Upcoming DS games for January 2008

January marks the start of a new year. Wait; you knew that? Well, you should also know that the Nintendo DS continues to receive worthwhile releases. To kick off 2008, the DS gets a sequel to an overlooked space shooter, sports action involving popular game mascots, and a promising strategy title with tons of value. We will soon look at 2008’s most anticipated DS titles; for now, check out what January has to offer:

Nanostray 2 – January 15: German developer Shin’en updates Nanostray and fixes everything and anything wrong with the original. Now you have both side-scrolling and top-down shooting action, button or touch screen controls, and a hardcore Challenge Mode. Multiple weapons and ship customization remain, and now you can upload your scores to online leaderboards via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

Advance Wars: Days of Ruin – January 21: The second installment of Nintendo’s now popular strategy series for the DS takes quite a different approach; improved gameplay mechanics to an already solid experience, a new, more mature and dark art style, a robust single player campaign mode with an intricate story, and 4-player online battles complete with friends-only voice chat. Advanced wars indeed.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games – January 22: The portable complement of last year’s Wii sports compilation, Mario & Sonic for DS feature 16 events, two of which are exclusive to the handheld version of the title. Play as popular characters from both worlds and compete in touch screen sporting events, then upload your high scores to online leaderboards.

Bomberman Land Touch! 2 – January 29: Yet another sequel to an underappreciated DS title is set to be released soon. Land Touch! 2 offers the same RPG / mini-game blend incorporating over 40 different touch screen games. Not only that, but the classic Bomberman-style Battle Mode is included, complete with 4-player online support or 8-player local multiplayer capable of connecting with the first Land Touch! title.