We celebrate the one-year anniversary of Nintendo's DSiWare service with a week-long best-of feature.
Mighty Flip ChampsPublisher: WayForward Developer: WayForward Cost: 800 Points Players: 1 Release Date: June 1, 2009 WayForward's DSiWare debut takes a familiar concept and flips it over. You control a heroine in this 2D puzzle platformer as you have to flip screens to move her through different puzzles. It makes great use of the dual screens by having the next screen you can flip show on the opposite screen. It's very clever, has tons of levels, and features wonderful artwork. If you can't wait for Shantae, you should bide your time with the puzzles of Mighty Flip Champs. - Neal Ronaghan |
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Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March AgainPublisher: Nintendo Developer: NST Cost: 800 Points Players: 1 Release Date: June 8, 2009 Announced at Nintendo's E3 2009 press conference, Minis March Again is basically an expansion pack for the retail game, Mario vs. Donkey Kong: March of the Minis. Featuring the same Lemmings-style gameplay, it's an awesome game with 100 levels built in. Additionally, there's a level editor that allows you tinker and make your own levels and share them with your friends (via Friend Codes, sadly). Luckily, you can download Nintendo-approved levels as well. There's more than enough content to justify the $8, and this is still one of the strongest games on DSiWare after 10 months. It's a must own if you like fun. - Neal Ronaghan |
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Dark Void ZeroPublisher: Capcom Developer: Other Ocean Interactive Cost: 500 Points Players: 1 Release Date: January 18, 2010 This may be the closest we come to a Virtual Console on DSiWare. With sprite-based graphics, run-and-gun gameplay, and excellent platforming aided by a bitchin’ jetpack, Dark Void Zero has all the makings of a late NES-era Capcom classic. If you didn't know any better, you'd swear up and down that Dark Void Zero was an actual game released in the early '90s on the NES. The level design is excellent, the weapon selection is first rate, and your character's name is Rusty. What's not to love? The only knock one might have against the game is its short length—three levels spanning roughly twenty minutes apiece. However, with three difficulty levels and a $5 price tag, there is little reason not to download what I consider the greatest game on DSiWare. - Zachary Miller |
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RaymanPublisher: Ubisoft Developer: Ubisoft Cost: 800 Points Players: 1 Release Date: December 7, 2009 This title is a remake of Ubisoft's classic mid-'90s platformer Rayman, and it retains all of the goodness of that title. You take the limbless hero throughout many levels, jumping and fighting your way through them. There are some DSi additions, such as a map screen on the bottom, and a humorous save function where you get your picture taken whenever you save. Rayman has held up over the years, so despite the superfluous DSi additions, it is still great. - Neal Ronaghan |
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TrajectilePublisher: Nintendo Developer: Q-Games Cost: 500 Points Players: 1 Release Date: January 4, 2010 Trajectile is a peculiar combination of the mechanics of Arkanoid mixed with Peggle. In each of the 200 levels, you shoot off missiles that bounce around, explode, or drill through blocks as you collect power-ups and try to defeat enemy blocks. It has a steady difficulty curve with new mechanics added over time, a wealth of content, and a sizable amount of replayability as you try to collect medals for each level. It's one of my personal favorites on DSiWare. - Neal Ronaghan |
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Number BattlePublisher: Nintendo Developer: Mitchell Corporation Cost: 500 Points Players: 1-4 (Wi-Fi) Release Date: August 3, 2009 Number Battle is a new kind of board game that combines various classic games, such as dominoes, with strategy. At the start of each match, each player is assigned five tiles with numbers inscribed on them. They then take turns placing them on a grid. The goal is simple: reach a certain score before your opponent does. There's a huge layer of strategy to the game, and the addition of a great online mode easily makes this one of the best games on the service. The campaign mode is also fairly lengthy and the presentation is unique. When everything is said and done, this is one of the best puzzle games on the DSiWare service, both in terms of depth and gameplay. - Matthew Blundon |
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Link 'n' LaunchPublisher: Nintendo Developer: Intelligent Systems Cost: 500 Points Players: 1 Release Date: February 8, 2010 Link 'n' Launch is a rather simplistic game in which your goal is to launch a rocket to a destination at the end of a course. To do this, you must move tiles scattered across the touch screen into a certain position so fuel can travel from a fuel cell on the bottom screen to the rocket on the upper screen. There's a mission mode that allows players to test their skills and see if they can complete all ten missions, each of which proves to be quite difficult. Though Link 'n' Launch isn't as meaty as some other DSiWare games, it should be noted that this is one of the more unique games on the service. - Matthew Blundon |
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Dragon Quest WarsPublisher: Square Enix Developer: Intelligent Systems Cost: 500 Points Players: 1-4 (Local, Wi-Fi) Release Date: September 28, 2009 Dragon Quest Wars is a peculiar pairing of Nintendo's Intelligent Systems, responsible for Fire Emblem and Advance Wars, and Square Enix. In the game, you control four different Dragon Quest monsters in a chess-like strategy game. With six different types to choose from, this game's simple presentation hides a deep experience, as the monsters interact with each other in interesting ways and they all have different attacks and abilities. With online and local multiplayer for up to four players, competition can get fierce. Unfortunately, the single-player mode is very lacking, but for only $5, this multiplayer-focused affair is awesome. - Neal Ronaghan |
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