The DS Life is a weekly feature in which we scour the known world for narrative images of Nintendo's handheld and handheld gamers. If you have a photo and a story to match it with, send both to thedslife at dsfanboy dot com.

You didn't think we'd forget about "International Talk Like A Pirate Day," did you? We're abandoning our usual sentimental format this week t'celebrate DS piracy and the corsair's way of life. Find yourself a tall ship and a star to steer her by, and meet us past the post break!

Pirated video games in the Philippines is certainly nothing new -- we remember seeing counterfeit Famicom carts being sold there back in the day -- but its ubiquity in the Southeast Asian country is startling. GameOPS' John Phillips Bengero sent us some pictures to illustrate just how dire the DS and GBA bootlegging situation is. Far from being confined to Manila's seedier markets, these shots were taken at a recently opened Toys "R" Us branch in TriNoma mall! Bring a pocket full of pesos past the post break for the photos.

The main idea behind location-based gaming is to transform the city around you into a new setting that can be interacted with and explored. In Plundr's case, you're the captain of a pirate ship looking to pillage and swashbuckle your way to the top of the buccaneer chain.

Using WiFi positioning to track your movements and superimpose landmarks over your neighborhood map, Plundr builds islands that you can set sail for and investigate. Taking a walk to that coffee shop two blocks away will bring up a trading post where you can buy spices and deliver goods. If you head over to the nearby park, there's a few unsuspecting merchant ships to test your cannons on.

Developer area/code originally designed the title with laptops in mind, but working with the R4DS homebrew platform, the Manhattan-based company was able to port the game to our scurvy handheld and show off the fruits of its efforts at O'Reilly's Where 2.0 Conference late last May. Though we're still waiting to hear more about the clever game, these first shots of Plundr: Dangerous Shores that we scoured up will tide us over for now. Yarr!

[Via slavin fpo]

It's been too long since we last took a sip from China's rum bottle of personalized DS Lites; it's time to get back on that wagon with a buccaneer-themed skin.

YYJoy forumer Pikapika shivered our timbers, decorating his handheld with a crossed-cutlasses pattern and Julius the Monkey decked out in full corsair regalia. Now that's piracy we can get behind! Walk the post break plank for more photos of the shipshape DS Lite.

Advance Wars is one of our favorite franchises. But despite an excellent turn-based battle system and charming sprite skirmishes, we can't help but think what would have made it irresistible ... ninjas pirates. And though developer Orbital Media has been promising the turn-based strategy title Pirate Battle since like forever ago (mid-2004ish), very few droplets of hope remained.

Some recent news, however, says otherwise. Though the GBA version has been canceled (uh ... whatever), the DS version is still on the way. Also, though no other details were given, the game will also appear on "another platform". Hmm. In any case, Pirate Battle looks like an excellent strategic outing, so we'll keep an eye out for ya.

For bonus awesome, check after the break for our top three pirate pickup lines.

[Thanks, Andy!]

The Japanese magazine Dengeki recently conducted an interview with some of the development team of Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings. Details on the game have been scarce at best, confirming only that the game features FFXII protagonist Vaan and his sky pirate-y adventures.

That's all well and good, but many were concerned about the apparent "prequel" nature of the game. Worry not, stalwart fans! Revenant Wings will be a true sequel, taking place shortly after the events of Final Fantasy XII. In addition to Vaan, the dynamic duo of Fran and Balthier will also be returning, as well as a promised host of new characters. The game will take place on the floating landmass of Puruvama (if it's in the original game, we haven't reached it yet), and apparently, a large portion of locations from the PS2 title will be playable.

The battle system has also undergone some changes: combat will feature stylus control and a simplified version of the Gambit system. Also, summoning will be completely overhauled and used in a rather unique way, say the developers. Both screens will be properly utilized, and finally, there are no current plans for Wi-Fi functionality.

Though be it ever rare to see from us heaping praise upon a Playstation 2 game, Final Fantasy XII is a veritable masterpiece, and the sequel can't come soon enough.

Final Fantasy XII is inches away from its US release and the news about the DS spin off is everywhere. Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings was recently announced and fans of the series can't get enough. What started as a rumor has spread like wildfire, capturing every RPG lover's attention.

Here is what we know about the game so far:

• Takes place years after the events of Final Fantasy XII
• Stars two main characters Vaan and his lady friend Penelo
• Vaan has achieved his dream of being a sky pirate (who will never beat ninjas) and has his own ship which Penelo operates
• The pair are on a quest to reach the island in the sky, Poolbama (temp title), to grasp the treasure of Grevados

How the game will play is still up in the air but we hope to see a ton of air combat. If you are still in the dark about FFXII Revenant Wings, check out the trailer. We hope to hear more about this game soon and as always, we'll keep you updated.

[Via QJ Net]

Those folks over at 4 color rebellion have posted an informative guide on how to spot cheap DS cart knockoffs. While the DS homebrew community is actually quite strong, its growth has invariably created easier and more efficient methods for those...ah...morally flexible among us to reap the rewards.

Take a gander at the article, and be sure that if you're purchasing DS games via eBay or some such method, be very careful from whom you buy. No DS game has really reached "cult-hit rarity" status yet (Phoenix Wright is getting another shipment soon, say sources), but if you're not looking, some one-legged buccaneer might plunder your booty in exchange for a shoddy fake.