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Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games screens
Everyone's eager to see what Sonic and Mario's first collaboration will look like, right? Well, here it is! The DS version, anyway. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games looks pretty okay! We don't really know what else to say about it. It's in 3D, and includes, at the very least, long jump, archery, hammer throw, and some kind of track event.Sonic and Tails are participating in the manner of the ancient Olympians-- nude. We don't know if they've covered themselves in olive oil as the Greeks did, and we hope we never find out. We hope nobody ever finds out.%Gallery-4700%
Poll results: Do you play with friends in person?
While our original poll topic title might have placed a few dirty thoughts into your head, we assure you we never meant to do so. What surprises us, though, is the fact that many of you apparently seem to enjoy playing your DS in the actual physical company of your friends. Why does that surprise us? We don't have any friends.We could probably make some if our cruel overlords let us out of our cages every now and then, though.
It's a Wonderful World of fresh screens and concept art
When we finally are able to pry loose the cartridge for It's a Wonderful World from its plastic case, we imagine the world will be wonderful. Birds will sing, the skies will part and the sun will shine down onto us exclusively. We'll laugh as we walk down the street and a band will trail behind us, just a few steps, playing that famous song. It will surely be a great day.But, until then, guess we'll just have to settle for a few screens and some concept art.
Kururin Doughnuts randomly appears on Gametrailers with English subtitle
Is Kururin Doughnuts getting localized? You probably don't remember this as the donut-starring platformer with bonus dessert recipes that we highlighted back in March. It was released in Japan last week, and now some gameplay footage has appeared on Gametrailers.The mere existence of the video on Gametrailers isn't conclusive proof of anything, since undeniably Japanese clips of Stock Trader Shun, Let's Try Fortune Telling DS, and our favorite, Doki Doki Majo Shinpan, were uploaded on the same day. But what piqued our interest was the subtitle given to the game: Enchanted Pastry. It's not just a translation of the Japanese subtitle, Okashi na Recipe (Recipe for Sweets)-- so where did Gametrailers get it? Either they made it up or there's a US trailer involved. Or something else. Enjoy some video after the break![Via Game|Life]
Touching is good at Safeco Field
The Seattle Mariners baseball team is trying a new pilot program at Safeco Field that lets fans watch replays and live feeds of the game, answer trivia questions, and even order food from the relative comfort of their sticky bleachers. Sound interesting? Oh, we forgot one detail: all of this uses the DS.For a $5 fee ($30 for 10 games), access to the Nintendo Fan Network software is granted. Two download points in the stadium broadcast the software wirelessly. We're glad to see Nintendo getting some mileage out of that baseball team they bought. They've certainly got our interest with this context-sensitive non-game. We want to go to a baseball game now.[Thanks, Dave and Matt!]
Animal Crossing styli to help Tom Nook pay for his hot tub
Hey, a thing with Animal Crossing characters on it! Must buy! Seriously, Nintendo did a bad thing by making a game full of super-adorable characters and then designing it such that players are required to interact with these characters on a daily schedule. Then, when you see Tutu or whoever on a toy, you feel more compelled to buy it because you've formed somewhat of a relationship.We recognize this manipulation, but it still works. We may have to buy that Snowman stylus. We love the snowman.
Duh: Apollo Justice is the new attorney
When it was revealed that Capcom had another trademark under its belt, we all knew it was the name of Gyakuten Saiban 4's new lawyer. Now, we actually have confirmation of such. Machine translation isn't the best, so it's kind of hard to extract any more information from the piece.Of course, look for more on the game from this week's E3.[Thanks, Zachary!]
User-created content in N+
Metanet just announced the winners of their SUBLIME (Submit Unique and Brilliant Levels to Metanet Event) competition, in which they asked fans to do their work for them design new levels for the DS, PSP, and XBox Live Arcade versions of N+. 29 user-created levels made the cut for the DS version, including "Endless Flight?" seen above. User-created levels on the retail cartridge? So awesome.In addition to the honor of having their level in the game, winners get a free copy of N+. As cool as this contest is, we hope it isn't a substitute for an in-game level editor.[Via GameSetWatch]
What a horrible summer not to be going to Comic-Con
NECA, the company responsible for the awesome Castlevania figure prototypes, has a new Simon Belmont figure on the way. It's a somewhat more faithful sculpture of Simon as he appeared in the first Castlevania on the NES. Unfortunately, only 1,000 units will be produced, and it will only be available at the San Diego Comic-Con.We totally want this, and we are all about pixel art, but we must say that this figure, with its rounded edges and inexact paint job, looks a little more like a cookie to us than an action figure. Which actually gives us an idea! [Via NeoGAF]
A DS Lite dock and a photo of a depressed dog
Japanese manufacturer Sakurado combined into one device two useful features: a cradle to charge your DS Lite with and a photograph of a disconsolate golden retriever. If his doleful eyes and floppy ears become too much for your frail heart to take in, you could always drop another snapshot into the picture frame instead, but you'd first have to endure the pitiful whines of a puppy who's been punished unjustly.The fused dock and photo stand is available at select Japanese retailers for about 1,420 yen (approximately $11.50), offered in white, navy blue, light blue, pink, and black variations. Interestingly, the charging stand uses the DS Lite's adapter for power, rather than its own proprietary plug. Check past the post break, empty leash in hand, for a comparison image of the cradle's various colors.
DS Daily: Machismo
Ever lie about what you're playing? Say, for instance, you're playing Pokemon, which is widely regarded among the non-gaming population (and certain contingents of the gaming population) as for babies, and you, as a non-baby, are asked what's in your DS by a friend. Do you say something distinctly un-baby-like, like Brain Age or the tough-sounding Tank Beat? Or do you stay true to yourself and happily announce that you're training your new Wurmple? Are there other situations in which you consider lying? If, for example, you are playing Brain Age and you're accosted by a gamer friend who hasn't joined the non-game revolution? Or if some bloggers survey their audience and you're playing something that you don't think is appropriately cool?
Call of Duty 4 coming to the DS
A particularly war-torn cat has managed to leap from the confines of its bag, letting loose with it word that the Call of Duty franchise is coming to the DS. Hot on the heels of rival franchise Brothers in Arms, Activision's Call of Duty franchise is another FPS making its first debut on Nintendo's handheld. Judging by the screens we've seen, along with who's actually developing it (n-Space), we've got high hopes.IGN has an interview with producer Sam Nouriani, who has confirmed the game has been secretly in development for quite some time now. He also confirms that the storyline of the DS game runs along with that of the console versions, but does not have you playing as the same characters. As for the rest of the interview, Sam confirms some on-rail segments and tells us to expect all of the wonderful things the franchise has brought to consoles to appear on the DS.
Fresh Nanostray 2 screens
While we can honestly say we've never played the first Nanostray game, every bit of media that pops up for Nanostray 2 causes us to wonder if that was a mistake or not. And, you know, it makes us want to play Nanostray 2. The latest crop of screens show off the usual stuff: ships flying around and explosions. Thankfully, those are just the kind of things we look for in our screenshots.So, be sure to hit up our gallery below for all of the latest screens.%Gallery-4607%[Via Go Nintendo]
WRUP: Sick of Sudoku edition
This week's releases might not be all that fabulous to those of us outside of Japan, but at least we're still getting something new to play. Even if it is just another Sudoku game. For us, it doesn't matter much, as our backlog just grows larger by the week, so we're already knee-deep in games that need to be played.What about you? What will you be playing?
Ragnarok 'Online' not as online as you may have thought
Well, we had one day to freak out over a DS MMO. We can all relax now. It turns out that Gungho's planned DS Ragnarok game is not going to be massively multiplayer. It's an action-RPG with some unspecified Wi-Fi use. Maybe, if we're lucky, it'll be online multiplayer on a smaller scale.Okay, here's a thought experiment for you: what's more of a cash-in: an MMO, or a handheld spinoff of an MMO? Oh, well, we like action-RPG's better than MMO's anyway.
505 Games did it, Mum!
European budget publisher 505 Games announced a new title for the children. Because the children are a very profitable demographic our future! The game is called I Did It Mum! and comes in boys' or girls' versions. Both versions are jam-packed with educational minigames like "Toy Train" and "Drive the Car." And both versions are totally for preschoolers, so you have an excuse not to be interested in the thing yourself. But if you have kids, this may be perfect "Playing DS Games Training" to help them get ready for other training games.[Via Joystiq]
Taking a look at the upcoming torrent of Square Enix titles
Our parental unit site Joystiq published a rather in-depth look at all of the upcoming Square Enix titles set to grace the DS. The piece not only details each of the eight upcoming games, but also provides trailers and other tibits of interesting info. Seriously, it's a great read and demands your attention.
Tangram-like puzzle coming to DS to embarrass us
We have a problem with certain kinds of puzzles-- slide puzzles, for example, are damn near impossible for us, and we're quite smart otherwise (really!) It's just some weird mental block that prevents us from rearranging pieces to form a shape. Put us in front of Tetris and we'll drop Alexey Pajitnov's ruggedly bearded jaw, but slide puzzles confound us every time.The same is true of tangrams. We like making abstract shapes out of them as if they were a building set, but we're useless when it comes to matching shapes. So, naturally, we're really excited about Hamekomi Lucky Puzzle DS, which is a series of tangram-like dissection puzzles in which players put together shapes like the Speed Skater and the Cossack Dance (seen here.)
DS Fanboy presents: Game Night 7/5/07
It's that magical time of the week again, where we all ditch responsibility and celebrate gaming. We've been looking forward to getting together all week and can't wait to get our game on. So, waste no time and head past the break for the details.
Ragnarok Online announced for DS
Better get a DS now if you don't have one, because when Ragnarok Online comes out, all DS shipments will by necessity be diverted to Korea. Ragnarok, for those of you lucky enough to avoid the onset of MMO addiction, is a hugely popular Korean MMO known for its adorable 2D sprites and mascot characters (at least, that's what we know it for.) Like Maple Story, we have no idea if this will actually be a DS version of the real game, or if it'll be a smaller-scale online game, or even online at all. In the same press release, publisher Gungho Online Entertainment announced an aquarium simulator and a flower-arranging game. That's pretty great too.[Via Famitsu]
