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The only game of its kind

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 12 / 17
Date: August 02, 2005
Author: Amazon User

... on the DS, that is.

The good:
- Fantastic background graphics and an incredibly smooth frame rate
- Some really cool weapons
- Enjoyably retro music
- Lots of different modes
- Online high score table and challenges make for great replayability
- Cool touch-screen radar
- Many unlockables
- Some cool bosses
- Most importantly, it's the only scrolling shooter the DS may get for a long time.

The bad:
- I only really use two out of the four weapons, because having to hit the others on the touch screen usually isn't worth it
- Bottom-screen radar is useless
- Did I mention the touch screen usage is terrible?
- In all modes, scores are kept only if you beat a level!
- Some of the mission modes are next to impossible
- Enemy designs, while nice, are repetitive
- Unlockables, so far, are terrible
- Really anticlimactic, rather easy final level. Last boss is disappointingly bland and cliche.

It's no Layer Section or Ikaruga, but it's the only game of its kind on the DS and it's quite enjoyable.

Okay

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 14, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game is basically a classic space shooter game with better effects. It's not incredibly fun IMO.

Fun but short

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: October 09, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Nanostray is a a fun arcade style game. Thhe game has no story and has only has 5 misson With three settings. The game also has five different wepons each with special wepons, you also have bombs. you must use theys wepon to destroy wave after wave of ships to get a high score.

great shooter

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: December 26, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is space shooter in the style of R-Type-where waves of different enemies come at flying in distinctive types with different sorts of weapons. At the end there is a boss with several different pieces that have to be shot off. You have 4 different types of weapons that you can switch between using the touch screen. I do not use the stylus for this, I just give it a flick with my fingernail. The enemies are coming too fast to pick up the stylus.

The game is fairly difficult even on the lower levels. You may find yourself dying a lot and if you die before you meet the boss, you have to do the level again from the beginning when you continue. Personally I prefer this as it does not allow you to just continue-continue-continue through the game. You actually have to learn the best way to beat the different types of waves.

What really sets this game apart is the gorgeous graphics. The levels are beautifully colored and just pop off the DS screens. There is a techno soundtrack that does a good job of setting a frantic tone for the action. I feel comfortable recommending this game to anyone that enjoys these types of things - especially since the game was introduced at a lower price.

Nanostray DS: Shin'en was close to perfect.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: August 04, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Pros:
-Graphics push the envelope of the DS, every inch of both screens are utilized.
-Sound is very good for this genre, Shin'en creates a sound engine for the DS.
-Online interaction through the website Nanostray Dot Com allows for ranking of your high scores.
-Multiplayer gaming with this game is very engaging. You only need one copy to share with a friend. I have played this feature repeatedly, no telling how many hours have been wasted blasting away!
-Numerous unlockable challenges really do enhance gameplay and keep you glued to the DS long after you beat the game.

Cons:
-If I had a third robotic hand, I would play Nanostray because selecting between weapons while playing the game would a snap.
-Upgrading weapons between missions in Adventure mode would increase the replay value of the game. You are instead left with using the "third hand" to select weapons.

I gave this game 4 stars overall because you are reminded of this games' few shortcomings every time you play. However, if you are anything close to a fan of the genre you must get the game!

a quick adrenaline rush!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: November 06, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is the kind of game that you play if games like the original Starfox for the SNES appeal to you. Don't expect incredible depth, but rather, gaze at the awesome graphics and music while blasting a bunch of ammo at waves and waves of oncoming enemies. I love it. The only drawback is that the game is waay too short for the money- I would say a good three hours is enough to beat this game from the moment you pick it up if you are a seasoned gamer. With that said, I can never get sick of replaying this game because the graphics and superficial flashiness are kind of addictive to me. If you are expecting a hardcore shoot-em-up on the level of Ikaruga, you will definitely be disappointed.

Nanostray DS

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: February 18, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I recieved Nanostray today from amazon and have already beaten it. It is very short, I wish there were a few more levels to play. Graphically Nanostray is awesome, very impressive. The controls are decent however I wish they would have had a button utilized to select weapons as an alternative to only using the stylus. Posting your nanocodes online to be ranked amoung the other players throughout the world is pretty neat, but I don't think it will prolong the longevity of the title. Since it is able to be beaten within a few hours I think this diminshes the replay value substantially. Other than being terribly short the game is very enjoyable to play and I would recommend it to anyone who loves shooter style games such as this.

great graphics

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: April 11, 2007
Author: Amazon User

great game, great graphics but a little on the short side
fun while it last --worth twenty dollars

Nanostray: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 16, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Nanostray is one of the best DS games, in my opinion. There are 3 modes of play, wireless single-card download play, extras to unlock, and 8 kick-ass weapons.

However, there are some flaws. For instance, the touch-screen control is jerky and forced. It can be really annoying when there are enemies all around you and you need a special weapon, but you touch the wrong icon, and an enemy ship slams into you and kills you.

Also, the Adventure Mode is very easy to beat. I've had it for a week now and I've amost beat it already. But that doesn't mean it won't take a while to beat the entire game. You still have Arcade and Challenge Modes to beat.

All in all, if you are a part modern, part retro gaming fan, definitely get this game. Bye.

Breath taking

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: October 25, 2005
Author: Amazon User

No doubt anyone who sees this game will have to agree that it's one of the coolest looking DS games. You pilot a ship with a certain number number of ships(Which can take multiple hits), energy which can be used for stronger weapons, limited smart bombs, and you try to survive the level and beat the boss. The graphics are great and the music is pretty cool too. You can go through Adventure and try to clear all the levels leading up to the credits, do arcade mode where you can find your nanocode on a level played in this mode which can be posted on nanostray.com to be ranked among the best in the world, or take a shot at challenge mode to clear the missions and get unlockables. When you first get the game you can go through adventure mode in about 2 hours. After you tried or cleared adventure mode on all the difficulties, got your nanocode for every level trying to improve your score a few times while doing this, and at least took a try at all the challenges, you just seem to lose interest in the game. Some of the challenges in the game seem impossible to me and the constant lag in the game seems to annoy me, but this is a pretty good game

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