Console Review: Nintendo DSi - Page 4

Lauch DSiWare Games:

• Birds & Beans, 200 Points
• Master of Illusion Express: Funny Face, 200 Points
• Art Style: AQUIA, 500 Points
• WarioWare: Snapped!, 500 Points
• Brain Age Express: Math, 800 Points

WarioWare: Snapped! is the first game to use the camera. You set the DSi on a table and have to position your face and hands on the screen to complete challenges. This works best with a flat background and good light. Most challenges work well, and is your standard frantic WarioWare mini-game game. This is a lot of fun to play and is the headlining game for the launch of DSiWare.Art Style: AQUIA is a puzzle game that reminds me of Piyotama on the PS3, but has an underwater theme to it. There are different colored blocks in a column in the middle of the screen; you must match three in a row by sliding blocks from outside the column back and forth. The game has more strategy and replay than Piyotama though, as you can choose different block shapes to play the game. AQUIA is an addicting puzzle game and the other recommended purchase from the launch line up.Nintedo DSi Browser: Opera on the DS shows you the full width of the web page on the top screen, and allows you to move a magnified view on the touch screen. Besides that, it is similar to using the Wii version. My only real complaint is that there is no Flash support, which is supported on the Wii. Think of the stylus-based games that could be made. I hope they add Flash support down the road.With two cameras and removable storage, the Nintendo DSi is giving you more to do on the go. You would think that with these additions the battery would be bigger and the battery life would be better – this is not the case. The hard truth is an 840mAh battery and nine to 14 hours of life on the lowest brightness settings (down from 1000mAh battery and 15-19 hours on the DS Lite). You can expect only three to four hours on the highest brightness setting.Some will also miss the GBA slot, as this was removed from the DSi. Other than no more backwards compatibility with all Game Boy games, you lose support for the Rumble Pack, the two Guitar Hero games, and my personal favorite, the paddle controller for Arkanoid DS and Space Invaders Extreme. I am a little sad to see the GBA slot go.If you own the original fat DS, this is a great upgrade, no questions asked. But what if you own a DS Lite? Is this system worth the $170 investment? The biggest takeaway for existing DS Lite owners is the new DSiWare. The slightly bigger screens will not be a big draw, but the improved sound is. DSiWare has the potential to be really great, as we have already seen good things on WiiWare.It may be a tough call for existing DS Lite owners, but Nintendo has packed more gaming goodness into their portable machine to entice others. Core gamer or casual alike, there is a lot to love about Nintendo's new license to print money.

Article Author: Ken Edwards

Ken Edwards is the Gaming Editor at Blogcritics, and calls Breaking Windows home. Ken works part time for Student Publications at BGSU as the Webmaster and System Administrator. He is also a freelance web developer.

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