An interesting week for releases around the globe, though the news will, of course, be dwarfed in the wake of all things DSi. Among this week's noteworthy titles are Prey the Stars (at last!), and Korg DS-10 for Europe.
Even though this trailer doesn't differentiate itself much from some previous ones we've seen, the message is clear -- Spectrobes: Beyond the Portals looks cool. Yep we said it: a Disney game looks cool. Got a problem with that?
Even furthering our attraction to the game is its look. Appealing to the shallow graphics whores within us, both the 3D battles and the cut scene animations managed to please our hungry eyes. We never got around to playing the first title in the series, but we may just find ourselves giving its sequel a look in the near future. On the other hand, we could do without the cheesy story about death vortexes and the "our only hope is the Spectrobes!" bits. Oh well, you can't win them all.
Game Watch uploaded a bunch of new screens from Disney's upcoming sequel, Spectrobes: Beyond the Portals. For those of you who either skipped the first game or find yourself just now getting interested in the whole thing, there's a short synopsis on the game's story, as well as a crash course on what it is you do in the game (see: collect creatures). So, head on over and check out the new screens.
While the adventuring portions of Spectrobes: Beyond the Portal may not stray far beyond the first game, the battle mode extends out into the (carefully moderated) world. The addition of an online battle mode is an exciting enough change, we think, for anyone interested in Spectrobes battles in the first place.
The new screens show off some decently impressive 3D monster battles, with no Rallen in sight. Perhaps the Spectrobes have realized that they know how to fight and don't need some kid chaperoning them all the time. In any case, it looks like the new battle mode may differ from the normal offline battles.
When we heard about Disney's sequel to the firstSpectrobes title, Spectrobes: Beyond the Portals, we were interested in what innovations the game would bring. Of course, that "innovation" turned into only more of what the first game presented, as the game adopted the model of providing fans of the first game with more and more of what that title offered. Likely, it'll work, because in these kind of games, folks are usually looking for just that.
Anywho, check out the new trailer above. It not only shows off the new bad guy you're supposed to hate, but also a good deal of CG. So, what do you all think?
Even if our internet petition to get Bokura wa Kaseki Horidaa localized doesn't end up working (current number of signatories: four), our urge to excavate stuff and then send our discoveries into bloody battle can still be fulfilled, thanks to Spectrobes: Beyond the Portals.
The sequel to the million-selling Spectrobes is out later this year, and Disney fired new screens our way earlier today (none of which feature the DGamer service, sadly) -- head to our new Beyond the Portalsgallery to check them out. It all looks eerily similar to the first game, though if Brain Training taught us anything, it's that you don't mess around with million-selling formulas.
Fans of the first Spectrobes title may rejoice, for the game that supported those odd little punch cards is getting the sequel treatment. The new game will be called Spectrobes: Beyond the Portals. It follows the story of Rallen and Jeena, along with portals, which will lead to more collecting. You should pretty much know how this works by now.
Other new features include:
a new 3D perspective
a map to assist in exploration
different excavation and battle features
and last, but not least, Dgamer and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection support for battling online
Considering that last tidbit of information and having never gotten into the first game ourselves, we're thinking about checking out a sale or two and seeing what the game is all about. For more information, you can check out the official website for the game or head past the break for the press release.
Starting today until March 16th, preowned media retailer SecondSpin is offering customers free shipping and 20% off its used items. Unlike GameStop and Electronics Boutique, SecondSpin sells every game with the manual and box, so you won't have to worry about receiving an incomplete package. All you need to do to take advantage of the deal is use this coupon code: TWENTY314.
SecondSpin has too many available Nintendo DS and GBA titles (450+) for us to list, but we've put together a short tally of games that you might want to pick up.
Nintendo DS:
Custom Robo Arena - $13.79 $11.03
Phoenix Wright, Ace Attorney: Justice for All - $12.99 $10.39
Scurge: Hive - $10.39 $8.39
Spectrobes - $14.99 $11.99
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass - $26.99 $21.59
True Swing Golf - $9.99 $7.99
GBA deals:
Final Fantasy IV Advance and V Advance - $14.99 $11.99
Gunstar Super Heroes - $7.99 $6.39
TMNT - $14.99 $11.99
If you don't see anything you're interested in, SecondSpin updates its inventory every day, so check back again tomorrow!
Best Buy is having a sale on all of their video games priced at $19.99, allowing those looking to stock up on titles to snag two games for the sum of $30. And, looking over the list of titles that qualify, there's quite a bit of fun to be had.
Video game rental service GameFly has a pretty big year-end sale going on through January 4th for over 30 of its used DS games. Though the carts are all pre-played, each one will come with a new manual and case, so you need not worry about receiving an incomplete set.
As usual, we've picked the notable titles out of the bunch and listed them for you, except this time, we've done it in Christmas carol form!
On the twelfth day of Christmas,
DS Fanboy sent to me:
Electronics retailer Circuit City has an ongoing deal in which you can get any two games priced at $19.99 for only $30, but, because of a recently discovered glitch during the ordering process, customers have reportedly received a $10 discount for each $19.99 game they've thrown into their shopping carts, bringing their total even further down to $20 for two items.
Though many of the online shop's $19.99 titles are currently out of stock, we've put together a short list of the DS titles available that you might want to pick up with this buggy bargain. We can't guarantee that your order will stick once Circuit City's management catches wind of this bug, nor can we say whether or not exploiting this slip-up makes you a horrible person, but here you go:
Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day
Flash Focus: Vision Training in Minutes a Day
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice For All
Sonic Rush
Spectrobes
While there are also a few GBA (as well as PS2 and PSP) titles eligible for this "deal," keep in mind that this glitch works best with two games from the same console.
Tucked away stealthily among this week's releases was Spectrobes Collector's Edition. We thought it was pretty baffling that Disney would decide to rerelease an eight-month-old DS game now, and we also wondered what exactly was in this edition to collect.
Siliconera reports that it's the game plus all 38 of the Code Input punch card things. The original game came with a few, but the rest seem to have only been given away at various events and promotions. In other words, they're a total pain to acquire in any other way. If you want to play Spectrobes, you may as well pony up the extra $10 (the original package is down to $20 now, and the CE is $30) and get the cards.
The official press release (after the break) mentions that the package includes two exclusive Geo cards and a mini-guide. Seems like a good deal for people who were previously on the fence about Spectrobes. Or you could just wait for the sequel!
The DS "punch card" is such an elegant idea for a card input. Rather than requiring a card reader or a camera to take pictures of the cards, you just stick the card on the screen and touch the screen through holes in the card. Spectrobes and Monster Rancher both take advantage of this extremely inexpensive feature, and Capcom has picked up on the idea for their sequel to Mega Man Star Force. Two such cards will be given as a preorder bonus in Japan, each of which unlocks a suit (and corresponding weird animal-head arm).
Capcom was smart enough not to include the positions of the holes on the preview images, so unscrupulous people like us can't print out the cards and do it ourselves. Not that it really matters with a free bonus item.
Remember when we all found out about Disney's DGamer service? Well, one of the first titles to feature integration is the sequel Spectrobes II, the Pokemon-like game where players collect and level-up monsters. Having never played it (this is the closest we ever came), we don't know how to feel about the sequel, but as the tail-end of the trailer reveals, we'll have plenty of time to think it over. This title isn't coming until 2008.
Posted Jun 1st 2007 10:00AM by JC Fletcher
Filed under: News
Here's something cool for Spectrobes owners: every week from now until the 17th, you can go down to your local GameStop and pick up a free collectible card that will unlock a new Spectrobe. No preorders, no Game Informer subscriptions, just free.
Here's something cool for everyone else: you can get three free things from GameStop. You may be able to sell them on eBay or something in a couple of years. Whatever the reason, we know you want this free stuff even if you've never heard of Spectrobes.
An interesting week for releases around the globe, though the news will, of course, be dwarfed in the wake of all things DSi. Among this week's noteworthy titles are Prey the Stars (at last!), and Korg DS-10 for Europe.
Game Watch uploaded a bunch of new screens from Disney's upcoming sequel, Spectrobes: Beyond the Portals. For those of you who either skipped the first game or find yourself just now getting interested in the whole thing, there's a short synopsis on the game's story, as well as a crash course on what it is you do in the game (see: collect creatures). So, head on over and check out the new screens.
While the adventuring portions of Spectrobes: Beyond the Portal may not stray far beyond the first game, the battle mode extends out into the (carefully moderated) world. The addition of an online battle mode is an exciting enough change, we think, for anyone interested in Spectrobes battles in the first place.
Even if our internet petition to get Bokura wa Kaseki Horidaa localized doesn't end up working (current number of signatories: four), our urge to excavate stuff and then send our discoveries into bloody battle can still be fulfilled, thanks to Spectrobes: Beyond the Portals.
Video game rental service GameFly has a pretty big year-end sale going on through January 4th for over 30 of its used DS games. Though the carts are all pre-played, each one will come with a new manual and case, so you need not worry about receiving an incomplete set.
Electronics retailer Circuit City has an ongoing deal in which you can get any two games priced at $19.99 for only $30, but, because of a recently discovered glitch during the ordering process, customers have reportedly received a $10 discount for each $19.99 game they've thrown into their shopping carts, bringing their total even further down to $20 for two items.
