A new batch of European release dates has suddenly materialized from Nintendo, and is packed with all sorts of exciting confirmations. The most thrilling, for us at least, is the news that Flower, Sun, and Rain will be getting that rumored European release this October, followed by Lux Pain in November. If you want to know where to send your effusive "thank you" letters, Rising Star are the ones in charge of localizing both titles. Other items of interest include a specific launch date for Bakushow, and Euro versions of Pokémon Platinum (big surprise, right?) and Dungeon Maker.
But here's a question: what's with DS Novel? It's been hanging around on these lists for the best part of eight months now, and we're still no nearer to learning a release date or what it even is. Check out the full list for yourselves past the break!
For this blogger, the only manga experience accrued has been in the form of reading the greatest thing ever made. Other than that, this blogger has no experience with the medium. So imagine how excited we were when we received Josh's tip about The Legend of Zelda manga possibly releasing to North America.
The rumor stems from a listing for the manga at Canadian retailer RightStuf. It says the 200 page book will be releasing on October 7th of this year and published by VIZ.
Considering the lack of concrete evidence supporting the claim, we're going to keep this one marked as a rumor for now.
Regular readers of our sister site, Wii Fanboy, will probably already know how an investor report revealed that Kirby and Animal Crossing games for the Wii were still on for a 2008 release in Japan.
Fortunately, Siliconera's hawk-eyed Spencer Yip spotted something for DS owners, tucked away near the bottom of the list: DS Novel. It's only listed for Europe currently, but could this be an English language localization of DS Bungaku Zenshuu, the non-game that crammed 100 Japanese literary classics onto a single DS cart? Spencer certainly thinks so, and we're struggling to imagine what else it could be.
If this guess turns out to be correct, would you embrace this as a revolution in reading, or stick to traditional, more dog-eared methods? More to the point, which books would you want to read on your DS?
Lest you forget the upcoming All Hallows' Eve holiday, The Moon Books Project has been posting horror-themed content almost every day, stacking its shelves with DS-compatible novels and movies. They're downloadable for free and completely legal, so you won't have to fear any threatening "I Know What You Downloaded Last Night" letters from the MPAA bogeymen.
Already, the site has put up over a dozen classics like Nosferatu and Fall of the House of Usher. Even if you don't have the homebrew hardware and software (Moonshell) needed to view the files on your DS, you can still scare yourselves silly with iPod/PSP-formatted and streaming versions of Night of the Living Dead.
Templar Publishing and Codemasters have struck a deal to release some games based on the Ology series of books. Due to hit the DS and Wii late next year, first three books in the series, Dragonology, Wizardology and Pirateology, are going to be the first of the titles to grace the systems.
The difference in the DS and Wii versions of the games are supposedly going to be fairly vast, with the DS versions offering more of an interactive book experience. While we might have seen this idea as a little odd following the launch of the DS, for how many other non-games the system has, we're sure these interactive books will find their audience.
Everyday, someone makes an adorable video game artifact to make his or her daily life slightly nerdier, out of nothing but love for the games. Meanwhile, all we do is hang around here and talk endlessly about Pokemans and pseudo-pornographic witch-touchery.
This Mario journal was made from the outer cover of a hardbound book, covered with corduroy. Each teensy felt pixel of the Mario sprite was then stitched on by hand. We considered trying this ourselves, but we remembered where all of our writing goes, and we don't want to make a cover big enough to fit over the Internet.
Here's an interesting break from the educational training games: an educational book about games.Secrets of Video Games is a textbook about the game industry, written in manga format and sent to libraries and primary schools.
Unlike the video game books we grew up with, this textbook covers serious subjects like the business of the game industry. It's being published by Capcom, who has dabbled in the game industry somewhat. This should help prepare a generation of Japanese children to obsess over sales numbers on NeoGAF.
Remember Moon Books? It seems they've gotten pretty popular, since mastermind Brandon is in the process of upgrading to an expansive new site. Since we first reported on the project, several new titles have been added for use with the homebrew text viewer; no matter your pleasure, from Herodotus to T.S. Eliot, if you're a litgeek, this is some of the best stuff the homebrew scene has to offer. For now, it looks like most of those archives are on the old site, but we expect they'll be moved over directly.
If there's a title you'd like to request, or if you have questions about Moon Books, it's probably a good time to ask, before the spankin' new forums get cluttered.
The "interactive novel" Hotel Dusk: Room 215 has been swimming its way around the United States for over a week now, bringing people back to their roots with gritty, film noir style. But, alas, we cannot forget our comrades on the other side of that large, salty blue thing. Europeans, get ready from some pencil-sketch, because Hotel Dusk is dropping on April 13th.
The game has created quite a bit of controversy over whether or not its even a "game", per se, but our experiences with it so far have been rock solid. Though we won't be compiling a full review on the game (at least for quite awhile), Hotel Dusk receives a solid recommendation based on dialogue, graphical style, and originality. Americans and Europeans alike, give it a run for your money.
The adventure genre peaked in the early to mid 90's. And then it crashed. Hard. As it trudged along through the years, essentially dead but for rare gems like The Longest Journey, it slowly faded from the minds of modern gamers.
The point-and-click capabilities of the DS have certainly given the once-zombified genre a much-needed jolt. We've seen excellent offerings, including the superlative Phoenix Wright series, the soon-to-be-released Hotel Dusk: Room 215, Trace Memory, Lost in Blue, and a few others (let's not even mention the ScummVM homebrew project). But the DS gives these games something they could have never had in the nineties: absolute portability. It's almost as though these games compete directly with the classic novel, something which has never really been seen even amongst the myriad of gadgets anyone can go out and readily purchase.
Our question is this: how does a DS adventure game compare to that of a classic book? What would you rather whip out on the way to work? Phoenix Wright2 has had our hearts and minds in a legal grip for days on end. You may not look as smart as those punks reading Vonnegut, but that's okay. You look cooler.
Back when the "Ivalice Alliance" was announced and a sequel to Final Fantasy Tactics Advance was unveiled, there was some confusion over which handheld system would reap the rewards. Surely, the DS is the hottest thing since the SN 1054 supernova in the Crab Nebula, but the "Advance" moniker was unsettling.
Just kidding. No it wasn't. Square-Enix aren't a bunch of fools, and with the intense support they've been showing lately toward the machine of the future, this announcement was merely a formality. Hopefully, FFTA2 won't be a mess of obscure gameplay rules and can bring back what made the original Tactics so great ... Calculators.
Chocobo and the Magic Picture Book launched in Japan today and, in full-on Square-Enix fashion, was accompanied by an event in Shinjuku. Consumers were also greeted with this snazzy little pouch as a bonus gift upon purchasing the title. It's said that the final game features over 40 different mini-games and you can bet we will be getting our hands on it should it release stateside.
In the latest update for Chocobo and the Magic Picture Book, some info relating to the game's battle system and characters is revealed. The game is to feature 3 playable characters in (the obvious) Chocobo, Shiroma (a White Mage) and Chromo (the Black Mage responsible for bestowing the book upon our yellow-feathered protagonist). The game's villain is Bebazu, who is sealed within the magical book in the game's title of the same name.
The battle system for the game is card-based. Using cards causes them to be gone for good, however after you win each battle you are gifted with new cards, so your deck is very much a renewable resource. It is also said that there will be character cards, like the ones present in Final Fantasy VIII, so discretion is certainly advised.
Everyone loves the chocobo. And why not? He's got his own theme music, he's the best ride in all of Final Fantasy, and then there's the whole "Wark!" business. No one can resist the fluffy giant chicken. You think you can? Oh, brother, we have something for you. It's the new Chocobo and the Magic Picture Book trailer, and it is cuteness personified. No matter how crusty or curmudgeonly you think you are, this trailer is guaranteed to make you murmur, "Aww," at least once. And hey, these days, it's hip to be sensitive. Just let it out, man. We won't tell.
The trailer is embedded after the jump, and it really is just as precious as ... well ... things that are extra precious, like babies and gold rings with scribbles. Even malboros, one of the most fearsome enemies in the FF-verse, seem totally cuddly, despite our memories of their bad breath.
While there is still no word if the US will see the Square-Enix Final Fantasy spin-off, Chocobo and the Magic Picture Book, those who plan on importing it anyway will be pleased to hear that it got a release date.
Chocobo and the Magic Picture Book will reach Japanese shelves December 14, 2006.
With the web site up and screenshots a plenty, we hope to hear more about the title coming to the States. Square certainly is showing the love for gamers this year. This Fall has been a Final Fantasy overload and now they are hitting us with spin-offs. Square, we love you.
For this blogger, the only manga experience accrued has been in the form of reading the greatest thing ever made. Other than that, this blogger has no experience with the medium. So imagine how excited we were when we received Josh's tip about The Legend of Zelda manga possibly releasing to North America.
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Templar Publishing and Codemasters have struck a deal to release some games based on the Ology series of books. Due to hit the DS and Wii late next year, first three books in the series, Dragonology, Wizardology and Pirateology, are going to be the first of the titles to grace the systems.
Here's an interesting break from the educational 
Remember Moon Books? It seems they've gotten pretty popular, since mastermind Brandon is in the process of upgrading to an expansive new site. Since we 
The "interactive novel" 
The adventure genre peaked in the early to mid 90's. And then it crashed. Hard. As it trudged along through the years, essentially dead but for rare gems like The Longest Journey, it slowly faded from the minds of modern gamers.
Back when the "Ivalice Alliance" was announced and 
Chocobo and the Magic Picture Book launched in Japan today and, in full-on Square-Enix fashion, was accompanied by an event in Shinjuku. Consumers were also greeted with this snazzy little pouch as a bonus gift upon purchasing the title. It's said that the final game features over 40 different mini-games and you can bet we will be getting our hands on it should it release stateside.
While there is still no word if the US will see the Square-Enix Final Fantasy spin-off, Chocobo and the Magic Picture Book, those who plan on importing it anyway will be pleased to hear that it got a release date.
