There are the games that appeal to mass audiences, the standard issue shooters, racers, and sports titles. And then there are the ones that are a bit different, much like a creepy classmate or a dog with only three legs. It's not that these games are bad. They just require a certain type of understanding to be fully appreciated. But most times, they're going to rub most people the wrong way, and Square Enix's Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime is a perfect example. Unlike some developers, that try to be "hip" by appealing to pop culture, Rocket Slime's creators (obviously cracked out of their minds-it's a good thing) elected to throw all caution to the wind, toss an enormous block of cheddar into a microwave, and get cheesy. In other words, if sickeningly-cute blobs make you want to puke, this game isn't for you. But if you can stomach characters named Platypunk, Bubbilly, and Mother Glooperior, well, then you've just stumbled upon one of the best DS games of 2006.

That's right. A game in which you play as a bouncing pile of slime has captured my heart. Yes, Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime is great, but it's an acquired taste, and I'm not talking "pizza is an acquired taste and millions of people just love themselves a good pizza". The names of the characters and the story aren't as much cornball as they are five million packets of Splenda. The game's primarily geared towards children as well as grownups that still think they are children, the types of people that'll giggle at something like S(UB)LIME. Everything's tongue in cheek, and nothing can be taken seriously. That's really one of the main reasons why I like the game, because it tries so hard to not try. The fewer things make sense, the better.

In the game, you play as a tiny Dragon Quest slime called Rocket who's on a mission to rescue his city of Boingburg from a nasty group known as The Plob. It's a 2D game that involves lots of backtracking as well as copious amounts of destruction. Rocket can be stretched like a slingshot and then fired in any direction, whether that's through a bunch of rocks or straight through several enemies. He can also carry up to three objects/creatures on his head and toss them one at a time, and this comes in handy while battling enemies or solving the game's simplistic puzzles.

Rocket Slime's gameplay is divided into two very distinct parts. The first involves exploring various locations and rescuing fellow slimes from The Plob. You'll also be hunting for coins and other useful items, ammo that can be used in the second part of the game, the tank battles. During these exciting adrenaline-charged skirmishes, you'll frantically grab ammo on the bottom screen, load it into canons, and watch as the epic battle unfolds on the top screen. And when one tank's HP has been eliminated, you can leave your tank, run into the enemy vehicle, and destroy its heart, thus winning the battle. It's a thrilling sequence of events that helps break the monotony of the standard adventuring. It's also serves as the game's primary multiplayer component, where up to four people (two to a team) can blast each other to smithereens. That mode alone is worth the price of admission.

Much like the goofy dialogue, Rocket Slime's graphics and soundtrack are also very simple and childish, but as whole they produce a truly wonderful package that assaults the senses. It's difficult to resist, especially when I'm upset. If anything, the game serves as a great pick-me-up.

As I previously mentioned, there's quite a bit of backtracking and that's the game's principle flaw. I love the exploration element and the work that has to be put into locating (and subsequently liberating) each captured slime, but having to carry each one to the train tracks and/or leaving an area and then having to retrace my steps is a chore. But that's really a small gripe considering how much fun the game is (multiplayer especially), so if you have lots of energy, love Dragon Quest, especially love slimes, and want something "different", then you should buy Rocket Slime without hesitation. This one's special.