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Black Tiger, Black Tiger, burning bright

Posted Aug 26th 2008 7:30PM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: Homebrew, Screens

We didn't even know that we wanted Black Tiger ported to the DS, but now that programmer Alekmaul has revealed that he's working on a homebrew emulator for the Capcom arcade game, we are all over this business like hair on the floor of a barber shop. Really, it's quite disgusting.

Alekmaul hasn't revealed much about the project, except that it's coming this September sporting a 60 fps frame rate, likely without any sound due to technical difficulties implementing the audio. For now, you'll have to settle with the screenshots below!

If this is your first time hearing about the game, Black Tiger was originally released to arcades in 1987 before later being ported to various home computer systems and game compilations for the PSP/PS2/Xbox 360. Designed to be the spiritual successor to Ghosts 'n Goblins, the game stars a barbarian on a quest to slay three dragons.

Gallery: Black Tiger DS

Wacky Japanese games, emulation, DS Fanboy's recommendations, naughty homebrew: our recent week of homebrew coverage had it all. Don't be put off if you're a beginner, either -- we have guides and a glossary for the newest of newbs.

Free SHMUPs: OpenTyrian DS and World Reborn

Posted Mar 28th 2008 12:00PM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: Homebrew, GBA, Video

What a great time to be a handheld shoot-em-up fan! On the commercial front, Nanostray 2 just hit store shelves and Ketsui DS is still on the way. Homebrew gamers had their lives changes by Super Wings's release last week, and now they have two more titles to play with -- OpenTyrian DS and World Reborn.

OpenTyrian DS (v0.2) is a port of vertical-scrolling shooter Tyrian, originally a PC title. Players pick up cash while blasting their way through stages which they can then spend on ship modifications in between levels. There's a huge variety of upgrades available for purchase -- primary and secondary weapons (with 11 levels), "sidekicks," shields, energy generators, and even alternate ships. If you have a flaschart handy, you definitely need to try this one out.

As for World Reborn, this horizontal-scrolling SHMUP (with an RPG leveling system) was originally intended as a commercial GBA release and even had a DS sequel planned for a minute, but the game never made it to the retail market. Though developer NeoPong (now defunct) had plans to publish World Reborn with DSI Games, that deal fell through, and the studio has decided to put up the ROM for free rather than pack it away in a warehouse, Indiana Jones-style. Jump past the post break for a trailer of the game.

Read - Download OpenTyrian DS
Read - Download World Reborn

Continue reading Free SHMUPs: OpenTyrian DS and World Reborn

'My god, it's full of StarLite updates'

Posted Jan 17th 2008 9:45AM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: Homebrew

Despite the legal quandaries that often follow these unsanctioned projects, progress continues on StarLite. This update (version 0.03) to the homebrew StarCraft game for the DS introduces two important features to the RTS port: 3D sprites and a local multiplayer mode.

This limited build seems more buggy than usual -- we couldn't even get it running on an emulator -- but if you have two sets of DSes and flashcarts handy, you should be able to test out StarLite's two-player setup by following this series of steps:

1. Download Starlite.nds and equipe.txt
2. Copy StarLite.nds onto both of your flashcarts
3. Copy equipe.txt onto the root of one cart, making sure the only text in the file is the number "1"
4. Copy equipe.txt onto the root of another cart, making sure the only text in the file is the number "2"
5. Boot up the DSes and load the game on both systems
   
6. Mutter with satisfaction, "Excellent," while tenting your fingers
   

Gallery: StarLite

I wish I may, I wish I might: Starlite 0.02

Posted Jan 7th 2008 10:30AM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: Homebrew

We're just as surprised as you are that Blizzard hasn't sent these guys a cease-and-desist letter yet, but the developers of StarLite, the unofficial StarCraft port for the DS, have put out an update (version 0.02) for the homebrew project.

While the demo's changes are few -- a new tileset (Jungle), improved collision management, and a bug fix for overlapping buildings -- and it still has its share of early-alpha glitches, it's great to see that the RTS port wasn't immediately abandoned after the first release appeared and showed so much promise. You can download and try out the ROM yourself to see how the port is coming along, or you can check the revised gallery we've embedded below!

Gallery: StarLite

Wish upon a StarLite: StarCraft homebrew

Posted Jan 3rd 2008 12:00PM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: Homebrew

Yes, dreams can come true. With no official plans announced for a DS port of StarCraft or any of Blizzard's other PC games, two French homebrew developers have begun working on bringing the popular RTS to the handheld themselves, titling the game StarLite.

A limited demo (version 0.1) is available for you to test out in an emulator or flashcart of your choice, and, while it's clear there's still a lot of work ahead for the project, it's impressive how much the two-man crew has already accomplished in just three weeks of development. So far, players can select and direct units via touchscreen, build simple structures, and produce additional units. There are even a few enemy troops to attack.

The team plans to continue their work, eventually implementing the rest of the units/structures and a WiFi ad-hoc multiplayer mode for two players. To do all that, however, they'll need some help from several more programmers, so don't be afraid to volunteer your skills to the effort! Hit the gallery below for more early screenshots from StarLite.

Gallery: StarLite

Roguelike updates remind us to play roguelikes

Posted Dec 29th 2007 12:30PM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: Homebrew

Are you one of the four roguelike fans out there? If so, and if you also can't wait for Mysterious Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer's February release, why not play NetHackDS or Powder -- two recently-updated homebrew dungeon crawler ports -- in the meantime?

While NetHackDS has the edge in terms of "graphics" and name recognition, Powder has the advantage of being immediately playable in an emulator, so even if you don't have a flashcart, you can still enjoy the addictive game ... if you consider dying a dozen times while trying to figure out how to live longer than five minutes enjoyable.

See also: Nethack your DS

Read - NetHackDS 1.12C
Read - Powder 094

IT EMULATES PRINTING MONEY!!

Posted Aug 13th 2007 9:50AM by JC Fletcher
Filed under: Homebrew

Japanese homebrew genius SofiyaCat has achieved the spectacularly pointless: DS games running on the PSP. The blurry image above demonstrates a PSP running the homebrew game GeoWars. The emulation is slow, the compatibility is apparently terrible, and, of course, the PSP lacks a touchscreen, but we should let the poor thing have its day. Now somebody needs to get to work figuring out a way for us to play the Dracula X Chronicles on the DS.

We don't advocate piracy, but there's no harm in testing some homebrew games on a PSP. Give it a shot!

[Via Exophase]

First post on NES-Emulating Phone Fanboy

Posted Jun 12th 2007 3:00PM by JC Fletcher
Filed under: News

A little something different: it's not a DS, but it is at least similar in that it's a handheld device that plays Nintendo games. If there's only one thing we want in life, it's the ability to have hundreds of NES games on hand at any moment. Let's forget the legal issues right now and just marvel at the technical wonder of a cell phone that not only comes preloaded with a NES emulator, but is designed with a reasonable button layout to play them.

Welcome to the future. If you had told us twenty years ago that there was a portable device that could store and play NES games, we would have been impressed. If you had told us that it would also have a TV-out, we would say 'neat.' But there is no way we would have conceived of the idea that such functions would be extras on a telephone that also has a digital camera.

Okay, we'll stop forgetting now and get to the major problem: downloading NES ROMs is illegal and violates Nintendo's copyright. Even backing up games you own is questionable. Oh, well, this phone probably won't make it to the US anyway, so we won't be forced into any moral dilemmas.

[Via Wireless Info]

Homebrew sans the flash cart [Update]

Posted Jul 12th 2006 5:39PM by Jason Wishnov
Filed under: News, Hacks, Homebrew

The average DS owner is quite pleased with the games available on their dual-screened wonder. As a result, the need and desire for emulation software is a bit less than...ahem...some other portable systems out there. To even begin loading homebrew apps on a DS, one has to have a bit of technical knowledge, a rather expensive flash cart, and some unwieldy hardware/software setups. Till now.

A site called Winsunx is getting ready to release a device suitably named the "Ninjapass". As opposed to previous flash cart setups, this wonderous piece of hardware is quite literally a DS cartridge, functioning normally and independently in your regular DS slot. It comes with a USB 2.0 adapter for easy access to your computer, a convenient way to save game files (previously quite troublesome), and a multi-game menu built right in. It's currently slated as a pricey $51.99, but that may be a bargain for the kinds of illicit pleasures that may come.

[Thanks, Mike Lacks!]

[Update: Fixed a typo. Good eye Mike!]

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