We've already established that having the Atlus name on the front of a box is usually A Very Good Thing, and look! Somebody at Amazon must clearly have been listening to us, as the uber-retailer has the following Atlus-published titles up for sale:
That's not all -- while we were scrounging though Amazon's bargain basement section, we found a couple of other potentially worthy additions to your DS library:
We remarked yesterday how Theresia isn't the first survivalhorror title on the DS, but it's definitely shaping up to be the most eye-catching. We find the occasional use of color (usually red, in Theresia's case) nicely accentuates the largely black-and-white surreal visuals, making for a striking combination. You can see more in our new gallery for the game.
If you haven't already heard, this Arc System Works/Workjam collaboration is getting localized for North America this October by Aksys. Hopefully we'll be seeing some English screens soon, because we're looking forward to sinking our teeth into what sounds like a fairly highbrow plot!
Before Elebits: The Adventures of Kai & Zero was officially announced, Gamefly listed the game with an August release date. In fact, Gamefly still says August 14. That's oddly soon for a game that was just shown for the first time in June. Since the game's release, it's been bumped somewhat: the IGN reveal article said "this fall," for example.
Now Gamestop has assigned a different tentative date to the electricity-hunting sequel: October 28. That makes a lot more sense, in that it gives Konami some time to actually promote the game. Fall also makes more sense for a game that will probably be a high-profile part of Konami's lineup (since it is a sequel to a well-known Wii game).
Aksys has announced that it will be localizing Theresia, a title jointly developed by Workjam and Arc System Works, for a U.S. release in October. Not to blow our own trumpet or anything, but we prophetic DS Fanboy blogger JC Fletcher totally called this move almost five months ago.
The game will join a small but growing group of DS survival horror titles played from the first-person perspective, and incorporates many staple features of the genre: corridor exploration, the collecting of clues, and deadly traps.
It also appears to have a fairly dark storyline, including ... unusual family relationships. Aksys Associate Marketing Manager Harry Chang notes that the female protagonist "loves her mom... a lot". Could this be a reference to something incestuous? We've consulted resident psychic JC for another prediction, and used our "incest" tag, just in case.
If you haven't had a peek at Elebits: The Adventures of Kai & Zero, then poke your nose into our gallery and have a look around. Instead of motion-controlled hunting and grabbing, the sequel to the Wii game is taking a much more traditional approach. While we weren't terribly surprised by the shift to a top-down action/RPG style, we're still happy to report that it looks pretty cute, if not quite as original as the first game.
We'll likely see a lot more of Kai and Zero during E3.
Courtesy of Famitsu, we're treated to new screens of Namco Bandai's Zelda-like Dragon Ball DS game, and they're GONK-heavy. It seems that every time Goku strikes an enemy, a GONK sound effect appears. Is that just one GONK per combo, or does each hit meet with its own GONK?
Dragon Ball DS has two GONKing combat modes: hand-to-hand, in which Goku can carry out five-hit combos and activate the Kamehameha wave by rubbing the screen with the stylus; and staff, in which Goku can manage multiple enemies with his magical extending staff. Both combat modes are controlled with the stylus.
While it's pretty easy to translate Dragon Ball Z into video games in which nothing happens but spikey-haired glowing dudes fighting and growling at each other in the air, its predecessor, Dragon Ball, featured all kinds of weird stuff. For example, the big noodle-serving/fighting guy here is actually a shape-shifting pig who saves the world later by wishing for panties.
A stylus-controlled adventure in the wacky Dragon Ball universe sounds infinitely more appealing than playing another game about Goku floating in the air and "powering up." Dragon Ball DS will be out in Japan on September 18; no announcements have been made elsewhere.
Who doesn't have dreams of Brendan Fraser looking all cool as the swarthy hero Rick O'Connell? Honestly, The Mummy movies are pretty fun, and the upcoming movie The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor should be equally righteous. Since the movie will be tops, there's no reason the associated game of the same name won't be just as good, right?
Well, swashbuckling journeys have a certain special place in the DS library, but we're not sure if TM:TOFTDE will be quite the same. It's an action-adventure spanning many locations around the world, culminating in a battle with a DS-ified Jet Li -- after all, he's the bad guy in the movies. Provided the control is smooth and combat responsive (not unlike the reasonably okay Pirates of the Caribbean game), we might just have an epic journey worthy of taking along on another epic journey of bus and train-like proportions.
We knew this was coming, thanks to retaildatabases, but we had no idea what the actual game was going to look like or how it was going to play. Konami has officially unveiled the sequel to the Wii launch window game Elebits, this time on the DS. The Adventures of Kai & Zero trades the original's first-person perspective for a top-down Zelda-style 2D look. The gameplay still revolves around finding Elebits, but this time the environments are more varied, as are the Elebits: the "Omega Elebits" you hunt have more environmental abilities beyond electricity.
The new game features a Wi-Fi multiplayer mode for two players and local multiplayer for four. IGN has the first screens. We wonder why Konami decided to reveal this now? They'd almost made it all the way to E3.
French site Wiiz has several screenshots of Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir, Big Fish Games' new detective adventure game and leading candidate for most groan-worthy pun-based title of 2008.
As we know next to nothing about the game (typically for a Nintendo-published title, little has been revealed, despite its release date of September 8th being really close), these allowed us to indulge in some detective work of our own. Grabbing our deerstalker and magnifying glass, we discovered that the game's shameless punnery extends to the characters (see: Cole Minor, a gem prospector), and that the DS's microphone will come into use. Whether you're for or against implementing the mic in games, it doesn't look as though developers are ready to give up on it yet.
In case you haven't seen the ridiculously popular anime or read the Wikipedia page, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiyais 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.
Once more we must subject ourselves to the horror of Nanashi No Game, which is gloriously portrayed in this new trailer. The RPG of death is back with a vengeance here, and the video shows off many in-game exploration scenes along with suitably creepy sound effects.
The more media we see, the more we want it. The DS is hitting all the right chords with its continuous barrage of mystery, adventure and horror games, and this looks to be the most technically impressive and emotionally disturbing outing ever seen on a handheld console. Japanese gamers will be picking this up in just a few days on July 3rd, while American gamers cry silent tears and re-watch The Ring.
Nintendo is proudly boasting that it won't be waiting until E3 to reveal some of their biggest upcoming games. The new DS announcements for today are Kirby Super Star Ultra and Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir, both with new screens in the galleries below!
As a remake of the original SNES favorite, KSSU will use the touch screen to breathe new life into the existing mini-game compilation. Yeah, if the DS does anything well, it's mini-games. It'll be a totally revamped experience, with new Revenge of the King and Meta Knight Ultra modes in the works, including local wireless play. Kirby has done everything right so far on the DS, so we should expect greatness from the little pink blob on September 29th.
<insert witty segue here>
Yes, yes -- anothermysteryadventuregame is on the way in the form of MillionHeir. Get over that delightful play on words, and check out some of the previous games in the Mystery Case Files range. The DS entry will be a "painted scene" point-and-click adventure, where a cluey detective needs to find the rightful heir to a fortune. It seems like the standard pixel-hunt for inventory items and evidence -- but a multiplayer mode is also included, which is a pretty nifty addition for an adventure game. MillionHeir hits the stores on September 8th.
Because we didn't. Seriously: we had totally forgotten about Roachy Carruthers and Insecticideeven existing. The noirish bug detective title launched in the U.S. over three months ago, and as bloggers' memories are famously only fractionally longer than those of goldfish, there was little chance of ... um. Dang it, happened again.
Anyway, we deemedInsecticide to be a fairly inspired adventure romp that was held back by some tedious platforming sections, but if you're one of those Europe-based folks who enjoy great adventure games with horrible platform bits (a small group, for sure), then you'll be pleased to know that Insecticide is coming to your part of the world in August. Yes, it's five months late. But at least it's coming. Hurray.
NIS is including extra stuff with the DS version of Rhapsody, in addition to the inevitable Etna/Prinny cameos that will ensure that PS2-era NIS nerds will desire this PS1-era NIS remake. Cornet's trumpet-playing has been expanded into a minigame in which Cornet plays trumpet in the town square to earn Imotium chips from the townspeople. This takes the form of a minigame in which you blow into the microphone in time with an onscreen indicator.
Other new stuff includes a "Kansatsu Notes" feature, in which not only does the game provide a database of information about its characters and monsters, but the main characters offer commentary as well. Dengeki has posted tons of screens of these modes and other parts of Rhapsody.
We remarked yesterday how Theresia isn't the first survival horror title on the DS, but it's definitely shaping up to be the most eye-catching. We find the occasional use of color (usually red, in Theresia's case) nicely accentuates the largely black-and-white surreal visuals, making for a striking combination. You can see more in our new gallery for the game.
Before Elebits: The Adventures of Kai & Zero was officially announced, Gamefly listed the game with an August release date. In fact, Gamefly still says August 14. That's oddly soon for a game that was just shown for the first time in June. Since the game's release, it's been bumped somewhat: the IGN reveal article said "this fall," for example. 
Aksys has announced that it will be localizing Theresia, a title jointly developed by Workjam and Arc System Works, for a U.S. release in October. Not to blow our own trumpet or anything, but 
If you haven't had a peek at Elebits: The Adventures of Kai & Zero, then poke your nose into our gallery and have a look around. Instead of motion-controlled hunting and grabbing, the sequel to the Wii game is taking a much more traditional approach. While we weren't terribly surprised by the shift to a top-down action/RPG style, we're still happy to report that it looks pretty cute, if not quite as original as the first game.
Courtesy of Famitsu, we're treated to new screens of Namco Bandai's Zelda-like Dragon Ball DS game, and they're GONK-heavy. It seems that every time Goku strikes an enemy, a GONK sound effect appears. Is that just one GONK per combo, or does each hit meet with its own GONK? 
While it's pretty easy to translate Dragon Ball Z into video games in which nothing happens but spikey-haired glowing dudes fighting and growling at each other in the air, its predecessor, Dragon Ball, featured all kinds of weird stuff. For example, the big noodle-serving/fighting guy here is actually a shape-shifting pig who saves the world later by wishing for panties.
Who doesn't have dreams of Brendan Fraser looking all cool as the swarthy hero Rick O'Connell? Honestly, The Mummy movies are pretty fun, and the upcoming movie The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor should be equally righteous. Since the movie will be tops, there's no reason the associated game of the same name won't be just as good, right?
We knew this was coming, thanks to retail databases, but we had no idea what the actual game was going to look like or how it was going to play. Konami has officially unveiled the sequel to the Wii launch window game Elebits, this time on the DS. The Adventures of Kai & Zero trades the original's first-person perspective for a top-down Zelda-style 2D look. The gameplay still revolves around finding Elebits, but this time the environments are more varied, as are the Elebits: the "Omega Elebits" you hunt have more environmental abilities beyond electricity.
French site Wiiz has several screenshots of Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir, Big Fish Games' new detective adventure game and leading candidate for most groan-worthy pun-based title of 2008.
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.
NIS is including extra stuff with the DS version of Rhapsody, in addition to the inevitable Etna/Prinny cameos that will ensure that PS2-era NIS nerds will desire this PS1-era NIS remake. Cornet's trumpet-playing has been expanded into a minigame in which Cornet plays trumpet in the town square to earn Imotium chips from the townspeople. This takes the form of a minigame in which you blow into the microphone in time with an onscreen indicator.
