Classic Mario and New Metroid

I've recently purchased both New Super Mario Bros. and Metroid Prime: Hunters for the DS, both from Play-Asia.com using the coupon from an earlier purchase of Animal Crossing: Wild World. I was surprised to find that shipping is free to Japan from the Hong Kong based online retailer, so the final cost came out much cheaper than expected.

As for the games, Animal Crossing has kept me going for a couple of months now and I've actually been playing for a little bit every day - like the game intends. It's compelling just to find out what's new each day - is there a new visitor or did the local store get that rare set-piece you've been waiting for - there's something new every time. The Wi-Fi element also opens up a whole other side to the game, giving a greater possibility for experiencing more of the game by visiting your friend's towns.

New Super Mario Bros. is a game that takes all the great ideas from previous mario titles, mixes them up, and then adds a whole bunch of new ones. Despite being a 2D platformer, it manages to remain fresh and new, with the familiarity you'd expect. There are even multiple ways to finish several stages, so even after finishing the game, there's more to go back to and collect.

Metroid Prime: Hunters delivers near-keyboard-and-mouse controls in the space of a tiny DS. The touch screen offers a freedom of movement that has yet to be achieved on any other console FPS. Those that have not played any PC FPS games before may find the new control style daunting over the usual lock-on style, but after a few minutes of play it becomes second nature. The Hunters Wi-Fi mode extends the game even further, even though you can only play a deathmatch if you select to play against random people. If you have some friend codes registered, there are several other multiplayer modes to choose from ranging from defense to node capturing and even bounty hunting.

With these new games and the release of the DS Lite, it seems that Nintendo can do no wrong at the moment. However, the next generation of home consoles has begun, and the battle between Sony and Nintendo will begin this November. With the whole console naming fiasco out of the way, we can now focus on how the new consoles will measure up against each other and the existing Xbox 360.