Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days: Yeah, yeah, I know, I copped out and bought a spin-off game. Blame it all on Xemnas, because it's him and his team of merry morons you get to play as in this game. Ever wonder what really goes on in Organization XIII? Well, it doesn't really say, but you do play as Roxas while he was an Org member, and that's nearly as good! Play through the game and discover Roxas's roots and origins while you complete missions to help the team (or perhaps it's to do chores Xemnas just doesn't want to do?). And, if playing as Roxas gets too boring, you could always play Mission Mode and replay the missions as any character you wish. Customization is somewhat limited, but the new grid system is interesting, and I hope they keep it with any other titles they make. As far as plot, there's not much that I haven't stated, though by the middle of the game, Xion's existence seems to outshine anything Roxas might want to do. But, let's face it. Roxas wasn't too interesting to begin with. Hell, even Axel says so at first. There's not many things I hate about this game, but I am kind of sad that my favorite character ended up being chunked in the first ten minutes. I don't care how much his attack sucks or how short he is: Zexion is the best member ever, and if you thought he sucked in Chain of Memories, then I think you suck. Just once, I'd like a Kingdom Hearts where my favorites don't get killed at any point during the game. Seeing as how my favorites are Xemnas, Zexion, and Xaldin, I doubt that's going to happen. Especially since, you know, they're all dead by the end of KHII. Wait... was I supposed to say that!?
Rating: ****

Spore: If you like making and training your own monsters, then you'll probably like this game, too. Originally made for the PC, it's also a nice title for the DS system. You create your lovable monster, using whatever parts you wish (provided you find those parts and have enough parts points to use them), and you explore many different planets in order to rescue your friend, who you see being kidnapped in the opening sequence of the game. There are a lot of aspects that make this game a challenge (such as remembering what type of food your monster can eat, and figuring out how to help the other monsters), but overall, it's worth the money you spend. The only thing that slightly marrs my score is that you MUST use the stylus to battle, and I'm not really fond of doing that. But it's definitely a good game, and if you have the patience to figure out how to solve some of the harder puzzles on the later levels, I guarantee you'll have hours and hours of play on this. And an added bonus is the wi-fi feature. You can even go head-to-head against a friend and see whose monster is best!
Rating: ****

From the Abyss: Best.... DS... game... EVER. As soon as I saw the trailer for this, I was in love with the game. Basically, the kingdom of Ruehbent is under attack when dimensional rifts send demons to ransack the land. The queen's mages have constructed a large gate, the Abyss Gate, to allow only the bravest to battle the monster hoard off. But the queen hired you anyway, a young adventurer with no experience to your name. As you explore the many levels and worlds through the Abyss Gate, you'll fight hundreds of monsters while trying to exorcise the demons at the end of any particular world. The battle system is similar to the Mana series by SquareEnix, and the graphics are similar to those on the SNES. The music score is actually impressive for a DS game, and the ability to completely customize your character is a fun attribute that I haven't been able to find on many DS games. The only downside is the challenge: many times, you'll be underleveled for the coming bosses, and unless you have the Item menu open at all times, you're going to find healing to be a difficult task, especially in the first few levels before you can get a Cure spell. But all good games present a challenge, and this is no exception.
Rating: *****

My Sims: Kingdom: A Sims(?) game for the DS that, while saying it's from EA, doesn't appear to really have anything to do with the Sims games at all. In this edition, SimTown has been ransacked by a crook who is literally sucking up everything in the city, leaving nothing but a not-so-barren wasteland. As the newcomer, King Roland instructs you to fix the city for him, and with help from the crazy scientist next door (literally), you're well on your way to getting there. Unfortunately, after a few hours of play, this game gets really, really repetitive. There are a number of minigames for you to play, but unlike the Sims, you don't need to eat, go to the bathroom, or even sleep. The only reason to sleep is to pass time. The storyline is rather slow, but being able to create the city to your likeness does add a certain level of addictiveness to the game. It really does depend on what you like to play. And if you're expecting this to be anything like the Sims, you will be disappointed.
Rating: ***

Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure: A nice, little RPG for the DS. Basically, it's a short story between two young teenagers (one being a prince, the other being a girl living in the country) who fall in love. One day, an evil witch named Marjorly comes and inadvertantly petrifies the prince, and now it's up to Cornet, the player, to save him by collecting the five stones (one for each element in the game) and opening a gate to the Netherworld. The graphics are cute, but the music is a little annoying, and the monetary system is a little lacking. Also, the game is unfortunately, very short. It took me less than a week to get from the beginning to the final dungeon. But still, it's a nice distraction, and if you don't mind a short game and you want something cute to play, this might be a good game for you.
Rating: ***

Children of Mana: If you remember the game Secret of Mana, this may spark a few fond memories for you. Square Enix returns to us the magical realm of Mana, and in this particular game, something is wrong within this magical world. It seems the Mana Tree is crumbling, and it's up to you to help stop it before the world crumbles apart. Unfortunately, unlike SoM, you have no world map to traverse. It's a simple dungeon crawling game, and the only town seems to be the starting village. At the very beginning, you choose which character you will play (Ferrik the fighter, Tamber the Archer, Porron the Mage, and Wanderer the Tank) and that will affect how difficult the game is. If you're into games like Chocobo's Dungeon, or the Pokemon Mystery dungeons, I suggest you look into this game. Its good graphics and randomly generated maps (not to mention the thousands of quests from the NPCs) will keep you entertained for some time.
Rating: ****

Orcs and Elves: A tried and true dungeon crawler for the DS, and not really the best out there. The graphics aren't that good compared to games like FFIII or Dungeon Explorer, and you get little to no clues as to what you're doing before you're thrust into your first fight against a Were-Rat. There's very little sound in the game, and only one 'town' consisting of a large room with a dragon, with whom you'll be doing all your trading with if she likes you. And, you only visit this room at the end of a level. So, if you used all your potions and are just in the middle of a tough dungeon, completely surrounded by lava monsters, you're screwed to a fate worse than gaming death. Overall, it's so-so, but I really wouldn't pay the $30 it goes for. I'm lucky and got a copy for less than $10, and it wasn't even worth that.
Rating: **

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team: Best... pokemon... game... EVER! I'm not lying, this by far is the most enthralling Pokemon game I've ever owned, and I was happy to pay every cent needed to get it. Basically, you are a human turned into a pokemon (which is decided based on a personality quiz), and you need to find a way to become human again. With your trusted sidekick, another pokemon of your choosing, you will crawl through amazingly difficult dungeons and convince other pokemon to join your rescue team, all the while trying to help the various NPCs out when they reach out to you. And, if that's not enough, there's even bonuses for when you actually beat the game! Definitely a huge must if you're a diehard Pokemon fanatic.
Rating: *****

Rune Factory: Do you love Harvest Moon, but miss the conventions of a typical RPG? Prepare to be flabbergasted with Rune Factory. This amazing game combines the best of Harvest Moon with the fighting of a Final Fantasy game, and the dungeon-crawling of various others mentioned on this page. Basically, the first half of your time will be spent tilling your farm, trying to make money for the shiny Small Sword you see in Leo's Armory. But, once you lay hands on that beautiful piece of non-farming equipment, chances are farming will go right down the drain as you hack and slash your way to victory. You play as a mysterious young boy named Raguna, and you must go through these perilous dungeons to discover who placed Monster Generators in them, and to what reason. As you do so, you'll be tilling the earth in these dungeons (which is required most of the time to continue), and gaining the trust of the many NPCs of the village. Can you handle farming to this degree!?
Rating: *****

Cooking Mama: Ever want to learn how to cook, but are too afraid to burn dinner to try? With Cooking Mama, she'll teach you how to make dishes without causing harm to your pans. Using the stylus (or Wii remote for the Wii version), follow the on-screen direction mama gives to slice, dice, fry, bake, and stew, and soon you'll be cooking with the best of the best! In Cooking Mama 2, cook perfectly for her friends, and you'll get a special surprise from them! In Cooking Mama for Wii, compete against her friends and you'll get prizes if you can win! Are you ready to impress mama with your skills!?
Rating: ****

Yu-Gi-Oh Reshef of Destruction: A small, decent RPG set in the YGO universe. You play as Yugi's friend, an unnamed hero whose purpose and affinity for duels are unknown. When the local championship gets crashed by the Neo Ghouls, it's up to you, your deck, and the allies you recruit (by dueling, of course) to take them down, recover the Millenium Items, and unleash the three Egyptian God cards from their stony prison. That aside, the dueling is a good alternative to battling. Unfortunately, it makes use of an elemental system that destroys the use of ATK and DEF points. On the first duel, I got my ass handed to me by a 500-ATK monster because its element (Dream) was stronger than all of my current cards (Demonic). It's tricky if you have no idea what you're doing, but worth the money for the entertainment. It only took me a week before I got revenge on that weak, little monster.
Rating: *****

Golden Sun: Alchemy. It's a force forbidden in the world of Golden Sun, and because of its awesome might, it was sealed away in the form of four Elemental Lighthouses to protect the world. Only the village of Vale knows the secrets of Mt. Alef, where the Wise One awaits to those looking to unseal the ancient power. One night, Isaac and Garret head to this mountain with their friend Jenna to investigate the disturbances in the area. When Jenna is kidnapped by a group of evil Adepts looking to unleash Alchemy, it's up to Isaac and Garret to rescue her, stop the Adepts, and save the world.
Rating: ****

Breath of Fire 2: Oy, it's been years since I've played this, but let's go. Like all of the BoF games, you play as Ryu, a mysterious boy with the ability to turn into a dragon. The world is constantly plagued with evil, and with your best friend, Bo, you strike out to stop the evil before it wipes out the planet. From a race of Tiger-Warriors to the memories of the elderly fading, this GBA game was glorious back in its time. Unfortunately, it's marred by the fact that I don't remember most of it now...
Rating: *****

Breath of Fire 1: I wish I could remember this game, too. From what I remember, the world is in danger by the evil goddess, Tyr, who threatens to unseal the power of the dragons to, ironically, wipe the beasts off the face of the earth. As Ryu, a boy with mysterious Dragon-like powers, it's up to you to recruit your allies and stop Tyr and her evil henchmen. Unfortunately, she stops at nothing to avoid this, even using Ryu's sister as a shield.
Rating: ***

Yu-Gi-Oh Eternal Duelist Soul: If you're looking for straight-out duel festivals with no pauses in between, this game is for you. If you want a plot, you might be slightly jilted by this game. Eternal Duelist Soul is a good beginning game for people to get into the YGO universe and understand firsthand the mechanics of how Duel Monsters work. There is no set 'level,' rather you fight duelists via 'tiers,' with each tier having up to six duelists to choose from. These duelists must all be fought to unlock the next tier, and some duelists must be fought a certain number of times to unlock stronger duelists. Strategy is a good idea here, since you never know what sort of deck your opponent could be using.
Rating: *****
YGO Eternal Dulist Walkthrough!

Yu-Gi-Oh Dark Duel Stories: My sister had this game, and to be honest, I wasn't impressed. It's like Eternal Duelist Soul, but with different rules and less of a storyline or focus. They introduce a new element here: Elemental Superiority. Now, it's a nice twist in the later games, but they needed time to master it here. My main problem is that this new element disregards how strong a monster is, and instead will OHKO a much stronger card if that card is weak against whatever you happen to be fighting. Do you have the Dark Magician? He won't do a damn against a Happy Lover card, who has an attack that is over 2000 points weaker. For me, I'd have preferred if they simply weakened the stronger cards a bit. But I don't blame Konami for trying a new rule. It does work out in the later games.
Rating: ***

Pokemon Pearl: The fourth, and hopefully last, generation to the popular Pokemon series. Now we're heading up to close to 500 little critters for you to train and battle, and it keeps getting better as the game progresses. In the heart, it's pretty much the same "get your badges, beat the champion" stick we're all used to, but with a different move system, bigger map, and nearly 500 monsters to try to catch, you'll be incredibly busy if you plan to catch them all. The graphics are beautiful, and the game finally has a decent soundtrack, too. And don't forget the new Wi-Fi connection option. That'll make trading MUCH easier, without having to spend extra money on a game link.
Rating: *****

Purr Pals: If you like taking care of virtual kittens, then this game is a definite buy. Basically, it holds the same general idea as the popular Nintendogs series, but it's a bit more complicated than it seems. The feeding can get annoying very easily (you need to "shake" the food with the stylus, and if you stop shaking, you need to start over again), and getting money takes longer than necessary, but it's a great game considering. Just don't overload yourself with kitties, because just one kitty is enough to keep me busy for a while.

Rating: ****

Pokemon Fire Red/Leaf Green: Remember the old Pokemon Red and Blue versions back in 1995, and we all thought that the graphics were slammin'? Well, holy crap has Gamefreak improved! Basically, these are remixes of the old Pokemon games, but that doesn't mean they're not fun. Oh contrare, I can assure you you'll be spending hours of your life playing these remixes and just checking out all the new features. Match that up with the new graphics, better soundtrack, and the fact that you can catch Jhoto pokemon, I think this should be on any Pokemon diehard's list.
Rating: ****

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon: Remember the old NES Catslevanias? Well, THIS one is much better! It's for GBA, and it implies both an rpg and an action game. Okay, so we all know Dracula rises up every so often with people waiting to kill him again, right? Well, what if he flung that person to nowhere? For poor Nathan, that's the case! Battle your way through many tough levels while actually gaining levels to pound your opponents. And if that isn't the kicker, you can equip Nathan with armor, spells, and accesories to suit your need. Fun? Yes. Challenging? I needed a guide to get through the first level!
Rating: ****

Yu-Gi-Oh: Destiny Board Traveler: An awesome game for those who need a challenge and who don't mind losing a lot. Everything about this GBA game is great from the music to the voice-overs! Although there is no true objective story to the game, you can unlock new maps by playing anyone other than Yugi himself! Basically, you draw cards and put them on dice. Pretty simple, huh? Well, not if you move to how many stars the card you land on has! And the "special" zones add an extra twist to the game. Overall, I recommend this game to anyone.
Rating: *****