We still haven't heard word on whether or not Nintendo will ever bring Rhythm Tengoku to the states (Highly unlikely), but Sega has been keeping the rhythm-action title going in Japan with its GBA-to-arcade port and, according to this new find, UFO catchers filled with Rhythm-Tengoku-themed prizes!
Provided that you're proficient with maneuvering a claw to pick up crap, you'll be able to win a number of brightly-colored, long-sleeved shirts with the minigame collection's characters screen-printed on them, as well as pillows shaped like Rhythm Tengoku's iconic, hairy onions. Click the link below to the beat, and check out more photos of the vending machine goodies past the post break.
It's quite possible that you live near a KB Toys store; they must still exist or there wouldn't be anybody to announce these promotions. In our personal experience, however, we haven't seen one in years. Every store near the last, say, three or four places we lived has gone away, taking their giant bins of 3/$10 action figures with them.
If, unlike us, you're lucky enough to have access to a KB Toys, you can stock up on DS and GBA games this month. From now until the 30th, you can buy one DS or GBA game and get the second for half-price. And if that's not enough to send you to the mall, the same deal applies to Play-Doh.
This special copy of Pokémon Fire Red could make you very, very popular in the GTS or at our own Game Night. That's because it's loaded with Mews. This cartridge was used in one of those Toys 'R' Us Pokémonevents, to distribute Mews to store visitors. We don't know exactly how rare something like this is, but there couldn't have been many such cartridges produced for a one-off event at a single retail chain.
We wonder if there would be a noticeable change in the GTS once a bunch of "legit" Mews is unleashed into the trading community. Would the relative barter value of Mews adjust? Oh, man, why is Pokémon economics suddenly so interesting? What is wrong with us?
Sometimes, eBay makes a compelling argument against buying food. This Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow pre-release cartridge is a perfect example. Mere sandwiches cannot compare to the treasure depicted here.
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow is one of our favorite Castlevania games, and one we're happy to have found at all. Our retail copy was difficult enough to track down, but this "debug sample" is really rare. And you get more for your buck than just a messed-up version of the game on a big cartridge: it's got a debug menu that lets you skip to all of the cutscenes, and probably any other portion of the game.
Prototype collecting has tempted us for years; even when we had the money to bid on a rare item like this, we've held off out of fear that it would encourage more eBaying. We're not sure we can resist this, however.
You already know from our video spotlight last month that Legend of Spyro: Eternal Night for the GBA is the bee's knees, the cat's pajamas, and the dog's bollocks, all wrapped into one game -- making it some sort of strange hybrid of insect joints, sleepwear, and gonads. Wow, that's really grotesque when you think about it.
Never mind all that. In fact, erase every one of those images from your memory. The only thoughts you need to have in your head right now are that the upcoming Spyro 2D platformer/beat-em-up looks fantastic and that Amazon has listed preorders for it at $19.99, likely reflecting a budget price that other retailers will soon recognize as well. Don't even bother showing your face around here after October 2nd, the GBA title's release date, if you don't have a copy of the game in hand. That is, unless you want your mother's private matters brought to public light.
The DS Life is a weekly feature in which we scour the known world for narrative images of Nintendo's handheld and handheld gamers. If you have a photo and a story to match it with, send both to thedslife at dsfanboy dot com.
If there's anything that closes summer, it's the clement passing of August, the noblest of the middle months. Families have their last barbecues, Jerry Lewis interrupts our channel surfing to remind us about muscular dystrophy, and custodians pull blue, creased tarpaulin over neighborhood pools. Labor Day rewards us with an extended weekend, and then just like that, summer is over.
The DS Life is a weekly feature in which we scour the known world for narrative images of Nintendo's handheld and handheld gamers. If you have a photo and a story to match it with, send both to thedslife at dsfanboy dot com.
You don't always have to be playing the same game to share an experience ...
Our eyes must've been glazed over by Phantom Hourglass previews and Contra 4 face-rocking to have missed this Legend of Spyro: Eternal Night E3 Trailer. Forget whatever negative preconceptions you might have for the Spyro series; this game looks hotter than a June bride on a featherbed.
If you've been hoping for a platformer/beat-em-up to lay it down on the GBA, then look to this title for your down-laying needs. Legend of Spyro: Eternal Night has it all -- gorgeous backgrounds, slick physics, and a badical combo system. We would describe the combat as Devil May Cry meets Astro Boy: Omega Factor. Think we're pulling your leg? Swoop past the post break for a 50-hit combo clip. We had no idea games like this we're still being made for the dying handheld!
The DS Life is a weekly feature in which we scour the known world for narrative images of Nintendo's handheld and handheld gamers. If you have a photo and a story to match it with, send both to thedslife at dsfanboy dot com.
When the day seems dull, devoid of any excitement or entertainment, it's nice to have a portable world to escape to ...
Has your anxiety for Front Mission DS's distant October release become unmanageable, affecting your work and love life? If it's any consolation, you can get your mecha SRPG fix with Banpresto's Super Robot Taisen: Original Generations.
Atlus, the North American publisher behind this chibi-robot game, is notorious for its low print runs, but finding a copy won't be hard at all. GameQuest Direct has marked the GBA title down to $9.99, half of its usual price! Get it while the getting's good!
Posted Aug 7th 2007 9:50AM by JC Fletcher
Filed under: GBA
Infendo's list of the Top 10 Must-Buy GBA Games definitely includes ten great games. We approve of Infendo's drive to fill the neglected bottom cartridge slot of the DS with excellence. However, it comes off as a list of the Top 10 First-Party GBA games, with no representation of third-party publishers at all. Every single game on the list, even Final Fantasy VI Advance, was published by Nintendo.
We know that Nintendo fans tend to be loyal to Nintendo even to the exclusion of other companies that publish on Nintendo consoles, but a list of great Game Boy Advance games should really have at least one Castlevania game on it. Technically, the NES Castlevania is included as "anything from the Classic NES Series," but that's not what we're talking about. We're specifically talking about the three original Castlevania games made for the system. We'd personally include Astro Boy: Omega Factor as well, but we understand that to be a matter of opinion. And we've grown used to not seeing Super Dodge Ball Advance on best-of lists, because the world is a terrible place. The full list is posted after the break.
Posted Jul 31st 2007 2:50PM by David Hinkle
Filed under: GBA
When thinking back to that moment when Reggie pulled the GBA Micro out of his pocket at E3, the only feeling that could come close to what we were feeling then is if we were repeatedly punched in the crotch. And while some find the Micro to be a wonderful little gadget, we think those folks are crazy. Looney Tunes crazy.
Numbers don't lie, however, as even with 2.5 million units sold, it's still one of the top ten worst-selling handhelds. It probably has something to do with the fact that squinting at its tiny screen for mere minutes causes incredible headaches in the player (based on our own experience).
If you're lacking the small amount of cash it would cost you to pick up a Rumble Pak of your own, there's always the DIY solution. With just a little elbow grease, a spare Pokemon PinballGBA game, and a spare Nokia 5100, you can create your own Rumble Pak that fits in flush with your DS Lite. Of course, one could argue that it isn't worth the effort and suggest just plunking down the dough for one, but then you wouldn't have that sense of accomplishment that comes from doing it yourself and the future comfort of bragging to your friends that you're better than them.
We're pretty inured to this kind of thing on the Wii, although we still enjoy getting outraged about it now and then. But now we're starting to see last-gen ports on the DS! Sure, we have the Phoenix Wright games already, but they totally get a pass since the ports are new to the US and Europe.
RPGLand reports that Mazes of Fate, the first-person dungeon crawler developed by Argentina's Sabarasa Entertainment, is being prepared for a DS release by publisher Signature Devices and their in-house developer Graffiti Entertainment. Unlike Phoenix Wright, the GBA version of Mazes of Fate did come out in the US-- in December of last year. The DS is a good system for dungeon games, with its map-displaying second screen, and Graffiti is adding new dungeons, characters, and some touch-screen stuff. If you don't already have the game, this is the one to get. Or if you have a DS Lite and you get really embarrassed about the GBA protuberance.
Though newcomers to the homebrew scene likely missed Blast Arena Advance when the title was released mid-2005, and even longtime followers of the community probably acted too slow to pick up one of the original 41 cartridges that were manufactured and distributed later on, there may still be a chance for you to make things right.
Developer Matthew Carr (Lemmings DS port) has made available 150 more Blast Arena Advance carts for approximately $14, warning timid buyers that this limited run will be the last for this project. Already, over sixty of the semi-transparent, teal-colored carts have been sold. The penny-wise among you could always download the ROM posted on Matthew's site instead, but you'd have one more hole in your collection of rare GBA games.
From its minimalist-but-stylish graphics to its immediate accessibility, there's plenty to compare between Blast Arena Advance and the bit Generations' series presentations. You can play the entire game using just the D-pad, collecting flanges and dodging debris from exploding stars while the soundtrack -- music so good you'll try your damndest to survive longer just to hear more of it -- paints in the scenery missing from the black background. Fling yourself past the post break for some video we took of us playing Blast Arena Advance.
It's quite possible that you live near a KB Toys store; they must still exist or there wouldn't be anybody to announce these promotions. In our personal experience, however, we haven't seen one in years. Every store near the last, say, three or four places we lived has gone away, taking their giant bins of 3/$10 action figures with them.
This special copy of Pokémon Fire Red could make you very, very popular in the 
You already know from 
Has your anxiety for 
Infendo's list of the Top 10 Must-Buy 
When thinking back to that moment when Reggie pulled the GBA Micro out of his pocket at E3, the only feeling that could come close to what we were feeling then is if we were repeatedly punched in the crotch. And while some find the Micro to be a wonderful little gadget, we think those folks are crazy. Looney Tunes crazy.
We're pretty inured to this kind of thing on the Wii, although we still enjoy getting outraged about it now and then. But now we're starting to see last-gen ports on the DS! Sure, we have the 
