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The DS Life: Love Triangle
The DS Life is a weekly feature in which we scour the known world for narrative images of Nintendo's handheld and handheld gamers. If you have a photo and a story to match it with, send both to thedslife at dsfanboy dot com.The trouble with dating a gamer ...
Add Cooking Mama 2 to your sushi-eating experience
We can only assume that 505 Games' bank balance fell below the danger level of ten billion dollars, because the European publisher of Cooking Mama and Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends has now started marketing the latter at franchise sushi bars in the UK.From next Monday, sushi-scoffing Brits will have a chance to play the cooking sim while failing to successfully use chopsticks at two London branches of YO! Sushi (located on Poland Street and Farringdon Road). Shortly thereafter, the other 30-odd UK-based YO! Sushi restaurants will follow suit. This kind of reminds us of the marketing push given to Yume Neko in Tokyo's Cat Cafe Calico, except with a game we're not bothered about and a less interesting venue.%Gallery-20248%[Via press release]
PEGI rates Magna Carta Portable, possible European version on the way
Siliconera sniffed this one out, finding a PEGI (Pan European Game Information) rating for Magna Carta Portable. Currently, this port of Magna Carta: Tears of Blood is still only for Japan; however, this might change if this discovery does lead to an eventually-released game. The listing has 505 Games as the publisher, the same group that brought the original PS2 title to Europe. While Magna Carta was far from being an excellent game, we're still always happy to hear about portable RPGs. Most of all, we get awestruck every time we witness anything that Hyung-tae Kim draws. Best character artist ever.
Princess on Ice not as sinister as it sounds
For some reason, the phrase Princess on Ice made us think of some kind of Mafia situation, a game about putting a princess on ice. We don't even watch that much Sopranos. Anyway, as the more well-adjusted among you can gather, it's actually an ice-skating thing. Well, you might find that sinister as well.European publisher 505 Games is co-developing Princess on Ice with Arc System Works, to be released in Europe in April. Presumably this will also be released by Arc in Japan. It's no surprise that 505 is so actively seeking content that is designed for girls. 505 got lucky when they agreed to be the European publisher for Cooking Mama, which brought in real money.%Gallery-17562%[Via GamesPress]
Draglade to launch in Europe in March
If you thought 505 Games and feeble DS shovelware went hand in hand, you'd be absolutely correct. Seriously, it's hard to argue the case for the likes of My Pet Dolphin, Fashion Designer: Style Icon, and I Did It Mum! This patchy track record makes it all the stranger that 505 Games is bringing Draglade, the musical fighter that we slapped an encouraging eight out of ten on, to Europe.It launches on the continent in March, a month which appears to be filling out very nicely for us Euro folk.[Via press release]
The Destiny of Zorro still exists
We had long since forgotten about the Zorro game. Then these new screens popped up, and we, uh, forgot about it again. We'll forget about it again in a few minutes. The Destiny of Zorro follows the standard licensed 3D action/adventure game template of crate-filled locations brimming with identical henchmen.We were really hoping for something that emphasized exciting sword controls (the Zorro franchise doesn't have much cachet outside of sword stuff), and that's still a possibility -- at the very least, you'll be Z-ing all over dudes. We just don't think it's likely. If the basic game is as rote as it appears, we're not holding our breath for well-thought-out swordplay.
Shin-chan improbably heads to Europe
European publisher 505 Games has randomly decided to pick up the Crayon Shin-chan Wii launch game, Crayon Shin-chan: Saikyou Kazoku Kasukabe King. The choice to localize some two-year-old anime game may seem unusual, but Spain apparently has a large Shin-chan fanbase. Previous Shin-Chan GBA games got Spanish releases courtesy of Atari. We can only guess that this Wii game, planned for a March release, is aimed at the same market.It would be interesting to see a game like this given the same treatment that Funimation gave the show for its American release, in which the storylines and dialogue are all swapped out for nonsensical, 'edgy' humor and pop-culture references. And why not? People might get upset when this happens to the anime, but this is a licensed party game. It's not sacred.
Cooking Mama serves up one million in Europe
Mama's been busy in the kitchen, not only cooking up tasty virtual treats, but also fat stacks of cash. 505 Games has announced that the franchise has sold over a million copies, becoming 505 Games' most successful franchise to day. Releasing first for the DS, another entry was later released on the Wii, cementing Mama as one of the region's most marketable mugs. Good for her! Any of our European readers pick up any of her games on the DS or Wii? [Via Games Press]
Kira Kira Pop Princess gets groovy in Europe
Since the DS is known to have some good rhythm games, we tend to keep our eyes peeled when it comes to the genre. The most recent addition to the DS rhythm family comes packaged with bubblegum, glitter, and unicorn stickers. At least, that's what the title Kira Kira Pop Princess would lead us to believe.The game, which is known as Pinky Street Kira Kira Music Hour in Japan, is slated for a European release in February 2008. The story revolves around a girl named Gaby, who competes in dance-offs in an attempt to become the Rainbow City "Dance Queen." As you've probably guessed by now, these dance-offs are where they stylus tapping and rhythm action take place.If you can get past the adolescent aura of it all, this game looks pretty fun. Then again, maybe we're just easy-to-please, rhythm-game-loving whores (status: confirmed).[Via Press Release]
Taito takes Cooking Mama too far
You know, sometimes we just don't get Japanese marketing. Probably most times.The latest one to leave us baffled is this Cooking Mama flyer, put out by Taito to promote the next game in the series. For some unknown reason, the Japanese publisher felt that Cooking Mama 2 would sell more copies with a scary cosplayer representing the game.We hope that Majesco, the game's North American publisher, won't resort to such unsettling tactics here in the States. There's only a 0.01% chance that they would, but we still might have a nightmare or two about it. We think we even prefer "Cheerleader Mama" over this.Go beyond the jump to see another flyer of Mama in her cosplay glory.
Baby brain training on its way to the U.S.
Yesterday we saw brain training for nonexistent puppies, and today it's for real toddlers. Companies are really struggling to find unexplored niches now! Next week: brain training for inanimate objects!505 Games' preschool-age brain training game I Did It Mum! is, implausibly, coming to the U.S. It comes in separate "boy" and "girl" versions, and allows a parent to record encouraging messages, presumably to ensure that the child bonds to his or her DS. It also gives kids a happy message on their birthdays.I Did It Mum comes from Starfish, who are gaining prominence for their Wii games Kiki Kai World and Monkey King: The Legend Begins. This is about as far as one could get from those two shooters, however.
New Cooking Mama out of the oven early next year
If you love slaving over a hot stove, mindlessly chopping things and stirring, stirring, stirring, but hate having any sort of payoff for your labor, have we got great news for you! Cooking Mama is back! Well, it will be back, according to UK publisher 505 Games, at some point early next year. Still only available on Wii and DS, expect the new iteration to have twice as many mini-games and a new multiplayer mode. We don't know that Majesco will once again be bringing the game to America, but the original did a lot of good for the company, so we wouldn't be surprised. Now if you don't mind, we need to stop by Caketown for some supplies.
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]
Fashionistas fawn over new screenshots
Considering the popularity of Project Runway -- and yes, we admit to being avid fans of the show and Tim Gunn's flair -- we're surprised that more games like Fashion Designer: Style Icon haven't been announced for the DS.Scheduled for release this November, the sim takes young designers through fashion school, offering opportunities for graduates to "start a workshop, accept private design contracts, supply small boutiques, and set up mail order companies." That's a lot more depth than we would've expected from a game with such a pink-and-purple-dominated palette!We doubt there'll be any online functionality, but developer Creative Patterns promises to include multiplayer "design-offs" where you can battle your friends on the catwalk. "Carry on" and "make it work" while you check the gallery for three new Fashion Designer: Style Icon screenshots.%Gallery-4243%
Exit 2 sneaks into Europe
The first Exit was a cult puzzler that gained a small, but rabid fanbase. The sequel, Kangaeru Exit, was released in Japan many months ago. Although we were treated to a demo of the game, the language barrier proved to be too challenging to overcome for most players. Now, 505 Games is quietly publishing the game in Europe. Once again, Joel has provided a thorough insight into the game, noting how it's changed from the original. It appears the changes in the sequel are minimal at best: Cosmetic changes. Two new companions, the "Macho" and the "Dog." Music player. Online interface. Although it appears as though the sequel is simply more of the same, fans of the original will most likely not complain. With tons of downloadable content already available for the game, we can only hope that this English language version will cross the Atlantic and hit the US in the future. For more pictures, see Joel's Flickr stream.
