If Nintendo's desires are realized, it won't be too long before the image of Grandpa hunching furiously over his DS Lite and murderously screaming "Blue" joins that of the bespectacled nerd in the ranks of uninformed gamer stereotypes. In an effort to reach out to those who would normally shy away from electronic devices and their confusing beeps and boops, several forthcoming and readily available DS games have recently been shoved under the Touch Generations banner. The range highlights Nintendo's popular "non-games", titles that are meant to be approachable by any person, regardless of their previous gaming experience.
In North America, games like Nintendogs, Brain Age and Sudoku Gridmaster seem to gravitate towards the label quite naturally, but it seems that the selection differs significantly from that of other regions. Anthropomorphic neighbour sim, Animal Crossing: Wild World, slots right in with Electroplankton in Europe, but the choices of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and Trauma Center: Under the Knife seem to fit in less comfortably. The latter two titles are far more traditional, with linear stories, clear conditions for success and failure and, in the case of Trauma Center especially, a more pronounced difficulty level that requires intricate stylus strokes--lest your patient's internal organs become reduced to a bloody mush (technical term). In other words, all the stuff that the mythical casual gamer doesn't want.
The Japanese selection is almost the exact opposite, filled with English trainers, dictionaries and travel guidebooks. If you looked up "game" in one of those dictionaries, you'd likely find a description far removed from most of these titles. It raises an interesting question, then: What constitutes a game that, according to Nintendo's mantra, anyone can pick up and play? Is it a game that almost exclusively relies on intuitive touch screen controls? Or is it something with simplistic gameplay mechanics? Perhaps it's not even a game at all. Nintendo's pretty clear about the kind of people they're chasing with the DS and the Wii, but things seem less vivid when it comes to matching specific games with specific audiences. With games being such unique and often personal experiences, it's doubtful that the line between hardcore and casual will ever become especially obvious.
With all the excitement surrounding the announcement of an official Bob Ross Joy of Painting videogame for the Revolution, I completely overlooked the fact that the game is also slated to hit that handheld system with the canvas touch screen and the paintbrush stylus! Call it a "happy accident", if you will.
No, seriously. Bob Ross will presumably be teaching you how to paint devastatingly gorgeous masterpieces on your DS. Developed by the AGFRAG Entertainment Group, the game has every chance of doing for art what Elektroplankton did for music. It'll be weird, that's for sure, but who could possibly resist the charms of an inescapably cheery man with a head of hair that even dwarfs the mountains he so optimistically paints?
Now all we need is that Kirby / Bob Ross crossover platformer and we're set to unleash our inner artistes.
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!
USA Today speaks kind words about the DS and its "solid" lineup of games. The newspaper says Nintendo's newest portable format "succeeds in its innovative video games that take advantage of the machine's two LCD screens (one of which is touch-sensitive), built-in microphone for voice commands and free Wi-Fi for wireless multiplayer gaming over the Net."
The publication also rates the following games accordingly:
Electroplankton - 4.0 stars out of 5
Lost in Blue - 3.5 stars out of 5
Mario Kart DS - 4.5 stars out of 5
Is it just us, or is the number of DS press sightings at an all-time high?
A reader sent in this rudimentary Flash Electroplankton named Zen-Zen. Very basic, but the potential could be huge. The flash creator writes: "Here is my very own elecktroplankton named Zen-Zen, I made him in flash and he's fully interactive too! I want to make more soon...but this is a start."
After seeing this, you gotta believe someone will try and recreate the entire DS game in Flash format. Any volunteers?
The Composing with Electroplankton series is like learning to read music for the first time. Well, not really, but it could help you tweak your underwater 'Plankton skills and maybe even allow you to become a rock star. Joystiq writes: "Serious music geeks only, please. Electroplankton is a music-making application, not a game, as Mile Zero's Thomas reminds us. 'Gamespot has no more business trying to review Electroplankton than Keyboard Magazine should be reviewing Dance Dance Revolution,' he writes."
If you've recoreded some of your own creations, be sure to send us a tip with the uploaded file link, and we'll post the best entries on the site.
Part one: Composing with Electroplankton
Part two: Composing with Electroplankton - Luminaria
Video storage site YouTube hosts a presentation of Toshio Iwai's Tenori-On, a new digital musical instrument co-created by Iwai and Yamaha. The new instrument was inspired by Iwai's Electroplankton game for the Nintendo DS, and the presentation displays some flashy visuals along with some slick sounds.
Games inspiring musical instruments? Ground breaking in our book (not that we have a book).
To coincide with the official US game release today, Nintendo has launched a very slick Electroplankton site, complete with an in depth look at the game, it's creator, the sounds, and DJ Holland who performed at last year's E3 via the plankton. Extras include wallpapers, a screensaver, and an English manual PDF for any importers out there.
I think from here on out I'll keep the site loaded just for the soothing background sounds. Aaahhhhhh...
What is this? Why, it's Nintendo's new music, sound, light, creation game for the Nintendo DS. At the time of writing, Electroplankton had an average composite of 80%. Most criticism is based on the fact that it's a music creator rather than a game. So if you dabble in recording or can get your Garage Band on, you might be in for a creative dose of foot-tapping joy.
This one's from the crew at Go Nintendo and further strengthens what we already know - this is one trippy musical experience you simply don't want to miss. "Electroplankton is THE most surreal experience I have ever had with a game. It is the most relaxing, yet stimulating experience on the DS, and in ANY game yet."
I've always thought that Burger Time was one of the more surreal games out there (giant hamburgers are quite terrifying), but it seems that some of the cute little amoeba things in Electroplankton can even top that. The Volvoice species, for instance, will listen intently as you speak into the microphone and will then repeat your voice back in different tones. You could essentially construct a little choir out of the variations on your voice while you think about the musical implications and what it must be like to have schizophrenia or a multiple personality disorder.
This is exactly the kind of game that makes you go "Ahh...so THAT's what Nintendo wanted to do with the DS." Look out for our MetaReview once more sites get their hands on the game.
The guys, gals and (we have to assume) benign robots over at Gearlog have already a posted a short and sweet article about the charms of Electroplankton, Nintendo's wonderfully weird musical toy that's due for release early next month. The author, Carol Mangis, is spot-on when she notes that Electroplankton isn't really a game in the traditional sense, but a rather unique exercise in music manipulation. She may also be correct in calling it the best new reason to buy a DS. She may also be a man. A man named Carol. There are plenty of options to consider here.
Of course, we're mostly interested in the game because it'll let us lord over perennially happy little creatures, coaxing them into submission with an iron stylus. That's not quite the inspiration that lead to the creation of the game, however, as a letter from the game's creator printed in the manual is keen to point out. "At different times in his life, he variously used and loved a microscope, a tape recorder, a synthesizer, and a Nintendo NES. These devices were the combined elements that sparked the idea."
Well, that settles it. I'm off to play around with a toaster, a clarinet, an egg whisk, a baby seal and my DS in the hopes of coming up with an amazing new concept.
Electroplankton was one of the games that appeared during this year's E3 as a downloadable demo from the veritable Wi-Fi nexus that was Nintendo's floorspace. After grabbing it from their ethereal streams of data, I spent some time with it in my hotel room. And by "some time", I mean a period of clock cycles which seemed to stretch on for an eternity. I was plunged into a world where I reigned as conductor supreme over constantly smiling amoeba-like creatures, gently poking and prodding them to elicit unique sounds and instantly create my own music.
Some have expressed unhappiness over Nintendo's current tune, a little ditty that goes along the lines of "For January this release is timed / buy it if you're musically inclined / don't go looking amongst the mortar and the bricks / for it's only available after several clicks / point your browser to Nintendo / listen to Reggie 'cos he says so." No wonder people are so unhappy - it's a really awful tune. It seems that Target agrees, as according to their Get into the Game website, their stores will be selling the game when it releases on January 11th.
Though the game may end up just being relegated to Target's website, there's certainly a fair chance that such a mainstream store would end up carrying a title that would have the most success amongst the Nintendogs audience. There's no reason for such a gaming gem to be restricted to online shoppers only - setting the game up on demo stations in a shop's music section would be a great way to market Electroplankton. What do you guys think?
DS owners have been bombarded with choice games for almost the entire year, especially the second half. But what games on the horizon have you most interested? Here's a rundown of expected games for the handheld first quarter 2006:
If you're an international reader, you may have already played this game. But Americans will have to wait until January 9, 2006 to order this game/simulation/music generator. The title, developed by Nintendo, will only be available for purchase online via Nintendo.com or any other major e-tailer.
If Nintendo's desires are realized, it won't be too long before the image of Grandpa hunching furiously over his DS Lite and murderously screaming "Blue" joins that of the bespectacled nerd in the ranks of uninformed gamer stereotypes. In an effort to reach out to those who would normally shy away from electronic devices and their confusing beeps and boops, several forthcoming and readily available DS games have recently been shoved under the Touch Generations banner. The range highlights Nintendo's popular "non-games", titles that are meant to be approachable by any person, regardless of their previous gaming experience.
With all the excitement surrounding the announcement of an official Bob Ross Joy of Painting videogame for the Revolution, I completely overlooked the fact that the game is also slated to hit that handheld system with the 
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.
A reader sent in this rudimentary Flash Electroplankton named Zen-Zen. Very basic, but the potential could be huge. The flash creator writes: "Here is my very own elecktroplankton named Zen-Zen, I made him in flash and he's fully interactive too! I want to make more soon...but this is a start."
The 
Video storage site YouTube hosts a presentation of Toshio Iwai's Tenori-On, a new digital musical instrument co-created by Iwai and Yamaha. The new instrument was inspired by Iwai's Electroplankton game for the Nintendo DS, and the presentation displays some flashy visuals along with some slick sounds.
To coincide with the official US game release today, Nintendo has launched a very slick Electroplankton site, complete with an in depth look at the game, it's creator, the sounds, and DJ Holland who performed at last year's E3 via the plankton. Extras include wallpapers, a screensaver, and an English manual PDF for any importers out there.
What is this? Why, it's Nintendo's new music, sound, light, creation game for the Nintendo DS. At the time of writing, Electroplankton had an average composite of 80%. Most criticism is based on the fact that it's a music creator rather than a game. So if you dabble in recording or can get your 
This one's from the crew at Go Nintendo and further strengthens 
The guys, gals and (we have to assume) benign robots over at Gearlog have already a posted a short and sweet article about the charms of Electroplankton, Nintendo's wonderfully weird musical toy that's due for release early next month. The author, Carol Mangis, is spot-on when she notes that Electroplankton isn't really a game in the traditional sense, but a rather unique exercise in music manipulation. She may also be correct in calling it the best new reason to buy a DS. She may also be a man. A man named Carol. There are plenty of options to consider here.
Electroplankton
DS owners have been bombarded with choice games for almost the entire year, especially the second half. But what games on the horizon have you most interested? Here's a rundown of expected games for the handheld first quarter 2006:
If you're an international reader, you may have already played this game. But Americans will have to wait until January 9, 2006 to order this game/simulation/music generator. The title, developed by Nintendo, will only be available for purchase online via Nintendo.com or any other major e-tailer.
