any console

So, some of you may be surprised to learn that while the United States has been getting all of the goodies first lately, Europe got a break and will be the first region to see the new Silver Nintendo DS Lite. Congratulations to the Europeans, and I look forward to seeing one here in the United States.

Joystiq’s Article on the Silver DS Lite

Popularity: 32%

So I finished Hotel Dusk last night at like 0100. It’s insane how much fun that game was. It was a great story and the graphics and sound were exceptionally clever.

In Hotel Dusk you’re a washed up NYPD detective working as a travelling door-to-door salesman and you’re trying to solve some mysteries… because that’s what washed-up detectives do.

I must confess that this is one of the few DS games where I’ve actually used the stylus for the majority of the game, and it felt really natural. You hold this game sideways (yes, it is lefty friendly; being a lefty I noticed) and interact entirely with the stylus. There are some complaints that I have though.

Some of the controls in Hotel Dusk left me feeling stuck and WTFing. There was one moment where I had to resuscitate a woman, and I was feeling a little lost. They actually wanted me to close and reopen the DS in order to perform mouth-to-mouth. That just didn’t make sense to me. Also, with how linear that game is I found myself trying to anticipate the game rather than following the story.

Despite these complaints, I found myself really digging the story. It’s a real time-burner… it’s hard to put the game down. With the save-anywhere functionality, as long as you’re not in a cut-scene you’re good as gold saving anywhere you want (always a good decision). Also, if you made the wrong choice it allowed you to back up and start over again.

I recommend this game to old infocom and Myst buffs, but also for people who’re looking for something new and different. This game really got me in the mood for story games, so look forward to some Phoenix Wright reviews shortly. Good night kiddos.

Popularity: 30%

Okay, so my wife just picked up this game as a birthday gift, and I’ve just started playing it. OH MY GOODNESS the graphics are neat. The sound is well-done thus-far as well.

I’ll keep you updated, but man, this seems like one neat game. 1up.com gave it some good reviews as well.

Popularity: 37%