Posts by Eric Caoili at DS Fanboy

Eric Caoili
Cincinasty, OH - http://www.dsfanboy.com

Eric Caoili writes about video games more than he actually plays them. His other special powers include linking funny cat videos, falling off the bridge every dang time on the first level of Contra, and leaving snide comments on your blog. Admittedly, those powers aren't that special, but you've got to hold onto something.

Super Smash Bros. Rumble in the DS jungle

Posted Jul 5th 2008 8:00PM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: Homebrew, Video

Building your homebrew project off an already popular franchise has the danger of raising expectations too high for your low-budget production, as was the case with Super Mario Galaxies, a 2D shoot-em-up interpretation of Nintendo's grandiose 3D platformer. Though Super Smash Bros. Rumble has the potential to one day be a satisfactory portable alternative to Super Smash Bros. Brawl, it still has a long way to go!

So far, the demo includes only a solo mode, a few stages, and Mario as the lone playable character. Fuzzy, the game's 19-year-old programmer from Germany, seems to have a lot planned for the project, however, as he already has a WiFi button in place and waiting for online support.

Just a quick suggestion -- maybe choose another typeface for the top-screen logo on the menu screen? Though it's resident blogger David Hinkle's favorite typeface, Super Smash Bros. designer Masahiro Sakurai would never sully the series with Hobo.

[Via GamerTell, GBAtemp]

Princess Maker 4: Implicitly erotic parenting sim coming to DS

Posted Jul 4th 2008 10:30PM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: Screens, Imports

Gainax's (Neon Genesis Evangelion) Princess Maker series seems harmless at first, a cute "life simulator" in which you raise an orphaned girl to womanhood. The dominant/submissive undertones in the games aren't obvious until you realize the absolute control you have over every aspect of your devoted ward's life.

You can train her in combat to have her fight at the Harvest Festival, put her on a diet so that she can wear fashionable outfits, or send her to work at a bar to raise her "Sinfulness" stat while lowering her "Morals."

Depending on your guidance, your daughter can grow up to be the queen, lead an army, or marry the butler. If you raise her wrong, however, as we assume many gamers will do intentionally, she could become the king's concubine, work as a sleazy barmaid, or even marry her adoptive father!

Originally released for PCs and the PSP in 2006, Princess Maker 4 is also coming to the DS with a Special Edition subtitle this September in Japan. Publisher Cyberfront has a few improvements and additions planned for the port -- three new endings, stat details moved to the bottom screen, and, of course, touchsceen support.

According to the official site, using your stylus, you can "pat your daughter's head, pinch her cheeks, and etc." Etc., indeed. Try out a very brief and somewhat NSFW demo after the post break!

See also: More Naughtiness on the Nintendo DS

Gallery: Princess Maker 4

Continue reading Princess Maker 4: Implicitly erotic parenting sim coming to DS

THQ picks up Dropcast for a September release

Posted Jul 4th 2008 12:00AM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: News, Screens

Puzzle games lacking online functionality are a hard sell these days, but as Puzzle Quest has proven, if you can deliver something with a new spin and addictive mechanics, people will still flock to your title.

Mikoishi's Dropcast, possibly the first DS game developed by a Singapore studio, is trying its best to make up for its missing online support with its distinct gothic/cartoon style and a lot of character. As the story goes, Ingrid, an eccentric young girl, has brought her cadaverous stuffed animals to life and has taught them an array of destructive spells.

Dropcast offers two different modes, Ingrid's Curse, which is a mix of Tetris and Collapse utilizing both screens, and Battle Royale, which fuses puzzle and battle mechanics for "cut-throat head-to-head puzzle combat." Here's a quick list of additional features:

"Book-style" gameplay
8 playable characters
24 "devastating" spells to use and abuse
Single-cart download play for up to four players

THQ will be shipping this one out to U.S. stores on September 22nd. If you're at all interested in the game, make sure to visit the official site, as it's already teeming with information and downloadable knickknacks -- mobile backgrounds, screensavers, and even a 2008 wallpaper set! Unfortunately, the only gameplay trailer available at the site is terribly uninteresting, but we'll wait for more video before writing this one off.

Gallery: Dropcast

Future R4 firmware to sabotage clones, brick DSes?

Posted Jul 3rd 2008 7:00PM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: News, Homebrew

It's a funny twist that the R4DS, a product used mostly for pirating games, has found itself now battling it out with counterfeits carts that have infiltrated the market, but we assume that's just how Chinese flashcart companies roll.

Seeking to eliminate its knock-off competition, Team R4 has announced that as of September 15, it will release firmware that will only work on genuine R4 flashcarts, according to a statement translated by GBAtemp. As an added deterrent, users attempting to load the firmware on illegitimate carts could potentially damage their DS permanently, leaving their system unusable.

What if you've unknowingly bought a fake R4 (for running homebrew software, of course) and brick your DS after trying to install the updated firmware? Team R4 has stated that it will not accept responsibility, advising that you contact your "unscrupulous" shop to complain. Thanks, Team R4!

We understand that it's annoying to have all these companies drinking their milkshake, but is this really necessary? Won't this drive away potential R4 customers, not to mention people curious about experimenting with DS homebrew? Make sure to look through our (semi) ultimate homebrew guide if you're interested in finding flashcart alternatives that won't leave your system bricked.

See also: Homebrew Glossary

[Via GBAtemp]

Toytech takes a stand on DS accessories

Posted Jul 2nd 2008 11:00PM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: Accessories

We spotted Toytech's new Yatterman-themed styli and stands, really taking to the idea of keeping the pen upright and displayed. Play Asia has the sets in stock for a cheap $5.99, but we passed on the deal, realizing that we had no idea what a Yatterman is or why we would want it on a stylus! Apparently, it's an anime remake of a late-70's Japanese show?

We went searching for some stylus-and-stand alternatives, and, wouldn't you know it, we found out that Toytech has a whole line of interesting accessories with more recognizable characters. Look past the post break for some of them!

See also: Poke the Force with Lightsaber styli

Continue reading Toytech takes a stand on DS accessories

The DS Life: Out of habit

Posted Jul 2nd 2008 10:00PM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: Fan stuff, The DS Life

Though we try to keep our praise of public property vandalism to a minimum, there are some instances when we can't help but clap in our seats, humorless, like Orson Welles in Citizen Kane. This week's edition of The DS Life is one of those instances, our subject being a magnificent bit of street art spotted in Darmstadt, Germany and photographed by Joachim S. Müller. Say ten Hail Marys and bring yourself past the post break for the photo.

Continue reading The DS Life: Out of habit

Big Bang Mini lights up the sky with new screens

Posted Jul 1st 2008 11:00PM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: Screens

With a colorful, exciting shoot-em-up like Space Invaders now on the market, would-be shmup developers really need to step their game up to catch our attention. Arkedo Studios (Nervous Brickdown) seems to have done just that with Big Bang Mini!

Due this fall, this touchscreen shooter features a fireworks mechanic that is just as vibrant as it is unique -- instead of firing bullets at incoming waves, players draw in fireworks, detonating and chaining the scrawled explosives to clear as many enemies as possible.

The enemy designs are just as creative -- marionette skeletons, walruses riding on flying carpets, and monkeys floating above a city skyline. See them all in our gallery of new Big Bang Mini images below!

Gallery: Big Bang Mini

Bonus content planned for Judgment, Ecclesia connectivity

Posted Jul 1st 2008 8:00PM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: News

With Konami currently developing two Castlevania titles, one for the Wii and the other for the Nintendo DS, it seemed obvious that the studio would add some sort of connectivity feature to the two games, especially considering that Shanoa, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia's protagonist, will be a playable fighter in Castlevania Judgment.

Though Konami hasn't provided any specifics, the company has announced that connecting the two games, presumably through WiFi and not with a string, unlocks "bonus gameplay content." We don't know yet if that extra stuff will be limited to just the Wii, but we're hoping for some added DS perks!

What could that "bonus gameplay content" be? New items/costumes/areas? The original Castlevania games for the NES? A minigame for raising your own pocket Castlevania monsters?!

Gallery: Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia

Rhythm Tengoku screenshots, boxart are Gold

Posted Jul 1st 2008 7:00PM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: Screens

It won't be long before you'll have to break open your piggy bank -- Rhythm Tengoku Gold will be out in Japan as soon as July 31st! If you never had a chance to play the original critically-acclaimed rhythm game for the GBA, consider it your mission to import this DS remake later this month.

Hit our gallery below for a handful of screenshots from Rhythm Tengoku Gold! They're mostly larger versions of the images shown on Nintendo's fact sheet, but they're still a good preview of how the touchscreen-enabled title will play on the system, book-style. Besides, as this upcoming release shows, the world needs more Rhythm Tengoku.

Gallery: Rhythm Tengoku Gold

[Thanks, Peter!]

Motocross Challenge rides back from the sunset for another go

Posted Jul 1st 2008 12:00AM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: Homebrew, Video

We couldn't pay Motocross Challenge enough compliments when indie developer DHG Games released the Excitebike-inspired GBA racer last year. For those of you unfamiliar with the game's history, it never saw a commercial release after its publisher backed out of the project due to declining sales for GBA titles.

Not letting its code go to waste, DHG eventually released Motocross Challenge to the homebrew community as a free downlodable ROM and a limited edition flashcart. As great as the game was, we thought, with a tear in our eye, that we would never see it again.

The Montreal-based studio wants another crack at getting its game in stores, however, and has announced a DS remake! The graphics look mostly unchanged, but there are a lot of additions to get hyped about -- a track editor, three new game modes, a skinner mini map on the bottom screen, more AI opponents, a new Challenge Mode mechanic, and a new soundtrack.

DHG is still looking for a publisher, so make sure to direct your industry friends to this arcade racer! Turbo boost your bike up a ramp and fly past the post break for a trailer of Motocross Challenge DS. If you'd rather try it out yourself, you can still download and play the GBA ROM, too!

Continue reading Motocross Challenge rides back from the sunset for another go

Promotional Consideration: Nester's return

Posted Jun 29th 2008 3:30PM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: Features, Promotional Consideration

This month's 20th anniversary issue of Nintendo Power seemed to leave everyone's head spinning with its exclusive Wii news, Mega Man 9 and Castlevania Judgment, so much so, that hardly anyone noticed the magazine's other big item: a new Nester comic!

A lot has happened since we last saw him over a decade ago -- apparently, he now has a Wii, a wife, and ... a son?! Bring your memories of the smart aleck character past the post break for Nester's return!

Continue reading Promotional Consideration: Nester's return

Here comes the Heavenly Bride, all dressed in a DQV promotional trailer

Posted Jun 28th 2008 8:00PM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: Video

Though Dragon Quest IV hasn't even washed up onto U.S. shores yet (look for it in September), Japan is gearing up for Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride's release on July 17th with a new trailer.

We can't complain too much about the wait, however, as publisher Square Enix has already announced that it will be bringing its DQV and DQVI (both originally released for the Super Famicom) remakes to the states eventually, having kept the two games in Japan for over 15 years. Comparatively speaking, a one- or two-year wait for DQV DS isn't that long!

Gallery: Dragon Quest V

[Via NeoGAF]

Homebrew paint application adds Guitar Hero controller support

Posted Jun 28th 2008 4:00PM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: Homebrew, Accessories

There are already several homebrew and even commercial paint/pixel-art programs in development for the Nintendo DS, but BassAceGold's UAPaint (v1.02) adds something special -- support for Guitar Hero: On Tour's Guitar Grip controller.

Artists can use the Grip's buttons as tool shortcuts in UAPaint - blue for the pen, yellow for the paint bucket, red for the color picker, and green for the line tool. Slick!

We saw the potential of homebrew slot-2 accessory tinkering with Mario Kart DS hacked to interface with Taito's paddle controller, but there hasn't been any advancements with that since, possibly due to the paddle's pricing and limited availability. With Guitar Hero's popularity and readily obtainable peripheral, hopefully we'll see more homebrew uses for the Guitar Grip!

Amazon casts a Magical Starsale

Posted Jun 28th 2008 12:00PM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: Sales

By now, you've likely forgotten all about Brownie Brown's Magical Starsign, one of the first Nintendo DS RPGs to make it stateside. Its rudimentary plot -- rescue your classmates after your magic school's fleet of space ships crash on a group of planets -- won't set anyone's heart on fire, but, from what we've heard, it's still an enjoyable game.

Amazon has Magical Starsign on sale for $8.99, the lowest we've ever seen for the game! If you're looking for a decent (and cheap) RPG to pass the summer with, or if you're just looking to fill out your DS library, pick it up before the day and the sale ends.

[Via CAG]

Nintendo delays Daigasso! Band Brothers bootlegging

Posted Jun 26th 2008 11:00PM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: News

In a likely accidental move similar to Square Enix's FFCC "Moogle of Death" screen, Nintendo has temporarily stalled pirates from completely enjoying Daigasso! Band Brothers DX. Not long after the rhythm game shipped out in Japan, crooked gamers around the world downloaded the ROM only to find that it didn't work as expected.

According to initial reports, because Band Brothers DX uses a 1mb save instead of traditional 512kb saves, the ROM refuses to load on many flashcarts. Of course, determined delinquents have already found a workaround, and some flashcarts will load the ROM successfully without any required hacking, but pirates are also finding themselves unable to access the 200 downloadable songs available through the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

Seeing as the game comes with only 30 tracks installed, the online songs are a huge draw for people playing Band Brothers DX! Though we expect hackers and flashcart manufacturers to fully "patch" the ROM in a few days, if not in a few hours, it's nice to hear that there are still a few things out there capable of temporarily flummoxing the DS piracy scene.

Gallery: Band Brothers DX

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Super Smash Bros. Rumble in the DS jungle

Princess Maker 4: Implicitly erotic parenting sim coming to DS

THQ picks up Dropcast for a September release

Future R4 firmware to sabotage clones, brick DSes?

Toytech takes a stand on DS accessories

The DS Life: Out of habit

Big Bang Mini lights up the sky with new screens

Bonus content planned for Judgment, Ecclesia connectivity

Rhythm Tengoku screenshots, boxart are Gold

Motocross Challenge rides back from the sunset for another go

Promotional Consideration: Nester's return

Here comes the Heavenly Bride, all dressed in a DQV promotional trailer

Homebrew paint application adds Guitar Hero controller support

Amazon casts a Magical Starsale

Nintendo delays Daigasso! Band Brothers bootlegging

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