''Point Blank DS'' is a 2006 lightgun shooter video game developed and published for the

Nintendo DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...

Namco Bandai Games is a Japanese multinational video game publisher headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Entertainment America and Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe, are respectively headquartered in Irvine, California and ...

. It is the fourth entry in the '' Point Blank'' series, comprising both new stages and ones taken from the first three games. Players use the touch screen to complete a number of different minigames that vary in terms of mechanics, such as protecting an on-screen character or shooting down a specific target.

Development and release

''Point Blank DS'' was produced by Nobutaka Nakajima, known for working on projects relating to older Namco video games, including '' Namco Museum Battle Collection'' and ''

Pac 'N Roll is a 2005 platform video game developed and published by Namco for the Nintendo DS. It stars a 3D Pac-Man as the user rolls him through the playing field using the touchscreen. The game sees Pac-Man; who has been turned into a ball, go on a jour ...

'', alongside the Xbox Live Arcade digital versions of ''

Pac-Man originally called ''Puck Man'' in Japan, is a 1980 maze action video game developed and released by Namco for arcades. In North America, the game was released by Midway Manufacturing as part of its licensing agreement with Namco America. Th ...

'', '' Galaga'' and '' Dig Dug''. Development took around ten months to complete, featuring a team of 25 people. Nakajima was interested in the Nintendo DS' hardware capabilities and touch screen controls, thinking that the ''Point Blank'' series could be adapted for play on the handheld. Converting the series' gameplay to the DS proved to be an issue from the start, however the team overcame it later on. Nakajima noted that should the game sell well, similar "touch shooting" video games could be produced for the DS. In Japan, the game was part of Namco Bandai's ''Unō no Tatsujin'' series, which featured quick thinking-based puzzles with cameos by other Namco game characters. ''Point Blank DS'' was released in Japan on May 18, 2006, followed by a North American and European release on June 13. The game was published in Europe by Atari Europe.

Reception

''Point Blank DS'' received mixed reviews from critics, with common complaints being towards the game's lack of replay value and for minigames being too similar to each other. It holds a 66/100 on aggregator website Metacritic. ''

GamePro Gamepro.com is an international multiplatform video game magazine media company that covers the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software in countries such as Germany and France. The publication, GamePro, was originally la ...

'' expressed disappointment towards the game's lack of depth, saying how it only provides a few hours of play even with the amount of content. A similar response was echoed by '' GamesRadar+'', who also criticized the long loading times present in the multiplayer mode. '' IGN'' thought the game was shallow in some areas, notably with its low amount of content, and disliked the multiplayer mode's long loading times, while '' GameSpot'' criticized many of the minigames for being too similar to each other and for the game not having enough variety. ''GameSpot'' also labeled the redemption game remakes as "incredibly dull" and disliked its lack of unlockable extras.

Notes

References

{{Bandai Namco light gun games 2006 video games Nintendo DS games Nintendo DS-only games Shooter games Video games developed in Japan