Hardware Guide 17:Nintendo DS

I am sure that many of us know about the DS's technical limits, compared to the PSP, but if you can just take a step back and look carefully, you will notice that the DS is so much cheaper than the PSP. DS games are also less costly than their PSP counterparts too. In the long run, buying the DS is going to save you a lot of money, but I am not saying that you are sacrifcying gaming quality when you buy DS. Both the DS and PSP have their good and bad points. For example, if you like the Mario franchise, you should buy DS and if you like RPGs, then you should buy PSP. To start with, the DS comes in many colors to suit your moods, compared to only black and white for PSP. As the name implies, there are double screens. The lower one displays information in a game that may be useful. It also doubles up as a touch screen. The DS has a total 7 buttons, namely the A,B,X,Y, left, right buttons and the d-pad. Do not miss out the DS's special faeture - the microphone, which will be utilised in some of the games. The DS battery lasts for an accepatable 4 hours (self-tested; not official) and the audio quality is crisp and clear. The DS is compatible with GBA games too. The DS works very much like a big calmshell phone. Besides the obvious graphical limit, I must say that the DS is a great buy, so are the DS games. Keep it up, Nintendo! (This article will be updated if I have anymore information to add in)

Game Review 9:Whac-A-Mole

When can game developers stop producing such stupid games? I cannot believe that this DS game needs to be paid in order to be played when I can play this type of simple game on the Internet for free! Even if you do not believe me that Whac-A-Mole is not a good game, you can already judge from the game title itself that this game is basically, whacking moles. Yes, whacking moles all the way, which is conincidentally, also the only objective of the game. You really should not be paying money for this type of game. It will not entertain you for long. Before you know it, you will be conking out! The puzzle mode certainly introduces some fresh new ideas for playing this game (e.g. you are required to hit moles in a particular pattern). This is a futile attempt from the game developers to make you think that the money spent is afterall, worthwhile. That is definetly untrue. After some time, the difficulty of the game increases. However, all these are still not enough to make you fork out money for Whac-A-Mole. One advice: Turn to other DS games for more entertainment. Forget about this game.

Score: 3.0/10
Platform available: Nintendo DS

Nintendo DS Hardware Guide (COMING SOON)

Just how good is the Nintendo DS? Find out in the new Hardware Guide - coming your way soon ... ...

Game Review 8:Mario Kart DS

Mario Kart DS is a fun and interactive game that is suitable for people of all ages, children, teenagers or adults. Mario Kart DS should not be anything new to Mario fans or gamers who have played any Mario games before. The familiar Mario music makes a return and there is an abundance of power-ups. Power-ups must be used at the right time, at the right place to have an edge over your opponents as the karts are not equally powered. Some have faster speeds, while some have better acceleration. So if you want to overtake that lead kart whose speed is greater than your kart, then it is time to use your power-up. If you do not know how to use your power-ups properly, then be prepared to start losing races. The lower screen of the DS displays a mini map of the track that can be useful for dodging turtle shells. If you are worried about the replay value of Mario Kart DS, I will be glad to tell you that the game has many different modes of play, including Vs, Battle, Mission, Grand Prix and Time Trial, not forgetting the multiplayer feature (Mario Kart DS is one of the first few games on DS to support online play). The game also boasts more than 80 interesting tracks, which are at the same time, challenging. The A.I is no pushover too, even at normal settings. Overall, Mario Kart DS is a very good game that will appeal to everyone who owns a DS. The fact that the developers are able to produce such an impressive game for a handheld with limited graphical ability is already fantastic. You should get Mario Kart DS right now and it is only exclusive to DS!

Overall score: 9.2/10
Platform available: Nintendo DS

Mario Kart DS full game review coming up next week

Sorry for the long absence, but look out for the full game review of Mario Kart DS + a new hardware guide on Nintendo DS. Also, keep a lookout for another special report entitled 'Life as an avid (but casual) gamer'. Don't miss these interesting articles next week on Powerplay!