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DrunkenCoder's Compo NDS Entries Review

First look at the NDS games submit to the DrunkenCoder's Christmas Compo.

UPDATED PICS

 

Ok, I've played all the games that worked from a GBA MP, and have screen shots for all the ones that work in an emu. I will try to get screen shots of the rest as I have time.

1) Balance

First look. Very nice intro screen and menu. Graphics are done very well and the bouncing menu adds a very nice touch. It's a Marble Madness type game. It has 10 levels of which all are locked except the first 1.. Makes sense. You have 10 seconds to complete the level, and as many balls as you need.. Sounds easy enough.. but I couldn't get the snow ball past the first bend.. Maybe it's me, maybe it's to sensative. So, you can watch it fall of the edge over, and over.... and over.. I was able to make it to level 2, but again, my lack of knowledge with this type of game is showing, as I have no idea how I'm supposed to get the ball to jump a gap at the other side of the ledge.

With that said, the 3D graphics are nice as well, and the scrolling stars in the background look nice.
2) Christmas Rush

First look. Pretty cool looking game. Took me a little while to figure out what was going on, but not bad. I guess you are expected to READ what it tells you at the beginning of the level :) . Graphics are decent. In normal mode, you have to deliver a present you catch from Santa Clause to each house by dropping it down the chimney. In rush mode, you keep catching them, and keep dropping them off, till you get to the end of the level. Your traction differs based on the ground, so you slip and slide more on ice. Very nicely done.

One problem is, you can't switch modes once you have selected it. Pressing start will pause the game, but there is no option to return to the main menu.
3) CrazyXmas

Another game with an excellent looking intro and menu. Though, the Option button just seems to reset the game. Anyway, the graphics are very nice, and the falling snow adds a nice touch to this one. You use the d-pad to move your Santa around the screen, and what Santa is complete without a snow ball throwing machine gun? Using the stylus, you control the direction of your snow balls and use the L or R to fire. Santa puts a hurting on some penguins that come his way. First level is pretty easy. For me, the second level doesn't load properly, and I get a black screen with snow falling.. I can move Santa around, and can tell he is hitting things.. but I can't see any of it.

So, if it was fully playable, it'd be a pretty cool looking game. Don't know if other levels had more enemies.
4) Happy Holi-DS

Now, I probably would have liked this one more if it wasn't for "Break Out Mania" being so nice. This one is your standard break out clone (no power ups) with a bat you control using the stylus and the blocks in the shape of a Christmas Tree. You have to hit the blocks multiple times, changing their color each time till they dissapear. It does have better ball play than Break Out Mania, but the overall fun factor of it doesn't make up for it being just another break out clone.
5) Holiday Holiday Revolution

Nice intro screen. Well, that is till you get the ERROR: Could not enter /hhr/

I'm guessing this one is designed simular to Break Out Mania, where it requires a directory full of data.. Only.. None was provided.

UPDATE: The data is there, just not in the quick test folder. It's in the .tar.gz file. You have to copy the hhr.nds and /hhr/ folder to the root of your CF card. With that done, on to the review.

It launches with a list of songs to pick from on the top screen and a nice graphic on the bottom explaining what to do. After picking your song, it goes into an extremely fast scrolling screen where you have to keep the stylus touching the line coming down. As you touch, it plays the music. If you miss, or move the wrong way, the music stops. Not bad, the colors are hard to see but you can still play. 4% for the first time.. not bad? Anyway, the music reminds me of something you might hear out of a cheap stuffed Christmas toy. Now, after playing a few other songs.. I think it should have skill levels on them as well, cause "Silent Night Holy Night" is WAY easier to play then the first song (Deck the Hall with Boughs).. And I thought I did really well, but I still only got 22%. :( Oh well, at least it saves your %'s. If your into the Konami virtual instrument type games, you will really like this one. Sure, there is a lot of room for improvement in the music area, but this is a Christmas compo and it sounds just like the music you would find in those cheap stuffed toys.. so it's right on target.
6) Jumalauta

Must be a 3D demo? Nothing to really do, just listen to music and watch 2 stars and a Christmas tree that looks like three razor tips of an arrow (bow and arrow that is) stacked on top of each other.. Be carefull, you might cut yourself trying to put the angel on top. :)
7) Santa's Bad Luck

Awesome comic type intro with sound effects! Very nicely done. This is a top down game where you walk Santa around looking for presents. You use the stylus to direct him around and it has sound, but after listening to him walk around for 30 sec. you'll turn it off. He seems to get cought on other objects pretty easily, and walking around a screen looking for stuff didn't seem to be as much fun as it sounds like. So, intro and graphics rock.. gameplay.. not so much.
8) Santa Rush

I'm going to try to be objective in this review (I helped with the graphics and sound).

With that said, I'm going to try not to pick it apart to much. Unfortunatly, it starts with a screen that just shows the name. Now what? Ok, we touch the screen and you get a Santa flying south over houses. The objective is to drop presents onto the houses and as you touch them, Santa tosses out presents. Graphics are ok and gameplay is pretty good. It sounds simple enough, but as you get to some of the higher levels, the speed and layout of the houses can actually be challenging. With a looping sound track, it won't be long before you turn the volume off on this one as well.
9) Snow Ball Fight

I think this game shows what we can expect in the future for homebrew 3D gaming on the DS. This looks to be mainly a demo, but you can see the potential. Graphics are ok, maybe a bit on the blocky side, but you use the d-pad to move around, the stylus for the direction you look, and the L to throw a snowball. There is a snowman moving around the screen that you are trying to hit. If this is a demo, it's awesome and I can't wait to see what else comes out like this. The room is a little small, and the snowmen just pop out wherever, so they can easily hit you when you just killed one. If this is supposed to be a game.. Ouch.
10) Snow Bash

Yet another amazing looking homebrew game. The intro is nice and the menu is extremly nice. Clicking on instructions does a nice pixelated fade and the graphics that go along with the text on both it and the credits screen are very nicely done. And that is just the menus.. The game graphics are just as awesome and well layed out. On the top screen you have a house with rodents climbing and hopping all over it. On the bottom screen you have a pair of mittens, waiting to grab some snow and make a snow ball. Moving the stylus around gathers up snow and makes your snowball bigger.. nice fading of what is under the snow.. you toss the snowball toward the top screen and watch the rodents fly! Awesome! The snow slowly comes back and you keep on doing it. Once you knock them all off, you get another crap load of them all over the house. Even the "Game Over" screen is awesome.. Though, I could do without going through the intro every time I lose.

Now, to make this game the total package, you'd need awesome sound to go along with the awesome graphics.. problem is, there is no sound at all. I also found a bug where snow balls keep shooting out even after I stopped moving the mittens.. but, I did get to see a "Thanks for playing" screen that.. as with the rest of them, looked awesome.

If sound is added to this one, expect a full review.
11) Snow Wars

Another 3D game showing the potential of what is coming. The menus could use some work (just plain text). This one has a target practice type game and a death match. Selecting "Single Player" mode from the menu gives a hint of what might be expected of a future release. Target practice is simple enough and it looks like you are throwing "yellow" snowballs, if you know what I mean.. Death match mode gives you options of difficulty and game play is pretty good.
12) towp (The One Week Project)

Don't know what it is, it wouldn't load on GBA MP.. Ok, it works on a Flash Cart.. so here's the review, I'll add a pic later.

Ok, this one is pretty simple, you have a snowball that you roll across the screen using your stylus, and it gets bigger as it rolls along. Depending on if you choose left or right hand, L or R will make the snowball jump (why not just make either work all the time?). If you sit in one place, it sinks into the ground.. so keep it moving.. Every once in a while, there is a ledge you will need to jump off of to keep going.. Haven't made it to the end yet, so it looks like this is it.
13) Winter Cube

Another 3D Demo.. Don't know how it is Christmas related.. but you get a rubiks cube on the top screen, and an extremely tricky touch screen interface on the bottom. It's neat.. but not much fun.
14) Xmas Breaker

Now, I don't know what this style game is called, but it has a nice fading intro and the overall graphics aren't to bad. It's the standard puzzle game where you try to clear the board by selecting the Christmas tree balls of the same color. The NES sounding music will have you turning the volume off, but it's fun to play, and that is what really matters.
15) Xmas DS

Interesting game. New concept that I haven't seen before.. Graphics are ok, you have a Christmas tree on the bottom screen with 5 colored balls on it. Each ball you touch moves Santa (on the top screen) to that row. You try to pick up packages while elves come across from both sides on each row and pop in the middle. The sounds on this one will have you turning the volume off as well.

Overall, the quality of games submit to this comp are pretty high! The judges have their work cut out of them, that is for sure. I guess it takes more then a week to put together a game to complete these days.

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