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Nintendo offers free Fan Network access for all Mariners home games
Nintendo is making it worth your while to be packing your dual-screened beaut when you attend any Seattle Mariners home game this year, as the company has announced the Nintendo Fan Network is free for use at Safeco Field. Now you can check live stats and partake in some baseball trivia, as well as order food and have it delivered to you!Some of you may remember the service itself was pretty cheap ($5) before, but now it's considerably more cheap. And considering how cheap general admission tickets at a baseball game are, we'd suggest you attend a game and see what it's like for yourself. %Gallery-4854%[Via press release]
DS Fanboy Review: Nintendo Fan Network
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/In_depth_look_at_Safeco_Field_s_DS_Fan_Network'; Nintendo's Fan Network allows Safeco Field attendees to enhance Mariners games with software downloaded onto the DS. For a $5 fee, baseball fans can order food, watch live video, play networked games, learn about the players, and even keep up with other baseball games, right from their seats.The Fan Network finally delivers on some of the promise of one of the least-used features of the DS: download play. It is possible with download play to create context-sensitive DS games and services that can be given away freely (or sold) to any DS owner within range, and to add Internet-based bonus content to events. I hope that, based on this example, more downloadable DS services become available and expand the functionality and enjoyment both of the DS and the events to which people bring their systems.
Download play is enjoyable
Gamers like download play. Hardly a shocking statement. But it seems that of all of the DS' amenities, the ability to share your games with nearby friends gets less attention than, maybe, it should.Aeropause's George Walker discovered this while in line for the Transformers movie (the new one, not the good one), when he broke out his DS to ameliorate his 2+ hour wait and found himself accosted by kids begging for some downloadable games. He suggested some Meteos, they agreed, and an impromptu fun-having event occurred.What can we learn from this event? First off, that Meteos is pretty great. We can also take away the notion that people like it when you can give them free games-- so much so, that they may even elect to play those free games with you. Try it next time you're in line for hours! Which we hope isn't soon. That sounds tortuous, even with a DS.
Ecolis boxart reveals WiFi and panda support
Online support seems like a prerequisite for any decent RTS release, but it's never safe to assume with DS and Wii games. Thankfully, the boxart for Ecolis indicates that the InterChannel title will make use of Nintendo's WiFi connection in addition to its "download play" features. We're not sure if that means online duels, item shops, or a near-useless messaging system, but it's something -- a quantity that's arguably better than nothing. If you haven't been properly introduced, Ecolis is a strategy title in which you command an army of woodland creatures against the pollution and deforestation taking over their homes. You'll also be tackling issues like global warming and recycling while you plant new trees to restore damaged forests. The eco-friendly message doesn't end there; as evidenced by the panda stamped on the game's packaging, a portion of Ecolis' proceeds will be donated to Japan's World Wide Fund for Nature.%Gallery-4106%[Via Ruliweb]
