In early 2010, North American DS/DSi owners will be able to purchase the new version of the Korg DS-10. The Korg DS-10 Plus is being developed by Cavia, Inc. and Procyon Studios, with the assistance of musical instrument company Korg. Coming from game publisher XSEED Games, this music creation tool is a remake of the heralded Korg MS-10 specifically catered to the DS and with additional features for the DSi.
New features for Korg DS-10 Plus for the DS/DSi versions include per-track Mute/Solo built into the Song mode, and Edit/Play enabled for all modes within the Song mode for further improved real-time performance.
Nintendo DSi owners can enjoy additional exclusive improvements including 12-voice polyphony, 4 tracks for the analog synthesizer, 2 drum machines and more. Also available exclusively when played on the DSi are 2 effects layers, essentially giving users the functionality of two original Korg DS-10's in one for the ultimate in music creation.
"You may be familiar with the name “KORG.” Those of you with a musical background should recognize it from its series of keyboards, drum pads and music editing software. But while they remain a reliable property in the music field, it’s unexpected to see the brand put onto a piece of interactive entertainment. Yet, in 2008, the company released KORG DS-10 for the Nintendo DS. However, this was no musical adventure or Rock Band wannabe; this was full-blown music software. This was during a time when Ninendo was really pushing for their portable to be more than just about games and the eventual positive feedback from the experiment lead to an upgraded version to be released shortly after to take what was already great and improve it in just about every way. So came KORG DS-10 Plus." - Alex Cabral of Geekenstein.com
KORG DS-10 Synthesizer Plus is not a game. There are no boss fights, no princesses to be saved, nor zombie infestations. Instead, it is a tool that crams a bunch of KORG synthesizers on a Nintendo DS cartridge to make it a very powerful music-making device. On the Nintendo DS, users get a six-track sequencer, but KORG DS-10 Plus takes advantage of the DSi’s advanced hardware to double the number of tracks to a dozen.
Only DSi owners should consider upgrading to Korg DS-10 Plus. That said, for that crowd this is definitely a superior product to the original DS-10. Dual Mode instantly doubles your sonic possibilities. There are still the same interface issues, though, like the inability to work with more than 16 sequences, create sequences longer than a measure, or play chords. Korg DS-10 is great for making repetitive electronica. If that's what you're looking to do, you won't be disappointed.
Presentation - 8.0
Graphics - 5.0
Sound - 8.5
Gameplay - 7.5
Lasting Appeal - 8.0
Overall -
