One common complaint that gamers have against game developers is that they are dishing out more turn-based strategy games, rather than say something more fast-paced like real-time strategy. It is not that gamers are bored of turn-based strategy games, or are turning their back to it. It is far from that, as the gamers simply want some variety to the game format. It is worth mentioning that of late everyone from Majesco to THQ, Square Enix, Atlus, Nintendo and others are into turn-based strategy games.

Age of Empires, if you can remember, happens to be one of the most underestimated heroes in the world of DS strategy games. Over the period of time the series has switched developers, switched publishers, but one thing that has remained static is its turn-based design and incredible economy system. The new edition of the series, Age of Empires: Mythologies developed by Griptonite Games, takes a cue from its predecessors and is further beefed up with exciting stuff to get the gamers excited.

The game allows you to be in control of three different cultures, including Greek, Egyptian, and Norse, with each having multiple heroes, and gods that can be prayed to for destructive-attacks on the battlefield. Despite bearing a semblance of similarity to the gameplay of its earlier versions, what really separates the gameplay is that it provides you with a vast platform to explore hat seems to extend perpetually. The interesting thing is that each culture is unique in itself, having different unit for each like camelry, and unique new myth units such as Sphynx, scorpion men, or scarabs.

Another very peculiar and lovable aspect of the game is its attention to economy, and the concept of aging, albeit from time to time. Moreover, at the beginning the technology may not appear to be astute and exciting enough, but as the game progresses you stand to gain more and more technology that profoundly increases the gaming experience.

There was a time, especially in the late eighties and the early nineties, when Tecmo Bowl consistently used to be ranked among the top 25 games of the generation. The reason behind its gradual decline can be partly attributed to the fact that it is more of a celebratory, self-patting game and consequently lacked the arsenal to challenge games that offer more depth. Back in 1989 when it was first launched, it was quite a craze, as its design was competent enough to become the best football game of on the market. However, in today’s context it seems more of an archival game that is awaiting its time to bid adieu.

The latest offer from the series is the Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff and its design basically revolves on the Super Tecmo Bowl on the NES and Super NES, the ultimate success story of the series. The basic game play still remains the same and its taste may vary from individual to individual depending upon their perspectives. Lovers of the classic Tecmo Bowl experience should love this form also, as it is still pretty solid and simplistic. With very few rules regulating you from unabatedly indulging in this pick-up-and-play football, it can be quite rewarding. However, if you happen to be from the new school of thought who has grown up the 15 years of Madden, there is every possibility that Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff may leave you disturbed. With none of the sophisticated futures that are a part and parcel of the current generation football game, you will feel equally handicapped and frustrated. Take for instance, you cannot switch players during a play, or even employ a directional-aiming pass, which reaps a great deal of the suspense and enjoyment away.

You will nevertheless get a high in the form that each of the 32 teams in Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff is editable right down to the player themselves. Interestingly enough, you must be conservative in selecting names, and not try something like Matt Cassel, which contains the term “ass” in its surname! Funny no?

Chrono Trigger, is a game that I don’t think needs any introduction. To be frank it is one of those cult games that have been fascinating gamers over and over again from the time it was first released 13 years ago. Chrono Trigger is essentially a time-travelling epic that has managed to captivate gamers with a fascinating combination of endearing characters and an enthralling story that took place throughout the ages.

As the title clearly indicates, Chrono is the main protagonist of the game. The game is based on the Kingdom of Guardia where people are gathering to commemorate its millennium anniversary. During the course of the celebrations Chrono meets a beautiful and hyperactive girl in the form of Marle, who persuades Chrono to show her around. Chrono was by now captivated by her charm and takes her to Lucas’s show following her request. But their fate takes an unexpected twist as an experimental teleportation device malfunction sends Marle through a rift in the space-time continuum. The rest of the story in Chrono Trigger is based on the unrelenting quest of Chrono to bring back lady charming from her tragic fate. It will not take you long to find out that this is going to be a long and arduous journey to prevent the looming gloom.

Chrono befriends many a guys along the way who helps him in his endeavor. Prime among them are heroic Frog, a medieval knight sworn to defeat the sinister Fiendlord, and Robo, a humanoid robot from the future with a penchant for gardening, et al. Displaying great comradeship they take on the evil forces with great gusto and finally manage to defeat the evil chieftain Lavos.

Chrono Trigger as a DS game is great fun, as it apart from bringing back that raw romanticism is also a superb combination of astute story telling and character development that is simply unlike any other game. The most important conclusion of the game is that you must have a heart of stone not to feel emotionally charged up as the game unfolds!

Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades is the follow up to the popular Guitar Hero series, and is once again ready to enthrall you with some interesting stuff. The interesting thing behind the selection of the title ‘Decades’ is that the games basically hinges on the songs of the 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s,, which you will to an extent find peculiar, especially considering that every other game of the series had such songs in one form or the other. The game’s setup is such that you have to play at least four songs from each decade chronologically, with the added provision of a fifth one.

I fell it is my prerogative to caution you before hand that as is the case with every game that’s based on music, there are songs that you will find difficult to stand. It also depends on your taste what kind of music you like, be it rock, classical, pop or something else. A few of the songs featured are Buddy Holly by Weezer, and You give love a bad name by Bon Jovi. The most irritating part however is that, the same songs appear in multiple game versions.

Moving on to the game play, it is still very much the same, which is not an issue considering that the original game play was quite exciting. The characters are also practically the same and they leap around similar backgrounds that were observed in the earlier version. However, the Guitar Hero: Decades takes a U-turn, and for the worse at that, as the game appears to be ridiculously difficult, to the extent that you will find it to be a total waste of your valuable time and energy. The original version was also difficult; especially since the songs became more difficult as the game progressed. There is no respite with the new version as difficulty seems to the only corner stone of this game.

The only saving grace of this crass title is its multiplayer section feature that brings some semblance of respite to the poor gamer. The players can also swap play lists, and you also have the scope of getting all sorts of additional songs as the series continues.

Those who have had the good fortune of watching the Cooking Mama series will have little difficulty in identifying with the concept of Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine as it is all but a clone of the former. The title, however, has one significant difference from the traditional clones in that it is a pretty damn good clone, and not one of those lackluster prototype clones. The developer of the game Developer Black Lantern Studios has done a superb job in the company of Destineer and has literally taken the gaming experience to new heights.

The game is a complete entertainer from start from start to finish, and you will get hooked the moment the game unfurls. Before you realize what is happening you will find yourself deeply engaged in creating and tracking your own chef through exciting battles. The battles are fulfilling as each battle is structurally and technically different from the other, with some of them lasting for a fraction of a section, while others may extend to over a few minutes. Bouts are frequently against other players wirelessly, or they may be career showdowns with actual Iron Chefs from the TV show. Each win will decorate you with special ribbons, and unlock achievement-inspired medals based on performances that will ultimately pave the way for the way fro you to become the most cherished ranks of Iron Chef America.

During the game you will chop, cut, slice, mash, stir, fry, pour, and pull off other cooking-inspired strokes with the stylus. It’s almost as if you were really cooking with your own Britannia Sigma stainless steel oven in your own kitchen. This part of the game almost replicates the sequences of Cooking Mama as you have to carry out the action while the result will automatically follow. Consequently you spend many an anxious moments to realize how a particular action responds.

Iron Chef America scores over the Cooking Mama in the sense that it has a better design which has increased the enjoyment quotient manifold. The prominent game enhancer included is that you now can choose dishes at random rather than following a tedious routine of selecting a dish and following predefined steps. Once you have picked up your dishes, each of which is based on a secret ingredient, you are required to complete a race within a traditional one hour time limit. You therefore have to be astute enough to decide the time you can dedicate to chop up onions with perfect accuracy, so that you also have enough time to complete the race.

Luminous Arc 2 is the follow up to the not so successful Luminous Arc that was released in 2007, and it is a bit surprising that the producers of the series Atlus have decided to take this gamble. The original version enjoyed mixed responses and was blatantly derided by critics as the game was plagued multiple flaws that deprived the gamers from enjoying the overall gaming experience. The producers have claimed that they have made many vital improvements that will put things into perspective and take the gaming experience to the next level.

The theme of Luminous Arc 2 is in no way original, but it nevertheless delivers a solid RPG experience. The crux of the story revolves around Roland, the protagonist, who with the help of his faithful comrade Runic Engine, has to protect the holy land of Carnava from total chaos that has been created by an unexpected Witch conflict. The game is bereft of any new ideas but what actually gets things moving is the astuteness demonstrated by the makers in how the game unfolds. You will discover that the characters that that initially thrive on generic side end up growing on you the more time you spend with them. The story to an extent bears a resemblance to the PSP title Jeanne d’Arc.

The game allows you to play a more proactive role in character selection, than in the original version. Meanwhile, the maps are vibrant and varied, which may act as a stimulus to players who love to plan strategies of battle in a variety of ways to complete any given map. You will have to be on your toes because certain levels require you to use specific characters as part of your attack team, apart from adding another level to the strategy required to win the fight. Delightfully enough, Luminous Arc 2 breaks characters into classes as well.

You must have come across many stories of people doing a lot of amazing and sometimes weird acts to enter their names in the Guinness World Records. Such actions look strange, but they are interesting and obviously amazing. Now, you can also hold such records and do so without too much of hard work.

Warner Bros. Interactive and TT Games have come up with an all new way of creating world records on the DS. The Guinness Game of World Records is a super cool video game that allows you to compete with your friends and family to hold a world record. Interestingly, there are 40 different challenges based on the real life records and you have to show your skills to break them. You can post your scores to measure your success against the gamers around the globe. You can play the super-fast game in the multi-player groups or even solo if you are not in a mood to take a challenge.

You have an opportunity to grow really long fingernails that are the longest in the world, eat a jumbo jet or even go for a tightrope walk, crossing the Grand Canyon. If you succeed, your name will appear in the official book of the Guinness World Records.

So which record will you like to break first?

One franchise that has managed to withstand the demands of the wear and tear of contemporary times is the Pokémon series. What stands out is the eagerness shown by the series to adjust itself to contemporary tastes and in the meantime it has also carried out subtle improvements here and there for a more satisfying gaming experience.

The Pokemon Ranger Shadows of Almia takes off in a similar manner like its predecessors as you have to select your name and sex. The theme of the game is centered on an academy for Pokémon Rangers, who for a change do not permanently capture creatures of their own unlike their traditional cousins. It also digresses a bit from the original version, as your preference for male or female characters doesn’t have any bearing on which Partner Pokémon you are given to start with.

The initial part introduces you to a tiresome tutorial process, which seems to go on for eternity making it a low point of the game. Moreover, this part is bereft of any excitement and is quite ironically supposed to acquaint you with the setting, which by default has nothing to do with the major part of the game!

Another mistake, a glaring one at that, which the makers made, is that they have refused to acknowledge the fact that the gamers have grown up. There is no doubt that Pokemon Ranger - Shadows of Almia is aimed at children and young adults, but even then the game would have been well off with a little bit more fluidity, especially considering that it has a lot of imaginative content to cover.

The game however becomes more interesting once the tutorial phase is over. The crux of the game is that, the player has to temporarily capture Pokémon so that he can exploit his (the Pokémon’s) capabilities to solve problems. These capabilities range from clearing burning logs in a forest fire or destroying machinery in a port to flying over a canyon, and play a pivotal role in the entire set up. You have to be at your very best to ensure that you have the right Pokémon for the right job, and also requires a great deal of careful management on your part.

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The second Madagascar movie might not be out yet but Julien and his other animal mates are here to lure all the Nintendo lovers once again. The game is fun and as wild and silly as the movie. The plot of the game progresses right where the movie ends. Julien who thinks who is not just the king of lemurs, but all other animals as well decides that it’s a shame to stay hidden in Africa and he along with other animals starts on a journey to explore the world. The plane which is piloted by penguins crashes into Africa and from there the game begins.

The cut scenes and Julien’s quirky jokes are entertaining. The game is very fast paced and fairly easy to play. The game is a platformer but you would be doing a lot more than just jumping from one platform to another. You would frequently see yourself indulging in various weird activities like join a herd of lions as Alex and perform various competitions to prove your worthiness of being the king of all animals. Madagascar - Escape 2 Africa is excellent for young players who are looking for something easy and silly. It is a great entertainer and keeps you hooked. At on instance you might be playing musical chairs or fighting vultures. You would get to play a variety of hot potato as well. Despite the simplicity of actions and easy tasks, the game never gets boring or mundane. The credit goes to its breakthrough pacing and surprising twists. The game challenges you despite its ease of actions.

The game Sally’s Salon is inspired by the likes of Diner Dash and Burger Rush, and has Sally as the main protagonist. Sally for one has pretty humble roots, but nevertheless has big dreams in the sense that she wants to open a chain of swanky salons, hold your breath Hollywood! She has finally managed to open her first beauty salon after toiling for years through training and saving her money. Now she is determined to make her dream a reality.

The main theme of the game is to keep the customers happy and give them the haircut that they long for. You will be provided clues about how the customer is feeling about a particular haircut through their peculiar facial expressions. You however, have to be astute enough to understand the message that the expressions convey and use the same expressions to give the customers the correct haircut.

Every customer has his own set of requirements, but you can identify what they want via the bubble that appears above their head. Quite interestingly, you have to drag each customer to a specific chair with the mouse to serve their requirements. It is of utmost importance that you gratify the customers with your services as it will ultimately culminate into cash money and useful tips that will come in handy when moving through the various levels. Using cash you can improve the salon by buying new pieces of equipment like a coffee machine to brew beverages that restore hearts to customers. You can even buy uniforms for Sally which will enable her to move faster! All these factors will ultimately help Sally fulfill her desires.

One of the game’s attractive features is that it is not overly difficult and yet keeps you involved with a good dose of challenges. Moreover, once you get caught in this delicate little game time will just fly!