Aside from what the title says owning both of the following won't result in you having fun forever however I do strongly suggest you buy both of them.
It is finally in my grasp! The greatest handheld since it's predecessor - featuring the power of two, yes TWO screens! That's right folks I have finally obtained a Nintendo DS Lite! May. 24th, 2007 - Thursday was the great day where I finally experienced the true power of the DS Lite. With the abundance of great titles available it wasn't hard for me to get something good to play. BTW, I forgot to mention that I got the Polar White DS Lite, it's so sleek and sexy. I love every single thing about it and as one of my friends would say regarding his iPod - it's simply "pretty". which is very much repeating what I just said but oh well...it's true! Now on to the games!
The first game I purchased I actually bought a week before buying the DS. Just for the sake of having it I suppose. I've only played it a bit but I can already tell I'm in for something special that'll surely meet my expections. Additionally, it keeps my 'first game for console/handheld' list up. What do I mean exactly? Well simply, I have great luck with the first games I buy for a console/handheld. For example, Donkey Kong Country for SNES. I was a bit disappointed when I got it since I didn't know who Donkey Kong was at the time and was expecting Mario but as we all know, it's one of the greatest platformers to ever be released even to this day.
One of the most notable attributes of Donkey Kong Country was it's graphically achievement at the time. Truly beautiful and New Super Mario Bros. looks absolutely awesome and the high resolution and multiple brightness levels of the DS definitely do well in enhancing the sharpness and really everything visually. One addition I really liked was the inclusion of 3D models, it's blended in so well and looks perfect.
In terms of gameplay New Super Mario Bros. brings me back to the days of the SNES. Just great solid gameplay that's familiar but not old. It's so fun watching Mario get super-sized and literally stomp through the level without a care in the world for the destruction he's causing. Unfortunately, there hasn't been much use of the touch screen technology but I expected that so I don't mind. I love 2D platformers and I think this one will be among my favourite. The mini-games are pretty neat, nothing special but mildly fun.
I guess this seems almost like a review yet I've barely scratched the surface, hopefully I will be able to write up a review upon completion. It'll probably come following exams which will be starting in two weeks for me.
The next game I bought along with my DS Lite was Kirby Squeak Squad. Some of you may ask, why Kirby Squeak Squad? Well to be perfectly honest it was a rather difficult decision. At first I was going to get Pokemon Diamond but when I got to the store - Trauma Center, Elite Beat Agents, Mario Kart DS, and of course Kirby Squeak Squad all grabbed my attention. I had planned to get all of them anyways but which to pick up first was the matter at hand. The result was based on price. Kirby Squeak Squad was a bit cheaper than the rest and fortunately I got the last copy in stock. Also Kirby kicks ass and is like a round, puffy, pink, less threatening iteration of Gluttony from Fullmetal Alchemist.
And I'm very happy with the decision. Though, when I brought my DS to school with me and Kirby Squeak Squad showed up on screen, I was asked numerous times why did I buy Kirby instead of Mario or even worse why did I buy a Kirby game at all. Of course I'm way more knowledgeable with gaming than they are.
Like New Super Mario Bros., Kirby Squeak Squad is a 2D platformer that hasn't done much with the touch screen so far but I'm not complaining. I've already seen a lot of familiar abilities and a couple of new ones that Kirby can utilize when he starts snacking on some enemies. I've been played more of Squeak Squad and it isn't that challenging but I assume that'll change in the later stages of the game and the levels before the ending. One thing I found kind of funny was the way the game starts off. How dare they steal Kirby's strawberry short cake! I mean honestly, what did Kirby do to deserve having his desert stolen? These are truly cruel individuals in my opinion.
The game looks and sounds great, definitely meeting the standards set by previous Kirby titles. The mini-games are good but there's one that I particularly enjoy and that's Speedy Teatime! A bit of an odd name but it's pretty fun and it'd probably be a lot better if I had a couple of friends around who brought their DS. If you're familiar with the mini-games of Pokemon Stadium 2 for the N64 then you'll probably remember Eager Eevee. That's essentially what Speed Teatime is.
It's almost the same thing except there are four items set on a table that is covered. When revealed you may find a slice of strawberry short cake. Be on your guard though because there's also the chance of getting a table of cake-bombs. There are two sizes for each, counting for 2x the regular slice of cake. It's fairly simple, use the stylus to suck up the cake before your opponent (opponents - multiplayer) and fill up your little bar before the other person does. Simply, fun and a bit challenging - which is exactly what mini-games set out to accomplish - good job Flagship (who are no longer going to exsist as their own development studio).
I must say for the short time I've had my DS Lite I've had tons of fun with it and I cannot wait to get more games. I cannot wait to see what's new in Pokemon Diamond and the crazyness of Elite Beat Agents and the difficult surgery of Trauma Center. I also plan to get Kirby: Canvas Curse since it looks to make more use of the touch screens than the two platformers I have now. That said, it feels so great to be played a good ol' fashion platformer. Well anyways I'm off to...DAMNIT! I have to charge my DS Lite already?!? V_V