The Duo Review Nintendo's DS Portable Gaming Device

The Nintendo DS, which first crossed the Duo's desks in late 2004, gets a favorable evaluation from both Steve and Angela. Angela especially appreciates the quirky sensibility of the dual-screen device.

The DS's touch-sensitive lower screen makes possible a lot of new options in gameplay, though it's up to individual game programmers to take advantage of it. By far the most interesting game the Duo saw was Sega's Feel the Magic: XY/XX , in which you (a teenage boy) strive to impress the girl of your dreams by performing various stunts.

Angela, who understands why even teenage girls (especially teenage girls) won't mind playing a game in which a cute boy is working hard to impress the ladies, was amused by the minigames that involved taking advantage of unusual DS components such as the microphone. Steve, who thinks the title ought to have a sex-change option, nonetheless had fun with such touchscreen-oriented challenges as steering a unicycle across narrow bridges and sliding goldfish up a character's digestive tract until he vomits them up.

Tearing their attention away from regurgitation, Steve and Angela both find other features to enjoy on the DS. Steve notes that the sound gets a faux-surround twist that supplies a surprising amount of dimensionality to the tiny speakers. He's less than thrilled about the thumbpad that's meant to substitute for a stylus.

Angela, always on the lookout for chat options, had some fun with the built-in wireless messaging, which lets you play games with or pass handwritten notes to up to 15 other DSes in the immediate neighborhood.

SAVE/DELETE

Steve: SAVE

Angela: SAVE