A lot of parents feel that video gaming is a bad thing for children. They say they spend too much indoors doing nothing, that it rots their brain, that it stunts their mental growth. You see all the negatives of video games played out in the media. They blame everything wrong with an abnormal kid with tons of underlying problems solely on the effect of video games. None of that is fair at all. Nothing could be further from the truth (ok, except maybe the staying inside part, but hey, there are worse things). I’m sure that in reality you don’t really think someone who hauls off and shoots their classmates is really the way they are because they decided to play a video game, do you? Video games just really aren’t that bad for kids.

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We catch a train, blow our own horn, and learn why sometimes it’s good to be fireproof in our first hands-on time with the new Zelda DS.

We think we can say with some certainty that the failure to announce a new Zelda game for the Wii as rumoured at the Nintendo press conference probably disappointed the odd Nintendo devotee. That said, though no new Wii game was brought into the fold there, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, which was announced at this year’s Game Developers Conference in March, is now finally playable.

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks represents the second iteration of the long-running Zelda franchise brought to the DS handheld, and if our time and review of Phantom Hourglass serves as any indicator of what to expect, fans should be in for another special outing with everyone’s favourite little adventurer.

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Nintendo made some of the best classic games, but give these a try and see why they can still work.

Gunstar Heroes
First released in 1993, this quirky game is well-loved for its exciting running and shooting action and its non-stop intense gameplay. You’ll also like the game’s manga-style look and the guns that could be mixed and matched to create your very own custom-designed shooter. Choose from a flamethrower, a homing shot, a machine gun and a laser. But no matter how big your gun gets, your enemies either multiply or get bigger themselves, so you never run out of challenges.

If you enjoyed the arcade games of the past like Street Fighter II and Contra, you’ll like this game even better. The levels, thankfully enough, are brief so you’re not stuck with long-winding stages of mindless gunplay. Two players can also play simultaneously.

Trauma Center: Second Opinion
If you’ve played Trauma Center before, you’ve probably met Dr. Derek Stiles, who just completed his residency. The story progresses through text dialogue and still images, but it’s interesting enough with the incorporation of some serious material, like euthanasia to suicidal patients. As Dr. Derek Stiles, you are gifted with the Healing Touch.

In the world you will inhabit, forces that point to bioterrorism are threatening the world with an epidemic. You will be performing surgery on patients, although it’s not as gory as you might think. You get to use a multiple array of surgical tools through the analog stick of the Wii’s nunchuk attachment. And it’s not just about surgery. You do have to mind your patient’s health – if their heart stops, you have to do something. This game isn’t easy so you’ll be challenged throughout.

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N64 classic The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask becomes 300th title on Nintendo’s retro-game download service.

One of the key features revealed at the official unveiling of the Wii back in 2006 was Nintendo’s take on Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade, the Wii Virtual Console. Launching with just 30 games, the service has gone from strength to strength, with Nintendo updating the store weekly with new content.

He tried hard, but Link’s combination gas mask and bagpipes didn’t go down too well on American Inventor.

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We take a look at the brand-new trailer for the latest DS Zelda game.

A new entry in the Zelda franchise has been rumored for some time, so it was only a mild surprise today when Nintendo unveiled that it is, in fact, working on Link’s next adventure. What did create a stir, though, is that this is not a new Wii game. The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks follows on the heels of the hugely popular DS game Phantom Hourglass, and though details are sparse at this time, Nintendo has released a trailer that shows off a few of the new features. There is one concrete bit of information that is sure to delight eager fans, though: Spirit Tracks is set to come out later this year.

The cel-shaded art style from Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass returns in Spirit Tracks. Although Nintendo has not confirmed where this falls in the Zelda timeline, it appears as though this is a sequel to Phantom Hourglass. If true, this would be the first time a Zelda storyline has continued for three straight games. We’ll have to wait for Nintendo to fill us in on the plot details, but at the very least, this is an aesthetical sequel that seems to be every bit as charming as the games that preceded it.

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