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Modojo Special Report: The State of DS Homebrew
Written by Cody Musser on Friday, August 11, 2006
We take an in-depth look at what's hot in Nintendo DS emulators, indie games, and custom applications...
...Continued From Page 1 So with a solid introduction to the world of homebrew, it's finally time to talk about what you'll be able to experience with your knowledge. There are two main categories of development within the homebrew scene: applications, and games. The first of which we'll take a look at are games. The games being developed for the DS essentially belong to two very separate worlds. First, there are emulators being developed to play games from the many systems of time gone by, and secondly there are new and independent titles being developed specifically for the DS.
Both of these very different types of games offer many opportunities for gamers to find something that excites them. While independent titles are embracing the creative and numerous features of the DS, emulators are bringing back many long-forgotten titles and franchises.
The popularity of emulators has been growing since long before the Nintendo DS, but many older titles now ported from consoles can enjoy a second-life thanks to mobile gaming. The idea of sitting down to play some early Atari 2600 titles may seem foolish when you've got a nice collection of not quite so ancient game consoles to enjoy, but as handheld titles, older classic games have much more appeal. Some of the popular emulators available for the DS include:
The Nintendo Lineage
Some of the most popular emulators available for the DS open the doors to the many systems of Nintendo's past. It's basically possible to find an emulator for all systems including the NES, Super NES, GameBoy, GameBoy Advance, and even the DS itself, making almost all early and portable Nintendo games playable on the system. Even emulators that were originally designed for the Gameboy Advance are mostly compatible with the DS.
The legality of the use of these emulators is always in question, just as it is with any emulator, but GameBoy Advance and Nintendo DS emulators could be regarded as the worst of the bunch. There's little purpose of an emulator for the DS playing Gameboy Advance and DS games when the system is already capable of doing so. Many people will make the excuse that they are creating back-up copies of their games, but realistically these emulators are often the reason the homebrew development scene is looked down upon. Piracy is dependent on the user not the developer, but too often developers of emulators such as these take a back seat to the issues surrounding their creations.
StellaDS
StellaDS is a port of the Stella emulator for the Atari 2600. The emulator supports loading and executing ROMS, and joystick control via the D-Pad and 'A' button. Early games like Atari titles are almost laughable to play on a home console, but the dated graphics and gameplay is less noticeable on a portable console. It's just more fun to enjoy these classics on the go than it has been in years. So if you're going to start playing some Atari 2600 titles, why not start with questionably the worst game ever made? Phone home anyone?
ScummVM DS
While not technically an emulator, ScummVM DS is a very similar idea. It is in fact an interpreter that plays many of the famous LucasArts SCUMM games like Sam & Max: Hit the Road, or The Secret of Monkey Island. The program supports 15 point-and-click adventures from the heyday of PC gaming, including touch screen control, and the ability to save games onto compatible flash cards. If there was one particular project to turn me on to homebrew this would be it. Many gamers have heard of the glory of LucasArts point-and-click adventures, and enjoying them on the DS is a wonderful option. However, finding copies of some of these gems is a genuinely difficult task. I'd give an arm or two for the whole set ... or three for that matter.
posted August 12, 2006