Metroid Prime Hunters (Nintendo DS)
Metroid Prime Hunters is clearly the best game which uses the most out of the DS hardware. The game is so fast and rendered up to the maximum the hardware can take. I wonder what techniques these guys have used to pump up so many cool features of this game. The rendering details in this game is just stunning. Each area of the levels are so detailed that my jaws just drop by watching them. The little details in rendering for each levels, characters, etc in this game is so well done. The sounds especially deserves a full 10 on 10 rating. I just get so much into the game with the sound effects and bg soundtrack. I never thought that sound effects could sound so great on the DS. But yes I do keep my headset on while playing any game on the DS.
One special mention is the WiFi Multiplayer Deathmatch mode in this game. I play everyday over the internet to enjoy the multiplayer experience. It just does not stop entertaining me everyday. At any point of time, on any day, anywhere between 20000 and 30000 players play this game online. This just shows how exciting the multiplayer experience will be over the internet on the DS. The only other game that I play a lot over the internet on my DS is Mario Kart. Mario Kart also clocks similar figures. It is very interesting that so many people play multiplayer over the internet on their DS. This game rocks on the mutiplayer mode. Be sure to check out the Youtube videos link on the top of this page.
Be sure to check out the below links to know more about this game:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metroid_Prime_Hunters
Watch video below:
New Super Mario Bros.(Nintendo DS)

The entire game is set in this 3D landscape. It uses the 3D elements very well. Though the game is completely 2D based gameplay, the 3D elements are very well merged to give that cool effect.
The boss fights of this game are so simple yet enjoyable. Each boss is killed within 3 moves of attack. There is nothing special about the boss fights in this game. But some of the enemies are so well placed on the platforms that they look more threatening than the bosses itself.
Lastly, the game is very enjoyable and packs in many hours of gameplay (I've spent more than 30 hours on this game). The game is long and packs in many memorable moments. I've thoroughly enjoyed playing this game.
This game is my first Mario game! Yes, I wonder what took me so long to play Mario! In the earlier days I used to play the converted PC version of the game. Though Nintendo would never make games for the PC, the old classic Mario game was converted by hobbiest world wide to various platforms. That is how great the Mario franchise is. He has many games to his credit , thanks to Nintendo to making him so big. He enjoyes his games on all of Nintendo's platforms. This game for the DS is easily the best old school platform game for the DS. When I first bought the DS, I decided that this would be the first game I would play on it. I really enjoyed every bit of it. It is so bright and colourfull. The platforming element is really thrilling. I remember playing the Jak and Daxter series on the PS2, which was my first stint with platforming games. Man it was tough! Then I went on to play the Ratchet and Clank series on the PS2 which was a very easy and casual platforming game on the PS2. New Super Mario Bros is easily the best platforming game I have played on the DS so far. I just love the way the gameplay is set in this game.
The level design in this game is so well set. Even the more complicated multi-level levels aren't confusing at all. They very well guide the player to go from start to finish.
The music score for this game is easily one of the most memorable melodies I can remember. The suspense and action behind each momement of gameplay for this game has the highest level of music quality. I always play my DS games with my headset (the speakers are crap).
The level design in this game is so well set. Even the more complicated multi-level levels aren't confusing at all. They very well guide the player to go from start to finish.
The music score for this game is easily one of the most memorable melodies I can remember. The suspense and action behind each momement of gameplay for this game has the highest level of music quality. I always play my DS games with my headset (the speakers are crap).
The entire game is set in this 3D landscape. It uses the 3D elements very well. Though the game is completely 2D based gameplay, the 3D elements are very well merged to give that cool effect.
The boss fights of this game are so simple yet enjoyable. Each boss is killed within 3 moves of attack. There is nothing special about the boss fights in this game. But some of the enemies are so well placed on the platforms that they look more threatening than the bosses itself.
Lastly, the game is very enjoyable and packs in many hours of gameplay (I've spent more than 30 hours on this game). The game is long and packs in many memorable moments. I've thoroughly enjoyed playing this game.
Some links about this game:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Super_Mario_Bros.Watch video below:
Children of Mana (Nintendo DS)

Children of Mana (for Nintendo DS) is easily one of the most enjoyable RPG game I've played after a long time. The last rpg game that I had played was Suikoden 5 for PS2. Children of Mana is a very simple rpg game with very limited rpg features. It has a very basic set of weaponary and character upgradation system. This is easily a very pick-up and play kind of rpg game. Though it was criticised for this very easy aand not very in-depth rpg element gameplay, but I really enjoyed the game. I think the DS is made to enjoy a very casual and easy pick-em-up and play kind of games. Especially RPG games can be very engrossing and might require a lot of attension and dedication to play through the entire game. Children of Mana easily accomplishes this by having the correct balance of rpg elements and casual appeal.

Some links about this game:
http://www.seikens.com/children-of-mana.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children_of_Mana
Children of Mana (for Nintendo DS) is easily one of the most enjoyable RPG game I've played after a long time. The last rpg game that I had played was Suikoden 5 for PS2. Children of Mana is a very simple rpg game with very limited rpg features. It has a very basic set of weaponary and character upgradation system. This is easily a very pick-up and play kind of rpg game. Though it was criticised for this very easy aand not very in-depth rpg element gameplay, but I really enjoyed the game. I think the DS is made to enjoy a very casual and easy pick-em-up and play kind of games. Especially RPG games can be very engrossing and might require a lot of attension and dedication to play through the entire game. Children of Mana easily accomplishes this by having the correct balance of rpg elements and casual appeal.
Some links about this game:
http://www.seikens.com/children-of-mana.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children_of_Mana
Friday, November 09, 2007
Nintendo DS programming
I got my DS a couple of months back. It is a cool looking black DS. The first thing I did with the DS was to try my hands on programming on the DS. Programming on the DS is very simple not like other handhelds like the PSP. There is a huge community support out there on the internet to help you get started with DS programming. Devkitpro is a free homebrew sdk provided by the community to start programming on the DS. Once you install this SDK, the environment on your machine is set to compile and execute programs directly onto the DS. You could download the DevkitPro SDK here:
Please download the latest version of the SDK. The installation process is very simple and it will guide you through the entire process. Once this SDK is setup, you could browse through the SDK examples on nds programming. There are tons of tutorials to choose from starting from 2D graphics programming, 3D programming, sound programming on the DS, etc. You will have access to all tutorials to start writing your first game on the DS.
But hold on! When you compile the program on your PC, a single file output is created with a .nds extension. What to do with this file? Well in order to run this on the DS, you will need to first buy a R4 memory card which can be used as a regular DS cartridge.
So where can I buy this R4 memory card? Well you will have to purchase this online and get it shipped to you. One of the places where you can buy this from is http://www.gadget-asia.com/. The best deal on this website is the R4 card with a 1GB micro SD card. Also it comes with free shipping to India!
Below is the direct link to buy this:
Once you have this memory card you should be able to transfer your programs onto the DS and check out the output. DevkitPro allows you to fully access the hardware of the DS. So this is the closest a homebrew programmer will get towards programming on a real console. I have programmed on the PS2 Linux kit provided by Sony but it is a real pain in the ass to program on that kit as very little support or documentation is available to program on the PS2. Though I managed to write some code on it but it is not worth the effort. I strongly recommend programming on the NDS as it is the closest you will get to real programming on the console. Of course you do have XBOX 360 programming by using XNA, I still have to try it out!
So go ahead and get you hands dirty on the NDS!