Clubhouse Games

Miscellaneous Board Games Board / Card Game Party / Minigame

(Known in the UK/EU as "42 All-Time Classics") It's game night and everyone’s invited. Play more than 20 classic board, card and party games alone, with friends or via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. With familiar favorites like checkers, darts and poker, Clubhouse Games is for everyone and part of the Touch Generations library. Video game newcomers will appreciate the easy-to-use interface. Players can challenge up to seven friends with one game card via Multi-Card Play or DS Download Play. Can't play checkers without shouting "KING ME!" across the table? The in-game (PictoChat-like) feature takes table talk to a new level. There's no need to lug around cards or boards when you want to play a quick game. Clubhouse Games is one-stop gaming that will appeal to everyone's tastes, whether they’re in the mood for bowling, backgammon, bridge or billiards. [Nintendo]

Picross DS

Miscellaneous Puzzle Logic

Like finding the underlining 'picture' in a 'crossword puzzle', the goal in Picross DS is to fill a grid with squares and crosses in order to 'paint' a picture. Numbers at the head of the puzzles' columns and rows signify how the grids need to be filled out, but it will take a sharp mind to figure out the solution - and some speedy fingers to defeat the competition. The game's main Picross Mode offers a staggering 300 puzzles available to play at your leisure. Ranging from the elementary five by five grids to highly complicated twenty by twenty grids, this mode can keep even the most hardened gamers happy. Those less certain of their skills can opt to receive clues to help finish puzzles, or get a head start with a roulette-style hint function that reveals one line of the puzzle. Bring your individual talents to the table with My Picross Mode, in which you can create your very own puzzles to share with your friends (locally, or via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection). Designing your own puzzles is simplicity itself thanks to the easy-to-use stylus and Touch Screen. For that extra personal flair, you can even design the image beneath the puzzle which is revealed upon completion. A variety of unlockable skins - with themes ranging from nature to sports or video game heroes – give you all the customisation tools you’ll need to make Picross DS fit your style. [Nintendo Europe]

Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise

Simulation Miscellaneous Virtual Life Virtual

In Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise, players inherit a neglected garden on Pinata Island and turn it into a pinata paradise by tending to all aspects of cleaning the garden, growing and maintaining vegetation, caring for and breeding pinatas, as well as attracting new pinata species. The game features seven all-new pinata species, each with new requirements, houses and unique cut scenes. Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise also includes twelve full motion video clips that serve as tutorial levels within the game. The videos feature the stars of the Fox 4Kids Viva Pinata TV series, including Hudson Horstashio, Fergy Fudgehog and Paulie Pretztail. The brand-new Playground mode allows players to create a lush garden full of exciting and exotic pinatas in a very short amount of time. In addition, certain rare pinatas can only be acquired by using the Nintendo DS local wireless connection, where players can transfer items from their garden to a friend's garden. [THQ]

Tetris DS

Miscellaneous Puzzle Stacking

10 DS players can battle with only one Tetris DS card. Each of the six modes of play features a theme based on a classic Nintendo game, such as Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda or Metroid. The traditional Tetriminos (falling blocks) and line-clearing strategy remain the staples of the game, but the touch screen adds a new element of interactivity. Some modes give players special Tetris puzzles to solve. Others feature head-to-head action between two players, or massive wireless battles between 10 DS users, even if only one player has a game card. Players also can log onto Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to compete in two- or four-player battles. Tetris DS even includes a point-based rating system based on players' battle results. Opponents can see one another's ratings, which indicate their skill levels. Every gamer, whether competitive or casual, will find a way to reconnect with one of the most popular puzzle games in history. Look for more details about the new game play modes on Nintendo.com in the weeks leading up to the game's release. [Nintendo.com]