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NMS08: Rock Band 'bonus' simply PS3/360 dregs
The mystery of our Rock Band's "bonus" tracks has been solved -- and the songs are nothing you haven't seen before, especially if you've been following the available DLC for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the title. Here's your extra content, Wii owners. Merry freakin' Christmas. "Dirty Little Secret" - The All American Rejects "Roam" - The B-52's "Don't Look Back in Anger" - Oasis "Roxanne" - The Police "Rockaway Beach" - The Ramones %Gallery-19119%
Gamestop preorder bonus for Harvest Moon DS Cute is cute
Gamestop can be so cruel to our wallets. We try to resist their silly preorder bonuses that come with games, but at times it's too hard to ignore the temptation. The most recent battle of wills comes with Gamestop's bonus for Harvest Moon DS Cute. If you couldn't tell from the picture above, it's a plush cat! That may not seem like a big deal for many of you -- after all, what's another cheap stuffed animal? -- but here at DS Fanboy, we love cats (especially the "lol" kind). Maybe not as much as we love pugs, but we digress. We like the Harvest Moon series anyway, so normally preordering this game wouldn't be an issue. Yet, since two Harvest Moon games are coming out pretty close to each other, we were hoping to spend our money on Island of Happiness instead. Cute is essentially the same game as Harvest Moon DS, except that the main character is a girl rather than a boy (plus, a few other minor additions). Island of Happiness, on the other hand, is a completely new game with a Lost in Blue meets Harvest Moon concept. We probably won't waver in our decision to stick with Island of Happiness, but if you're a fan of the franchise and haven't played Harvest Moon DS yet, this preorder bonus might make the purchase a worthwhile one. [Via Siliconera]
Dungeons and Dragons celebrates second anniversary this weekend
Our favorite D&D fan Schad dropped a note to remind us that the Dungeons and Dragons Online second anniversary celebration is set to go on as scheduled on Sunday. We're not quite sure what that entails, but whatever it is, it'll show up ingame on Sul, Therendor 2nd (that's Sunday, March 2nd for non-nerds -- I kid!), and Schad tells us that there will be cake. We'll believe it when we see it.And in case you've been away from the game, the anniversary celebration will also feature a "welcome back" week, offering old players their characters back and a 25% XP bonus until March 11. Apparently that was nerfed from last year, but more XP is always good XP, right? Plus, if you left the game before Module 6 was introduced, now you can go see all those vidoegame-inspired levels in the Shroud.%Gallery-14446%
DS Daily: That special stylus
From swords to ... uh, more swords, we've seen quite a few special styli in our day. Some are colorful and some are extendable, but the stylus gift is pretty common with DS games. Do you own any special edition styli? Do you wish you did? If so, which ones? And we're not talking about just any random stylus here, though there are plenty of awesome DS accessories, but those specifically designed for (or that come with) certain games.
Fist of the North Star DS comes with neighsayer
The DS Fist of the North Star game was already an interactive manga in which you tap spots on the screen to beat up on dudes. It was already pretty bizarre. But Spike has decided to pile bizarre upon bizarre with this bonus for early purchasers.It's a keychain that plays a horse noise. Awesome, right? You could be out anywhere, and suddenly have the urge to listen to the sound of a horse, and just have a horse noise right there. In your pocket. To be fair, the horse immortalized by this keychain is not just some regular horse, but Kokuoh-Go, Raoh's giant horse who is also a king. Unfortunately, we don't know what Kokuoh-Go sounds like, but maybe his neigh is way tougher-sounding than a normal horse's.GAME Watch has some new screens of the game, in case you're as interested in extremely violent screen-tapping as we are.
Shiren's mysterious tote bag
Sega is selling a "DX Pack" of Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 3 from their SegaDirect online store, like they are for NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams (and also Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity). While the included swag doesn't approach the elfin cuteness of the NiGHTS figurine or the spinniness of the keychain, it's much more, uh, spacious.Along with a telephone card (whose design has yet to be shown) the DX Pack of Shiren 3 will include this handsome tote bag. Buying video games just wasn't enough like donating to PBS. DX Packs will either come with the telephone card (8,680 yen, or $79) or without (8,000 yen, or $73). This isn't the first time Sega has handed these things out -- the same bag was packed in with copies of Shiren the Wanderer DS.[Via Famitsu]
Sakura Taisen is overprotective
Sega's limited-edition release of the new Sakura Taisen dungeon crawler, Dramatic Dungeon Sakura Taisen: Kimi Arugatame, is heavy on the DS adornments, to the point of being ridiculous. In addition to a soft system case, the All-Star Pack also includes a slip-on shell and three stickers, each emblazoned with a different squad's colors and logo. The package also includes three DS card cases in a similar motíf.For those whose lust for stuff with logos on it extends beyond DS care, Sega will also be giving away Sakura Taisen cups, bowls, and mugs in a contest. That contest will no doubt have numerous entries, since Sakura Taisen is a series big enough to support its own cafe.[Via Dengeki]
DS Daily: Preorders
We may be sad about the distinct lack of preorder goodness with Contra 4, but we still have a few other goodies to tide us over, like the adorable Phoenix Wright plush available with advance orders of Trials and Tribulations. After a lengthy discussion about preorder bonuses dominated the DS Fanboy offices yesterday, we decided to turn to you guys. We admit -- we pony up in advance at times to snag certain cool items, even though we don't always think preordering is a good idea (sometimes they don't get our stuff as promised!). Still, some things are just too good to resist. Do you go in for 'em as well? If so, what are some of the best you've gotten? We were pretty fond of the Portrait of Ruin pack, personally.
Preorder Phoenix Wright, pick up plush
We'd like to present this item that will, no doubt, convince you to find our client, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations, worth buying. If you got the import, then, well, time to eBay and reorder. You can only get this little Phoenix by preordering the game through GameStop or Capcom's own online store. Then you can TAKE THAT! plush that you get, and HOLD IT! if you have any OBJECTIONS! to a bad dream. If you're not all Ace Attorneyed out by our awful jokes, we recommend this rumination on the series, and its lifebar in particular, by the ever-brilliant dessgeega.
Registration Age: Get free stuff in minutes a day
This rainbow of DS Lite styli can be yours for the low, low price of a few minutes on Nintendo's website. Brain Age 2 owners can register on my.nintendo.com (which we should all do anyway for the extremely sporadic bonuses like this) and take a short survey about how awesome the game is, and in return they'll get a "gift box" containing these seven styli!Unfortunately, while our brains may be well-trained, our browsers may not all be in such great condition: some would-be applicants are reporting technical difficulties with the site-- specifically that the survey doesn't pop up. Maybe it's a training exercise for Nintendo's IT team.[Via GoNintendo]
Monster Rancher DS and some guy in a puffy suit
We may love Monster Rancher like ice cream, but we totally draw the line at donning a huge, unwieldy Mocchi suit. In other words, we don't envy this guy's (gal's?) job one bit, but we still love the idea of a Monster Rancher event. Especially since attendees learned an interesting tidbit of information -- when the shop that hosted the event's name was spoken into the DS, the sounds produced a special monster. Considering preorder copies also come with a unique monster, Tecmo is starting gamers out right with the franchise's latest version. We'll have to give the phrase GAMES Maya a go when we pick up the localized version ... just in case. The event also featured quality time with the Mocchi-suited mascot and a quiz about the Monster Rancher series, as well as a chance to try out the new monster creation features. Sounds like a good time was had by all! For those of you lucky enough to be around a Japanese download station, you can snag a Monster Rancher demo right now, as well.
DS Daily: Bonus GET
We hinted in the Phoenix Wright covers post that we're completely in the thrall of the preorder bonus. Sometimes, a free thing that we don't really want will help tip the scales in favor of buying a game. We were totally going to get Gyakuten Saiban 3 anyway, but now we're feeling more pressure to get our preorder in expediently. Have you felt this way? Are you drawn to free stuff that isn't really that great, because it's free, and because it's got pictures of characters from games you like? Does it influence your decision to purchase the game? Really cool stuff we understand, but we're talking about a 'meh' bonus that drives you to change your purchasing habits. We'll put it another way: Who's got the Pokemon stylus holder?
Japanese Phoenix Wright 3 gets boring bonus
If you buy the Japanese Best Price release of Gyakuten Saiban 3-- cue the chorus of "don't buy it or Capcom won't localize the next one"-- you may be entitled to a set of reversible box covers for the whole series of DS releases. It looks like they're designed so you can store 2 games to a case. However, the Gyakuten Saiban series already uses a consistent boxart design in Japan, meaning that all four of the DS games already match. And on top of that, the design for these bonuses is significantly less interesting than the original boxart. Of course, we're still getting this thing.We wish it was nicer-looking, but it's lovely of Capcom to hand out bonus stuff in general. We hope these get included with import orders (that's right, we're ordering the import!)
And I think to myself, what a wonderful preorder bonus
Fans anticipating the release of It's a Wonderful World won't have just a limited edition DS Lite bundle to look forward to; Square Enix announced today that preordering the Shibuya-district RPG in advance of its July 27th release will also net gamers a miniature kitten to hitch onto your handheld.The feline charm mimics Pochi, a stuffed cat that plays into Shiki Misaki's (IAWW's female lead) special attacks, and also doubles as a wipe to keep your DS screens free of dust and kitty litter. Pounce past the post break for some in-game screenshots of Pochi. See also: Just about the oddest/cutest/scariest thing you will ever see More from the DS cat
Dewy's Adventure Japanese preorder bonus too cute for words
Look, really, this has to stop. It's not fair. First we see all these adorable videos for Dewy's Adventure, and now we're faced with this precious preorder bonus ... for Japanese gamers.They're taunting us. But we have a plan. Everyone needs to go out and buy something Nintendo or Konami-related, just so we can keep the momentum from April's sales numbers. If we can do that every month until we get this game, then maybe we'll get a little plushie Dewy when it's time to preorder. It'll totally work! Petty things like food and shelter are overrated anyway. Plushies are where it's at.Maybe we're being a tad melodramatic. After all, we got sweet preorder bonuses for Elebits. But ... look at him. He's necessary for continued existence on this plane.
Death Jr. and the preorder stylus of doom
Of all the preorder stylus bonuses we've seen, Death Jr. and the Science Fair of Doom's is easily the best. Konami has been encouraging gamers to reserve its 3D platformer with promises of a miniaturized scythe that doubles as a stylus. The preorder perk also comes with a plastic holder that clips the oversized pen to you DS Lite. Though it makes for a great novelty item to enjoy with your game, the scythe also serves as a grim reminder that death is always close. Try as we might to avoid it, our end is always waiting, ready to steal our life's work -- or waste in some cases -- like a thief in the night. It doesn't seem like much of a bonus when you think about it like that, does it?Death Jr. and the Science Fair of Doom won't appear on store shelves until May 22nd, but some online shops are already sending the preorder styli out. Head past the post break for CAG forumer Asgardian's photos of the Death Jr. stylus he received early. [Via CAG]
Lost in Blue 2 pre-order bonus
It's probably too late to place a pre-order for Lost in Blue 2 at your local game shop, but you might still be able to get the bonus offer by ordering a copy online. Gamers who were motivated enough to put down a cash advance for the survival sim's sequel will receive a themed stylus and screen wipe. The Lost in Blue 2 stylus is crafted to look like a twig, but we doubt that it'd be useful for actually starting a fire if you happen to get stranded on a deserted island. The tip of the stylus does light up though, so at least you'll have its weak glow to comfort you for a night or two. The tropical screen wipe isn't as useful as a hatchet, but it will keep the sand off of your Nintendo DS. You could probably eat it too, if it came to that.Lost in Blue 2 shipwrecks onto store shelves today, March 20th.[Via Insert Credit]
GDC 07: Phantom Hourglass multiplayer mode demoed
Ever since The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass made its debut at last year's GDC, the project has essentially been hidden within a solar eclipse. Now, on the celestial zenith anniversary of that momentous day, Nintendo has felt fit to show off another little part of the game: a multiplayer mode.IGN has some hands-on impressions; one player controls Link, attempting to gather pieces of Triforce scattered about a (now classic) hedge maze, while the other draws paths on the touchscreen for three guards to follow and intercept. There appears to be some strategic elements as well, and for those a bit skeptical, remember this: the last Zelda title to feature a "bonus" multiplayer mode turned out to be good enough to spawn its own title, Four Swords Adventures.
Keep warm with a Monster Hunter scarf [Update 1]
As you may know, Japan loves Monster Hunter. And, Capcom is quickly trying to capitalize on its popularity. As if having over 400,000 pre-orders wasn't enough, Game Watch reports that Capcom will offer this chic Monster Hunter scarf for Japanese customers that pre-order the game at Capcom's electronic store.Why a scarf? Why not? You know, I try to look as fashionable as I can while slaying demons.See also:PSP Fanart Fridays: Monster Hunter[Update 1: Language Police caught me red-handed. Thanks for the correction!]
Castlevania: PoR preorder bonus [update 1]
If you're a Castlevania fan, then it tends to follow that you dig the music from the series as well, and Konami knows it. If you preorder the newest installment, Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, from EB Games or GameStop, they'll throw in a bonus disc, the Castlevania 20th anniversary soundtrack -- a compilation of the best the franchise has to offer, musically. No word on a track listing, but the anticipation is half the fun. Tragically, Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin doesn't release until December. In the meantime, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow was re-released this month, so fresh copies are available at many stores. If you can't wait to get your whip on in PoR and missed DoS (shame on you), snag one while you can. [Via NeoGAF][Update 1: Fixed a typo]
