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Nintendo DS games
Lionel Trains on Track has caught my interest for some time. Finally, there has been some information released. I have to say - it's much better looking than I expected. It looks essentially like a Railroad Tycoon clone. I've heard bad things about Zoo Digital Publishing, though. Can anyone confirm whether or not their games tend to be shovelware? I really want this one to be good.
The stylus can effectively take the place of a mouse - so I hope we see more old-school PC games released on the DS. Railroad Tycoon, Civilization, etc. I also hope we see some boardgames other than the standard box-store stuff.
The only bummer is that I'm like Jekyll and Hyde when it comes to my DS. Half of me likes the quick 10 minute games. The other half of me likes games that are more involved - as long as you can save and pick it up again without much trouble.
Right now I'm in the middle of Golden Sun. It was the best $8 I've ever spent. (I never owned a GBA.) While it's involved, I can play for 15 minutes and save. I wouldn't want every game to be this complicated, but for now I'm enjoying it. Although, I suspect I'll be ready for a break from RPGs, which is why I'm not going to rush out and purchase FFIII.
(Random RPG rant):
The concept of fighting weak monsters to power up in order to fight stronger monsters seems pointless to me. The overall odds of winning a battle stay the same since everyone powers up (me and the monters). Besides, I hate having to spend a few hours fighting pointless fights just so I have enough power to continue to other areas. Is there any RPG out there that doesn't get caught in this trap? It just doesn't give me any sense of accomplishment, since I know that at the core it's irrelevant.
(end random RPG rant)
Since I have plenty of ideas for longer games - what short games do people recommend? I'm not as familiar with those. I've got Brain Age. That's good for short sessions. Any other ideas? My most important criteria is that I not get sick of the game after two or three weeks. I like games that have good replay value.
One last thought: I downloaded the demo of Elite Beat Agents. As an "older" gamer, I don't think that this is a good fit with the Touch Generations line. It takes too much precision timing, which is what us older folks are afraid of.
The stylus can effectively take the place of a mouse - so I hope we see more old-school PC games released on the DS. Railroad Tycoon, Civilization, etc. I also hope we see some boardgames other than the standard box-store stuff.
The only bummer is that I'm like Jekyll and Hyde when it comes to my DS. Half of me likes the quick 10 minute games. The other half of me likes games that are more involved - as long as you can save and pick it up again without much trouble.
Right now I'm in the middle of Golden Sun. It was the best $8 I've ever spent. (I never owned a GBA.) While it's involved, I can play for 15 minutes and save. I wouldn't want every game to be this complicated, but for now I'm enjoying it. Although, I suspect I'll be ready for a break from RPGs, which is why I'm not going to rush out and purchase FFIII.
(Random RPG rant):
The concept of fighting weak monsters to power up in order to fight stronger monsters seems pointless to me. The overall odds of winning a battle stay the same since everyone powers up (me and the monters). Besides, I hate having to spend a few hours fighting pointless fights just so I have enough power to continue to other areas. Is there any RPG out there that doesn't get caught in this trap? It just doesn't give me any sense of accomplishment, since I know that at the core it's irrelevant.
(end random RPG rant)
Since I have plenty of ideas for longer games - what short games do people recommend? I'm not as familiar with those. I've got Brain Age. That's good for short sessions. Any other ideas? My most important criteria is that I not get sick of the game after two or three weeks. I like games that have good replay value.
One last thought: I downloaded the demo of Elite Beat Agents. As an "older" gamer, I don't think that this is a good fit with the Touch Generations line. It takes too much precision timing, which is what us older folks are afraid of.
Comments
Be sure to check out Advance Wars DS. The game can be picked up and put down easily, yet individual campaigns and battles can last hours. It has immense replay value, especially in the "War Room," and the local multiplayer is fairly excellent.
I'll probably try to pick up Golden Sun for cheap somewhere. I hear it is actually pretty good Anyone have an opinon on Golden Sun 2? Can't wait for FFIII. I'll actually be able to get it around about when America does because I'll be overseas. Muahahahah!
A Civ/Serf? game on DS would be most excellent. How is the DS version of Age of Empires, actually? I can't help but look upon it with great skepticism. >_>
Fortunately, the language barrier is not as bad as I thought. I've been able to figure out all of the essential functions, including "save game."
So far I've been able to figure out how to use the right weight to deliver the rock on the button (not just in the house), although I didn't realize there was a free guard rule until I got hit for a foul. It allows you to choose a lead, second, third and skip from your rink - although the language barrier hurts there. I'm still working on my guard weight, although I'm seeing improvement. I almost always score when I have the hammer, and have even stolen a few ends when I don't. The computer AI is generally good - although it's flaky on rare occasions. My only lingering problem is the hog line. From time to time I don't release prior to the hog. I could also stand to improve my takeouts.
All in all, it was worth the $20.
But while driving the 10 long hours to visit my parents over Thanksgiving, I loaded up the ol' MP3 player with a shit-ton of GK back episodes, including the one about the FFIV GBA release. I was inspired, and upon returning to t3h Ohio I rummaged through the games drawer and pulled out my PS1 copy. I've been playing it since Tuesday afternoon.
The only thing that pisses me off about that game is when Cecil goes from dark knight to paladin and loses the dark wave ability. All of a sudden you actually have to sit and fight those piddly random encounters instead of just DWing them on the first turn. It takes two or three turns before you can finally unleash black magic on a large group of monsters. Grrrrr.