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Women's Murder Club: Games Of Passion (DS)
by MikeBorry
===Womens Murder Club===
In this game the main character who you will play as is Detective Lindsay Boxer, she has an accomplice Det. Ryan Silver, as Lindsay you will have to search various crime scenes in order to find out what has happened to the victims.
Your boss will call you into work even on your much deserved ... days off due to there being a new homicide.
Each chapter of the game has a different murder scene for you to search and find out who was the killer. It's quite interesting but does also seem a bit samey throughout.
Towards the end of every case you will play as Dr Claire Washburn who will anylize items found by Det. Lindsay Boxer, this is how cases get moved on or sometimes solved.
The game is set on a map and you have to visit different locations which unlock as you complete the phase you are at.
The end of each chapter will see you having lunch with your friends and going back over the facts, you will have to choose items that corrospond to get the facts right.
You have to prepare the crime scenes by 'decluttering' them. This is where you start your search.
Searching the crime scenes is like a puzzle where the items you need to find are among the various other items in the scene. For each chapter you get three hints, these can be accessed by clicking on the clock at the top right hand side of the touch screen. It's here you will also find the notes, settings, a mini Mahjong game, the button to go back to the game and a button to save and exit.
It's quite a fun game but like I have already said it is a bit samey throughout. Although the murder scenes are different it still requires you to perform the same things as the previous chapters.
Playing the game require you to hold your DS console in an upright position as though reading a book.
It's a good enough game but not something I would want to complete in one sitting unlike other games I have played.
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Tetris DS (DS)
by Meggysmum
Many years ago when my children had Gameboys I discovered the delights of the game of Tetris. It was a game I enjoyed and found a copy that I used to play on my old PC. Eventually all of these bits of tech were replaced and I never game across Tetris again. A year or so ago I remembered the game again and decided to see if I could ... track down a copy for my Nintendo DS. I was horrified when I found it on Amazon as it was selling at over £30 and although I found the game fun I certainly wasn't paying that sort of cash. Eventually I managed to secure a second-hand copy off eBay at a far more suitable price.
===Main Menu===
Upon opening the game screen on the DS I realised that there was registration slot so you don't play under your name you simply choose Single Player mode. There is the option to use Multiplayer mode but since I don't have any friends with a DS and my children certainly don't want to play Tetris with their mother I have never used this option either. I did have a look at the instructions though and it appears that you can download the game onto other Ninendo DS consoles to play in Multiplayer; each player does not need their own game card.
As with most games there is an Options selection which does not offer anything very interesting. You can change the Hard Drop facility which makes a piece fall immediately or the Ghost piece option which allows you to see exactly where the piece will land. You can also change the music but since I always play my DS with the volume off as one piece of jingly music is as irritating at the next to me.
There is also a Records Screen, this gives the high scores for each mode but since you can't attribute your name to a score it becomes a bit meaningless if sharing the game with others. Since my whole family will pick this up at varying times it would be nicer if we could see who has achieved the best scores as we can all get highly competitive!
===Gameplay===
Most people have come across Tetris in one shape or form at some time but for anyone who hasn't the concept is very simple. You have a screen with falling blocks of varying shapes (called Teriminos), the aim is to rotate and move the blocks to form solid lines at the bottom of the screen, each solid line disappears and points are accredited. The more you progress in the game the faster the blocks fall. This simple concept can become hugely addictive.
The Tetris DS contains the basic game and then a couple of other variations. The touch screen on the DS is not used in the game play; it is only used to make selections in the menus. I was surprised by this and expected to be able to move blocks down and around using the stylus.
When starting the Standard game the ordinary setting is Marathon and you have the option of choosing a start level. Normally you advance one level for every 10 lines that you successfully build, however if you are an advanced player it is nice to set the opening level a bit higher to provide more of a challenge as the blocks are released quicker so there is less time to think and plan. The blocks are coloured depending on their shape and you can see the next half a dozen shapes that will be released as they are queued at the side. If you don't want the next block you can exchange it for the one in a hold box on the left-hand-side via a quick tap of the R or L keys at the top of the DS. The blocks are moved left and right using the +control pad and can be moved down quickly but softly using the down key or immediately using the up key (Hard Drop). The pieces are rotated clockwise with the A key and anticlockwise with the B key. Personally I can never remember which key turns it which way so I just use the A key and tap a couple of times if I need it to rotate more. These controls are really easy to master and are quite intuitive to the game. The game stops when you have failed to make horizontal rows and the blocks have reached the top of the screen. I believe you are supposed to make 200 lines to win but I have never managed anywhere near that many. It is possible to pause, end or save the game easily by pressing the Start key.
There are a couple of other options in Standard mode, these are Line Clear where you need to clear 25 lines but you can make it challenging by choosing how many lines you want on the screen to start with and then the difficulty level as well and also Vs CPU where you select the ability of your opponent and play against them. I have tried Line Clear a few times but I prefer just the Marathon setting, I don't like the Vs CPU as I think of Tetris as being like a game of Patience, it is something that I like to plan and play with and don't see the point about playing against another player either real of cyber!
For some strange reason whilst playing the Standard games there is an action sequence happening on the top screen with a Mario type character jumping around, the action progresses as you clear lines. I have no idea what the point of this is as you can't watch it or you will miss what is happening on the bottom screen which is where the game is being played.
Push Mode is a game played Vs CPU. You have to form lines to push the central block towards your opponent. Although I have tried this a few times I am a complete failure, I just don't seem to be able to get the hang of it and can't really work out what I should be doing. It seems quite a fast game so I am sure it would appeal to some but I just can't get to grips with it.
Touch Mode is a game that I enjoy as it gives the chance to use the stylus on the touch screen to play. You are presented with a tower of blocks and you have to make solid lines in the same way as the Standard game but you do this by sliding the blocks about and by tapping on them to rotate them to fall into gaps. Once again you can choose up to 5 different difficulty levels. You get extra points if you cause lots of blocks to fall and create lines on their way down. The other selection under Touch mode is a selection of Puzzle challenges which you have to solve, these can be really easy like "clear 3 lines at one" and you have to decide how to make that happen using the pieces on the screen to more challenging ones such as clearing certain blocks whilst making others remain. I enjoy these challenge modes although I haven't been able to work out how to solve them all as there are 50 to choose from.
There is another Puzzle Mode which involves some touch screen involvement where you are given a selection of blocks and you have decide which order and rotation you want them to drop in to give the required number of lines. I find this game ok to play but prefer the puzzle game in the Touch Mode as it is more challenging.
Mission Mode is quite similar to Marathon in Standard mode but you have to complete the lines in a particular way for instance you may need to clear 3 lines at once, if you clear a single line by accident you lose a heart, when you have lost all of your hearts you have failed your mission. I play this occasionally but I don't really like the challenges in it and I find it starts to irritate me, I like to play games in my own way and don't like being instructed how many lines I need to get rid of at a time.
Catch Mode is a complete mystery to me even though I do sometimes play it. You start with a floating shape and then you have to catch falling blocks on it and try to make a solid shape, once your shape is the required size it detonates and you gain points. This detonation also destroys your enemies but since I really can't work out who my enemies are or how to score more points I invariably give up on this quite quickly.
===Recommendation?===
I have played this game a lot since I have had it. Due to the varying difficulty levels it is always a challenge and you always end up playing it again to try and get "just one more line". The graphics are simple, clear and colourful which makes playing the game easy. Since this isn't a game that has an obvious end point it has great longevity. It also doesn't really date and since the controls are so simple it is a game that you can put away for ages and then get out again and start playing immediately, you don't have to refresh yourself on the controls or try to remember how far you have got.
The Hard-drop feature is great even when I have only been playing for a few minutes as it means that my left thumb doesn't get sore from holding down the + pad.
The game is rated as suitable for everyone and although young children would have trouble controlling the game I do think it is suitable for the whole family.
I do think the lack of a proper High Scores chart is a shame as I do want to be able to keep an eye on how well I am doing and whether I am still better at this game than my other half.
I can see that the addition of the various modes may appeal to some people and I occasionally play them myself but I am really mainly a fan of the basic game and since that is so well presented in this Tetris DS version I would have to recommend it. However I do not think it is a game worth over £30 so I would certainly suggest trying to get hold of a second-hand copy for a more reasonable price.
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Dr Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain (DS)
by Whizz11
One of the games I have for my DS Lite is brain training. I think its important to not only exercise your body but also your mind and as swell as that this is just a fun game. I am quite a competitive person so anything that makes me push myself and my knowledge to achieve better results time after time is good for me. This game is meant ... to be played a little everyday to improve your brains mental age as well as exercising your brain and keeping you focused and alert however I have read articles that say this really doesn't do anything to improve these functions but who knows. Actually, according to an article I read, Nintendo has been careful not to claim the game has been scientifically validated, however stating that it is an "entertainment product 'inspired' by Dr. Kawashima's work in the neurosciences so maybe they recognise too that this game is just for entertainment purposes but even so its still fun and a game I enjoy.
The game is quite a collection of puzzles and brain teasers and nice because you can play for just a few minutes if you wish or longer and you will still get enjoyment out of it. The game is played with the DS on its side so it looks like a book rather than a laptop. You can then use either the stylus to play the games or you use your voice. To firstly begin playing you have to enter a bit of information about yourself such as name, date of birth, and importantly hand you write with. I'm right handed so the touch screen is on the right as you look at it.
Puzzles on this include Sudoku where you fill in the numbers on the screen with your stylus, mathematical calculations such a multiply, divide, etc, and lots of counting and number games.
One of my favourite games is the colour game as it call it where the name of a colour will come up on the screen and you have to say what colour it is written in rather than the word that is there. It is quite confusing and can get really funny especially watching someone else shout out colours into a little machine. It's sometimes more difficult than you think but very entertaining. Sometimes however I find the voice recognition doesn't always pick up my voice or the word I am saying so you really need to shout!
At the end of each game you will be assessed on the speed at which you completed the task. You can go from walking speed which is very slow and not a score you want to rocket speed which is the highest. When you first begin you are pretty much guaranteed to get walking speed but as you progress and continue to play you will get better. You also get given your brain age and its fun to compare this to your real age and see how well you've done.
I think what's nice about this game is that its fun for kids and adults too as you can compare how you've done against your family of different ages. You may not be training your brain to be better than it is or improving your intelligence much but it is fun and entertaining.
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