Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story

Platform: Nintendo DS

Price: $40 CDN

Release Date: Sept. 14, 2009

When I played the first Superstar Saga game for the GBA I was impressed. Nice graphics, tight gameplay, excellent use of RPG elements, and a comical story all added up to a fun and fulfilling gaming experience. The subsequent release Partners in Time continued with that tradition while further exploring the DS’s capabilities. Bowser’s inside story nicely continues on this trend, adding some new elements, but mostly using the tried and true formula that has made the series a hit worldwide.

The story goes like this: Fawful (veterans of the series will remember him) wants to take over the Mushroom Kingdom. He tricks Bowser into eating a vacuum mushroom, and Bowser, in turn, vacuums up our heroes into his belly. Fawful takes over Bowser’s castle and now the trio must work together to defeat this new villain.

You control either Bowser or Mario and Luigi (game shifts during the story) and each has a unique control scheme. The controls are great, with one exception. There is quite a bit of mandatory touch screen action that is imperfect and annoying (I was eating a giant carrot for a long time). I don’t mind the touch screen when it works, but every time you use the touch screen it could be done easier, faster, and better with a button combo.

That aside, the game is a solid, solid title and will keep you busy for at least 20 hours. That works out to a very reasonable $2 per hour of entertainment. Mario and Luigi is a must have for any RPG fan, but others will enjoy it as well. If you have ever liked a Mario game you should give this a try.

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia

Platform: Nintendo DS

Release Date: October 21st, 2008

Price: $30

I have always enjoyed the horror genre. I enjoy the genuine terror, the physical manifestation of social fears, and the campy nature of the beasts. It is no surprise that I am a big fan of the Castlevania series. The king of "Survival Horror" way before Resident Evil or Silent Hill came along, the Castlevania games provide the difficult, gothic, and bloody challenge that gamers have been craving for more than twenty years.

The newest title to bear the name Castlevania is The Order of Ecclesia (OOE) on the Nintendo DS. Another addition in the Castleroid genre, the game has a lot to live up to. First I need to mention that this game is hard, much harder than the last two entries into the series. You will die in this game and you will die often. Sometimes you will even die fighting some Joe Schmoe enemy in the middle of a level. And bosses? Forget it. You will die 10 to 15 times at some of the more difficult ones.

All that being said the game is not so difficult that you want to shut off your DS and never play again, but you will need to mentally prepare yourself for a litany of continuous death before you complete this opus.

The gameplay tries something new with the glyph system. Weapons are gone, but you can gain magical version of deadly weapons by defeating enemies. It makes for a nice in game collection and has some interesting customization options as well. There is also a great mix of fresh and familiar monsters to defeat.

Those who have played Castlevania II: Simon's Quest will notice a return to multiple locations on a world map. I must confess, I am not much for the multi-locals in a Castlevania game. It should be Dracula's castle, and that is all. It does offer some variety but a few of the locals are linear and boring.

There is a reasonable amount of replay value to OOE with extra modes, difficulties, and side-quests throughout, but I have to say that once I finish a game as hard as this one, I generally put it away for a good long while.

So should you buy it? The game will take at least 10 hours to finish and you should be able to find the game for about $30, so you are good in terms of per hour value, but if you hate a challenge while gaming, you should let this one pass by and rent Dracula instead.