A while back I wrote an article in which I included reviews for Sony PSP games only. The article turned out really good! So good, in fact, that I have once again decided to write an article reviewing games for one specific platform. But, then again, I said to myself, "Why just do one platform when there are so many? Why not just write reviews for games on a type of platform." That's when I said to myself, "It's time to release an article dedicated to portable games!" After that I stopped talking to myself.

Some really good portable games have been released recently and I just had to get my hands on them. A few well-known franchises have made a return, and a few indie titles have hit the shelves also, so this month we have a fair mix of both. But I must warn you, enjoy the reviews of these games while you can because up until now I have filtered out all the good games from the gawd-awful games. Remember, this is AWN, people! We only bring out the best of the industry! But a guy can only take so much crap, and you never know what month Ol' Pete might snap and just start venting (hint, hint). But since that hasn't happened yet, enjoy the awesome portable games in this month's "Press Start"!

Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword is exactly the kind of action/adventure game the DS needs.

Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword for the Nintendo DS; Publisher: Tecmo; Developer: Team Ninja; Release Date: March 25, 2008; ESRB Rating: T for teen; Genre: action/adventure; Players: 1; Support: N/A; Online: Nintendo Wi-Fi rankings

Ninja Star-dom
Now that's what I'm talking about! Ninjas are the coolest thing to happen to video games ever. All of history's greatest games had ninjas in them, all the way back to the first Ninja Gaiden on the original NES. I gotta tell ya, I was skeptical at first about the idea of controlling this game almost completely with the stylus, but it really turned out great.

Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword for the DS is exactly the kind of action/adventure game the industry can learn from and is also the kind of action/adventure game the DS needs in its library, especially with the whole "Nintendo systems are only for kids" stereotype that the DS has garnered. Players, once again, take control of the famous ninja hero Ryu Hayabasa, as he wields the legendary Dragon Sword against hordes of ninjas, monsters and other baddies.

Slice 'Em Up, Ask Questions Later
Like I just said: slashing, jumping, double jumping, throwing shurikens and performing any other kind of attack is done completely with the stylus. Blocking is the only maneuver not done with the stylus; that is actually done by pushing any of the buttons on the DS, including any of the directional buttons. The story is typical ninja fare, with there being a light sword and a dark sword and the "forces of evil" trying to get their hands on the dark sword to obtain ultimate power. Attacking just means slashing the enemy with the stylus in any direction and, depending on the direction you slash, means Ryu will perform different sword strikes.

Movements like slashing, jumping, double jumping, throwing shurikens and performing any other kind of attack can be done completely with the stylus on NGDS. © Tecmo Ltd.

Sliding the stylus up, however, will make Ryu jump and another quick slide up is how to perform a double jump. Many other moves, like rolling, downward slashes and the Izuna Drop, are all very easy to perform and, of course, no Ninja Gaiden game would be complete without a little Ninpo magic. Ninpo magic attacks are performed by first filling the magic gauge by collecting red orbs, then drawing the symbol of the Ninpo magic when prompted. More and more Ninpo magics can be unlocked, along with some new maneuvers to keep things spicy. NGDS is actually surprisingly nonlinear; many times you'll find yourself having to backtrack with a newly acquired ability and overcome an obstacle that you could not overcome before.

Never Eat a Ninja's Lunch
The jumping is the only thing that is a little tricky. Sometimes it can be difficult to get your character to land exactly where you want, but oftentimes there are very small consequences for inaccurate jumps. Still, it would feel a lot better knowing you can jump right where you want when you want to. You would think that, with so many moves performed with the stylus, things would either get confusing or out of control, but that's not the case. Tecmo took their time on this one and made the controls very natural.

Unlike many other Ninja Gaiden games, NGDS breaks the tradition of being difficult as hell and comes out with a difficulty that doesn't make you want to put a bullet through your head. But if you really do want a difficulty setting that makes you grind your teeth down to small, dull pearls, then you can always unlock the hard mode and have yourself a masochistic time! If you're a fan of Brain Age-style games, then Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword is not for you. But if you are the kind of gamer that loves ninjas and a good fight, you owe it to yourself to pick up this awesome DS title.