This is an interesting game which requires players to hit buttons in tune with the music in order to move forward in the game. This Japanese title, not to be confused with the similar sounding war series “Band of Brothers”, is a first of its kind game on the DS. Band Brothers though predominantly Japanese is scattered with a few English instructions on the screen.

This is a disadvantage as instructions in English could make it easier for players to grasp the full context of Band Brothers. There are a variety of both familiar and unfamiliar tunes with different settings of difficulty levels. As you advance in the game, moves become harder to pull off.

As a player, your aim is to become a rockstar in order to find a place in the band. Although the PSP already has popular rhythm based games like Patapon 2, such quality musical games are decidingly scarce on the DS; which is why Band Brothers is such a welcome development. There are different modes in Band Brothers, such as the single and wireless multiplayer mode, band play, etc. The interesting ‘special event’ option requires you to be nifty with your fingers as you stop a bomb from going off.

Graphics are vibrant and fresh. The band brothers bats are the main characters and they light up the screen with their presence. The female bat is the prominent character who is very cool. They are bright coloured and amusing. Further challenge is offered with the option of choosing from different songs and variations. The tempo of the songs can also be altered. It is exciting as you tap along for Super Mario theme one minute and lilting with the Classical Music the next.

On the whole, the Band Brothers is a game that is absolutely different from the usual battle, action and adventure games. It offers some wonderful moments on your favourite Nintendo DS.

Lux Pain on the DS is clearly a game that is confusing and baffling. This game originally from Japan is a graphic adventure game where as a player you have to wade through a host of inconspicuous dialogues, clumsily poking at static scenes.

Here you are a part of FORT, the task force appointed to locate the brain worms with the help of the stylus. During the course of your mission, you have to pose as a school kid and go back to the local high school. Lux Pain is thus a combination of a teenage drama and a science fiction.

As you play the Nintendo DS game, you are shuffled from place to place randomly without even knowing why. You also talk with various people and you are at a loss as to what they have to do with the game. There are certain times when a discussion can lead to removing a worm from an individual. Worm removal itself is a process carried out by scratching the picture of the individual to reveal the worm and using the stylus to remove it.

Insipid gameplay involves converting the worm into a display of text by tapping on it. Good and effective voice acting is a saving grace. However, here too you find the text onscreen and the voice does not often match. A lot of typos in the script and no alignment with the voice acting, the whole set up come across as something substandard. If you want to enjoy a less painful, but still quirky Japanese game, then Boing! Docomodake DS, from the developer Ignition might be more to your liking. As far as Lux-Pain is concerned,  Ignition Entertainment would have done better fine tuning a lot of areas in it before release.

Pokemon still reigns in the world of Nintendo games. Pokemon has arrived yet again with Pokemon Platinum in Japan. Pokemon along with Pearl’s and Diamond’s Sinnoh region and the galactic team have arrived yet again. Contrary to the older games, this game focuses on Giratina the Ghost/Dragon in the form of a demon caterpillar, as the new Pokemon. The focus is no longer on Palia and Dialga.

There are quite a few interesting character form additions in the Pokemon Platinum. For example, Rotom the electric ghost can now transform into a host of outdoor and household appliances. Fans should be delighted with the landmower Pokemon too. Interface is similar to the earlier Pokemon Pearl and Diamond version, though with new animation and sprites, sharper colours and attacks that have been fine tuned. Not all movement magic is left to Pokemon. Trainers come into the picture and get into the act before releasing the monsters into the battlefield.

Nintendo’s exciting new characters include Handsome the secret agent who claims to be elite. He is engaged in tacking and putting the team Galactic out of action. Sinnoh is now a cold place and characters are covered in winter clothing.

The most exciting addition to the game is of course the Torn World dungeon. This place is equipped with 3D elevators to enable the characters to move around. This creative dungeon with its trippy aesthetics is sure to provide nail biting thrill to players. Return of the Emerald Battle Frontier in Pokemon Platinum brings cheer to the fans. Players can have a lot of exciting fun finishing quests and moving on in this latest edition of the Pokemon series.

Have you ever thought of directing air traffic? I know it’s definitely stressful to manage air traffic, but here I am not talking about any hectic job. Air Traffic Chaos is an entertaining game with simple controls that allows you to guide the flow of air traffic with great fun.

The gameplay invites you to control and guide the air traffic at a Japanese airport. You enter the shoes of an air traffic controller, engaged in a demanding job at one of the five airports. It’s as simple as that: you just have to follow the basic rules for controlling air traffic. However, Air Traffic Chaos Nintendo DS also has more and better options for adventure-lovers. The higher levels are much more challenging and require concentration. That is probably why this is among the most happening puzzle games of the year.

It is important to understand the organization of every airport, as it will help you to successfully navigate through the different levels of the Air Traffic Chaos. For instance, the Fukuoka airport has a simple layout, whereas the New Chitose and Tokyo International are multifaceted. In the advanced levels, you are required to manage multiple runaways, marked with a difference based on civilian/ military and international/domestic flights.

As per your preference, you can either use the stylus or the D pad to issue commands. First of all, you have to select a plane that you want to control and then go about issuing a desired command.

After entertaining gamers on the Playstation 2, Flower, Sun and Rain is now ready to show its colours on the DS Lite. A set of 50 new puzzles and a stylus control option are among the two main additions made in the DS version. Developed by Suda51, the game was known as Hana to Taiyou in Japan.

The name might give you an impression of a fairy tale, but it is actually an adventure game that takes you to the island of Los Pass. You neither play as a flower, nor as the personification of the Sun or the Rain. So what is the logic behind the name? Flower, Sun, and Rain is actually the name of the hotel, where all gameplay takes place. You play as Mondo Sumio, a private detective, who has to find the truth behind the mystifying happenings on the island. Gamers can expect to see some great graphics with the 3D exploration inside the hotel, as well as in the outdoors. The adventure puzzle takes you around the island as you need to question the residents to solve the mystery.

Offering the fun of action, adventure and puzzle-solving together, the game is remarkably entertaining. The versatility of Flower, Sun and Rain Nintendo DS allows you to set missions, enjoy the side quests and also select costumes for Mondo. So be ready to monitor the skills of Mondo Sumio in solving the puzzles of a fun-filled adventure.

Revived by Taito, “Kage Densetsu: The Legend of Kage 2” is a ninja action game on the DS screen. So what makes Taito rejuvenate a game that dates back to 1985? It is of course the action and thrill factor inherent in the game, which will be adored by this new generation of gamers just as much as the last generation. If you are amongst the ones who love adventure both in real life and in the games you play, then Kage Densetsu is meant for you (not to be confused with Dragonball Z: Harukanaru Densetsu). In this game you will control the ninja called Kage, who can perform various action hero moves.

Kage begins to exhibit his powers when faced with obstacles on his way to escort Kirihime- the high priestess. Kirihime has some very special spiritual powers and thus Tokugawa, the shogun has ordered Kage to bring her to the palace. On the other hand, the demon Yojiro is also aware of Kirihime’s powers, so he kidnaps her on route after a struggle with our action hero. In his effort to defeat the demon, Kage is severely wounded, but Kirihime saves him through her powers. Furthermore, to make the game even more engrossing and interesting, another character named Chihiro is introduced. This playable ninja is Kirihime’s younger sister, who also has special powers like her sister. Kage and Chihiro come across each-other when the young lady comes to rescue Kirihime.

However, it is upon the player’s discretion to either play as Kage or Chihiro. A player is given a choice to between the two characters in the beginning: one with a flaming sword (Kage) and another with supernatural powers (Chihiro).

Are we finally there? Have we reached the point where the handheld console is ready to be taken to the next level? The Nintendo DS was released in 2004, the DS lite in 2006, and now, at least according to Hirokazu Hamamura, president of the game magazine publisher Enterbrain, Nintendo’s next generation handheld is on the horizon. He maintains the DS lite is ready for a successor and that Nintendo will announce one at this year’s upcoming E3 gaming conference in July.

Will Hamamura’s forecast come true and is it based on special insider information at Nintendo? Nintendo has so far declined to comment, but Hamamura’s remarks seem to have had the effect of stirring up the guess work among the gaming press. In fact, given the two year release span between the DS and DS lite, a 2008 release seems highly probable. Several gaming websites have followed suite with Hamamura’s notions and are even hypothesizing what the next-gen handheld would be called. So far names such as the “Extreme” or the “Liter” have been circulating.

While Nintendo has had unprecedented success with their handheld DS lite models, with sales totalling over 45 million units sold world wide, recent statistics in Japan show Sony’s PSP actually outselling the Nintendo model. Perhaps this will be the best indication of Nintendo’s desire to develop a next generation model.