A third-party project was underway during the Neo Geo Pocket Color's short (but beautiful) life to add Game Boy and Game Boy Color functionality to SNK's handheld. Ganksoft Entertainment began by working on a software emulator capable of running GB/GBC software on the NGPC. The project was cancelled before the emulator was finished, due to SNK's dramatic exit from the console market. The screenshot shows roughly what state the emulator was in. Of course, with no software, the hardware never came to fruition either.
Would the system's history have been different if it could run its major competitor's games via an obscure, unlicensed peripheral? The Dreamcast says no.
Matrix Software has been in the press most recently for their work on the remakes of Final Fantasies III and IV. Before that, they had their own original action RPG, Alundra, which was released in the U.S. on the PlayStation by the decadent Working Designs.
Their latest project is another original work, this time for Marvelous: an action RPG called Avalon Code. From what we can see in the scan, it has impressive 3D action on the top screen, with an art style reminiscent of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles. The bottom screen appears as a book, and shows information about onscreen monsters, as well as your inventory. New details should show up for this game by the end of the week; until then, squint away in wonder!
Cave's Ohimesama Debut (Princess Debut) didn't turn into a hardcore shooter since we last heard from it. Cave is still bravely making a cute game about a faux princess learning to dance and collecting silly clothing. It uses a variant of Ouendan-style precision dragging to control various ballroom dance moves.
The "Dance Action & Adventure Game" features magical-girl-style transformation sequences for the all-important outfits, and even a "watch mode" that allows you to replay dances. We're still curious about how well the skills Cave has honed in creating bullet-hell shooters translate into dancing to classical music with a white rabbit in a tuxedo.
We're at that point in the year when time just seems to fly by, so Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift will be out before youknow it. That doesn't make the wait any easier, though, so we're glad Square Enix recently updated the official North American website with actual stuff to keep us busy.
Assuming you can make it past the site's annoyingly slow load time, you might enjoy some of the things it has to offer. So far, multimedia and information on the battle system is listed as "coming soon," but there's still plenty to keep you occupied. Mainly, you can look at a few character profiles, and also some of the different races and classes that will be available in the game.
We can already see our summer evaporating right in front of our very eyes.
More ER than Scrubs, THE Gekai (TheSurgeon) takes a far more serious approach to surgery than Trauma Center. It might be worth a closer look come June, but for now we're far more interested in THE Shouboutai (The Firefighting Crew), partially because there's nothing quite like it on the DS (there should be more games about firefighting anyway, given that it oozes with the potential for drama and heroism), and also because our addled memories still fondly recall Burning Rangers on the Saturn. Actually, Burning Rangers is the main reason we're interested in this. Okay, the only reason. We wouldn't count on D3's firefighters carrying jet-packs, mind.
Head to our new galleries for the fresh screenage, though don't be expecting either of these to make the journey west.
As promised, today we're covering two lessons in our continuing yogathon. Lessons three and four combined for nineteen minutes of yoga (and many glorious minutes spent breathing and relaxing in Shavasana), and at this point, not only is it really starting to feel like a workout (albeit a more relaxed one), but I can get a little further in certain poses than before. Something's working here with Let's Yoga!
Marvelous and developer Asmik Ace will release a DS game based on the Tokyo Majin Gakuen franchise on August 21. The supernatural anime and manga series are in turn based on the Tokyo Majin Gakuen: Kenpucho series of adventure/RPG games on the PlayStation and Playstation 2.
Last year, ADV licensed Tokyo Majin, about high school students who fight the undead, for American release. The DVDs are still coming out as of this month, but the series' web site goes nowhere. We're not sure what that says about ADV's confidence in Majin, though we doubt they're going to pursue this DS game. We aren't sure if it's popular enough over here for another company to try to grab some of the revenue, either.
Go Nintendo is reporting a rumor that those of us here in the United States could be getting a new DS Lite model soon, in the form of the beauty you see above. Keen observers will notice that this is the same color that came in the Nintendogs bundle that released alongside the Phantom Hourglass bundle, only without the paw print.
This rumor comes from "a few GameStop insiders," so we're not sure we entirely believe this model is releasing. Until we get official confirmation, we aren't going to hold our breath.
When it comes to the DS, great games may be the order of the day, but when you're unprepared going into your gaming session, everything suffers. That's why we decided to take the time and put together a little list of accessories any DS owner shouldn't live without. It's by no means the be-all, end-all list for all time, so if we missed something, let us know! We want to know what you all have out there as much as inform any unaware gamers what's available on the market.
So, without further delay, click the button on the bottom right to get going. Then be sure to come back here and let us know what you think!
We knew about the last two volumes in D3 Publisher's Simple DS series: Vol. 39 THE Shouboutai (Firefighter) and Vol. 40 THE Gekai (Surgeon), both of which are games that involve real-world tasks. But the three entries in the series preceding those were unknown to us. They happen to be rooted in the everyday world as well, in a much less game-like way than the others. In fact, they're training non-games for the TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication).
Vol. 36 THE Arc de Minitsuku! TOEIC Test Bunpou Tokkun(Master the Arc! TOEIC Intensive Grammar Training), Vol. 37 THE Arc de Minitsuku! TOEIC Test Listening Kyoka (TOEIC Listening Enhancement), and Vol. 38 THE Arc de Manabu! TOEIC Test Hajimete (Study the Arc! Beginning the TOEIC) all focus on different aspects of the English test, which is used to determine English proficiency for business use. We hope they were at least made to a higher standard than other Simple titles, or that nobody relies on them as study aids. If they are actually okay, D3 may be on to something: their usual low budgets would translate excellently to "games" that rely almost entirely on text menus.
Read: Vol. 36 THE Arc de Minitsuku! TOEIC Test Bunpou Tokkun
Read: Vol. 37 THE Arc de Minitsuku! TOEIC Test Listening Kyoka
Read: Vol. 38 THE Arc de Manabu! TOEIC Test Hajimete
While the media reactions to Guitar Hero: On Tour seem to range from dismissive to skeptical to vaguely intrigued, analyst Todd Greenwald believes that the game will arrive at retail as less of an oddity and more of ... a Guitar Hero game. Which means big-time sales.
"We think this title, never having been released on any handheld platform, has the potential to sell several million units at launch, at a $49.99 price point." (Note about the novelty of the release: there isGuitar Hero III Mobile, but that doesn't count.)
He also said that large retailers like Best Buy, Target and Wal-Mart will feature the handheld title prominently in their stores, contributing to the sales. That makes the most sense to us: a Guitar Hero game in a smaller box must be a very attractive item for retailers.
For how much some of you enjoy your DS, we'd think you had a pouch for the device grafted into your skin. As such, we thought about what kind of effect playing all the time could have on someone's life. We then thought about the addiction of enjoying great DS games, and how they could drive a person to play when it's not really appropriate to.
Have you ever whipped out the DS and played at an inappropriate time? Perhaps you were caught solving cases in Apollo Justice while in the chair waiting for the dentist to inspect your teeth? Have you been yelled at by friends or family for playing when you should've been listening to Uncle Carl talk about his trip to some boring location? When have you enjoyed your DS when you probably shouldn't have?
Got a Wii? Then boot up the Wii Shop and download the just-released Nintendo Channel so you can get your DS demos! The new channel also features several videos, including game trailers. We watched the Professor Layton information video, which did an excellent job of showing off the puzzling adventure. From that video, users can navigate to a screen with more information, just as game rating -- and a "purchase" button, which redirects to a page in the Internet Channel with links to Amazon, Circuit City, and Best Buy, so that you can order the game from the comfort of your own sofa. Not a bad idea!
Of course, what we're really interested in are the DS demos. It's about time we got some useful Wii-DS connectivity. The list of currently-available demos is short, packed with already-released games, and not particularly exciting, but we hope that will change with time. There's a lot of variety, if nothing else. DS demos from the Wii are just like any other: once downloaded, the demo stays until you turn off your handheld. Closing the DS without turning it off will not affect your demo.
Skip past the break to see the full list of available demos, including the very excellent Ninja Gaiden.
We hope you haven't already put in a preorder for Hori's upcoming DS Lite Charge Stand! When we last previewed this accessory, Play Asia had put up a product page promising to deliver the stylish dock to your doorstep for $16.90 (plus $5.90 s/h) once it debuted in Japan this month.
Checking the online import shop earlier today, we spotted a pair of notable details, bad news and good news, if you will:.
Bad news: The charging base's shipping date has been moved to May
Good news: There is now a listing for the White DS Lite Charge Stand bearing a US flag, scheduled for June and priced at $14.99.
Is Hori's North American arm planning to bring the dock to the states as it has with many of the company's other DS accessories? If so, it might worth waiting an extra month to pick up the Charge Stand at a local store for a few bucks less. Hit the gallery below for glamour shots of the White and Black models.
To tell you the truth, we never knew you folks in the UK got your own version of American Gladiators. Growing up, we would catch the show after our usual dose of Saturday morning entertainment, as the sugar would take effect from all of the Lucky Charms we had while catching our toons, fueling our thirst to see folks get knocked into the water during Joust or tossed down several flights on the gigantic pyramid. Oh, to be young again.
But, hey, with the show's revival here in the States, it kind of feels like that again, if only a little. And now, with some thanks to Nintendo, our friends across the pond can partake in bulky men and woman tossing around scrawny participants, too! Nintendo has shelled out £1m to make sure you can get your Gladiator fix, ensuring that those of you watching in the UK won't get the annoying ads that we do in between the carnage. Instead, you'll see ads for Wii and other Nintendo-related goodies. Better, no?
A third-party project was underway during the Neo Geo Pocket Color's short (but beautiful) life to add Game Boy and Game Boy Color functionality to SNK's handheld. Ganksoft Entertainment began by working on a software emulator capable of running GB/GBC software on the NGPC. The project was cancelled before the emulator was finished, due to SNK's dramatic exit from the console market. The screenshot shows roughly what state the emulator was in. Of course, with no software, the hardware never came to fruition either.
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We're at that point in the year when time just seems to fly by, so 
The 
Marvelous and developer Asmik Ace will release a DS game based on the Tokyo Majin Gakuen franchise on August 21. The supernatural anime and manga series are in turn based on the Tokyo Majin Gakuen: Kenpucho series of adventure/RPG games on the PlayStation and Playstation 2.
We knew about the 
For how much some of you enjoy your DS, we'd think you had a pouch for the device grafted into your skin. As such, we thought about what kind of effect playing all the time could have on someone's life. We then thought about the addiction of enjoying great DS games, and how they could drive a person to play when it's not really appropriate to.
Got a Wii? Then boot up the Wii Shop and download the just-released Nintendo Channel so you can get your DS demos! The new channel also features several videos, including game trailers. We watched the 
We hope you haven't already put in a preorder for 
