Welcome to the first in a brand new series of articles at Electronic Theatre. After the response we received to last month’s Gaming on a Budget, it was decided necessary to follow-up with an extended feature. So, in a similar vein, Electronic Theatre has commissioned this, a five-part series of articles looking at a handful of the top titles available for each Current-Generation system. One system a week, for the next five weeks. Nice easy Sunday morning reading.

            However, if we simply picked the top five titles on each format, there’d really be little point in reading this. No doubt, the gaming public is well aware of the likes Halo 3 and NEW Super Mario Bros., and so, instead, we’ll be taking a look at the five best titles for each format that you may have missed at their original launch. Perhaps they were overshadowed by a bigger title, perhaps you couldn’t find them in stock, or maybe you simply weren’t aware of them. Whatever the reason, if we inspire you to play just one of these games, our mission was a success.

            And so, where to begin? After much internal debate, it was decided that the fairest way would be to cover each format in their alphabetical order. So today, we begin with the NintendoDS, and the treasures it hides behind a lack of exposure, misinformation, and some ridiculously awful box art.

Contact

            Many of you may know of Contact by proxy. From the stable of Killer 7 and No More Heroes, as well as the forthcoming NintendoDS remake, Flower, Sun and Rain: Murder and Mystery in Paradise, Contact is a Role-Playing Game with a very big difference. Entering the shoes of young protagonist Terry, the player is tasked with locating the scattered remnants of a professor’s extra terrestrial power source. Gorgeous visuals an a unique charm exist throughout, with the action viewable on the Touch Screen and the professor himself always available on the top screen (in a pseudo-Super Nintendo Entertainment System isometric fashion), dolling-out words if wisdom, sarcasm, or sheer nonsense. The main adventure itself offers one if the most innovative uses of the hardware yet seen in Role-Playing Games, but then you add-in the stand-alone two-player side-quest (which does aid the main quest, though is not necessary), and for a title launched so early in the NintendoDS’s life-cycle, there seems to be little to have come since that can stand so boldly on the Role-Playing Game shelf.

Cookie & Cream

            One of the most recently released titles in our list; Cookie & Cream is most probably the title which you would have heard the least about. A shame, really, as it’s actually quite good. Bar the basic PlayStation-esque visuals, Cookie & Cream is perhaps one of the most enjoyable Third-Party Platformers released on the NintendoDS. Playing through Levels on the top screen, the player must unlock doors, solve puzzles and remove traps on the Touch Screen before continuing. It sounds basic, but in play can be both infuriating and exhilarating in equal measure, especially given the often ludicrously strict time limit given to each Level. The two-player Single Card Download Play option demands some tight teamwork, and can be more demanding than the likes of Mercenaries 2: World in Flames and Army of Two within just one of its bite-sized Levels.

Deep Labyrinth

            Quite possible a case of the most misjudged box art in history, Deep Labyrinth’s childish exterior belies its wealth. Quite obviously aspiring to a bite-sized Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Deep Labyrinth comes far closer than most. A cocktail of Touch Screen features, most of which are perfectly realised within the limitations of the system, the game’s Final Fantasy resembling aesthetic is a perfect choice for the handheld’s more limited processing capabilities, allowing for constant switching between tight corridor gameplay and open-arena combat. Deep Labyrinth is a title that rates very highly here at Electronic Theatre, and is a NintendoDS Role-Playing Game that no Hardcore Gamer should overlook.

Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble

            Easily the biggest name in videogaming on this list, Viewtiful Joe quickly died a rather gruesome death amongst all but the most ardent of its fanbase. By the time Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble arrived on European shores, it was all but destined for the bargain bins. However, overlooking a title that compliments its host system so well, while staying true to the dynamics of its home console predecessors, simply deserves a second look. And that second look will reveal one of the most intuitive Scrolling Beat-‘Em-Up’s on modern consoles. With the action taking place on the Touch Screen, the player can swipe and tap to initiate their VFX Powers – slowing down time, dropping items and interacting with on-screen objects. The top screen displays a close-up of the action, which often reveals new information and hidden objects. Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble may well be a game you’ve thought about purchasing in that past, and now with it’s general availability at a budget price, it may well be worth thinking about again.

Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command

            Those of you reading this who haven’t already purchased Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command will probably fall into one of two camps. The first, “Warhammer? No thanks.” And the second, “It’ll never live-up to Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War”. Those of you in the first camp will probably never be convinced. Those in the second are entirely right. Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command was perhaps unfairly overshadowed by its PC stable-mate, with both titles released courtesy of THQ; however the game understands that it’s never going to be Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War DS, and so moves in an entirely different direction. Playing on the unique features the NintendoDS offers, Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command involves the player in deep and direct tactical manoeuvres with a single squad. Perhaps the closet videogame yet to replicating the Games Workshop experience on a console – competing hotly with the recently released Warhammer: Battle March Xbox360 – Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command is a refreshing alternative to Advance Wars for the NintendoDS strategist.

Kev J.

28/09/08