Point Blank DS (DS)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.5 stars Very good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 7.0 (3.5 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Ryan Davis
• Reviewed on: 06/15/2006
• Updated on: 06/16/2006
• Released on: 06/13/2006
• Originally published on GameSpot: Point Blank DS (DS) Review

It's been more than five years since Dr. Dan and Dr. Don last appeared in Point Blank 3, and in the time since, light-gun games have become about as dead as the Latin language. Considering that Point Blank never really rose above its niche appeal, it seemed unlikely that there would ever be another entry in this quirky and enthusiastic series, which is part of what makes Point Blank DS such a pleasant surprise. In an undeniably clever design move, Point Blank DS emulates the usual light-gun controls using the DS touch screen and stylus, and it works surprisingly well. The whole package does a rather fantastic job of capturing the spirit and energy of the Point Blank series, but the action doesn't change much, and because it doesn't give you any strong incentives to come back, Point Blank DS runs out of steam a little too quickly.

To a certain extent, the WarioWare games owe a measure of their cross-cultural charm and kinetic pacing to Point Blank. Rather than having you hunting down terrorists or shooting the limbs off shambling zombies like in so many other arcade light-gun games, Point Blank was just a collection of incredibly fast-paced minigames. Though presented mostly with 2D sprites, there was an undeniably dizzy charm to the minigames, which would challenge you to clear out rooms full of cardboard cutout gangsters, cowboys, and ninjas; protect Dr. Dan and Dr. Don from hungry piranhas, out-of-control barrels, angry music fans, and falling satellites; shoot loads and loads of circular bull's-eye targets; and much more.

Point Blank DS cherry-picks 40 different minigames from throughout the franchise, so there's a pretty good cross section of minigames to put your different faculties through their paces. There are tests of accuracy, judgment, reaction, attention, and precision, and they're usually over in 20 seconds or so. The minigames are packaged in a few different ways here. There's a mode that emulates the structure of the arcade games, putting you through a randomly selected series of minigames, and it includes a practice mode and three difficulty settings. You can also play any of the included minigames one at a time in the freeplay mode or go into the game's museum mode to play digitized versions of four classic Namco coin-op games, the latter of which isn't quite as novel as it sounds. The wireless versus mode is a nice touch, giving you access to a good number of the included minigames while requiring only one copy of Point Blank DS.

Continue reading

Where to buy

Point Blank DS (DS): $20.00

store	price	in stock?	rating
eBay	$20.00	Yes

see prices from 1 store

Compare prices for Point Blank DS

eBay

$20.00