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Eleven seconds of Fire Emblem beats eleven seconds of anything else

Posted Jul 10th 2008 9:00PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: Video

Anyone who's ever played a Fire Emblem game knows that what's shown in the video above is the most basic of scenarios -- a simple battle, with no alarms and no surprises. On the other hand, if you've played a Fire Emblem, there's a good chance you're as in love with the series as we are and found yourself ecstatic after watching this clip, even if it was nothing but a big tease.

The other wonderful thing about this short but sweet video is that we now have an idea of what the game will look like in motion. Not a completely accurate idea, since the resolution is a little out of sorts, but an idea nonetheless. While New Dark Dragons and the Sword of Light doesn't include super-wow graphics, we do think it looks better in motion. Granted, the mage is masking his face and the armored knight is wearing -- well, armor -- so we didn't have to be creeped out by any faceless sprites. Even so, we're warming up to the aesthetics bit by bit as time goes on; especially since the gameplay is going to rock us hard.

Gallery: Fire Emblem DS

[Thanks, Kane!]

Fire Emblem DS wants website visitors to get over initial disgust

Posted Jul 9th 2008 11:00AM by Phil Larsen
Filed under: News

What better way to judge the aesthetic appeal of a game than by seeing it in action? If you thought the "it might not be good" style of Fire Emblem DS wasn't up to your impeccable standards, you can now get up close and personal with the official Japanese website -- and make some critical decisions regarding the fate of that cash roll in your pocket.

Despite the incomprehensible script, the artwork and snazzy designs are easy on the eyes. Head on over to the official page for the standard introductory animations, and the page filled with extra information and videos can be found here. On top of that, extra pieces of charcters artwork are ready for staring at here -- though they won't be official in-game models of any kind.

So, what to do now? Hope that the classic Fire Emblem gameplay holds up against the villified art direction? Pretty much. Besides, we all went crazy for ugly, ugly Advance Wars, so why should this be any different?

Gallery: Fire Emblem DS

[Via NeoGAF]

Fire Emblem looks better in screens than scans

Posted Jul 8th 2008 5:00PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: Screens, Imports

While we're still not completely sold on the look of Fire Emblem DS, we have to admit that the screens do the game much more justice than the scans we were basing our opinions on before. While we're forced to sit here and gawk at such temptations, though, lucky gamers in Japan will get to nab this title in one measly month. If anyone needs to get this game more, it's those of us outside Japan who never got to play the original NES title in the first place. Not that we're bitter or anything ... really.

Putting all our envy aside (or at least most of it), we have to say that we're really looking forward to New Dark Dragons and the Sword of Light. While we love the console versions, too, having Fire Emblem back in handheld form just feels right. What about you, though? Do you prefer the series on consoles or handhelds?

In any case, until the glorious day that localization is announced (and the even more glorious day of its actual international release), you can check out the newly added screens in our gallery below.

Gallery: Fire Emblem DS

Fire Emblem looks hideous, we still want it

Posted Jun 27th 2008 5:00PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: Screens

When we first saw screens for Fire Emblem DS, we weren't too worried. They may not have been the prettiest screens on the block, per say, but there was plenty of time for Intelligent Systems to fix things up. But now that the game is set to release in, oh, six weeks, uneasiness has started to settle in.

The new Nintendo Dream scans of Fire Emblem: Shin Ankoku Ryuu to Hikari no Ken, for example, are more like a nightmare. While we've seen many of these images before, Nintendo Dream shows some comparisons with the original Famicom game that Fire Emblem DS is based on.

Yet, just because it looks better than a NES game doesn't mean it looks nice. Check out the image above -- those battle animation sprites? Many words come to mind, but "ugly" is the predominant theme. We're not sure if Intelligent Systems realizes that Nintendo's hardware has improved since the GBA days.

It's not all doom and gloom, though. The backgrounds are definitely an improvement over what we've seen before, and we like the more serious tone of the artwork. Not even all the sprites look terrible (the armored knights look fine, for one, since you can't see their facial features). But really, Marth? They couldn't have done a better job with the game's protagonist?

We have complete faith in Intelligent Systems when it comes to delivering a great gameplay experience, though, so we'll swallow whatever distaste we have for the sprites and buy the game when it comes out here, probably on day one (whenever that may be).

Gallery: Fire Emblem DS

Online battles ahoy for Fire Emblem

Posted Jun 16th 2008 1:15PM by Phil Larsen
Filed under: News, Nintendo Wi-Fi

Fire Emblem fans must be fidgeting a bit too much these days, given the lack of details surrounding the upcoming DS instalment (lovingly tagged as New Dark Dragon and the Sword of Light). They want their turn at turn-based strategy, and are right to demand it. Advance Wars isn't enough! Settle on down, we have a hot new tidbit of information ready to satiate those hungers for fire! And emblems.

As a remake of the original NES Fire Emblem way back when, what's the most obvious option for developing a fancy new version in this day and age? You guessed it -- online play! No longer will strategists be forced to sit close by and trade blows. The game will utilize Nintendo's Wi-Fi connection, with players choosing five of their best units from the single-player campaign and pitting them against a real life opponent. This is the first time online multiplayer has been introduced to the Fire Emblem series on any console, so progress is on the cards at Intelligent Systems.

Gallery: Fire Emblem DS

New Fire Emblem scans both excite and worry us

Posted Jun 12th 2008 5:00PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: Screens

There are only fifty-six days until Fire Emblem releases for the DS in Japan (not that we're, uh, counting), and yet we still don't know too much about the title. Aside from the fact that the game relives Marth's glory days and includes Wi-Fi battles, details on Shin Ankoku Ryuu to Hikari no Ken (New Dark Dragons and the Sword of Light) are surprisingly scarce.

One thing that we find slightly worrisome: is that a time limit in this Famitsu scan screen? You know how we feel about time limits. We can't be sure, since the timer might just be recording how long you're taking on a map, but the whole thing makes us a little uneasy. Are the rest of you Fire Emblem fanatics troubled as well, or would you appreciate the extra difficultly that a count-down might add to the game?

Gallery: Fire Emblem DS

Rhythm Tengoku Gold, Stafy announced, Fire Emblem dated

Posted May 28th 2008 8:45AM by JC Fletcher
Filed under: News, Imports

Nintendo of Japan's July release schedule has some pretty high-profile DS games on it that are total surprises to us. First, on July 10th, Nintendo plans to release a new game in Tose's Densetsu no Stafy platforming series, called Densetsu no Stafy: Taiketsu! Daiiru Kaizoku-dan (Legend of Stafy: Confrontation! Daiiru Pirate Squad).

On July 31st, there is a listing for Rhythm Tengoku Gold, which is a sequel to the WarioWare team's amazing GBA rhythm minigame collection, Rhythm Tengoku. According to the announcement posted on the Rhythm Tengoku site, the new game uses the stylus (of course) and features many new rhythm games.

Finally, though it doesn't appear on Nintendo's schedule (the August calendar isn't up yet), their page for the Fire Emblem remake now shows a date: August 7. There goes any fear that Nintendo didn't have anything planned for the second half of the year!

[Via NeoGAF]

DS Daily: Addicted

Posted May 1st 2008 9:00AM by Chris Greenhough
Filed under: DS Daily

My name is Chris Greenhough, and I'm an ... an ... Advance Wars addict. I can't put it down. I think about it constantly. While eating. While walking the dog. While out with friends. While waiting for buses. Every second of the day, I crave it. Occasionally, I'll even sneak in turns while blogging, surreptitiously hiding my DS in my coat pocket. An odd pot-shot at an anti-air unit here, a strike on my opponent's Dusters there. All while my colleagues aren't looking. I'm a mess.

I need help.

But sometimes, simply sharing can help. So let's do that. What do you play far too much of?

Here come Amazon's Gold Box deals [update 2]

Posted Apr 25th 2008 10:30AM by Candace Savino
Filed under: Sales

Just a reminder to all you friendly folks in the U.S. -- Amazon is having crazy DS deals today.

The retailer kicked off its Gold Box sales awesomely, offering Advance Wars: Days of Ruin for $16.99. If we don't say so ourselves, that is damn sweet. You have until 12am Pacific time to bite on this, but we recommend getting it sooner rather than later because we doubt supplies will last.

As for the lightning deals, we've listed them here (with our guesses for ones that haven't been confirmed yet). Keep in mind, these are in Pacific time, and each deal lasts for four hours (assuming they don't go out of stock):

• 6am-10am: "Will you answer the call?" - Confirmed: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare for $18.99
• 10am-2pm: "Dazzle your unsuspecting friends with your magical prowess." - Confirmed: Master of Illusion for $14.99.
  
• 2pm-6pm: "Protect the Earth, destroy the invaders." - Confirmed: Tranformers: Autobots
  
• 6pm-10pm: "Your destiny awaits. Experience the power." - (Our guess: Naruto: Ninja Destiny)

We suppose that with such an awesome "Deal of the Day," we can forgive Amazon for everything else being subpar. Keep in mind, though, that these are just our guesses. We'll update the post as other sales are confirmed.


[Update 1: Master of Illusion was confirmed as the second lightning deal and was added to the post.]

[Update 2: Transformers: Autobots is the third lightning deal. And, would you look at that -- Master of Illusion sold out. Who would have thought?]

[Via CAG]

Rumor: Paper Mario port on the way

Posted Apr 16th 2008 2:15PM by JC Fletcher
Filed under: Rumors

According to (the translated version of) a Ruliweb post about a note in the latest issue of CoroCoro Comic, a DS version of the Nintendo 64 Paper Mario is on the way purple monkey dishwasher. No more information is available than that, but the Ruliweb post says that "More news is expected to appear later." Which is obvious, but, really, if this is true, expect an announcement and official screens within the next couple of weeks.

Oh, and allow us to say it first, because you're already getting your commenting hat on: why isn't this Super Mario RPG? We don't know, and we find the decision to port Paper Mario strange, since it's available on the Virtual Console for ten bucks.

[Via NeoGAF]

Advance Wars: Days of Reflection

Posted Mar 19th 2008 1:30PM by Chris Greenhough
Filed under: Interviews

1UP has posted an excellent interview with some of the names behind Advance Wars: Days of Ruin, in which the team reflects on the new direction taken by the game, and explains why many of the changes were made.

As well as addressing the new "serious" tone adopted by the game (they wanted to "surprise" people, and also attract sci-fi fans who wouldn't usually play war games), the team also revealed why lead protagonist Will is such an unbearably self-righteous bore why so many features had been left out of Days of Ruin (the game has no unlockable hard mode, no Survival or Combat mode, no dual-screen battles, no War Room, and no opportunity to purchase maps).

Unsurprisingly, the reasoning behind said omissions makes perfect sense, and the cuts arguably resulted in the most streamlined, balanced Advance Wars game since the first GBA title. 1UP also opened the floor to members of its community, who made one or two cracking suggestions for the next entry in the series -- an infantry unit equipped with smoke grenades (thereby allowing 'portable' Fog of War) would be a welcome addition!

Gallery: Advance Wars: Days of Ruin

Card Hero booster packs: gotta catch 'em all on video!

Posted Feb 25th 2008 5:00PM by JC Fletcher
Filed under: Video, Imports

Nintendo just put a video up on touch-ds.jp showing all 130 cards available in Card Hero's in-game store. Within the game, it's possible to purchase "booster packs" of three cards, which can then be opened on the bottom screen. Many of these cards are rare in the game -- that's even rarer than the rest of the cards, which exist only in a game not released in the U.S. (a measure of scarcity in itself, right?)

Of course, being a video and not ... a gallery or something, you get more than just pictures of cards. Many of the cards are followed by video demonstrations of their featured characters or actions.

2008's Biggest Blips: Advance Wars: Days of Ruin

Posted Jan 28th 2008 12:00PM by Chris Greenhough
Filed under: Features

Developer: Intelligent Systems
Publisher: Nintendo
Release: January 21

The inclusion of Advance Wars: Days of Ruin on our list of 2008's Biggest Blips has caused us something of a quandary. You see, unlike all the other games on our list, Days of Ruin is already out. Indeed, as you read this text, (we sincerely hope) most of you will have picked the game up, and surrendered to its charms. In other words, there's not much point in us previewing the game, as the majority of you will already know how totally freakin' awesome Advance Wars: Days of Ruin really is.

Hence, rather than tell you stuff that you already know, we thought we'd reflect on what a wreckage our social lives have become since Days of Ruin first made its entrance, and ask: are you in the same boat? Has Intelligent Systems' turn-based gem completely devoured your free time, or do you struggle to understand the palaver? Let's find out ...

PRESENTING A DS FANBOY QUIZ:
How addicted are YOU to Advance Wars: Days of Ruin?

1. A friend politely requests to borrow your copy of Advance Wars: Days of Ruin for a weekend vacation, promising to have it back to you safe and sound by Monday. Do you:

A. Give your friend the game, and cheerily ask if they'd be interested in borrowing any other titles.
B. Reluctantly hand over the cart, but not before making your friend sign a legally binding contract promising that neither the game or your saved data will come to any harm.
C. Pounce on them instantly, wrestle them to the ground, and bite clean through their Achilles tendon before getting up and yelling at your prostrate, sobbing friend, "Borrow that, fool!"

2. For unavoidable reasons, you find yourself without a copy of Advance Wars: Days of Ruin. Do you:

A. Shrug it off and think, "Oh well, as fun as it is, a break from all that sprite-based violence won't kill me."
B. Find yourself trying to mentally complete the map that you were heroically defeated on at the end of your last session. Twitch occasionally.
C. Start to shake violently, while frantically attempting to stage an impromptu game of Advance Wars: Days of Ruin with whatever comes to hand, be that salt and pepper shakers, bottle caps, cutlery, stray dogs, pensioners, or abandoned military hardware.

3. One way to measure addiction is to assess your ability to play Advance Wars: Days of Ruin well; after all, it makes sense that the terminally addicted would be very good at the game. With this in mind, please look at the map below, and then estimate (as honestly as possible) the best result you could draw from this situation. You are the blue army:

A. A defeat, but hey, the odds were against you.
B. You could hold out for a stalemate.
C. A full, resounding victory inside 15 days.

4. Your house is ablaze, and you only have time to rescue one item that is precious to you. Do you grab:

A. Grandma.
B. Your dog.
C. All of your 27 copies of Advance Wars: Days of Ruin (N.B: you purchased this many as you privately hoped more sales would mean you get a sequel sooner); they don't have their own legs, both Grandma and the dog do.

5. Did you have time to complete this quiz?

A. Tons!
B. I squeezed it in. Just.
C. *AFK*

Mostly As: You call this commitment, "soldier?" Pathetic!
Mostly Bs: Getting better. Stand by for total meltdown of family/social/love life in ten, nine ...
Mostly Cs: We can almost definitely be friends. Here's our code: 3351-3155-3025. We can talk about your wussy addiction problems after during 18 or so hours of Wi-Fi battlin'. Now shut up and play.

Gallery: Advance Wars: Days of Ruin

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DS Fanboy Review: Advance Wars: Days of Ruin

Posted Jan 28th 2008 9:45AM by David Hinkle
Filed under: Reviews

Back in the middle of 2005, a little game by the name of Advance Wars: Dual Strike hit the Nintendo DS. Followers of the franchise's previous entries on the GBA (developed by Intelligent Systems) remember plenty of hours spent, knee-deep in combat with their GBA SP, its body soaking wet with the sweat from their palms. Advance Wars: Days of Ruin is an important entry in the series, perhaps more so than previous installments. For one, it's the first to be compatible with Nintendo Wi-Fi Connect, Nintendo's online matchmaking service for head-to-head battles (and custom map swapping). Another reason why it might be considered the most important installment in the series is the stark contrast in artistic style and game plot compared to past titles.

Gallery: Advance Wars: Days of Ruin

Continue reading DS Fanboy Review: Advance Wars: Days of Ruin

DS Daily: How goes the war, soldier?

Posted Jan 27th 2008 10:30AM by Chris Greenhough
Filed under: DS Daily

Advance Wars: Days of Ruin is proving quite the distraction. Intelligent Systems' strategy game has occupied our DSes for the last few days, with hours of play already racked up. When we close our eyes to sleep, we only see tiny tank and artillery sprites, moving in right angles across the back of our eyelids.

As the game also proved to be a popular choice at our most recent Game Night, we're guessing we're not alone in carrying out late-night, under-the-duvet sorties, so what are your impressions so far? Is Days of Ruin better or worse than Dual Strike, or even superior to the excellent GBA games? Are you focusing more on single-player, or fighting campaigns online? And do you miss Grit as much as we do?

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