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Japanese Nintendo downloads: Neo Geo fighters, Shooting Watch, Monkey Band
The Virtual Console and DSiWare are stuffed full of games this week in Japan! The Virtual Console has the first Metal Max Famicom game (a series that eventually led to Metal Saga on PS2, with a DS sequel upcoming), as well as two Neo Geo fighting games. The bizarre Waku Waku 7 from Sunsoft stars robot tanks, Totoro-esque creatures, and even a sentient punching bag! There's even an ancient Dig Dug-style arcade game. WiiWare's World Game Parade finishes with Katamuki Spirits, a localized version of Equilibrio. DSiWare features a game in which you compose songs to be played by a band of cartoon monkeys, with synthesized instruments and vocals! Also available: a drawing program about doodling on your photos, a platformer with 10-second levels, and, of course, Hudson's Shooting Watch app, which tests the number of button presses you can perform in a second. Metal Max (Famicom, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) Samurai Shodown III (Neo Geo, 1-2 players, 900 Wii Points) Waku Waku 7 (Neo Geo, 1--2 players, 900 Wii Points) Mr. Do! (Arcade, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points) Katamuki Spirits (WiiWare, 1-4 players, 500 Wii Points) Ahh, Nostalgic Shooting Watch (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points) Artist Ni Narou: Kikaru ni Sketch (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points) 10-second Run (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points) Atelier Deco La Doll - Gothic (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points) Teach Me Darling (DSiWare, 1 player, 800 DSi Points) Make Songs Monkey Band (DSiWare, 1 player, 800 DSi Points) Renjuku Kanji: Junior High (DSiWare, 1 player, 800 DSi Points)
Japanese Nintendo downloads: Kirby's Star Stacker, I am a Pla-Rail Driver
The Japanese Wii and DSi Shops are taking it easy on the first week back after a holiday, with just one WiiWare, one Virtual Console, and two DSiWare games available, quite a change from the massive pileups of previous weeks. The Virtual Console game is the Super Famicom version of Kirby's Star Stacker, an original Kirby-themed puzzle game we received on the Game Boy. And on WiiWare, a painfully adorable ... train simulator? DSiWare has another G.G. series shmup, and another miniature Paint By DS featuring cats. Pretty mellow week! Boku wa Pla-Rail Untenshi: Shinkansen & Joukikansha Hen (1-2 players, 1,000 Wii Points) Kirby's Star Stacker (Super Famicom, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points) G.G. Series Dark Spirits (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points) Artist ni Narou! Minna no Nurikai Neko Hen (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points)
DS releases for the week of May 12th
It's a good week to be a DS owner, no matter where you are in the world. For once, every major region has at least one interesting title hitting shelves this week, and while Australia's line-up isn't necessarily the most exciting, it's at least varied. If you are a) desperate for a new game and b) a citizen of some place with DS games, it's probably okay to be you. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Drone Tactics Myst What's out in the rest of the world's major markets? Take a little trip past the break to find out.
DS releases for the week of February 18th
It's a good week to be a DS gamer in pretty much any region. Europe is a possible exception, but we happen to think Paint by DS is a neat-looking product. Outside of Europe and its possibly compelling coloring game, quality abounds this week, with Capcom's Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney as the flagship release in the U.S. Whenever an Ace Attorney game comes out, it's a Big Deal in DS-land, and this one is especially noteworthy!Japan is flooded with cool games this week, including Space Invaders Extreme, the remake, J.B. Harold Murder ClubPopulous DS, and even a new Harvest Moon. And Australia gets a shot at both Advance Wars and Cooking Mama 2! There's a pretty good chance you'll have something to buy this week. Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Dungeon Explorer: Warriors of the Ancient Arts FIFA Street 3
Because painting tanks is calming
Yes, we know that one of the themed games in the Paint by DS catalogue is centered around painting military vehicles, but we're still mystified every time we see something from the title. Is penciling and shading the side of a bomber particularly zen? Or is it just that it's completely manly? If so, we can only hope you still have a headband or two lying around. In the meantime, you can check out some new screens. Shockingly, they include military vehicles. Yeah, we're still surprised by that.Really. Tanks? What happened to great works of art, or kittens, or Jesus?
Paint by DS trailer shows gameplay footage
We're definitely intrigued by Paint by DS, a digital coloring book of sorts, seeing as we're such horrible artists ourselves. Granted, it's a niche title if there ever was one, yet we're very much charmed by this little nongame.Still, some things about it just don't sit too well with us. One off-putting thing is that there are themed versions of the game. The theme game showcased above was "Military Vehicles," and we have to wonder, how many of you out there are just dying to color in tanks? It seems like an odd choice, especially when mixed with the peaceful music of the above trailer. If you're like us and don't appreciate the themes, though, you can always get the regular version of the game, which is filled with some artistic masterpieces that you'll probably recognize. We might even see other themes in the future, ones that actually appeal to us, so all isn't lost.If you're in Australia and Japan you might have even tried this nongame already. It won't come to Europe until next week and the US until, oh, sometime next year.
Paint by DS in preview
Picross not enough to fulfill your painting obsession? Fear not, for Paint by DS is on the way. But this is not your math-friendly grid environment; this is a full-fledged painting sim that challenges you to recreate the works of the masters. What seems like a simple title -- there are fifteen different paintings, as well as a few minigames that offer players a break from the painting grind -- shows some surprising depth when we take a closer look. Before undertaking a project, you're challenged with a choice of materials, from paint to canvas or paper, just as you would be with a real painting. You can also mix your own colors and save them for later ... and if you mess up, that's just too bad. There's no neat, clean "undo" function, but you can utilize realistic techniques to clean up your work as you go.For hardcore artists, Paint by DS may be too simple, but for those just embarking on an artistic hobby, or those who like to play around with paint without the mess, this one sounds like it might be worth looking into. Between this, Picross, and Drawn to Life, it looks like DS developers are finally utilizing the stylus in a very obvious way -- and we can only hope for more!
Find painting zen on the DS
Mercury Games is planning to release a series of Ertain's non-competitive DS games in the West as "Zen Games." The first game scheduled is something that recently popped up at the Renchi sale, in its Japanese incarnation as Kokoro wo Yasumeru Otona no Nurie DS. It'll be called Paint by DS here, and its user interface appears to have undergone a cosmetic makeover. Since it obviously has the same pictures, we assume that the minigames and puzzles are still there as well.We were pretty interested in the Japanese version (as some of you seemed to be), so we're pleased to have the chance to check this out whenever it comes out in the US. It'll be out in Europe on the 24th of August.[Via Game|Life]
