Posts by Candace Savino at DS Fanboy

DS Daily: Alone, or not alone?

Posted Jun 7th 2008 10:30AM by Candace Savino
Filed under: DS Daily

That is the question.

We know whether or not you have friends to play with locally, and of course, WFC gaming is always an option. Yet, on the DS, do you generally prefer single player or multiplayer titles? We appreciate when games give us the best of both worlds, but which mode is more important to you?

Play Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2 in French

Posted Jun 6th 2008 10:30PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: News

Tomy confirmed with Siliconera that there are no plans to localize Naruto RPG 2: Chidori vs. Rasengan. As you may or may not remember, Path of the Ninja 2 is actually a localization of the third game in the Naruto RPG series, Reijuu vs Konoha Shoutai.

Skipping a game in the series is definitely a bummer, but on an unrelated note, Tomy has also added an odd feature to Path of the Ninja 2 -- the ability to play in French. Perhaps this is an indication of one of Naruto's biggest markets. Now, people in France will have an easier time importing the game, and French-speaking Canadians can choose the language they feel more comfortable with. While strange, we wouldn't begrudge these groups the pleasure of being catered to.

Siliconera revealed some more details as well, including the fact that people with the North American version of the game won't be able to battle those with Japanese copies. Spencer Yip speculates that this is a good thing, since Japanese gamers will be more apt at the game with their experience, but we're sure some of you Naruto hardcores won't be happy with this development.

Gallery: Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2

Cutting open Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 videos

Posted Jun 6th 2008 9:00PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: Video

Want to see the gameplay that Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 has in store for you? IGN came up with some videos, which we've put here for your viewing convenience. The one up top shows an instance of performing surgery on an African plague victim, which looks difficult -- but seeing as this is Trauma Center, we'd expect no less. Fortunately for those of us in North America (and for the rest of you who don't mind importing), we have less than a month to wait before we can try it out for ourselves.

The videos after the break include some of your ordinary surgery fodder, as well as Dr. Styles trying to save a land mine victim.

Gallery: Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2

Continue reading Cutting open Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 videos

Spiderwick Chronicles for $7 on Amazon

Posted Jun 6th 2008 2:00PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: Sales

The Spiderwick Chronicles may not be the best game ever, but $7 is a decent price for this fantasy game. Sure it has its faults, but such things are usually reconciled by cheapness.

Since Spiderwick is an Amazon "Deal of the Day" (along with the PS2, 360, and Wii versions, which cost a little more), it's a "take it or leave it" type thing. We imagine that most of you will choose to leave it, but those who take it will probably be able to find $7 worth of entertainment in this license-based adventure RPG.

Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 5/26-6/1

Posted Jun 6th 2008 11:45AM by Candace Savino
Filed under: Another Week in ...

Two DS games debuted in the top ten this week (Endless Frontier: Super Robot Wars OG Saga and the cutesy spatial puzzler Empty Space Training), but otherwise, DS software had a relatively lackluster performance. Only twelve titles ended up in the top thirty, which is low for Nintendo's handheld. As for hardware, the DS is getting comfortable in third place behind the PSP and Wii:

PSP: 71,986 (7,537)
Wii: 50,851 (1,804)
Nintendo DS: 38,355 (951)
PlayStation 3: 9,169 (98)
PlayStation 2: 7,203 (14)
Xbox 360: 1,959 (12)

Front Mission 2089: Border of Madness is another game that premiered last week, taking twelfth in the charts. If it follows the path of games like Let's Make a Pro Baseball Team! and Glory of Herakles, though, it's likely to drop soon. As for English of the Dead, the game didn't debut in the top fifty, and according to Famitsu it only sold 1,500 copies in its first week.

Click on past the break to see the other software numbers and rankings from 5/29 to 6/1.

Continue reading Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 5/26-6/1

Oxygen busts out three young girl games

Posted Jun 5th 2008 8:00PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: News

Oxygen games is making three titles for "the young female gamer," including My Make-Up, My Dress-Up, and My Secret Diary. It's not hard to guess what each game will be about -- makeovers, fashion, and keeping a journal, respectively. As cheesy as they sound, there is a cool feature that adds interoperability between them. For example, if you save your Make-Up results and send them to a Dress-Up friend, your character gets the full makeover. Owners of these games can also talk to friends who have copies via Nintendo's WFC (we assume through text chat and not voice chat).

All in all, it's a good thing that Oxygen is making these, because the little girl market is severely under-catered to on the DS. (Okay, we were just kidding about that last part.) In any case, you can expect these titles to hit the market in Q3.

Ferrari Challenge motors onto the DS

Posted Jun 5th 2008 7:00PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: News

Let's face it: you'll probably never drive a Ferrari in your lifetime (alas). Those of us in North America can't even have the satisfaction of driving one on a handheld -- not yet, at least. Thanks to a distribution deal with System 3, Activision is bringing Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli to the U.S. and Canada in Q3.

Since this game is also coming out for the Wii, PS3, and PS2, the press release doesn't boast about the features of the DS version, sadly. We don't see why the DS game wouldn't include online multiplayer like some of its counterparts, though. Ferrari Challenge also features fifteen international circuits, which isn't too shabby.

Hopefully the developers actually put time into the DS version (which releases in Australia and Europe on June 19th and 20th), as we can use some more fun racing games for our favorite handheld.

Note: Image is from the PS3 version.

iPhone and iPod Touch threaten DS dominance

Posted Jun 5th 2008 3:00PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: News

Forbes recently wrote an article entitled "Why Apple Could Kill the Nintendo DS." We could write a more convincing argument called "Why Apple Won't Kill the Nintendo DS," but we won't waste your time. Even in Japan, a country where mobile phone gaming isn't considered the bastard child of the video game industry, the DS has become its own mighty empire.

To say that the iPhone and iPod Touch could kill the DS is a bit alarmist, but that doesn't mean they won't offer Nintendo's handheld some healthy competition. Come Monday, the App Store will launch on iPhones and iPod Touches (via a firmware update), allowing users to download games and applications straight onto their devices.

Aside from the ease of getting games, the iPhone and iPod Touch utilize ~~a stylus~~ touchscreen play, like the Nintendo DS. Trying to one-up Nintendo, Apple even added motion-sensitivity into the two machines.

We're interested to see how the App store will affect the handheld gaming market, but is the DS in danger of dying off now? Not likely.

[Thanks, Racecar!]

Spectral Force Genesis is a force to be reckoned with

Posted Jun 4th 2008 6:00PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: Video

Since localization can be a cruel, unsatisfying mistress, most of us haven't gotten a taste of the Spectral Force series. That will all change when Spectral Force 3 comes out for the 360, but people without Microsoft's console are still out of luck. That's why we're hoping that Spectral Force Genesis, which is featured in the trailer above, sees the light of day outside of Japan.

After the two minutes of introductory fodder, the video shows us two minutes of (tiny) gameplay. The size of the screens and Japanese writing makes it difficult to tell exactly what's going on, but we like how the stylus seems to be utilized. We also know a bit of what to expect from the gameplay already.

If this does get localized, the mostly likely candidate to do so would be Atlus. Aside from the fact that Atlus is bringing Spectral Force 3 to the 360, the company has a good track record on the DS, so we're going to have faith in Genesis. For those of you who can handle Japanese without a problem, though, the game releases in the Far East on June 19th.

[Via Ruliweb]

Space Invaders Extreme and Arkanoid websites are polar opposites

Posted Jun 4th 2008 3:00PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: News, Fan stuff

Both the Arkanoid DS and Space Invaders Extreme websites went live yesterday, and they couldn't be more different. Going to the Arkanoid website is like going to a Saturday brunch with your mother, while going to the SIE site is like hitting up a night club twelve hours later, staying out until 5 AM, and puking up everything you've had to drink before bedtime (we mean that in the best of ways).

If you want something more descriptive than a simile, the Arkanoid site is cleaner and more organized than its Invaders counterpart (and it's also silent), but we think that may be because there's no "Extreme" in its title to live up to. Those who prefer trippy visuals and loud music on their web browsers, though, should head on over to the SIE page (consider this a sound alert for those of you in "not safe for audio" workspaces). If you've visited the Japanese website for this title before, you'll know what to expect, as it's exactly the same.

As it stands, there's not much to do on either site except read about the games. We were hoping that little demos or browser games would be present, but alas, our wants were denied.

At least we'll see the real things in only two weeks.

Gallery: Arkanoid DS

Gallery: Space Invaders Extreme

[Via press release]

Source: Arkanoid DS official website
Source: Space Invaders Extreme official website

Soul Bubbles videos blow in

Posted Jun 4th 2008 11:00AM by Candace Savino
Filed under: Video

We're still charmed by the simplicity of Soul Bubbles, especially after a few trailers that show the game in action popped up. As you can see, the premise is basic enough; you just have to navigate your bubble through various levels.

The trailers remind us a bit of LocoRoco, which is a good thing, as there really aren't enough games like Sony's colorful platformer. Still, it manages to retain its own personality with its clever puzzles, like when you have to fill bubbles with water to put out fires. (There's another video posted after the break, too, if you want to see more.)

What say you, fine readers? Does this look stunningly simple, or boringly basic?

Gallery: Soul Bubbles

Continue reading Soul Bubbles videos blow in

We hope Matchman matches our expectations

Posted Jun 3rd 2008 7:00PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: News, Screens

One of the more interesting games that's been announced recently is Matchman, which is being released for the DS, the Wii, and (oddly enough) the PS3. The developer for this one is TH-F, who normally develops Chinese games. Thanks to a partnership with Lexicon Entertainment, though, Matchman is slated for a worldwide release.

Blah, blah, and so on -- not that that's out of the way, let's get into the juicy, colorless details. We're not calling the game "colorless" as an insult, mind you; it's just literally in black and white. (Hey, it worked for Echochrome). Aside from that little detail, you may also be interested to know that Matchman is a side scrolling shooter with a storyline that's based on a combination of classic fairytales.

As for the enemies, don't expect to always kill them with a classic "shoot 'em up" mentality. Some bosses you might have to feed until they explode (it's just a wafer-thin mint!), while others you'll have to manipulate (we're not sure how). The game will feature a "Commuter" mode, too, designed for people who take public transportation (so that they can play with one hand and drink a cup of coffee in the other). That sounds like a funny enough idea, we only hope that the rest of the game has the same sense of humor.

Check out the gallery below to see the concept art for Matchman.

Gallery: Matchman

Guitar Hero's Bala gives an interview On Tour

Posted Jun 2nd 2008 10:30PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: Video

In the video above, the awesomely named, handheld rhythm game blasphemer Karthik Bala (not to mention, CEO of Vicarious Visions) explains the perks and inner-workings of Guitar Hero: On Tour. If you're still skeptical about the game's appeal, you'll probably be seduced just by how fun it looks. Of course, there are those of us who can't let go of the all-over-the-place track list, but even so, this video interview makes On Tour look mighty tempting. We're definitely turning into believers for a DS Guitar Hero, but how about you?

New Zealand: Nintendo's new red-headed stepchild

Posted Jun 2nd 2008 9:00PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: News

Those of you in the UK or Australia can complain all you want about how Nintendo doesn't love you, but New Zealand is probably the most deprived English-speaking region out there -- or at least, it will be.

Softprint Interactive, the company that distributes Nintendo and other companies' games in the land of the kiwis, has recently filed for receivership (aka bankruptcy). Hopefully, someone will step up (perhaps Nintendo themselves) to fix this distribution disaster, otherwise New Zealand might be in trouble. Activision will also have to find a new distributor in the country, as Softprint was responsible for their games as well. Yikes-- we hope none of you kiwis were looking forward to Guitar Hero: On Tour.

[Via Go|Nintendo]

Fighting monsters and dating boys in Hiiro no Kakera

Posted Jun 2nd 2008 7:00PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: News, Imports

Once again, blogger Jenni Lada proves to be our ultimate source for Japanese otome games (i.e., dating games for girls). The latest otome on her DS pallet was Hiiro no Kakera, which debuted in Japan a little less than two weeks ago.

What makes this title stand out from some of the others in its genre is its fantastical plot. The heroine is a girl named Tamaki, who starts seeing monsters in her small, mountain town. With her sacred sword and the help of six studly (and eligible) bachelors, Tamaki must defeat the monsters and save her village from destruction. A little dating on the side couldn't hurt, though, could it? In fact, that sounds like a good gig to us.

Hiiro no Kakara was actually a PS2 title first, but voice-acting and other content were added for the DS version. The game also boasts some nice artwork and imagery, making it a visual novel of sorts. Unfortunately, there's also a lot of kanji in this otome, so unless you can read kanji well, you'll probably be in for a struggle. Should you be determined to give it a try anyway, Siliconera has a handy guide for starting up your game. If you're looking for an easier otome to get through, though, Lada recommends trying Tokimeki Memorial: Girl's Side 2nd Season.

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