Everyday Goddess Does...

The Long Overdue Nintendo DS Game Round-up. Five of 'Em, Anyway.

My goodness, am I *finally* blogging about some of the games I play on my Nintendo DS? Yes!

I've been wanting to do this for awhile now...

And I'm starting with Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir because it is totally that game's fault it took me so long to get to this. See, brilliant I decided that I would write up some of my games when I finished Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir. And it's HUGE.

For the most part, it's a search and find game, where you're looking at a room chock full of items, some obvious and some hidden, and you have to find certain things. I had some previous experience with that from playing Agatha Christie: Peril at End House on my Mac, and I have to admit, I couldn't believe it would be as much fun in a smaller format. I thought I'd go blind at least. But it actually works pretty well, and I enjoyed all the different search tools like the x-ray (which when you hit an animal shows you a skeleton, lol) and flashlight. The puzzle searches where you use the stylus to put two items together or modify them in some way to solve for an item were my fav. I couldn't get enough of that!

There's also plenty of items that are like a trick where what you find might not be exactly what you thought of when you read the item on the list, and some items where you're like, What the heck *is* that? So it definitely kept me interested. And there's plenty of hints available to help you if you get stuck. There's also various mini games like jigsaw and other puzzles, and I was totally tickled every time I had to blow on the DS to clear the dusting power to see a finger print. And I loved the music. I got into the habit of playing it before bed as a perfect little relaxing activity when I was too tired to read.

The one thing I missed that I enjoyed in the Agatha Christie game, was that MillionHeir has so many environments that you don't get often the component of remembering that you happened to notice an item in a room last time you were there so that when you see it on the list you might remember where it is. But that's a minor point. All in all, I enjoyed Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir and can definitely recommend it. It would keep a child it appealed to busy for hours, that's for sure.

Next up, another game that I finished and which completely rocked: Professor Layton and the Curious Village. This is a puzzle game, where you travel through a story line and must solve puzzles to continue. Best part of this game is hitting classic puzzles you know you solved as a kid (river, sheep on one side, wolves on the other, one boat), and yet which are totally stumping you. So much fun! Professor Layton and the Curious Village also features wonderful animated sections, great music, and an amusing story, and I can't possibly recommend it enough. It was delightful from beginning to end, and I was totally sad when it was over.

Next, my most favorite game to play on my Nintendo DS: World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets. When I got the DS, one of the first things I wanted was poker, so I emailed game reviewer Frank Provo for his advice, which he was kind enough to share. He actually recommended World Championship Poker Deluxe Series, but brought to my attention World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets. In a wonderful example of details being important, Frank mentioned that the World Series of Poker had only Texas Hold'Em and not many bells and whistles - Which was EXACTLY what I was looking for! I am *all* about the No Limit Texas Hold'Em, and seriously, I just wanted to play hand after hand of it.

What I love about World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets is that you can really practice your poker game and study things you might be learning about if you're reading poker books. It really facilitates thinking about your place at the table in relationship to the button, how many players are in the hand, what's the nut hand, and even who might be bluffing you. You can't actually try to read the computer players, of course, but each computer player has their own game style, which you can begin to get a sense for. The interface is top-notch.

If I have one qualm about World Series of Poker, it is only that once you're in a tournament game you have to play it to the end or leave the table and take your place in the tournament at that moment. Or ditch the game by turning off the DS without saving. This is realistic, of course, and allows for working on your stamina in the face of crap hands and player fatigue, but it also means you have to set aside time to sit and play a whole tournament, which is a challenge for me. So I do wish I could exit and save in the middle sometimes.

Still, if you're looking for a serious poker game for your DS, and you love Texas Hold'Em, World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets is the game. I love it love it love it.

I'll finish this round-up with two games that feature hot stylus action and that I really enjoy: Flash Focus: Vision Training in Minutes a Day and Rhythm Heaven.

Flash Focus: Vision Training in Minutes a Day is another one I like to play before bed. It's amazingly satisfying, particularly the sports games. I just love interacting with the DS with the stylus, I guess. Flash Focus uses a format similar to Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day! (and Wii Fit for that matter) where you're training regularly and stamping a calender, and it's rating your performance and sharing tips with you. In this case, tips about your eyes and your vision. One thing I find really interesting about these types of games is how you can really see the effects of fatigue in your performance. It's remarkable to me how dramatic the difference is.

Also remarkable: Rhythm Heaven my new go-to plane ride game. I got worried that I was making too much noise between the stylus tapping and the foot tapping - I used earphones, of course, but I'm tapping away and I wasn't sure how loud/disturbing that might be - but the game was so engaging that I just kept at it. It's completely addictive, and I've really only just started playing it. It's totally silly, too. I'm talking cheering monkeys and robot assembly line silly (at least the way I work the robot assembly line is most definitely silly). This apparently just makes me want to play it more. I haven't tried this one before bed, because honestly, I think it's just too hard and definitely *not* relaxing! Fun, yes; Challenging, yes; Relaxing, not so much! (Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!)

OK, I think five Nintendo DS games is a pretty good. I'll try to let less time go by before I do another round-up. Then again, I may just be playing  Rhythm Heaven for the next year!

Note: As a Nintendo Enthusiast, I received the following games for free: Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir and Rhythm Nation. Professor Layton and the Curious Village I received as a gift from a friend. I personally purchased Flash Focus and The World Series of Poker.

Nintendo DS Game Review: Brain Age 2

This post is cross-posted at Everyday Goddess.

Ah, Brain Age 2: You never forget your first Nintendo DS addiction.

OK, that's a little mellow dramatic, but the addiction - the addiction is real. You wouldn't think you'd keep coming back for the opportunity to do do math problems and make change, but you do - although some of the exercises are more fun.

Brain Age tests you and then gives you your "brain age" - which is ridiculously older than you really are, mostly because you've haven't done math drills or other types of brain puzzles since you were in school. Add graphs of your progress and an oddly encouraging character in Dr. Ryuta Kawashima, and you'll soon find you're hooked.

That said, I do have some quibbles with the game. Often, when you turn it on Dr. Kawashima makes you do some acrostics or connect the dots to make a picture. You can't skip it, and if you're just logging in to do a sudoku (Brain Age 2 comes with 100 suduko puzzles), that can be really, really annoying. I'll admit right now that I've taken to just drawing a line through the acrostic screens so that I can get through them. Because man, do I suck at acrostics.

Plus, I'm a little freaked out that I was, like, revealing my soul through my absurd answers. What do my strange acrostics answers say about me?

Further, once you unlock the harder problems, your scores on the harder levels of each exercise go on the same graph with your previous scores, leading to this:

That giant dip would be the day I tried the harder version of sign finder. Ouch! By the way, there's nothing like getting simple math problems wrong - You're like, holy crap, I totally need this brain training! It's also interesting to see how being tired really effects your performance.

Finally, I wish there was a way to turn off the bulk of the conversation from Dr. Ryuta Kawashima. It's fun at first, but now it's just a drag having to page through stuff I've read a million times before.

So what's to love? Well, the exercises are surprisingly fun if you enjoy puzzles and tests. There's a piano player thing I love, and word scramble - which I'm actually getting better at (minor miracle!), some cool visual puzzles, and something called "math recall" which is really challenging, as it combines memory and math. There's a rock/paper/scissors brain age test that actually hurts my head with its mental acrobatics. Some of the activities are only on the brain age test, so you can't practice them.

I like how your speed is visually represented by various modes of transportation - Blow it, and you're at "walking speed"; rock the house and it's "rocket speed" for you. (Hint: tap your stylus on the man, or the car, or the train, plane, rocket for fun sounds! Confession: Hunky Actor Boyfriend clued me into that one.)

The sudoku interface is really good, and then there's my true obsession: Virus Buster, a game that comes in Brain Age 2. The only suck there is that only your first score of the day is recorded. That's fine for the brain training, but is lame for recording game scores, especially when your second score of the day breaks 400. Ahem. Still, I *love* Virus Buster, and I've been playing it every night before bed. (Yes, I am a dork.)

So while it's not perfect, Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day! is a really great game for Nintendo DS that I definitely recommend. And here's a pic of me playing it on my lunch break at work:

It's hard to read Hemingway when there's a DS in your purse.

Please note: I am a Nintendo Enthusiast, and I received this game for free.

Nintendo & Brand Enthusiasts Throw a Kickin' Party, Baby!

Almost a year ago, I read a post on Socal Mom about her Nintendo Wii party: Ain't Wii Got Fun! I was so fascinated and jealous! Nintendo was marketing the Wii to mothers and daughters and her party sounded *so* cool.

I figured that I did not actually have time enough to procreate to hit their target demographic for that particular promotion. But you can bet I knew what I was looking at when an email popped into my inbox with the subject line, "We want you as a Nintendo Enthusiast."

I do believe I squealed.

So this Saturday was my kickoff party for my YEAR as a Nintendo DS Lite Brand Enthusiast! The party was set-up in an artist's loft off La Brea, and it was amazing. There were four couch areas, each themed to the game that you could play there:  Brain Age 2, Mario Kart, Nintendogs, or Planet Puzzle League. I've got all my pics from the party up on Flickr.

Here's what the room looked like:

As guests arrived, they were given a bracelet, and at each station, you got a charm after you played the game.  Here's my completed bracelet:

Hey, what's that blue Nintendo DS Lite with the sparkly blue star??? That, my friends, was given to me by the awesome women at Brand Enthusiasts because they read my last post, My Nintendo DS Lite is Pink with a Sparkly Heart. How massively fabulous is that??? (Is this where I mention that my favorite car is a Lexus IS 350?  Ha!) The blue DS looks great. The cobalt blue cover is metallic and then the rest of the DS is buff black - Very Spiffy. It rocks, and it's totally me.

I got to keep the pink one, too, and they gave me a couple of cool skins.

So, back to the party... I think everyone had a good time. The "Nintendo Girlfriends" were totally awesome and fun. They knew all about the games, and they each had their own pink DS to play with, too. My favorite station was the Mario Kart, because you could race against everyone else. I am *so* glad that I have that game, because you can race with other people through the wifi.

Nintendogs was beyond cute. The DS has this function were it can react when you blow in the speakers, so in Nintendogs you can blow bubbles at your puppy. I totally covet Nintendogs Labrador Retriever & Friends. Yellow labs are my favorite dog. But! Whichever Nintendog you get, you can unlock all the other dogs through game play. You also train the dog to respond to voice commands, but it was too loud at the party for that.

The two puzzle games, Brain Age 2 and Planet Puzzle League were really popular. Those areas got really quiet sometimes! Personally, I love the piano player in Brain Age.

And super fun: Two Nintendo Wiis were set-up in the back!!! This was great, because even when all the DS's were in use, peeps could play with the Wii.

I'd played the bowling before, which is really fun, so last night I tried the boxing and the tennis. Man, do I love that thing. It's just so fun to play with, simple as that.

Today, when Erin and I ran to Best Buy to, uh, buy some Nintendo stuff, I was amazed at all the cool stuff for the Wii, including Dancing with the Stars! No idea if that's any good, but it sure sounds fun.

I believe I get new games throughout the year, so I resisted the urge to go crazy, and I just bought myself Ratatouille, which is really cute, a touch screen protector, and a stylist that curls around my finger. Erin got Cooking Mama, so she beamed the demo to me. It was fun seeing how those two games present the "cooking" game play. It's surprising that it's so fun to "chop" and "stir" and "dice" - not to mention blowing on something to cool it down. And then I patched her into my Mario Kart, and we raced for a bit. Yoshi!

I found this great website for game reviews and more:  Gamespot DS

OK, this post is a monster. I'm just really loving my DS. And the best part about the party was that all my guests got to go home with one - their choice, pink or black, and a copy of Brain Age 2. Meanwhile, I've already heard from more than one peep (myself included!) who went out today and picked up some games.

I think the peeps at Nintendo are onto something here... Something very, very fun.

My Nintendo DS Lite is Pink with a Sparkly Heart

Oh, yes, my friends. I now own a pink technological device, and it is my new Nintendo DS Lite given to me by Nintendo and Brand Enthusiasts. So that I may be enthusiastic!

And I am, baby. Precious already lives in my purse, and means I never have to drag a book with me again. (I read plenty; it's OK.) See, I go to industry screenings and stuff where there's the waiting. The line waiting. Sometimes the people around you are conversational and sometimes they are... reading their books. So. Now I have my own toy!

And they gave it to me in a pretty hot little BCBG purse:

Standing in line for a Film Independent panel last week someone standing in front of me asked me if it was Mary Kay. I got more conversation while playing with it than I usually do just being friendly. It definitely garners attention with its pinkness.

I'm going to admit to you that while I like that it's a color instead of black or white, I would never have bought a pink one. Or put a sparkly heart on anything. It's so pink and sparkly, I'm hoping I can find a sticker (love to stick vinyl stickers on electronic devices - hoping that there's stickers at the Aaron Kraten show at Wax Poetic because it would be perfect) that both works with the heart and makes it a little more "me." It's like if I suddenly started wearing stilettos; I would feel like a bit of a poser. (Not that I couldn't work those babies as well as I play Mario Kart. Um. OK, not actually a good example.)

But.

We're having this party, Brand Enthusiasts, Nintendo, and I. "A Girlfriends Guide to Gaming" party. All women (their call). And I have heard murmers! Murmurs of husbands and boyfriends who might like to commandeer one's Nintendo DS Lite!

And I gotta tell you, considering that Nintendo would seemingly like to increase female usage of the Nintendo DS Lite, giving away pink ones with sparkly hearts surely solves the potential male commandeering problem. I've gotta give 'em that.

Personally, I would have gone baby blue with a sparkly blue star.

Regardless, the Nintendo DS Lite is an awesome, most beauteous toy. I'm already totally addicted to Brain Age 2.

I found these great review videos on YouTube:

DS Lite Video Review

DS Lite Video Review: Part Two

DS Lite Video Review: Part Three

And here's a Nintendo DS Lite review w/ video from c|net, also enjoyable.

What's funny is that when I got it my first thought was that it was bigger than I thought it would be - shows what I know about hand held game systems! Like I thought it was going to be like a blackberry or something. Now that I've played with it and done some research, I really like the size and the design. I like that it closes up nice and safe, and the touch screen is pretty cool tech. Doesn't like my "H"s, but I'll learn.

So. I am *totally* looking forward to my Nintendo party (although not managing my own guest list is driving me batty), and I am *dangerously* looking forward to playing even more games on my new (very pink) Nintendo DS Lite.

The addiction begins...