This story came and went in a puff of smoke on many sites -- maybe for clarification? -- but GoNintendo still has the information up, and since it is so very exciting, we felt we had to share. Move over, Sim City ... Populous is headed to the DS! For those not familiar with the title in one of its many previous incarnations, Populous places players in the role of a god with a single human follower, and from there, you're charged to build an entire civilization. But you're not alone -- and the DS version is set to capitalize on that aspect with a four-person multiplayer mode. Between the handheld's portability and touchscreen functionality, we're very much excited about this latest news!
1UP still has the title listed, but their short preview seems to be down. Little information is available at this time, but we'll keep an ear to the ground for anything that develops.
GoNintendo offered us an updated look at the DS version of MySims, and we must say that we're pleased to see such vast improvements. The few review scores that are in so far are all over the place, however, so the jury is still out on whether or not the updated graphics will be enough. If you're picking up the DS version, let us know what you think!
The updated screenshots are in the gallery below, along with some older shots for comparison.
We puzzled out the basic mechanics of the DS edition of Boogie by watching a gameplay video, and we'd heard about the 3D-glasses gimmick (worked for The 3-D Battles of WorldRunner, right?) along with the first confirmation we received of the game. But there's plenty to Boogie DS that we didn't know, and this Pocket Gamer hands-on covers a lot of that information. Except for the big question of so is the game any good, but that's not really the jurisdiction of the preview.
For example, the minigames. We knew they were coming. The minigames described in the preview include tambourine-playing, spotlight-chasing, and a very special one that makes us laugh heartily: moving a slider back and forth to control your dancer's mouth movements, for the purpose of lip-syncing. Magical!
You can also create clothing decals for your character's shirts, should you desire to advertise yourself or your interests on a big pink Earl-looking thing.
We haven't seen too much of the DS version of next month's EA Playground until now, and we think we know why. While the game certainly doesn't look bad, we're seeing some repetitive aspects in the minigames that seem less than appealing. Can't we shoot spitballs from another location or something? Only time -- and the final game -- will tell. One thing's for certain, though: the skateboarding looks like it could be fun. We may prefer getting our dodge ball fix elsewhere, however ....
Why can't publishers be more charitable with preorder gifts in the states? We're doing them a favor whenever we put down an advance for one of their games, giving retailers an idea of how many they should order to stock their shelves. Japan and Korea seem to get reservation rewards for almost every release!
The latest preorder prizes, a branded system pouch and a stylus set, come with EA's SimCity DS and MySims, both due later this month for Korea. Publisher Fujitsu was more creative with its Cooking Mama gift, offering a limited edition pair of cooking mitts to any gamer who reserves the kitchen-themed minigame collection. Hand over five bucks and head past the post break for more photos of the bonus items.
On the Wii, Boogie was half karaoke game, half waggle-dance game. Obviously the DS version doesn't allow you to wave your arms around to dance, which means that the game had to be adapted for the handheld format.
Luckily for us, it's been adapted into what looks like a much more familiar rhythm game. For each motion or instrument (headbanging, tambourine, etc.) you touch the screen in a different manner, but always in response to onscreen cues, and always in a location indicated by an icon. The different icons are just window dressing, basically, since you're now tapping the screen to the rhythm. It's less whatever-you-want-to-call-Boogie and a little more Ouendan. This short video shows some of the motions involved in playing Boogie on the go, accompanied by a Commodores cover.
EA's game might have received some bad reviews, but that's not stopping them from trying to milk as much money from it as they can. So, what do you do when your console game is so broken a baby can beat it? Move it into the handheld gaming space, of course!
The title will feature several different gameplay modes and a new approach that should make it more palatable for on-the-go gaming. Not only that, but the game will also be bundled with a pair of 3D glasses, allowing you to not only sound like a dork in public as you play the game, but also look like one as you wear the glasses.
Should you wish to see some screens for the game, be sure to hit up Nintendic here.
EA has released some screenshots of their mixological nongame, Bartender DS. And, in our opinion, it actually looks really neat! Each drink has a complete recipe as well as background information about its history and creation. You can search by ingredient or even by type of glass. And with over 850 different cocktails, you'll run out of money long before you run out of recipes.
EA has truly done a brilliant job of catering to an expanded audience. This software could turn anyone with a DS (and advanced Japanese skills) into an ad hoc bartender instantly. And with its guided recipes, we could see this becoming more useful for the occasional mixologist than a book or even the cocktail tumbler with drink recipes printed on it.
Microsoft and THQ have announced that the hit series of Zoo managing games will receive its second installment on the DS. In Zoo Tycoon 2, players will be doing a lot more of the same, with some new features tossed in for good measure. In Zookeeper mode, players can now tend directly to animals in a 3D environment.
Also, the DS version of Zoo Tycoon 2 will have some stuff the PC version doesn't. Besides the already mentioned Zookeeper mode, there will be new animals and environments to enjoy. Players can share data wirelessly with other owners of the game, as well.
Zoo Tycoon currently has an early 2008 release date.
Sure, we know, we could just fold up a piece of paper and knock everything off a table, but there's no excuse not to be excited about the inclusion of paper football as a side game in the next iteration of Madden. There are a number of other additions coming to the handheld version as well (like some much-needed improvements to gameplay), but this is certainly the one we're most giddily excited about. Could this be an offshoot of EA's take on the casual game revolution? If so, it's an aspect we're favoring, and we can only hope that paper football matches are part of the coming online elements. Because, really, if we have to be in close proximity to our sliding-paper opponents, what's the point? We've got some scrap paper around here somewhere ....
The NeoGAF forums have been flooded with a variety of boxarts for upcoming Japanese DS titles. Such titles include Chibi Robo Park Patrol, It's a Wonderful World and the above, EA's Bartender DS. Personally, we could use Bartender DS, as our mixed drinks are anything but, well ... drinkable. So, if boxart is your thing, be sure to hit up the NeoGAF thread.
The precocious wizard Harry Potter, despite not really existing, has managed to cast a spell to lower the price of his DS game by ten dollars, to $19.99. Uh-oh, it's magic! He can only keep it up for one day, and only on one site (Amazon.com) because it takes too much strength to maintain such powerful magic, and Harry's got to get his sleep for, we don't know, a Potions test or a Quidditch match or whatever the funniest Harry Potter reference would be.
Though it would delay the shipping and nullify the release-date guarantee, we'd like to remind you that adding this to your order of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows would make the order eligible for free shipping. The DS game includes a children's movie ticket for the Order of the Phoenix movie as well, so if you can legitimately pass for a child (or if you are a child), you could have a triple threat of Potter media consumption in one order.
Though the Nintendo DS version of The Simpsons Game won't have the 3D frills that its console counterparts will feature, that's perfectly fine with us! We didn't need 3D to enjoy The Simpsons' license when it was an arcade game in the 90s, and we don't need it now!
Judging by these first two video previews, the family's first foray onto our dual-screened system looks fantastic! As expected, the 2D platformer is teeming with references and characters from the show, even including a a level where you get to eat your way through the Land of Chocolate. According to Game|Life, Electronic Arts will be packing the handheld title with 2000 lines of spoken dialogue.
We weren't impressed with most of the minigames we saw unlocked in Noiseland Arcade, but the "Pet Homer" Nintendogs spoof definitely made us smile. We've always wanted a donut-chomping lout of our own to poke, feed, and care for. Do the Bartman and dance past the post break for GameTrailers' developer walkthroughs.
We were taken aback by these screens of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. They look fantastic. It could be using prerendered backgrounds to display these artistic views of Hogwarts, but whatever it is, it's working. Whenever Harry is walking around the (strangely empty) building, it's breathtaking, and one of the nicest-looking adventure games we've seen on any platform.
And then we see the other screenshots. The combat-- for which you apparently rotate the DS Brain Age style, and the magical minigames. They might be fun, but they don't quite evoke ICO in the same way as the environments do. Oh, well, this is still amazing for an EA licensed game.
Accio free tickets! GameStop and Electronics Boutique are both offering a free Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix movie pass with every online purchase of the film's Nintendo DS and Wii games.
Due for release this June 25th, the action adventure title tracks the hocus-pocus hijinks of the lightning-scarred brit and his friends' fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Though we can't reveal whether or not Hermione dies in this one, we can summon up the console-universal trailer that Electronic Arts released not too long ago. Head past the post break to Platform 9¾ for the embedded video.
This story came and went in a puff of smoke on many sites -- maybe for clarification? -- but GoNintendo still has the information up, and since it is so very exciting, we felt we had to share. Move over, Sim City ... Populous is headed to the DS! For those not familiar with the title in one of its many previous incarnations, Populous places players in the role of a god with a single human follower, and from there, you're charged to build an entire civilization. But you're not alone -- and the DS version is set to capitalize on that aspect with a four-person multiplayer mode. Between the handheld's portability and touchscreen functionality, we're very much excited about this latest news!
GoNintendo offered us an updated look at the DS version of 
We puzzled out the basic mechanics of the DS edition of Boogie by watching a 
We haven't seen too much of the DS version of next month's 
EA's game might have received some bad reviews, but that's not stopping them from trying to milk as much money from it as they can. So, what do you do when your console game is so broken a baby can beat it? Move it into the handheld gaming space, of course!
Microsoft and THQ have announced that the hit series of Zoo managing games will receive its second installment on the DS. In Zoo Tycoon 2, players will be doing a lot more of the same, with some new features tossed in for good measure. In Zookeeper mode, players can now tend directly to animals in a 3D environment.
Sure, we know, we could just fold up a piece of paper and knock everything off a table, but there's no excuse not to be excited about the inclusion of paper football as a side game in the next iteration of Madden. There are a number of other additions coming to the handheld version as well (like some much-needed improvements to gameplay), but this is certainly the one we're most giddily excited about. Could this be an offshoot of EA's take on the casual game revolution? If so, it's an aspect we're favoring, and we can only hope that paper football matches are part of the coming online elements. Because, really, if we have to be in close proximity to our sliding-paper opponents, what's the point? We've got some scrap paper around here somewhere ....
Though the Nintendo DS version of 
Accio free tickets! GameStop and Electronics Boutique are both offering a free 
