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Nintendogs + Cats 3DS breeds revealed, tears Joystiq staff apart
Civil war has broken out among three distinct factions of the Joystiq staff, each swearing allegiance to one of the three different versions of Nintendogs + Cats that are due out alongside the 3DS on March 27. The rifts were formed after Nintendo updated the games' official Japanese site, revealing the different breeds contained within each cartridge -- little did they know that by doing so, they'd be forging hostilities between a group of online writers and, more notably, best friends. Look, we hate to make you choose sides, but we need to know where you stand. Check out the breeds below, and sound off in the comments. Unless, of course, you don't choose to join the glorious army of Shiba Inu and Friends. If that's the case, you can keep your stupid opinions to yourself.
The Chinese DSi is full of puppies
Nintendogs is being released as a DSiWare game! But instead of being distributed over the Internet like most non-cartridge DSi games, Nintendogs will be distributed on the new iQue DSi when it launches in China. That's right, instead of a cartridge, it's being delivered on a whole DSi. The iQue DSi will launch in China (with piracy-averting free Nintendogs) on December 15. Like other regions, iQue will offer 1,000 free DSi Points to new buyers, which they can spend on games including Paper Plane, Bird and Beans, the clock apps, and WarioWare: Snapped. [Via Andriasang]
Life-to-date sales of the biggest Nintendo games
We know that Nintendo is doing very well financially as of the end of fiscal 2008. And, of course, we know that hardware sales play a major role in that windfall. But how is Nintendo doing in terms of software sales? Very well, thank you! The company released a list of every million-selling first-party title on the Wii and DS as a supplement (PDF link) to its financial report, with no real surprises other than, perhaps, the monolithic bigness of some of the numbers. The best-selling Wii title, of course, is Wii Sports, which sold 45.7 million copies across North American and European bundle sales and standalone Japanese sales.The best-selling DS game: Nintendogs, at 22.3 million copies! We're just happy to see the wonderful Rhythm Heaven on the list, though there is something odd about it: according to the data, Rhythm Heaven sold 140,000 copies outside of Japan -- but the game didn't even come out in the West until April 5, after the end of the fiscal year.The full list is after the break. Spoiler alert: if you are the type of person who gets angry about Nintendo's success in the expanded market, this will anger you.[Via Kotaku]
Bury the Shovelware: Cesar Millan's Dog Whisperer
You know, I usually have a fairly decent idea of where most of these shovelware titles are going. That's not to say that I haven't been disappointed or pleasantly surprised before, but judging a book by its cover is often appropriate with shovelware. Yet I honestly have no clue what this game will have me do. Is it a Nintendogs clone? Will I be tapping dogs on the neck in a tap-happy minigame? Will I have to make that "tchsszzt" noise into the DS's microphone? Let's find out. Pedigree One word: UBISOFT. That's correct; the "not-a-bad-company-per-se-but-still-known-for-creating-copious-amounts-of-shovelware" gaming bigwig both developed and published this title.
DS Daily: Expanded worldview
The DS is purportedly bringing in new gamers who wouldn't traditionally care about video games at all, with stuff like Nintendogs, Brain Age, and Personal Trainer: Cooking (as seen in the above ad). We're happy to see Nintendo capturing the interest of people who previously would have seen our hobby as either too kid-oriented or too teenage-dude-oriented.Have you seen it work? Have you encountered the "expanded audience" out in the world? Become acquainted with any new DS owners lured in by language training or math? For our part, we seem to be meeting more late-to-the-party gamers than ever these days (in our limited capacity as socially inept shut-ins to meet people).
Professor Layton heads for the silver screen
Not many DS games could be adapted into watchable films. Can you imagine Spielberg Presents Meteos, a sentimental tale of three little colored rocks who dream only about visiting space one day? Or Nintendogs: The Movie, a three-hour epic of going for walks, finding a new collar, going for walks, chucking a frisbee, and going for walks? See what we mean? Rubbish.Then again, the Professor Layton series has the potential to be a very fine movie. Level 5 thinks so, anyway, because it plans to release Professor Layton The First Movie. For now, only a Japanese version is planned, with January 2010 being mooted as a possible release window. This makes perfect sense, obviously, because the games themselves are already full of beautifully-animated, Studio Ghibli-esque cut-scenes. And who is currently working with Level 5 on a forthcoming DS game? Exactly.Plus, this might be the ideal time to get rid of the stomach-churning pipsqueak that is Luke, preferably through very violent means. Maybe he's not even in the movie, and they've axed the little git once and for -- ah, dammit.%Gallery-33407%
PAL Nintendo Channel DS demos are training-tastic
Training, training, training. That's all us Europeans and Aussies want, right? Day in, day out, there we are, blurting "blue" into our handhelds like obedient farmyard animals, and being told that we're doing it wrong and that we're thuddingly simple. We know this happens, because the sales charts tell us so, and now the first DS demos on the local Nintendo Channel (released on all PAL consoles today) reflect the self-improvement obsession that has swept many PAL countries.So, instead of getting demos of totally rad, new games such as Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword (which is what the U.S. got), we get four training games (only one of which came out this year) from the seven titles available, and adverts for Nintendogs and The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. The only bright spot? A couple of tracks from Mario Kart DS, and a Picross demo, but those are hardly fresh titles.We're not usually the types to look a gift horse in the mouth, but there's a stunning lack of variety on display here, Nintendo. Hit the break for the infuriatingly vanilla list.
Nintendo to start petal-ing 'Metallic Rose' DS Lite
Don't worry if you don't find the headline funny right away. Some puns take time to take root and mature, like a fine vine.Okay, but seriously, the news: Nintendo has announced that the "Metallic Rose" DS Lite, a pinkish sort of model that many may feel compelled to bury in the garden, will become available at retailers "later this month." The model was previously attainable only as part of a Nintendogs bundle.As of May 19th, you'll be able to see the Rose shown off in commercials which star "celebrity spokespeople" like Carrie Underwood and America Ferrera. Another commercial will feature Liv Tyler, the odd one out with a Crimson/Black DS and a name that doesn't sound completely made up.[Via DS Fanboy]
Metallic Rose DS Lite a reality
Turns out, the rumor is true: the Metallic Rose DS Lite will be available for standalone purchase starting later this month. So, for those of you that liked the look of the unit available in the Nintendogs bundle, yet didn't want Nintendo's puppy sim (or that big paw print on the unit), you're in luck.Nintendo comments that you'll soon be seeing commercials for this new DS Lite color soon, stating that as of Monday, May 19th, you'll see celebrities America Ferrera and Carrie Underwood "featured in commercials for the Metallic Rose version of Nintendo DS."Anybody interested in picking this model up, either for themselves, or as a gift?[Via press release]
Nintendo provides game-playing training down under
Nintendo is an odd company. While we won't argue the merits of doing something like this, we will argue that Nintendo could've used some new games. Confused? So are we, so let's break it down.Basically, Nintendo is conducting an hour-long "beginner's class" with Animal Crossing: Wild World and Nintendogs, in the hopes that they can show people how great their really old games are. In all seriousness, we imagine the classes will mostly revolve around introducing the device to skeptical folks, as well as the ease of using the stylus on the touch-screen. It all takes place at ACMI, Screen Pit Room, Federation Square, Flinders Street Melbourne, so if you're anywhere near there this Thursday between 6:00pm – 7:00pm, show up and take some pictures. Then send those pictures to us!
DS Daily: That tricky extra dimension
Tecmo's announcement that Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff would be a "classic 2D game" cheered us no end. Too often for our liking, developers seem desperate to recreate the kind of 3D games we'd find on beefier home consoles, and the results are rarely pretty. This blogger recently got around to trying out Brothers in Arms (on the advice that the game was a technical marvel), and found it to be a mess of treacly frame rates and choppy visuals. If World War II had moved at this pace, we'd still be fighting.Occasionally, however, 3D on the DS does work, and quite splendidly in some instances. It may sound odd, but I still consider Nintendogs to be one of the best uses of 3D on the platform, simply because it wouldn't have been a tenth as engaging in 2D. How about you, dear reader? What do you consider to be the finest 3D offerings on our humble handheld?
DS 'turned kids into monsters'
Everybody's favorite scaremongering rag the Daily Mail is at it again. Regular Mail scribe and middle England mom Rosie Millard has written about how a Nintendo DS "turned my delightful, curious and funny children into argumentative demons full of aggression." In the 1,000-word article, Millard laments that her blissful domestic existence was disrupted by her offspring squabbling over the console, and knows exactly where the blame lies: the "hideous" DS.So far, so predictable, but whereas we'd usually be irked by something like this, we actually found most of it amusing. For example, Millard unwittingly admits to purchasing pirated games ("The pale blue, £150 Nintendo finally arrived last November, fresh from Hong Kong, crammed with a 'bundle' of 20 games including Brain Trainer, Fifa 08, and Nintendogs"), while some of the language used is so ridiculously over the top and inflated that we couldn't help but smirk -- apparently, the DS encouraged a "mood [...] of anger, confrontation, pain and frustration." Eyes. Rolling. Our advice, Rosie? Get a Wii -- they're lots of fun, and more suited to social gaming than the DS. As far-fetched as it seems, maybe you'll even crack a smile and have a go.[Thanks, Matt!]
Normal DS game + slightly different sticker = amazing collectible
eBay seller putermcgee's batch of DS games really isn't that different from other used DS games up for sale. The current bids are commensurate with other auctions for the same games, even. But these launch-era DS games are somewhat rarer (and more awesome) because they're all promo copies. How much would you pay for a copy of Pac-Pix or Meteos that was once used as a store demo? Because right now they're at $7.50 and $3.25 respectively. Kirby Canvas Curse and Nintendogs (with special Bark Mode gifts!) are at similar prices, as is a European version of WarioWare: Touched! These are the best kind of collectibles: cheap and not ridiculously impractical.[Via GameSniped]
The DS Life: Puppies at play
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.We've already seen cosplay outfits for Nintendo DS figures like Dr. Kawashima, Link, and even K.K. Slider -- it was only a matter of time before a pair of kids decided to dress themselves up as Nintendogs! Chase us past the post break for the canine costumes.See also: The DS Life: Best Friends Edition
Yume Neko DS promoted to cat lovers
If anyone would be likely to buy and enjoy a game about taking care of virtual cats, you would expect it to be patrons of a cafe where people pay to spend time in the company of cats. That's why Sega's partnership with Cat Cafe Calico is so brilliant.The Tokyo cafe has 18 friendly cats (and one dog) "on staff" to hang out and play with cafe customers. It is frequented by people whose apartments or busy lifestyles make a cat of their own impossible. Or people who just really like cats. From March 26th to May 6th, those cat enthusiasts will all receive a Yume Neko DS postcard and seals upon entering Calico, which will be decorated in a Yume Neko DS theme and will play the game's music.
This is how you do a trailer with no gameplay footage
We vaguely remember Sega's Yume Neko DS to be some kind of Nintendog-esque virtual cat game. At this point, we want to buy it right now, because Sega's trailer is perfect. Except for the whole not one second of gameplay being shown bit. But is the actual game going to be better than cute kittens?That's right, instead of showing off the game's graphics or features, Sega just created a video of four and a half minutes of cute kittens. We support the adoption of the "kitten footage" style for more game trailers -- we'd rather stare at kittens than know what games are about. Mew!
The DS Life: First-person gaming
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.We're breaking away from our usual routine this week -- instead of fawning over touching scenes of handheld gamers, we'll look through ten pictures taken from the gamers's point of view. These photographs can reveal a lot about the shutterbugs who took them! You know, besides what game they were playing at the time.
DS sells twenty million in Europe
One of the biggest challenges of being a Nintendo blogger is finding new ways of telling your readers that the DS is popular in various regions of the world. We could take the easy route here and resort to writing about hot cakes and/or printing money, but no, we're just going to give it to you straight: in Europe, the DS is really, really popular. We're not quite talking Japan levels of popularity here -- that would be insane. But it's doing jolly well, regardless. According to a swaggering Nintendo of Europe, the little handheld that could has sold through more than 20 million units in the region, as of the beginning of January. And that's not all, folks: the games are also shifting in healthy numbers. Throughout the continent, Nintendogs is at the front, pulling furiously on its leash with 8 million sales. Everybody's favorite polygonal professor takes second, having sold 5 million copies of the bonce-honing Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain?, while New Super Mario Bros. grabs bronze with 3 million sales. Get that conga line formed, people. You know the drill by now. [Via press release]
Five gifts that PAL gamers should import this Christmas
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Five_gifts_that_PAL_gamers_should_import_this_Christmas'; Gaming sites are inundated with holiday gift guides at the end of the year, listing the best and most popular games that everyone pretty much already has (or knows about). Well, we're not going in for that this year. Our gift guide will help you find the best gifts in categories the other sites won't cover -- because we just made them up. Nintendo's indifference towards PAL regions is infamous, but there's arguably less room for complaining when it comes to the DS. See, the DS is (and we do not use this phrase lightly) an importer's dream. It doesn't faff around with region-specific software, there's a huge library of diverse and interesting NTSC-only titles, and the games themselves are cheap. As in, cheaper than they'll be when they arrive in the UK/Europe/Australia six months from now. Frankly, we can't think of a good reason for you not to import. Which brings us to our latest anti-guide, featuring the five DS-related gifts that PAL regions won't be seeing until 2008 at the earliest -- if ever. All deserve to be imported without hesitation, so read on fellow PAL folk, and prep that credit card!
Nintendo fails to announce Nintencats, SEGA steps in
We know what you're thinking, and yes, the mere fact that this post is related in some way to our feline friends is a good enough reason to break out the lolcats.But we digress. Ever since the delightful Nintendogs launched and sold around a gazillion copies, we've been patiently waiting for a feline-based sequel, a follow-up that would undoubtedly attract the cat-loving half of the civilized world to Nintendo's handheld. Alas, "Nintencats" has (bafflingly) failed to emerge, so SEGA has dutifully decided to offer us Yume Neko DS, a game that allows players to pet, poke, and play with their cat in much the same way as we mucked around with our mutts in Nintendogs. It's hitting Japan next spring, though there's no news yet on a western localization.Past the break, we've embedded a pair of trailers, one a demo of the game in action (worth a look, as the cats themselves are nicely animated), and the other a Japanese TV spot for the extremely sinister-looking "Yume Neko Smile," a cuddly toy spin-off from the game that probably comes to life at night to embark on bloodthirsty rampages, leaving nothing in its horrifying wake alive.
