be successful; in 2005, no one expected the lineup to withstand Sony’s sleek PSP; in 2009, no one expected people to keep buying DS systems), but they’ve been silenced by indisputable facts.

Nintendo holds its cards close to its chest regarding new games, but we’re a few weeks off from The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, and Golden Sun will finally debut in 2010 on DS after a lengthy absence from handheld. It’s hard to gauge whether we’ve seen the best out of the platform already, but I have little doubt that you’ll see the DS rage on for a while longer before Nintendo pulls the plug.

God of War Collection: A Video Comparison

God of War Collection dropped this week, and many PS3 owners want to know if it’s worth the plunge. This new compilation features newly remastered versions of the PS2 classics on one Blu-ray, alongside with a voucher to download the God of War III demo from the PlayStation Store. We're not planning to run a review of GoW Collection, but that doesn't mean that we haven't taken the time to set up some comparison videos detailing the visual differences between both games running on a backwards-compatible PlayStation 3 versus the newly redone game. I've written up some impressions to go alongside the videos, which you can check out here.

In order to properly display the action, the comparison videos focus on two areas: combat and cinematic moments, such as cutscenes or quicktime events. Whether it’s Kratos jamming a Kraken head through a ship mast or climbing into the animated Colossus of Rhodes statue to dismantle it from within, I think the videos speak for themselves.

Take a look and decide if there’s room on your shelf for God of War Collection!

Reply to All: Sequels, Solicited Career Advice, and Sequels 2

On this week's episode of Modern Family -- the best new comedy of the year, by the way -- the lovable but clueless Phil laments his wife's inability to give good gifts. After running down a long list of desired items (one of which being a yogurt maker, which is totally practical), he declares "I can't not think of things I want."

We're now in that time of the year where it's easy to find ourselves falling into that mentality. Most of the year's major games have been released, and with all the enthusiastic coverage and discussion surrounding them, it's easy to get game envy. And while it's bordering on trite to say "be thankful for what you have," try not to get caught up in what you don't have. Next week, we're going to be putting up an article or two in the Thanksgiving spirit -- some touchy-feely junk about appreciation and family and sharing things about gaming, because we often forget how important that stuff is.

As my friend Shane Bettenhausen used to say on our 1UP Yours podcast, "it's nice to want things." While that’s completely true, it's pretty nice to have things, too.

On that note, thanks for reading, and thanks for writing in.

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I am a 27 year-old and I am working at Whataburger and I hate it. I am asking for your help. I love to play video games and I would like a career in that field, but I can't find anything on that out here in Arizona. So if you could please point me the way on where to get this job so I can stop flipping burgers. -- James M.

If you're serious enough about it to move to a different part of the country, you're going to want to look at Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas/Austin, and New York/Boston. This is assuming you're talking about getting into the development side of the industry. Also be aware that "loving to play video games" is naturally assumed by most potential employers, so your resume needs to be a little more robust. If you need help on that front, then you should probably be looking at educational options before diving headlong into the job pool -- frequent layoffs mean that there are plenty of pre-qualified people struggling to find work, and that's going to be your competition.

But by no means should you let your age get in the way of starting something from scratch. It's never too late for a fresh start.

What do you guys think of the sense of history in Assassin's Creed II? Is it easier to use historical figures, as opposed to inventing brand new characters? I personally think the commitment to staying historically, architecturally, and linguistically accurate is not only commendable but refreshing. Do you see this type of effort in other games? Do you think this sets a standard for more educational (for lack of a better term) games? -- jcoffiel

I think it only tends to work in one of two ways: when the history is vague enough to allow the game designers and writers to add elements to the fiction that can plausibly fit in with the characters and time period (like Leonardo in ACII, or to use an example from television, William Randolph Hearst in Deadwood), or when you go completely off-the-wall, like say, Nazi dinosaurs in World War II. Or really, ACII's entire conclusion.

We'll definitely see more of the historical approach in the remaining Assassin's Creed games, but I'd definitely like to see more developers crack open the history books. Both Uncharted games drew upon real explorers and adventurers, but like Assassin's Creed, couldn't resist throwing in the mystical elements at the end. For games that deal only with "real" history, we'll have to continue to make do with games set in WWII (minus the dinos) and westerns.

With the disappointing sales of Brutal Legend, the closing of Pandemic studios, and the recent announcement of revitalizing old brands do you believe the "evil company" EA is beginning to emerge? Or do you think the gaming population is over speculating? -- JTHMROCKS

Brutal Legend failing to catch on fire at retail doesn't involve the forces of good and evil, it just means that it was a difficult game to market to the average consumer. Likewise, the closing of Pandemic had more to do with that studio's development process and the economy at large. As someone who has been laid off from jobs during the holidays (twice, actually, from the same company), it's easy to attribute it to Evil Executives cackling and toasting themselves in a dark, smoke-filled boardroom, but it's all about numbers. EA took a gamble by attempting to focus on new IP, and it wasn't successful enough to stave off unfortunate changes that we're seeing now.

EA certainly hasn't been perfect this generation (they are the company that started to charge us for unlocking what used to be cheat codes), but they used to be far worse, and there are far worse things happening now.

(The real problem that EA needs to deal with immediately is Jeff Green and his mailbag.)

I was just wondering what degree would be required for a job position like Alison Haislip or Chris Hardwick? -- ballaohollic3

Web Soup host Chris Hardwick says:

I majored in Attack of the Show Studies with a minor in dick jokes. Other than that, this is the only other degree that your future colleagues would require:

Stay dry!
-chris

In the past few years, the movie industry has seen a lot of movies based off of remakes of old movies, old T.V. shows, video games, and books, and it almost seems as if Hollywood is starting to run out of ideas for making original pictures. Do you see the video game industry falling victim to this trend or is it safe to say that there will always be new and original games for years to come? -- Armada88

With all of the major releases this holiday season being "2"s (Modern Warfare 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Assassin's Creed II, Uncharted 2) , do you think we'll see any new IPs (besides things like Brutal Legend and Borderlands) that could be as good as any of any of those games anytime soon, like starting around, Spring '10? -- Tjoeb123

These questions give me the perfect excuse to do one of my favorite time-wasting "research" projects at work: compile a release list for the next 3-to-6 months and daydream about how awesome each and every game is going to be until it's time to go home. The Bad News: we've got a lot more "2s" to go in 2010:

• Red Dead Redemption (sequel to Red Dead Revolver)
• Mass Effect 2
• Just Cause 2
• Army of Two: 40th Day
• Battlefield: Bad Company 2
• Mafia II
• BioShock 2
• Red Steel 2
• Lost Planet 2
• Dead Rising 2
• Supreme Commander 2
• Crysis 2
• Valkyria Chronicles 2
• Super Mario Galaxy 2
  
• Sin & Punishment 2
• Crackdown 2
• Starcraft II

Of course, this isn't really "bad" news (except maybe for Iron Man 2…), but as it stands now, next year doesn't appear to be very risky. Heavy Rain, Brink, Alan Wake, Epic Mickey, and The Last Guardian all have tremendous potential in that they already seem to be critical darlings, but Mickey might be the only one of that group with the potential to be picked up by a mass audience. But hey, at least we have three Call of Duty teams now. And, uh…that's…pretty…awesome. I think.

F7 Letter of the Week

I am considering purchasing a new game council and I was wondering which system I should get? Which system will give me the best graphics? Also most importantly which council will continue to produce awesome games and will last longer? I don't want to wast my money by buying an x-box 360 only to find out that they are coming out with a better council in a year. -- Brian

Email: *****@uwm.edu

As a product of the University of Wisconsin system, it saddens me to see this from a UW-Milwaukee address. The student console really needs to address the falling standards.

WEBMASTER HATES YOU

Dear friends,
 
We are a small singing group (four people) from St. Petersburg, Russia. We often go on concert tours abroad and we would be happy to give concert at your venue, church or hall. Please, contact us if interested or able to help.
 
Kind regards
Andrey S.
LYRA vocal ensemble
St. Petersburg, Russia

Dear Andrey,

Due to the current economic climate in the United States, we at the Church of Comcast have been forced to cut back on our annual holiday services in an effort to save costs. This has left us in a bit of a lurch as far as entertainment options go, so we are definitely interested in "receiving concert" from LYRA.

Please send a recent demo tape and potential set list to the attention of Rev. Ryan Seacrest, and we shall proceed from there.

Ever sincerely,

Webmaster

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This week's Reply to All was brought to you by Friday Night Lights, N.E.R.D.'s "Things Are Getting Better," and grilled cheese & tomato soup. Send your letters to webmaster@g4tv.com, and follow me on that Twitter thing.
 

Free Need for Speed: Shift DLC Detailed And Dated

Watch Larger Version | Watch HD Version

Need for Speed: Shift fans are in for quite a treat in a few weeks as Electronic Arts will be releasing the first batch of downloadable content for their acclaimed racing title, and best of all, it’s free.

The DLC release introduces an entirely new multiplayer mode called Team Racing, which will pit two teams of six players against each other in a Circus Maximus-style racing battle to the death! (Note: that might be an exaggeration on my part) Also included in the DLC pack will be five new smokin' hot rides:

• 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 427
• 1967 Shelby GT-500
• 1969 Dodge Charger R/T
• 1971 Dodge Challenger R/T
• 1998 Toyota Supra Mark IV

All of this Shift goodness will available on Dec. 1 for Xbox 360 and Dec. 10 for PlayStation 3.