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Computer Times
Editors' Choice DS Game Big Bang Mini Reviewed by Angie Kibiloski
I have been impressed with everything South Peak Games has published this year, and their newest addition to the world of Nintendo DS is no exception. Big Bang Mini (Retail $19.99) is an exciting, unique, and very addictive arcade shooter, in which your weapons are fireworks and your enemies range from evil flying fish, to evil skeletons, to evil clowns, and a bunch of other evil things. This game is so much fun, and challenging too, you’ll never want to stop playing.
The Arcade mode consists of 9 worlds, each with very different landscapes and enemies, with 10 levels in each world. The first 9 levels contain regular enemies, and the 10th is a big boss level, where you battle the major evil baddie of the world. A few of the worlds you will visit are Hong Kong, where you will be firing at monkeys, pandas and dragons, Luxor, which looks a bit like a Light Bright, and Paris, where little pussy cats will try to kill you. You’ll enjoy traveling through these worlds just to see what crazy creatures want to kill you next. The 9 worlds each have their own unique music too, which will keep you rockin’ while you explode things. At the end of each level, as an added treat, you get to play a bonus level, which is just like a dot-to-dot puzzle. Tons of dot connecting fun, but watch out for some evil surprises!
The mechanics of the game are fairly simple, but still can keep you on your toes. Use your styles on the touch screen to move you little spaceship around the field. Some evil enemies will appear and fly around on the top screen, and sometimes invade your bottom screen as well. Also, with your stylus, fling exploding fireworks at these enemies and try to eliminate them. When an enemy explodes, collect the star that drops from its debris. Collect enough stars to fill your star meter in order to progress to the next level. But watch out, while you are firing at your enemies, they are not just waiting idle to be hit. They will be throwing things at your little spaceship too. Maneuver your ship out of the way of falling enemy fire, debris from any of your fireworks that missed their mark, and any enemies that make their way into your bottom screen. With so many things going on at once, you will be practically glued to the screen just to survive. Some of the worlds give you a special ability to make things a little easier, like the Whirlwind power up in the Aurora world, that sucks up all surrounding debris and enemy fire. However, some worlds also have their own additional pitfalls to thwart your evil fighting efforts, like walls that close in and crush you if you don’t shoot enough enemies in the Kamakura world.
Once you have completed all 90 levels in arcade mode, you aren’t finished yet. You can play with the Versus Mode, which allows you to compete against another DS user with the Wi-fi connection. Challenge Mode lets you compare your scores with players all over the world on a global database, accessed from any Wi-Fi hotspot. If you have completed all the Bonus Level dot-to-dots, then you can enter Relax Mode. Here you can either watch fireworks explode in a show the game produces, or take charge and fire off your own pretty display. Mission Mode presents you with 25 missions to complete within the levels you mastered in Arcade Mode, but this time with new win parameters, like beating a certain boss level in a set amount of time. Finally, there is the Alarm Clock. Select the music you want to be played and the time you want it to go off, and there you have a personalized, and super cool alarm clock!
This game rocks! It is cute, fast paced, exciting, unique, and I just can’t get enough. The Arcade Mode alone would be enough to thrill me, but the fun just keeps going and going with all the additional Modes. Even the box is cool, with cover art that animates when you move it. South Peak Games has proved itself once again with Big Bang Mini! I mean, what could be more fun than shooting evil enemy ghost things….with fireworks!? It’s a super cool game, and you absolutely must get it, case closed.
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