Having finally got ourselves a copy of SouthPeak and Arkedo's Big Bang Mini, we here at N-Sider Media would like to provide you, faithful reader, some tips for maximum enjoyment of this excellent title.

  • Make sure you have the necessary $19.99 before you set out to acquire Big Bang Mini, along with any local taxes that may be levied (shaking your fist at The Man is optional.)
  • Call around to local Best Buy stores to see if they have it. Ours came from there. GameStop may also be a possibility, but bring earplugs for the clerk tirade about not pre-ordering.
  • Drive to the store, listening to choice tunes on the way. Pick up the box off the shelf inside and tilt it back and forth to view the lenticular cover in action. Exchange money for game and walk out grinning so broadly that passers-by wonder if they should call the cops.
  • Carefully peel the seal and price stickers off your poor lenticular cover, optionally muttering about nobody appreciating good art anymore.
  • Open the box, and read the manual cover-to-cover. Seriously. Not only will you be entertained, but you will make John F. Kaiser III a happy man.
  • Dim the lights and crank your DS's brightness up as bright as you can stand. Get the best pair of headphones you can find and hook them up for maximum soundtrack enjoyment.
  • If you are still thinking about how it can't possibly be great if you do everything with the stylus and can't even shoot and move at the same time, stop, take a deep breath, and clear your mind.
  • Start up the game. Do the tutorial. No, you don't have a choice. Even if you played the demo. Relax, it's not that long.
  • Dive into Arcade Mode. We've found that letting our nearly-two-year-old son sit with us and go "ooooh" at the fireworks enhances the effects. You may not have a two-year-old son handy, so this is of course optional.
  • If you've played the demo multiple times like we have, you may find the first two worlds fairly easy. Do not worry. The "retry" button will be burned into your retinas soon enough.
  • Once you've unlocked Challenge Mode, register your score on the leaderboards, but only if you have fewer than 70,187 points, so that we can feel better about ourselves.
  • Enjoy the fireworks. And the agony of repeated defeat. But mostly the fireworks.

We hope these tips have helped you to get maximum enjoyment out of Big Bang Mini, which is reportedly available in at least a few stores, with hopefully more to come as time passes. Excelsior!