Out This Week returns! Bugger all on the Wii this week, so you may as well get back on Mario Strikers and hope Nintendo's servers stay intact. Some DS surprises, though. Read on, true believers.

DS

Wario: Master Of Disguise

Stuck in the rut of overlooked platforming substitutes, for years Wario was a maligned member of the Mario fraternity. That was until Nintendo recast him in the role of glorious innovator, the Wario Ware franchise igniting sparks in the bellies of those who had written off the spirit of gaming as lifeless: more than most of Nintendo's characters, he has shown a flair for refashioning... leading us to Master of Disguise, Wario's return to straight platforming on the handhelds. Unfortunately, it seems like it was an unnecessary come-down.

We've been used to Wario the absurdist, the surrealist: it's discouraging that a game with 'Disguise' in the title remains so similar to handheld platformers of the past. Drawing symbols to activate different garbs, and gaining different abilities, is the premise, and from what we've been reading, it's awkward and unrewarding. Remember all those first-generation DS titles: conventional gameplay with token touch-screen concessions? Yeah. Deja vu is anticipated, the most disappointing remark that can be said about a mascot that dazzled us with the shock of the new not too long ago.

Verdict: Wario Where?

Meteos: Disney Magic

What? Meteos Disney? Your eyes are not deceiving you: the beared gods of random have been busy. Q Entertainment have rebranded DS puzzle classic Meteos with the brush of Walt, accompanying the moving blocks of old with characters and imagery from the Lion King, Cinderella et al. And they had the cheek to make some sizable changes to how the gameplay functions, flipping the dimensions of the play screen and offering you more control of the bricks. Good lord, you can practically feel the puzzle purists flaming forum threads in disgust. But... perhaps they should hold back from the gun cabinet just for a moment, because this is not a bastardisation. We're hearing surprisingly positive things, and if you're bored with your copy of Meteos, this could be worth a look. Just, you know, open mind and all that.

Verdict: Doesn't take the Mickey.

Herbie: Rescue Rally

"Herbie comes to the rescue of an animal sanctuary in danger of being turned into a toxic chemical factory by the E. Vile Corporation." The press release promises a boring, generic, licensed clone, but Metacritic suggests a genuinely bubbly racing experience. We'll leave it to you to form your own judgement, if you dare, tomorrow.

Verdict: The little car that... could.

Conor Smyth
[email protected]

Next Week... Liquid Pleasure