If you're really into puzzle games and you happen to like Sudoku, Picross and Paint by Numbers, you might enjoy Animal Color Cross. The presentation can make it difficult to figure out what's happening on the screen, but the puzzles themselves are solid and can get really challenging.
If you're one of those people who likes to start their holiday shopping early, or if you've got a special birthday coming up, or even if you're just looking for something to kill a little time, a new Nintendo Ds game is always a great option. And when you can get that game for less than a ten-spot, it's even better. Check out these steals that'll have them (or you) hugging their stockings tight.
Holy Shovelware, Batman!
Want some decent cheap DS games?
9 Hours 9 Persons 9 Doors ($15)
Ace Investigations: Miles Edgeworth ($18)
Chrono Trigger ($20)
Dragon Quest IV ($20)
Ghost Trick ($15)
Golden Sun: Dark Dawn ($20)
Final Fantasy IV ($20)
Nostalgia ($10)
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney ($15)
The World Ends with You ($20)
Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 ($18)
Valkryie Profile: Covenant of the Plume ($10)
(all priced at Amazon)
Any one of those games is superior to EVERY game on this article's list combined.
CSM: Animal Color Cross is a fun brainteaser of a puzzle game, a bit more challenging (and more interesting) than the original Picross, but not nearly as mind-melting as Picross 3-D. Solving these puzzles offers a decent mental workout, but shouldn't cause too much frustration.
Eurogamer writes: "In a month like this when there are so few big-name games hitting the shelves, you'd hope that some of the left-field alternatives in the download arena would fill the cavernous void. Well, lucky you, because this week we have arguably one of the best titles ever to hit WiiWare.
Sadly, anecdotal evidence seems to suggest (certainly among my friends and peers) that few so-called hardcore gamers ever bother to check out what's on Nintendo's download service. That's a real shame (if that's you) because some of the most exciting and downright creatively ambitious downloadable titles have appeared on both WiiWare and DSiWare lately."
