21 Feb, 2008
Two classic paddle games are making the jump from Japan to North America for Nintendo DS.
First up is Arkanoid DS, which has been out in Japan since December. Gamespot now the game listed for our side of the world, and it’ll hit the shelves on July 1st for a reasonable cost of $20.
However, there’s currently no listing for the paddle peripheral, so we’ll have to wait and see whether it’ll be bundled in and/or sold separately. But even if the paddle add-on isn’t included, don’t give up — you can use the D-pad or the touch screen to slide the on-screen paddle around.
Next up is Space Invaders Extreme, which just came on in Japan today. Also listed for $20 at GameStop, this DS game will come out in North America on June 10th. As with the previous title, the regular DS controls work just fine, or you can use your Arkanoid paddle as well.
19 Feb, 2008
When it comes to DS games, there is absolutely no shortage of either training games or crossworld puzzles titles. And yet, there’s always more announced on a regular basis.
Today’s news comes from DS Fanboy that there’s another crossword puzzle game in the works, this time by Sanuk Games. Sure, there’s the already DS crossword games from The New York Times, The Sun, USA Today, and an upcoming one from Nintendo.
But Sanuk wants in on the action, so Crossword Challenge is on the way. There are no details that have been released about the impending game, but it’s a good bet it’ll follow the same formula that’s worked to date.
A friendly tip: If you’re into the genre, then the movie Wordplay will be your new favorite documentary. Trust us.
18 Feb, 2008
Another Monday has arrived, and with it comes two more titles for the Wii Virtual Console. We’re almost starting to forget when there used to be three games per week…almost.
First on the docket is Phantasy Star II, which first debuted on Sega Genesis but has since appeared on everything from the Sega’s Dreamcast to Sony’s PlayStation Portable. It’s your typical old school RPG where you build your character, pick your weapons and armor of choice, and go fight evil and whatnot. 800 Points for PSII.
Next up is Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom. This one debuted on NES but later made its way to Atari Lynx. NGIII deals with the adventure of Ryu Hayabusa, who’s on a mission to clear his name after being framed for the murder of Irene Lew, his girlfriend. Since it’s an NES game, it’ll only set you back 500 Points.
15 Feb, 2008
Back in August 2006, series composer Koichi Sugiyama confirmed that Dragon Quest IX: Defenders of the Starry Sky was in development for DS.
At the time, no timeframe was given for a release.
“I’m not sure when Dragon Quest IX will be released, but it seems that progress is continually being made. I’m personally excited,” he told Famitsu.
It looks like Level-5 president Akihiro Hino has the answer.
In the latest issue of Famitsu, he said that his goal was to have the DS title finished by the end of the year. And just to make things interesting, he added that he’s shooting to finish White Knight Chronicles, Inazuma Eleven, and even the third Professor Layton game by the end of 2008, too.
Level-5 is going to be busy this year.
15 Feb, 2008
NanaOn-Sha President Masaya Matsuura received a lot of flack a few days ago for comments he made about Nintendo’s DS.
In an interview with Gamasutra, the PaRappa the Rapper creator was asked about whether the DS would be popular forever.
“Some people have said already that the DS software’s bubble has burst,” Matsuura replied. Cue the outrage by the masses saying he’s dead wrong.
He recently clarified his comments in a new interview with Gamesindustry.biz.
“It is not a simple bubble. The DS successfully launched in many territories simultaneously, but maybe at the end of 2006 to 2007 many titles - sequels - lost [money]. Very few titles are getting much better,” he explained.
“This means, especially for the Brain Training titles or non-gaming content, it is getting difficult right now.”
That ought to make people calm down a bit.
