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DS Daily: FPS

The latest footage of Renegade Kid's Moon convinced us (and IGN's Matt Casamassina) that the game could be something special, though a few of you evidently still need some encouragement. In the comments, reader John B. argued that no matter how much impressive technology Renegade Kid throws at Moon, it wouldn't be enough, because first-person shooters just don't work as well on the DS.

We're of the opinion that the handheld currently lacks a great FPS, but do you think the DS will ever see a triple-A game in this genre, given its obvious technical limitations?

DS Daily: Near-death experiences

After spilling half a bottle of Coke across my DS earlier this week, this blogger immediately feared the worst. I need not have fretted, however. History has shown that Nintendo makes some pretty hardy, um, hardware, and after a frantic mopping and drying operation involving half the towels in the house and a hairdryer, the console functions perfectly. The R button is slightly sticky, but nothing major. It was a close call, mind you -- I very nearly had an excuse to buy one of the new red DS Lites! Bah.

What's the worst you've put your DS through, only for the tough little blighter to keep on going?

DS Daily: Importing from Europe

U.S.-based reader Sandy recently contacted us with a quandary: s/he (sorry, Sandy, we weren't sure!) is desperately attempting to track down a new copy of Billiard Action. Unfortunately, there appears to be one major obstacle: the game is only available in the UK and Europe, and Sandy is struggling to find anywhere that will send European games to the States. Ebay is one obvious answer, we suppose, but it has its downsides. Can any of our fantastically wise readers help out?

Incidentally, we feel Sandy's pain here -- it doesn't happen often, but occasionally a Europe-only release will be cruelly out of our grasp. Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland is one recent example of this, and Cooking Guide: Can't Decide What to Eat? will become another, when it launches tomorrow.

For the rest of you, where do you import your DS gear and games from? We all know about the likes of Play-Asia and NCSX, and as excellent as they are, are there any smaller sites you feel are just as worth buying from?

DS Daily: Gaming merchandise


Because we're all massive, shameless nerds here at Fanboy Towers, we like to bang on about gaming merchandise, be it plushes, gashapon, game soundtracks, figurines, or inflatable Slimes. We're not feigning enthusiasm for much of this, either -- our cluttered shelves are a testament to our love for non-game gaming items. We accept that so much of it is pointless, yet we find the desire to own a plush in the shape of a cartoon lawyer is not one that can be resisted by most mortal men.

Are you similarly hooked on gaming merchandise? Tell us about your collections, and make us feel better about ourselves.

DS Daily: Keeping it clean

Although this blogger personally prefers the cool, Mac-esque appearance of the Polar White DS (it is, after all, the perfect match for the Wii), there's a good reason I don't own one: it gets hella dirty, hella quickly. It's just fairly unavoidable -- the thing is called a handheld. Hands aren't always clean.

Not that DSes of a different shade are much better. Indeed, as beautiful as the DS Lite is, they all have their fair share of grooves for dirt to creep into. Fingerprints on the glossy casing and grime that accumulates around the edges of the screens are particular culprits.

So today's question is simple: what's your cleaning routine for keeping your DS sparkling and muck-free? How often do you give it a clean (you do clean it, right?), and are there any useful techniques you'd like to share for those of us who'd prefer to keep our DSes skinless?

DS Daily: Local laughs


It goes without saying that all of the DS Fanboy team are colossally (some would say inexplicably) popular. However, despite the fact that we're swimming in chums, here's something not a lot of us have: DS-owning friends who will play games against us on a regular basis. Like, in the flesh.

What about you lot? Do you have a large crowd of friends who are equipped with a DS and regularly indulge in local multiplayer? Or are you like most of us, sadly limited to battling over Force Gems and taking out tank units with strangers from afar?

DS Daily: Something extra

Like some sort of delicious extra content jam, Nippon Ichi is spreading exclusive content all over the DS edition of Disgaea: Prince of the Demon World and the Red Moon, hoping to reel in those who have already played previous versions.

Will what has been announced so far -- multiplayer, new characters, and touchscreen controls -- be enough for you hardened Disgaea veterans to pick up the DS game? And, speaking more broadly, how effective is extra, DS-only content at luring you into purchasing a game you've played extensively elsewhere?

Gallery: Disgaea

DS Daily: Playing catch-up

We're convinced that nobody finishes absolutely every game they buy, so which titles in your collection have you not yet completed? Do you have plans to return to them, or is your gaming schedule (or, heavens forbid, life) just too crammed right now?

Personally speaking, this blogger must be a good 80% through The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, but I suspect it was another blasted visit to the Ocean King's Temple that finally put me off. I've had my copy for around a year, and now it simply sits on my shelf, sneering at me. For shame.

DS Daily: That tricky extra dimension

Tecmo's announcement that Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff would be a "classic 2D game" cheered us no end. Too often for our liking, developers seem desperate to recreate the kind of 3D games we'd find on beefier home consoles, and the results are rarely pretty. This blogger recently got around to trying out Brothers in Arms (on the advice that the game was a technical marvel), and found it to be a mess of treacly frame rates and choppy visuals. If World War II had moved at this pace, we'd still be fighting.

Occasionally, however, 3D on the DS does work, and quite splendidly in some instances. It may sound odd, but I still consider Nintendogs to be one of the best uses of 3D on the platform, simply because it wouldn't have been a tenth as engaging in 2D. How about you, dear reader? What do you consider to be the finest 3D offerings on our humble handheld?

DS Daily: Addicted



My name is Chris Greenhough, and I'm an ... an ... Advance Wars addict. I can't put it down. I think about it constantly. While eating. While walking the dog. While out with friends. While waiting for buses. Every second of the day, I crave it. Occasionally, I'll even sneak in turns while blogging, surreptitiously hiding my DS in my coat pocket. An odd pot-shot at an anti-air unit here, a strike on my opponent's Dusters there. All while my colleagues aren't looking. I'm a mess.

I need help.

But sometimes, simply sharing can help. So let's do that. What do you play far too much of?

DS Daily: Who's got their skin on?



GelaSkins' awesome range of DS skins got us thinking about decorating our handhelds all over again, but who out there has already skinned their DS, and which design did you opt for? Better still, have any of you customized your own DS skin? If so, now is your chance to show it off (pictures are a must for this DS Daily, obviously), and perhaps even earn yourself some internet fame!*

* Amongst the people who read DS Fanboy comment threads.

Gallery: GelaSkins Nintendo DS skins

Valley of the Tinbots, Brandt PetersUrban Jungle, by DekoreTri-State, by Gary OdomToxicity, by Alex NoriegaThe Great Wave, by Katsushika Hokusai

DS Daily: Ritualistic



We know all too well about how regular life can get in the way of gaming, so we were wondering: is there a set pattern to when you play your DS? Perhaps you play late at night in bed, just before nodding off? Or does your handheld only really appear on the journey to work? Maybe (god forbid) you're the kind of gamer who likes to play DS first thing in the morning (to us, planning sorties before coffee is madness)?

Alternatively, you might just play whenever the hell you like. Damn students.

DS Daily: Taking the lead

News that Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth is to get his very own Gyakuten Saiban game was greeted by much hollering in the DS Fanboy dungeons. A number of our staff have genuine fixations about the brooding, dandified lawyer, and they're not alone.

But now Edgey has his own game, which other secondary characters do you reckon deserve the same treatment? We'd rather you didn't say Luigi, as that's a bit obvious, and anyone calling for Luke of Professor Layton fame plainly deserves an electrified cattle prod to the face. Those two aside, choose away.

DS Daily: Return to Hope Hospital



Good old Trauma Center. Preposterous storyline, not even remotely medically accurate, and a difficulty curve with all the consistency of lumpy custard. But hey, despite its flaws, we quickly fell in love with Atlus' unconventional surgical sim. It was one of the very first DS titles to really use the touchscreen convincingly, and the execution was, on the whole, superb.

And now -- rejoice! -- there's a sequel planned, complete with improved surgical tools and a lower difficulty level for scalpel jocks like us. That's all well and good, but is there anything that you'd like to see done differently in Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2?

DS Daily: Super Bangai-O Brawlers



There's a considerable number of DS games out there that we cherish, but Super Dodgeball Brawlers and Bangai-O Spirits must rank amongst our greatest obsessions.

By a happy coincidence, both titles recently released within days of one another in Japan, so the next question is obvious: as the U.S. still has a couple of months to wait for these gems, did you buckle under the pressure and import either? If so, we'll be happy to place our extreme envy to one side for the time being, and listen to your impressions! We're nice like that, see.

Gallery: Bangai-O Spirits


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