I brought the Nintendo ds lite over a year ago now, I brought the lite instead of the original simply because it looked better and weighed better. Usually the ds is aimed mainly at children, but as I am no child I find that it caters for my gaming needs very well. This review will highlight the highs and lows (of which there aren't many) of the Nintendo ds, and why I would recommend it to potential buyers either for themselves, or their children.
The Nintendo ds lite is entertainment galore. It boasts numerous features that have enabled it to compete with Sony's psp. Firstly the size of the ds gives it a huge advantage, as you can carry it around with you practically anywhere, all you need is a carry case which is readily available in stores or on eBay (where I got mine from). You can literally put the ds in your hand, however the size does not spoil the other aspects of the console.
The most obvious feature of the ds is its twin screens. You have a top screen and bottom screen. The bottom screen is the touch screen, and where you have a lot of your fun! Obviously the ds comes with a stylus which you use on the bottom screen. This screen is extremely durable, as you would think with all that poking many scratches would surface, but I have hardly any on mine. The ds stylus is simply a short pen type instrument used on the touch screen. On the shoulder pads of the ds you will find the L and R buttons, the direction buttons are on the right and the control buttons on the left. This makes it very easy to grasp the ds, and makes game play quite easy.
The folding option on the ds also helps to prevent damage and can be used whilst you are playing a game but need a 5 minute break. Other controls contained on the ds are the power switch and volume buttons. Once you switch on the ds you can access the brightness setting from the main menu and alter them with your stylus on the bottom screen.
Now to come to the actual games and game play. There are over 1500 titles already released on the ds and many more titles still to come. A must have game for all ds users has to be new super Mario bros simply because it is a great piece of nostalgia. I will later specify some top games for the ds but first let me give an overview of those games which enable you to utilise all the features of the ds. Let's begin first with "cooking mama" no points for guessing what this games about. This title has been a huge hit on the ds so much so that "cooking mama 2" is now being developed. Via the touch screen you can chop, slice, mash, weigh, heat and arrange many ingredients creating over 100 possible dishes. Now this might not sound like the greatest fun, but don't count it out if you haven't tried it. A great feature that you can utilise here is the microphone, in which you can blow into to perform certain actions.
Other game which uses the microphone are Doctor Kawashima's Brain Training, Jam sessions, Phoenix Wright, Metroid Prime: Hunters, Lunar Knights, Metal Gear Solid and actually many many more.
Another great feature of the ds is Wi-Fi connectivity, this enables you to play against other people around the world. A perfect game for this is Mario kart where you can race against other people. All you need to use this feature is a wifi hotspot or a wireless connection. You can do as I did and buy a wireless router which would then set up a wireless connection, these are not extremely expensive and would set you back roughly £17 from eBay.
Now let me recommend some great games if you are considering purchasing a ds: Phoenix right, new super Mario bros, Wario ware, Fifa, Rune factory, Trace memory, Mario kart, Zelda, Fullmetal alchamest, Cooking mama, Brain age 2, Advance wars: days of ruin, and whatever else takes you're fancy. Obvioulsly it does come down to personal genre choice, but here are some forthcoming games on the ds to look out for: Smackdown v Raw, the ward, many Mario and Sonic games.
Smackdown vs Raw is the first wrestling game on the ds, and the ward is definitely not a game for little children, but on for the adults. So keep an eye out for those two.
Nowadays you can but he Nintendo ds for between £70-£120 depending on special offers. Games cost between £25-£30. Also the ds is not only limited to games, videos can also be viewed on it as can you listen to music and read e-books.
Some people like myself have brought other cartridges such as the m3, r4, g6, to accompany the ds. These devices enable you to download games, videos, photos, music, books on the card as well as going on msn, and checking the weather if you have wi-fi connectivity. However I don't think I should give the links and further information on these here, but if you would like to know how to obtain one or just want more information simply message me.
Finally the only negative I can really think of for the ds is screen size, but even this I find does not reduce graphics and visuals from the games.
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