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E3 scavenger hunt: win a Joystiq t-shirt
Are you attending E3? Want to win a cool Joystiq T-shirt? Joystiq bloggers will be swarming the show floor every day this week, and it is up to you to hunt us down (figuratively speaking, of course).All staffers are wearing one of two shirts, pictured here and here; we will all be carrying business cards, as well. Your job is to come up, say hello, and take a card. If you collect at least 7 Joystiq business cards, then you are a Royal Crown Chinpoko master. All winners can stop by the AOL booth after 12:00PM (PST) to claim a shirt of their choice.Okay, you have your mission. Get to it!
Buena Vista announces DS exclusive -- Spectrobes
Not too long after the family friendly publisher announced the perversion melding of popular puzzler Meteos with the saccharine world of Disney, comes word that Buena Vista Games is releasing something called Spectrobes which, rather than being some sort of airborne virus, is actually an exclusive DS game. Developed by Japanese developer, Jupiter Corporation, the game is an anime-inspired action role-playing title which seems to subscribe to the greedy "Gotta catch 'em all" school of thought.With an evil alien force out to destroy the galaxy (it's just what evil alien forces do), two junior interplanetary patrol officers, Rallen and Jeena soon come to learn that salvation lies in an ancient race of fossilized creatures. In order to thwart said evil alien force, over 500 different Spectrobes must be (and stop me if you've heard this before) unearthed, collected and trained in order to do battle. The press release promises that all of the DS' capabilities will be put to good use, though we certainly hope that excavation doesn't come down to scratching the screen furiously. The game also promises loads of customization, a compelling story (it does have an evil alien force, after all) and exciting real-time battles. No release date is set yet, but we'll probably learn more about this one at E3.
Indescribable DS stylus
We're firmly--ahem--grasping to the hope that this strange pokémon DS stylus is related in some way to the Kanamara Matsuri (which translates as "The Festival of the Steel Phallus"). Please join us in remaining (illogically) innocent of this stylus' relation to anything remotely vulgar.[Via Wired's Game|Life]
Pokemon to hit the Revolution?
Obviously. It's a no-brainer that we'd see Pokemon hit the Revolution, yet in what capacity is still a mystery. IGN reported that Tsunekazu Ishihara, the father of the Pokemon franchise, during a special interview to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the franchise with Famitsu magazine, said: "We're considering many plans for the Revolution. However, there are still areas of the Revolution itself that have not been seen, so we'd like to coordinate with Nintendo's movements." Seeing as how the franchise is managing to keep things fresh on the DS, I doubt they'd hit a wall when it comes time to start development for a game on the Revolution. What kind of ideas do you guys have for implementing the remote into a Pokemon title?
Rare to unleash Pinatas on 360s this holiday season
Rare's next project is apparently an original IP concerning living piñata animals that will be featured in a Saturday morning TV/3-D/CG show and then in an Xbox 360 game debuting this holiday season worldwide.
Pokemon Ranger commercial
Go Nintendo has posted some pictures and a Japanese commercial of the upcoming Pokemon Ranger. What's most interesting about the commercial is the way in which injured Pokemon are captured to be housed away in a small plastic ball and enslaved for all of eternity. Rather than simply lobbing a pokeball at said Pokemon, now the player is charged with circling the creature with the stylus as fast as they can, over and over, eventually ensnaring it for their own personal collection. Also, the commercial shows that the stylus will come into play in regards to solving environmental puzzles. We envision using Pikachu's electric powers to power electrical controls for gates and the like or commanding Charizard lay fiery waste to a downed tree blocking the path. These new mechanics, along with the tried-and-true formula of past Pokemon titles, is sure to excite.
Fanboy Roundup: web-browsing, UMD-skimping, Mac users
Nintendo thinks, "Hey, maybe a web browser on the DS would be swell." Sounds good to DS Fanboy, so long as they don't have to use that Pokemon stylus! PSP Fanboy explains, "UMDs are already overpriced, we're just trying to save a couple bucks, so get off our backs!" Meanwhile, in Xbox 360 Fanboy-land, they laud community efforts to pick up where Microsoft left off with the 3rd-party additions of DivX and Mac support. Don't touch that stylus, here are the Fanboy highlights for the week:DS FanboyNintendo considering DS web browser?A very disturbing Pokemon stylusDS Lite: Just the facts!PSP FanboyMe & My Katamari sorta kinda statesideJazz Jackrabbit ported to PSPAmazon.com offers cheap UMD dealXbox 360 FanboyXBMC hacker introduces Transcode 360Connect360 connects your Mac to your 360Peter Jackson visits Bungie, talks shop
A very disturbing Pokemon stylus
Reader Phil Corbett sent us this photo of a Nintendo DS wrist strap and stylus that he managed to find during his exploits in Japan. As you can see, it's crafted in the image of a Pokémon character, Mew and...well, the other observation to be made makes us feel a little uncomfortable. Since the packaging is branded exclusively as Pocket Monsters and doesn't seem to feature the actual Pokémon name at all, we must assume that this isn't entirely endorsed by Nintendo. Any other explanation would indicate a dire lapse of sanity in the gaming giant's product approval department. Then again, the prominent Nintendo DS logo and Phil's insistence that it's an official product has us scratching our heads.Just imagine playing Nintendogs with this stylus. And then promptly punch yourself in the face. [Update: We've since found Rukario, another Mew and of course, Pikachu. These are all said to be official Nintendo products, though none of them are quite as embarrassingly strange as the one above. And yes, we know Pocket Monsters = Pokémon.][Thank you, Phil! And may we say what finely kept fingernails you have.]
Party in the PokePark
Though you may want to hold off on buying this until Monday (just to see whether or not there's a redesigned DS on the way), Walmart.com is trumpeting their exclusive new DS - The PokePark Nintendo DS, a gleaming blue beauty featuring Pickachu's well defined likeness and a PokePark logo. Previously limited to Japanese retailers, this version of the DS is now only limited to Walmart's online store for the princely sum of $129.82. Next week: How to make your own PokePark DS with an Electric Blue DS, some stickers and a highly marketable character![Thanks delerious!]
Next DS Pokemon to venture online
While many see it as an enjoyable RPG romp with endless variety, Pokémon is in truth built upon far darker principles. The game is obviously representative of the greed in our hearts, our unending desire to garner vast material wealth and yes, our very need to catch...them...ALL. Well, I guess the games are pretty fun too.Those eagerly anticipating the forthcoming DS iterations will be pleased to learn that director Junichi Mysada has let slip some info about Pokémon Diamond & Pearl (the original Ham & Dilithium titles having been rejected earlier). He claims that his main goal is to make full use of the capabilities of the DS, including the microphone and online Wi-Fi connectivity. Shouting "I choose you, Pikachu!" into the mic whilst battling your friends online and robbing them of their precious pocket monsters? Sounds good to us.[via DS-x2]
Pokemon Trozei hits the DS in March
Though it's fun to say it, actually typing out the word Pokémon can prove to be trying at times, as a specific alt-code on the keyboard's numeric pad is required to get that special "é". Note the stylish apostrophe hovering above its head. Some sites may skip it altogether, but here at DS Fanboy we do things right (except when we're trying to be ironic, like in the post's title). Another fun word is Trozei, though it requires considerably less effort to contruct on screen. Nintendo has announced that Pokémon Trozei, a fast-paced puzzle game that requires you to link up specific Pok....pocket monsters in order to score points, will see American release in the fine month of March. Some of the game's positive points are the over 380 different critters to capture, several multiplayer modes and not being Pokémon Dash. With the success of Meteos and to a lesser degree, Polarium, DS players should be eager to get their hands on another puzzler. Oh, and the drawing power of Pikachu and what looks to be an adorably psychotic monkey can't hurt either.
