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Published February 2, 2010

As usual, it’s another quantity-over-quality week from Nintendo’s download services. This time, I’ll be looking at the very first RPG for the DSi Store and a game that turns the camera into a makeshift tilt sensor. Additionally, there are a couple new card games and an “express” version of Nintendo’s True Swing Golf. Ordinarily, I shy away from those mini-editions, but like many early DS games, this one might be tougher to find at retail.

On the Wii, there’s a new episode of Monkey Island, something entitled Tumblebugs 2 and an Alex Kidd game. I’d love to try the first two, but I don’t have enough in my coffers to buy everything. Oh, and nobody likes or has ever liked Alex Kidd. Sorry, pal.

Legends of Exidia
DSiWare/Gameloft
800 Points

I’m of two minds regarding this first hack-and-slash RPG for the system. Aesthetically, it’s as generic as they come – orc-ish lookin’ dudes, slimes, warring fantasy nations and just about everything else you’ve come to expect from a lower-tier 16-bit quest. The swordplay is competent, but on a handheld inundated with this genre, that doesn’t quite cut it. Even so, I can’t write it off completely. While the gameplay is forgettable, there are little details throughout that made me sit back and realize that at least a few people cared about this project. For instance, an early assault on a castle features dozens of fallen soldiers, zip lines, dozens of explosions – none of these flourishes would’ve made the cut if this was some quick cash-in. Again, I wouldn’t recommend this one by any means, but it’s sadly not the worst I’ve seen either. (UPDATE: Apparently this is a cell-phone port, though. So much for that “not a cash-in” comment.)

Move Your Brain Rollway Puzzle
DSiWare/Assoria
500 Points

Move Your Brain, on the other hand, is a shameful turd. On paper, its use of the camera is intriguing. The developer attempted to recreate the iPhone’s tilt control by using your head as a focal point for the camera as you roll a beach ball to the goal. As you move the DSi, the camera tracks where your head is in relation to the background. The best case scenario would have been a decent Super Monkey Ball or Kirby Tilt ‘n’ Tumble clone. Unfortunately, as we saw at launch from that lousy WarioWare sampler, the DSi just isn’t up to the task; the controls just never work properly. Once the walls disappear, the game’s poor calibration constantly sends you over the edge. A waste of five bucks.

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