Nintendo Okie

Howdy Howdy everyone.  This is our first look at the Top 10 games of the year.  We’re starting off the week looking at DSiWare titles and since only one member of the staff has a DSi we’re going to instead look at the Top 10 games we might like to have if we owned the system.  These titles may not be the best games of the year, but they’re the ones we’re most interested in. 

Bird & Beans

This was actually a micro game that was originally featured in WarioWare, Inc! Mega MicroGames for the GBA.  If featured falling block style game play where you, as the bird Pyoro had to catch falling beans by flinging your tongue at them.  If one of the beans hit the floor it destroyed a small section of it causing the game play area to be smaller.  It’s an interesting twist on the falling block style game and is one of the best games that was released at the launch of the system.  

Art Style: Aquia

The Art Style games are interesting in that they’re usually very complex games built around very simple mechanics.  There is not a lot of action to them and Aquia looks like a great example of the games on DSiWare.  You’re essentially creating a path for a diver to follow as he goes deeper and deeper. You do this by creating rows of three or more blocks.  New blocks come in from the left side of the screen and as you place them they push blocks out of the right side that can be used to create new rows.  You have to keep an eye on your diver’s air supply and refill it often by creating new rows.  There are two different modes in the game.  One is Timed Dive and the other Free Dive.  Timed Dive gives you a set amount of time and features set levels.  Free Dive is an endless mode where you dive as deep as you can before running out of air.

Rayman

This game is a revisit of the original Playstation title of the same name.  This side scrolling platformer features a number of new functions that are unique to the DSi such as camera integration, touch screen controls on the map and time challenges.  Rayman features solid platforming through six different worlds and a number of different powers available to the hero throughout the game. 

Mighty Flip Champs

This is a puzzle platformer by WayForward Technologies, who were also behind the remake of a boy and his blob for Wii this year and Shantae for the GBA.  The game features a character known as Alta, whom you control through platforming areas of the game.  It uses a combination of areas on the top screen and the touch screen to create unique worlds that you have to navigate through by flipping the areas around.  This is a game that’s been featured on a number of must have lists this year.

Mario Vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again

This was one of the game’s featured for DSiWare during E3 of 2009.  It was announced during the conference that it would be available a few days later on June 8^th.  It is the third game in the Mario Vs. Donkey Kong series of puzzle games.  It’s similar to Lemmings in that you control a number of characters who just walk until they run into something and turn around.  You have to guide them through the levels by creating platforms, removing obstacles and avoiding Donkey Kong and rescue Pauline.  The game featured 100 levels at its release, but with the ability to create new levels and share them with friends meant you had a near endless amount of replayability.

Flipnote Studio

This is the first title that’s not a true game.  It’s more of an application for DSiWare that allowed you to create custom animations and cartoons.  The editor is very fully featured and a number of studios and individuals have released their own unique animations through the Hatena website.  This website allows you to upload your creations as well as download the creations of others.  Anyone looking to do simple animations was able to realize that dream with this software.  The editor allowed you to view the previous panels and would bring over the drawing from those panels allowing you to edit them for a near seamless experience. 

Art Style: Pictobits

This was probably the one Art Style game that people enjoyed more than any on DSiWare this year.  The game featured game play similar to Tetris in that you were controlling falling blocks.  Removing blocks from play on the bottom screen moved those block to the top which would fill in pieces of an 8-bit style pixel drawing. 

Dr. Mario Express

Dr. Mario has been released on a number of different platforms over the years.  It seems only fitting that it hit Nintendo’s portable shop as well.  Dr. Mario has been one of the best falling “block” style puzzle games for a number of years where you are trying to clear a play area of viruses by matching them up with similar colored pills.  As you progress more viruses enter the playfield and the game speeds up.  It’s a great test of reflexes and concentration. 

Mixed Messages

Mixed Messages is more or less a digital form of the game Telephone.  In the game one person creates a funny word or phrase and passes the DS to the next player.  That player then attempts to draw the phrase that they are given and they pass the DS to the next person who writes a description of the picture they see.  Play alternates back and forth like that until all the players have had a turn.  At the end they see how close they were to the original phrase and hilarity ensues.  It’s one of those great games to have out at a party where you have a lot of people because the messages can get pretty interesting. 

Bookworm

This is PopCap’s first outing on DSiWare and they picked a good one.  This is a word forming game where you attempt to create words by stringing letters together.  Those letters have to be touching each other to be used and there are a number of different tiles that can be used for points bonuses or even an abrupt end to the game.  There are a number of different strategies to the game and it will test your vocabulary skills as you attempt to use different words in order to better your score. 

Bejeweled Twist 

Bejeweled was the match three game that started the craze.  In the game you’re attempting to move jewels around a playfield in order to match them with two or more like jewels.  Moves can only be vertical or horizontal and can only be made if it will result in a match.  There is a huge amount of strategy to the game and veterans will be able to see combos long before they’re actually made.  The better your ability to see these combos the better your score will be. 

So there you have it folks.  That’s our look at the Top 10 games on DSiWare that came out in 2009 that we’d like to play.  Tomorrow we’ll be taking a look at WiiWare and the games that stood out above the rest.  We’ll have commentary from a number of the writers on the staff and I look forward to the discussions this might bring about.  If you have any comments on this list we have here feel free to leave us a comment or let us know what you think over in the forums.