Of the two that we know stuff about, which excites you more? Which, in your estimation, has better sales potential: a new entry in the beloved series, starring that one guy from Super Smash Bros., or a musical microgame set that's been explosively successful in Japan? Games aren't worth talking about unless they can be forced into unnecessary comparisons.
Nintendo announced and showed off a lot more than just the DSi, though understandably, it's taking most of the spotlight. This is a new handheld, people: it's big stuff.
But we've talked about it, and we'll keep talking about it. Right now, we want to talk about something else. There's been a boatload of news in general the last couple of days. What else did you see that got your blood pumping? Release date for Rhythm Heaven? Mario & Luigi 3? New glimpses of Kingdom Hearts? New Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles?
Nintendo's fall media event confirmed a US release for the newly-announced Mario & Luigi RPG 3, as if we didn't expect it! The date wasn't specified beyond "2009," leading us to wonder if it will be positioned to coincide with the DSi. Or not. There are plenty of dates in one year for both.
Also coming in 2009, specifically the first half: Rhythm Heaven, which has been selling like crazy in Japan. We really shouldn't let all the new hardware and new game announcements and such overshadow what is really important in life -- which is Rhythm Heaven.
Can't get enough of those wacky Rhythm Heaven commercials? There's a new dose of quick and quirky spots, fresh for Friday, featuring footage of some different mini-games with the same players we've seen before. They've also swapped some games from the last batch of commercials (which are also included in the second half of this video, if you missed them). Considering the way Toshihiko Takamizawa is dressed, the other players should be grateful that's all they're trading. We're not so sure we'd want to raid that guy's closet.
Check out the new (and old) commercials after the break, but be warned that, while the video plays just fine, the frame will display oddly here in some browsers. You can always go check it out at the source ... or at the real source, which is the Rhythm Heaven site. Or, uh, on Japanese televisions.
Not a great deal out for DS owners in the U.S. or Europe this week, but a lot of options if you're willing to look to Japanese releases for your fix. Steal Princess, Windy x Windam, Rhythm Tengoku Gold, the larger of Koei's Nobunaga games, and everyone's favorite witch-touching game sees a sequel. In fact, you know what? If you need us, we'll be on a plane to Japan, since most of these aren't yet slated for release outside their mother country.
Air Traffic Chaos
Suzuki Super-Bikes
Slog sadly past the break to see the rest of the major markets this week.
Those of you interested in Rhythm Heaven have probably already read JC's impressions jealously -- though if you're neither interested in the game nor spent the time to read about it, shame on you.
All you sane-minded folks don't have to be too jealous of "Lucky Dog Fletcher" anymore, though. The video above shows the exact demo that he got to try during E3, only it's in Japanese. Sure, that's not quite the equivalent of playing the game, but it's enough to make us squeal all the same. (We rhymed, so it must be true.)
Go on now and watch the video above to see extended play of the Assembly Line, Robot Gallery, and Chorus musical microgames.
We didn't have to wait long for footage of more of Rhythm Tengoku Gold's games after the three-game E3 demo. Nintendo has posted seven short commercials demonstrating gameplay. The YouTube video above collects six of the commercials; to see the other one, you can check the website, although (spoilers!) it's just footage of a metronome anyway.
The celebrities in the videos are almost as interesting as the gameplay videos themselves -- the Japanese Steven Tyler in the pink suit (actually Toshihiko Takamizawa from the venerable Japanese rock band The Alfee) is quite a departure from the indistinguishable idols these companies normally use in game commercials.
If that's not enough Rhythm Heaven for you (it isn't), the Japanese site has also been updated with new screens and control diagrams.
In its second year as a diminished behemoth, E3 still manages to be packed full with news, media, and more. While there wasn't much from Nintendo themselves for the DS this year, third parties are still incredibly strong and we're faced with more games than we can possibly handle. We're also pretty sure we saw almost all of them at E3 this year. Relive the entire experience right from the convenience of this post!
Check out our choices for show highlights right here, or hit the break for the full rundown of our E3 coverage. Of course, we're still adding things, and will be over the next few days; keep up by clicking the E3 graphic in the sidebar.
Nintendo's E3 offerings included a three-minigame demo of the stealthily-announced U.S. version of Rhythm Tengoku Gold. The games featured are the ones seen in the trailer:
Assembly Line, in which two metal squares roll toward the middle of the screen in rhythm as scales play, and you flick upward on the screen to launch a rod through them when the holes in the middle of the squares meet
Robot Gallery, in which a newly-assembled robot moves from right to left on a conveyer belt and you have to hold the stylus down at just the right moment to drop the fuel pump and fuel the robot, then release before you overfill it.
Chorus involves holding the stylus down until you want the player-controlled singer to join in the chorus with two other singers. You release the stylus to fit with the pattern of the two singers before. Frequently, the chorus leader will instruct everyone to sing out in unison, which I missed every time!
These three games were (as far as I know) new to the DS version. Though two out of the three could just as easily have been controlled by buttons, the stylus worked great. Also, even though the game offered a tutorial for the "flicking" motion, it was easy to jump in. I consider the tutorial, then, a freeform minigame about knocking trucks over.
Forget the keynote! (Well, maybe not Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars). Nintendo just announced on its press site that Rhythm Tengoku is coming to North America! Only, here it will be called Rhythm Heaven instead. As cheesy as the title is, it's only fitting.
We suggest now that you hold on those imports. Even though Nintendo didn't give us the satisfaction of a release date, we can't imagine the game taking all that long to head to our shores.
To play, you hold the DS sideways and use the stylus to tap, flick, or slide. You can expect Rhythm Heaven to include quirky and charming characters, as well as music from the Japanese composer TSUNKU. Also, make sure to check out new screenshots in our gallery.
We still haven't heard word on whether or not Nintendo will ever bring Rhythm Tengoku to the states (Highly unlikely), but Sega has been keeping the rhythm-action title going in Japan with its GBA-to-arcade port and, according to this new find, UFO catchers filled with Rhythm-Tengoku-themed prizes!
Provided that you're proficient with maneuvering a claw to pick up crap, you'll be able to win a number of brightly-colored, long-sleeved shirts with the minigame collection's characters screen-printed on them, as well as pillows shaped like Rhythm Tengoku's iconic, hairy onions. Click the link below to the beat, and check out more photos of the vending machine goodies past the post break.
We have a pretty simple topic today. Two big first-party games are coming out for the DS in early 2009: Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and Rhythm Heaven. Well, there's also Mario & Luigi 3, but we've barely seen anything about that yet.
Nintendo announced and showed off a lot more than just the DSi, though understandably, it's taking most of the spotlight. This is a new handheld, people: it's big stuff.
Nintendo's fall media event confirmed a US release for the newly-announced 
Can't get enough of those wacky 
Not a great deal out for DS owners in the U.S. or Europe this week, but a lot of options if you're willing to look to Japanese releases for your fix. 
GTA: Chinatown Wars shooting up the DS in winter!
Konami booth tour
DS Fanboy reacts to the Nintendo keynote
DS Fanboy enters the Retro Game Challenge
Rhythm Heaven is the best musical microgame collection at the show
Nintendo's E3 offerings included a three-minigame demo of the stealthily-announced U.S. version of 
