[bignds]

Hi,
Im going to cut to the chase here, because like everyone else on this thread, I would like to review for Touchds.
Ive been playing games for the better half of my life so I pretty much no whats what when it comes to the subject.
Ive written professionally before in the past and was the pioneer of bringing a video games article to my towns newspaper.
Im also very consistent to meeting deadlines and very disciplined to following these deadlines.
Thanks for your time.
Adam

*************EDIT************
Below is a sample of my work that was recently published back in March.

Super Mario 64 DS
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Platform
Out :Now

The 80s gave birth to many wonderful things, Madonna, the rubix cube and to be blunt, me.
But there is one guy who stood the test of time untarnished, with a few extra polygons. Who would’ve thought a moustached Italian plumber would be standing here 20 years after his creation tall and proud. Do you know who? Anyone that played the original Super Mario Bros. on the NES. The simple but compelling game play introduced the mainstream world to videogames in a gaming age when there was nothing but Tetris rip-offs.
Eleven years later and Mario made the 3-D jump and onto Nintendo’s most powerful console to date with the title Super Mario 64. While some Super Mario Bros. veterans felt cautious of the move, others welcomed it with open arms and all round was that it was a huge hit.
So jump forward another 7 years and Nintendo are getting ready to release another first 3-D console but this time its for their latest handheld, no, not a Gameboy but Nintendo DS which allows gamers to interact with their games in a never before seen manner. The Console used two screens one at the top one at the bottom, the bottom screen was touch screen, the console also allowed voice input in games via the mic and this was also the first handheld to go completely 3-D and have one of its games run at 60 frames per second, quite a break through.
With all the technology it only felt right for Mario to make the 3-D transition on the duel screened handheld. This was the opportunity for Nintendo to update their classic N64 title and give it a new "touch" so to speak.

Quick facts:
3 new playable characters: Luigi, Wario and Yoshi
Multiplayer
150 stars, 30 more then the original
Touch screen incorporated mini games
Cartridge Save





Game Play and Control

"Come to the castle I’ve baked you a cake,
Peach"
And on that bombshell, perhaps the greatest platformer ever begins.
We are greeted first with Mario, just like the N64 title nothing new here but then Luigi and my good old buddy Wario emerge their facial haired selves through the everyday public transportation system of a green warp pipe. Some time passes then we see Yoshi quietly sleeping on top of the castle like all little green dinosaurs do, he then awakens and sets out to find his friends. Here is another major difference to the N64 original.
As Yoshi you later learn that Bowser has captured Mario, Luigi, Wario and Peach and has also taken control of the castles power stars. You are bestowed with the duty of adventuring through the games levels, eventually returning all 150 power stars to the castle and freeing Mario, Luigi, Wario and Peach.
Each Character has their own playing style, i.e. Luigi is the better jumper, Wario can punch through hard black bricks, Mario can wall jump to higher places and Yoshi can take in fire then spit it out to melt ice. This, at times, can add a strategic element to the game.
In order to fully complete the game you will need the use of all four characters.
The extra 30 stars mentioned above are fleshed out into 20 new castle secret stars and other 10 into the main game, and its nice to see in this in the game as it cant be referred to as a "total port".
The originals control scheme was focused an analogue stick so many may be wondering how it plays on a normal D-pad. Well the answer to this is that Nintendo have made a "virtual joystick" in the form of the touch screen. While this isn’t the default method of control it is often advised to be used by the games on screen prompts. I for one find it easier to use the D-pad but the first time you use the touch screen to control Yoshi, its pretty fun.
In terms of how long you'll playing this, well pretty long. There’s 150 stars here, 24 mini games, 3 characters to unlock and lets not forget multiplayer.
Multiplayer, which I just spoke of above, is a pretty neat feature for this title. Not only does it do a great job of showing off the systems wi-fi capabilities but it can also run off of one game card, meaning if your friends haven’t got a copy but have a DS they can enjoy this title in the multiplayer levels.
The levels are decent sized areas where the objective is to secure the most stars then your competitors and can make great for hours of fun.

Graphics & Sound

When at the board room and looking at the blue print of the DS, Nintendo needed something to show the power of their new handheld, this was the same scenario they had before the N64 came out and the answer both times was evident- make our most popular mascot 3-D and lets create a world that players can believe.
After playing the game for a good two days and staring at the screens of the DS, you haven’t really got anything to complain about on the looks front of SM64DS.
Everything’s here that makes this graphically better than its N64 counter-part.
Only if you look so hard you can see certain errors and that being the occasional blocky wall or goomba.
Another break through Nintendo have made is the sound in the game. When playing my GBASP I very rarely have the sound on whilst playing but the sound on this is superb, this is again Nintendo showcasing their first handheld console with stereo speakers.
SM64DS is a treat to listen to, especially when you turn it on surround, and it actually feels like surround.
But sadly once this first "wow factor" wears of you feel the need to turn down the volume as the music does seem to get a little repetitive.

Summery and conclusion
All in all this makes for a great launch title and its the perfect game to showcase just what and exactly the Nintendo DS is about, quality games and innovation.
Nintendo have it all covered in this game I find it quite hard to pick something they need to improve on but a few more multiplayer levels would have been nice and although not necessary perhaps co-op for a few levels?

Ratings:

Game play: 9.5/10
Simply brilliant, this is a reminder why we love games so much.

Graphics: 9/10
Astonishingly good for a handheld but the one or two camera faults keep it from reaching perfect status.

Sound: 7/10
Despite the repetitiveness it does sound great.

Lifespan: 9.5/10
This game will last you a very long time, and then when you’ve finished with the main game, you have 24 mini games to play and continuously try to gain a better high score and if you find your self somehow finished with that then you have multiplayer with four of your friends. Trust me, this will be the game you' play constantly for the first 2 months its in your possession then pick up again every week or so after.
Adam