To give some perspective to the prices, which are listed in points, at the time of writing 1000 Nintendo DSi Points were equal to AUD $15.
Our DSiWare ratings system
We've given every game a 'buy' rating of 'Yes', 'Maybe', or 'No'.
Yes means this is a very high quality game, and we have no problem recommending it to anyone as long as they like the genre.
Maybe means we think the game is good, but not necessarily for everyone. If you know the game or like the sound of the description, go for it
No means that we don't recommend the title at all.
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Games listed in alphabetical order
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A Little Bit Of... Dr. Mario
Price: 500 points
A Little Bit Of... Dr. Mario is yet another incarnation of the famous and fondly-remembered Tetris-clone, which sees you lining up coloured pills to destroy various viruses. In addition to the Classic Mode, there's a VS. CPU mode to let you see how you match up against the computer. It's a basic package, but the game is fun, the music is catchy, the presentation is very clean and the price-point is about right. If you love Dr. Mario then a little bit more won't hurt you.
Worth buying? Yes
Art Style: AQUITE
Price: 500 points
PALGN Review: 7.5
Art Style: AQUITE is a puzzle game which revolves around a narrow line (or 'pipe') of multi-coloured blocks that runs down the centre of the screen. They're all jumbled up, and your task is to re-arrange them to form lines of three of the same colour or more, which will then clear those blocks and allow more blocks to enter the pipe. It's a little offbeat, but offers a unique presentation as well as unique and addictive gameplay. A lack of modes and the weird nature of the gameplay may turn off some, but if you're after something different to play while on a bus or a train, AQUITE may just fit the bill.
Worth buying? Yes
Art Style: CODE
Price: 500 points
Art Style: CODE is another entry into the Art Style series, and it is a doozy. Based around maths, the idea is that numbers fly in from the left to the right, and your job is to select combinations which add up to 10. If your fast enough, you can combo your mathematical prowess for even bigger chains. When the game starts, you'll only be facing 1s and 2s, but as it progresses get ready for every single digit number, all ten of them (including 0). You can play through Target mode, Endless mode, Puzzle mode (with 27 pre-made puzzles for you to derive) and a VS mode, which can be played with any other DS. It's not for everyone, but if you can get your head around the concept then there's a plentiful amount of content to get through. Who thought maths could be fun?
Worth buying? Yes
Master of Illusion Express: Deep Psyche
Price: 200 points
The Master of Illusion Express titles essentially bundle a small selection of tricks together from the full DS title Master of Illusion. Deep Psyche includes three, the titular Deep Psyche, Today's Special and Vanishing Card. The first two tricks are simply extended number tricks that make you jump through some hoops to receive the same answer every time, while the third trick simply predicts a card you have chosen. It's a fairly meagre selection of tricks, and considering that the full game is in several bargain bins, it's probably not worth picking up this Express version, even at the low price.
Worth buying? No
Master of Illusion Express: Funny Face
Price: 200 points
Another package of tricks, Funny Face includes just two. Funny Face is one of those tricks where you allow the audience to pick a card, which everyone gets to see except for the performer, who then has to guess it. Except the DSi is the one doing the guessing. You can then draw a face on the screen who will come to life and exclaim the card which has been chosen. It's not a hard one to figure out. Also includes the Vanishing Card trick seen before. Again, it's cheap but not something that will offer a lot of ongoing value. Probably best to give it a miss.
Worth buying? No
Mixed Messages
Price: 500 points
If you've been to Broken Picture Telephone, you've played this game. Someone writes a sentence on the DSi, who then passes the console on to a friend who has to draw a picture based on what Person 1 wrote. They then pass it to another person who has to write a sentence on what Person 2 drew, and so on and so on, until the picture becomes completely different to the original sentence. It supports up to 21 players, but it's a pretty basic package. You could do the same thing with Pictochat, if you wanted to. Or even a sheet of paper. On the other hand, the game does keep track of your progress fairly well and saves previous sessions, even if it misses a trick in allowing you to export them. Fun, but only with a bunch of friends.
Worth buying? Maybe
Paper Plane
Price: 200 points
Paper Plane was previously included in the Game Boy Advance title, WarioWare Inc., but has been given its own place on the DSiWare store. Your goal is to steer your paper plane from the top of a tower to the bottom, constantly avoiding obstacles and making sure not to tip your plane too much, otherwise it'll go into a nose dive. The DSiWare incarnation brings two additional modes to the original 'Endless' one, namely a 'Time Trial' and 'VS' modes. In Time Trial you have to complete one of eight preset courses as fast as you can, whereas VS allows two players to compete for the fastest time, one on the DSi's D-Pad and another on the face buttons. It's a fun time-waster, but there's obviously not a lot of depth, nor incentive for owners of WarioWare to buy it.
Worth buying? Maybe
Pyoro
Price: 200 points
Pyoro may look simple (and make no mistake, it is), but it's definitely addictive. Like Paper Plane, it was an unlockable minigame in the original WarioWare on the Game Boy Advance. You control a little bird-penguin-thing that waddles around the bottom of the screen, using its Yoshi-like tongue to eat up falling fruit. If the fruit touch the floor, they'll take out one of its blocks, confining your play area. You can also unlock Pyoro 2 if you're really good, which makes for a fairly decent little package. If you have WarioWare, as well as a system to play it on (seeing as there's no more backwards compatibility on the DSi), then give it a miss. Otherwise, it's a fun title to try.
Worth buying? Maybe
Real Football 2009
Price: 800 points
PALGN Review: 7
Real Football 2009 offers surprisingly fun and challenging gameplay for any football fans who find themselves on the move. The game's mechanics work very well, even though the game's modes are fairly standard for the most part. It mightn't have much flash or spectacle, but Real Football 2009 still offers up a robust and challenging match of soccer which can played for an enjoyable five-minute bout, or a twenty-minute sweat fest of grass, balls and feet. If you're into soccer and you've been waiting for a decent handheld game to get sunk into, you could do far worse than Real Football 2009, and its new status as a downloadable title seems to match the game quite well.
Worth buying? Yes
WarioWare: Snapped!
Price: 500 points
PALGN Review: 6.5
WarioWare: Snapped! is the EyeToy Play of the DSi right now, letting you flail about like a lunatic in front of the DSi's camera to complete simple microgames. While the technology in use is impressive, and the post-game replays of your insanity are hilarious, the game often takes a long time to set up and calibrate, ruining the fast-paced flow of a traditional WarioWare title. There are also only twenty microgames to complete, with a conceivable completion time of less than ten minutes, making the value of Snapped! highly questionable. If you can get it working it'll impress friends, otherwise there just isn't a lot to do with this one.
Worth buying? Maybe
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