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DS  Touch and Play 4.0
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by Twisted
from Ottawa, ON, Canada		Feb 24, 2008
THE GOOD:
  • Fun New Touch Screen
  • Backwards Compatibility
  • Good Library of Games
  • Microphone
  • Wireless Playing
  • Download Play
  • Nintendo Wifi Connection
  • Graphics

    THE BAD:

  • Can be rather limited
  • Graphics
  • Wireless isn't far

    SUMMARY:


    Nintendo DS

    The Nintendo DS is a great Portable. It has some great games, and neat Wireless Features. When I first got my DS in September 2006 I loved it. The first game that I had was the Metroid Prime Hunters Demo, that I bought off my friend. Even with the game being just a demo, it amazed me at what it could do. The interaction between the Touch Screen and the Top Screen is amazing.

    Graphics
    You're probably wondering why I put this in good and bad, so I'll write about it first.
    The graphics and the DS have a potential to be good, yet very few games use this potential. The Graphics are way better then the Graphics from a Gameboy Advance game (I couldn't tell what was going on half the time :S), and a lot of them are 3D as well. Even the best graphics in games aren't as good as the PSP's. Some good games with good Graphics, just to name a few, are Super Mario 64 DS, Metroid Prime Hunters, and Animal Crossing: Wild World.

    Touch Screen
    The Touch Screen is a cool new innovation from Nintendo, as far as I'm aware there has never been a touch screen in a video game console before. Some of the games play very nicely, Using a good and easy to control combination of both the touch screen and the upper screen. Some however, aren't good together and it gets quite annoying. Most game, can use either the touch screen alone, or the controls alone, and those are the game that in my opinion are easiest to play.
    Nintendo is thinking outside the box with there new consoles, from the Wiis new controls the the touch screen on the DS.

    Games
    Here I'm just going to name a few games that are really good on the DS.

  • Super Mario 64 DS
  • Animal Crossing: Wild World
  • Pokemon Diamond & Pearl
  • Metroid Prime: Hunters
  • Harvest Moon DS
  • Final Fantasy 3 (My favorite :3)
  • The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

    Backwards Compatability
    The DS can play all of your Favorite Gameboy Advance games. You just pop it in through the bottom slot in the DS and choose it in the Main Menu. The DS cannot however play Gameboy Color Games, and does not support the Connection cable for Gameboy Advances.

    Wireless Playing
    It's awesome how when they made the DS, they made it Wireless. You can talk to people close to you with a built in application called Picto-Chat. You can type up letters, or you can Draw. A lot of the games are Wireless Play. Some games you can ever play only with one game! You just pop the game into your DS, go to the Wireless mode, and your friend goes to DS Download Play, and you start playing, it's pretty fun.

    Wifi
    The DS can connect to the Internet. To do so, you need either a Router or a Nintendo Wifi USB Stick. You can play with people around the world, no matter where they are. It's a neat new feature that Nintendo added.

    The DS can't do all the things that the PSP can, so I think that it's rather limited. However, with the great library of game, the Wifi, and the Touch Screen, it pretty much makes up for it. The DS is a must have console that is fun for a lot of people, and it's only around $130 USD. It's a great portable, and Nintendo did a really good job with it.

    • 3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.Did you find this review helpful? YES  NO


    DS  Touching is Great! 4.7
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    by Jesh
    from , PA,     		Feb 19, 2008
    THE GOOD:
    The DS is the one of the best selling systems out now, and there are many reasons. Free WiFi play is one, being able to connect to your friends without paying yearly prices is nice. Also, the DS appeals to many different people, old and young. There is something for everyone!

    The DS is very unique in it capabilities, it is a gaming experience, that is unparalleled. The use of the touch screen is great. Many games use the touch screen as movement. Also, the DS is portable, which is a plus.

    The saving game system on the DS is better than the other systems, because you don't have to carry around a bunch of memory cards in case you have a lot of games. The saves are right on the game for the DS.

    THE BAD:
    Despite all of the good things about the DS, there are in fact, a few bad things. One is competitive online play. Many games become too competitive online, and no longer are fun. Games are made for fun, not competition. Many people take it too seriously, and past just having fun with a friend.

    Another bad thing about the DS is the graphics. The graphics in no way compare to the PSP's. They look choppy in some games, and great in others. But luckily gameplay is more important then graphics. In no way does the DS's graphics compare to any of the home consoles, but that is expected, being a portable console.

    Also, the PSP allows you to put in music and videos, which the DS does not without extra hardware.

    SUMMARY:
    The DS is a great portable console, one of the best I have ever played. The wide range of games and genres, make it great for anyone. The games may seem childish at first, but there are mature games too. The DS's portability makes it great to get for people who go on business trips, and are not at home a lot. The DS features are quite unique. You can talk to your friends using PictoChat, as long as the are relatively close. The DS alos has backwards compatibility, so you can bust out the good old GameBoy Advance classics and play them. Although, the DS doesn't have GameBoy Color and GameBoy compatibility though, so don't through out the GameBoy Advance if you like to play them. The DS is also a great value for all it offers. It is nearly $80 cheaper than the PSP, and the games are usually cheaper too.


    Overall:
    Game Selection: 5/5
    Gameplay: 4/5
    Graphics: 3/5
    Online Play: 4/5
    Features: 5/5

    Summary:
    All in all, the DS is great for anyone looking for a fun, portable console. The game selection is wide, so the fun is nearly endless.

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    DS  We like to touch 4.0
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    by Deis
    from Birmingham, West Midlands, England    		Feb 28, 2007
    Backwards Compatability



    Nintendo’s most recent handheld system, the DS, is, happily, backwards compatible with Game Boy Advance games, although not with Game Boy or Game Boy Colour cartridges. I’m afraid I’ve yet to test how well the games transfer, but I will update this review once I have.


    Backwards compatability - the DS game discs fit in the smaller slot, while GBA cartridges fit in the larger one. A plastic cover allows the system to keep it's streamlined shape, with or without a cartridge inserted.




    Dual Display and Touch Screen



    The system features two display screens, the lower one of which has a touch-sensitive overlay. This is designed to accept input from a stylus, or from the player’s fingers, and is put to good use in many games – for instance, in Final Fantasy III, you can open the menu simply by touching the on screen button, and your lead character can move by following your touch across the screen. It’s also used to guide a scalpel in games like Trauma Center: Under the Knife, or to collect fingerprints in the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney games. There is a very neat little slot for the stylus on the DS itself.


    The separate visual screens are made use of in various ways – for instance, when shopping in Final Fantasy III, the lower screen will display the goods available while the upper screen shows which of your characters can equip whichever item is highlighted. In other games, one display screen will show a world map, while the other will show a more detailed overlay of the area your character currently inhabits. Text will sometimes appear in one window, while commands appear on the touch sensitive screen, making the system slightly more versatile. The screen is backlit, one of my favourite features since the GBA, as it completely nullifies the need to angle the system just right in order to be able to see what you’re doing.


    An example of the use of the dual display



    The touch screen can be marked with fingerprints, but is easily cleaned, in the same way as a pair of glasses, with a silk cloth, which is often included in any carrying cases you may buy.



    Portability and Charging



    Although there are cases, designed to be worn around the neck, to carry the DS, the system is actually too large to be comfortably carried this way. Although not really heavy, it’s 5.85 x 3.33 x 1.13 inches – about the same size as an old style, original Game Boy. Although, once unfolded, it’s nothing like as unwieldy as the aforementioned system, when you’re carrying it in a case, that won’t make any difference. The DS Lite is 5.24 × 2.9 × 0.85 inches, which, although a slight improvement, still won’t make it easier to carry. It will fit in a large coat pocket, however.

    The batteries have a relatively long life span, and, like the GBA, if you make a habit of keeping the system plugged into a charger while playing, it won’t die on you. The charger itself has a slight overhang, so you need to be keep it at the edge of any plug sockets so it doesn’t get in the way of anything else. This is a pain, but the prongs of the plug fold back into itself when it’s not in use, which prevents damage. It’s a lot smaller than the GBA charger. Car chargers are avilable.



    Microphone and Other Features



    The system uses stereo speakers to create virtual surround sound. It also includes a microphone, which is used in several games, although it’s effectiveness is debatable. It’s usually theorized that the responsiveness or lack thereof is determined by the game, not the system itself.

    Although I’ve yet to experiment with them, other features include download play and Wi-Fi connectivity. With certain games, you are able to play multiplayer games with only one game card.



    Graphics



    The graphics most resemble those of the GameCube, and the amount of detail is improved from the GBA – think Playstation towards the end of its lifespan. The colours and shading are fantastic, and the system can support some very good quality FMVs, although in the games I’ve seen so far, these are only in short bursts.



    Gameplay



    The DS handles like a cross between a GameCube and a GBA. On the left hand side of the lower screen is a four-way directional pad, which gamers will recognize from pretty much every other system. On the right is the Start, Select, A, B, X and Y buttons common to Nintendo systems. There are also L and R buttons on the upper edge of the system.

    The system is able to store your preferences to a certain extent – for instance, it can remember your name and other details, and you can choose whether you want it to load the game inserted immediately when switched on, or whether you prefer it to go to a menu screen first. It also includes an internal clock, which is used as an element of many games, although since it has no verification other than itself, it can be abused. For instance, in Final Fantasy III, the waiting period of an hour between mail can be bypassed simply by resetting the clock.



    Games and Game Discs



    There are several decent games for the Nintendo DS, including it’s distinction as the one system on which Final Fantasy III is available in Europe and North America. Although the DS seems to suffer from a large number of film and TV spin-off games, there are a few RPG’s, such as the aforementioned Final Fantasy, and some more niche games, such as the Sims, Harvest Moon, and re-releases of the first two Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney games. The DS is region free.

    The game cases have improved significantly over the GBA’s cardboard boxes. The new cases resemble Playstation sized PS2 boxes, in molded plastic, that actually hold the games in place, and include space for peripherals, such as styluses. While I found myself storing GBA cartridges separately from the boxes, since they were unwieldy and annoying, DS cases actually fit very neatly on shelves, look much nicer, and are easier to use. Smaller cases, designed to protect the game cards alone during transport are available, but I’m paranoid that I’ll lose them. The game cards are 33.0 × 35.0 × 3.8 mm – in other words, about the same size as a small piece of thick cardboard. Your progress is, once again, stored on the game cards, not the system, and the amount of memory doesn’t seem to have improved significantly.



    Summary



    In summary, while the DS features many new innovations, such as the microphone, and touch screen, it also isn’t too far removed from the GBA. This isn’t a bad thing. Although it has taken steps far ahead of the older systems, it still retains the best elements of them.

    It's backwards compatiblity with the GBA and the fact that it's region-free, means that there is a wide variety of games available.

    All in all, I'd say that for any one who wants to play games on the go, it's pretty good value. Of course, it really depends on your taste in games.
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    DS  Best Selling Portable System For A Reason. 4.2
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    by Gameplay
    from Irrigon, OR, U.S.A    		Apr 1, 2006
    THE GOOD:
    -DS Stylus
    -DS Microphone
    -Downlaodable Play
    -Wi-Fi
    -Has Some Great Games

    THE BAD:
    -Graphics
    -Doesn't Play UMD Disks

    SUMMARY:
    Concept
    Revolutionize the portable game systems using touch screen and the microphone for new and innocative gameplay. The Nintendo DS has allot of good features.
    Graphics
    The Nintendo DS's graphics don't live up to the PSP, but they are good if you liked the Playstation's graphics.
    Sound
    The DS sound system is great couldn't be better. It plays surround sound that's a first for portable systems.
    Gameplay
    The DS has new features for a Portabel System. The DS Stylus works like a touch screen where you can make selections using that or you can select things traditionally. The DS Microphone works as voice receptor. You can blow in the Microphone to extinguish candles or talk into the Microphone to give voice commands. The DS has really good down-loadable play too. What sucks is that it can't play UMD Disks that would have made the DS the best though it did outsell the PSP.
    Conclusion
    The DS is great except that it can't play UMD disks and the graphics could have been better also. This is a great system and you should at least try it out. Though it isn't as tricked out as the PSP it's still a 4/5 though Nintendo always makes there systems only half as good as they can be. Meaning though this is a great system Nintendo should have made it the best.

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    DS  Portable cross between Gamecube & the N64 5.0
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    by themanof_concepcion
    from Somewhere in, , Asia    		Jan 20, 2006
    THE GOOD:
  • Big bold graphics
  • Excellent button & stylus uses
  • Wireless 100foot radius chat network! ZOMG!!
  • Big enough to fit in a 5 year old's pocket
  • Speakers?
  • Can be charged with an SP charger & a DS charger!
  • 2 screens! One is a touch screen! =D

    THE BAD:

  • Battery duration

    SUMMARY:
    The cross between the Gamecube and the Nintendo 64 has hit the shelves and the behindings of the main counter of your gaming store. The launch games were awesome (Super Mario 64 DS, Sims Urbz). The main screen when you turn the system on, brings you a health message for the DS. Pass that and you will be at the main screen. You can choose a DS game or a Gameboy Advance game. The DS game has a little icon to show you what game it is in case you can't read. You can choose to 'download' a wireless game hosted by someone else with a DS. You can choose to enter a 4 roomed chatroom with the wireless connection. You can chat with up to 16 people. Anymore chatters and hell. All these options are on the touch screen (bottom screen).
    The graphics & sound are incredible. Just the demo of Metroid Prime Hunters is incredible. You'll feel like you're playing a Gamecube of graphics and N64 with sound. The best games for the Nintendo DS has to be Splinter Cell Chaos Theory (for graphics) & Animal Crossing (for sound).
    The uses of the stylus are endless. You can choose, press and touch with your stylus, thumb analog reject and your own finger.
    This is a great game system (better than the PSP IMO). The DS doesn't need to cram in an MP3 player, UMD player, internet and picture storage in itself to sell faster than any other game system.

    • 33 out of 36 people found this review helpful.Did you find this review helpful? YES  NO


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