1UP writes: "The original Nanostray (and its precursor, the Iridion series on Game Boy Advance) was a technically impressive shoot-em-up hampered by mandatory touch control where your ship -- y'know, the important part -- was usually obscured by your hand. The good news is that Nanostray 2 is, for starters, a more traditional shooter -- and, therefore, a more enjoyable game. Touch control is now a secondary option to the button-based default layout. But with an adherence to tradition comes a few complaints as well.
You start Nanostray 2 by having to complete a handful of stages in any order you choose, and you're presented with a few more after that. By that point, however, you may have already spent most of your credits and lives, leaving you with just a couple of chances to get through every stage. Regardless, if you completely fail in this second tier at all, you get the final Game Over and are forced to restart the entire journey from planet one -- there's no "checkpoint" after completing the first set of planets".
Jim Avery writes:
"Being a game reviewer for a couple of different sites, I occasionally have to put up with, and play through, complete pieces of crap. You've probably played one of them before; you know, the kind of game that is offensively bad, that your soul rebels against being near, where every part of it is not fun, but an ordeal (see jackass: the game for Nintendo DS or Igor for Wii). At least you guys can stop playing them; reviewers are obligated to continue until they know exactly how bad the game is.
On the other hand, I occasionally run into a game that I couldn't put down even if I wanted to; the kind of game that sucks you in with atmosphere or charm or addictive gameplay until you're finished. Thrilled, I head over to Wikipedia or some other site to see how other people liked it, only to discover that these games floundered at retail.
Thus, I present you with The Five Best Nintendo DS Games You Probably Didn't Play."
Meteos and Hotel Dusk should be on this list. Meteos is my favorite puzzle game of all time and Hotel Dusk has an incredible story.
Oh, and EVERYONE played Elite Beat Agents. Otherwise, a decent list.
Tech.yahoo.com writes: "A few weeks back I outlined some of the top titles for grown-up (read: blood-spewing) gaming this holiday season. Now it's the kids' turn. Check out these child-appropriate titles, available for a variety of platforms (but mostly handhelds). All are well reviewed and carry a maximum ESRB rating of E10+ (suitable for everyone 10 and older)."
The DS isn't exactly inundated with shoot-'em-up titles and after the encouraging first game we had high hopes that this sequel would be an essential purchase. While it undoubtedly represents a definite improvement over its predecessor, Pocket Gamer still can't help but hanker for something a little more original. Most should find it relatively engaging but if you're a hardcore shooter fan that has experienced this kind of caper a million times before then Nanostray 2 is unlikely to hold your interest for long.
Audio/Visual - 9
Gameplay - 7
Value - 6
Innovation - 4
Overall -
