Today’s North American launch of the Nintendo Channel means that Wii owners can watch game trailers and download demos for their DS using an internet connection. For DS players, this is even better than having a DS Download Station in their own home. The current highlight is the demo for Crossword DS.
Nintendo is expected to start the service in Europe by the end of the month.
The music is repetitive, and the graphics verge on dismal. But is Prism FUN? Absolutely!
The premise of Prism: Light the Way for Nintendo DS is simple. The Glowbos desperately need light, and they’re picky – they can only use their own colour. The Bulboids have arrived bearing light, but they’re not quite smart enough to get the job done. You and your stylus must save the day. All you need to do is arrange the supplied mirrors and prisms so all the light is delivered properly!
Don’t be fooled by the ease of the first levels of the main puzzle mode. They quickly become more and more challenging; you’ll be glad they’re not timed. Solving the more difficult ones can burn a good deal of brain power. You may even be reduced to rounds of trial and error. Thankfully, hints are provided for the first 40 levels – for the last 80, you’re on your own.
There is a timed mode, as well as several others, including competitive or co-operative multiplayer.
You may not play this game for hours on end, but you will find yourself coming back to it again and again whenever you need a fix!
We’ve ranked these DS puzzle games with one factor in mind: FUN. Remember, these are just our opinions. Let us know what you think!
1. Picross DS
This series of challenging puzzles will keep you busy for hours. Use step-by-step logic to fill spaces in a grid and unveil a picture. Relaxing and rewarding. Check out our review.
2. Planet Puzzle League
This game’s slow start is your chance to practice creating combos and chains – skills you’ll need as things speed up. Play against your records, or compete wirelessly with local friends and online challengers. The many modes will keep you satisfied.
3. Professor Layton and the Curious Village
You will enjoy exploring this mysterious village, solving a glorious variety of brainteasers as you go. It’s an adventure game, studded with unique puzzles and intriguing dilemmas. Please see our review for more detail.
4. Meteos
Drag blocks vertically to line up three or more of like color and they launch off the top of the screen. The games are fast-paced and short, but the content is meaty and the space theme is interesting. The original version plays better than the Disney one.
5. Tetris DS
If you like Tetris, you’ll enjoy this well-made version. You’ll find the basic mode we all know and love plus many more exciting options, including online multiplayer.
6. Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
This is more than a clone of Bejeweled. Story and role-playing aspects, as well as complex and varied puzzle elements, make this a sure-fire thrill.
7. New York Times Crosswords
Crossword puzzle players will love this quality digital version of genuine New York Times puzzles. Losing the mess of paper is a plus, and the puzzles are just as challenging. Modes include wireless play with friends, either co-operatively or competitively.
8. Bust-a-Move DS
Shoot bubbles to join those at the top of the screen; connect three or more of the same color to make them fall away. It’s fast paced and addicting, a must-try for those who have never played before. This version is well done, adding optional touch screen controls.
9. Prism: Light the Way
Arrange mirrors and prisms in the playing field to direct light from Bulboids to the Glowbos. This gets harder as the puzzles progress; you will be very glad there’s no clock on the main mode. A multiplayer mode adds variety.
10. Polarium
Draw a line over a grid of dark and light tiles to flip them and form horizontal lines which disappear. Try to remove the whole array at once. You can make your own puzzles and share them with friends.
Travel to the quaint village of St. Mystere with Professor Layton and his young assistant Luke. Your primary objective is to solve the mystery of the Golden Apple, but along the way you will investigate a string of strange crimes and odd events. But playing detective is only a part of the story. Everything hinges on finding and solving a wonderfully varied collection of brainteasers. You will need to apply logic and reasoning, as well as out-of-the-box creative thinking.
The game is a simple role-playing adventure with a mystifying story and even more mystifying puzzles. It’s relaxing in that time is never an issue; take as long as you’d like to solve any problem! Hint coins discovered along the way can help you through the more troublesome spots, or you can choose to return to a puzzle later. You can’t make any wrong turns during your explorations, and you won’t need to fight any dragons.
This is a game which can be played in short spurts if necessary. Save your progress so you can quickly pick up from your stopping point. If it has been awhile since you’ve played, you will be particularly thankful for the brief review. You’ll want to return until you have solved the last mystery – and then you’ll be glad for the weekly puzzles available by wireless download.
Stylus use and an excellent in-game tutorial make this game a good choice for the inexperienced. A very smart ten or twelve year old may enjoy it, especially since it is not essential to do every puzzle. But the most brilliant puzzler of any age is bound to do some prolonged head-scratching over the hardest ones. Most players will be thrilled to know that two ‘sequels’ are in the works. It is possible that an extreme adrenaline hound may find this type of game too slow-paced.
You can go to the official website for a more complete overview – including a playable demo.
You don’t want to miss Picross DS (for Nintendo DS) if you’re looking for a puzzle game to give hours of relaxed enjoyment. It relies on a logic process similar to the hugely popular Sudoku - and is likewise a numbers game with math skills not required. Well, you do need to count - at least as high as twenty, and very basic addition helps. But for those who can do that, you will find yourself challenged by the step-by-step deductive process.
Using sequences of numbers bordering a grid, you fill-in or blank-out squares. The successful completion of a puzzle results in your reward - a simple picture, which animates if you beat it in the alloted time. The game's easy to learn, but the difficulty increases as the grid size grows.
Several modes are available, including Daily Picross, which is a self-challenge you can play only once a day, and My Picross, which lets you make your own puzzles. And, as long as you have a wireless internet connection, you need never run out of puzzles, since there is a virtually endless supply of downloads.
To learn more, you can go to the official website of the game. You will find a good tutorial and explanation of all the features - everything you want to know before you buy.
We should mention that some of the advance level screens can be a bit hard to see, but there are magnifying options.
Picross DS is not a good choice for most children, but if you like crossword or logic puzzles, or can’t get enough of Brain Age, there will be no regrets for trying Picross DS. You will be sure to find it worthy of adding to your game collection.
If you have newly discovered the wonder of gaming, then you have come to the right place! We specialize in game reviews and recommendations for people who don’t want the platitudes of forum opinions, or the technical mumbo jumbo of sites for hardcore gamers. We also feature suitable gift suggestions.
1. Picross DS
This game’s slow start is your chance to practice creating combos and chains – skills you’ll need as things speed up. Play against your records, or compete wirelessly with local friends and online challengers. The many modes will keep you satisfied.
3. Professor Layton and the Curious Village
4. Meteos
5. Tetris DS
6. Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
7. New York Times Crosswords
8. Bust-a-Move DS
9. Prism: Light the Way
10. Polarium
Travel to the quaint village of St. Mystere with Professor Layton and his young assistant Luke.
This is a game which can be played in short spurts if necessary. Save your progress so you can quickly pick up from your stopping point. If it has been awhile since you’ve played, you will be particularly thankful for the brief review. You’ll want to return until you have solved the last mystery – and then you’ll be glad for the weekly puzzles available by wireless download.
Stylus use and an excellent in-game tutorial make this game a good choice for the inexperienced. A very smart ten or twelve year old may enjoy it, especially since it is not essential to do every puzzle. But the most brilliant puzzler of any age is bound to do some prolonged head-scratching over the hardest ones. Most players will be thrilled to know that two ‘sequels’ are in the works. It is possible that an extreme adrenaline hound may find this type of game too slow-paced.
