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DS Daily: Do you get a little Tingly?
With the news -- following long-discussed rumors of a non-Japanese release -- that Freshly Picked: Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland is on its way to a European release, we figured it might be a good time to resurrect discussion of a US release. Of course, that probably hinges on whether or not NoA believes it would sell. So -- would you pick up a copy of Tingle's RPG? It's freshly picked ... how could you ever resist? Frankly, we'd be all over that like flies on things that are smelly.
DS Daily: We would like to taste the rainbow
Alright, listen. We need everyone who doesn't already own a copy of Brain Age to go out and buy one. C'mon, people, sooner is better than later. While you're out, you can pick up a copy for everyone that you know. Perhaps then we'll finally see additional DS Lite colors here in the States.Seriously, what gives? Suddenly, even Nintendo of Korea (who only just got the DS Lite) is rolling out the rainbow, including the brand new Metallic Rose and Gloss Silver models! Where's the love, guys? Reggie, please ... go to bat for us! Make it happen. [Via GoNintendo]
DS Daily: Two limited editions enter ...
Ring of Fates vs. Revenant Wings. There can be only one!Oh, we can talk about the games, too. If you want.
DS Daily: Do game ratings even matter?
With all the controversy surrounding the Wii's Manhunt 2, we're reminded of a question we've been pondering for some time. In fact, since we here at DS Fanboy were discussing the issue just today, it seems like a good time to get your take on it: do game ratings even matter? It seems as though we all had stories that seemed to indicate that they didn't; so many people don't seem to pay attention to the content of games. In her column at GameSetWatch, Leigh Alexander mentioned something along these lines recently when talking about our secret favorite game: "Look at the bright-and-sunny box art-if parents can be dense enough to grab more forbidding-looking games for their inappropriately-aged kids, you can imagine how many weekend dads will try and bring home a pink-haired cartoon witch to their elementary-school daughters."It's funny because it's true. Too many parents don't pay attention to anything except the cover, if that, and sometimes it seems that the ratings don't even matter. Anyone who's worked in retail around games can testify to that. It's much worse than with the movie industry, wherein the rating actually seems to make a difference at times. But that's just our opinion -- we're here to find out what you think.
DS Daily: Puzzlers
There are several puzzle games in the top twenty DS titles, as compiled by Metacritic, and none of them are Puzzle Quest. How can this be?! While we puzzle over that one, we thought we'd ask: with the plethora of good puzzle titles (and games with puzzle elements) available for DS fans, what's your favorite? Or are you -- gasp -- not much of a puzzle person?
DS Daily: Common usage
It'd be cool to live in Japan, we've always said. The food, the culture, the fact that by 2011, 89% of the Japanese will own a DS ... wait, what?That's insane. Ridiculous. Incomprehensible. We're quite sure that not even close to 89% of Americans have a web-connected computer (2003 U.S. census figures showed 55%), and it's almost assumed in today's society that you've got access to the internet at home.With such a ubiquitous, portable, and interactive device, it's amazing that the Japanese haven't truly capitalized on its potential. They've got English dictionaries and day planners and all that, but everyone's got one! Why not introduce eBooks, or DS-enabled fast food drive-thrus, or ...! Well, we're maybe not so good at this. What would you guys do with that ridiculous penetration rate?
DS Daily: Five dollars down
In the last ten years or so, led by the pre-Gamestop game specialty chains (Babbages, EB, EBX, Software, Etc., Funcoland, Rhino Video Games), the practice of preordering games has become commonplace. Before the preorder, companies just shipped enough products. Crazy, right? We're generally not fond of the practice, since we like to pay money for stuff and not a chance at stuff later, but we recognize that it's firmly entrenched in the gaming business model. How about you all? Do you habitually preorder your games? Or only when you perceive a chance of limited availability? Which do you think benefits more from a preorder-- huge releases or niche games with tiny print runs?
DS Daily: Chimchar or Turtwig?
Choose wisely, young Poké-masters. Who will it be?
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?
DS Daily: The great war
No, we don't mean World War II, but considering every third game made these days revolves around that great war, we can forgive you if you made that assumption. No, we're talking about the never-ending conflict between the DS and the PSP, and we're wondering: where does it come from? Sure, we see a lot of fanboys arguing back and forth about the home consoles. We've heard thousands of iterations on the 360-vs-PS3-vs-Wii theme, but the whole PSP vs. DS issue is somewhat different. It seems to be a created beast.Oh, don't get us wrong. We're not above ribbing the other guys occasionally, just as they'll sometimes poke fun at us. That's just part of owning any piece of video game hardware, it seems. But in reality, the "war" isn't very vicious ... though to look at advertising and the media, one would think that DS fans are at war with PSP fans, and DS fans have always been at war with PSP fans. Maybe we just have stars in our eyes. This recent VG Cats strip certainly makes us giggle; that poor, weepy PSP just looks so forlorn. But is it an accurate depiction? You tell us.
DS Daily: On sequels
It seems as though every time a game is anything except an utter failure, someone decides that there should be a sequel (or six), with the exception of a few RPGs. Luckily, Square Enix pretty much has a lock on the RPG sequel, or we'd probably see more of those as well. From there, games often turn into full-fledged franchises, with a new title every year or so. So what do you think? Are we seeing too many sequels and franchises and not enough originality? Or do you actually prefer something familiar?
DS Daily: Dream fighter
Let's face it: there aren't many decent fighters for the DS. Japan received the superb Jump Superstars, featuring an insanely large cast of everyone's favorite anime characters, but was not seen fit for localization. While DS Fanboy is all about hopes and dreams, we're also about violence; with that in mind, what fictional characters would you like to see slug it out? We eliminate standard Nintendo characters; we already have Smash Bros. for those rivalries. We're talking real pirate vs. ninja stuff here. Suggestions among our staff have included Captain Nemo from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea against Nemo from Finding Nemo, and the singer of Bananaphone against Charlie the Unicorn.
DS Daily: Choice accessories
All it really takes to have a good time with your DS is a game or two, but we tend to add in a few accessories for comfort's sake ... and maybe for a bit of personalization as well. What do you go in for? Case, special headphones, or perhaps a different stylus? We want to hear about your choices. What accessories do you consider absolutely necessary? Screen protectors -- that's our pick, and yet we're surprised by how many people venture out with a bare screen.
DS Daily: Volume up or volume down?
When you play DS games, do you usually listen to the music and sound effects if they're not essential to gameplay? The DS has many fine features, but its speaker is really not one of them. Still, some games manage some great music that really enhances the gaming experience ... and some don't. Give us the aural rundown -- sound, yea or nay? If yea, then do you rely on the speaker, or do you employ headphones?
DS Daily: Dr. Kawashima or BLUUUUUUUUUUUUE?
In this corner, we have the one, the only, the talking, taunting head of DOCTORRRRRRRRRRR KAWASHIIIIIIIIIIMA! And in the blue corner, it's the reigning heavyweight champion of the world ... your complete inability to speak your own native language! READY? FIGHT!Which one presents more of a challenge -- the mocking Dr. Kawashima, or those tricky phonetics?
DS Daily: Life and style
So maybe you're not really into the idea of a cookbook, and you haven't got much of an urge to learn yoga or French. But we're willing to bet there's something you'd like to use your DS for beyond gaming. What kind of apps or non-games might appeal to you? With the new internet browser, one potential function of the DS is fulfilled, but what might appeal to you? Something that's already available (just not in the US), or at least something that's already in development? Or would you want to design some other non-game or edutainment title?
DS Daily: Your GBA picks
You've got to love backwards compatibility -- after all, the fact that the DS can play GBA titles just means that our available library of games is just that much bigger. But that also makes choices just that much more agonizing. With so many games at our fingertips, how can we possibly choose the one or two we'll use to fill our spare hours in any given month? Of course, there are reviews and resources, but the best method for finding games to play is to share choices with like-minded individuals. Let's get our share on, then -- what are your favorite GBA games?
DS Daily: Custom stylus
We've touched on the issue of the stylus before; many people use thicker, professional styluses from PDAs or whatnot, while others use some of the special edition ones seen around the internet. But it's a free-thinking world, guys and gals, and reality is such a ho-hum place.Let your mind drift and dream, and tell us, dear readers: in a penultimate world (that's a clever pun, see?), what would your stylus be? Any reasonably cylindrical shape will do. We're partial to the deadly eastern dragon above, of course.
DS Daily: Your first
We love talking about the past around here, because so many of our first loves influence our gaming habits today. We've asked what got you started and when you fell in love with the DS, but we want to ask about the first game that really hooked you. For some, it'll be the first game you ever played, but for others, maybe not. But it's likely to be the game you remember the most. So what did it for you?
DS Daily: Narcissus Tort
So, some of you didn't like "Apollo Justice" as the potential name for the hero of the fourth Ace Attorney game. We don't even know if that's the name yet, but it didn't stop anyone from reacting to it.We want to see you do better. Here are the rules: the first name should be a mythological character (and not necessarily a Greek or Roman one, Anansi fans) and the last name should be a surname that has a relatively common homophone (like "Wright"/"Right"). Right? Right. If you can use a legal term, so much the better.Oh, and remember, this is us, so we encourage ridiculousness. Bellerophon Bench, anyone?
