NINTENDO'S OLD GEM 'BOULDER DASH,' NEW 'PANZER TACTICS' COMING IN FALL.

Byline: REDMOND CAROLIPIO

>LA.COM 

With the loaded gaming holiday season approaching, it can be easy to overlook what's happening on the Nintendo DS. Here are a couple of titles coming out in the coming months.

"Panzer Tactics": This will be the first World War II turn-based strategy game for the DS. It's designed more for the older gamers who might have an appreciation of history. The game details the war from three different points of view: the Germans, the Russians and finally, the United States and Britain.

The German campaign is the easiest of the three, designed to introduce the player to the game's play mechanics. Each campaign is broken down into several missions, and you've got everything from bombers to tanks to commando units at your disposal.

The commandos were the most intriguing pieces to use, as they are capable of using stealth tactics like sabotage or stealing ammo. They can also distribute propaganda as well as assassinate officers. Here's the catch: it costs a fortune to get them, and once they're done with their job, they're extremely vulnerable to enemy forces.

The game is laid out on a hexagonal grid, and you use the DS stylus to "draw" a path from one unit to the other. It's a pretty easy system to pick up, and the top screen does a good job of showing each unit's strengths and weaknesses.

There's also online LAN capability, so you can strategize against others, as well as an online ranking system that chronicles high scores. Your ranking takes damage if you're cheap and hop out of a match in which you're getting owned -- surrender is actually a better option, as you can still earn points.

It should be noted that no matter how good you are, you can't alter history -- in other words, the Germans can't win the war. However, if you prove to be a more than able strategist, the A.I. in the game will respond in kind.

The game lets you approach key battles and missions in different ways, and there are also about 33 "scenario" missions that depart from the game's main path.

You'll be able to find "Panzer Tactics" in October.

"Boulder Dash: Rocks!": Both older and younger gamers would probably enjoy this remake of a 1984 title called "Boulder Dash" that came out on the Commodore 64. If you're old enough to have played that game, you'll see that Rockford (that's the hero) has aged nicely to accommodate contemporary handheld technology.

The game plays like the original, where you have to move Rockford around a level, grab a number of diamonds and make it to the exit. However, there are loose boulders littered throughout the levels, and Rockford has to dodge them before he gets crushed. There are four game modes as well as different kinds of worlds, such as "jungle world" or "nether world."

Each world is broken down into smaller levels. There's more than 100 levels in all, each with increasing complexity. Luckily, Rockford's got some new toys as well, such as a zapper that features different kinds of ammunition to take out enemies. You can also use the zapper to pull rocks and other items toward you.

The game is looking like a solid, fun-looking experience for DS owners who might be ready for a nice distraction. "Boulder Dash: Rocks!" is expected to arrive in November.

Redmond Carolipio, [phone]

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"PANZER TACTICS"