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People of Europe to receive improved faces in Q2?
Remember Otona no DS Kao Training? Non-game. Free camera. Facening. Well, the folks at French site JeuxActu are just absolutely goshdarn convinced that Intelligent Systems' face training non-game is packing its bags and heading to Europe during Q2 this year.As Nintendo has yet to pass official comment on this, we're cautiously treating this as rumor for now, but the incessant popularity of training games in Europe makes us think there could be some truth in the speculation. If it does turn out to be correct, it also means Europeans will be getting that rather dinky camera add-on. As well as having totally awesome faces.
Square Enix continues mapping the world
Apparently Square Enix did decent business on the first series of World Walking travel guide things, or at least made back their teensy budget. Maybe the team knows a guy who travels a lot and has a poor sense of direction. Whatever the reason, they're expanding the line, with another set of DS cards with maps and helpful cultural information.The World Walking non-games provide travelers with maps with landmarks and touristy points of interest marked. They also include pictures of attractions, information about local culture and food, and even niceties like dual time zone clocks. Oh, and also minigames, but you surely knew that.Read - World Walking: ShanghaiRead - World Walking: EnglandRead - World Walking: Seoul Read - World Walking: Hong Kong
DS Fanboy Review: Jam Sessions
Ubisoft's Jam Sessions isn't a guitar. It sounds kind of like one, and encourages you to play melodies with it that were written for guitar. There have even been guitar-pick-shaped styli designed to be used with the program. But don't think of it as a guitar. It's not even a "virtual guitar." It's certainly not a game either, and not in the way that Brain Age is a non-game, but rather in the way that the web browser is not a game. Jam Sessions is a new, digital musical instrument that is every bit as innovative as Toshio Iwai's Tenori-On, with the added benefit of making sense to someone other than Toshio Iwai. It is endlessly configurable, ridiculously feature-rich, and easy to operate. It is potentially useful for traveling musicians, but is just as enjoyable for amateurs who just want to mess around and make some impromptu music.
Non-game wins Great Canadian Video Game Competition
Telefilm Canada announced the winner of its Great Canadian Video Game Competition: a game called MindHabits Trainer designed for the DS. The game is intended to increase social aptitude and create positive feelings toward social interactions, through daily minigame sessions. Developer MindHabits received $50,000 in January to work on the game after passing the first round of the competition. They went on to best Hobby Shop for Wii and Ambush! Trivia for PC, Xbox Live Arcade and cell phones as the title that most exemplified "the Canadian creativity and innovation that our panel of esteemed industry judges was looking for," in the words of Telefilm executive director Wayne Clarkson.We'd definitely play a game about boosting our social skills. There's definitely a need for it, let's say. And, even though it doesn't sound like the most entertaining of concepts, we didn't think we'd like a game about doing math problems and memorizing numbers either.[Via Gamasutra]
DS Style screens for travelers
Screens of three new Square Enix DS "games" have made it to Famitsu. Before you get too excited, these are not new RPGs or anything, but rather three of the World Walking programs in Square Enix's DS Style series. There's sort of an upper bound to the enthusiasm that can be generated by maps, unless you're a cartographer, we suppose. In the absence of megaton-level hype, we'll just say that these programs look very well-designed and incredibly useful for Japanese travelers. We love that they keep time for Japan and for the destination region, and we quite wish our maps were more automated, searchable, and compact.Read - World Walking TaiwanRead - World Walking New YorkRead - World Walking Hawaii
I read the classics of Japanese literature and all I got was this lousy t-shirt
Spike's Nihon Bungaku 100 Sen (100 Selections of Japanese Literature) is a pretty cool product to start with. It contains 100 classic works from famous Japanese writers like Natsume Soseki and Akutagawa Ryunosuke in a single, tiny DS card.It gets cooler, though, but, like the software, is of precious little use to non-Japanese readers: in order to promote their game reading, Spike is giving away some clever Nihon Bungaku 100 Sen swag to people who can answer questions about the readings on their site. Correctly completing the quiz enters players for either a DS Lite carrying case, a waterproof DS holder (for reading in the bath, of course!) or a t-shirt featuring one of the authors whose works appear in the program. We're partial to the Natsume Soseki Wagahai wa neko de aru shirt, ourselves. [Via Dengeki]
Feedback Fallout: Nintendo's Wii Fit
At ten o'clock and on the busiest of E3 mornings, Nintendo unveiled their latest plot to further expand their business outside the realm of gamers: Wii Fit. Along with the new Wii Balance Board, Wii Fit looks to do for fitness what Brain Age did for our math skills. Following the unveiling, Nintendo brain child and industry icon, Shigeru Miyamoto, took center stage, claiming Wii Fit held personal presidence over more widely anticipated titles such as Super Smash Bros Brawl, Super Mario Kart and even his baby, Super Mario Galaxy.Like most people, "Uh-oh" was the first thing that sprang to the mind of Electronic Gaming Monthly's managing editor, Jennifer Tsao, but in a more observational sense. "[This] is exactly the kind of thing that annoys hardcore gamers, even though it's an interesting application for the quirky Wii."Correct in her assertion, the hardcore populace had begun their meltdown.
Face Training's price causes us to make a thoughtful face
It is possible that some of you may be persuaded to buy Face Training. This is assuming two things: first, that you would like to have a stand, and second, that something other than Adults' DS Face Training, homebrew or official, will make use of the DS camera. A distant third possibility, that you feel a strong desire to stretch your face at your DS, would supercede the first two. We would enjoy a DS Lite stand, and we hope we'd have a use for the camera, so it's not inconceivable that we'd consider this a deal worth looking into.Play Asia is taking preorders for the game at $48.90, which is their normal asking price for a Japanese DS game. That's not too bad for a camera, a stand, and (ahem) miscellaneous bonus content. We hope it's within range for a few homebrew developers, at least.Of course, its regular-priced-ness in Japan means that if, by some clerical error, Adults' DS Face Training somehow came out in the US, it would be regular US price of $30-$35. Don't hold your breath on that one-- although it may be good for your face to puff out your cheeks like you're pretending to hold your breath.
Guess what kind of game uses the new DS camera
If you guessed any kind of game at all, sorry. If you correctly identified that as a trick question, then you win at DS fandom. That's right, the DS Lite is getting an official camera peripheral, and the first piece of software to use it is Otona no DS Kao Training (Adults' DS Face Training.) In fact, the camera is called the Facening Scan, leaving no question as to its intended use.What's Facening, you may ask? Well, it's a regimen of facial stretching designed to reduce wrinkles and sagging, and to make your face appear smaller.The camera is included with the software, as is a DS Lite stand. You bring your own ridiculous face-- you probably already got your first lesson in Facening when you read about this piece of software![Via NeoGAF]
Conjecture Countdown: 8 days to go
Even with a diminished E3, there's no controlling the wave of rumors that hit the Internet every year before the show. Why fight it? From now until E3 hits, we'll be posting one piece of wild speculation every day. Some may be patently ridiculous, and others just might turn out to be true. Even some of the ridiculous ones might turn out to be true! Rest assured, everything will be totally made-up and unfounded. Except, of course, when we speak about all the ass Reggie is going to kick. That part? Totally true.Rumor: The third Train Your Brain installment, Brain Age: With a Vengeance, will be announced for a late 2007 release. To keep the non-game series fresh, this third episode will come packed with popular gimmicks like customizable outfits, alternate endings, and a new, sinister villain -- Dark Dr. Kawashima!
The newest DS accessory: squares of paper
Here's a training game we'd totally spring for: Minagara Oreru DS Origami (Fold While Watching DS Origami). Just like you'd expect, this nongame shows tutorials of origami patterns and invites players to fold along. You can watch the steps as a slideshow with variable speed, or you can manually step through the diagram.The game contains 100 patterns, and has voice controls so you can page through the tutorials while your hands are full! Unfortunately, it costs 3900 yen ($31) which is a little over our origami aid budget. Guess we'll have to stick to folding and unfolding the DS over and over again.
Non-Game Boy: Serious games before they were cool
Since the release of Brain Age in Japan, Nintendo has turned their attention toward casual, nontraditional fare for adult audiences. Much of it, like Brain Age, is casual game material with a slight educational slant, but other successful DS releases, like Cooking Navi and Eigo Zuke, are not games at all, but rather educational aids and tools designed to use the DS's unique interface. They're all doing massive business, which makes it difficult to laugh at them no matter how silly they are. But Nintendo was not the first company to attempt to sell application software on a gaming system, however. That distinction probably falls on BASIC Programming for the Atari 2600. Nintendo wasn't even the first company to sell application software on a Nintendo handheld. In fact, Game Boy non-games appeared in 1991. They didn't change the face of gaming. But they make for an interesting historical footnote now, and isn't that better than selling millions of copies? It is for us!
Brain Age 2 boxart is BLUUUUUUUUUE
We don't necessarily make a post about the box design for every new game, but we pretty much had to for Brain Age 2, for the following reasons: It's a huge game We are too weak to resist the obvious joke (see title) hahahaha bluuuuuuuue We don't know if it's possible to be as excited about the return of Brain Age as the Japanese public continues to be, but we eagerly await the return of our teacher, friend and constant source of Photoshop inspiration, Dr. Ryuta Kawashima's Disembodied Polygonal Head.[Via GoNintendo]
Toys R Us summer toys list contains up to one video game
Toys R Us has put out their list of the top 24 hottest toys for this summer, and, surprisingly, there is only one video game on the list-- and even that one's kind of a non-game, according to some people's definitions. Nintendo's brain-teasin' hit Brain Age represents the entirety of our hobby in Toys R Us's summer marketing campaign, despite being a game about math problems, and despite being over a year old. Technically, they also advertise the Leapster, but ... don't worry about the Leapster..Are we seeing early signs of a Japan-style Brain Age phenomenon? Should we start hoarding DS Lites? [Via Game|Life]
Jam Sessions delayed until September
Ubisoft's Jam Sessions, which would officially be our personal most-anticipated game if it were a game, was originally slated for a summer release in both Europe and the US. It was going to be a beautiful summer of trying to play metal on a fake acoustic guitar. But fate (or Ubisoft; the two are interchangeable) had other plans.Cubed3 reports that Ubisoft has confirmed a delay for the European release of Plato's guitar simulator, to September 28th. We don't have an official word on the US version, but GameStop lists the release date as September 11th, which is corroborated by Ubisoft's website. How long does it take to translate guitar notes?
DS gets Hearing Training
The march of training games continues into uncharted territory. Now there's a game to improve your hearing and listening skills! DS Chounoryoku tests the frequency range of players' hearing, and asks them to identify tones and spoken words. We can't figure out everything that's going on, but it's all hearing-based, and the art is surprisingly poppy and attractive.There are also musical selections for aural relaxation. All of this from Milestone, who usually develops shooters like Radio Allergy and Karous. Their Chounoryoku homepage has a weird promotional video that doesn't really show the game at all.%Gallery-3488%[Via Famitsu]
Bug-hunting game looks like edutainment done right
Insects are huge in Japan. We don't mean in the Mothra kaiju sense, but in that they're very popular. Kids like to collect and battle stag beetles (sound like another popular Japanese form of entertainment?) Therefore, a bug reference guide on the DS seems like a pretty good decision.Quiz & Touch Kensaku Mushi Sukan (Quiz & Touch Insect Encyclopedia) is our kind of non-game: not only does it provide visual and sound information about many species of bugs, but it also has quizzes and minigames about the bugs, including games based on identifying particular insects by sound and color. Librarians and those training to be librarians will probably agree: more reference books should have games in them.%Gallery-3479%
Marugoto Teikoku Hotel provides accommodations for your DS
Shaberu! DS O-Ryouri Navi Marugoto Teikoku Hotel (Talking DS Cooking Navi Marugoto Teikoku Hotel), the cooking tool based on recipes from the upscale hotel, is headed to Japan on June 21. When it comes out, e-gourmands will have an option as to how they'd like their service: with or without pouch.For 4,280 yen, Japanese consumers can buy the basic program, but for only 1,000 yen more (about $8.25) they can add this Koei-branded DS case. What's $8 to someone who eats at the Marugoto Teikoku Hotel? Probably a roll or something.
The Narrow Way to the Dual Screens
Here's a really cool non-game from Success: it's a DS version of the Basho poetry collection Oku no Hosomichi, (The Narrow Road to the Deep North) in a form where you draw over each character as an actor reads the poem. Enpitsu de Oku no Hosomichi DS is based on a similar book release, which featured the poems in grey print for readers to trace over, thereby forcing them to think about each kanji as they read. It's a beautiful idea for a book release, and equally nice-sounding on the DS.We know that it's basically an attempt to cash in on the non-game craze, but Enpitsu de Oku no Hosomichi DS is such a great idea that we don't care. More importantly, it makes a pretty strong case for the e-book, not only on DS but in general, with features that improve on the traditional print version.[Via Insert Credit]
Non-games selling non-poorly in Japan
It's no secret that Japan has got Brain Age on the brain. Brain Age and its sequel, which was just now (kind of) announced for the US, have broken all kinds of sales records and been pretty much the sole motivator for the insane success of the DS. But what is less well-known is that, in addition to driving the creation of a ton of copycat software, training fever is pervasive enough to drive sales of that stuff. In other words, Brain Age has created a market for non-games, just like Nintendo hoped it would.Gpara compiled a list of 95 DS non-games ordered by Media Create sales numbers, and NeoGAFfer Jonnyram has translated the first ten. These things don't cost much to make, and they are bringing in stacks of money. That's Economics Training at work. Or it would be if that existed. Give it a couple of weeks. Brain Age 2: 4,266,000 Brain Age: 3,403,000 Eigo Zuke (English Training): 1,937,000 Big Brain Academy 1,519,000 General Knowledge Training/Common Sense Training:1,381,000 Cooking Navi: 815,000 Kanji Test: 523,000 Tokoton Kanji Brain: 406, 000 IQ Suppli DS: 219,000 [Via NeoGAF]
