Bought it last night. Still haven’t had much time to play it. Got 4 stars so far (all of them in the “Bob-omb Battlefield”), out of 150, and I played the 8 mini-games which don’t need to be unlocked.
I’ve never played Mario 64 on the Nintendo 64, only in emulators, but the DS port is technically excellent - the characters, in particular, noticeable have more polygons than on the N64, and the game is perfectly smooth and fast. Even though graphically it’s not a game on the same league as modern ones on “big” consoles (after all, the original is 9 years old), it’s still considered by many people (just google for it) as one of the best platform games of all time, if not the best. The game’s design is brilliantly original, and the game takes us to another world in a way almost nothing else can.
Continue reading ‘First impressions: Super Mario 64 DS’
For Portuguese-speaking readers: I’ve just created a new phpBB forum, Nintendo DS - Portugal.
It’s still in the beginning, but I hope it’ll be successful - and I hope that I don’t own the only Nintendo DS in Portugal. 
So, if you speak Portuguese, and have a Nintendo DS or are considering buying one, you’ll be welcome there.
… or whatever holiday you celebrate!
See you in a couple of days…
Bought it yesterday, and played it for an hour or so. Here’s a few random thoughts:
- It’s a puzzle game, as everyone knows. Reminds me of Bejeweled and Puzzle Pirates‘ bilging puzzle, with a little bit of Tetris added to the mix. Basically, pieces (called “meteos”) fall from the top, and you don’t control them there (unlike Tetris); instead, you have to move them, after they’re down, using the stylus, to make columns or rows of three or more identical meteos. When you do so, they “ignite” and move to the top, taking everything on top of them with them. The goal is to make them leave the screen (if you’re competing with another player, or a “bot”, it’s even more important, as they fall into their screen), but sometimes you need to make more than one column or row quickly so they have enough thrust to leave the screen.
- The graphics are really great. For some reason, even though it’s using the same screen(s) as GBA games, the game seems much more colorful and “hi-res” than them. The game’s presentation is fantastic - those guys have put more care into the game’s menus than many developers put into entire games!
- Music and sounds are excellent, too. Dozens of different tunes, in many separate genres - reminds me, in a way, of Star Control 2. I’ve heard techno, trance, rock, even something like country, there. And you can unlock many tracks to play in the “extras” section.
- Each “planet” has different graphic styles, different music, and different rules. Even though the game’s basic rules are the same, in each level you have to adapt to different conditions - for instance, gravity may be lowered (which means you have to make simple rows or columns really fast) or increased (forcing you to plan your moves and make big combos). This is only one example, there are many more variations.
- There are lots of unlockables. New planets, materials, items and tunes. You’ll have to play a lot to get them.
- Can be played with up to 4 players, though I haven’t done so yet.
So far, I’m happy.
Here it is, my 7th blog: A Revolution in Gaming.
It’s about the only announced console that actually has me interested - because I’m too old to be swayed by “even more polygons than the generation before!!!”.
Go on, visit it.
Warning: that site is somewhat green.
Played a lot of it this weekend.
I’m getting better at it - better than I ever was in any previous version (including Double Dash!!, which I’ve had for almost 2 years).
The sense of speed is amazing, especially in such a small screen. No matter what happens in the game, I have yet to experience a slowdown.
I’ve unlocked all tracks in the 50cc difficulty, and will focus on 100cc races next. I’ve also played several games online, though more than half were against just one opponent - it seems that Nintendo still has a few wrinkles to iron out. Also, most people out there seem to be better than me, though I’ve noticed that some of them don’t do the turbo dash at the beginning of a race.
Unfortunately (warning: incoming rant), I live in a country where the idea that “Nintendo is for kids” is stronger than in about everywhere else, which means that I don’t (personally) know anyone else with a DS (I probably would if I was a kid, but I’m 31). I really wish I could play 8-player matches using short distance wi-fi. But Portugal is all about the PS2, and now the PSP. 
(though most people I know with a PSP don’t use it for games…)
Anyway, this game is more than worth buying - it’s one you’ll be playing for a lot of time, and if you’re lucky to have friends who can see that there’s life beyond Sony, you’ll be in heaven.
Finally, and (warning: cheap shot at the PSP incoming!) since the DS is all about games, unlike certain other “media centers which also play games” I could mention :), what about some games?
Well, I only have one yet, Mario Kart DS, which came in the bundle I bought. And I haven’t played a lot of it yet (it was late yesterday, and now I’m at work).
Still, some first impressions:
Continue reading ‘First impressions: Mario Kart DS’
I bought it! Finally!
Bought the Mario Kart DS Pak, which includes that game, all for 150 euros. Also bought a Linksys WRK54G wireless router, because I had no wireless stuff at home, to allow the DS to use my internet connection to play Mario Kart DS (and future games, of course) online.
I didn’t have a lot of time to play with it, as I arrived home late, and today is a work day. Also, I spent more than an hour “fighting” with the wireless connection - more on that in my technology blog, if you’re interested.
So, a few random impressions about the hardware:
- It’s big - about the same size as a PSP, though the screens are smaller - there are two of them, though, and you can use a stylus with the bottom one, as everyone probably knows. It’s certainly too big to carry in a pocket, unless it’s a large one in a coat.
- It’s light - much lighter than you’d guess by looking at it. I’ve used heavier mobile phones.
- The screens actually feel “bigger” when you’re looking at them - much more “real estate” than in almost any portable stuff. Except a PSP, of course, but that one’s screen is huge.
- Most screenshots on the web look quite “blocky”, but when you’re using the “real thing”, they don’t look or “feel” blocky at all - they’re perfect for the screen size. Of course, static screenshots on the web look different.
- Mario Kart DS (more on that game later, in another post) is really fast and smooth - no matter what was on the screen, I never experienced the slightest slowdown or frame skipping. This is certainly not your dad’s Game Boy
- I haven’t had enough time to test how long a full battery lasts. The manual says it should last for more than 6 hours of constant playing.
- DS games come in a kind of memory cards, though they’re still referred to as “carts”. The DS also has a larger slot for GBA games.
- When you close the DS, it automatically pauses the game and goes into “sleep mode”, which uses less battery power. Opening it goes instantly to where you left it. Great if you’re leaving a bus, or something.
No photos yet, I hadn’t enough time yesterday.
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