This weekend, we had to do something that made us feel horrible, but in the end, was for the best. Like that scene in Old Yeller, we had to put down one of our DS carts (Mario Kart DS, oddly enough). You see, all of the inserting and ejecting of the cartridge with our DS caused something to get loose in there and now the cart cannot be read by the system.
It got us to wondering about this happening to others, namely you all, who probably play their DS a lot more than we're able to. So have you played a game so much this has happened? Have you never heard of this happening? What's your oldest DS game?
The DS Life is a weekly feature in which we scour the known world for narrative images of Nintendo's handhelds and handheld gamers. If you have a photo and a story to match it with, send both to thedslife at dsfanboy dot com.
We're breaking away from our usual routine this week -- instead of fawning over touching scenes of handheld gamers, we'll look through ten pictures taken from the gamers's point of view. These photographs can reveal a lot about the shutterbugs who took them! You know, besides what game they were playing at the time.
As fun as Taito's paddle controller might be, the peripheral's limited compatibility restricts experimentation with any games outside of Arkanoid DS or Space Invaders Extreme. What about the other Breakout DS clones or all the titles packed in Retro Atari Classics? Will they ever know the wheeled affection they desperately pine for? Or will their love go unrequited, the spinner playing the part of the "little red-haired girl?"
Yasu's Action Replay "cheat string" doesn't unlock universal support for the paddle, providing us with a Valentine's Day miracle, but it does allow the controller to be used with an unexpected title -- Mario Kart DS. It's an important first step towards the greater goal! As you can see in the demonstration video above, it's not the most effective control scheme. We're sure that won't stop the jerks "snakers" out there from finding a way to exploit the setup.
The DS Life is a weekly feature in which we scour the known world for narrative images of Nintendo's handhelds and handheld gamers. If you have a photo and a story to match it with, send both to thedslife at dsfanboy dot com.
"And because they had once written themselves a beach, on which to dream themselves together, they decided that to celebrate they'd have another one of their rare days, and for it, they would go to a beach." - Looper, "Impossible Things"
Another week in Japan has come and gone, which means yet another week of ridiculous success for the DS. The hardware managed to top 300k for the week, while heavy hitters like Final Fantasy IV, Dragon Quest IV, and Mario Party DS littered the top ten in the software charts. It was also a good week for baseball game Dorabase, which debuted at the number nine spot with 96k, selling 90% of it's total stock.
Hardware:
DS: 319,000
Wii: 264,000
PSP: 162,000
PS3: 51,000
PS2: 24,000
Xbox 360: 8,100
Check after the break to see the software numbers for 12/17-12/23 in Japan.
We're no slot-car racing aficionados, and yet we're still impressed by this Mario Kart themed kit for sale at Firebox. Luckily for us and our itchy "have to buy it, can't resist" fingers, this $90 toy is out of stock. The only disappointing thing about the track is that you can't choose which characters you want (it automatically comes with Mario and Wario), but overall it's probably a nice gift for anyone into video games and slot-car racing.
If you've ever hung out with us at Game Night, you probably know that Mario Kart DS is a popular choice among our readers. While we love a round of Mario Kart here and there, we'd probably love it even more if we were able to play it with guitars. And no, we're not talking about Guitar Hero controllers, but real guitars, as seen in the video above. Somehow, these guys have created a mod that let's them control video games (in this case, the original Mario Kart for SNES) by the pitch of their musical instrument. Aside from the fact that the video turns really trippy halfway through with no explanation, it's a pretty cool thing to watch.
Check after the break to see the Mortal Kombat guitar battle, which is slightly more entertaining even if it doesn't involve any fatalities.
Even with some of us being very late (see: the author of this post), we still managed to get our game on. Races were had in Mario Kart DS and we tasted the utterly horrible, yet very familiar, taste of defeat. Oh well, there is always next week to reclaim our honor as kinda OK at games.
Oh, wait, next week is Thanksgiving! Sorry, but we'll have to wait until the following week before getting back to Game Night. It's a holiday and we'll be busy taking various naps fueled by our bellies full of turkey.
So, enjoy the holiday and we'll see you guys at Game Night on November 29th!
Last night was special. We hope it was as good for you as it was for us. You're going to call us, right? Right? Well, in the interest of making engagements, we've gone ahead and added a hot new game to the poll list below, resetting the poll itself. So, let's see if this new game can beat other fan favorites ...
This week has been a close race in determining what our theme game will be for tonight. And, if you're a regular here at Game Night, you're likely already forming a picture of what games are running at the top of the pack. So, let's not waste time. Head past the break and get all of the details you need.
Last night's Game Night was kind of a bust, we must admit. There wasn't that great a turnout and connection problems plagued the participants. But, hey, that's life; we can't control everything. But, there's always next week to look forward to. And, it's also time to reset the poll, so let's get to it!
For some reason, the iced tea in our glass tastes sweeter, the air seems crisper and we're in a wonderful mood. We wonder why that is? Oh, right, it's Thursday. That means we get to play some games with you all tonight! Awesome!
Do you sigh with jealousy when you see someone with a super-hot emblem in Mario Kart, but find yourself stumped when faced with the tiny, pixelated icon box? Then this may be your lucky day, friends, because DSicons is here to save you. You can get anything from the triforce to a hunk of cheese, and DSicons shows you blown-up pictures and just which colors to use so you can do it on your own with their helpful guide. We're pretty attached to the Transmetropolitan-influenced emblem drawn with love by the man of the house, but must admit that the peppermint emblem is pretty snazzy, particularly for someone with our musical tastes.
For those of you who really want something special, DSicons also offers custom-designed icons for a fee. If you can imagine it in a 32x32 pixel box, they can draw it for you.
Did you folks have fun at Game Night yesterday? We sure did, as not only did we manage to get some Tetris DS in, but also a rather lengthy match of Metroid Prime Hunters. As far as Game Nights go, it was one of the better ones. Yet, there were still some people who just couldn't get in on the action. So, this week, we want you to tell a friend about Game Night and get him or her to commit to attend. If they don't, give us their address and we'll drag them there, kicking and screaming.
Relax, the weekend is almost here. And that means that Game Night is almost here, as well. I've been looking forward to this, having had to miss last week's session, so I hope you're prepared to attend. If you are, head past the post break for all of the details. If you aren't, then beg for forgiveness in the comments.
This weekend, we had to do something that made us feel horrible, but in the end, was for the best. Like that scene in Old Yeller, we had to put down one of our DS carts (Mario Kart DS, oddly enough). You see, all of the inserting and ejecting of the cartridge with our DS caused something to get loose in there and now the cart cannot be read by the system.
Another week in Japan has come and gone, which means yet another week of ridiculous success for the DS. The hardware managed to top 300k for the week, while heavy hitters like 
We're no slot-car racing aficionados, and yet we're still impressed by this Mario Kart themed kit for sale at Firebox. Luckily for us and our itchy "have to buy it, can't resist" fingers, this $90 toy is out of stock. The only disappointing thing about the track is that you can't choose which characters you want (it automatically comes with Mario and Wario), but overall it's probably a nice gift for anyone into video games and slot-car racing.
Do you sigh with jealousy when you see someone with a super-hot emblem in Mario Kart, but find yourself stumped when faced with the tiny, pixelated icon box? Then this may be your lucky day, friends, because DSicons is here to save you. You can get anything from the triforce to a hunk of cheese, and DSicons shows you blown-up pictures and just which colors to use so you can do it on your own with their helpful guide. We're pretty attached to the Transmetropolitan-influenced emblem drawn with love by the man of the house, but must admit that the peppermint emblem is pretty snazzy, particularly for someone with our 
_thumbnail.jpg "Prince of Persia: The Fallen King")
