Should You Switch to the Nintendo DSi?

DS Lite or DSi? GameShark.com helps you decide

Written by: Brandon "NOA 'til I Die" Cackowski-Schnell

On Sunday, April 5th, Nintendo released the DSi, the company's latest edition of the little console that could. With the staggering success of the DS Lite (roughly 100 million units sold worldwide) one would think that Nintendo would just sit back and watch the money come in, but as Nintendo sees it, the DS Lite has reached a saturation point. Once a household owns a DS, there's very little incentive to buy another one, rather than just share the existing one. Enter the DSi. With its ability to download games and its two digital cameras, Nintendo is hoping that folks will want their own DSi so that they can personalize them to their heart's content. Only then will Nintendo's grip on our lives be complete as we usher in a new age of Nintendomination.

Unlike the obvious system improvements that came with the transition from the original DS to the DS Lite, the upgrade from DS Lite to DSi isn't an automatic "yes". If the transition from DS to DS Lite was like going from VHS to DVD, upgrading from the DS Lite to the DSi is like going from DVD to Blu-Ray. There's a visual improvement and a host of new features but for many people that’s not enough to justify the additional cost. With that, let's get into the guts of the matter.

Inside the Sounds of House of the Dead Overkill

We chat with Pit Stop Studios' John Sanderson about House of the Dead Overkill's sound design, real life pimps, and soggy bananas. Yeah, you'll just have to read it.

Interview by: Danielle Riendeau

If you're one of the many satisfied customers who had the R-rated pleasure of playing through the recent The House of the Dead: Overkill on the Wii, then you're intimately familiar with the work of John Sanderson, owner of boutique UK sound/music house Pit Stop Studios. Sanderson's team at Pit Stop produced the entire soundtrack for the title, including everything from the F-bomb-laden voice work to the intense sound effects to the delightfully funky music that gave the game its Grindhouse feel.

As a huge fan of the game and its gleeful disregard for all things politically correct, I was thrilled to be able to speak with John about its creation. Irreverent and funny as the game itself, he was able to clue me in on everything from the shocker ending to the casting process (fun fact: a real life pimp auditioned for the role of Isaiah Washington) to the specifics of how to get an authentic zombie growl. One word of caution, however - there are a few meaty spoilers in the answers ahead. If you haven't experienced the game yet, I suggest you get your taste of Agent G and Detective Washington before you read on.

Virtual Groin Pull Vol I: Taking a Page from Fallout 3

How a design element from Fallout 3 could make for a great football game innovation.

Written by: William Abner

Football games, if you believe the sales numbers, don't need saving. By football games of course I mean EA's Madden franchise and to a lesser extent its little brother: NCAA Football. But for people like me, people who love the numbers of the game as much as the action, there remains a missing element to today's next-gen football games.

I grew up when home videogame systems were first introduced to the public. The sports games were crude and realism, if you wanted to control the action, wasn’t part of the equation. When I was a kid, thanks to my father, I turned to board games like the Statis-Pro series to simulate real NFL, NBA, and MLB games, and what stood out most were the numbers.

Cracked LCD 9.7: Five Great Boardgame Expansions

This week Michael lays out five must have expansions.

Written by: Michael Barnes

I like expansions. I'm the kind of person who plays with every available expansion for a game, so CARCASSONNE and ARKHAM HORROR are now two-table affairs for me. I think good expansions can extend the lifecycle of a game tremendously while introducing new concepts and mechanics into established systems.

Sometimes it doesn't work out-expansions like the absolutely awful YAKUZA expansion for CA$H AND GUN$ can wind up mucking up what was a perfectly great game or the superfluous SPICE HARVEST and DUEL add-ons for DUNE that only serve to indicate how perfect the base game was on its own. And then there's the inevitability of the DOMINION expansions, which I predict will mostly be new cards with different abilities and very little actual renovation or extension of the game's best ideas. Oh, and let's not forget garbage expansions like everything ever released for BATTLELORE, where the idea is to string the purchaser along with teaser material and promises of better things to come that never materialize.

Madworld Walkthrough

Kill your way to the #1 ranking with GameShark.com's MadWorld guide.

Guide Written by: Brandon "Death Press" Cackowski-Schnell

Welcome to Varrigan City, home to countless visual wonders and an eager and friendly population hell bent on killing you. Take some time to enjoy our public transportation system, or spend some time in Asian Town. Maybe tour a medieval castle before visiting our top secret military base and our fun as heck Casino Land. There's plenty to do in Varrigan City as long as what you want to do is brutalize people with your bare hands, and maybe your chainsaw. GameShark.com is here to help you navigate Jack to the top of the DeathWatch rankings. In this guide you'll get the lay of all of the lands as well as boss strategies and tips for getting you on your merry way with a minimum of repetition.

Fallout 3: The Pitt Walkthrough and Achievement Guide

GameShark.com helps you navigate the wilds of Pittsburgh.

Guide Written by: Brandon "Trog Fledgling" Cackowski-Schnell

Welcome to the Pitt, which may or may not be Pittsburgh. Ok, so it's totally Pittsburgh. Here you can experience all of the joys of the Steel City as you're thrust into the topsy turvy world of slavers, slaving and being a slave.

So, how is the DLC? Well, unlike the linear experience that Operation Anchorage was, the Pitt is more of a traditional Fallout 3 experience. There are quests to undertake, choices to make and even a full fledge collection quest. Oh boy. Love collection quests. Those that bristled at the hand-holding in Anchorage will feel more at home here in Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, this freedom comes at a cost, namely that the gear obtained at the end of Anchorage is better than the gear you'll find here. Oh sure, the Auto Axe is a hoot, I mean, who doesn't like bearing down on someone with spinning blades of death, but they degrade fairly quickly and as they're only found in the Pitt, repairing them yourself can be tough. The other new weapon is the Infiltrator, a scoped, suppressed assault rifle. As guns go, it ain't bad, but damage wise, it does less than a well maintained assault rifle. There's some power armor to be had, but there was power armor at the end of Anchorage too, and none of the weapons available can hold a candle to the Gauss Rifle.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine Preview

Is this the rare movie tie in game that is actually... worth playing?

Preview by: Tracy Erickson

Let's cut right to it: Most games tied to a movie release are quick knock offs which are rarely worth your time and money. X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the slash-tastic action game touting our loveable cigar-smoking superhero, has been in development for two long years with the goal of cementing itself as an exception to the rule.

Resident Evil 5 Versus Review

The master of stop-n-shoot multiplayer

Review by: Brian Rowe

By now you have probably run across at least one or two rants heralding the injustices of Resident Evil 5's new downloadable content, Versus, for not coming prepackaged with your store-bought purchase. I'll admit paying $5 for a 1.8MB download on the Xbox 360 or a scant 351KB on PS3 feels suspiciously like nickel-and-diming. Still, if you’re among the throngs with a Mercenaries addiction, Versus is practically mandatory.

Henry Hatsworth and the Puzzling Adventure

A good show of a game!

Review by: Toni Dimayuga

There are times when you feel like playing an old-fashioned platform game. There are also times when you feel like firing up a "match 3" puzzle game. Wouldn't it be great if you can play both at the same time, like having tea and crumpets? Well, now you can with Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure.

Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena Review

If you have never visited Butcher Bay--now's your chance.

Review by: Brandon "Eye Shine" Cackowski-Schnell

Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena is a tough game to grade. The game is comprised of two parts: Escape from Butcher Bay which is outstanding, even if it's just a visually upgraded version of an older game and the second, brand new part, Assault on Dark Athena which is merely decent. There's also a multiplayer component comprised of six different modes, none of which seem to have a healthy enough contingent of players to make a night out of it.

Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor Review

Though lacking in quantity, the new content in Tales of Valor tries to make up for it in quality.

Review by: Tony Mitera

Tales of Valor is the newest expansion for the highly regarded World War II RTS Company of Heroes and brings new units, maps, and features to the table. However, while the quality of the content is just as high, the expansion does have a noticeably lesser amount of it than the previous expansion. Simply put, players looking for more deep and involved campaigns won't find any new material this time around.

Elven Legacy Review

Generic turn based strategy is still better than no turn based strategy

Review by: William Abner

Elven Legacy is a sequel, of sorts, to 1C's underappreciated Fantasy Wars, and like it and its predecessor's shockingly bland names, the game is vanilla in its design and certain aspects are ridiculously bad... but it still has a surprising addictive quality that begs you to play one more turn or one more mission and proves that this type of game still has the ability to scratch the turn based tactical itch.

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars Review

Liberty City in the palm of your hand.

Review by: Brandon "Golden Binoculars" Cackowski-Schnell

Chan,

Greetings from Liberty City! Much has happened since I left for this godforsaken place, so I was glad to get your letter so that I could bring you up to speed. As you may have heard, I came here to deliver my late father's sacred sword to my Uncle Kenny so that the Triads remained in control of Liberty City, but what you may not have heard is that upon landing I was jumped, shot, dumped in the river and left to drown. Oh, and the sword was stolen too. Ever since then, I've been working for the biggest cast of degenerates, lowlifes, masochists, egomaniacs, dirty cops and slovenly detectives than you could ever imagine.

I am also having the time of my life.

BattleForge Review

Frayed cards? Not a problem.

Review by: Brian Rowe

While a collectible card game (CCG) blended with real-time strategy sounds like prime fodder for an afternoon cartoon, perhaps starring a spiky-haired kid learning lessons of friendship, BattleForge has aspirations beyond siphoning your lunch money. It's a fantasy battle of swords and sorcery with the careful foresight of Magic: The Gathering, the swift action of Starcraft, and a touch of MMO persistence. As you might imagine, mashing so many playmates together for the first time is bound to cause a little friction.

New Play Control! Pikmin Review

Still unique after eight years.

Review by: Danielle Riendeau

Since so many of the better games on the Wii are remakes or re-issues (Resident Evil 4, Okami) or re-imaginings (Mario Kart Wii), or even just old (the entire Virtual Console library); it makes perfect sense that Nintendo has decided to trot out a selection of its very best last-generation games, retrofitted them with swanky new motion controls and thrown them up on store shelves for a discounted $30. Thankfully, Pikmin on Wii excels despite the bare-bones port treatment, since the core game is just as solid and fresh as it was in its Gamecube heyday, and the new controls are exceptionally well implemented.

The Godfather II Review

An offer you can't refuse? Close, but not quite.

Review by: Brian Rowe

In this reimagining of Coppola's seminal film, New York, Florida, and Cuba are brimming with lucrative businesses, and everyone wants a piece of the action. As a new Don in the Corleone family, it's your job to "persuade" the owners to buy your protective services instead of the other three families. Of course, the sales pitches require a little brawn and perhaps a glance through the barrel of a .357, and after the transaction, a solid crew of trustworthy soldiers to protect your assets. With perseverance, you'll be swimming in cash and on your way to wiping out your rivals for good. Just remember that a vast empire doesn't necessarily make you untouchable. Sometimes, it only makes you a bigger target.

WWE Legends of Wrestlemania Review

Ohhh yeah!!!! Wait, where's the Macho Man!?

Review by: Brendon Lindsey

Until Fire Pro Wrestling Returns came out on the PS2 (and I downloaded a few rosters), it had been years before I truly cared about a wrestling game. Having stopped watching sometime between the end of the Attitude era and the start of the WWF/WCW merger, the new(er) games just never appealed to me; I wanted classics! Macho Man, The Rock, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, Roddy Piper. Then, I heard about WWE Legends of Wrestlemania, and, while I still have a hard time remembering to call it "WWE", it seemed like I finally had that return to the days of old for which I had been yearning.

New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis

Still has that swing.

Review by: Danielle Riendeau

There's something wonderfully chaotic about all of the Mario Sports titles – ever since Mario and the entirety of the Mushroom Kingdom (along with everyone in the Donkey Kong universe) first grabbed golf clubs and tennis racquets and crashed the courts and courses of the Nintendo 64 country club, nothing has ever been the same. While Mario and company have now conquered everything from golf to baseball to basketball to soccer to track and field, the gang’s efforts have always been best realized in the deceptively complex game of tennis.

Men of War Review

The team behind Soldiers: Heroes of WW2 and Faces of War brings us yet another World War 2 strategy game with a boring name but with great gameplay.

Review by: Dave VanDyk

As satisfying as it is to play a solid, high-budget strategy game that takes itself seriously and offers gratuitous amounts of carefully-balanced combat (such as Company of Heroes or World in Conflict), sometimes you want to forsake some of that in the name of just having stupid amounts of fun. Men of War is one such game that wholeheartedly embraces this mentality through the use of hilarious, over-the-top voice acting, a unique control system that lets you play it as either a strategy or action game, the implementation of "asshole physics" that permit you to pull off all sorts of crazy hijinks using any vehicle at your disposal, and brilliant co-operative gameplay.

X-Blades Review

Smells Like Teen... something

Review by: Toni Dimayuga

If Paris Hilton were to suddenly change her name to Ayumi, give up her club-hopping lifestyle to travel the world searching for ancient artifacts, and somehow learn magic, guns, and swordsmanship, she could star as the protagonist of X-Blades.

Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. Review

Ace Combat 6 comes out under the clever guise of a Tom Clancy game.

Review by: Dave VanDyk

Having just spent the last couple of days immersed in Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. (both in single player, and in a LAN capacity), I have to say that I'm genuinely amazed at the fact that Ubisoft could market and publish a game that looks, feels, and even plays so incredibly similar to Ace Combat 6 without getting sued.

Grand Ages: Rome Review

Haven't we been here before?

Review by: Troy S. Goodfellow

Let's be honest. Most of us are tired of Roman city builders. Has any other historical setting been so ground into the dust in any other genre? There's the four part Caesar series, CivCity Rome, and now the third city builder from Haemimont Studios. It's a cautious update of their formula, but for some reason it sticks this time. If you would rather never build an insula again, there is not a lot that Grand Ages: Rome can do to convince you. If, however, you still want to be a desktop Caesar, this is Haemimont's best effort yet.

Ready 2 Rumble Revolution Review

Make your way from the backstreet gym to the hospital

Review by: Meghan Watt

With a few entertaining additions and a new cast of cartoony celeb look-alikes, Ready 2 Rumble Revolution should have been able to return to the ring as a reigning champ. But amidst the new boxing modes, character creation and other welcome add-ons, the developer forgot one key element: playability.

Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard Review

Hazardous Waste.

Review by: Danielle Riendeau

Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard is officially my pick for "could' a, should' a, would' a" game of the year – at least, so far. The title has a fantastic premise – it's an over-the-top satire of videogames (and to an extent, Hollywood) that takes shots at every genre, it breaks the fourth wall in making fun of itself, and it features the impressive talents of actors Neil Patrick Harris and Will Arnett. Unfortunately, the gameplay drags it all down.

GameShark Store Promotions

Free FedEx Ground Shipping on MLB Accessories

Coupon Code: MLB
Expires: 5/15/09

Play ball! Major League gaming accessories are now available for your favorite team, and for a limited time purchase your favorite team gear and receive free shipping! Choose from our wide assortment of faceplates, controllers, showcases, and more; get your MLB gaming gear while this offer lasts!

Question:

Will I be able to purchase the Arcade FightStick or Tournament Edition FightStick from a retailer?

Answer:

Mad Catz continues to produce both Arcade and Tournament Edition FightSticks. We expect more inventories throughout the month of May 2009. It is not necessary to go and pay auction/ebay prices for these products. Speak with your local retailer or watch GameStop, Amazon, Best Buy, and Game Crazy (Hollywood Video) web sites for availability.

Question:

My "FightPad" is not being recognized by the PS3 console. What should I do?

Answer:

Make sure that you have a new set of batteries and they have been inserted properly. Also, ensure the USB receiver is placed firmly into the controller port on the PS3 console and is emitting a solid Red light. If there is no light visible, make sure the USB receiver is plugged in all the way. If you are unable to get the FightPad to connect, please contact Mad Catz at techsupport@madcatz.com for further assistance.

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