A lenghty Nintendo DS review

SantaC

Member
Ars Technica has written a very lenghty review on the DS and its launch games.

Here is the conslusion:

Conclusion
To sum it up, I'm impressed.

The hardware is a very able 3D platform, the touch screen is pure Nintendo, and has some really fun uses in games. If the “monocycle” scene in Feel the Magic doesn't have you grinning ear to ear you have no soul, and should give up gaming. The built in wireless makes for some interesting multiplayer possibilities, and the microphone is just icing on the cake. The stereo sound adds a lot more than you'd think over a one speaker arrangement, and the unit fakes surround sound pretty convincingly.

It's also nice to see Nintendo give you so much stuff with the hardware purchase. The extra stylus as well as the thumb stylus and Metroid demo really round out the package, and the Metroid missions show off the hardware in some really interesting ways. It's the perfect demo for people coming to grips with the system.

The only downsides I've found so far have been a slight buzz and crackle when you crank the speakers up, and I do wish you could adjust the brightness of the screen. Some parts of Metroid, even with the backlighting, were hard to see. I'm also scared we'll see too many developers not know what to do with the unique features of the system and go back to making cookie cutter action games instead of branching out with the gameplay as Nintendo and Sega have so ably done with their launch titles. The rest of the launch line up is mediocre at best.

At US$150 this is a great value, a really fun system, and proof that there are new things to try with video game hardware. I can only hope that Nintendo's next proper console is as well put together and thought out as the DS.

The Good:
Solid, attractive hardware
Innovative features such as touch screen, wireless play, and a built in microphone
Surprisingly well rounded retail package with the hardware. The extra styli and game demo are a welcome addition
Thumb stylus emulates mouse/keyboard control closer than anything else we've seen outside of the PC

The Bad:
Mediocre Launch Library
Possibility for lukewarm software if developers become confused with what to do with the touch screen

The ugly:
Trying to explain to someone why you're rubbing a silver screen that's emitting the sounds of vomiting while playing Feel the Magic.

http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/nintendo-ds.ars/1
 
jedimike said:
They can be summed like this " Great Hardware! Now show us some games."

Yep; I really like the hardware, but not enough to spend $200 Canadian for pretty well just Mario.
 
Feel the magic is fantatsic... It really demos the hardware as well as being fun itself. If you pass this up and just focus on Mario, you are missing a lot.
 
I haven't played all the launch games but Im hearing good things about Asphalt GT.

Madden is awesome too.

I dont think developers need to go all out trying to use EVERY feature of the DS. Just simple use of both screens and touch screen will make alot of games seem more playable.
 
I played FTM for a little bit last night - and man, I'm sold. While I hear the game is very short, I'm still getting it. The other games are weak IMO, especially Mario ( tho to be fair, I'm not a big fan of Mario and all his gayness :P ). Looking forward to Mr.Driller and seeing some top down shooters using both screens. The lack of any great games coming soon has me a bit worried but it cant be worse then the Sega CD and 32X I ran out and bought. :P
 
gunstarhero said:
I played FTM for a little bit last night - and man, I'm sold. While I hear the game is very short, I'm still getting it. The other games are weak IMO, especially Mario ( tho to be fair, I'm not a big fan of Mario and all his gayness :P ). Looking forward to Mr.Driller and seeing some top down shooters using both screens. The lack of any great games coming soon has me a bit worried but it cant be worse then the Sega CD and 32X I ran out and bought. :P


Dude, Luigi's gay. Mario is straight as they come.

I know because my gaydar goes off like mad when Luigi is in the room.
 
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