It’s the start of the long weekend season up here in Canada (Canader for some). So with that brings on road-trips, cottage visits, and enjoying the great outdoors. Sounds like portable gaming time!

I’ve been playing a bit of DS catch up lately, maybe because I picked up a DSi, or maybe because I woke up to the impressive library the DS has been building. Yes I know I’m late to the party with most of these.

Professor Layton – This game blew my mind! Literally… I think my mind exploded when I was trying to solve some of the puzzles. The puzzles are generally really fun, besides the ridiculously hard and confusing ones. An issue with some of these tougher ones is that you don’t always get a sense of accomplishment, because it mainly comes down to trial and error. Another minor gripe is that when the mysteries were starting to be solved, I was not completely confident that I solved them, it felt more like the game solved them for me. Please do not take any complaints as a major detractor from this game, it's one of the best puzzler/brain teasers I’ve ever played. It’s fun and the art is fantastic (reminds me of Belle & Sebastian cartoons from the 80’s).

Chrono Trigger – Thank you Square! I can finally enjoy this great game, after missing it the first time around. Firing this up brought back some great memories of the mid 90’s. Secret of Mana is an old favorite of mine, so the style was instantly recognizable. Turn-based combat isn’t my favorite, but here it is very well executed. The timing system works great with the array of attacks, items, and of course the various Single, Dual, and Triple techs. This keeps things very interesting when figuring out which combinations will take down enemies and bosses. I found the story quite engaging and it even provided me with one major “Nooooooooooooooo” moment. The added cut scenes (I’m guessing from the PS1 port) do feel misplaced, as they don’t add anything to the experience. Any RPG fan, casual or hardcore, is going to love this game. And if you played it before, it’s a good time to get one of the 13 endings you may not have gotten the first time around.

Rhythm Heaven – This is the type of game that you show people and they think you’re silly, but you put it in their hands and they’re running out to buy it, and/or a DS if they don’t own one. There is something about tapping and flicking a stylus to a beat that is highly addictive. The music is cheesy but also strangely memorable. The animations are simple but engaging. Ultimately though I believe it is the challenge that keeps me coming back, this sucker is HARD! It’s not frustrating, which is great, you just know that you are slightly off beat.

Some others on my shelf but I haven’t thrown in yet: The World Ends with You, GTA: Chinatown Wars, and Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword.