There are a lot of games out this week. In fact, it makes other heavy weeks look absolutely empty, and yet, this blogger only has eyes for one game. In the shadow of Castlevania, there is so little room for anything else. Luckily, even with such a big list, there aren't a lot of contenders even trying for the spotlight.
Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?: Make the Grade
The above video is the best animated short made to advertise a video game you will see today (absolutely definitely), and maybe the best ever, even if this sort of marketing becomes commonplace. If it does? We all win, especially if the videos are half as good as this one, made by Production I.G. and Gonzo.
Below? The best screenshots you'll see from a game advertised in this way. Basically, we're just offering you the best of the best here. That's easy when you're talking about Infinite Space, and considering the pedigree, probably easy to say about anything Platinum Games decides to do, ever.
With the unofficial Mother 3 translation project having reached its goal -- that is, its achievable goal of a playable English version of Mother 3, not the successful shaming of Nintendo into releasing one themselves -- we thought it was a good time to link back to our interview with Starmen.net's Reid Young from last year. And also to talk about the Mother 3 translation project in general.
Has the work of the dedicated grassroots Mother 3 movement made you into a fan? Did they make you aware of the series for the first time? Have you been following the progress of the translation? If so, we imagine this is a time to celebrate. Perhaps most importantly, does all this talk about Mother put that Danzig song in your head?
Thanks to the DS homebrew community, you can enjoy at least one rudimentary web browser, and thanks to Nintendo, you can enjoy ... well, one official rudimentary browser. Come the time of the DSi, a browser will be included, and web browsing will just become a part of the DS experience.
Or will it? Not only was the official browser not very engaging, but we just never felt much need for net-surfing from the DS. Does that appeal to you?
Listen, we're appreciative of all versions of Settlers of Catan (except the card game, mostly), but this is the version we've been waiting for: the DS-bound Catan: The First Island. Really, it could have been called Catan: A Crappy Version and we'd still be chest-bumping and high-fiving; on this one, we're easy to please. Got numbers? Resources? We can make jokes about sheep? Done.
There are no details available right now beyond the fact that there will be a DS version of the mobile Catan: The First Island released sometime, and it'll be similar to the game in the video above, but this is definitely one to keep an eye on.
One of the best things about the DS is that it's just so darn easy to transport. That means you can get your game on wherever and whenever. Stuck on the train? Time to game! Visiting the relatives during the holidays? Find a lonely corner and boot that sucker up (or even get your elders in on the action!). Our question is: where do you find is the best place for you to game? Where do you find is the best place for you to spend some quality time with your favorite handheld?
One of the biggest -- and weirdest -- surprises of E3 was What's Cooking? With Jamie Oliver. Far from a Cooking Guide ripoff, What's Cooking is some kind of hands-on cooking trainer combined with an interactive recipe book. It seems like, even if people don't want it or don't like it (or it turns out not to be good), significant enough thought (and budget) has gone into this game to prevent its classification as shovelware.
This NSFG (Not Safe for Greenhough) trailer doesn't feature any of the 3D kitchen stuff or the simulated cooking, focusing instead on the actual recipes. But man, that sweet potato soup sounds good.
Konami is wasting no time in bringing us grateful westerners Genso Suikoden Tierkreis. Siliconera's Spencer was informed by a representative of Konami's North American arm that localization was already underway, and that the U.S. would see the difficult-to-pronounce RPG in "early 2009,″ which Spencer took to mean Q1 2009. We should have all wrapped up Chrono Trigger by then, right?
What we probablywon't get are the incredibly expensive two special editions of the game, which will be available from Konami's Japanese online store. For ¥10,550 ($104), the Konami Style special edition (as seen here) will include the game, an artbook, the original soundtrack, a book cover, a bookmark, and a drama CD. The second bundle will throw in all of that andGenso Suikoden Volume 1 and Volume 2 drama CDs, a 2009 calendar, and a set of four cards, and will set you back ¥19,200 ($190!). Two for the fans, we think.
We were able to conduct a Q & A with David Nathanielsz, executive producer, Jesse Booth, producer, Greg Oberg, lead engineer, Jeremy Russo, lead designer, and Matt Helsom, lead artist, from the Vicarious Visions team responsible for Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades for the DS. They answered a lot of questions about the upcoming DS game, including fielding a question or two about the Nintendo DSi.
So, head past the break for our write-up and see what the fine folks had to say about the upcoming title!
We've looked at a couple of things lately -- cosplay and crafts -- that serve to remind us that the official Day of Costumes is just around the corner. Are you dressing up for anything this year? If so, gonna incorporate something from the gaming world?
Must confess that we are indoctrinating the boychild early ... my chubby baby is gonna be a moogle for his first Halloween. I'm going to just prep some cards with moogle information that I can hand out every time someone asks what he is, which will probably be about every four seconds.
Our latest giveaway has concluded and that means it's time we picked a winner. Who's walking away with a free copy of Mystery Case Files: Millionheir? It's none other than:
Congratulations to Hoshi. We wish you all better luck next time and thank you for reading. Keep you eyes peeled to DS Fanboy for our next giveaway, which will start up shortly.
We've known for a few months now that XBLA title Roogoo was being ported to the DS and now we finally have some screens to ogle. The screens are bright and colorful, showing us that Roogoo hasn't lost its visual appeal in the jump to DS.According to the fact sheet, the game will not only be a visual treat, but it will also support multi-card play, featuring "6+ different multiplayer attacks such as Meemoo Attack, Anvil Attack and Meteor Shape Color Attack." Roogoo DS is currently slated for a Q1 2009 release.
Hit up our gallery below and check out the fresh screens.
To promote the release of 5th Cell's strategy/action game Lock's Quest, THQ Australia is giving away a custom DS Lite, much like THQ is doing here. However, the Australian giveaway item is different from the US one -- and it comes with more stuff!
In addition to the custom airbrushed DS seen here (if you squint), one winner will receive a $2500 gift certificate to the Bunnings hardware store, a "giant-size adjustable spanner/wrench set," a backpack with a solar panel, and copies of The Dangerous Book for Boys and The Great Castle Search. Two more winners will get all that stuff minus the Bunnings money.
The method of entry is different, too: instead of playing a Flash game, contestants must describe a new turret for the game in 50 words or less. Here's an example off the top of our heads: "This turret fires a projectile that, upon contact with the ground, causes me to win contests."
How do you like your Chocobo: hanging with Cid, or, uh, hanging with Cid? While we're clearly gonna need to choose hanging with Cid, we'll offer a caveat -- everything Chocobo has to be super cute. With that in mind, while we know you're probably more interested in Chocobo's Dungeon DS+, that trailer is tucked away behind the break, because the above video, for the Chocobo Tales sequel, is just adorable.
Update: The staff has left the Game Night chat. Plenty of folks are still in there, getting their game on. If you'd like to check it out, then head right on in.
Thursdays are the best. Not only are we one day away from Friday (weekend, woohoo!), but we also get to take a break and enjoy some gaming with you guys. Frankly, it's what we live for, because when you're blogging so much, you often don't get a chance to stop and enjoy a game or two. Do you have Tetris DS, Mario Kart DS or Clubhouse Games? Any other online-compatible title? Then get in on the action tonight at 7pm ET!
For those of you unfamiliar with how this works, head past the break for all of the details. Hope to see you there!
Thanks to the DS homebrew community, you can enjoy 
Konami is wasting no time in bringing us grateful westerners 
We were able to conduct a Q & A with David Nathanielsz, executive producer, Jesse Booth, producer, Greg Oberg, lead engineer, Jeremy Russo, lead designer, and Matt Helsom, lead artist, from the Vicarious Visions team responsible for 
We've looked at a couple of things lately -- 
To promote the release of 5th Cell's strategy/action game 
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