Flipper Critters claims first dual-screen 3D for Nintendo DS

The Nintendo DS has certain similarities with a pinball table. There's the shoulder buttons, for starters, and the two screens are reminiscent of the upper and lower sections of most pinball tables.

The DS is about the same size too – provided you're, say, a 45-foot high tall Cyclops from Greek legend who's never seen a pinball table.

And now the upcoming Flipper Critters is set to bring a new pinball game to DS too, with the emphasis on speed, a 'wacky' personality and mini-games.

What's more, the maker, Zen Studios, is claiming Flipper Critters will be the first game to feature full 3D in both screens of the DS.

And instead of confining the action to a standard pinball table, the action in Flipper Critters is spread over a variety of landscapes, from town squares and mountain valleys to towering castles and even the surface of the moon.

These areas contain all the ramps, sinkholes, bumpers, jackpots, gates and goals you'd expect in pinball – only in disguise.

Flipper Critters also includes various mini-games that challenge players to master a variety of new skills and make use of the touchscreen and wi-fi.

These can be accessed directly from the game's pinball tables. You'll also receive help from some of Flipper Critters' peculiar inhabitants, who can offer help, cast spells and provide new quests and challenges.

There's a two-player multiplay mode for each mini game too, which offer entirely different action to the rest of the game, such as racing and submarine sinking.

It certainly sounds much more exciting than the phrase 'New Pinball Game' would lead us to expect. There's no release date yet, so to find out if Flipper Creatures can live up to its promise, click "Track It!" to hear more when we get our hands on it.