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Posts with tag cute

E308: Namco Bandai's Panda game dated for U.S.

The first English-language screens of Namco Bandai's National Geographic Panda have emerged from E3, as well as a North American release window of this fall. We also received a smattering of gameplay details, listed beneath the almost unforgivable title of "It's PANDA-MONIUM!"

According to these, the aim of the game is simply to rear your own Baby Panda or Giant Panda (you can tickle and play with them via the touchscreen, as you would a Nintendog), keeping them fed, clean, and happy during their time in Panda Park (which, incidentally, changes depending on whether you play at day or night).

To do this, you'll get a daily allowance which can be used for panda food or toys (such as ... gherkin-shaped see-saws?), and as you play more, further Baby Pandas will gradually begin to "move" into Panda Park, which is probably just Namco Bandai's way of avoiding the whole panda sex thing. Probably for the best.


[Via press release]

Two glorious minutes of Stafy action



Talking of stars (tenuous link ahoy!), GameTrailers has posted a Japanese launch trailer for Densetsu no Stafi 5 (Legend of Stafy 5). Every aspect of the title seems to be covered here, from Stafy's various incarnations to the co-op adventure that the brave little star undertakes with sister Stapy.

There's also some impossibly cute "dress Stafy up" mode (visible at around 1:32 in the trailer) which we omigosh must play now.

National Geographic Pandas are no slackers



We simply can't fault Namco Bandai's inspired decision to develop a game based on panda bears. When it comes to pandas, there is no universal divide in opinion (as there is with dogs and cats) -- everybody is a panda person. That kind of popularity can only be gained from being extremely cute and extremely rare.

Launching in Japan on July 31st, purchased copies of Panda-San Nikki (National Geographic Panda) will probably be anything but rare. That's because this game is freakin' adorable, as the latest screenshots in our gallery demonstrate. There are more pandas on see-saws, pandas trying to roll on a ball, pandas using a slide, pandas in hats -- in fact, Game Watch reckons there are over 800 animations (pandamations?) on display here. We always thought these wonderful creatures just sort of sat around, but they seem to be rather active!

Cuteness overload in these new Legend of Stafy 5 screens and boxart


It's been a little while since we got some eyecandy for Legend of Stafy 5. Well, that's changed, as Dengeki has uploaded a couple of new screens from the upcoming title, including the game's boxart. And, we don't have to tell you how damn cute the game is. It's like that Mikey kid times a billion.

Head on over to Dengeki for the screens.

Recipe for a Smile: Grab one of these cases



Strawberries. Fairy tales. Cute pigs. Lots of gingham. There can be no doubt that Etsy user SmileRecipe's DS cases veer towards the so-cute-it-hurts end of the spectrum, so if that's not your thing (in others words, if you're the manliest of men), then skip this post, eh?

For those of you still reading, we chose four of our favorite designs by SmileRecipe and popped them in the gallery below. For just $12, you can get a case that will hold your DS and a couple of spare cartridges, and attract plenty of funny looks (if you're a dude).

"Fairy Tale" case
"Cute Pigs" case
"Red Riding Hood" case
"Strawberries" case

Gallery: SmileRecipe's DS cases

Stafy is a star and so much more



This just in: the fifth game in Tose's Densetsu no Stafy series will continue the tradition of making bloggers "awwww" themselves silly with its ludicrous levels of cuteness.

New scans from Famitsu confirm that, just like its immediate predecessor, Densetsu no Stafy: Taiketsu! Daiiru Kaizoku-dan won't be light on the saccharine imagery, and also that Stafy has a new friend for his latest adventure: Rampa (?) the space bunny. According to the magazine, Rampa will be able to transform Stafy into other creatures, including a seal and a dragon, which will in turn help our squishy, five-pointed hero progress through the game.

We find Stafy's dragon transformation adorable.

Show and Tell: Droopy

In today's Show and Tell, we're not bothering with the fleeting relationships we sometimes have with skins or cases. Today, we're examining the hardcore dedication required for permanent mods. When you really like something, you get it etched into the very surface of your DS.

At least, that's what one reader did, with cute little tarepanda. See the finished result in all its glossy ebon glory in the gallery below, along with a few other choice pieces from Drew's collection.

Gallery: Drew's etched DS (Show and Tell)



Show and Tell is all about your stuff, so long as it's Nintendo-related. We love to see your collections, your crafts, your frosted creations, your t-shirts and swag of all sorts. Just snap a few pictures, tell us what's up, and send it all to showmeit [at] dsfanboy [dot] com. We'll take care of the rest.

Gamestop preorder bonus for Harvest Moon DS Cute is cute


Gamestop can be so cruel to our wallets. We try to resist their silly preorder bonuses that come with games, but at times it's too hard to ignore the temptation.

The most recent battle of wills comes with Gamestop's bonus for Harvest Moon DS Cute. If you couldn't tell from the picture above, it's a plush cat! That may not seem like a big deal for many of you -- after all, what's another cheap stuffed animal? -- but here at DS Fanboy, we love cats (especially the "lol" kind). Maybe not as much as we love pugs, but we digress.

We like the Harvest Moon series anyway, so normally preordering this game wouldn't be an issue. Yet, since two Harvest Moon games are coming out pretty close to each other, we were hoping to spend our money on Island of Happiness instead. Cute is essentially the same game as Harvest Moon DS, except that the main character is a girl rather than a boy (plus, a few other minor additions). Island of Happiness, on the other hand, is a completely new game with a Lost in Blue meets Harvest Moon concept.

We probably won't waver in our decision to stick with Island of Happiness, but if you're a fan of the franchise and haven't played Harvest Moon DS yet, this preorder bonus might make the purchase a worthwhile one.

[Via Siliconera]

Show and Tell: DIY gamer production


Not enough gamers in your life? Make more! That's what many parents are trying to do with their babies. Oh, not literally (or, on second thought, maybe quite literally), but rather, they're trying to encourage gaming in their children from a very young age. Reader John is one of those parents. He's been busily combining two awesome things: bonding with his infant son Micah and playing DS games.

Let it also be said: Micah has some serious hair. That's almost a Final Fantasy-level of awesome right there. On the sadder side of things, for some reason, the sight of my DS Lite seems to make my new son cry. This is tragic, and we can only hope it's a phase.

Have a gaming child? We love to show off your spawnlings, no matter how small. Just snap some pictures of them (or of anything else you have that's Nintendo-related), tell us what's up, and send it all to showmeit [at] dsfanboy [dot] com. We'll take care of the rest.

Continue reading Show and Tell: DIY gamer production

2008's Biggest Blips: Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness


Developer: Marvelous
Publisher: Marvelous/Natsume
Release: June 8

When it comes to light-hearted, adorable games that make us want to smile, the Harvest Moon games top the list. The formula is relatively simple: grow and harvest crops, woo boy/girl, forge friendships, lather, rinse, repeat. Yet, if playing Harvest Moon doesn't tug at your heartstrings even a tiny bit, you're probably the kind of person that eats babies for a living. Not that there's anything wrong with that (in fact, we have an excellent barbecue sauce recipe, if you're interested).

In case you need even more evidence that the Harvest Moon series is full of feel-good games, the two upcoming entries for the DS are subtitled Cute and Island of Happiness. How much sweeter can you get without dying from an immediate sugar coma?

Borrowing a page from Lost in Blue, Island of Happiness kicks off with your character and a handful of friends stranded on a deserted island. As the game world changes and the number of buildings increases, more and more people start settling there. The game features 100 different NPCs, some of whom are bachelors (or bachelorettes, depending on whether you start the game as a girl or boy) that you can woo and marry. The game also features 3D graphics and utilizes stylus controls, thereby making full use of the handheld's capabilities.

We only wish more games could be as relaxing and refreshing as those in the Harvest Moon series. As far as we're concerned, all games could use a good dose of Harvest Moon in them. To prove our point, we've made a few suggestions of game mash-ups that we'd like to see happen.

1. Harvest Moon meets Contra in Super Seed

Is it just a coincidence that one of the heroes of Contra is Lance Bean? If you ask us, this game is just begging for a Harvest Moon infused sequel.

2. Harvest Moon meets Resident Evil in Mansion of Magical Itchy ... Tasty

Did you ever stop to think that zombies need a little love, too? Did Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine ever take the time to invite the zombies to a festival, or try to gain some heart points with a platter of fried brains? Maybe impaling people is just the tyrant's way of indicating that he'd really like someone to bring him a kebab.

3. Harvest Moon meets Metroid in Metroid Prime: Gatherers

Samus has done enough hunting. It's time for her to switch gears.

4. Harvest Moon meets Castlevania in Dawn of Happiness

Castlevania needs to turn that frown upside down. Dawn of Sorrow? No thanks, Debbie Downer IGA.

5. Harvest Moon meets Dementium in A Wonderful Ward

Ending up in a mysterious place without knowing why you're there isn't uncommon in the Harvest Moon games. If one of these protagonists ended up in Redmoor Hospital, we're sure they'd spend their time planting crops and making friends with the locals.

Gallery: Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness


N+ Back Come the revolution

Two cute anime games for Japan

These two games are almost intolerably cute -- our internal cute-ometers are spinning out of control, having long since passed "awwww". The first, Yes! PreCure 5, is an isometric 2D action game from Bandai based on a magical girl anime. The premise of the anime involves, according to Wikipedia, a girl named Nozomi receiving a "Pinky Catch" from a pink butterfly, thus enabling her to transform into "Cure Dream", at which point she begins assembling a team of young girls as "Pretty Cure." Each member of Pretty Cure has her own special attacks, like "Mint Protection!" and "Cure Lemonade!"

Hapi Hapi Clover is too cute to be the work of humans. We assume that some cuteness-making computer is working night and day churning out dangerous levels of cute, stopping only for Mallomars and hugs. The game is an adventure game with included minigames (an adorable Breakout-type game is shown in the link); the anime and manga seem to be about rabbits having cute adventures in the woods -- and learning.

Read - Yes! PreCure 5
Read - Hapi Hapi Clover

Gaming to Go!We debate the hot topics!

This Month's New Games

Name Date
Bleach: Dark Souls
Oct 6
Legend of Kage 2
Oct 6
Crash: Mind Over Mutant
Oct 6
Spectrobes: Beyond the Portals
Oct 6
My Japanese Coach
Oct 14
Korg DS-10
Oct 14
Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2 Oct 14
FIFA Soccer 09 Oct 14
Populous Oct 14
Rock Revolution
Oct 14
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
Oct 21
Theresia
Oct 21
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows Oct 21
Away: Shuffle Dungeon
Oct 21
Tornado
Oct 21
Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon
Oct 21
What's Cooking? With Jamie Oliver Oct 21
MySims Kingdom
Oct 28
Ninjatown Oct 28

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