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The holiday season can be hard on parents, so this year we’re doing a round-up with some DS titles from O-Games, originally known as "Oxygen Games."  Parents who are struggling to find a "healthier" alternative for their young gamers need look no further than this O-Games guide.

My Friends

Fun playground games come to the DS in the latest offering from Oxygen in My Friends, which gives players the chance to create an avatar and a selection of friends.  Once a player avatar and friends join in, choices in the playground such as Tag, Fox and Hounds, as well as other classic playground sports are available.

The aim of the title is delivering a fun array of characters across various environments for quick fun without a huge story or complex mechanics. We explored My Friends a bit and found that it would be a great title to throw in for car trips or appointments.  Add in the ability of linking with other My Friends users for chat and games and it becomes a very versatile way to the pass the time, especially for younger DS owners.  Final score: 8 / 10

My Secret Diary

My Secret Diary is part of a series of games targeted toward young female audiences, offering a software diary, event calendar, contact list -- basically a versatile notebook for users. The functions are simple and not too complicated; the screen uses a virtual keyboard with emotion icons (emoticons) for moods and a full selection of letters / characters as well.  Girls looking for a personal escape in their daily lives can use the game as their new toy while playing "pretend."  Mini-games like the crystal ball and aura stone are fun ways to pass the time without needing much investment.  For younger DS owners the game delivers on the basics of a fun title that gives a sense of privacy.  Final score: 7.9 / 10

My Dress-Up

For the designer brewing within, My Dress-Up is a digital fashion game letting users build a collection of virtual friends to deck out in their latest ideas and designs, picking complimenting colors and clothes. The game offers a moderate selection of custom features, limited designs for pants, shirts and more for variety. The game offers the ability to help dress over friends with existing clothing or create new combinations of predesigned symbols using the Top Designer feature. The game is a fun use of time but the novelty could quickly wear off for avid DS players. If one is buying the whole collection then it may be worthwhile as My Make-Up and My Secret Diary communicate with one another.  Final score: 6.8 / 10

My Make-Up

The last in our coverage of the Mygames line, My Make-Up lets players jump into the cosmetic world with a DS flair, using the stylus any player can take on the role of a make-up artist. The game plays on the same basics of the My Dress-Up game with virtual friends to practice makeup ideas on; having the ability to face paint and create detailed makeovers. The game features an archive for a portfolio of greatest hits and allows players to have makeover parties using WiFi to other My-Make-up players and My Dress-Up players. The game doesn’t suffer from the same limits to My Dress-Up as it has a large variety of custom selections for the player without sticking to predesigned choices. For those in the market for something a little longer lasting My Make-Up might be the superior title for longevity. The selection for design and color go a step beyond what Dress-Up does and it feels more rewarding to us.  Final score: 7.7 / 10

Hysteria Hospital

Taking a detour from the MyGames series, we step into Hysteria Hospital Emergency Ward, a simulation title planted on the DS and Wii.  Gamers jump into a fast-paced hospital atmosphere, diagnosing patients while treating and pushing them out the door as fast as they can.

The core of Hysteria Hospital behaves much like other titles such as Diner Dash; patients arrive, and players have a narrow time frame to treat them before they disappear . There is a minor twist, as players can manage hospital wages, available technologies in the ER, and sell disused equipment.  The delivery of the game is entertaining and quickly pits any player against the clock to meet quotas and keep the hospital out of debt. The pressures of management keeps players on their toes, and the game costantly throws wild cards, as patients can come in for basic treatments, surgery, or more complex needs that require X-Ray scans as well.

The Wii and DS versions of the game focus around the same gameplay, I found the aiming on the Wii was not that difficult as the target zones for clicking were large enough. The DS offered a bit tougher control trying to hit each zone right the first ime through. Overall Hysteria Hospital is a great gaming title for all ages.  Final score: 8.5 / 10