The Nintendo DS is approaching its two-year anniversary, and the handheld system, of which many were skeptical has managed to stay true to its innovative design and functionality without becoming another forgotten gimmick a la Virtual Boy.
When Nintendo revealed the DS a few years ago, the reactions to the system were mixed. A handheld with two horizontally parallel screens, the bottom one incorporated with touch technology sensitive enough to translate air blown from someone’s mouth into an onscreen action, seemed highly innovative, but questions were raised regarding whether or not developers would want to take on projects so different than anything that had been done before. Nintendo did not see the DS this way, thus the moniker “Developer’s System” was the acronym the corporation assigned to the handheld to encourage innovative game design.
Third-party developers rose to the occasion quickly with project announcements from Sega, Konami and Electronic Arts, lessening concerns. The DS would have an audience.
Now, the system is firmly ensconced in the age-old console war, currently battling it out with Sony’s super-powered PlayStation Portable. The DS may not have the graphic or processing capabilities of the PSP, but placing the two systems in a head-to-head fight does not allow a clear winner since they are radically different in implementation.
The PSP relies on crisp visuals and deeper gameplay mechanics, making it more akin to a television-based console like its brother, the PlayStation 2. Nintendo’s portable is a quirkier, more readily accessible system that inspires radically different games, of which none could ever run on the PSP, which lacks a touch-screen. Therefore, unlike the PS2, Xbox and GameCube war in which the three systems have similar capabilities, an overall winner is harder to decide.
Already a solid system, the DS received a makeover in June with the release of the DS Lite, a more compact version of the handheld. The Lite also features a brighter screen and a more ergonomic button arrangement, tightening the system’s already solid controls. The closer alignment of the dual screens makes gameplay a little easier on the eyes, as well, even though the original position of the screens was acceptable.
The DS Lite is noticeably better than the original version of the system, so the price difference should be the only thing to consider when making a purchase. Since the problems fixed by Nintendo in the second iteration of the DS were only minor in the first place, saving money and going with the older version would be the better option for more frugal consumers.
An innovative system is still just an empty shell without games to fill it. The unique design of the system allows for a long list of game ideas, and the DS has included some of the most divergent games in recent years in its catalogue.
One of the better titles is the bestselling pet simulator “Nintendogs,” in which the player selects his or her preferred pooch and trains it via a series of classical conditioning exercises. There are numerous commands to teach the various puppies, all of which are shown to the dog with stylus movements on the touch screen. And what dog doesn’t need a walk? The Nintendogs can be taken out for a stroll where they may encounter other canines, find presents, visit parks and take the occasional poop. The dogs can also be taught to catch Frisbees and balls, which are also thrown via the touch screen.
Another great touch screen game is the interstellar puzzler “Meteos.” In the game, the player must use the stylus to vertically rearrange colored blocks that fall from the sky in order to line up three or more tiles of the same color, setting off a chain reaction that launches the blocks into space. A quota or time limit must be reached in each level before the player can move on to the next planet, all of which have different concentrations of colored blocks. The learning curve can be a little steep in “Meteos,” but the feeling of accomplishment felt after finishing a level outweighs any frustration incurred by the constantly falling tiles.
Not all DS games require using the stylus to be great. “Sonic Rush,” the first installment of the Sonic the Hedgehog series on the handheld, uses the dual screens to instill a sense of pure speed as the blue blur flashes up and down between the two screens in the best Sonic game since 1994’s “Sonic & Knuckles.” Players may also take control of Blaze the Cat (who does not differ much from the hedgehog) in 14 levels of lightning-quick action. Those with slow reflexes need not apply, since fast reflexes will not always keep Sonic from falling down an unexpected pit or from ramming full speed into an inconspicuous enemy, but the pace generally stays just fast enough for humans to tolerate.
“New Super Mario Bros.” is another game that focuses more on solid gameplay than touch screen capability. The bottom screen is only used to supply Mario with an extra power-up when necessary. This does not take anything away from what is perhaps the best game to grace the DS so far, though. Classic Mario gameplay mixed with updated visuals, new power-ups and multiple paths lends plenty of replay value to a highly addictive game. Those that suffer from chronic death syndrome in video games will even find it hard to become aggravated with “New Super Mario Bros.”
Overall, the DS offers many different kinds of games featuring many different implementations of the touch screen: some good, some bad. Like “Sonic Rush,” some manage to avoid use of the touch screen completely. In any case, Nintendo has created a well-rounded system with something to offer gamers of all ages and levels of intelligence.
Ds.tif, caption: Tyler Stewart | The Reflector
The DS Lite (left) runs about $129.99, while the original (right) costs about $119.99.