If you played Etrian Odyssey (parte the firste), then the beginning of the sequel will be no surprise to you. If you haven't, you're in luck -- Etrian Odyssey II takes the same approach as the first title, with a mini-tutorial hidden in the beginning of the game. In the early stages, you can't go wrong.
Enjoy that little feature while it lasts ... and it doesn't last long. After that, Etrian Odyssey quickly becomes one of the most difficult experiences to date on the DS -- but it's also one of the most fun. Heroes of Lagaard isn't for the faint of heart, though, so if you glaze over when we wax philosophic about Shiren and Izuna, this one may not be for you. If you're willing to jump in, though, Heroes of Lagaard will deliver one of the best gaming experiences of the year.
It seems quite likely that Atlus's release of Master of the Monster Lair and Marvelous/Rising Star Games' European release of Dungeon Maker will share the same English translation. In that case, these screens of Dungeon Maker should also be screens of Master of the Monster Lair -- and even if they aren't, we can accept the possibility of seeing the same Japanese phrases translated two different ways, if only in the name of international accord.
Of course, our understanding of the game is that it's about a kid who uses a magic shovel to create dungeons, which fill up with monsters that he then kills. Who could tell when something like that has been translated accurately?
Genius modder Kotomi is at it again. A couple of years ago, he redid a DS Phat in the old Famicom colors -- his favorite console, apparently -- but as he recently came into some free time, he realized it was time to live in the now. At least, as "now" as you can be when doing a modern system over in the colors of a retro console.
With a black DS Lite as his base, the modder worked his magic, and the result is simply stunning (and shiny!). Kotomi says he's got some more projects in the pipeline at present, so we'll be keeping an eye on this master.
Want more? We've got a few of his other, older projects in the gallery below.
Preorder a game and you can get anything from a plush chicken to a boobtastic poster, to the worst stuffed Phoenix Wright we've ever seen. But, all complaints aside, extra free stuff is always nice when it comes with something you were going to buy anyway, even if it's not the best quality. But our question on this fine Monday morning is: has a preorder bonus ever tempted you to buy something you might not have purchased? Do they dicate where you buy your games?
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!
If you're having trouble finding your way to a copy of Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of Lagaard, then try your luck in our current contest! The giveaway winds down tomorrow, but since you can enter once per day, that means you have two more chances to get your name into the DS Fanboy hat. To enter, just head over to the original post and leave a comment. It's that easy!
The Izuna 2 poster situation has officially become ridiculous. Atlus has revealed that the cover of every copy will not feature the same mini-poster on the reverse; rather, each copy will have one of two pieces of arttwork. In addition, they've released the winning design from the Amazon poll.
With the Gamestop-exclusive poster, there are now four different Izuna 2 posters. Each copy ordered from Amazon or GameStop will include two, one of which can be chosen. Crazy people can try to collect them all by ordering one copy from each retailer and just hoping for two different posters on the boxes.
There seems to be a lot of disparity amongst reviewers who write about games, as well as the readers who read them. For example, while some consider a 5.0 to be a middle-of-the-road score, others take that as a sign that a game is trash.
When it comes to review scores, what do you consider "low?" Will you ignore games if most reviews fall in that range? What kind of score ratings, if any, do you prefer most?
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!
If Europeans feel their food has lacked variety and flavor this week, they've only themselves to blame. Cooking Guide: Can't Decide What to Eat? was a bit of a failure with consumers, despite our predictions of great things for the title last week, so don't come moaning to us when your beef bourguignon goes awry! Only the UK showed a mild appetite for the non-game, pushing it to 19th. New International Track & Field, meanwhile, didn't even get close to any chart.
Still, it's not as though Euro consumers Can't Decide What to Buy -- most top tens are filled with the usual suspects, at least until next week, when Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift and Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword arrive on our fair shores. Until then, scour all manner of charts past the break!
There are already severalhomebrew 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!
In case you haven't seen the ridiculously popular anime or read the Wikipedia page, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is about an impulsive high school girl who also happens to unwittingly possess the ability to control reality. Her friends in the "SOS Brigade" after-school club, who all have supernatural or extraterrestrial connections except for irritated Everyman Kyon, attempt to keep her from getting bored (and thus remaking the universe) while also hiding the true existence of aliens, psychics, and time travelers from Haruhi.
We had to explain all that for the concept of the new DS Haruhi game from Sega to make any sense. It's a board game in which the SOS Brigade rushes to solve unexplainable incidents and destroy evidence of otherworldly activity before Haruhi shows up. At least, that's as much as we can figure out. Not that it matters -- sales of this game will occur based entirely on the strength of whatever preorder bonus Sega and Haruhi publisher Kodansha decide to throw in.
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.
Recently, MTV Multiplayer's Stephen Totilo made the observation that more people play PSPs on New York City subway trains than DSes. Which system do you see more in the wild, though? Does it depend on where you are at the time?
If you've ever come across someone you didn't know with a DS, have you ever ended up randomly playing a game together?
Just as with our beloved DS Lite, DS Fanboy Lite is like the original, but smaller. Sleeker. Only not necessarily better. Herein you can see some of the best we've had to offer in the last week, encapsulated for your reading ease.
It seems quite likely that Atlus's release of Master of the Monster Lair and Marvelous/Rising Star Games' European release of Dungeon Maker will share the same English translation. In that case, these screens of Dungeon Maker should also be screens of Master of the Monster Lair -- and even if they aren't, we can accept the possibility of seeing the same Japanese phrases translated two different ways, if only in the name of international accord.
Genius modder Kotomi is at it again. A couple of years ago, he redid a DS Phat in the old Famicom colors -- his favorite console, apparently -- but as he recently came into some free time, he realized it was time to live in the now. At least, as "now" as you can be when doing a modern system over in the colors of a retro console.
Preorder a game and you can get anything from a plush chicken to a boobtastic poster, to the worst stuffed Phoenix Wright we've ever seen. But, all complaints aside, extra free stuff is always nice when it comes with something you were going to buy anyway, even if it's not the best quality. But our question on this fine Monday morning is: has a preorder bonus ever tempted you to buy something you might not have purchased? Do they dicate where you buy your games?
There seems to be a lot of disparity amongst reviewers who write about games, as well as the readers who read them. For example, while some consider a 5.0 to be a middle-of-the-road score, others take that as a sign that a game is trash.
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.
In case you haven't seen the ridiculously popular anime or read the Wikipedia page, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is about an impulsive high school girl who also happens to unwittingly possess the ability to control reality. Her friends in the "SOS Brigade" after-school club, who all have supernatural or extraterrestrial connections except for irritated Everyman Kyon, attempt to keep her from getting bored (and thus remaking the universe) while also hiding the true existence of aliens, psychics, and time travelers from Haruhi.
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.
Recently, MTV Multiplayer's Stephen Totilo made the observation that more people play PSPs on New York City subway trains than DSes. Which system do you see more in the wild, though? Does it depend on where you are at the time?
