The Rub Rabbits! [DS]

Though the system had a relatively slow start, the Nintendo DS has come into its own recently. Sure, there are plenty of uninspired ports, but also many games that are thinking out of the box to best utilize the DS' unique hardware. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Sonic Team's newest release, The Rub Rabbits. By combining humor and experimental game mechanics with an addictive multiplayer option, the developers have delivered a near must-own DS title.

Borrowing a premise from the original Feel the Magic XY/XX, The Rub Rabbits chronicles your quest to win the girl of your dreams. The action is played out across more than 30 different mini-games, but there's a catch. Winning your girl's heart is only the beginning: It seems another love-struck maiden has the hots for you and will do anything to get what she wants. There's nothing worse than a woman scorned, right?

Initially, the mini-games start out simple, such as having you "run" up an escalator by rubbing on the screen with the stylus, though they quickly ramp up in both variety and complexity. One has you trying to survive the running of the bulls, while another chronicles your attempts to eliminate competing suitors by using a blow dart gun as they parachute into town. It's not much in the way of realism, but there's no reason to let something like reality get in the way of good old-fashioned fun.

What makes all the mini-games stand out is how they use the hardware. The blow dart game actually requires you to blow into the microphone to shoot the darts, while another requires you to tilt the DS on its side as you try to kick away your obsessive stalker's love hearts. If you're shy about public expression, this is one game you probably want to play at home.

Completing the single-player quest unlocks all of the mini-games for individual replay as well as opening up six for multiplayer (which supports up to four players on one card). The multiplayer games are all twists on the single-player adventure, such as a kayak competition that requires you to ram into your opponents in order to get the girl.

The unique multiplayer games include baby making and hullabaloo. Baby making is a "compatibility" test that has you fill out a short questionnaire before attempting to cut a wedding cake while working in tandem with a second player. It's amusing, but hullabaloo is the real draw.

Best described as an updated version of Twister, it requires you to pass the DS between multiple people while holding down a specific sequence of buttons. By yourself, it's pointless, but throw a few friends into the mix and suddenly everyone is grabbing for the DS.

The icing on this game's cake though is the humor. Sonic Team has done an excellent job of filling the game with innuendo that is just suggestive enough to draw out a chuckle, while remaining on the side of professed innocence. Yes, it's perfectly safe for a pre-teen to play, but the older players will be amused. Even the warning screen has been tweaked, displaying the following message: "Warning: Continuous stroking, blowing, and poking could lead to unwanted attention in public places."

It may not be a traditional gaming experience, but The Rub Rabbits possesses a certain charm that is sure to please all but the most cantankerous of players. Whether you sit down for three minutes or three hours, there is little to dislike here. Just be careful when playing -- it's quite easy to get a bit carried away with the stylus. It any game is going to test the durability of your DS's touch screen, this is it.