We were pretty impressed with the trailer for Dragon Ball DS at first. Not just because the game's 3D graphics are so impressive, but because we thought we were witnessing the first Dragon Ball DS media not to feature Bulma lifting her skirt.
We thought this for one minute and twenty-three seconds. We get it, Banamco! It's a famous scene from Dragon Ball, and it makes a clever use of the DS screens, and also it's good for pervs. Move on!
Speaking of moving, the game continues to look really awesome -- fast-paced and action-packed in a way that the real Zelda games never were
Posted Jul 9th 2008 10:15AM by Phil Larsen
Filed under: News
We know. The DS handles storybook adventure games extremely well, so it's no problem hearing announcements for new additions to the genre. The latest Famitsu has revealed a number of new images for Koei's new anime-style adventure, Saihai no Yukue.
The problem here is that it looks a little too eccentric for the American market, where our good friend Phoenix Wright just managed to sneak in and cause a stir. It's scheduled for a Japanese release in Q3 2008, so any news of localization should be heard relatively soon. Looks interesting and/or rad.
Making the most of its multiple media production, Sega debuted two new commercials for its forthcoming World Destruction DS game during the Japanese premiere of its accompanying World Destruction anime series. The videos are blurry, and there's less than fifteen seconds of actual in-game footage between the two clips, but you can still see a preview of the JRPG's combat! Plus, one of the girls totally kicks a prison door off its hinges.
Sega has also announced that it will throw in a "premium soundtrack" for anyone who puts in a preorder for World Destruction's September 18th release in Japan. The CD will contain five tracks picked out by composer Yasunori Mitsuda, whose name you should recognize from his work on Chrono Trigger and the Xenosaga series. Jump past the break for the album cover and second commercial!
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.
Want to get your hands on Bangai-O Spirits before its August release? Then head on over to California and go to this year's Anime Expo. Not only will you get to play this gem of a game, but the entire DS Fanboy staff will envy you for your hands-onBangai-O experience.
Another DS game that will be playable is, of course, Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2. Would you really expect the orange-clad Ninja not to make an appearance? So, if you plan to stop by the Expo, make sure to check out D3 Publisher's booth (901) for some fun times on the DS.
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.
More manga/anime adaptations head DS-ward, this time in the form of Zettai Karen Children (Absolutely Lovely Children). Konami grabbed the license for the series and is making it into an RPG for the DS, which comes out on September 4th in Japan.
We never heard of Absolutely Lovely Children before, well, yesterday, but the story focuses around three young girls with ESP. It's not uncommon for people to have ESP (in this manga/anime-verse), but these ten-year-olds have the highest level of the power. The government thus forms them into a seemingly elite unit known as "The Children."
Since more details on this recently-announced-yet-soon-to-release game have yet to surface, it might be worth checking out some of the screens below to see if the style appeals to you. Keep in mind, though, that Zettai Karen Children DS: Dai-4 no Children probably won't be localized outside of Japan.
Gallery: Zettai Karen Children DS: Dai-4 no Children
World Destruction isn't just a game. Apparently, Sega wants to create a worldwide media onslaught of WD information. There's the standard JRPG in development, a TV-destroying anime, and even comics hitting the stores. To assault all your senses, a weekly web radio show has now been announced, to begin airing on July 3rd.
The show will be a blog of sorts, with various members of development staff coming in every Thursday to discuss project updates and reveal detailed World Destruction information. Voice actors Furuya Toru and Yuuko Kobayashi will be hosting, and producer Youiti Shimosato will be the go-to guy for any specific questions.
It's all in Japanese, so that's kind of a problem. Minor setback -- go ahead and tune in anyway. In order to learn a new language, you need to listen to it at least once, right?
Ears and eyes are on high-alert with every potentially awesome Neon Genesis Evangelion game. Even though some sketchy first details were examined, a true Eva fan doesn't give up hope that easily. Shinji didn't, Misato didn't, and Iruel didn't, even after adapting to toxic ozone, until finally being destroyed by the quick fingers of Ritsuko and the power of the Magi ... what? Ah yes, the game ...
Neon Genesis Evangelion Asuka DS should be pretty lousy, akin to Princess Maker with Eva characters. No brutal combat or complex storyline -- just playing around with some anime girls as they go about their daily lives (with some obligatory mini-games thrown in). If the above anime seduction isn't enough for you, pop on over to Famitsu for a few extra screens. Want to play a little dress-up? Follow your dreams with Rei and Asuka.
The good news just keeps coming for Neon Genesis Evangelion fans. Famitsu has listed a new Evangelion game en route to the DS (yes, there wereothers) on August 28, lovingly called Neon Genesis Evangelion Ayanami Ikusei Keikaku DS with Asuka Hokan Keikaku. If you can't comprehend that title, it's because you're thinking in Japanese. If you must think, do it in German!
The publisher is Broccoli and the price will be ¥5040. Those are the only details available -- but hey, go ahead and order it anyway! It's probably a port of the PS2 girl-raising sim of the same name, only with the added ability of touching Rei and Asuka. NGE has a huge fan following everywhere around the world (and not just for the touching thing), but is there even a slight chance this might see a release outside Japan? If your lungs aren't already filled with LCL, don't hold your breath.
Another anime-to-DS adaptation is heading to Nintendo's handheld, this time for the series Ghost Stories (known as Gakkou no Kaidan in Japan). This game by Compile Heart will be an adventure title, in which you investigate the disappearance of a friend. We love the combination of adventure and horror, so we hope to see this get localized.
Spencer Yip from Siliconera speculates that Gakkou no Kaiden DS will see an international release, which eases our minds a little bit. Something to be aware of for those unfamiliar with Ghost Stories, though, is that the game probably won't scare you. Even though it can be considered a horror title because of the subject matter, the animations and tone are meant to appeal to younger teens.
This also won't be the first Gakkou no Kaidan software in existence. A game based on the anime and manga was made for the GBA four years ago, but was essentially a compilation of minigames. The DS version thus sounds much more enticing.
Another of Success's mysterious summer releases has been revealed. Yawaraka Sensha is your basic match-three-or-more puzzle game, in which touching an area of three or more contiguous same-colored items will cause them to disappear. But we totally love it simply because of the license. Yawaraka Sensha (Soft Tank) is a series of Flash animations about adorable baby tanks who are simply too cuddly and delicate for war.
In addition to the main puzzle mode, which tells an original story, there are (adorable) minigames, the ability to customize a lil' tank, and even a mode in which you can mess with a Yawaraka Sensha and promote various reactions. For the first time, we now want to hug tanks.
Advocates of in-game clips need not raise their voices, as the publisher has put out an alternate trailer with combat scenes , as well as another movie advertising the planned anime, World Destruction: The Six People Who Destroy the World, both videos embedded past the post break. We're sure that were it possible, Sega likely would have put together a trailer for the upcoming World Destruction: Two Angels manga, too.
The trailers and details for the mix media production were debuted at a recent Sega meeting, in which the game's scheduled Japanese released date (September 18th) and 2 gigabits cart were revealed. The game includes some 300 event scenes, a large variety of maps, and, in particular, a large set of voices. World Destruction will be making the most out of all that space, featuring over 300 event scenes, a generous amount of maps, and an impressive set of voices. Check our gallery below for screenshots, character art, and CG grabs from the trailer!
For those of you still waiting to get your hands on Bleach: Dark Souls (we realize a great deal of you imported it because you show up at Game Night), check out our gallery below. We just updated it with a bunch of new images from the game. Hopefully, it'll help you with that wait.
Courtesy of Famitsu, we're treated to new screens of Namco Bandai's Zelda-like 
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.
Want to get your hands on 
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.
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The good news just keeps coming for Neon Genesis Evangelion fans. Famitsu has listed a new Evangelion game en route to the DS (yes, there 
Another anime-to-DS adaptation is heading to Nintendo's handheld, this time for the series Ghost Stories (known as Gakkou no Kaidan in Japan). This game by Compile Heart will be an adventure title, in which you investigate the disappearance of a friend. We love the combination of adventure and horror, so we hope to see this get localized.
Another of Success's mysterious 
