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Train your brain for less than $20
If there's anything that truly excites and delights me, it's the sight of a budget price label on a brand new game. When I burst into stores (I usually kick over a kiosk or two as well) this coming April in order to pick up Brain Age: Train Your Brain in an Unspecified Number of Minutes a Day, it seems that I'll will be greeted by just such an image.According to an article on MTV's website (yes, that's right), the game will be launching at the sweet price of $19.99, a significant drop from the usual $34.99 tag that accompanies new DS releases. That's like what, a $60 difference? No? I guess I'll have to flex my cortex, batter my gray matter and yes, train my brain on April 17. [Via Go Nintendo]
Linux on the DS: Now with Wi-Fi support
In the universal quest to get the Linux operating system running on every conceivable item ever (including, but not limited to, the Xbox, the iPod and several vacuum cleaners), the clever guys working on the DSLinux project have spent quite a bit of time with Nintendo's premier handheld device. But why port the penguin-powered software to the DS in the first place? Their website has a pretty good answer."You can use DSLinux as a filemanager, edit and save text files with vi, play simple text-based games, and play mp3 files." And that's only the beginning. Most recently, PepsiMan (one of the project members) revealed on his blog that rudimentary Wi-Fi support had been added to DSLinux, thus opening the door for wireless networking and web browsing sometime in the future. It's a very interesting endeavor, to say the least, and if you find that your curiosity has been piqued, be sure to follow the link and learn more.[via Digg]
Super Famicom mod for DS
The guys at 4 Color Rebellion have posted some pictures of this DS that has been modified to resemble a Nintendo Super Famicom. Usually we'd make some witty remark at this point, but we're content with just marveling at its beauty. Forget the DS Lite, I want one of these!More pics after you hit the link.
Just how good are you at Mario Kart?
Wait, don't answer that. An answer from you will obviously be biased, completely influenced by that sad devotion to your ego and utterly worthless in a court of law. No, to get an accurate answer, we must turn to the more objective nature of this Mario Kart DS Skill Calculator. Just enter your number of wins and losses, time trial results and the number of stars you have for each GP, and it'll spit out a cold and calculated set of numbers that signify your skill. Or l33t skillz, if you preferz0rz.Depending in which skill bracket you fall, you'll also be assigned a rank, ranging from the lowly banana peel ("Try playing the game more") to the much more fearsome Bullet Bill ("You're a true expert. People are right to fear you."). Which ranking are you? And don't even think about lying, because we'll know. [Thanks Nushio!]
DS Lite comparison video
We've all seen the pictures and read about the size reduction, but nothing beats a good 'ole side-by-side comparison, even if said comparison is accomplished through CG trickery. Here we have a video that shows a plump DS sitting next to a (fake) DS Lite, the former no doubt feeling extremely anxious about being judged next to its sleeker and sexier sibling.Don't worry old DS, it's not you. It's us.[Thanks Joaquin!]
America: Nintendo will make you smarter
Nintendo have officially announced that the Brain Training series is coming to the North American DS under the wordy moniker, Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day. Though it doesn't specify exactly how many minutes a day, we feel that it's probably safe to assume that if you own a DS, you can't possibly be that dumb. As for Gizmondo owners, well...Ah, but we jest! We know that everyone enjoys a bit of mental gymnastics, be it word conundrums or tricky mathematical enigmas. Brain Age looks to provide just that via an easy interface and the guiding hand of Japanese mad neuroscientist, Professor Ryuta Kawashima (his work inspired the game). Our dear friend, The Reggie, also chimes in to point out that Brain Age is like a trip to the gym for that squishy thing inside your skull."Our brain-training series, led by Brain Age, builds on the popularity of word and number puzzles and acts as a treadmill for the mind."Brain Age hits on 17 April and is followed shortly by Big Brain Academy, which releases on 30 May. The latter title is the second one in the Brain Training series, offering some more cerebral challenges and even multiplayer capability. The Brain Training games have already sold more than a million copies each in Japan and we expect it to do just as well on this side of the pond. We'd be stupid not to buy it.[Via Joystiq, thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Animal Crossing online catalog
The guys over at DS Meet have put up a nifty online catalog detailing all the items that are available and for sale in Animal Crossing: Wild World. It'll let you keep track of which items you've already purchased, which ones you still need and who's selling that elusive snowman fridge you've been dying to get your hands on. It's a great way of managing your collection of furniture and other decorative junk, as well a good starting point for getting some more friend codes and inviting new visitors to your town. Just be sure to check them at the gates for any suspicious materials... [Thanks echelon!]
Animal Crossing: Beware the evil tulips!
As if those vile tulips weren't content with terrorizing the innocent population of Amsterdam, they've now spread to the wild world of Animal Crossing on the DS. Some unfortunate virtual villagers mistakenly thought they were receiving a wonderful new gift from Nintendo today, only to be pricked by the thorn amongst the "Red Tulips". If you receive a gift marked as such, pawn it off on Tom Nook right away.That way, he'll be the one forced to deal with the weird glitch that comes attached with the gift. Placing it inside your humble abode will actually cause it to create an invisible and immobile piece of furniture and prevent you from using that space for anything else. Don't drop the item inside your house or even outside (it'll plant itself as a tree sprout) and be wary of visitors of your town that come bearing suspicious gifts. You don't want them dropping these evil, invisible tulips all over the place, now do you? According to 4 Color Rebellion, the glitch comes from an unfinished letter that was accidentally sent out by Nintendo. Apparently, they've already stopped the letter from going out anymore and are looking at a fix for those that were affected. Check out some video proof of the glitch over here. Get revenge by going outside and stomping on your mom's flowers.[Via Joystiq]
Weird Electroplankton style guitar band
You know, we've been waiting forever to use the term "Electroplankton-esque" in a post. We are now given the opportunity to not only thoroughly abuse the newly-coined description, but to experience one of the strangest (and coolest) bands we've heard in a while. The Six String Sonics / The Six String Stairs (their website can't seem to decide on the official name) are very much in opposition to traditional band setups and instead adopt a group of musicians that are each equipped with a single-string guitar. They make the interesting argument that, because an average guitar has 6 strings compared to the 5 fingers on a hand, a human's creative capability when creating music with the instrument is more limited than it could be. By spreading out the strings between six people, you can distribute the music and obtain more creative melodies. Of course, the next step is to put all these people into a 12 foot gymnasium and throw in giant bass guitars, computer sound mixing and interactive light shows. The end result?Awesomeness. Do yourself a favor and check out the demonstration video, keeping in mind how each of the repeating guitar sounds eventually combine to form a wonderful piece of music. It's positively Electroplankton-esque![Thanks Hudson Pridham!]
Nintendo: Converging design
With the unveiling of the DS Lite, a snazzy update to Nintendo's ludicrously popular portable, it has become all the more interesting to note that whilst the Japanese giant is striving to grow and transform the gaming industry, it's undergoing a transformation of its own. We all associate certain, highly immovable things with Nintendo, things like portly plumbers, pointy-eared princesses, pink marshmallow things and Shigeru Miyamoto. Yes, until he's been proven to be an actual human, we're calling him a thing. But how about things that are sexy, sleek and sophisticated? Do those terms sound like they belong with Nintendo? If their current design trend is anything to go by, the answer to that question is a resounding, yet alluring "yes". This change is only an aesthetic one, mind you, as Nintendo's gaming vision has never been more focused than it is today. Shigeru's still there, but now he's slipping into a fancy dress, gently applying lavender lipstick and blowing you a kiss.And that's quite possibly the most disturbing mental image we've ever created. It would be best to abandon it immediately and get to the point: Nintendo's new systems look great!
MSFT thinking about a portable Xbox?
Microsoft is no stranger to portable electronics; they've been providing software that runs many of them for years, only to see their offerings trounced by Apple's unstoppable iPod and now Sony's multimedia maven, the PSP. BusinessWeek is reporting that Microsoft is now considering entering the arena themselves, with a multimedia device that would incorporate gaming. Peter Moore, though not confirming that they are planning such a product, saying that "any Microsoft media device would have to leverage the company's most significant consumer strength, video gaming." Would the portable device be an Xbox and not just a PocketPC PDA with enhanced gaming functionality. Moore says about the Xbox brand, "It can't just be our version of the iPod... I think the brand is an opportunity."There are risks in this approach however: they risk falling into the same niche that the PSP occupies, which is finding consumers to be far less accepting of its broad range of features, instead seeing it only as a gaming device; or of alienating their current hardware partners who may view Microsoft, with complete control over the software, as unfair competition.[Thanks, Neural]
A Tales of the Tempest preview
1up has posted a brief preview on Namco's forthcoming Tales of the Tempest, a new entry in their famed series designed specifically for Nintendo's portable powerhouse. Though it doesn't divulge as much information as we'd like (we'd like all of it, thank you), the article does confirm that the action RPG's battles will still be based on the Linear Motion System, a system where 3D characters move and fight in 2 dimensions. It'll also make use of the touch screen and, more importantly, the DS' Wi-Fi multiplayer capabilities. Since past Tales games have done so, we're hoping for some solid cooperative play to be incorporated.The preview also goes into the storyline quite a bit, revealing a world populated by both humans and "Licanths", humanoids that can transform into powerful beasts. Naturally, the main character gets caught up in the growing tension between the two races and soon finds himself exploring the world and battling all sorts of snarling monsters. There may also be an ancient evil, a magical princess and seven sacred yams to be fought, rescued and collected (respectively), but let's not get ahead of ourselves here. This dose of RPG goodness is currently set for a rather vague "2006" release.
DS as a remote computer desktop
Wow, the homebrew community is steamrolling their way through DS features this month. In fact, they've already examined said steamroller, disassembled it and converted into a much a more useful helicopter that drops Wi-Fi enabled cinder blocks on targets selected from your DS screen. Probably.So, we've seen the wardriving and the wireless games controllers, but how about the remote desktop viewers? Using the PointyRemote homebrew application, you can view your computer's desktop on your DS screen and, of course, operate your programs with the touch screen and the stylus. Essentially, your DS will display whatever's on your computer monitor at the time and it will allow you to click on icons, enter text and even zoom in on parts of the screen. We rather like the idea of playing some music on your PC, sitting back on the couch and adjusting the volume or skipping through tracks using our trusty portable. Note that the link takes you to some jargon-heavy pages, so if you're unfamiliar with homebrew in general, we've got just the place to get you started. Next, could somebody from the homebrew community get started on a DS that controls minds? That would be great, thanks.[Thanks Nushio!]
Phoenix Wright: Expensive Attorney
Further evidence has sprung up that seems to support the public's case against Capcom, the company that now stands accused of discontinuing hilarious courtroom adventure Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. A quick look at the game's Amazon page reveals that it has officially jumped into that dreadful "rare" category, resulting in ridiculously high prices and the deep sense of regret at not buying it when it just came out.Phoenix Wright is currently fetching prices between $60 and $100 on Amazon. That's not right. However, Ebay prices seem to be much more reasonable, hovering just over $40 the last time we checked. We also tried to find the game at Game Quest Direct (they sell new copies of out-of-print games) but our efforts were met with an Out of Stock notification and a disturbing, menacing laugh. But then, that might just have been the recording of a disturbing, menacing laugh we have constantly looping in the office. It's fundamentally motivational.So, are you willing to pay out the nostrils for Phoenix Wright, or do you know of a place that has reasonably priced copies? Please let us know.[Thanks James B!]
A lucrative new DS feature
It's funny because it's true.Image credit: Kaseius' photobucket album[Thanks Jake!]
The Mini DS: Not a redesign
We simply must have one of these. The Mini DS is just like a DS, only it's smaller, cuter and protects your games instead of playing them. Also, it doesn't support Wi-Fi multiplayer. Don't let such a mere inconvenience distract you, though. See how the game card clips in and forms the screen of the bottom DS? That's just great. We long for the day when every single container in sight is shaped like a DS, just to remind us of all the goodness locked away within our trusty little portable. We're not obsessive at all. (Be sure to scroll through the other sexy accessories Nintendo have available on their Japanese site once you hit the link!)[via Siliconera]
DS as a virtual, wireless controller
The guys and girls entrenched in the homebrew scene continue to impress us, a fact that we assure you has nothing to do with their ability to make our precious DS babies explode from a mere keystroke on their computers. They're really very good. Take, for example, this latest DS application, DS2Key. Upon loading it on your DS and your computer, it turns your portable wonder into a Wi-Fi controller. It's like a folding little Wavebird expressly designed for your emulated SNES games (of which you own the originals, by the way). Though this application only uses the buttons on the DS, we may see something that uses the touch-screen further down the line. Using the DS as a universal remote control unit for your various pieces of equipment sounds like a great idea, with each one getting its own little virtual touch-screen interface. Want to turn down the air conditioner a notch? Just spin the 2D temperature knob with your stylus. How about turning on the room's light? Just slide your stylus over the virtual switch. Somebody should totally pay us for these ideas.[Thanks YaW!]
Mech Assaulting the DS?
Potentially incorrect online retailer listing news now, as GameStop has put up a page for a MechAssault game on the DS. Apparently, MechAssault: Shadow War will be released by Majesco this coming May. Now, there's at least a vaguely believable element here, as Majesco is also publishing a portable version one of Microsoft's other big franchises, Age of Empires, on the DS. Naturally, we're drawn to any game that features gigantic robots wreaking havoc, so we'd be quite pleased to see this one adapted to a stylus driven blast-a-thon in the vein of Metroid Prime: Hunters. But then again, Majesco may just decide to go with recent silly trends and make it a tactical card battle game instead.[via DSupdates]
Nintendo DenieS DS reDeSign
It looks like today won't reveal a new DS unto us, the redesign faithful. Speculation increased when Lik-Sang joined other notables in anticipating a new DS redesign; they differed in their right around the corner release date. Apple fans have known for years that shortages=new models, but apparently Nintendo never got that memo. Nintendo of Europe told Gamesindustry.biz that earlier rumors and speculation were "pure rumour and speculation." Transatlantic spelling differences aside, Nintendo isn't telling us anything we didn't already know. Perhaps due to the increasing popularity of their handheld phenom, Nintendo is wary of a redesign. Why mess with a good thing? Instead they'll follow the Game Boy model: exhaust the existing audience for your product, then create a whole new audience with a redesign. In other words: our money's on no redesign until sales slow down.[Thanks to everyone who tipped us!]
New DS unveiled!
UH, NOT. Nintendo of Europe have officially stomped upon the idea that a DS redesign would be shown this week, labeling previous reports as "pure rumour and speculation". Note the added "u" in "rumour", which clearly indicates that this news comes directly from the European Nintendo and not, for example, Nintendo of Guam. We just don't trust those guys.Of course, this doesn't mean that a DS redesign isn't still in the works. If you recall correctly, the DS has already been spruced up once before, marking for a big improvement over the clunky model first seen at E3 2004 (as shown above). In addition, The Reggie has previously stated that a flashier DS would reach our sweaty hands eventually - this denial only stems from the fact that we were expecting it to arrive a little too soon. My prediction is that we'll see the new DS at this year's E3, complete with Revolution communication and matching aesthetics.What are your expectations? Are you disappointed or relieved?
