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.
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 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.
Pokémaniacs, take note: between now and the end of June, the Nintendo World Store in New York will be offering Darkrai as a free download. That means you've got precisely twenty-seven days to save up for and book a flight/ferry/coach ticket to the Big Apple to scoop one of the more elusive thirteen Legendary Pokémon in Pokémon Diamond or Pearl (note: there are certain other methods to obtaining Darkrai that lack scruples).
If you were looking for a perfect excuse for a break in The City That Never Sleeps, this could be it. Just don't forget to send us a postcard.
Fast food chain McDonalds is to launch a new download service in Japan tomorrow, through DS download stations located in 21 Tokyo branches of McDonalds and train stations along the Tsukuba Express line.
The scheme, dubbed "Nintendo Spot," is currently in a trial period, and will give DS owners access to free downloads featuring the latest "McDonalds news" (this just in: you need to learn to cook for yourself), nutritional information, and menus, as well as actual news, weather reports, horoscopes, a Brain Training demo, and hotel/restaurant guides for Tokyo (though we assume that guides to rival restaurants won't appear in McDonalds). The trial ends on June 30th in McDonalds, and on December 28th at the railway stations.
Incidentally, our machine translation is picking up something about a "downloadable gift" related to Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. Here's hoping the service heads west so we can find out more. While you wait with us, make the jump for a look at Ronald McDonald's offspring as perceived through the eyes of Japanese advertising executives (warning: slightly NSFW).
We're sure that some of you will be buying Pokémon Platinum (whenever it ends up coming out here) just for this thing, so here's a nice clear picture of it. This is the new form of Giratina, Platinum's cover Pokeman. Dengeki labels it the "Origin" form, and it's pretty clear that this is some kind of larval stage in the Ghost/Dragon Legendary Pokémon's development, with spikes sticking out where its legs go.
The screen shown in the CoroCoro scan, with the male trainer's new jacket, is also available in higher quality at the link, along with another screen featuring some mysterious shadow thing.
It looks like (surprise!) just like every other generation of Pokémon games, Diamond and Pearl are going to be joined by a third almost-identical game. Will you be up for another round in Platinum, or was one (or two) of the same game enough for one console generation?
We'd also like to go into your gaming history. Have you always bought all three variations of each Pokémon game? If not, what made you pick the one (or ones) you did? Do you regret buying multiples of the same game?
Circuit City seems to be the place to go for cheap Pokemon games this week. While a few stores are offering Pokemon related deals to celebrate the release of the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games, Circuit City has some of the better ones that we've seen.
The best deal is Pokemon Emerald for the GBA, which the retailer is offering for $14.99. If you want something more modern, though, you could pick up either Diamond or Pearl, which are marked down to $24.99 for the week. Also, if your sights are set on one of the Mystery Dungeon games, purchasing one at Circuit City will net you a free Pokemon action figure. Unfortunately, we don't know what these figures look like, but since they're free with the purchase, we're not all that concerned.
The best part is that these deals are offered online at CircuitCity.com, too, so you don't have to actually leave the comfort of your own home and, you know, socialize.
The latest issue of CoroCoro Comic has turned out to be a gold mine of Nintendo rumors, as a scan of the magazine has revealed another very believable rumor about a big Nintendo franchise. This time they're strongly implying that a new Pokémon game will come out this year, and that it'll probably be the third game in the Diamond and Pearl series.
Since, as the chart here indicates, every pair of Pokémon games are followed by one of these 'remakes' (except for FireRed and LeafGreen, which are themselves remakes), we find this rumor completely plausible. And Pokémon fans, who have been conditioned into a collecting mentality, will buy the game for a third time.
For those of you who picked up Pokemon Battle Revolution on the Wii, there's a special mystery gift awaiting you. Once you get the gift, which you can receive by solving a couple of click-happy puzzles set up by Nintendo, you can transfer it to your copy of Pokemon Diamond and/or Pearl on your DS. So what is the gift?
It's a mystery, how should we know? We'd like to find out, but in the fast-paced, life-and-death world of blogging, we don't have the time to solve the mysteries of Pokemon gifts. Be sure to let us know what it is when you find out, though!
It's been a good year, but sadly, like all those other years, it must come to an end. Before we roll out the red carpet for 2008, however, we wanted to give 2007 the send-off it deserves -- and what better way to do that than by offering up huge prize packs for our loyal readers? All you have to do is leave a comment on this very post telling us which DS model(s) you own, between now and December 26. The giveaway closes that night at 11:59 p.m. EST, and we'll announce the winners, chosen in a random drawing, on December 27. You may only enter once per day, and as usual, entries are limited to legal U.S. residents age 18 and older. Please check the official rules for any other questions.
But enough of the details -- let's get to the prize packages!
DS Fanboy's End of Year Fanswag Blowout Grand Prize
Limited Edition Gold DS Lite + The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (bundle) ($149.99)
Nintendo DS headset ($9.99)
Custom Robo ($29.99)
Dementium ($29.99)
Drawn to Life ($29.99)
Fullmetal Alchemist: Trading Card Game ($19.99)
John Deere: Harvest in the Heartland ($29.99)
Mega Man ZX ($29.99)
Pokémon Diamond ($34.99)
The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night (GBA) ($19.99)
Geometry Wars: Galaxies swag
Dementium skin
Pokémon Diamond stylus
Cruise on past the break to see the rest of the prizes!
The British gaming industry sales watchers at MCV are reporting today that the DS has overtaken both the PS2 and PC in unit sales and overall market value in the UK. They attribute the little portable's triumph to its strong sales since Easter, as well as bumper crop of high quality releases, including Pokemon Diamond and Pearl and More Brain Training, that currently account for over 15% of the all game sales!
While sales of Apple's iPod might indicate otherwise, one has to wonder how long the DS can hold onto its worldwide domination. But by then, it'll be time for some new colors or an even sleeker form factor. Onboard flash memory, anyone?
Pokemon Diamond and Pearl have been out for just over two months, and we suspect that there are still plenty of you out there playing. Either you've picked your copy up after the release date (which we always do) or you're just still working on catching and training those little buggers. Pokemon is a fairly deep game despite its apparent childishness, so it can take a long time to finish (or to decide to stop playing.)
So who's still playing regularly? We ask because we're slowly building up our team in anticipation of a glorious future Game Night in which we can compete in a non-awful fashion. We emphasize slowly-- it turns out that work often takes time away from leisure activities. Outrageous, we know.
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)
Remember that 
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.
Fast food chain McDonalds is to launch a new download service in Japan tomorrow, through DS download stations located in 21 Tokyo branches of McDonalds and train stations along the Tsukuba Express line.
It looks like (surprise!) just like every other generation of Pokémon games, Diamond and Pearl are going to be joined by a 
Circuit City seems to be the place to go for cheap Pokemon games this week. While a few stores are offering Pokemon related deals to celebrate the release of the 
_thumbnail.jpg "Prince of Persia: The Fallen King")
