Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky - DS

I love mystery dungeon games, with Shiren the Wanderer being a particular favourite. However, this latest addition to the Pokemon series doesn't come close and is remarkably similar to last year's Explorers of Time/Darkness. 

Taking control of a Pokemon of your choice, the player wades into a series of randomly generated dungeons, seeking out special objects and defeating evil pocket monsters. It's presented well, but aside from a couple of new features, Explorers of Sky is virtually identical to the last two DS games.

A real shame and a wasted opportunity to broaden this type of game's appeal. If you are interested in mystery dungeon titles, track down a copy of Shiren - it's a far more rewarding game, packs a challenge and has a huge amount of replayability. Alternatively, pick up a copy of Chocobo's Dungeon on Wii. Both these games leave Explorers of Sky in their dust. One for Pokemon diehards only - and it might just be heavy going for them, too.

Solatorobo: Red The Hunter - DS

Despite the fact Nintendo decided to publish this Namco Bandai title in Europe, Solatorobo has inexplicably had next to no advertising to back up its charms.

It’s a shame, as with its delightful visual style, likeable cast of animal characters and solid gameplay mechanics, Solatorobo is a neat little game that deserves a lot more love.

The story puts the player in control of Red Savarin - a bounty hunter who, on the back of his mech Dahak, stomps about beautiful Studio Ghibli-inspired floating islands taking on jobs simply to make ends meet.

However, in stereotypical video game style, the hero and his team - including Red’s wonderfully titled close friend Chocolat Gelato - leave their humdrum existence behind as they become embroiled in a plot to save their world from impending doom.

While the story treads a well-worn path, it stays interesting thanks to plot twists and a witty translation, which gently nudges the player through the laid-back action.

Solatorobo features rudimentary RPG elements but it never gets bogged down in a glut of stat menus or complicated tech trees. Instead, Dahak’s abilities are boosted by placing power cells inside his metal innards, while Red’s level is raised by getting into scraps with unsavoury mechanical foes.

Red also has a Hunter Rank, which increases as he takes on jobs and rising up the ladder means he can take on tougher offers from the game’s varied cast and earn shiny gold rings.

These optional quests are one of Solatorobo’s strengths, with the player taking on a variety of tasks including scavenging for pictures, exterminating pesky bugs, cleaning areas by shuffling crates around and gladiatorial arena battles.

The real-time combat is decent – if a little repetitive – with Red relying on his robot chum to do the majority of the grunt work.

Picking up enemies and throwing them around is the main focus of the combat, but waiting for the right moment to manhandle your opponent is key. Sweeping around the back of a lumbering foe or launching a mid-air attack are sometimes required, but more often than not, these brawls turn into little more than an exercise in button mashing.

While the vibrant visuals are impressive for the humble DS, the sound quality isn’t great. Even when playing through headphones, the poor sound compression means the light-hearted soundtrack often descends into a tinny mess. Fortunately, Solatorobo has more than enough plus points to make up for its shortcomings.

A healthy selection of collectable trinkets are peppered throughout the adventure, while high flying races - titled Air Robo GP - feature as a bonus mode from the main menu, complete with a local multiplayer option.

With the focus on the hand-held market currently on the 3DS and Sony’s upcoming PSVita, there’s every chance this little gem might slip away unnoticed. But Solatorobo is well worth hunting down and offers a unique and charming adventure on Nintendo's ageing console.

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective - DS

Ghost Trick is another brilliant slice of detective work from the mind of Shu Takumi - the man behind the Phoenix Wright series of adventures. But unlike the Ace Attorney's legal dramas, his latest title is anything but a straightforward crime solver.

In Ghost Trick, the player takes control of the soul of Sissel, a recently murdered man who has no recollection about his death or his past life. With a limited time before Sissel’s soul winks out of existence, the player guides the ethereal being through a series of investigations to find out about his troubled past.

What awaits is a delicious blend of puzzles and a hodgepodge of interesting characters, all wrapped up in a well-paced murder mystery with a twist.

The story begins with Sissel’s crumpled body lying in a junkyard in the middle of the night. Nearby, a young woman is held at gunpoint and unless something happens quickly, she’ll be joining Sissel face-down in the dirt.

By manipulating objects and jumping back through time, Sissel’s soul can affect the world around him, changing the course of history and moving Sissel ever closer to the truth about his death.

But this journey isn’t a straight A to B race against time either, thanks in large to the game’s range of fabulous characters.

Their snappy dialogue and wonderful animation brings each of their off-the-wall personalities to life and gives the game a huge amount of charisma. Dipping into the lives of these colourful characters is a joy and adds another layer to an already absorbing game. It also helps that the stylish environments they inhabit are pleasing to the eye, with plenty of detail adding an imaginative flourish.

While this rag-tag bunch are some of the most lively characters to grace a videogame in years, the simple but effective gameplay holds the experience together.

Sissel’s ghostly countenance has a limited range of movement, leading to mini puzzles as the player uses tricks to move trolleys, knock music boxes from ledges and startle assassins with unexpected noises. He can also use telephone lines to whizz about the city and talk to other spirits he meets on his travels.

While the opening levels start out as nothing more than tutorials, Ghost Trick soon blossoms into a devious and engaging thriller, full of twists, turns and things that go bump in the night.

The player has plenty of time in some sections to alter the environment and fill the holes in the background story, but when Sissel has to rewind time to change a future problem, a countdown begins.

During these frantic moments, the player has to think on their feet as objects have to be triggered at the correct time to change history, otherwise it’s curtains. It makes for a wonderful change of pace and leads to moments of panic as the player frantically scribbles the touchscreen looking for the right solution.

There are several tense moments peppered throughout, especially late in the game which heightens the fear of failure. The flip side to this is that Ghost Trick often descends into a game of trial and error, with some solutions not becoming clear until the player has attempted the scenario several times.

But despite this, the game remains interesting, with the draw of finding new characters and exploring their environments keeping players ploughing their way through.

Ghost Trick breathes new life into the staid murder mystery genre thanks to its hatful of surprises and genuinely interesting roster of characters. As a result, it is one of the most refreshing titles to appear on DS in ages and is well worth tracking down.

Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies - DS

Along with Monster Hunter and Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest is one of the biggest franchises in Japan. The games date back to 1986, when the first title made its debut on Nintendo’s NES system. However, the series has only become truly international over the course of the last few years.

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King arrived on PS2 in 2006, while Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen (2008) and Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride (2009) were remade for the DS, helping to introduce European audiences to the series for the first time.

While some elements in this ninth instalment are still firmly rooted in the dark days of ancient role playing games, developer Level 5 have streamlined the experience making it easily the most accessible game in the long-running series.

You take on the role of a fallen angel, whose wings have been clipped by a dark and mysterious power. Regaining consciousness on terra firma, your character finds his halo and wings gone, and sets out on a mission to help others in the hope his angelic aura will return.

While the central tale throws up traditional dungeon crawls and end of level bosses, the player is generally free to explore and take on dozens of sidequests. And you’ll want to explore every inch of the land, as not only does exploration throw up delightful surprises, but the quality of the whimsical script is rather special.

There’s a strong emphasis on character design, and the localisation team have done a sterling job in bringing each of the main figures’ personalities to the fore. The range of regional dialects shines through, and Scottish players will take great delight in reading through some of the Tartan-tinged dialogue.

The game caters for four-player co-op, but unfortunately it is only for local play, not a full online experience. However, solo players need not worry, as three other computer controlled comrades can be recruited - each one adding strength and tactical nous to the battles.

Standard classes such as warrior, mage and priest are available from the start, but later in the game, these can be swapped, mixed and changed to give you band of adventurers a unique flavour.

Each story along the course of the main quest is beautifully presented, every one throwing up new and unique situations. Reuniting a knight with his true love, curing a small village from a deadly plague, and encouraging a fishing community back into work are just some of the tasks woven into the game.

There’s a fair amount of sadness peppered throughout, too, which belies the sugar-coated presentation. The monsters who inhabit the world are a colourful bunch, and their vivid and expressive style is a far cry from Final Fantasy’s poe-faced adversaries. Creatures might have kid friendly names such as Badger Mager, Mummy Boy, Knocktopus and Ragin’ Contagion but they’re no pushovers.

Mixing up party attacks is key, but it’s this area which is a a bit disappointing. While the game does away with random encounters, there is no way of knowing which party member will strike next. This leads to unavoidable deaths, which is incredibly frustrating as it’s a problem which could have been easily rectified. Still, with a bit of forward planning and approaching boss encounters cautiously, success is well within reach.

One of the game’s trump cards lies in the way every weapon and piece of armour is visually represented on your character. This gives the game a Diablo/World of Warcraft feel and with hundreds of items in the game, and an online store, everyone will be able to create their own unique look.

Another great addition is the inclusion of the crafting system. Gathering ingredients on your travels is worthwhile as they can be combined with other objects to make new weapons, armour and items. This part alone will occupy you for hours and it’s another nod to online games such as World of Warcraft.

Dragon Quest IX is a truly wonderful game, and the best role playing game I’ve played in years. It oozes charm, looks and sounds fantastic, and has been perfectly tailored to suit Nintendo’s hand-held system. One of the most magical experiences on the DS and a contender for game of the year.

Rune Factory Frontier - Wii

Due to the staggering amount of big-name titles released in the first half of the year, many great games have been sadly forgotten about. One such title is Rune Factory Frontier, a lovely game which really deserves your attention.

A spin-off from the much-loved Harvest Moon franchise, Rune Factory's unusual blend of farming, life simulation and dungeon crawling makes for a wonderful and original single player adventure.

Taking control of a boy named Raguna, you arrive in the town of Trampoli, desperately looking for your friend, Mist. It turns out she has started a new life in the picturesque town and urges you to join her.

Within the opening 15 minutes, Raguna will be a fully-fledged member of Trampoli's small but vibrant community, have his own house - complete with dusty plot of land - and own the bare essentials with which to make a living.

The whimsical background story isn't deep, complex or sprinkled with heavy dialogue choices, but Rune Factory Frontier's mish-mash of gameplay styles is so well delivered, the flimsy tale really doesn't matter.

Being a game from the Harvest Moon stable, Rune Factory Frontier focuses heavily on growing crops, looking after livestock and expanding your farm. However, unlike some other Harvest Moon titles, you never feel rushed into trying to cram as much as possible into every in-game day.

The clock still ticks along at an alarming rate, but stops when Raguna is indoors - a wonderful design choice which takes the stress away from his daily chores.

Rune Factory Frontier is completely open-ended, meaning it's entirely possible to concentrate solely on looking after your small farm. But doing so would be folly, as the game is crammed with things to do.

Some aren't immediately obvious, due in large to a lack of hand-holding. In my view, this is one of the game's strengths as it encourages the player to explore the beautiful game world and interact with other characters to move the story along at its own sedate pace.

When not pulling turnips and crops out of the earth, Raguna can cook, fish, craft items, upgrade weapons, visit townsfolk, sell his produce, go shopping, build relationships, get married, go sailing, visit a health spa and generally live a life of comfort.

But where Rune Factory branches away from the traditional Harvest Moon template is in the game's combat. Raguna can enter dungeons and do battle against a range of enemies - he can even recruit monsters to fight by his side or work on his farm. It's very well done, although be prepared to put in some serious work if you want to get the most out of these denizens of the dark.

Visually, the game is beautiful - although there's unfortunately no 480p option. The cheery scenery changes as the seasons pass with rainy autumn and the eerie ambiance of winter being particular stand-outs. There's a full day/night cycle in place, too, which adds to the games enchanting atmosphere.

Each new day in Trampoli brings with it a boggling amount of stuff to do, and the sheer amount of tasks can be overwhelming at times. However, just take your time, and quietly potter about at your own pace and the game becomes much more manageable. Trying to cram everything in at one time is an impossible task, so relax and the game's charms will rise to the surface.

Rune Factory Frontier is bright, breezy, utterly charming and incredibly satisfying to play. Some may think it's a bit too twee, but it's the best role-playing game on the Wii since 2008's Opoona.

If you missed it when it was released back in April, this Rising Stars Games' title is well worth hunting down.

Professor Layton and the Unwound Future - DS

Everyone loves a bit of Professor Layton, right? Well I adore the series and have completed the first two games: The Curious Village and Pandora's Box, both on DS.

So you can imagine how happy I was when the third game in the series, Professor Layton and the Unwound Future, was announced at the E3 conference in Los Angeles a few weeks ago.

The professor receives a letter from his sidekick Luke, only the letter has been sent from 10 years in the future.

London is apparently in chaos and it's up to the Prof and Luke to solve more riddles to save the city.

The delicious hand-drawn visuals look as magical as ever and Nintendo have promised 160 brain-teasers and even more animated cut scenes. Extra puzzles will also be free to download following the game's launch.

The game should find its way over to the UK around September, and I'll be first in the queue on launch day.

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Contact - DS

I first became aware of Contact in the pages of EDGE magazine back in 2006. The bright visuals jumped out the page at me, and I immediately started scouring the internet for more information about the game. Unable to hold on for the UK release, I eventually ordered it from the US and fell in love with its quirky gameplay styles and cute visuals.
The player takes control over protagonist Terry, a young boy who, along with the enigmatic Professor, finds himself embroiled in an inter-galactic quest for precious power cells.
The quirky visual style smacks you between the eyes in the game's opening moments, with Terry exploring a a lush and detailed universe via the DS’s touch screen, while the Professor – and his loveable pet – inhabit a stranded starship, which is presented in a simple isometric view on the top screen.
What makes the game interesting is the fact the Professor talks directly to the player, not Terry. So in a sense, you are simply controlling Terry’s actions, while the Professor gives you, the player, advice on what to do next.
Unlike most DS RPGs, Contact dispenses with random turn-based battles, instead adopting a more MMO feel to combat. When prompted, Terry continues to attack until he is successful or flees from danger. To help Terry defeat foes, he finds several suits on his journey, which grant him special attacks. Some take a bit of exploration to find and are well worth hunting down - even though they don’t really add a great deal of tactical nous to proceedings.
While Contact is a traditional Japanese RPG wrapped up in delightful visuals, game director Akira Ueda has woven in some original ideas to spice things up. Decals are adhesive stickers which can be peeled using the stylus to unleash special attacks. These limited powers are useful in tight situations, but restoring their effectivness is sometimes more hassle than it's worth.
Another neat touch is the Chef’s Suit, which allows Terry to rustle up stat boosting food. There’s a limit to how much food Terry can eat, though, so you have to think carefully about when Terry chows down his grub.
There’s a lot of grinding involved and you’ll die quickly unless you’re extremely careful. However, there’s something compelling about the adventure which keeps the player ploughing onwards.
It was never a huge hit and might be quite hard to track down these days. But if you stumble across Contact, you should definitely pick it up. One of my favourite games on the DS.

Ni no Kuni - DS/PS3

I like a bit of Japanese animation from time to time, but not just any old rubbish. No, for me, Studio Ghibli's work shines brightest and I'm a big fan.

The creators of classics such as Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle and Porco Rosso have never embraced the videogame medium, but all that is about to change.

The Japanese company have been working on Ni no Kuni: The Another World on DS - a game which will come on a huge 4GB cartridge, but the real surprise is the title is also set to appear on PlayStation 3.

As you can see, the visuals are sumptuous, and are going to look even better in crisp high definition.

The DS version is due to arrive in Japan later this year, while we might have to wait a little longer for the PS3 version. Here's a video of the PS3 version in action:

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Densha De Go! Showa Yamanote Line - DS

The latest title in the long-running arcade train driving series arrives next month in Japan. Titled Densha De Go! Showa Yamanote Line, it’s the first game in the series to arrive on the DS.

I have one of the previous titles for PSP, while I also own two PS2 versions: Densha De Go! Final and Densha Do Go! Shinkansen.

Both are excellent, but Final is the superior product, boasting the most comprehensive number of trains and tracks, while it also sports ‘linking’ a system where the player can link together set objectives to earn a bigger score.

This latest game looks great, and controlling the game should be a breeze thanks to touch screen controls.

Densha De Go! Showa Yamanote Line is being released to celebrate 100 years of Tokyo’s Yamanote Line. Players will be able to experience the line as it is today, and also go back in time to see the tracks as they were in the 50s and 60s.

Densha De Go! Showa Yamanote Line is released in Japan by Square Enix on July 22.

Agatha Christie’s The ABC Murders - DS

Taking elements from the Professor Layton and Phoenix Wright series, this murder mystery unfortunately fails to come close to either.

Playing the part of Captain Hastings, Hercule Poirot’s right-hand man, the player attempts to unravel the mystery behind several grizzly murders through riddles and investigations.

Multiple choice questions let you attempt as many of the answers as you'd like, so sifting through these is a piece of cake and lacks any decent challenge.

The tougher head-scratchers require the player to input the answer using the touchscreen, but with no hint system available these puzzles often lead to frustrating dead ends.

Visuals are unspectacular, failing to match the appeal of Phoenix Wright’s cartoon look, while spoken dialogue is few and far between. Ultimately, the lack of hint system and obtuse puzzles are the game’s downfall. With Layton and Wright still sitting on shop shelves, there really is little reason to pick up this below average murder mystery.

Shiren the Wanderer 4 - DS

Sporting a new day/night system and a tropical island setting, forthcoming Shiren the Wanderer 4 is at least trying to add something new to the dungeon crawling formula.

As a huge fan of Shiren's previous outings, I can't wait to play Shiren 4. However, like Shiren 3 on Wii, there is no word of a European release.

Fingers crossed someone like Rising Star Games takes a punt on these two titles and brings them over here. In the meantime, here are a few pictures of Shiren and Koppa's latest adventure.

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing - 360/PS3/Wii/DS

While the wait for Shenmue 3 goes on - it's been eight years since Shenmue II hit Dreamcast - Ryo Hazuki is back, but not in a free-roaming, quicktime-driven adventure.

Instead, Ryo is the latest character to be added to the forthcoming Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing.

A strange fit alongside Sonic, Dr Robotnic and Amigo from Samba de Amigo, but who cares when it looks this much fun?

Check out the vid to see Ryo race the opposition on a motorbike and strapped in to his famous forklift truck.

Okaeri! Chibi Robo! Happy Rich Osouji - DS

While we patiently wait for the Wiimake of Gamecube classic Chibi-Robo to land, Nintendo have released Okaeri! Chibi Robo! Happy Rich Osouji (Welcome Home Chibi-Robo) on DS in Japan.

I'm waiting for my copy to drop through the door, but it definitely looks more like the original game, and less like Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol - which never made it to the UK.

Jenny, the frog-loving girl from the first game returns as a grown up, with a son - Keith - and a dog called Lucky. However, times are tough, and it's up to Chibi to clean the house and help Jenny redecorate.

Chibi can now sift dirt and rubbish to find small nuggets of gold, which can then be used to buy new furniture and wallpaper for the house via a TV shopping channel.

While Chibi can pick up rubbish and use a toothbrush to clean as before, he now has access to a vacuum.

It also looks like the game features another range of off-the-wall characters - although it has its work cut out if it hopes to match the original's brilliant cast.

Judging from the video, it looks as if there's a Poker game buried in the game, a plane for Chibi to fly and a Cooking Mama-style mini game.

Retro Game Challenge - DS

Retro Game Challenge is based on the bizarre Japanese videogame TV show GameCenter CX, starring videogame masochist Shinya Arino.

In the show, Arino takes a game from the past and attempts to complete it within 24 hours. Arino deliberately tracks down obscure and almost impossible games for his challenges and plays on bravely - occasionally aided by one of his assistants - until he cracks it, or cracks up. It's thoroughly entertaining viewing and genuinely funny.

The game is a spin-off from the show and is a little slice of brilliance. It was released in Japan in late 2007, and a translated version came out in the US back in February. Unfortunately, there is no word on a UK release, which is a real shame. Still, as the DS is region free, I'd urge you to import.

At the start of the game, Arino sends you back in time to the Eighties, where you team up with his younger self to play games of the era and try and beat his challenges.

While all the fully-fleshed out games are fictional, they all bear a striking similarity to games of the era. The first game you'll encounter is called Cosmic Smash, which bears an uncanny resemblance to classic shooter Galaga. Other titles include Robot Ninja Haggle Man, Rally King, while 12+ hour adventure Guadia Quest is a nod to the classic Dragon Quest series.

Once challenges are completed - such as completing a certain stage, getting a certain score, or performing specific actions - the story progresses and new games become available - complete with their own set of unique challenges.

To help you on your way, you can browse game manuals, while new issues of fictional games magazine GameFan become available as you make progress. Each issue can be read cover to cover and feature tips and cheats for certain games.

Along with specific games related info, GameFan also features a good chunk of unrelated stuff to read through, including a section titled Gamer's Voice, where 'readers' send in their questions.

This section is completely off the wall and features questions like: 'Whenever I eat snacks while playing games, my controller gets all sticky.' from Hugh Jass, Florida.

Answer: 'You should practice proper eating etiquette, or eat snacks on sticks like cheese fondue.' Completely unrelated to the game, but the attention to detail is brilliant.

All the games look and sound like their 8-bit counterparts, but all have a certain amount of style and charm.

A second Retro Game Challenge title is currently available in Japan titled GameCenter CX: Arino's Challenge 2, but there is no word of a western release.

It's a brilliant little package and is definitely worth hunting down.

Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars - The Director's Cut - DS

The Nintendo DS is the perfect platform for point and click adventures, so it is somewhat baffling why more developers haven’t utilised its touchscreen technology to drag forgotten favourites into the 21st century.

However, seizing the opportunity, Revolution Software have brought their excellent 1996 adventure to the console, with a few added bells and whistles.

Switching between American tourist George Stobbart and French journalist Nico Collard, the story unfolds as you slowly become embroiled in a dark and murky international quest involving the fabled Knights Templar.

It’s an engaging story - helped along by gorgeous hand-painted backgrounds(drawn by Dave Gibbons of Watchmen fame), wonderful character animation and a soundtrack which sets the tone perfectly.

Players of the original will notice this director’s cut starts with the focus firmly on Nico, as she attempts to unravel the mystery surrounding the death of a local businessman. This shift in focus adds an extra layer to the tale and helps flesh out her background story.

Along with this new angle to the adventure, Revolution have added a few puzzles, such as a sliding blocks mini-game and a jigsaw type head scratcher. They aren't too taxing and are fun asides to the main quest.

Rather than simply take the old interface and port it to the DS, Revolution have significantly improved the control scheme to perfectly suit the DS's touch screen. Rolling the stylus over objects lights up points of interest which can then be interacted with. It's a neat system and one which is far less frustrating than clicking on every object you see.

Point and click adventures live or die by their logical puzzles, and Broken Sword is a resounding success. It’s extremely rare to find yourself aimlessly trying to use everything in your inventory to solve a conundrum, and instead lateral thinking will see you through most of the game’s puzzles.

If, however, you find yourself stuck, a handy hint menu has been included, which makes the game extremely accessible for those who are new to the genre.

Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars: The Director’s Cut is a cracking adventure which proves to be an entertaining trip down memory lane for older players, and a wonderful and rich experience for newcomers.

Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure - DS

The box art and title might suggest that Henry Hatsworth is just another run of the mill kids' adventure on DS. However, spend five minutes in its company, and you'll discover that it is one of the most interesting, absorbing and downright addictive games currently on the market.

Star of the show is the titular Mr Hatsworth, an dapper monocle-wearing English gent, who, aside from enjoying regular cups of Earl Grey, is on a quest to find a legendary golden suit.

The team at EA have blended a solid 2D platform romp with a match three of a kind puzzle element, which is similar to DS title Puzzle League.

Henry's adventure is played out on the top screen, while the puzzle section appears on the bottom. Any enemy Henry banishes with a quick swish of his sword drops down into the bottom screen, becoming a coloured block in the process.

To permanently get rid of the enemy, the player must match three blocks of the same colour. As the blocks are constantly moving upwards, Henry must dispatch the enemy before it reaches the top, otherwise it will reappear.

While this mixture of play styles sounds complicated, it's actually incredibly easy to switch between the two modes. When matching coloured blocks, Henry's platforming fun pauses, so you're not frantically going between both screens.

Power ups also appear on the bottom screen, such as extra lives and health bonuses. However, the real fun comes when Henry transforms into his robot alter ego by building up his supermeter.

Accompanied by a picture of Henry enjoying a cuppa with some of his old Etonian chums, he instantly becomes all powerful, sweeping away all before him. It's not only fun, but incredibly useful in some of the levels, which can become overcrowded with enemies.

Henry Hatsworth's unique mixture of play styles is a breath of fresh air, and although it packs quite a challenge, you won't rest until you finally manage to complete it. Absolutely brilliant.

Chrono Trigger - DS

It has been a glorious few months for lovers of old 16-bit titles. Squaresoft’s wonderful Super Nintendo classic Secret of Mana arrived on the Wii’s Virtual Console in December. Now, Square Enix have released the equally brilliant Chrono Trigger on DS.

Chrono Trigger was never released in the UK back in 1995, which meant I had to import it from the US. Playing through it again 14 years later, it remains as much fun as it was back then.

The adventure starts in stereotypical manner, with Chrono, the central figure, undertaking a quest to find a missing princess. However, the story soon broadens out to become a memorable time travelling adventure, ripe with interesting and unusual characters and exotic locations to explore.

Unlike other RPGs of the mid-Nineties, there are no random battles in Chrono Trigger. Some enemies can be avoided if you wish, although skipping these encounters will leave your party underpowered as the game progresses.

Another benefit from battling monsters comes in the shape of the bestiary. This fantastic addition allows you to browse through all the monsters you've encountered and check out their stats. Filling all 246 slots is going to take quite some time and this feature adds a Pokemon-style flavour to the game.

Despite being 14 years old, Chrono Trigger's graphics and audio hold up extremely well. The colourful 16-bit visuals are excellent, while the soundtrack is magnificent.

Square Enix have added a few extras, including an improved script, two new areas and optional touch screen controls to make this the definitive version of this classic game.

If you enjoyed Secret of Mana or any of the old school Final Fantasy series, Chrono Trigger is an essential purchase. Despite its age, it is infinitely better than many of the bog-standard RPGs released over the last few years.

Images courtesy of Square Enix

Ninjatown - DS

Last year, Pixeljunk Monsters introduced me to the Tower Defence genre, and Ninjatown shares many similarities with the PS3 title.

The basic aim is to stop an increasingly large and vicious procession of dark and evil forces from getting to the opposite side of your village.

To eliminate this demonic threat, the player has to place ninja huts across the map. From these homely quarters, ninja warriors will leap out and attack any aggressive foe that happens to be shuffling past.

The game eases you into the action thanks to a decent tutorial and a healthy dose of humour, but it doesn't take long before nastier enemies appear, which leads to frantic mass brawls.

Luckily, you have a decent selection of ninjas who each specialise in various forms of fighting. Melee ninjas like to get up close and personal with the invading demons, while ranged ninjas - such as the White Ninja - like to throw snowballs at the forces of hell, which freezes them, causing them to move slowly.

There's a fair amount of resource management, too, and decisions about what units to sell, and what ones to build plays heavily in the game. It's also important to upgrade your huts, which in turn increases your ninjas' effectiveness.

Graphics are functional rather than spectacular, but in a game such as this, it's all about the gameplay, and this is where Ninjatown excells. It's a wonderful little game that took me completely by surprise.

It's easy to play, but difficult to master and has been stuck in my DS for weeks. The DS also proves to be a fantastic platform for the game due to Ninjatown's bite-sized missions and well implemented touch screen controls.

Don't let this one pass you by, it's a cracker.

Images courtesy of SouthPeak

Boing! Docomodake - DS

It may have the strangest title you'll see all year, and chances are you've never heard of it, but Boing! Docomodake is actually a fun little game for the DS.

Who is Docomodake? Well it turns out he's the mascot for Japanese phone company NTT docomo, so it is somewhat surprising the little mushroom fella has made his way to these shores. Full credit, then, to Ignition Entertainment for taking a chance on this title and releasing it in the West.

The story goes that the Docomodake family have set off to get ready for the yearly village festival. However, they have mysteriously gone missing and it's up to you - Papa Docomodake - to search for your missing family.

The game takes the shape of a platform puzzler, and incorporates elements from Mario and Donkey Kong's DS adventure March of the Minis. You'll be jumping, digging, rolling about, manipulating blocks, stepping on switches and using weight-based brainteasers to accomplish your task.

Tapping Papa Docomodake's head creates mini mushrooms, which can be turned into ladders and bridges to reach previously unreachable areas. They can also access tiny passageways the full-sized Docomodake can't.

The game is clearly geared towards younger players, and with no time limit, you can spend as much time as you like exploring the levels. There's enough here to keep adults occupied, too, with optional coins and treasure chests scattered about the levels, and grabbing everything in the level becomes compulsive.

The game's clean art style and upbeat music add a lot of charm to Docomodake's adventure and while it won't win any awards, the game is challenging and fun to play.

With a tutorial for younger players and a good price point of £19.99, Docomodake gets the thumbs up from me and is definitely worth picking up.

Images courtesy of Ignition Entertainment

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia - DS

The Castlevania franchise has been one of my favourites since the game’s fourth outing appeared on the Super Nintendo in the early Nineties.
    The series highlight thus far was the PlayStation and Xbox Live Arcade smash Symphony of the Night, and while Order of Ecclesia doesn't match that exceptional title, it's still an excellent game.
    Taking control of female lead Shanoa, who has sworn to find and destroy Dracula, the player undertakes another epic action adventure, this time on the DS. The series' iconic weapon, the whip, is gone, replaced instead with a variety of useful weapons. To get your hands on these, Shanoa has to absorb glyphs which in turn grants the player access to these rather special new weapons.
    Instead of being confined to Dracula’s dark castle, you'll get to experience different locations, such as villages and twilight forests. The free-roaming nature of previous titles is also gone, and instead Konami have split Ecclesia into more traditional levels.
    Castlevania has always featured memorable boss fights, and Ecclesia is no different. However, many players will be put off by these extremely difficult encounters, which can be infuriatingly difficult.
    Visually, the game ticks all the right boxes and boasts lovely sprite animation and detailed backgrounds, and in typical Castlevania style, the soundtrack is rousing.
    Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia might not be the best place to start for newcomers to the series, but grizzled old vampire killers are definitely in for a treat.