Review & Contest: Exo-flex skins

We received some Exo-Flex skins in the mail, and have spent the last month with some of them on our devices. Now that we've had some real hands-on time with them, it's time to give them a short review, and give them away!

It's hard to review what is basically a big sticker. They all looked nice when they arrived, and seemed like they would hold up well. Let's go through each of the claims they make for their skins, and see how well they do.

[Update: Congrats to our winners: jen, Spike116, Icreatedyou, and gbaker386 Hope you enjoy the skins!]

1. NO Smearing or Fading
By smearing, I believe this refers to the printing on the sticker itself. I used the DS Lite skin they sent for quite a while, and never noticed any deterioration it the quality of the printing. It also didn't seem to fade, but I didn't leave it out in the sun for long periods trying to fade it.
Verdict: TRUE

Tekcase for DSi Giveaway

We received an extended battery case for the Nintendo DSi, but without an actual DSi to use with it, a full review is impossible. Here are some quick impressions.

[Update: Congrats to our winner, FreakGenius! Hope you enjoy the case! ]

Positive

• USB charging through mini-USB means that finding a place to recharge is pretty easy.
• The small size contains your DSi and extra battery in a package about the same size as a DS Lite.
• The claimed 2.8 times battery life takes your DSi from providing a full days' amount of playtime to a whole roadtrips' time.
• Included compact USB charger can be used for cellphones, MP3 players, or any other USB device.
• A manual switch to turn on the extended battery gives you more control on when and how long you charge.
• Hard shell provides a little more protection for your DSi.

Negatives:

• Manual switching means you could forget and lose power to you DSi, even when the Tekcase is charged.
• The protruding connector from the back of the case ruins the sleek look they were going for.

Overall, there are more things to like about this case than not. The USB charging is a big deal for me, as it removes the need for another proprietary wall wart when going on a trip.

Be sure to check out our TekCase for DSi image gallery for more pictures.

And now we're giving it away! To win, just leave a comment saying what you like most about this case.

Limit one entry per person. All entries must be submitted by Wednesday, September 30, 2009, at 12PM (Noon) Central US Time.

Other links:
Buy the Nintendo DS Lite Tekcase from Amazon.com
Buy the Nintendo DSi TekCase from Amazon.com

Review & Contest: Elite Forces - Unit 77

Squad-based combat is not a new idea for video games, but it has been ruined over the years by poor controls, too many units to control, not enough units to control, and sometimes unrealistic goals. A new entry into the genre has come to the Nintendo DS in the form of Elite Forces: Unit 77. Will it succeed in it's goals, or flop like so many before it. Either way, we're giving away our copy to one lucky reader, so read on for the full review!

[Update: Congrats to our winner, gbaker386! Hope you enjoy the game! ]

Review & Contest: Lux Pain for Nintendo DS

Evil. Mystery. Darkness. These are the words on the back of the box for Lux Pain. The game is described as a mystery where you must gather hints and clues by talking to people, and use your psychic powers to save the victims from Silent, an evil worm that has been infecting the local population. Can you stop Silent before it claims the lives of more victims, but more importantly, will you have fun doing it? You can win our copy of the game, so read on for our review and how to win!

[Update: Congrats to our winner, gbaker386! He asked for the video review of the larvets, so we're working on that now!]

Review & Contest: Boing! Docomodake DS

What do the games Yo! Noid, Cool Spot, and the new Boing! Docomodake DS game have in common? That's right, they're all games where you play as a corporate mascot. The NTT docomo corporation is one of the biggest cell phone carriers in Japan, with the Docomodake as their mascot. Much like any other corporate mascot, they make many products to help promote the brand, even going so far as to create a video game. Now Docomodake has come to the U.S. with Boing! Docomodake DS, but is it worth picking up?

[Update: The contest is over, thanks to everyone who entered, and congrats to our winner, ReZon! ]

Review & Contest: Blue Dragon Plus

In August 2007, Blue Dragon was released for the Xbox 360 to little fanfare, and although generally well received, was not a major title for the console. A sequel has been released, but instead of being on the Xbox 360, it has arrived on the Nintendo DS. Obviously a severe change in hardware, can the story survive the transition, and how similar is this new entry in the franchise? Find out in our review, and enter to win our review copy by commenting at the end of the article!

[Update: The contest is over, thanks to everyone who entered, and congrats to our winner, gbaker386! Also don't forget to enter our Docomodake contest! ]

Review (& Contest!): Moon for the Nintendo DS

When most people think of a First Person Shooter game (FPS), they think of Halo, Call of Duty, Unreal Tournament, or Doom. They might think about playing on their computer, or a home console. There aren't a lot of FPS games for portable systems, and especially not many for the Nintendo DS. Renegade Kid has developed a new title simply called Moon that aims to bring a first-class FPS title to the most popular portable system ever. But can they succeed? Let's dig into this new space adventure and find out.