Nintendo DS

Arkanoid DS

Updating a classic is always a bit nervy, since people have strong emotional attachments to the game as they played it in the 80s or otherwise. Arkanoid DS should make fans of the earlier installments very happy. The fit on DS is great and the implementation is solid. Happy busting...

As a whole, Arkanoid is addictive and even though it's not the only retro title Taito has released lately, for my money it's the best one. It's the kind of thing you can play for a few minutes or obsess about for hours. With the extensive Clear and Quest modes, as well as a VS Computer mode, Wi-Fi mode and DS Wireless mode that allows you to go up against as many as three other players, the gameplay is just about endless. Once you pick it up, you might never put it down.

Arkanoid DS is a great game for portable play. It's simple enough to lend itself to playing in short sessions while on the go, but challenging enough to bring you back for more play. If you can get used to playing with a gap between the screens, it's a good title to add to a permanent slot in you your DS game carry case.

Arkanoid DS is definitely best in moderation: The main game lasts through 30-plus levels before you're encouraged to start over and try a different path, and the multiplayer modes don't exactly spice things up. As much mindless fun as it provides, don't get too sucked in and blow through it -- you'll probably find yourself appreciating it more that way.

For $20, Arkanoid DS isn't just a steal, it's a requirement. It's fun, it looks and sounds great and it has options for both the solo and multiple players. Get to paddling already.

Best of all, this package sells for a wallet-friendly $20. Considering all the options included with multiplayer, replay value and gameplay options, it makes Arkanoid DS a must-add to your game library. Don't let anything "block" your purchase.

All in all, Arkanoid DS is an excellent handheld title that will resonate with casual gamers, arcade aficionados, and nostalgic gamers. Some may find the gameplay mechanic to be repetitive and even dull, but the majority of gamers should be pleased with the quick, intuitive play and multiplayer options. Arkanoid DS is a game I can highly recommend for anyone looking to beef up their gaming-to-go library!

There's more than enough fun to be had with Arkanoid DS to justify its budget price tag, and the multiplayer content and online leaderboards that compare your performances in the single-player Clear mode ensure that there's no shortage of replay value if you're the competitive type. Arkanoid was a great game in 1986 and it's still a great game in 2008. Arkanoid DS is even better. If you have any interest whatsoever in destroying blocks with a bat and ball, you won't be disappointed.

Criticisms aside, it makes for a fantastic handheld game. It’s tailor-made for quick bursts of play (like that morning subway ride, or ahem, bathroom breaks) or longer sessions (especially multiplayer matches). It’s the kind of experience hardcore gamers love because of the solid mechanics and twitch gameplay, and casual players can get into since it’s so ridiculously accessible. I even tested the title with a non-gamer who has never so much as set eyes on a DS before, and she was busting blocks and clearing levels within moments of first picking up a stylus. The bottom line: it’s well worth checking out for gamers all over the spectrum, just don’t expect much innovation to the tried and true formula.

Even at half the cost of the typical DS game, whether or not Arkanoid DS is worth getting is still kind of a toss-up. There are probably several versions of Arkanoid already available on the internet for free. Whether Arkanoid DS is the definitive adaption of the game and whether that status justifies a $20 purchase may depend on how hardcore of an Arkanoid fan you are or what kind of game you're in the mood to play. In any case, Arkanoid DS is a pleasant, addictive distraction. Just don't expect much out of it beyond what you'd see in a free internet Flash game.

This is a competent adaptation. The 90s-era dance music and jazz fusion on the soundtrack can be off-putting and repetitive, but aren’t crushingly obtrusive. The inclusion of a plot to try and make the campaign mode make sense was pure folly. Arkanoid doesn’t need a story any more than Chess does. Lucky for us, they didn’t cock up the most important part of a twitch arcade game clone: the controls. The stylus makes for a transparent facsimile of the knob one would normally twiddle. Satisfactory, but lacking value at the price.

I recommend the paddle controller. If you're up the import, Arkanoid DS becomes quite interesting, but otherwise it's a well-done, extremely casual affair.

So while I definitely enjoy playing an updated classic on the DS, it just doesn't hold up as well against other recent, and successful revitalizations of older series. Whether this is because there's only so much you can do with a brick breaking ball, or because less time was spent in figuring out ways to make Arkanoid more entertaining is beyond me, but it doesn't hold up well for extended periods of time, and it's not something I can see myself going back to again and again. Still, at such a low price point it won't quite break the bank if you decide to check it out, so if you've been craving some old school brick busting action, then this could be the game for you.

Despite the fact that it's well-stocked with impressive multiplayer clout, Arkanoid DS is badly letdown by its single-player component. The narrow play field is a glaring design error on Taito's part and while it doesn't represent as much of an issue when you're playing against a human opponent, it sours the solo experience and prevents this otherwise encouraging update from being the definitive version of Taito's arcade classic. Perhaps some things really are best left in the past.

Arkanoid DS is a great old-school title, but it comes off as trying to be a hip skateboarding, Pepsi-drinking old dude that just needs to wear his age proudly. Grace and age go hand in hand and that needs to be recognized by Taito and Square-Enix. After all, who wants their friends ogling at their grandma’s brand new double D’s?

L’un des plus fervents porte-paroles des jeux de casse-briques fait son grand retour sur DS, pour le plus grand plaisir des joueurs trentenaires voire plus. Faisant rejaillir de bonnes vieilles sensations d’antan, Arkanoid DS est le titre idéal à posséder sur soi pendant ces Grandes Vacances. En revanche, pour tous ceux qui recherchent un jeu plus riche, aussi bien en contenu qu’en émotions, il faudra lorgner ailleurs.

Passé la joie de retrouver un vieux hit de l'arcade, Arkanoid DS déçoit. Il n'est pas entièrement mauvais, mais avec un tel nom on était en droit d'espérer beaucoup mieux. Taito s'est reposé sur ses lauriers en reprenant le concept original sans lui apporter d'innovation majeure. Du coup, Arkanoid DS risque de ne pas plaire à grand monde, hormis peut-être à quelques nostalgiques qui verseront une larme le temps d'une partie.

Des possibilités bienvenues qui maquillent un peu le fait que cet Arkanoid DS reste malgré tout assez radin en nouveautés, et que sa réalisation n'est pas non plus flamboyante en dehors de quelques musiques jazzy. Les nostalgiques pourront toutefois se lancer sans problèmes, mais rappelons aux plus curieux l'existence d'un Nervous Brickdown sur le même support, plus audacieux à de nombreux niveaux.

Arkanoid DS disappoints in many ways. Even with a retail price of $19.99, the game is just not worth it. If you are looking for a great remake of a classic arcade game, look no further than Space Invaders Extreme. As it stands, Arkanoid DS is a pitiful attempt at reviving a well-loved classic that deserves better than this.

There are other minor points about Arkanoid DS that got under my skin, but I don't need to go into that much more detail; I think my point is more or less clear by now. As a child of the 1980s, I remember the original game quite well. As a fervent fan of this genre in my later PC days, I also know how far this genre has come. This particular offering utterly fails to capture the magic of its predecessor or even to meet the standards set by contemporary offerings. If you're in the market for a new amusement for your Nintendo DS, don't be gulled by the promises of the past. Arkanoid DS is a good example of a title coasting on the good will of its name alone — and that just isn't enough to justify this game.

If you’re looking for levels upon levels of brick breaking, Arkanoid DS has you covered. It’s not all that innovative and some of the format choices are questionable, but the stylus control works great and you’re getting a lot of the same stuff for a low price.

It's a shame that signature care does not extend its gratitude to the rest of the game. In the end however, Arkanoid DS sits at strange junction tilted more toward 'de-evolution' than a well and proper celebration of the franchise. With over two decades since the first Arkanoid, along with a selection of entertaining upgrades and sequels since, the DS iteration of Arkanoid is a frustratingly primitive artefact today best left to the mobile phones and Flash casual games.

When compared with some of the recent Arkanoid-inspired games (like the stellar and highly original Nervous Brickdown), Arkanoid DS doesn’t make much sense. There are dozens of stages to finish and a new multiplayer component. But none of these features, old or new, is on par with the classic you remember.

It's amazing to see how far Taito can span the gamut in the same videogame generation: Space Invaders Extreme, released at the same time as Arkanoid, is easily one of the finest classic remakes we've ever played on the Nintendo DS. And Arkanoid? It's easily one of the worst. The Paddle Controller was the only thing this title had going for it in its Japanese release, and with it taken away in the US version you can see that Arkanoid DS just doesn't have what it takes to be the true Breakout clone.

Arkanoid isn't a bad fit for the DS, but this version feels too watered down.

Arkanoid DS mérite-t-il vraiment d’exister ? Ok, on est sur console portable. Pourtant, malgré un contenu assez conséquent, on doute tout de même de l’intérêt de voir encore adapter l’un des tous premiers jeux de l’histoire sur Nintendo DS. Et qui plus est avec tous les jeux flash que l’on peut trouver sur le net. Taito est assurément gagnant en sortant un titre à ce prix. Et le joueur ?

It’s really a shame that Arkanoid DS is such a weak update of the original game. While the background tunes are enjoyable and obscure, they don’t match similar title like Lumines(which seems to have been an influence). If you want to experience old-school gaming with a new-school twist, Space Invaders Extreme is EXACTLY how you do it. Even if you’re a big fan of the original Arkanoid (aren’t we all?), there are better variations on that theme (such as Kirby’s Block Ball). Arkanoid fans should pass on this one.

Het lijkt erop alsof Taito zelf niet door had wat Arkanoid zo leuk maakt. Waar men met Space Invaders Extreme echt een nieuwe weg in is geslagen en een klassieke spelformule nieuw leven in heeft geblazen, blijft men met Arkanoid DS halsstarrig conservatief terwijl de innovaties die er zijn, het spelconcept alleen maar ondermijnen. Dat moet beter kunnen, want het Arkanoid-concept heeft best wat potentie voor een verslavend handheldspel.

I'll be charitable here and call Arkanoid DS a missed opportunity. After all, Breakout isn't a completely horrible concept (as proven by Block Breaker Deluxe) and Space Invaders Extreme shows that you can keep a core design and be very clever with the embellishments (such as the graphics and sound or scoring mechanics) to create a worthy update to a classic. But I won't be charitable with the score.