Anyone who read our recently posted review for Geometry Galaxies on the Wii, will know that we thought it offered good value and was just as addictive as its Xbox 360 predecessor, but how does the pocket version fair? Well we are about to find out as we review the Nintendo Ds version.
The first thing to note about the Ds version is that it is practically identical to the Wii version, the only real difference being the controls, the smaller screen and the removal of the friend specific leaderboards, although the Ds version does still include general online leaderboards, so for your hard earned cash you get the same value.
Rather than talk through the game again, since you can read the Wii review for the finer details, we will concentrate on the positives and negatives in relation to the Ds version of the game. First up the positives, the main one being that you will never have had such an addictive game in you pocket, the beauty of Geometry Wars is that it is just so pick up and play, other DS games such as Mario and Zelda, while being undeniable classics, do require your attention for quite a few hours at a time, whereas Geometry Wars is the sort of game you can have a quick blast of between bus stops without having to think too much, which is perfect for those mornings on the way to work when the hangover has kicked in and you are just too tired to use your brain.
Another great thing about this game is the amount of variety there is to be had, there are just as many levels to get through as in the Wii version (like we say it’s practically the same game), meaning that you will never get bored of looking at the same old levels, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved is even included in this version just for good measure.
The bad points about the game mainly come down to the controls, obviously with the game originally being made with analogue sticks in mind, it takes a lot of getting used to with the Ds controls, there are basically two ways you can play, first of all you can use the D-Pad to steer your ship, while using the stylus to aim, though this is certainly not easy and tends to hurt your hand after a while. The other way to play is to use the D-pad for steering and the four face buttons to fire, this is probably my preferred option, the only problem I found playing this way was that it makes it harder to shoot diagonally.
Visually Galaxies on the DS doesn’t seem to suffer at all, it’s pretty amazing how this little console constantly performs in this respect, so I guess it is no surprise that the graphics are sharp and the colours vibrant, it is also pretty impressive that there is little slowdown when the screen starts to get packed with enemies, the audio is also spot on suffering little in the conversion from Wii to DS.
If you are a fan of game such as Asteroids, Space Invaders etc then you can’t go wrong with this game as it is pure retro fun in your pocket, what version you get may just come down to what console you play more.
Overall Galaxies on the DS is very impressive, it remains very addictive, perhaps even more so given that you can take it anywhere with you, and although this game is on a smaller screen it still looks fantastic, out of the two versions, playing on the Wii with the classic controller is probably the best experience you will have with the game, but the DS D-Pad and face button combination comes a close second. Highly Addictive, Highly Recommended.
