February 28, 2012

Developed by: Disney Interactive Studios

System: DSi/3DS

The day is approaching its end. Earlier, you were hanging out with Mickey Mouse and friends, being enchanted by the Disney Princesses, survived the perils of the Caribbean and its pirates, and your inner child became alive once more. You just had the greatest day of your life at Disneyland or Walt Disney World. Just how can you complete such a magnificent day? By watching a fireworks show of course! Nothing says Disney more than a great fireworks show at the end of your fun filled Disney park day. Nearly every aspect of the Disney culture features fireworks as a form of celebration and fun. From the Walt Disney Pictures opening to the ending of Beauty and the Beast, fireworks are there to welcome people into a magical realm where dreams can come true. With that philosophy in mind, I introduce to you today's game: Disney Fireworks.

Developed by Disney Interactive Studios and released exclusively as a download title for Nintendo's DSiWare service, Disney Fireworks is a puzzle/shooting game where you control the canons that fire the fireworks up to the sky. The way the game works is that the touch screen of the DS/3DS is used to control the three canons. The objective of the game is to fire at the target shown on the DS's top screen. With the right aim, the firework will launch and create a spectacle in the sky. You can create shapes in the sky, like Genie's lamp, hearts, and Mickey Mouse's ears. Depending on how well you aim your fireworks you will be award with trophies as well as new, special fireworks for you to launch in addition to the regular ones. You can launch fireworks in five Disney-themed worlds, such as Cinderella's Castle at the Magic Kingdom, Agrabah, and Neverland.

Disney Fireworks is, unfortunately, a very basic, short affair. Being a DSiWare game, it is to be expected, but those wishing to get more out of the experience might feel cheated. Despite the fact, Disney Fireworks is one of the most unique attempts at bringing a very beloved aspect of Disney fandom into the video game world. It is a game worth trying out once due to its low price point and easy to learn, fun gameplay.

Disney Fireworks makes Gamer Tuesday history as being the first Disney game to be released as a downloadable title. In the past few years, gamers have been able to download games directly onto their consoles, Nintendo's DS and 3DS being no exception. This might seem like a whole new concept to some of you, so in addition to talking about Disney Fireworks, I will explain how downloading a game works.

Currently, Nintendo offers points that can be used to purchase a game either on the Wii's Wii Shop Channel or the 3DS's eShop. You can buy a points card and redeem it. The points will then be added to your online account. With points in hand you can then go to your shop and download the game of your liking. Since Disney Fireworks is a game for the DS and 3DS, you go into the eShop. The game has been priced at 800 DSi Points, which, in monetary terms, it is worth 8 dollars. You can then download the game either onto the system or onto a SD card.

The process can be a little intimidating and confusing at first, but if you keep at it pretty soon you will be able to download as many games as possible on your 3DS or Wii.