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Friday Video: Bundles are beautiful
What's a dedicated DS lover to do when two sweet new bundles hit the streets? There's really only one option on the table: shoot a video of the boxes, complete with music and dramatic close-ups. It's just such a random thing (and yet, exactly what we would probably do) that we couldn't resist sharing it with you as part of this week's video spotlight.
GameStop overbundles new DS Lite bundles
If you're looking to buy one of the new DS Lite bundles, we hope you have extra money! And, depending on which one you buy, very little shame. EBGames/Gamestop, the masters of making you buy things you don't want in exchange for the privilege of buying something you do want, are offering both the Nintendogs and Phantom Hourglass DS Lite bundles online-- with "exciting" "extras."For $239.96, the Zelda bundle includes not just the DS and Phantom Hourglass, but Final Fantasy III and Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker as well. Buyers of the Nintendogs bundle are even worse off, and not just because they're stuck with the Nintendogs bundle. For $249.96, you get the pink, pawed DS, three different versions of Nintendogs, and Petz Dogs 2. It's perfect for people who only like one kind of game, but like it obsessively.
Nintendo confirms new bundles for the holidays
Nintendo dished out a press release this morning, declaring that the previous rumor of two new DS Lite bundles hitting in time for Black Friday is, in fact, a reality. These two new bundles (other pictured past the break) will greet eager shoppers looking for the perfect gaming gift. No word on how long they'll be around, but the press release did state that they're limited-edition units, so we wouldn't expect them to be around forever.So, who's getting one of these new bundles?
See the sexy new Zelda, Nintendogs DS bundles
We already knew this was coming, but Nintendo affirmed today that we'll be seeing two new DS models on the day after Thanksgiving, and they sent along these sexy new box shots to prove it. The first is a Phantom Hourglass bundle that comes with a "glimmering Gold edition" of the DS. If you're ready to take DS gaming from something you can do in public places to something you can do in dimly-lit public places full of non-judgmental people, this is the package for you.For the ladies there's the Rose DS (check it out after the break), which comes bundled with Nintendogs. It's the "Best Friends" edition of the game, the one that should be rated M for "Most Adorable Thing Ever". Both packages are available for the bargain price of $150.
Man lays into DS microphone, we leap to heroic defense
Over at Next-Gen, Ben Reich has penned an article on the worst ideas to hit gaming, with two Nintendo creations in his choices. The first, Friend Codes, we can kind of roll with. They're unwieldy, awkward, and let's face it: there are better solutions. Perhaps they deserve to be there, but the DS's microphone? Not so much. See, we quite like the mic. OK, it's not as widely used as other parts of the handheld's unique feature-set, but we're struggling to swallow the argument that it's one of "gaming's worst ever ideas." Not in a world where the Roll & Rocker exists.Two things seem to irk Reich about the DS's mic: that it can be embarrassing to use in public, and that not enough game developers have used it well. We partially agree with his first point -- e-nun-ci-at-ing "Buh-loo!" into your handheld while on the bus to work would make most people feel like a bit of a nugget. Then again, nobody is forcing you to play such games in public. It's all a question of choosing an appropriate location.Secondly, plenty of games find a good use for the microphone. Being able to yell "Objection!" just before you start dismantling your rival in the Ace Attorney games is a fantastic touch! Summoning your hound in Nintendogs with a whistle or a shout of their name is equally nifty. My French Coach, which Alisha is covering all this week, makes terrific use of the microphone, allowing users to record themselves, in a bid to achieve greater fluency.In other words, Mr Reich, we're going to have to politely disagree with you.
The DS Life: Best Friends Edition
The DS Life is a weekly feature in which we scour the known world for narrative images of Nintendo's handhelds and handheld gamers. If you have a photo and a story to match it with, send both to thedslife at dsfanboy dot com.This week's installment of The DS Life captures the warmth of youth's friendships, when comradery comes naturally and every exchange is guileless. Well, mostly guileless.
Yummy new DS bundles not coming to Europe
Qu'une surprise! It turns out that Europe won't be getting those rather ace new DS bundles that we originally covered on Monday. Eurogamer got on the dog and bone to Nintendo's European arm to inquire about whether the Zelda and Nintendogs-themed handhelds would see the light of day here, and promptly got a big fat "No"/"Non"/"Nein"/"Nyet" for their troubles.In fact, yours truly was tempted to use this news as a platform for a wild-eyed rant about how Nintendo hates Europe (and how that's actually quite strange, all things considered) but heck, that particular horse has been firmly flogged into a fine pulp by now.
Two new DS Lite models, both branded & bundled
Nintendo's making a final push to indoctrinate the rest of the world's pet-deprived tweens and twenty-something geeks, according to a new Sears ad. Come "Black Friday," two more DS Lite models will hit retail ($150 ea.), each branded and bundled with a corresponding game.There's the metallic pink Pound Puppies Nintendogs case, complete with (bloody?) paw print and game -- which reminds us, our lil' pixelated Shih Tzu hasn't been fed in about two years ... Anyways, moving on: there's also the gold-sprayed Zelda unit, (spotted a few weeks ago and) bundled with Phantom Hourglass, featuring the Triforce logo for those of us not quite ready for the more-permanent expression of our faith.[Via DS Fanboy]
Sears Black Friday ad reveals two new DS Lites
var digg_url ='http://digg.com/nintendo_wii/Sears_Black_Friday_ad_reveals_two_new_DS_Lites'; The annual pre-"Black Friday" bargain hunting has started among predatory shoppers, and we're already reaping the benefits of shoppers' insane vigilance. This detail from a Sears ad has revealed two new DS hardware configurations. We already knew of the gold Phantom Hourglass box, but this is the firmest confirmation we've seen from an actual retailer.More interesting is the reveal of a metallic pink Nintendogs: Best Friends Edition bundle for $149.99. We don't know if this is a Sears exclusive, but the little ad clipping makes no mention of exclusivity. We doubt it, since one of our intrepid commenters hinted at exactly this hardware for GameStop as well. A new hardware bundle for a two-year-old game? Seems ludicrous on the outset, but it'll probably sell a (few million) bundle(s).[Thanks, Steve 3.2!]
Updated multi-region release lists, software sales
For a lot of us, this updated list of current and forthcoming "primary" Nintendo releases doesn't offer much, but for European gamers, there's a lot to speculate on. We keep seeing this DS Novel pop up, but what exactly is it? When it's shown up before on lists, there was also a "temporary title" tag attached, but no longer, though other titles on the list are tagged as such. Is it settled? Is it just the e-book reader? Literature-themed nongame? Sounds like it might be worth importing for litgeeks in the rest of the world. If you know something we poor Americans don't, please clue us in!In other news, Nintendogs continues to lead the pack among DS titles in sales, with Pokémon and New Super Mario Bros. lagging a little behind. Unsurprisingly, the phenomenal Brain Age duo keeps churning out the dollars as well.To see the full list of releases, check after the jump.
The truth about Catz and Dogz, as told by EBGames commenters
The issue of which pet-care game is the best is much too divisive to solve here. Even splitting them up into categories: horse, cat, hamster, etc. (as well as the non-pet care games involving human babies) is just much too controversial for us to make our own call.GamesRadar's staff, hoping to put this issue to rest, turned to the EBGames user comments for each game to determine which was the best. Using this resource, they were able to get expert reviews, like this one for Nintendogs: "this is wat i said to my mom when it came out! " o.m.g i really need to get this game." she said ok." To be fair, a lot of the commenters, especially for these games, are children, and probably don't need to be made fun of. But some of the comments run a little psychotic: "I had my nintendo ds for a while now and i have been ready for this moment," a commenter said about Imagine Babyz. What rituals must one go through to prepare for Imagine Babyz?
Today's trottingest video: Horse Life trailer
Horse Life looks like a Nintendogs where you can compete with your animal. (Oh, there was that whole dog agility thing, but we stuck to frisbee games instead. Will a horse chase a frisbee?) We'll leave the sharp critique for the commenters. To our eyes, if you're into horse raising-and-riding games, this looks fun.What do the equestrians in the house say? C'mon, we know you're out there. Or are you waiting in line already for the November DS release?See the trailer after the break.
Nintendogs and Yoshi's Island going Wi-Fi?
In checking out the weekly wi-fi stats, one user over at GAF noticed that two offline titles had shown up in the findings. Utilizing a user-created program, it was found that Nintendogs connected to wi-fi 6 different times and Yoshi's Island connected 4 times over two different days.Now, whether this is misinterpreted information or the first signs of a re-issuing of these games with wi-fi compatibility is anyone's guess. What we wonder about, however, is if these games are re-issued, will anyone pick them up?
More Animal caretaking ahead
Those who love Nintendogs and feel compelled to take care of tiny, virtual animals will be given a whole set of new ones to care for come this November. Featuring a variety of different animals, including dogs, cats and horses, Animal Paradise tasks the player with not only feeding and walking, but bathing and playing with them, as well.The game also uses a popular pet photographer from Japan in Yoneo Morita. Known as Hanadeka photography, it's quite the rage over there and focuses on shots that accentuate the animal's nose.
Love Cat Life shows love for dogs, too
Specifically, Nintendogs. And more specifically, the cash generated by Nintendogs. Forgive us for being cynical, but Love Cat Life does look exceedingly familiar. But for our (hypothetical) pet simulator money, Love Cat Life wins over Nintendo's masterpiece, for mostly hilarious reasons: Simulated litterboxes Riding a little cat-sized truck over a ramp Meowing music game! We started off being sarcastic, but we just convinced ourselves. It was the music game that did it.
I Love Dolphin Screens
That is to say, here are some screens of a game called I Love Dolphin. While we personally have nothing against dolphin screens, we haven't formed any special attachment to them.From what we can tell based on the screens, it's a game where you train and befriend a cute lil' dolphin. Basically, it's Nintendolphins. You train the dolphin to do tricks, which you are scored on. You can also learn about dolphins and take some dolphin-related quizzes. Most importantly, you can use the stylus to toss fish at them. If you're squealing with delight at the idea of training a virtual dolphin on your DS, then it's official. You love dolphin. Maybe you will love dolphin game!
Nintendogs escape cartridge, still cute in reality
Those Nintendogs are adorable creatures. Sometimes they seem almost ... real. Well there's at least one guy in Japan having serious trouble distinguishing life outside the screen from life inside the screen. No dogs were harmed in the making of this video, but one carpet needed a damn good clean. After the credits we go for a little drive Mario Kart style.Check the video after the break.
Virtual dog walking: Nintendogs has nothing on this
Sure, Nintendo might've very well put some of the cutest virtual puppies into one of the best selling entertainment devices of all time, but Japanese arcades, as always, take things to the next level. TOKYOMANGO recently spotted this dog walking game, which has been around for a few years, and puts a virtual pet's life in your hands. To walk the dog, you have to maintain a good speed -- not too fast, not too slow -- while keeping the idiot mutt from getting hit by oncoming traffic or the neighborhood bully dog. The result for failure? The dog dies, and you get to blow some more yen on this oh-so-stimulating form of entertainment.
DS Lite gets "liter," less functional
This is one crafter's answer to all the criticisms about the DS Lite being too bulky and sturdy. Or it would be, if those criticisms existed and weren't crazy. Junyang's papercraft DS Lite is actually part of a series of miniaturized electronic devices, any of which would make a very nice (and very small) display piece. But we especially love when paper and glue come together to honor our favorite handheld. And look at that teensy Nintendogs cartridge! It actually fits into the cartridge slot. That's the kind of detail work that has us rushing to print our own and get started, after we edit the image to change Nintendogs to Elite Beat Agents. Knowing our stumpy, clumsy fingers, the end result of our folding and gluing won't be quite so photogenic. But hey, that's no reason not to try it yourself!
13.6 million Nintendogs are being neglected right now
Want to know the real reason why Nintendogs is one of the most "important" games? Because everybody has it. Nintendo is reporting that 13.6 million copies of the game have been sold worldwide. Compare that to Brain Age and its sequel, which sold a combined 12 million copies. We knew Nintendogs was massive, but we kind of didn't realize how massive. As we alluded to in the title, we wonder how many of those copies are still getting daily use.Another interesting tidbit from the financial report: Nintendo made 2.1 billion yen (about $17.5 million) last year from their non-video-game products, including playing cards. And before you ask, they probably did count Nintendogs as a video game.
