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Japanese hardware sales: Micro management
The numbers for the week are in and, in a remarkable break from tradition, are actually pretty interesting. The PSP finally stands triumphant over the DS, though perhaps not for the reasons it was originally hoping for (to be fair, the system has been getting some really great games recently). The Phat's on its way out, it seems, with the Lite assuming a comfortable position at the top of the charts. The Japanese hardware sales charts for the week ranging from 17 April to 23 April are presented below. The ranking, according to number of units sold: DS Lite: 168,809 27,840 (19.75%) PSP: 32,323 5,983 (22.71%) PS2: 25,763 1,786 (6.48%) Game Boy Micro: 18,390 14,714 (400.27%) GBA SP: 11,044 4,672 (73.32%) Phat DS: 8,051 29,153 (78.36%) Xbox 360: 3,990 2,064 (107.17%) Gamecube: 1,106 26 (2.41%) GBA: 58 12 (26.09%) Xbox: 16 14 (46.67%) There are two noteworthy things happening here. The original DS is plunging to the bottom of the charts (no doubt a new and scary experience for the little guy) whilst the Game Boy Micro jumps up by a whopping 400%, stopping only to give the plummeting DS a high-five as it goes hurtling by. You can probably thank the Japanese release of Mother 3 for the good fortune of Nintendo's most diminutive of devices. Previously: Now with added numerical goodness! (10 April - 16 April) Lite still on top (3 April - 9 April) The Lite fantastic (27 March - 2 April)
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance forged on DS
After beating the radioactive, magical and often otherworldly crap out of each other in Capcom's excellent Marvel Vs. series of 2D fighting games, it seems that the comic giant's major superheroes now find themselves forced to cooperate for the good of the entire Marvel universe. Activision has officially announced Marvel: Ultimate Alliance for PC, current and forthcoming consoles, as well as handheld platforms. I don't know about you, but my hands are usually the first choice when it comes to holding the DS. Developed by Raven Software, the game will be an action-RPG, no doubt similar to the X-Men Legends series (but hopefully a whole lot better). Various levels of customization are touted, but the one that has us most pleased is the ability to create a custom vehicle for your team. When I'm done with that, the Fantasticar won't know what hit it.No word yet on how the DS version will differ from the rest--would cooperative Wi-Fi play be too much to ask for?
Pictochat on your PC
The guys over at DS-Play, one of several large DS community sites, have rolled out a PC version of Pictochat. Situated comfortably within your browser window, the program emulates the functions of the built-in DS program, namely sending text messages to others and displaying poorly drawn genitals. In addition, it also lets you save your supposed masterpieces for later viewing. It's not going to make you delete your current IM programs, but it does provide a neat little diversion, especially if your communication and artistic skills aren't hampered by the use of an imprecise mouse and fairly limited tools (you'll get 16 colors and you'll like it).A word of warning, however: The very first crude drawing I was presented with involved uncomfortable bodily functions. These people are everywhere.[Thanks Daniel!]
Squeenix announces E3 lineup
If Final Fantasy isn't your thing, you'd best steer clear of the Square Enix E3 booth this year, an inescapable and mammoth bastion of all that is saucer-eyed, pointy-haired and saving the world from an ancient evil-y. We love it. Though the focus will undoubtedly be placed upon Final Fantasy XII, the full lineup of games indicates that our favorite portable platform is getting some love in the form of a remake and a spin-off! Erm, yay?To be fair, Final Fantasy III does look extremely classy and holds the distinction of being the only Final Fantasy game thus far to not have been localized. If that's not enough to convince you, the 3D graphics and rumored Wi-Fi play are sure to have you intrigued. This looks to be the most promising DS title under Square Enix's umbrella this year.Next, there's Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime. Starring one of those adorable slime things, the game has the player bouncing and stretching all over the place in a quest to stop an evil, kidnapping cartel. The press release also highlights "fierce tank battles", which sounds like it's a good thing.Finally, there's Children of Mana, the latest offspring of Square's recently revived franchise. An RPG set in whimsical lands, the most notable feature here is the four-player cooperative questing. That's a phrase I honestly hope to write more and more often as time goes by. Oh, and the GBA isn't completely ignored either--it's getting Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy VI.
Brain Training doesn't help old brains after all
For those of us hoping to clutch onto a DS and listen to the sage advice of Brain Age's Dr. Floaty Head (his real name's so hard to remember these days) in order to lessen the rate of our inevitable mental decline, a recent article in the Wall Street Journal's science journal is sure to come as bad news. According to a recent study, constant mental exercise does nothing to slow down the rate of cognitive decline. Timothy Salthouse of the University of Virginia notes that "there is no convincing empirical evidence that mental activity slows the rate of cognitive decline," a message that stands somewhat opposed to Nintendo's Brain Age campaign. "The research I reviewed is just not consistent with the idea that engaging in mentally stimulating activities as you age prevents or slows cognitive decline." While the rate of mental erosion is labeled as constant by the study, it suggests that the minds that remain sharp are merely dropping from a higher point. The higher you start, the longer it takes you to hit bottom. The mental usefulness of the innocent crossword puzzle also comes under attack assault fire, with Salthouse concluding that there is no evidence that habitual puzzle players experience "a slower rate of age-related decline in reasoning." What's a five-letter word for bummer? Still, the article points out (perhaps obviously so) that the greatest benefit of games like Brain Age is that the constant training improves an adult's ability to perform the given task well. One thing's for sure--we'll soon be glorified experts at saying "Blue!" [Thanks Vlad! Linked article requires membership to access.]
Is that a black DS Lite?
Straight from the pages of a new Famitsu issue comes this gobsmacking black beauty--or is it just that tricky paintjob on the Enamel Navy unit fooling us again? Regardless, we're still betting on that color showing up at the Lite's North American launch. Anyone care to translate that text for us? We'll pay you in red herrings.[Via 4cr]
Japanese hardware sales: Now with added numerical goodness!
Several readers suggested last week that, for the next sales chart update, I should increase the general number of, uh, numbers. Since you all asked so nicely and threatened me so politely, I have done just that. In addition, I'll post a summary sales chart at the end of each month - I don't want to clutter things up too much in the weekly updates. Right, on to the Japanese hardware sales charts for the week ranging from 10 April to 16 April. The ranking, according to number of units sold, is a follows: DS Lite: 140,969 13,762 Phat DS: 37,204 12,621 PS2: 27,549 1,347 PSP: 26,340 4,225 GBA SP: 6,372 1,161 Game Boy Micro: 3,676 573 Xbox 360: 1926 14 Gamecube: 1,080 144 GBA: 46 64 Xbox: 30 16 Lots of mean, red arrows this week. Just about every platform fared a little worse, with the DS Lite taking the biggest dive. Luckily, all those other platforms will break its fall at the bottom.Previously: Lite still on top (3 April - 9 April) The Lite fantastic (27 March - 2 April) Lite on its feet (20 March - 26 March)
Beneath the surface of Animal Crossing
Kudos to 1up and Nadia Oxford for posting a truly excellent article that examines how the personality traits of Animal Crossing players are reflected (and distorted) in their endearingly constructed and personalized towns. The findings point to something quite sinister, with many suspicious objects and design choices littering each of the four towns that the author pays a virtual visit to. As with anything overly cute and seemingly free of worry, there's just something not right about these towns. Take for instance, the many mysterious and seemingly innocent holes that litter the landscape in one town. "I asked about the holes, and No. 1 assured me that they were his roommate's doing -- maybe he was digging for a mole cricket and didn't bother to fill them in. I answered in the affirmative...but, unbidden, an image came to mind of the town ablaze, its screaming animals attempting to flee the inferno, only to be barred by a man-made moat."Or how about the subject that, in real life, often works in the presence of children, and yet has a town overrun with foul-mouthed citizens donning considerably rude articles of clothing? It's interesting to note the differences and similarities between the player and their in-game representation, especially in this case where said representation is an entire, socially (dys)functional town. Games such as these often allow us to express ourselves in ways which suit our personality, but also in ways that don't. With no real repercussions to worry about, we can often get away by acting out of character or trying an approach that we'd normally attempt to avoid. How do you and your Animal Crossing denizens match up?
New Castlevania, awful art style confirmed
Wrong.That's what comes to mind when I look at the art style for the now confirmed Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin. The title seems awfully appropriate now, what with the series' stunning gothic art heritage being ruined in the wake of something more along the lines of "Yu-Gi-Oh" and "garbage". Is this some sort of reverse Prince of Persia phenomenon, where a beloved franchise is actually lightened up in order to appeal to a broader group of gamers?I'm sure it'll still play wonderfully, but I have trouble believing that an androgynous, saucer-eyed blondie wielding half a jump rope will be able to convey the atmosphere of melancholy that permeates the rest of the series. Poor Dracula - imagine getting bested by someone like that.
Ad agency seeking older looking Brain Trainers
If you live in New York City, you'd best be on the lookout for decrepit looking, stylus-wielding strangers who may challenge you to a Sudoku puzzle just as you're biting into a Starbucks bagel. Apparently, an ad agency is recruiting and paying people to scurry about the streets of New York and show people Nintendo's "new game for older people"--most likely Brain Age given the Sudoku mention and the fact that it's the only game likely to get away with an older marketing street team. After all, a creepy 30-something stranger suddenly sitting next to you and urging you to check out Super Princess Peach is a bit creepy. So, if you look about 30 years old and are desperate to make $20 an hour, you may be well on the way to starting your Brain Trainer career. It looks like Nintendo is really going after that mythical non-gamer demographic, no doubt hoping to recreate Brain Age's massive success in Japan. I'm not sure how well this particular marketing strategy will work, but don't be surprised if you hear more people in Manhattan randomly shouting "BLUE!"Check out the full Myspace bulletin (use BugMeNot if you don't have a login) for more information by clicking the "Read" link.[Thanks Michael!]
No new Metroid games for DS this year?
Showing some true 1up-manship, Jeremy Parish has updated his blog with tantalizing non-details about a secret, pre-E3 Nintendo DS press event. Like all of the attending journalists, Parish was allowed to experience some new DS titles ("pretty cool surprises") at the cost of having to keep his opinions bottled up until Nintendo yanks the cork out. Expect the yanking to occur as soon as E3 is upon us.Parish does share one minor detail, though. There wasn't a single new Metroid game. If you had any dreams of playing a traditional, 2D Metroid game on the DS, consider them decisively stomped to teeny, unrecognizable smithereens. At least for now. It's not that I don't like Hunters--it's just that I tend to prefer exploring an intricate network of ancient ruins to repeatedly shooting menacing bounty hunters in the face. Chalk that up to a deranged childhood, if you want.[Via 4cr]
Some Doctor: Brain Age is good, but don't get fat
According to an article over at Gamasutra, Nintendo is adding some more marketing push to Brain Age: Train your Brain in Minutes a Day in the form of Dr. Elizabeth Zelinski, dean and executive director of Leonard Davis School of Gerontology at the University of Southern California. Her smarty-pants opinion on Brain Age:"Nintendo's Brain Age should be just one element of an active lifestyle that includes mental stimulation, exercise and a good diet. Brain Age is a great way for people to keep challenging themselves."That's right. You could train yourself on Brain Age for hours a day until you become a hyper-intelligent supergenius, but if you don't exercise and eat healthily, you'll become an obese hyper-intelligent supergenius. And as anyone will tell you, that's the worst kind.
Nintendo Lites up their website
The DS Lite has now shown up on Nintendo's American website, confirming once and for all to those hardened skeptics that the unnervingly attractive dual-screened redesign will indeed be launching in the US soon. Of course, that lot is unconvinced that the internet even exists, so it may be a bit of a lost cause.The other conclusion you might draw from the gigantic Lite that serves to advertise Nintendo's download stations is that the US is getting the Crystal Cocaine color. Given the success that model's had in Japan, it doesn't really come as much of a surprise. C'mon Nintendo, just give us Badass Black.[Thanks Charlie and J. Walker!]
DS translator terrific for traversing Thailand
A pair of Nintendo commercials illustrates just how useful their new "traveler's notebook" translation software is when it comes to communicating to the people of a strange and foreign country. After a few taps on the touch screen, the DS displays a translated version of whatever message the young lady is trying to convey and is promptly shoved into the face of some hapless local. If that doesn't work, it can also read the sentence to you in a non-threatening electronic voice. Allowing one to haggle a hat-seller or carefully avoid ordering food that might explode halfway down your throat are just more examples of how the DS is spreading its tendrils into the realms of non-gaming. [Thanks yoorin!]
Lost Magic preview raises some questions
1up is running a preview of Lost Magic, a game which promises to bring role-playing and real-time strategy together in wedded bliss. The superb Warcraft III certainly pulled that off with aplomb, though this game's take on that genre juxtaposition is somewhat different. For one thing, casting spells is a tad more involved than merely selecting the appropriate command from a menu. I have to wonder if that's a good thing or not. Obviously, I want the game to use the capabilities of the DS whenever possible, but only if it comes naturally from the design and not as a forced bullet-point to add to the back of the game's case. The concept should be fitted to the hardware, not the other way around. Lost Magic has the player drawing different runes in order to cast spells (with over 350 types available), with each rune triggering anything from healing spells to more pleasing fire spells.Do I really want to draw some sort of shape every single time I want to heal my magical princess? Why is that I am now forced to use the touch screen in order to accomplish something that worked just fine (and arguably more easily) with traditional controls? I think these are good questions to ask, especially in the light of many great DS games like Mario Kart DS or Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time that didn't really make full use of the stylus. I'm not judging Lost Magic by any means (yet), but 1up's preview doesn't really give me enough information to decide whether or not the rune system is inspired or gimmicky. Let me know what you think.
Japanese hardware sales: Lite still on top
A mysterious envelope arrived at my door this morning. It was mysterious in the sense that, unlike all my other mail, a mechanical ticking sound couldn't be heard coming from its manilla innards. I carefully opened it, expecting a mysterious white powder to scatter onto my hands, but instead, I was rewarded with a neatly printed copy of the Japanese hardware sales charts for the week ranging from 3 April to 9 April. The ranking, according to number of units sold, is a follows: DS Lite: 154,731 Phat DS: 49,825 PSP: 30,565 PS2: 28,896 GBA SP: 5,211 Game Boy Micro: 3,103 Xbox 360: 1,940 Gamecube: 1,224 GBA: 110 Xbox: 46 The Lite continues to be unstoppable, stomping on all those other devices that might stand in its way. At this point, the only chance the other platforms have at toppling Nintendo's beautiful behemoth is if they combine into a giant, all-purpose machine, complete with two touch screens, cutting-edge 3D graphics, nine analogue sticks, a microphone and interchangeable faceplates. It would also have to play Nintendogs.Previous Japanese hardware charts: The Lite fantastic (27 March - 2 April) Lite on its feet (20 March - 26 March) Lite get! (13 March - 19 March)
DS knockoff analyzed
Your nephew asks you to get him a DS for his birthday, but you're too cheap to shell out for something so fancy. Perhaps you should consider getting him the Neo Double Games system, a more affordable and strikingly similar option. He'll love you forever.[Caution: Video contains a naughty word, a British accent and horrific gameplay footage.][Via Go Nintendo]
And then there was Lite
Like many of you, I was forced to endure a torturous waiting period before I could even consider touching and otherwise inappropriately fondling a Nintendo DS Lite. After wrestling the package away from a disgruntled postal worker and slashing him it to ribbons with a few well placed knife strokes, I was finally able to grasp that which had eluded me for so long. A DS Lite--Enamel Awesome. I mean Navy. Of course, I can't just tinker with this wonderful device and keep all my findings and thoughts to myself. That would be rude. Instead, I'll spend this weekend putting the system through its paces, informing you of its inherent dangers and in doing so, undoubtedly take so many comparison shots that you will become violently ill upon seeing them. If you have questions about any aspect of the DS Lite, post a comment and let me know which parts of the system I should be putting under a magnifying glass or sticking a screwdriver into. I'll try and answer to the best of my limited and frequently embarrassing ability.No, you can't have it.
Japanese-English dictionary for DS
At the rate language tools are hitting the system, the DS may yet become an essential diplomatic tool for foreign ambassadors as they defuse tense border disputes and nuclear arnament talks. Of course, its ability to play proper games may be to the detriment of such situations, especially when the ambassador is too busy snaking his way through Mario Kart to notice two countries declaring war on each other.The latest one to surface is this Japanese-English dictionary which can translate both ways, as well as accept kanji and kana symbols via stylus input. Throw in some fun quiz modes and a reasonably low price tag, and this program starts looking like a superior investment when compared to a professional electronic translator. The linked site provides an informative and more thorough analysis than that, so be sure to give it a read if you plan on visiting Japan soon. It's sure to come in handy when you need to ask, "Where might I find a Crystal Cocaine DS Lite?" [Thanks Damian!]
New Castlevania called Portrait of Ruin? [Update 1]
A while back, we all assumed that Konami was on the brink of announcing a brand new Castlevania adventure for the DS. It was a fairly solid assumption based on the evidence at hand, but information since then has been scarce or, worse yet, completely fake. That's why we're a little dubious about an article on Orange Lounge Radio (who?) that claims the game in question will be called Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin and will be released in November.As great a title as that is (certainly three steps up from Waltz of Discontentedness), the article raises a few suspicions and references no sources. It states that Konami has "quietly announced a few titles" that are meant to be released this year. What an excellent strategy to employ--by quietly announcing new entries in popular franchises to a select number of obscure websites, Konami will minimize the danger of people actually finding out about these games, becoming interested and possibly purchasing them. Yeah.I also happen to be on Konami's press release mailing list, and the spot reserved for them in my inbox is currently as empty as a cinema showing Bloodrayne. The article also mentions a DS Death Jr. game, one which has been previously rumored but never confirmed. Am I right in being cautious, or am I being overly paranoid? And how stupid will I look if this turns out to be true? (You don't have to answer that one.)[Via 4cr][Update: 1up is reporting that the same list of titles and release dates were leaked (and not quietly released) to retailers. Portrait of Ruin on 15 November it is, then! Thanks Mike!]
