When Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies came out a few weekends ago, everyone in my household played their respective copies non-stop for the first two days. Everything was going great at first, but then I started to get a horrible headache.

I started to notice that my hands were killing me. I realized that I was squinting the entire time I was playing, and the small size of the console was increasingly uncomfortable in my hands.

It was time to give in, admit that I am an old man, and grab a Nintendo DSi XL.

I’ve had the DSi XL for about a week now. I have noticed the soreness in my hands has started to go back to its normal levels caused by working a day job of web development.

I have pretty bad eyesight, and the advertised “93% Larger Screen!” was one of the things that intrigued me about the system in the first place. The resolution is obviously the same as the regular DS and DSi, so the images are just being stretched to the larger screen size. Because of this, it can sometimes make things, particularly text, look a little blurry. The only time it is really noticeable is on the DSi’s standard welcome screen where there is a lot of white. I never noticed it during gameplay.

I tried out Dragon Quest IX first, since it was the game that motivated me to buy the console. The use of 3D within the game already has some jaggies, and they were even more apparent on the larger screen. The game by no means looks bad. It’s probably the best use of 3D graphics on the DS so far.

Next I put in New Super Mario Bros., and was pleasantly surprised to see that its graphics look just as smooth as when I played it on my DS. The larger screen had no ill-effect on that games aesthetics. Finally, I tried Contra 4. The sprite work looks fantastic on the larger screen.

The buttons on the XL are the same size and just as responsive as on its smaller counterparts, but having them spaced apart was much more comfortable for me, especially in the high level of action that Contra provided. Also, I could finally see those damn bullets!

The buttons feel a lot more clicky than on my DS Lite. This is nice, as I am a big fan of having tactile feedback in my games (suck it, Apple’s hatred of real buttons). They are easy to press down, so finger fatigue has not been an issue either.

The DSi XL cameras are still about as good as your standard cell phone. So, not great. The best use of the DSi cameras so far has been Photo Dojo, which you should go buy if you have any version of the DSi.

The DSi XL comes pre-loaded with a few pieces of software. The webbrowser (which is still the terrible Opera browser), a clock, and a couple of brain training games. These are Brain Age Express: Math and Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters. Just like their retail counterparts, they are more of little math and word puzzles designed to get your brain working more than they are standard games. This goes along with the fact that the XL line was designed for older gamers. It is also the reason they come in Burgundy and Bronze (aka poop brown). Sure, there is a young hip blue color, but that defeats the purpose.

All in all, the DSi XL is a solid device. It is likely a little too large for younger players, but if you are like me and are getting into your thirties, you might want to consider it over it’s smaller counterparts.

THE UNBOXENING!! Photos:

Compared to the standard DSi

I know what you’re thinking. “Where’s the Friday Old Games review for this week?” Well, gentle reader, I’ll tell you. In an attempt to promote the new jetpack-infused third-person-shooter, Dark Void, Capcom forged an imaginary story of an abandoned NES game named Dark Rift. The game has now been “revived” and released as Dark Void Zero. While it’s not really an “old game”, let’s just pretend the story is true.

Dark Void Zero, as the title suggests, takes place before its HD counterpart. You control Rusty, the first human born in “the void”. With the help and guidance of Nikola Tesla, you must find and destroy Portal X; the only stable portal leading the evil aliens known as “The Watchers” to Earth. The story is told in a combination of 8bit still frames before each level as well as occasional in-game dialogue boxes from Tesla.

The graphics and audio are all made to feel like an NES game and work quite well. The music especially is a high point. The songs take themes present in Dark Void and rearrange them into something that sounds like it came straight out of a Mega Man game.

"The limited pallets and low pixel count look very authentic."

While this 2D platformer only has three levels, each one is quite large and open. Rather than putting you at one end and telling you to get to the other, the levels generally spawn you somewhere in the middle and contain many paths. Certain paths will be blocked off by locked doors. You’ll need to search for keycards to progress to the next area.

One of the games most interesting features is the jetpack. You will not start with it, but can pick it up in certain areas. Once you have it, you will keep it unless you pass through a field that destroys it. There are quite a few areas where you must pass through such a field. This allows the game to force traditional platforming sections on you occasionally.

The jetpack can be used in two different ways. By holding down the jump button, you can rocket upward very fast. For a more controlled approach, you can put it into hover mode by double tapping the jump button. This will allow you to move in all directions with the d-pad or hover in place. Caution is key, though, as controlling in hover mode can be a bit floaty.

"Temporary powerups like shields help spice up the gameplay."

The game features a variety of weapons and powerups. You’ll start with a machine gun, but as you progress you will find slower, explosive weapons, a laser, and more (though you can only carry one at a time). One of these weapons actually doubles as a tool for destroying certain walls, granting you access to new areas. Some of these areas are mandatory while others are filled with items to increase your score. With the exception of some of the later weapons, I preferred the default machine gun for its range and rate of fire.

There are a few powerups you can get that will double your firing speed, spread your attacks in three directions, or surround you in a shield, but these are only temporary and will wear off with time. Each level also contains a number of optional items to collect to increase your score. The first level for example, has several journals scattered throughout it. But unlike Dark Void, Zero‘s journals can’t be read once obtained.

What I found most annoying about Dark Void Zero is that Rusty aims down while ducking. Because of this, you have to stand back up to fire horizontally. This results in some trickier dodging as you pop up in between enemy bullets to get a shot in. Perhaps I wouldn’t have minded this if other NES titles like Contra hadn’t already trained me otherwise.

"Collecting orbs and other optional items will improve your score."

Quite possibly the biggest disappointment though is that the boss at the end of each stage is the same save for an additional feature. You will fight a Dr. Wily-esque pod with a watcher inside. The whole battle will be played in hover mode as you avoid bullets and wait for it to reveal its weak point for you to shoot. The first time I fought it, I felt it was adequate, but by the second and third time it had become repetitive and I was sad to see the lost opportunity of having three unique bosses. There are slight differences between the encounters, but they are very negligible.

Overall, Dark Void Zero is an enjoyable nod to retro gaming and I feel like I got my five dollars worth. Any higher of a price-point would make it a tough recommendation. Thankfully, the three difficulty modes and high score list will give you a reason to play it more than once. It would have been nice to see a lengthier game, but what’s there is charming and fun.

"Please leave your dignity at the front counter"

I’m not normally the type to buy accessory kits, but there are few things I “geek out” about as much as Mega Man. Originally, I was trying to win this kit (among other things) in a contest the nice folks at The Mega Man Network were throwing, but I didn’t end up placing. After a short, internal debate, I decided to go ahead and buy the kit.

The kit comes in both DSi and DS Lite variations and retails for $19.99. I picked up the DSi version since that’s what I’m using these days. The price seems a bit steep, but the package contains some legitimately useful things aside from unleashing your inner ten-year-old’s desire to trick out your DS.

One of the justifications for the price of the kit is that it comes with a 1GB SD card. You can get SD Cards pretty cheap online these days, though, so if that’s the only reason you’re interested, you’re better off looking elsewhere.

The protective casing is made of clear plastic and is thick enough to be quite durable without hindering the system’s ability to fit in my pocket. There are holes and flaps in all the needed sections so there is no access blocked to any of the DSi’s features. It definitely added weight to the system, but it still feels comfortable to hold. At first, I was a bit worried because my fingers were forced to be slightly further back to use the L and R buttons due to the added thickness of the casing on the top of the system. Thankfully, my worries were put to rest as I put in the most L/R button intensive DS game I know, Mega Man ZX, and found the controls to still feel quite comfortable.

"Put an outline on each insert? What? Do you think we're MADE of outlines?!"

I found it a bit strange that the lineart of the drawing is on the case itself while the colors are on the insert you select. Lining the insert up with the outline on the case proved to be a more difficult task than I had anticipated.

"This was my best effort in lining up the outline with the insert"

Though I decided to go with the insert that showcased the version of the game I purchased, the kit actually comes with six total. The cards themselves are very thin, but once they are in place behind the plastic, there is really nothing to worry about. Each of the inserts have a hole for the DSi camera and in my testing I failed to see any obstructions when trying to take a photo.

"Will you choose blatent flashyness or subtle colored patterns?"

The feature that really took me by surprise is the ability to store three DS cartridges and two SD cards under a locking flap in the back of the system. It adds more thickness to the bottom of the system, but for such a useful feature I think the sacrifice is worth it.

"Quite possibly my favorite feature"

If you feel compelled to have more than four games and 3 SD cards (including the ones in the system slots) on your person, the kit also comes with three plastic cases that can each hold a single game cartridge and SD card simultaneously. Personally, I probably will never use these as the only time I would ever want that many games on me at once would be when I would be using a much better game case already. Regardless, it’s a nice addition to the package.

"Never leave the house without 7 games and 6 SD cards!"

One of the “eye catchers” for me was the 8bit Mega Man attached to the wrist strap that functions as a screen cleaner. The Capcom logo is printed on the wrist strap so you can show off your fandom and the cleaner seems to work just fine.

"So majestic"

Finally, we have a light blue stylus. I couldn’t find any difference between the standard DSi stylus and the one contained in the kit aside from the color and the fact that the blue stylus didn’t have Nintendo’s logo engraved onto it.

"If you can find a difference between the 2 besides the color and logo, you get a cookie!"

Overall, I’m satisfied with kit. Having a convenient way to clean my often smudgy screen while being able to easily store a few games and SD cards on me feels legitimately useful. Though I’d rather see it priced somewhere around $15 (remember the 1GB SD card!), the $19.99 list price really isn’t all that bad and honestly, I expected it to be higher. You can check out the full gallery here. Now it’s time to boot up the game. So long, suckers!

"And this time... it's personal"

In an unusual turn of events, Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again released on DSiWare a mere week after it was announced at E3. Wanting to take advantage of the DSi’s ability to store small games on its internal flash memory, I gladly picked it up, finally using the last of the free “Nintendo fun bucks” I was awarded with my system purchase.

If you played the original “March of the Minis”, the sequel will feel very familiar. The game has the same “Lemmings” style of gameplay that was present in the first.

With each level, you will have one goal: Get all the mini Marios to the exit in one piece while trying to collect as many items along the way as possible. If any of the minis die, it’s game over for you! To get the minis to their destination, you will have to manipulate the environment around them in order to guide them along the right paths. This can get tricky due to the fact that all the minis must pass through the exit within the same small time frame. Once one mini passes through, a clock will appear. If the rest of the minis aren’t close behind, the door will close and you’ll have to start all over.

Each level has a variety of objects and enemies for you to manipulate and avoid respectively. The one object that is present in every single level is pink blocks. Every level has a maximum number of pink blocks that you can create at one time. You can only create them where there are grids of pink outlines. Using these blocks, you can create bridges, stairs, or even walls to make minis turn around or keep enemies at bay.

There are plenty of other objects throughout the game and the farther you progress, the more frequent and complex the objects and their uses will become. Each level will rate you based on how long you took to complete the level and how many items you were able to collect along the way. Often collecting all the items in the more complex levels requires a completely different strategy than just getting the minis to the exit.

At the end of each world, you will fight Donkey Kong. These battles consist of aiming a cannon around and firing minis either at DK directly, or at other targets that will then fall on and damage him. At the same time, you will have to make sure that no harmful objects smash into your cannon while also taking care not to fire a mini into a the danger zone as well. This is a lot easier than it sounds. In fact, the only boss battle I had to retry more than once was the very last one.

The main game consists of 64 standard levels, 8 boss battles, and 8 special stages that are unlocked by collecting all the items in the regular stages. What really extends this game’s value, though, is the level editor. With each world you complete in the main game, you will unlock more tools for the level editor. You can then share you levels online with both friends and complete strangers alike. Even if you aren’t the creative type, this is a great addition because of the opportunity to hop online and take advantage of everyone else’s creativity.

If that wasn’t enough levels for you, there is even a section online for new Nintendo created levels. The first week of the game’s release, there were four extra levels for download in the official Nintendo section. The second week, there were four new ones on top of that. All these additional levels are free of charge. How long Nintendo will continue to release new official levels is anyone’s guess.

This game is very well suited for the DSiWare platform. It’s easy to jump into and attempting to solve a level usually doesn’t take very long (regardless of whether you fail or succeed). It’s a great game to have on the go without taking up your cartridge slot. On top of that, for only eight “Nintendo fun bucks” you get a hefty amount of pre-made levels, an endless supply of user created levels, and the tools to build your own. I feel the game was well worth the small price I paid for it and if this is any indication of the type of support DSiWare will have, I think the platform has a bright future.

Click to see the gallery!

UPDATE: I found that pictures moved onto an SD card can be found in the “DCIM/100NIN02″ folder. I didn’t see them because I was looking in the “private/ds” folder. They are jpegs and are 640 x 480 at 72 pixels per inch.

The Nintendo DSi actually released while I was at Emerald City ComiCon. I was, however, able to pick mine up on Monday.

This is my fourth DS. I had a fat DS, then upgraded to a Lite. Eventually, the sound gave out and I got another Lite. The second Lite’s L button started to go out on me. I used that as an excuse to purchase this Nintendo DSi. Was it worth it?

Read on!

The DSi has a completely new operating system. From my experience so far, it’s much more solid. Gone are the days when changing a system setting or trying to leave pictochat would force a shutdown of the system. Now, you can simply go back to the menu screen like you should have been able to in the first place. There is also a soft reset executed with a tap of the power button. Firmware updates are now a possibility, meaning the system can evolve and expand new features.

Speaking of features, let’s talk about the DSi camera. First off, it is 0.3 megapixels. What does that mean? It means it takes tiny pictures by today’s standards. What people don’t seem to realize is that instead of complaining about how many megapixels the camera has, they SHOULD complain about how there doesn’t seem to be any way to actually retrieve these pictures for use on your computer (if you find a way, let me know!). You can, however, transfer them to the Wii Photo Channel.

I think the real purpose of this camera is for goofing off. There are a lot of different photo manipulation options for screwing around. None of them are in depth or serious in any way. The distortion lens is the most obvious choice for making abominations as seen below:

"With great power comes great responsibility"

Next up, we have the sound program. There is a voice recorder. You can use this to screw around with recordings. It allows you to alter the time and pitch independently. This means you can make the recording both slower and higher pitched at the same time. There are also a few effects you can throw on there if you’re feeling especially bored. I would like to have tried out the options for music, but I’m afraid I don’t have anything in AAC format. That’s right! No support for mp3. This is my biggest disappointment with the DSi.

When I visited the DSi Shop, I was awarded with ten buckaroos (aka space bucks) worth of points. I spent five of them buying “WarioWare Snapped!” which I will get into a bit later. Fortunately, the progress bar during downloads is much more readable than on the Wii. Various Mario characters throw blue stuff into a box. The more blue stuff is in the box, the more downloaded it is. Luckily, it is really just a progress bar that fills vertically instead of horizontally. Unlike the Wii, there is more than 3 spots on the progress bar.

While I was shopping, I grabbed the web browser which you can download for free. The browser seems to work fine. My wireless is a bit on the slow side, so the process required a bit of patience. Navigation seemed easy and intuitive enough. There was, however, no support for flash.

There is 256 megs of internal flash memory as well as a slot on the side for SD cards. I’m not sure what use I have for the SD card slot at this point since the photos I copied to it I can’t seem to get on my computer, and I don’t use AAC format for music. I suppose if DSiWare takes off, then I will be using it for that. Perhaps DSi enhanced games will use it for storing large things. I could see a racing game, for example, using the SD card to save replays as a DSi only feature.

It’s time to get physical! All the buttons on the DSi feel tighter than the Lite. Everything is so clicky! I think one of my favorite improvements are the L and R buttons. They are raised more and feel much tighter (less squishy) than the Lite’s. Considering that my last Lite’s L button gave out on me, this makes me feel a little more secure. As most people know, the GBA slot is gone forever. There is promise, though, of downloadable GB and GBA titles. The power adapter is changed. You cannot use a DS Lite charger on a DSi. Why? I have no idea.

The screens are slightly larger and can be set to be even brighter than the DS Lite. The outside is a matte black instead of shiny. Personally, I think this looks much sexier and is less prone to finger prints.

My first gaming attempt with the DSi was “WarioWare Snapped!”. This game works by setting the DSi on a flat surface with the internal camera pointed at your face. Then, after a camera calibration, you use your face and hands as the controller. What I didn’t realize is that after you finish doing all the micro games, it shows you what the camera saw. This completely reveals what a total ass you just made of yourself:

I have yet to try the multiplayer mode, which apparently involves 2 people simultaneously losing their dignity on the same camera. Though the game provides some hilarity for its five dollar price tag, there are a couple problems.

The first is the camera calibration. Everything seemed to work fine the first few times I played it, but later it started telling me my skin was too similar in color to the wall behind me, even when it seemed like it should be fine. The other problem is that there are only 4 quick courses to play. I suppose I can’t expect much for 5 dollars. Still, it’s a nice way to humiliate yourself if you’re running out of ways to do that.

All in all, I don’t regret the purchase of my DSi. Most of the things I like about it, however, are the little things. I’m more impressed by the L and R buttons than I am with the camera, for example. Whether or not it is worth buying is hard to say. I think there is a lot of new potential with the announcement of DSi only and DSi enhanced cartridges using the system’s increased processing power. And if DSiWare takes off with interesting products, things could get interesting. Right now, though, most people probably have little reason to go out and buy one.