Members of Japan's Pokémon Daisuki Club will soon be able to (enter a raffle to potentially) buy a Giratina edition Nintendo DS Lite bundle, consisting of Pokémon Platinum and a swoon-worthy Lite that has been subtly branded with the Platinumcover star.
Like many limited edition DSes, supply is expected to be short, so hopeful owners will have to submit an entry form to enter the draw, where they could win the right to give Nintendo money -- ¥21,600 ($203), to be precise. The raffle ends on July 14th (and is for Japanese residents only), and 1,000 of the names drawn will be eligible for an even rarer metallic Giratina figurine. Remind us again, please: why are we still living in not-Japan?
The DS found itself back in cozy old third place in this week's chart, as the hype from Metal Gear Solid 4 died down a bit in Japan:
PSP: 59,531 (5,325)
Wii: 41,037 (4,527)
NDS: 36,599 (2,602)
PS3: 20,336 (54,975)
PS2: 6,346 (951)
Xbox 360: 2,555 (392)
Meanwhile, Let's Make a Pro Baseball Team's steady climb back into the top ten makes us wonder if supply just wasn't meeting demand a few weeks earlier, when the game fell out of the top thirty.
Yet overall, the DS had a relatively boring week in terms of software, with no exciting new releases to congratulate or poke fun at (unless you consider the budget-priced re-release of Puyo Puyo 15th Anniversary "exciting" and "new").
If you want to see what Japanese gamers were buying last week, though, just click on past the break.
Hey, guess what? You can buy Super Smash Bros. Brawl on Amazon today (and today only) for $25.99!
What a minute -- why are we posting about a Brawl deal on DS Fanboy, of all places? Because, friends, that's just the tip of the iceberg. Amazon is offering up nine Nintendo deals today, which (if our guesses are correct) includes five DS games.
Since all of the said games are published by Nintendo you might own most of them already, but if not, they're games that are definitely worth getting for cheap. So, all you stingy folks that are able to order from Amazon.com should check past the break to see what Gold Box sales are in store for you today.
The Japanese site for the Pokémon 151 shirt series has opened, revealing in full the designs for all four shirts in the first set. We think it's interesting to see how different the styles are among the shirts: the Mewtwo and Articuno shirts look like promotional apparel for some European sports team, the Cubone shirt resembles a tattoo more than anything else, and the Hypno shirt has an interesting silhouette style.
Oh, and just in case you thought the shirt was a bit creepy before: the full design reveals that he is kidnapping children! Either that or two kids have just decided to follow the mind-controlling monster.
Europeans, rejoice! Today brings news regarding release dates for DS titles up until the beginning of next year. The list is populated with plenty of high-profile titles, yet is woefully absent of a certain Professor Layton. There's also a concrete confirmation that Trials & Tribulations is headed your way, even though we kind of knew that already.
Even more odd is the inclusion of Sonic Unleashed in the list past the break. Is the game coming to the DS? Maybe, but it seems more likely that this is nothing more than a typo.
The "self-help" era is upon us, even finding its way into the video game industry as of late. Aside from the obvious fitness awareness game on Nintendo's other system (we mean Wii Fit, of course), there have been quite a few attempts to help gamers improve their lifestyles and habits. Take, for example, the upcoming My Weight Loss Coach and Ubisoft's "Easyway" title to help people quit smoking.
Our favorite approach so far, though, was when DS Fanboy reader Dan used Pokémon to quit smoking. If there's anything we've learned from Dan's inspiring story, it's that the best way to curb an addiction is to replace it with another. We then decided that we wanted to help more of our fine readers that are suffering from such torments day in and day out. Pokémon may cure smoking, but what about other plaguing ailments? We're happy to say that after months of testing on monkeys and small children, we've finally come up with a few perfect video game cures.
So, look no further than Dr. DS Fanboy, and check out our ultimate self-help guide to find the fixes for your addictions.
Here's something unexpected: a line of Pokémon clothing that we wouldn't mind letting ourselves show people! The adult-focused "Pokémon 151" series of T-shirts presents selected Pokemans from the Red/Blue era in bold, artsy, The King of Games-style designs.
Four shirt designs, featuring Hypno, Mewtwo, Articuno, and Cubone, are now on sale in Japanese Pokémon Center locations. The official website for the line will open on the 26th. In the meantime, we're left battling the bizarre feeling that we might ... like a shirt with Hypno on it. Another picture, showing partial images of all four designs, follows the break.
Just as we were starting to get comfortable with the DS coming in third consistently on the Japanese hardware charts, Metal Gear Solid 4 came out and helped push our favorite handheld down to fourth. Fourth! Meaning, it only did better than the PS2 and 360. Snaaaaaaaaaaaaaaake!
DS hardware did get a little boost, though, despite the fact that not much new software made its way into the charts:
Playstation 3: 75,311 (64,455)
PSP: 64,675 (2,659)
Wii: 45,564 (925)
Nintendo DS: 39,201 (4,181)
PlayStation 2: 7,297 (1,018)
Xbox 360: 2,163 (117)
There were some surprises this week, as Let's Make a Pro BaseballTeam! found itself back in the top thirty (so did Pokémon Diamond). But, you can just see all the hot software action for yourself after the break.
Can we just say, Nintendo: loving the boxart for Pokémon Platinum. Whereas the art for Diamond and Pearl relied on darker, more subdued colors, Platinum's box employs a striking combination of red, black, and white, blasting out in beams from the center of the cover. It's almost as though cover star Giratina is leaping right out of the box at the viewer/shopper. He's coming to get you, kids! That will be under your bed tonight! Muahaha.
As well as the cover, GAME Watch also has a small pool of character art (featuring Regice, Registeel, Regirock, and Regigigas) and screens (which can be found in our gallery). It looks ... well, pretty much like the samegame you bought last year. Will that stop you buying it? Nope, thought not.
Remember that haaauuuuge list of Japan's 500 highest-selling games of 2007? Well, sorry, but you'll have to forget them all. Yep, every last one of 'em. That's because we now have a new list which is also claiming to feature the 500 best-selling games of 2007 in Japan. This one has been compiled by Enterbrain (the original was from rival data-gatherers Media Create), and it's ever so slightly different.
The good news is that, despite the origins of each list being different, the overriding message is still the same, and that message is: DS rules all yaaay. Both lists agree that Wii Sports was top dog, but the top DS games have been jumbled about. Now, for example, it is the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Explorers games that are top of the DS pile, while Mario Party DS drops to second. The changes are subtle, but definitely exist. Hit the break to see the top ten DS games!
We're crying for Namco Bandai's Tears of 99 right now, as the game debuted in the twenty-third spot this week. We guess Japanese gamers just didn't feel like being bummed out, and therefore avoided buying this original title. Sad, indeed.
The latest issue of CoroCoro Comics has some more information to lay down on the foundation already built by the mag. Aside from knowing that the game exists, as well as its Japanese release date, there's just not much we have to go on. Until now, that is.
Some scans of the latest issue (via The Tanooki) have released online, giving us a clearer picture of what's going down in this latest title. For one, the title will star two completely new trainers, as well as re-clothe Lucas and Dawn. There will also be a new area of the map unlocked, which is being labeled as "Torn World" right now.
Also of note, a certain Pokémon movie monster available to folks in Japan will be transferable to Platinum, also allowing you to capture Regirock, Regice, and Registeel in-game. To check out the rest of the scans, head on over.
With Nintendo dominating both the console and handheld markets, their key franchises have installments on both platforms. Focusing on the DS, which key franchise do you believe has the best entry? Phantom Hourglass?
It would probably be New Super Mario Bros., for us. That game is pure Mario Bros. fun. But, what do you all think? Of all the entries in Nintendo franchises on the DS, which one is your favorite? Pokémon Diamond & Pearl? Let's hear it!
We have to tell you, whenever we see that king of the burgers, we immediately think about training pocket monsters. Or greasy food. We can't really recall at the moment.
But, someone at Nintendo and Burger King think the two are a hot ticket, as it's revealed that Burger King will be offering Pokémon-based prizes in their kid's meals. We can't say we're surprised, given Nintendo's recent enthusiasm with fast food outlets. Included in each kid's meal will be a Pokémon Trading Card Game card and accessory. There will be 12 different Pokémon TCG cards and accessories available through this promotion.
The promotion will start on July 7th and runs until August 3rd domestically, and throughout the late summer and fall internationally. The press release also lists a site here, but it's currently down.
Posted Jun 8th 2008 12:00PM by JC Fletcher Filed under: News
[Update: fixed dates!]
Deoxi? Deoxes? However you want to pluralize it, Gamestop is offering downloads of that Pokémon in stores from the 20th to the 22nd and again from the 27th to the 29th. Deoxys is a Psychic-type Pokémon who has four different forms. If you're still playing Pokémon Diamond and/or Pearl, or if you have an overwhelming obsession with the catching of them all, bring your DS and game down to the store and be prepared to be hassled about preorders of games you don't want.
A few years back, NASA used Deoxys to help teach related science concepts like DNA to youngsters. And now GameStop's using Deoxys to help get youngsters inside GameStop!
The DS found itself back in cozy old third place in this week's chart, as the hype from Metal Gear Solid 4 died down a bit in Japan:
5,325)
392)
Hey, guess what? You can buy Super Smash Bros. Brawl on Amazon today (and today only) for $25.99!
The Japanese site for the Pokémon 151 shirt series has opened, revealing in full the designs for all four shirts in the first set. We think it's interesting to see how different the styles are among the shirts: the Mewtwo and Articuno shirts look like promotional apparel for some European sports team, the Cubone shirt resembles a tattoo more than anything else, and the Hypno shirt has an interesting silhouette style.
Europeans, rejoice! Today brings news regarding release dates for DS titles up until the beginning of next year. The list is populated with plenty of high-profile titles, yet is woefully absent of a certain Professor Layton. There's also a concrete confirmation that Trials & Tribulations is headed your way, even though we kind of knew that already.
The "self-help" era is upon us, even finding its way into the video game industry as of late. Aside from the obvious fitness awareness game on Nintendo's other system (we mean Wii Fit, of course), there have been quite a few attempts to help gamers improve their lifestyles and habits. Take, for example, the upcoming My Weight Loss Coach and Ubisoft's "Easyway" title to help people quit smoking.
Just as we were starting to get comfortable with the DS coming in third consistently on the Japanese hardware charts, Metal Gear Solid 4 came out and helped push our favorite handheld down to fourth. Fourth! Meaning, it only did better than the PS2 and 360. Snaaaaaaaaaaaaaaake! 
We're crying for Namco Bandai's Tears of 99 right now, as the game debuted in the twenty-third spot this week. We guess Japanese gamers just didn't feel like being bummed out, and therefore avoided buying this original title. Sad, indeed.
The latest issue of CoroCoro Comics has some more information to lay down on the foundation already built by the mag. Aside from knowing that the game exists, as well as its Japanese release date, there's just not much we have to go on. Until now, that is.
We have to tell you, whenever we see that king of the burgers, we immediately think about training pocket monsters. Or greasy food. We can't really recall at the moment.
_thumbnail.jpg "Prince of Persia: The Fallen King")
_thumbnail.jpg "Mega Man Star Force 2")
