The Nintendo DS Launch Guide – Page6

So there you have it, folks. 5, count em’- five player multiplayer bouts of Mr. DRILLER AND Ridge Racer. The unbridled avatar madness that awaits you with Ping Pals, as well as a Pulp-Fiction/Jackie Brown-esque take on an N64 Mario classic, seeing the Mushroom Kingdom through the eyes of not only our main protagonist, but Luigi, Yoshi, and everybody’s favorite zigzagged-mustached thief, Wario too. Couple this with Metroid Prime: Hunters and the inevitable Pokemon title, and Nintendo can do no wrong with this system. Quite simply, the DS is poised for greatness.

You might be asking yourself, albeit misguidedly, “what about the PSP?” Sure, Sony might be touting that the PSP will be the saving grace of portable gaming, but does it really have the stamina to go toe-to-toe with Nintendo? I, and I think most of Inside Pulse would agree, say no.

And there’s a reason for this: Nintendo is a time-tested company with a brand name that is synonymous with innovation and quality. No other company, no matter how grotesquely opulent or imposingly cumbersome they may be cannot and will not be able to usurp that foundation that Nintendo has created. The PSP will be Sony’s XFL to Nintendo’s NFL: while it may be hot for the initial month or two with all of its flash and pizzazz, it’ll fizzle out quickly. And it’ll be like the crown was never contested in the first place. This, and looking at the face of titles to come, who could honestly claim that the PSP has any remarkable title on par with what Nintendo has on the horizon? Maybe it’s just me, but I’d much rather enjoy sitting down to a game of Super Mario 64×4 than watching an offshoot movie from the Final Fantasy VII storyline. And that’s really the point it boils down to. These are game machines. And Nintendo hasn’t lost sight of that. And if the DS is any indication to the degree of attention they’re giving to that sight, gamers across the oceans are in good hands.

So here’s to the Nintendo DS, and the long and fun library of games we’ll be graced with and will continue to be in the future. Should this initial offering be any indication, we as gamers will be in for a fun ride. Sure, it’ll hard to put down my Game & Watch Pinball, but I’ve got faith that Nintendo can -and will- strike lightning twice. Heck- it’s already got two screens.