Last week, we went over some import PSP games that might make a special someone’s holiday just a little more merry. Now, to sort of round things out, we’ll look at import DS games people might love to get as gifts this year. Since both the handheld systems are region free, an import game can be an extra special gift.

All of these games are already released and should be immediately available through any online import store. So hopefully you’ll have no trouble finding and ordering the ones that interest you…

Product: T-Mobile G1Price: $179.99 ($399.99 minus $220 instant rebate)Rating: One thumb up, one sideways; 81/100; B-; * * * out of five.Pros: A great phone with lot of groovy uses. Mini trackball works wonderfully for games, decent graphics for a phone and nice sound. Also has motion-sensitive controls, touchscreen, mini keypad and GPS that can be incorporated into games. A lot of free games in the Android Market.Cons: Touchscreen requires full finger pad contact and sometimes slow to respond. Accelerometer is touchy and mini keypad is hard to see. Battery can be exhausted fairly quickly.Overall: Do not get this to use it as a game device. G1 owners will, however, enjoy many good and inexpensive games that make use of the mini trackball and proper use of the touchscreen, making it better than the average phone for mobile gaming.

The T-Mobile G1 is a mixed bag when it comes to mobile gaming. It’ll play all of the regular games but also promises so much more with the touchscreen, accelerometer motion controls, built-in mini QWERTY keypad and mini track ball. While it’s certainly better than your average cell phone when it comes to gaming, it still has a few annoyances that keep it from being truly amazing.

Click through for the full review…

Okay, if you want to get a truly special, import gift for your favorite PSP owners, time is limited. There are only a few weeks left till Christmas, Festivus and other December holidays. Luckily, if you order within the next two weeks, you should get imported presents with plenty of time to spare.

Since there’s been a bit of a PSP game draught concerning North American games, this year is probably one of the best years to do some importing. Japan hasn’t been experiencing the same game trickle. Memorable titles were released this year, and maybe there’s one for your special someone…

Title: Metal Slug 7Price: $29.99System(s): DSRelease Date: November 18, 2008Publisher (Developer): Ignition Entertainment (SNK Playmore)ESRB Rating: “Teen” for blood and violencePros: Typical Metal Slug gameplay, Combat School missions offers a nice change of pace, there’s a POW list and you can pick up in the mission you left off at in Main Mission mode.Cons: Difficulty rating is deceiving, the bottom touch screen map isn’t helpful and you have to jump up to shoot below you.Overall Score: One thumb up, one sideways; 85/100; B; *** 1/2 out of 5

Metal Slug 7 is definitely a run-and-gun game created with fans in mind. It offers enough variety and challenge to keep from being repetitive. Plus, it has a Combat School mini-mission mode and automatically keeps track of the last mission you left off at in the Main Mission so you can easily pick up the game and play.

It’s wonderful to finally see Metal Slug 7 finally arrive in the US, after being released in July 2008 in Japan. The game looks and plays beautifully…

Title: NinjatownPrice: $29.99System(s): Nintendo DSRelease Date: October 28, 2008Publisher (Developer): SouthPeak Games (Venan Entertainment and Cashmere Productions)ESRB Rating: “Everyone” for Crude Humor and Mild Cartoon ViolencePros: Incredibly clever writer, unique art style, great game-play, wonderful characters and lots of options to win each level. Also it comes with a Ninjatown window cling!Cons: Later levels can get challenging and Master Ninja microphone activated powers are annoying.Overall Score: Two thumbs up, 95/100, A, **** 1/2 out of 5

I can’t get enough of Ninjatown. Even when I had to replay “The Loop” level in the Business District three times, because the various business devils kept speeding through my defenses, I still couldn’t bring myself to get annoyed with this incredibly charming and funny tower-defense strategic RPG based on the Shawnimal toys.

Ninjatown may not be perfect, but it sure comes close. It is delightfully challenging, has a clever script, adorable characters, lots of unit options and special abilities which can single-handedly turn the tides of battle. If it weren’t for the occasionally frustrating Ol’ Master Ninja powers, Ninjatown would easily have earned a perfect score.

This year is no doubt a fantastic time to be a gamer. It’s not often that I can count triple-A titles on both my hands in such a short period of time. Sadly though, with every great game released another good game gets lost in its shadow.

It’s time to acknowledge the existence of these games before they fade into the background. Every major console has at least one promising game that won’t get much coverage in the coming months. Give these games a try before you get too immersed in Resistance 2 or Gears 2. You just may be happy you did…

The holidays are sneaking up on us once again, which means its time to review the games released in 2008 that would make great gifts. This year, Gamertell’s compiled a list of 36 delightful adventures just waiting to slide into slot-1 on your DS unit.

We’ve gathered games into six specific categories, to help people with their wishlists. Since its still a bit early, some quality games have been released only recently or still haven’t been released yet. So each category is going to have a wildcard title in bold that still has a lot of potential as a quality present.

So without further ado, let’s help you pick out a present!

Oh Namco Bandai, what am I going to do with you? You seem to know just how to sneak into my heart (and wallet). In case you haven’t heard, Namco Bandai has perfected and produced a portable, cell phone version of Katamari Damacy called Rolling with Katamari. Rolling with Katamari – it has such a nice ring to it.

Its a 2D-ish style approach to the famous Katamari Damacy series, optimized for certain mobile phones. Once again, the King of the Cosmos knocked all the stars out of the sky and the Prince has to make new ones on Earth by collecting stuff. Rolling with Katamari has five game modes, 30 levels, music from Katamari Damacy and the official page states that there will have additional, downloadable levels available in the future…

Title: Travel Games for DummiesPrice: $29.99System(s): DSRelease Date: October 28, 2008Publisher (Developer): Electronic Arts (Electronic Arts and Beanbag Studios)ESRB Rating: “Everyone”Pros: Three different games, 100 Crossword puzzles, 500 Sudoku puzzles, 10 kinds of Solitaire. Informative.Cons: You have to go back manually clear Crossword boards when you’re done. Solitaire is very hard. Sometimes the letter/number recognition is a bit off. Only one player profile allowed per cartridge.Overall Score: One thumb up, one thumb sideways; 80/100; B-; *** out of 5

EA Games’ Casual Entertainment division recently teamed up with Beanbag studios to create three instructional/casual games, two for the PC and one for the DS. The DS game, Travel Games for Dummies is actually a collection of three popular puzzle games – Sudoku, Solitaire and Crosswords. The goal of the endeavor is to teach people how to master these three games, and then offer a wide variety of puzzles to test their newfound skills in.

Its very straightforward, since it is supposed to be educational, but also is surprisingly fun. While it isn’t as diverse as say, Crosswords DS, it is better than the shovelware sudoku and casual game compilations you see cluttering GameStop shelves. And, surprisingly enough, it can help you become a better player. At least, the Crosswords and Sudoku segments can – I’m still on the fence about solitaire. Travel Games for Dummies would make a good gift for casual gamers this holiday season – I know my mom would adore it…

Get ready to spend more hours killing time in front of your computer – PopCap has just released Bejeweled Twist. Currently, the casual puzzle game is available only through the official Bejeweled Twist site, both as a free demo and a 19.95 full version and is designed for Windows XP and Vista machines. PopCap is also offering a deal where people can get Bejeweled, Bejeweled Twist and Bejeweled 2 for $34.95. Bejeweled Twist will be available in stores and on other game portals on November 18, 2008.

The new version has you rotating four gens in the grid to match up three or more gems of the same color to eliminate lines. If you’re curious how this works, sign up for the free-to-play pet sim Moshi Monsters and play the electric factory game. The original Bejeweled had you just swapping two gems’ positions at a time to make rows of three or more of like colored gems…