DS Duo: Korg and Populous
It hasn’t been a great season for the DS- no real system sellers have been released that can compete with the bounty on the consoles or PC. But that doesn’t mean that you should overlook Nintendo entirely- XSeed has released a pair of nifty titles for the DS that make great stocking stuffers for kids of older ages.
Korg DS-10 is a music creation tool, created especially for the DS, that makes good use of the touchscreen. It’s not that accessible- there are tons of features, but they aren’t easy-to-use unless you’ve previously mixed some tracks in other programs. Korg is a sophisticated system with plenty of bells and whistles, though limited by the range of sound that the DS can produce. This definitely isn’t a game, and isn’t for the weak of heart- but any music-minded and piano-skilled person can get hours of fun creating synth patterns and making your compositions portable in a fun, new way. Korg is one of the best tools for the DS.
Populous, on the other hand, is definitely a game- and a suitable update of the old-school god game classic. Featuring 4-player multiplayer, some new playable characters, and touch screen controls, Populous DS is likely not a good game for kids. It is great for those who have played the original, as it does the franchise justice (unlike some recent ports). The graphics could have used some work- they look and feel a bit too much like the original- but Populous is as fun and challenging as ever, fairly easy to pick up and significantly harder to put down.
Both games available now, in stores and online, for $30-$40.
