Bayer’s Didget, an FDA-approved device that allows players to transmit diabetes test data to a Nintendo DS in order to earn new content, is now available in the U.S. via top online pharmacies.
Testing ones blood-sugar level–done by literally procuring a sample of blood from your finger–isn’t a pleasant prospect for most, not to mention the many children affected with diabetes. Bayer is hoping to make the procedure a bit easier on kids in America, as the pharmaceutical company has announced that its blood sugar-testing device, the Didget, is now available in the U.S. via CVS and Walgreens’ online pharmacies for $75–though that price may vary depending on your health plan.
Children will be able to quickly perform and receive results for their blood sugar levels using the Didget, and will earn points that can be transferred to the Nintendo DS via the Game Boy Advance cartridge slot included in pre-DSi models to earn new content in a game that comes with the testing device called Knock ‘Em Downs: World’s Fair. The points earned from tests can also be used by children to customize their own web pages on Bayer’s Didget World online community.
GameStop’s got an exclusive Pikachu-colored Pichu for your Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum Version. The Pichu holds a secret for the upcoming Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Version games.
Pokémon fans with a copy of Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum have 12 more days to get in on GameStop’s Pikachu-colored Pichu giveaway.
The promotional freebie lets players add the level 30 Pichu to their Pokédex at GameStops across American (and in Puerto Rico) when they bring in their Game Cards and DS consoles. The Pikachu-colored Pichu comes with attacks like Charge and Endure, and special moves Volt Tackle and Endeavor. Also, he comes with the Held Item Everstone and his Poké Ball is actually the Cherish Ball – a special item only distributed at Pokémon events.
Obtaining Pichu provides gamers with a sneak peek at the upcoming Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver games. By trading the freebie into one of the new games, players get to meet Spiky-eared Pichu from the movie, Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life.
The Pikachu-colored Pichu giveaway event ends February 14.
The Legend of Zelda franchise has been a gaming staple for decades, starting with Link’s glorious debut on the NES, and though the culture of gaming has undergone dramatic changes over the years, it has managed to remain relevant by staying true to its core values of epic storytelling, interesting characters and vibrant worlds. But the true secret of Nintendo’s success has been in its ability to fully leverage the power of its consoles in order to move the franchise forward: A Link to the Past used the SNES’s 16-bit capabilities to create a large vibrant world full of colorful sprites while The Ocarina of Time brought Zelda into the 3D realm using the N64’s more powerful hardware. More recently, Twilight Princess, originally a Gamecube title, used the motion controls to good effect and helped prove that they could work for things more complex than virtual bowling.
Spirit Tracks, the latest portable Zelda title, continues the tradition of taking full advantage of its respective platform: You’ll find yourself scribbling on the DS’ touchscreen with the stylus, playing a flute by blowing into the mic, and attacking enemies by smacking them on the touch screen. The game also offers up a deep experience, and while the sense of overall challenge is minimal, there are a number of engaging and fun tasks such as rabbit collection and train improvements waiting to be unearthed. Traveling around the world in the locomotive is also a unique and novel solution to the problem of long-distance movement, and it’s particularly well handled, a good thing considering it’s the major distinguishing “feature” that helps separate Spirit Tracks from the other titles.
It’s a quirky, eccentric, yet utterly enjoyable game but it also suffers from a few issues that keep it from reaching the high bar set by other Zelda titles. For one, the initial pacing is rather poor. The first two hours are dedicated to introducing the world’s backstory — the game’s world is inhabited by people who have been fending off a demon using railroad tracks — and this requires a ton of reading, a problem which is exacerbated by the DS’ relatively small screens. To add to those early pacing problems, players are handcuffed by the limited set of actions at their disposal, specifically during the train-driving portions. While this is all in line with the genre convention of gradually rewarding progress, Spirit Tracks would have benefited from a much more compelling intro to counteract the slow narrative.
When the game does start to pickup, it plays very similarly to The Phantom Hourglass and while this isn’t necessarily a problem — Phantom Hourglass was a great title, after all — it would have been nice to see more innovation applied to the overall gameplay; aside from the unique modes of transportation, there really isn’t much to differentiate the two. I also noticed a very kid-friendly vibe to the title — an idea that solidified when I dispatched a smilely flower monster with a leaf pinwhee — and while it fits the overall spirit of the game (excuse the pun), it might also alienate older gamers who may have grown up with Zelda but whose tastes have matured past the cute and the cuddly.
And yet, while it isn’t perfect, Spirit Tracks does enough things right that you won’t regret persevering through the initial sluggishness. Once the game picks up momentum and speed, it packs a locomotive sized punch, one that doesn’t reinvent the wheel but still manages to do the storied franchise proud.
PROS: Makes good use of the DS’ capabilities; offers a deep experience with plenty to do
CONS: Game drags in the early going; doesn’t innovate much beyond Phantom Hourglass
Your dungeon crawling days aren’t over until you’ve seen these secrets.
FFCC: Ring of Fates Bosses
After all events of the Library, return to there and clear the enemies in the first area to reveal the warp point. This warp point leads to the room where you can fight the bosses in “Ring of Fates”. Just put the book onto the bookstand to enter the fight.
Hard Mode
Beat the game once to unlock the Hard difficulty level.
Very Hard Mode
Beat the game on Hard Mode to unlock Very Hard Mode.
Replay the Final Dungeon
After the ending of the game, back to the gate and examine the “stuff”, leave the place, and you will see the final dungeon is available again.
Secret Dungeon
Beat the main game. After the ending of the game, back to the world map and the secret dungeon will be unlocked at the lower right of the map.
Continue reading »