Believe it or not but a brand spanking new NES game has been released after over a decade thanks to Retrozone. the game in question is Airball which was ported to multiple computer systems back in 1987. The NES version was in the works at the time but was canceled however, Tengen’s lost game has been found and for the first time is being offered for sale at about $35 with full color manual, brand new parts and some legacy style packaging making this one hell of a piece of work for a mere homebrew production.

A commercial with in game footage can be found on Youtube and I can tell you, the game is impressive from the looks of it, this Editor may have to pick up a copy!

Apparently there’s a console by Nintendo called the “Wii”.  However, I’ve never seen one of these mysterious items actually for sale in a store, only empty boxes of what they might look like, had they been in stock.

Gamestop is trying to appease some of the demand for the Wii this Christmas by offering rainchecks for the system.  It seems the raincheck will be linked with a specific console, so you are guaranteed to get one.  This would theoretically avoid you simply having an insane waiting list to fulfill your raincheck.

My guess is that this probably means that most early 2008 Wii shipments will be going towards fulfilling rainchecks, rather than appearing in Gamestop stores.  So the shortage continues.

Somehow I think a raincheck is going to be a little less exciting than actually being able to play your games on Christmas day.

Konductra is one of the multitude of puzzle games for the Nintendo DS. Does it do anything to stand out in the crowd?

Graphics: 40/100

Konductra features a very simple design, with the game using the touchscreen for gameplay, and the upper screen for the score and information about the upcoming pieces. It is functional, but really not impressive. The graphics are extremely basic, with repetitive animations for clearing lines. It really doesn’t advance beyond this. One feature I liked very much was the high score list. Rather than being restricted to the classic 3 initials, or even a typed out name, you are given a box to write your name.

Sound: 76/100

I enjoyed the techno soundtrack of the game, but it can get repetitive quickly. The tutorial of the game has a spoken walkthrough, which should really be standard on every puzzle game (or any other game, for that matter), regardless of whether the platform is the DS.

Gameplay: 65/100

Gameplay is where puzzle games are best judged, and Konductra features a rather dull experience. You must place a 2-square block down on the board, and form lines from one edge to another. Once a line is placed, you must trace the path to clear the blocks. There are wildcard pieces which act as hubs to connect different colors, but the gameplay doesn’t stray much from this formula. There are high score modes and a vs mode, but if this simple gameplay mechanic doesn’t sound appealing to you, this might not be your game.

Replay: 50/100

It’s unfortunate to say this about a puzzle game, but I felt bored with Konductra extremely quickly. It doesn’t hold up well when compared against Tetris or a Bejeweled clone like Puzzle Quest. However, if you are hooked by this game, it offers a lot of replay value as you try to wrack up the highest scores. It does offer wifi play, but shockingly no single-cart multiplayer. If you want to play with a friend you both need a copy of the game. (Developer Ian Dunlop claimed that the single-cart gameplay was cut in favor of wifi.)

Konductra’s simple gameplay and dull graphics may appeal to some puzzle fans, but I think most people will just find it dull and boring after a few minutes.

December 20th will be giving Japanese one more thing to put on their Christmas lists, as the DS remake of the classic SNES game Final Fantasy IV (originally released as Final Fantasy II here in the states) arrives in stores just in time for the holiday.  Unfortunately we’ll have to wait for an American release, and videos like the below trailer just make the wait even more difficult.  The remake is done in 3D with voice acted cut scenes.  The redone character designs give the game a look very similar to Final Fantasy III’s remake on DS, but it looks as though combat retains the same sort of style as the original.  I’ve long felt that FFIV was perhaps the greatest of all Final Fantasy’s, and it’s good to know a whole new generation of gamers will get a chance to experience this old school masterpiece.

Prism: Light the Way is a simple, yet fun puzzle game for the Nintendo DS that stands out from this very crowded field by making excellent use of the DS touchscreen. The game is easy to learn, but can become very difficult at later levels. While it might be a bit much at $30, this title is definitely one to consider picking up when the price inevitably drops.

Graphics: 70/100

Prism: Light the Way features a gameboard with several little aliens of various colors. Some emit light, while others must have light shone on them. They are simple animated sprites that don’t really make great use of the DS’s graphical prowess, but are clear and functional. Large blocky stars cascade behind the game board to reflect the space alien theme. “Simplicity” could really be a main theme in this game.

Sound: 60/100

There is a small catchy soundtrack, but it gets very repetitive after a while. In the small doses you’ll likely play this game, it probably won’t become a problem. There are little blips when you move a piece on the board, but nothing really stands out in this area.

Gameplay: 90/100

Prism’s gameplay has a very simple premise. You must organize your pieces on the board, so the Bulboids (who shine light) can get their beams pointed on the Glowbos. The Glowbos are white, blue, red or yellow, and must have the correct color of light shining on them. To make things interesting, you have mirrors, T-junctions, filter blocks, and prisms to manipulate the light on the board.

The earlier levels mostly require only a single move, and really just prepare you for the more difficult puzzles later in the game. These will often require you to place each piece precisely at the correct location to allow all the Glowbos to have light on them. The DS Stylus is used to perfection here, allowing you to easily slide the pieces to the proper locations, with the ramifications of your movements happening in real time.

Replay: 90/100

There are four different singleplayer modes, with the normal Puzzle mode featuring 120 different puzzles of increasing difficulty. There is a timed mode, a hyper mode (where the Glowbos explode if you don’t get light on them after a while) and an Infinite mode, which generates random game boards. There is also a single-cart multiplayer mode, which allows competitive and co-op play. Competitive play is like the timed mode, where you race the clock. The co-op mode however, is interesting in that it gives only half the board to each player, and you must work together to get the pieces arranged properly.

Prism: Light the Way is a fun puzzle game that is perfect for short periods of play. The simple gameplay and graphics may grow tiresome after a while, but it is still a worthy game for puzzle fans.

What is Break ‘Em All? What it sounds, like. It’s a breakout clone with a couple additions to keep it fresh but is it any good? Mostly.

Graphics: 72/100
The graphics are basically what you would expect from a block breaking game, you have a paddle, walls, a ball and colorful blocks. Nothing extravagant but the graphics arn’t bad either. It’s art style seems to take some ideas from Arkanoid, one of the reasons I decided to even give this game a glance.

Sound: 73/100
The sound effects are average sounds, ball on metal that kind of thing. The music is from catchy to mundane but it’s not bad enough that you’d mute the game.

Gameplay: 78/100
It’s a block breaking game ala Breakout that borrows elements from Arkanoid so it’s nothing we have not seen before but the developers decided to add a couple new features to it including an adventure mode of sorts. In this mode you break blocks to expose a hole in the ceiling to progress to the next level, on the 3rd level of the stage you get to fight a boss, as ridiculous as it sounds it’s not a horrible experience though the designs of the bosses would make you chuckle to yourself. The developers were kind enough to make the controls adjustable, so if you don’t like using the stylus to move your paddle, which isn’t always the most accurate or responsive, you can use the D-pad or shoulder buttons. It also features multiplayer modes but what are the chances of finding anybody else who would be itching to break bricks?

Replay: 68/100
Break ‘Em All is a mellow game for people who enjoy to sit back and play a bit. It’s not gonna bring you back for more all of the time but it’s not a bad title to pick up and play on a rainy day though their are much better games available.

Overall, as a bargain game it’s not a terrible waste of $20 if you prefer old arcade style games.

Educational games are big on the Nintendo DS, with Brain Age bringing new and unconventional players to video game systems everywhere.  Big Brain Academy followed on the heels of this success, and does an admirable job.  It is fun, as far as mini-games go, and makes for an entertaining multiplayer experience.  Will it increase your intelligence?  Perhaps.

Graphics: 75/100

Big Brain Academy features a number of mini games, most of which involve either numbers, shapes, dots or cartoon figures.  None of these are graphically impressive, but they are adequate and usually clear and easy to understand.  You’ll see the same types of figures in many of the games, and you’ll find that once you’ve memorized the shapes that go with them, some of the tasks will become easier.

Sound: 80/100

There’s not an incredible amount of sound in this game, as it would be distracting during most of the activities.  The menus feature a cheerful soundtrack, but it does get repetitive.  A few of the games require audio, as you might be identifying animal or vehicle sounds and matching them with icons.  Again, it’s adequate for this type of game.

Gameplay: 93/100

The best thing about Big Brain Academy is the nice range of activities, with varying levels of difficulty.  There are five categories: Identify, Think, Memorize, Analyze and Compute.  In each one is three different mini-games that work that part of your brain. For example, the Compute category features: Coin-parison (where you see two groups of American coins, and you must choose which side is the higher value), Add Agency (where you see a number of figures, and you must choose various cards that have figures on them that add up to the original number),  and Written Math (which shows a math question written in English words, and you must enter in the numeric answer).  Some games are better than others, but overall there is a good variety.

Replay: 80/100

If you have friends with a DS, you can play this game locally with only one copy of the cartridge.  It allows you to choose the game, and play up until somebody reaches a preset goal.

The main point of the game, however, is to improve your “Brain Weight” by going through the test.  You can take the test once a day, and are given an activity from each category.  Your score is then tallied, and you are given a grade.  With more practice, you will hopefully see improvement.  I do not know how much of that is just you getting smarter, or just getting better at those mini games.

Overall Big Brain Academy is a nice little game, with a quirky visual style and pretty solid gameplay.   If you’d like a game to work on some parts of your brain that you may not use on a daily basis, this could be for you.  I’d recommend it also to younger gamers, who will grasp these mini games probably a little more easily than Brain Age.  The single-cart multiplayer makes it a winner for families too.

Dawn of Sorrow is the follow up to the great GBA Castlevania game Aria of Sorrow. Once again you step back into the shoes of Soma Cruz, a white haired Japanese boy who is the reincarnation of Dracula. It has your typical Castlevania story line, but it is still a great game and a even greater addition to the Castlevania series.

Graphics: 90/100
Dawn of Sorrow has beautifully done 2D graphics with 3D mixed in here and there. Most of us here at Contraptica relish the days of awesome 2D games and this game satisfies that need. The animations are top notch and fluid and the special effects thrown in are neither intrusive nor boring, you’ll be quite satisfied with whats on your screens.

Though my own personal gripe is how effeminate the Castlevania protagonists have become… gone is the day of the barbarian style Belmont for a hero who probly cares more about their complexion and what conditioner they use in their hair…

Sound: 100/100
Even with the limitations of the media that DS games are stored on, music has come along way for portable gaming devices. Castlevania has had some of the best music to grace any console it’s been on, it’s that the composer is just that good at what they do. Not being on a CD, you still get almost CD quality music as you traverse yet another incarnation of Lord Dracula’s castle. The sound effects are clean, loud and fun.

Gameplay: 80/100
I love Castlevania, but it has not changed much since SOTN, not saying that is a bad thing. It is just the lack if any real innovation to the title since Aria of Sorrow that takes it down a notch. The use of the touch screen seemed rather last minute as I didn’t find the seals to add any real value to the game though the relic that allowed you to use the stylus to break the ice blocks was a nice touch. Otherwise this game plays like any of the other Metroidvania style Castlevania games.

Replay: 85/100
There is a lot to do in this game so you’ll find yourself searching for secret passages and that last health and magic up. It also features a Battle Arena mode once you beat the game and unlockable characters including Alucard and Yoko with their own unique ways of doing things.

Overall, It’s a lot like SOTN and I do believe it will hold up to the test of time like it has. It is a must have DS title.

Board games have fallen by the wayside in recent years, with video games becoming more and more prevalent. That’s not to say that this type of gameplay has been forgotten though. Nintendo’s Clubhouse Games gives a mixed, but full bag of games that step beyond the classic mini-game. This cart is packed with 42 classic games that you can play alone or against friends, both locally and across the world via wifi. It is clearly a must-have title for your DS library.

Graphics: 90/100

The different games have very functional graphics, without much to complain about. The card games are clear and easy to see what you’re dealt, while board games are well designed. Bowling and Darts look great, although Billiards is pretty generic.

Sound: 70/100

Like a lot of DS games, I prefer to play this game with the sound muted. The music is tolerable in small doses, but does not come into play much in most of the Clubhouse Games.

Gameplay: 95/100

This game is just packed with games, and everybody is sure to find something here they enjoy. There are dozens of card and board games, with the rules to each clearly explained on the help screen. Most games can feature a computer opponent, while a few are simply solitaire only. The bowling and darts games can be difficult to control, as it requires you to slide the stylus in a straight line towards the target.

This is a jack-of-all trades game, which doesn’t go too deep into any one particular game, but does an admirable job across a great quantity of games. The chess game, for example, offers practically no advanced features, but will give you a simple game of chess without the frills.

Replay: 100/100

Not all of the games are unlocked from the start, so you must go through the stamp and mission modes to unlock everything in Clubhouse Games. You can also open up new icons to use in multiplayer. You can play any of the games with another person locally with only one copy of the game, by sharing it via the DS’s ad hoc wifi connection. This makes it a perfect companion for a long car trip full of kids, as everybody can play together and take turns choosing the next game.

Overall this is a must-own game. It is a game you can always count on for a few minutes of fun, even if it’s just a couple hands of poker or a round of bowling. A lot of these games are timeless. Clubhouse Games will be relevant for as long as a Nintendo console can play DS cartridges.

In this ongoing series I will be practicing a lesson or two each day from My Spanish Coach. In today’s lesson I was introduced to my first verb, “ser” or “to be”. This word is used a lot, and has a strange conjugation, so it gives a good indication how the game will describe this type of thing. It was complete enough to include the vosotros form, but noted that this form of a verb is only used rarely in Spain, and none of the vosotros forms of words would appear in any of my quizes, though they would appear in the verb charts for completeness.

I also was introduced to a new game type, which I feel will be very useful and perhaps difficult as the game progresses. In the fill-in-the-blank game type, you must type in the correct word that is missing from a sentence. While this proved no problem at this early stage in the game, I’m sure it will become one of the more problematic gametypes as I move through My Spanish Coach.