Game Of The Week: Super Scribblenauts (DS/DSi)

Maxwell has returned for a second adventure on Nintendo DS and DSi, and this time, he's SUPER! For those of you who have never heard of Scribblenauts before,The objective of the game is to complete puzzles and collect little objects known as Starites, which players can attain by writing different objects into the game via an on-screen notepad.

The game was produced by video game developers, 5th Cell, who are also well-known for creating the Drawn To Life series of videogames.

Now Super Scribblenauts promises to be even better than its predecessor. So, what new features can we expect from this long-awaited sequel?

Firstly, Super Scribblenauts has an expanded dictionary of approximately 10,000 words that were not included in the original game. Furthermore, Adjectives now feature prominently in the game and allow players to specify the colour, size, style, behaviours of the object they are describing.

Multiple adjectives can be combined together to produce incredibly creative objects. If you ever wanted to create a giant, blue, happy, spotty, fox, or an angry, yellow, flying, car, then this is definitely the game for you.

As with most word-based videogames, it is important to be aware that not all words are recognised by the game's dictionary, especially where a chosen word differs in UK English and American English. For example, we tried typing in the word 'Spade', but found that it was not included in the dictionary. However, the word 'shovel' was included.

On the whole, however, Super Scribblenauts adjectives work very well and help to create a deeper and more imaginative game than before.

The levels map has also gone through a bit of a makeover. This time, each level (and its sub-levels) help to make up a different star 'constallation', including a big tree. Each time a sub-level is completed successfully, a new star (AKA a new sub-level) is added to the constallation.

One of the changes that we at Mini Gamers most approve of, is the ability to choose how you control Maxwell. The previous game was purely stylus-based and this meant that poor Maxwell would easily fall off the end of ledges or suddenly dismount from an aeroplane in mid-flight.

Luckily, the geniuses at 5th Cell have included D-Pad Controls in this game. Use the directional buttons, or A and Y to move Maxwell, or X and B to jump. We tried flying a 'Friendly Dragon' via the D-pad and found that it was much easier than by stylus.

Another new feature is the Hint System. Players can now use the points they gain in each sub-level (known as 'OLLARS') to purchase some useful hints about which objects might be needed to reach the end of the level. This is really useful as it stops the game from getting stale.

Official E3 Trailer: Super Scribblenauts

In conclusion then, Super Scribblenauts really does live up to the hype. All the fun features of the original game such as Merit Points, The Custom Level Creator and Unlockable Avatars are still available, but the new controls and adjective-based gameplay makes this game so much more interesting. If you like games with a high level of creativity and innovative content, then this is the perfect game for you. Overall rating: 10/10.

Star Wars The Forced Unleashed 2 (DS/DSi)

It has been one of the most anticipated sequels of the year, but Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II was finally released to the public today.

For those of you who don't know, this game continues the story of Galen Marek, (AKA Starkiller,) a young human child who was kidnapped by Darth Vader and raised to become his secret apprentice for the Dark Side.

 However, StarKiller soon begins to realise that Darth Vader has only been using him as a tool to destroy Emperor Palpatine and seize control of the Galactic Empire for himself. He decides to turn against Darth Vader and the two of them engage in a powerful battle to the death...

In The Force Unleashed II, Darth Vader cannot face the fact that his apprentice has failed him. He kills Starkiller, but has the young man's body cloned and then imprisoned on the planet of Kamino.

Waking up in shackles, the cloned Starkiller has only fragments of the memories of his past life. Nevertheless, He manages to escape and sets out to learn about his mysterious past. But  Starkiller finds it difficult to know where to start his search. At that moment, a familiar name echoes in his mind and with little else to go on, he sets out to find the one person who is guaranteed to help him – Juno Eclipse.

The Force Unleashed II promises to deliver even more powerful gameplay with new powers such as the Mind Trick,which confuses your enemies and turns them against each other, and Force Fury, which enhances all of StarKiller's attacks and powers.

Even though this version of Starkiller is a clone, he still possesses all of the original Starkiller's powers, so there is no need to build up his powers slowly this time around. There are greater customisation options in this game and the use of  power-enhancing lightsaber crystals make battles more interesting.

 Furthermore, there are better Combo-Controls for Dual-Lightsabre attacks, and an all-new Precision Targeting System, which greatly enhances Starkiller's success against his enemies.

Players must skillfully manage Starkiller's combat techniques to defeat a variety of brand-new enemies, which will culminate in some epic boss battles.The Force Unleashed II  also contains more puzzles and makes good use of the in-game environment as well, giving the plot an even greater realism this time around.

LucasArts' President Darrell Rodriguez said: "Executive Producer Haden Blackman and his team have been able to build on the core foundation of the award-winning original [game] and create a powerful combination of engrossing story-telling and intense action. The Force Unleashed II gives fans an opportunity to wreak havoc on an even greater scale in the Star Wars universe..."
[Sourced: http://www.lucasarts.com/company/release/news20091212.html]

This game has made a number of  improvements since the original game, and if the success of its predecessor is anything to go by, then The Force Unleashed II is sure to be a big hit with fans over the the coming weeks. Overall rating: 9/10.

Game Of The Week: Professor Layton & The Lost Future (DS/DSi)

Everyone's favourite logical detective, Professor Hershel Layton returned in his third adventure on the Nintendo DS and DSi consoles this week.

Professor Layton & The Lost Future  sees the professor and his young apprentice, Luke Triton, in a battle to save future London from a major catastrophe after a time-travel experiment in the present goes badly wrong...

The Professor and Luke are amongst a select group of people who have been invited to witness a demonstration of Dr. Alain Stahngun's new Time Machine, during which, the Prime Minister of Britain volunteers to be the machine's first official Time Traveler.

However, the experiment does not go as expected and the machine is destroyed. Both Dr. Stahngun and The Prime Minister disappear. Over the next few weeks, there are several  newspaper reports concerning other missing scientists.

Some weeks later, Layton and Luke receive a letter which claims to have been written by Luke's future self. The letter directs the two to a clock shop in London. The pair decide to investigate.

Inside the clock shop, a strange elderly couple show the Professor and Luke another time machine, and the pair decide to activate it. After a bit of confusion, Layton and Luke find themselves in a drastically-changed London ten years from their present.

Here the pair meet future Luke, who explains that the Time Machine accident caused the future Professor Layton to change (becoming a ruthless criminal). Future Luke asks for help in setting the timeline straight again. The Professor promises to help the now grown-up Luke and embarks upon a finding a set of clues that can help them to save London.

Although Professor Layton & The Lost Future has many of the common features associated with the other games in the series - such as beautifully-rendered 2D cutscenes, a distinctive musical soundtrack, and of course, some mind-boggling brainteasers - it does contain some slight format changes, which helps to make the game even better than its predecessors.

Firstly, the puzzles now seem to build up in difficulty throughout the game, so the puzzles at the beginning are all very easy to solve and should not require any Hint Coins to be spent here. This is good as it allows players to get into the heart of the storyline more quickly than in the previous games.

Furthermore, the game's developers, Level 5 inc have now instituted a Super Hint function, which is very useful for those puzzles that just do not seem to have a recognisable answer, and it can stop the game from getting stale or frustrating.

 Although Super Hints only require two hint coins, they can only be purchased after the other three normal hints have been unlocked. This means that Super Hints essentially cost 5 hint coins each (one hint coin each for the three normal hints plus two extra coins).

Nevertheless, if you do manage to purchase a Super Hint, it will virtually solve whatever puzzle you are currently struggling with at the time. This allows younger players or people who are not overly adept at brainteasers the chance to move on to the puzzles that they can solve.

The puzzles themselves (over 165 of them in total) involve a lot of similar tasks as the other two games, from putting items in a particular sequence, arranging tiles to form an image, or spotting the 'Odd-One-Out' in a sequence of shapes, amongst others. However, although these types of puzzles have featured in the other Professor Layton games, they are given a refreshing new twist as part of the overall storyline, which makes them very interesting to solve.

Two minor disapointments with Professor Layton & The Lost Future are the set of minigames and Luke's voice.

As with the other games, this title features three different minigames for players to enjoy, including Luke's new pet parrot, a toy car with collectible track pieces, and picture books with missing stickers which the player has to locate throughout the game. Please note, that the solutions to ALL the latest Mini Games can be found by clicking HERE.

Although the new minigames make a welcome change from the annoying tea-drinking minigame in Professor Layton & Pandora's Box, which many fans of the series struggled to complete sucessfully, they do seem a bit too easy to complete for the game's numerous adult fans, which is a bit of a shame, but still does not affect the brilliance of the game as a whole.

Furthermore, Luke has gone all posh again in this game. Fans of the series will remember that Luke's voice in the very first game sounded like that of an upper-class public schoolboy. This was then changed to a rough cockney-sounding voice in the second game, (which incidentally is the voice which features in the new DVD feature film Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva.)

 Now it seems like Luke has been taking elocution lessons in the future because the voice of 'Future Luke' now matches that of the one used in Professor Layton and the Curious Village, dispite the fact that Young Luke still has the rough Cockney accent . Although this is only a minor part of the game, it still affects the overall continuity of the series, which can be very frustrating at times.

In conclusion, Professor Layton & The Lost Future is definitely a must-buy for existing fans of the series. It features more cutscenes and voice work and puzzles than ever before and is sure to keep you entertained for weeks to come. If you haven't tried a Professor Layton game yet, this game is certainly worth a try. Overall rating: 9/10.

Official E3 Debut Trailer [HD]

The Sims 3 On Nintendo DS/DSi - Just Ten Days To Go...

The Sims 3 comes to the Nintendo DS console systems on the 29th of October, but we couldn't wait until then. Mini Gamers takes a look at some of the features that players can expect from the new game.

1) Create-A-Sim Gets A Whole New Look:

The classic 'Create-A-Sim' mode, which has been present since the Sims 2 DS games, has now been given an extra makeover, meaning that more unique Sims can be created than ever before. Earlier Sims DS games had only allowed players to select from a very limited list of faces, hairstyles and clothes, meaning that all the characters were pretty generic.

The Sims 3 (DS) does away with the old character templates. Instead, the stylus is used as a sculpting tool so that each feature of a Sims' face can now be moulded to the players chosen specification. This brings the 'Create-A-Sim' mode more in line with the PC version of The Sims 3, and makes it easier to create realistic characters.

2)  Detailed 'Build Mode' 

 Again, the 'Build Mode' has been re-developed to bring it closer to the PC version of the game. Players can literally paint their own wall designs, floors and furniture. Preset options are also available if you are lacking inspiration though. The stylus can also be used to pick up and place new furniture items.

3) A Truly 'Open' Story:

Unlike the PC version, The Sims 2 console games only ever contained a single narrative. The new game allows players to decide the fate of their chosen Sims through the use of Personality Traits and Karma Powers.

Whilst the Personality Traits are already a strong part of the PC version of The Sims 3, Karma Powers have been specially designed for the console version and the type of Karma Powers you can unlock during the game depends upon what particular console version of the game you have purchased.

For the Nintendo DS/DSi consoles, there are eleven total Karma Powers that can be unlocked. These are: 

+ Winter Wonderland: triggers a permanent winter season in the game.

+ The Muse: helps painting and cooking skills.

+ The Riddler: helps logic and mechanical skills

+ Casanova: other Sims cannot resist you.

+ Bless the Mess: everything broken or messy within your Sim's home is fixed and cleaned for you.

+ Wormhole: makes your Sim travel quickly.

+ Instant Beauty: you can edit your Sim's physical appearance in Create-A-Sim mode.

 + Super satisfy: immediately fulfills needs.

+ Giant Jackpot: you get money.

 - Cosmic Curse: depletes all of the target Sims’ needs.

- Epic fail: makes Sims fight, burp and fart, get demoted or fired, break things, causes fires and more.

Although there are a total of nine positive Karma Powers (+) and only two negative ones (-) , overuse or misuse of these powers can cause bad or unexpected things to happen, which in turn may disrupt your Sims overall lifetime goals. Use those powers carefully!

Overall, The Sims 3 on Nintendo DS/DSi is as close to the PC version as it could possibly be. With so many plot twists and an open storyline, this game is sure to keep Sims fans busy for a very long time to come. There is talk that a version of this game will also be making its debut on the 3DS next year, but until then, this game is a true life-simulation masterpiece. Overall rating: 10/10.



Review: FIFA 11 (DS & PSP)

EA Sports FIFA series has always provided a good quality of gameplay and entertainment for its many fans. Now the latest game, FIFA 11 promises to be better than ever before.

The game has even been hotly tipped to be the best-selling game of Christmas 2010 according to William Hill PLC , which certainly seems possible when you consider that the game managed to sell 2.6 million units in its first weekend of sales alone. This figure is almost unheard of for a sports franchise.

However, putting all the hype to one side for a moment, let's take a look at FIFA 11's new handheld console features.

Firstly, FIFA's use of licensed players and teams has always scored them brownie points over other football game franchises like Pro Evolution Soccer, and FIFA 11 contains over 30 officially licensed leagues, 500 licensed teams and more than 15,000 players to choose from.

The game also features a new Pro Passing System, whereby pass accuracy is determined by a gamer's ability to use the controls, and player skill, situation and urgency on the pitch. This means that now over striking or under striking the ball will mean inaccurate passes and more varied outcomes. New types of passes such as swerve passes also enable players to make a safer and more effective play.

Nevertheless, the biggest enhancement to FIFA 11 has to be the Personality+ System, which affects players, goal-keepers and even a CPU player's capability.  It sounds too good to be true, but the new system means a greater level of realism for the FIFA handheld games. 

For example, CPU opponents now have a entire repetoire of skill moves to exploit through the use of star player attributes and specific behaviours attributed to particular players.

 Goalkeepers also feature more prominently in this game. Alongside the standard FIFA career mode called Be A Pro,  FIFA 11 also introduces an all-new Be A Goalie mode, allows gamers to play as a goalie of their choice.

Here, the Personality+ System accurately reproduces the actions of a particular real-life Goalkeeper on the pitch, so if your goal-keeper has a longer reach than others, he will be more successful when diving for the ball. Some of the controls in this mode can seem a bit of a struggle, but is a worthwhile effort overall.

Goalkeepers are also now more aware of their surroundings and react more intelligently to potential goals from the opposing team. Goalkeepers can now sprint to cut off a loose ball before urgently scrambling back to defend the net, and they can even skillfully identify and react to lob shots.

However, unlike the major console versions of this game, it is impossible to cut to the main action of the game whilst in the goalie mode on the PSP and DS, which means that gamers could get bored of only seeing the action from the Goalkeeper's perspective.

The PSP version also features a new Fame mode.  Gamers can choose to begin their campaign as a player, player/manager or manager as you lead their club through fifteen seasons of club soccer.

Your success as a player or manager is ranked through the new Fame system. The better your performance the more Fame you receive and more prestigious offers will become available on your journey to become a football legend.

The Nintendo DS version of FIFA 11  also has its own new game mode called Ultimate Team. This mode allows players to collect a set of in-game trading cards (which can be purchased after completing certain activities in the standard game modes). These cards will upgrade the athletic abilities of your chosen team.

Both handheld consoles also feature the Soccer IQ mini-game, which is essentially a general knowledge quiz based on various football triva.

One further feature (exclusive to the Nintendo DSi or the PSP's Go! Cam function) uses the camera functions of either console to take a snapshot of the gamer's face, which can then be uploaded and placed on the face of any customised  football player. Thus, gamers can literally put themselves in the game.

However, it has to be said that despite a few minor tweaks to the overall gameplay, the handheld versions of FIFA 11 seem to pale in comparison to their major console counterparts. The game itself is adequate and is likely to be thoroughly enjoyed by fans of the series so far, but much of the content remains unchanged from previous versions, which is a little disappointing when you consider that the major consoles have a lot more variations. Having said that, the gameplay is solid and the graphics on both versions are pretty accurate.

In conclusion, FIFA 11 is a decent game with good graphics and entertaining gameplay which is likely to keep fans of the series occupied for a long time to come. However, the handheld versions do not quite compare to the finesse of the major console versions. Overall Rating: 8/10.

Give Your Face A Work-Out With The Nintendo DSi

We've had Brain Training,  Sight Training and Maths Training, now exclusive to the original DSi and DSi XL consoles comes Face Training, which is designed to strengthen and relax your facial muscles via a series of interactive exercises.

This game uses the DSi's built in motion camera to track the movement of your face as each exercise is performed. As with the previous 'training' games, the DSi must be placed like a book, so that the touch screen is on your right.

 This screen displays a camera image of your face, which acts like a mirror as you perform each exercise. The left screen gives clear animations and instructions on how each exercise should be performed. Players can also track their progress via the in-game calendar.

There are two training modes: Recommended Training and Intensive Training. Recommended Training features three different exercises which can be completed in about ten minutes. The Intensive mode allows players to target specific muscles in the neck and face, as well as allowing them to do all of the training exercises for a specified duration.

The main aim of this educational title is to reduce stress by tightening and contracting different sets of facial muscles and to strengthen weakened muscles.

However, one of the major downfalls of this title is the price. Although this game is set to retail at around £24.99, the exercises  do seem very easy to complete and it has to be said that most of them could be achieved by just sitting in front of an ordinary mirror and squeezing your cheeks, moving your mouth and  your eyes...Nevertheless, it is still fun to try and can help to fill a spare ten minutes or so during your lunch break. Overall rating: 6/10.

Face Training will be available to buy from the 24th of September 2010.