Pink Balls

Okay, well, really it's just one pink ball. But that didn't make a good title. Alright, now that I think about it, neither did the one I went with. But whatever. I have to admit that I wasn't wild about Nintendo's pink ball of fun, Kirby, and his latest outing, Kirby: Canvas Curse.

Honestly, I'm getting a little tired of all the cutesy Nintendo games. Yeah, the DS is more kiddified than the sleek and sexy grownup PSP, but that doesn't mean it can't play cooler games. Canvas Curse is your typical brightly colored platformer. And you know how I feel about platformers. Of course, this is a platformer with a twist. Instead of using the buttons to jump or attack, you use the stylus to create little rainbows for Kirby to ride around the level and tap the enemies to stun them into submission so Kirby can take 'em out. No, seriously, rainbows.

Okay, I know I sound like I'm ragging on this game, but it's actually strangely fun. Dragging the stylus to create safe pathways around the obstacles in each level and still being able to take out the enemies as you go does take some thought. And it is an interesting twist on the genre. I also appreciate that you don't have to go out of your way to collect each and every little whatsit on each level in order to finish it. Only if you want to. So obsessive collectors can blow hours trying to snag each power-up and whatnot, and lazy-asses like me can just breeze through it to get to one of the surprisingly clever boss battles. They also involve the stylus in equally inventive ways. Basically, it's a pretty good example of how the DS can do standard games with a twist. Even if the graphics and sounds aren't all that impressive. But the DS is never going to be able to compete with the PSP on those levels. But as far as creating interesting games that put the 'fun' back in touch screen functionality, Nintendo seems to be doing all right.

So if this sort of thing sounds like the kind of thing you'd like, check it out. Me, I'm going to see if I can't find something a little more grown up... and less... um, pink.