ArtisticallyChill

The fanboys can keep Final Fantasy VII. For me, Final Fantasy IV (released as Final Fantasy II in the US on the SNES) was the game that sparked my love for RPGs. I remember sneaking in late night sessions playing this game during school nights. I fell in love with the story and it’s characters, especially with the protagonist, Cecil. I felt that Cecil’s quest of redemption and self-discovery was something I could relate to as I entered high school.

The latest remake for the Nintendo DS as part of the 20th Anniversary of Final Fantasy adds a number of features not present in the original, such as voice acting, minigames, and some changes to the basic gameplay as well as enhanced 3D cutscenes and full motion videos. All of these features are welcome, adding an even more immersive experience. The one feature that I’m thankful they didn’t change was naming your characters. I remember renaming all the characters in the game after friends and family. This feature truly made the game feel more personal as I played it. I remembered the one scene where the twins sacrificed themselves so that the rest of the team would survive a trap. I had named the twins, Emil and Kris, after my cousins. I might have even shed a tear back then, and it wouldn’t surprise if that scene did it again today. However, I wouldn’t admit to any of it. ;p

Final Fantasy IV is one of those must-haves for your DS library. With a story so deep and immersive, you’ll find yourself extending your lunch breaks or staying up later than usual without even looking up from your DS screens.

~ LoneWolf

Civilization Revolution DS is addicting. Not on a nicotine level, or an alcohol level. More like on a crack level. Seriously, I could not put this game done at all this past weekend! As soon as I started the game up, I would be knee deep in my quest for global domination, and once in a while I’d look up at the clock and realize an hour had passed by, then another and another. Soon Friday night had turned into Saturday morning and I wouldn’t quit til my DS did, shutting down because the batteries were drained.

It had been quite sometime since I played a Civilization game. It was probably the first one on PC and I would end up cheating cause all I wanted to do was launch nukes at the AI trying to take over everything. Even though Civilization Revolution seems a bit nerfed than it’s PC counterparts, it is a good thing. It allows for a much wider demographic to be able to just pick up and play the game. Even my 8 year old godchild could pick up this game and easily aim for any of the 4 ways to win, though nothing feels more satisfying than conquering other nations!

For those who are clueless about the idea behind any Civilization game, basically you choose a civilization you would like to rule. Each civilization has certain advantages when they first start. After choosing the civilization you wish to lead, the game then sets up the random map and 3 other computer controlled civilizations. Your civilization starts in the Ancient Era and you must guide them through the different Ages in time up to the 21st Century and beyond. In each turn, you decide how your civilization shall progress, what buildings to build in your capital city, what skills to research and learn to further improve your society. At some point, you will be able to create settlers to send out, scout the map, and when the area looks prosperous, build a new city.

The depth of the game lies in the micromanaging of your city’s production and research. You can decide what buildings to build. If your city is in the middle of a plain, for example, you might wanna a Granary, as well as, focus the workers on gathering food for market and trade, thus bringing in more gold. Your scientific advisors will at also ask you which research to pursue. Learning one thing opens up others for you to choose, learning the Alphabet, for example, will open up Writing.

The more prosperous your civilization the more people of influence you attract. These people can either permanently settle in your city providing boost, or help you finish research a tech instantly. If there are enough people of influence already settled in your city, send them to another one.

Also you can decide whether you want live peacefully among your neighbors, trading technologies for peace or gold, or if you want go to war with them and try and take over there capital. World domination is one way to win the game. But be careful, you’ll find yourself spending a lot of gold building troops to go on offense and to protect your cities.

I spent roughly 10 hours during my first playthrough on the easiest skill setting. I recommend doing this just to get idea of how the game plays without having to be overrun by the computer controlled nations. You can easily unlock all the technology and be the first to reach Alpha Centauri, or you can figure how the military units work by going to war with the other nations and win with Domination. The other wins are by building the United Nations Wonder for a Cultural victory, or by building the World Bank Wonder for an Economic victory.

If you don’t feel like playing the main campaign, there are several Scenario games you can play. For example, in “It’s Money that Matters”, every player has a hefty head start in life. Players begin with a city and 1000 gold, which they can spend on units, bribes or save for a boost towards an Economic Victory.

Another cool way to play is the “Game of the Week” feature. Using your Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, you can download and play a special scenario with it’s own map, and stipulations for winning. You can practice on this map all week on your DS and then take your skills online on the Xbox 360 or PS3 and compete for the highest score against other players. Win and you’ll be posted on the online leaderboards. And finally no DS game would be complete without multiplayer support. Up to four can play against each other, face to face, or over Nintendo Wi-Fi. During multiplayer, everyone makes their moves when they are ready, no waiting to take your turn! Also if a player drops out early, the game keeps going!

With all these options plus 5 levels of difficulty, Civilization Revolution DS is a great addition to any DS library. It’s easy to pick up and play right off the bat, is terribly addicting, and is full of endless replay!

~ LoneWolf

Serena and I picked up this gem of a DS game earlier this week. Brain Age 2 is as addictive and fun to play as its predecessor! So grab your DS and “get ready for a totally new way to enjoy your free time.”

Give your brain the workout it needs

Exercise is the key to good health both for body and mind – and now, with the Brain Age games, there’s a way to make mental exercise fun, even competitive.
Fun pick-up-and-play activities

The intuitive gameplay makes brain training easy for everyone. Train across fifteen activities. Solve simple math problems, recite piano songs, play a challenging version of rock, paper, scissors, plus try your hand with wildly-popular Sudoku puzzles. You’ll love your mental workout! ~ Brain Age

There is an easter egg in this game and if you pay attention to the doctor he’ll give you a clue on how to find it. Serena discovered this today and it’s another mini-game called Virus Buster. Unlike the other mini-games, this one is intended to help you relax after doing your daily training or right before you go to bed.

Looks familiar, doesn’t it? That’s because it’s Dr. Mario, sans Mario! Even if you don’t like to train your brain, or the Sudoku puzzles, Virus Blaster makes this DS title a must have if you don’t own an original Gameboy or the N64 version and you wanna play with some pills on the go!

~ LoneWolf