• I liked Trauma Centre but games like that are fiddly on a moving train.
• I loved the Ace Attorney games
• I hated Harvest Moon
• Animal Crossing was okay but ultimately leaves me feeling empty
• Same goes for Cooking Mama
• And Pokémon
• Don’t even bother with Brain Training
• I already have Tetris DS

What game should I buy next?

Age rating:

7+ (PEGI)

What is it?

Another Zelda game.

Is it fun?

Yes.

Is it worth the money? £22.99

Yes.

Why?

So the mega franchise that is Zelda finally makes it to the DS. Therefore it must use the stylus, which to be honest, it does very well. Controlling Link is a breeze (after Zelda gets kidnapped, as usual) and so is using all the weapons that he collects along the way. Also the cell shaded graphics look pretty good too, with great use being made of the dual screens (especially during boss battles). But underneath these fine new clothes, beats the heart of every other Zelda game ever. Same moves, same puzzles, same temple based game structure and the same weapons. It’s all the same. Again.

Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed playing (most of) the Phantom Hourglass. It’s a game I’ve been wanting for ages (even bought a DS in preparation of it being released). But, there are some really annoying bits which keep recurring just to annoy you even more. Yes, I’m taking about you Mr Temple of the Ocean King. Whoever in Nintendo thought that making the player go through the same dungeon (temple) multiple times and against the clock, should be be forced to watch every Uwe Boll film. Forever. This single temple almost, and I say almost, ruined the entire game for me.

The are other problems too. The save system still sucks balls. It doesn’t quite save the game state, so you can’t resume part way though a temple. Instead you resume at set points throughout the map, sort of near where you last saved. But, isn’t meant to be a portable game? Play and save anywhere? Except you can’t, and because of this limitation I never once played through a temple whilst travelling. You can quite happily play the rest of the game, just not the temples. Also some of the puzzles (drawing ones mainly) are impossible to do unless you’re perfectly still.

Then you have the great little puzzles to solve and the fantastic boss battles. Drawing on the maps is a lovely addition and really helps the game as a whole, especially during each of the temples. Some of the cut sequences have some great comedy moments hidden inside them that just made me laugh. So there is lots of fun to be had from playing this game.

In summary:

It has all the good and bad bits of almost every Zelda game before it. If you’ve played one of those you won’t come across too many surprises in this DS version.

Screenshots

The Legend of Zelda - The Phantom Hourglass is out now

But there is more (and the point of this post!). Next month sees the release of a brand new Dungeon Explorer game. Well 2 new games actually, as it’s coming out on both the PSP and Nintendo DS. Each version takes place at different times in the Dungeon Explorer universe. Actually the DS version is set immediately after the PSP version (wonder if it will contain some plot spoilers?). From the screen shots released so far it looks very much like Untold Legends on the PSP. According to Hudson Soft we can look forward to 3 player on-line co-op hacking, lots of embarking on epic journeys (in a time of heroes, no doubt) and a spot of weapon and equipment upgrading. Excellent.

Dungeon Explorer: Warriors of Ancient Arts is released mid-Feb 2008 on the DS and PSP

Age Rating:

3+ (PEGI)

What is it?

Some sort of hideously complicated farming/village sim.

Is it fun?

No!

Is it worth the money? (£24.99)

No!

Why not?

I’ll freely admit, I Do Not Get Harvest Moon. Even so, in the spirit of representing an Average Gamer, I’m writing this as someone entirely new to the franchise…

What the hell is Harvest Moon DS supposed to be? I’ve played Animal Crossing a lot so I get the concept of a relaxing game where you wander around collecting things. Harvest Moon seems to be like that, only a thousand times more complicated and without the helpful villagers to let you know what the hell is going on.

For starters, I get my new game, wander about and eventually discover that I should be tilling my field. There’s loads of debris in the form of rocks and logs. Not a problem. I soon discover how to pick them up and proceed throw them over the edge where they disappear.

WRONG!

They didn’t disappear at all. I was fly-tipping! The other townsfolk don’t like that at all. Why do I care? Well, I’m not entirely sure even after reading through sites like Fogu. Apparently the witch likes my littering. Do I want her favour? I have no freaking idea.

Another example; you can give random presents to women. Sometimes they’ll love them. Other times they’ll be hurt and offended and make snide remarks. I think affects my prospects of marrying them, which may or may not be a good thing. I hate it because there’s simply no way in-game to tell what they like and dislike. Even worse, I can’t work it out through trial and error. I have immense trouble recalling what I gave to who because everyone just blurs together into a haze of quirky villager. Write it down? Please. I already have a job.

The game is riddled with pitfalls like this. Considering the gameplay is about farming, maintaining your town and getting married, it seems a pretty big liability. Perhaps the best way to illustrate this complexity is with this choice quote by Jim/tyr888 on Yahoo! Answers:

“Before you can get married you must upgrade your house. Your spouse is not going to want to live in the tiny house you start out with! To upgrade you will first need to unlock Channel 2 on the Sprite Station. To open the channel you must buy something from Karen’s telephone store for 10 days.

When you unlock the Tv Shopping Channel 2, watch it every day. Eventually you will see the Table for sale. The little round table will only cost you 500 G. Call the Tv Shopping operators using your telephone and order the Table.

Only after you have received the Table can you then hire Gotz to increase the size of your house for the first time! You must own the Kitchen before he will upgrade your house a second time if you own the Japanese version. The English version does not require the kitchen. “

In other words…

This game is freaking complicated (or in-depth, if you prefer). I hated it. YMMV.

Screenshots

Age Rating

12+ (PEGI)

What is it?

A detective-cum-lawyer game. Lots of reading required.

Is it fun?

Yep.

Is it worth the money? £24.99

Yes, if you like reading and don’t mind struggling with syntax problems. Otherwise, no.

Why?

The Phoenix Wright games are probably unique for their outlandish characters, odd dialogue and wild settings. You play as the defense lawyer who has to interview the most unexpected mix of characters you will ever find in a game (unless you’ve played Psychonauts). Even though a lot of the character motivations are fairly simple clichés, I love the way everyone has his or her own crazy personality quirks and manners of speaking. Even the really annoying ones have a certain masochistic charm.

Storylines for each chapter follow wildly convoluted paths and are always entertaining. The problem with Phoenix Wright games is that the true story often isn’t that difficult to figure out. It’s the technical execution that is so frustrating. You frequently find yourself sitting there desperately wanting to scream “It was the bloody butler! Look at my video!” but in the courtroom you can only present evidence at set points during the testimony. Several times, the witness has been blatantly contradicting my evidence in an aside comment but I can’t object. It drives me absolutely nuts, but for some reason I still played both Phoenix Wright games obsessively to the end. I find their train-wreck plots incredibly compelling.

IMO, the first English-language game, Ace Attorney, was the better game. The information-gathering segments feel quite different to the trials as you gather clues and piece the story together. In Justice For All you’re given items and then have to struggle with the witnesses, showing the items at crucial points during conversations in order to reveal enough of the story to trigger the trial.

If you like reading quirky stories and with bizarre characterisations, you’ll probably love both Phoenix Wright: Justice For All and Phoenix Wright: Pet Detective Ace Attorney. If you’re not into reading fantasy-fiction stories, give these games a miss.

Screenshots

Formats covered by GamerZines:

• Playstation 3 - PS3Zine
• Xbox 360 - 360Zine
• PC - PCGZine
• PSP and DS - HGZine
• Pro Evolution Soccer - PES Fanzine
• WoW, LOTRO, Guild Wars etc. - MMOZine

All the ezines are PDFs (so you need Adobe Acrobat Reader) and vary between 30-55mb in size depending on the format and issue chosen. For example, the PS3zine which has now reached issue 8, weighs in at 41.1mb. In this issue you can find reviews of Sega Rally, Eye of Judgement and FIFA 08 along with lots of previews and a monthly competition (10 copies of PES 2008 up for grabs). There are also various embedded videos thought out the magazine. Most of these videos form part of the full page ads which are dotted though out each issue.

Each ezine has a handy quick navigation menu at the top right of each page (apart from the ads). This allows you to jump quickly between all the various sections (cover, contents, previews, interview, reviews, comp and subscribe). The content navigation in all these ezines is nicely implemented and I found it very easy to quickly find a particular review or preview.

I enjoyed reading these ezines and it’s great to see them published every month. You can also subscribe to the various ezines so they’ll appear in your inbox the moment they are released. However, there is no WiiZine available and I don’t know if there are plans to publish one in the future. Maybe when Nintendo starts releasing some more games for the Wii you might see an issue or two!

Check them out and see what you think.

Age rating: 12+ (PEGI)

What is it?

Squad-based shooter set during the Vietnam war.

Is it fun?

Yes.

Is it worth the money? £14.99

Yep.

Why?

Well, there is nothing remotely like this on the DS. The entire game revolves around killing everything that moves (i.e. Vietcong and chickens mostly). I was about to say there isn’t a puzzle in sight either, but there are some contained in the bonus missions (more about them later). However, these puzzles are the find switch to open correct door kind. They are more of an interlude to the killing rather than something to train your brain.

The game itself is supposedly squad based, allowing you to select each of your 4 team members by using the touch screen (note: movement is via the d-pad). But I ditched this idea and managed to get through almost the entire game going solo and then wandering around the rest of the (now devoid of bad guys) level with my remaining team mates. I found this approach more rewarding than trying to keep everyone alive at the same time. I’m such a slacker. Hehe.

Whilst the main game (all 10 levels of it) is fun enough, I found the bonus levels far more challenging and entertaining. You unlock these bonus levels by achieving 3 stars on each of the missions (i.e. kill everything and collect all the hidden dog tags). Each bonus level presents you with a different challenge. For example, one of the levels contains a fiendish maze containing pressure pads which open specific doors. So you have to manoeuvre your team around the correct sequence of pads to open up an escape route.

But all is not peachy in Operation: Vietnam. I have major gripes with the auto aiming system. It only works when you are facing the enemy. This is not a problem until you reach level 8. At this point the enemy bullet speed has increased to a level that is almost unavoidable in the process to turning to kill an enemy. This means even the best placed shot almost guarantees some loss of heath. Very frustrating.

What’s even worse is the lack of mid-level save points. This is a massive oversight which has to be addressed in the sequel (should there be one). I spent best part of 45 mins getting to the very end of level 9 only to die and find myself dumped right back at the start of the level. Not only is this irritating, but it prevents me playing whilst I’m travelling. All DS and PSP games should allow you to save whenever you like as you need to on public transport. That’s when you use your DS/PSP most isn’t it? Game designers take note!

In summary:

It looks pretty good, plays well for the first 8 levels at least (and all the bonus levels) and is worth hunting down for under £20.

Screenshots:

Operation: Vietnam is out now in the US (version reviewed) and available in the UK from 2nd Nov 07.

TAG: Do you think it would translate well to the PSP?

DJ: It’s certainly a possibility if the demand was there, we would have to sit down and have a think about what elements would best suit the PSP. I’m not a fan of straight game ports – you rarely get the best result for either the consumer or developer.

TAG: What was the toughest challenge as far as the art was concerned?

DJ: Well there was a lot of art to make, that was a challenge. We ended up with over 450 different large 3D world tiles that make up our levels and over 300 unique 3D objects – then add into that all the detailed character and creature animations / particle, weapon and environment effects / menus and HUD etc, there’s a lot in there.

TAG: Is it easy to extract the most out of the DS graphics wise? Or is there still a lot more to come from the DS?

DJ: I think there’s still more to squeeze from the DS. We have a lot of polys shifting about onscreen in our game I’m sure we could push it further in a sequel.
Developers will always be pushing games hardware to make it do things that surprise people. This is the case with any console/computer, from the Spectrum to the PS2.

TAG: Talking more about game graphics, what has impressed you recently on the DS?

DJ: A few recent Square-Enix games like Heroes of Mana and Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings have really stood out visually on the DS, the upcoming FF tactics too.
Brothers in Arms was technically impressive, although let down by frame rate drops at times. Hopefully they’ll be able to fix that in a sequel.

TAG: Which part or feature of the game are you particularly proud of?

MT: It’s not something I would say I’m proud of, but I do love the map that charts your progress at the start of each mission (think Ghosts and Goblins). It’s proper old school and I think it’s pretty cool every time I see it.

TAG: Are there any plans for a sequel?

MT: Well, I don’t think we’d do a straight sequel, but we’re definitely discussing some sort of follow up that builds upon the existing engine. If we did do a follow up game the introduction of vehicles the player can jump in and use would be high up on our wish list. We also had a few cool ideas regarding the use of the DS touch screen and how we could use it to help immerse the player in the game world.

DJ: Yes, we have a few good ideas bouncing around at the moment.

TAG: Finally, describe Operation Vietnam in 5 words or less

MT: You can shoot cows – yahtzee!

DJ: DS Squad based explosive action!

Screenshot:

Operation: Vietnam is out now in the US and released in the UK in October.

TAG: What were your roles on the project?

DJ: I was lead artist on the game. Because we were such a small team I also got to also do some of the design, the particles, some of the smaller creature animations and so on – there was quite a bit of role crossover.
Small teams are fun to work in as it’s easier for everyone to have creative input.

MT: I was the Lead Designer, so it was my job to hit the coders and artists with a big stick when they didn’t do what they were told.

TAG: Tell us about the game. What are we paying for?

DJ: It’s a top down arcade shooting action on the Nintendo DS. In it you control a small squad of individual soldiers who have crashed down into the dense jungle and need to fight their way to safety.
There are 10 main campaign levels to explore. On top of that are 11 varied bonus levels, a hard campaign mode and a number of special cheat modes to unlock.

TAG: What stage of the games development are you at?

DJ: We are all finished now. It’s pencilled in to be released on the 15th Aug in the US by its publisher Majesco. I’m not sure if the European release date is confirmed yet, that version is being distributed by Eidos. They will probably announce a street date at Leipzig.
MT: The game is in a box and on the shelves (US), so I’m at the stage of heading to the pub.

TAG: Do you think that the DS has a reputation for just puzzle games, and how do you think Operation: Vietnam going to fit in?

DJ: There may be a lot of puzzle games on DS, but there are lots of other genres available like Mario Kart, Metroid Prime Hunters, Ouedan etc.
I think Operation Vietnam will fit in really well. Take a look at what else is out there and I think you’ll agree that there really is nothing quite like it on the DS. We had a great time making it, and I think that really comes across in how fun it is to play.

MT: The DS does appear to be geared around puzzle / RTS games, at the present time. However, Nintendo have sold so many DS machines (40m?) it’s safe to assume that there’s a market for games like Operation: Vietnam. From what I’ve been reading on the forums, DS owners have been crying out for a game like this for a long time. I guess there are only so many dogs you can stroke and cows to milk before it starts becoming repetitive. We’ve got cows in our game actually. You can blow em’ up.

TAG: It looks a bit like Cannon Fodder on DS.

DJ: Yes, I remember playing Cannon Fodder on my old Amiga 500; it was fantastic – bloody hard at times too. Operation: Vietnam may look like Cannon Fodder first, as we have some surface level similarities (you control a squad, have rockets and grenades), however we have a narrative at the core of the game so you get a logical progression as you work your way from deep inside the jungle towards your final goal.

Sometimes the levels break in two when the squad gets split up, requiring you to experiment with new gameplay tactics. We also have napalm air strikes you can call in, sniper rifles, minefields, villagers to rescue, lots of animated wildlife, big end of level bosses, player speech.

MT: I guess there are similarities, enemies to kill, traps to avoid etc, but I personally think Operation: Vietnam shares greater similarities with classic top down shooters such as: Commando, Ikari Warriors and Fernandez Must Die.

TAG: Do you think this type of game is particularly suited to the touch control method of the DS?

DJ: Totally, although we haven’t overused the touch control for the sake of it. The game is an arcade shooter at its core, so you use the D-Pad primarily for movement and A,B,X,Y for guns/grenades/medipacks etc.

What the touch screen has allowed us to do is to create a simple and visually accessible interface system that doesn’t get in the way of the game. Our design is very ergonomic as you just slide your thumbs a short distance from the digital controls (then back again) to select your troops / issue orders / toggle the map for navigation – all whilst the game is still running at full speed on the top screen.

TAG: So what were your influences when making the game?

DJ: We drew inspiration from a number of arcade action games like Cannon Fodder, Ikari Warriors, Metal slug, Alien Breed, Midnight resistance and The Chaos Engine. All excellent action games.

MT: Lager.

Screenshots:

Operation: Vietnam is out now in the US and released in the UK in October.

Got a DS and fancy playing something that’s not a puzzle game? Yes, I know Sim City DS is available, but apart from that it’s puzzle city until Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass is released later on in the year.

Fortuantely for us Majesco Entertainment are due to release Operation: Vietnam onto the DS later in Aug/Sep 07 (exact date to be confirmed). With the emphasis placed firmly on killing rather than puzzling, it should make a nice change.

Operation: Vietnam’s feature list reads as follows:

• 20 21 jungle missions
• 4 controllable characters
• Each solider has a different speciality and available weapons
• Destructible environments
• Full control of the action via the touch screen

Later on this month we will be having an exclusive Q & A session with Operation: Vietnam’s development team.

In the meantime, take a gander at these lovely screenshots.

Screenshots:

Update 6th Jul 07: Corrected the number of jungle levels available to 21.