Rhythm Heaven (NDS)
Rhythm Heaven asks you to tap, hold and flick your stylus on the touch screen as you keep the beat in more than 50 rhythm-based mini-games. It’s hard not to crack a smile as you enjoy the game’s unique visual style and infectious game play.
“Rhythm Heaven represents another example of how Nintendo creates new experiences that surprise and delight people,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “The game exudes a simple charm and captures an endearing quality that makes it very appealing to all types of players.”
The fun look and feel of Rhythm Heaven make it unlike any other music-themed title on the market. The game stakes out its own distinctive territory in the genre by combining rhythmic sounds with entertaining hand-held challenges. For instance, the Glee Club mini-game features a chorus of three characters. You are in control of one of them and must tap the touch screen at the right time to keep the group singing properly. Sing at the wrong time and you make the other members of your group noticeably sad.
You control Rhythm Heaven entirely with the stylus, though in different ways: One mini-game asks you to flick the stylus across the touch screen on the beat to shoot a bolt through a nut, while another requires you to tap the screen at just the right moment to make monkeys dance to music. The different taps and flicks make everything happen. As the action builds and the songs get faster, the difficulty level ramps up to give you additional challenges.
With its emphasis on keeping the beat, Rhythm Heaven provides a fun, hands-on experience that players can enjoy on the go. You can pick it up and play for just a few minutes or keep coming back to it again and again. Rhythm Heaven represents another of Nintendo’s games that has appeal to a wide spectrum of players. People new to video games will be able to pick it up and understand what to do instantly, but veterans will enjoy the incredible variety of challenges on their quest to unlock and master every aspect of the game.
Remember that Rhythm Heaven, as with nearly the entire library of 850+ Nintendo DS-compatible games, also can play on the new Nintendo DSi, which launched in the United States on April 5.
BlastWorks: Build, Trade, Destroy (Wii)
A frenetic geometric shoot-em-up battle exclusively for Nintendo Wii, BlastWorks: Build, Trade, Destroy pits players against a succession of enemies whose destroyed parts can be used to bolster your own ship’s firepower. In short, the more enemies you destroy the bigger and stronger your ship becomes to take on more challenging enemies. The retro geometric graphic style lends this classic style 2D shooter a unique look.
An intuitive, yet in-depth editor allows players to unleash their creativity with BlastWorks by designing levels, ships, enemy ships, objects and bosses. These can then be traded directly with friends via WiiConnect24 or the BlastWorks community at www.blastworksdepot.com via Nintendo Wi-Fi. Everything from bullet patterns, sound FX, movement patterns, hit boxes and more can be assigned with ease. The game even includes three customisable levels to get you started with creating your own levels.
“This is a highly original game both in style and gameplay where players are only limited by their imagination,” said John Merchant, Marketing Manager International, Majesco. “We are looking forward to seeing what sort of incredible creations and ideas players come up with.”
Featuring bright, abstract graphics and lightning-quick, dynamic action this “sticky” shooter based on Kento Cho’s Tumiki Fighters online game will suck you in for the long haul. In fact, four of his games: rRootage, Gunroar, Torus Trooper and the original TUMIKI Fighters can be unlocked!
BlastWorks: Build, Trade, Destroy, includes multiplayer gameplay for two-to-four players, allowing you to pilot a gigantic ship over 15 campaign missions by utilising the Wii Remote and the Nunchuk controller or the Wii classic controller.