Posts with tag nongame
Posted Apr 9th 2008 7:00PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: News
If we lived in Japan and needed to learn English,
English of the Dead would clearly be our choice of software. Yet, we're not saying that Paon doesn't have a fun idea for their English training game, too.
New Horizon English Training Course DS might not have zombies, but it
does have Judo.
As you may have guessed, the way in which this title handles its English quizzes is through sports minigames. It's unclear how exactly the Judo game works, but there's also a marathon event (during which players must write out the correct letters quickly in order to run fast), and a weight training game (which has players identify whether or not a translation is correct).
Of course, in our hearts, zombies still win -- every time.
[Via Siliconera]
Posted Mar 24th 2008 7:00PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: Video
We shouldn't have watched this video -- it just made us hungry. Not that
you shouldn't watch it. We're sure your kitchens contain more than just ramen and old cereal, so you should be fine to sate any hunger pains that may arise from watching this trailer for
Kantan! Tanoshi! Okashi Navi DS.
Cravings aside, we really like the idea of a game that turns our DS into a portable cookbook; especially if said cookbook contains recipes for making sweets and desserts. Unfortunately, this game won't help you at all if you can't speak or read Japanese, so don't even think about importing it unless you have such language skills. We also wouldn't recommend holding your breath for localization, as you'd surely end up dead and we'd feel really bad about the whole thing.
[Via Gemaga]
Posted Mar 20th 2008 8:00PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: News
Not many things sound as riveting as driving theory; for example, watching paint dry is probably a lot less exciting. You probably don't need our snark to tell you, though, that
Driving Theory Training is an awful idea.
The entire purpose of this British nongame is to prepare people for their driver's license test. As an interactive study guide, it's probably not a bad thing -- but we'd prefer to study the old-fashioned way and save our money. We don't mind edutainment, but the thought of something as dull as driving theory on our DS seems rather unnecessary.
Should you think differently, though, you better hope that you live in the UK. We're sure learning British driving lessons as a U.S. driver would be a bad idea, as you'd wind up driving on the
wrong left side of the road. If you
are British, though, you'll be able to train in driving theory as soon as this summer.
[Via GamesPress press release]
Posted Mar 6th 2008 6:00PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: News
You might not remember the
footnote mention of a
Calligraphy Training (non)game for the DS -- it was two years ago, after all -- but some more news has recently surfaced about the title. Set to release in Japan on March 13th, this training game is aimed at teaching folks how to properly draw Japanese characters.
One of the coolest things about this nongame is that it will ship with a special brush stylus. That alone has us starry-eyed in love with
Calligraphy Training, but that's not even all the game has to offer. Apparently, the game has a multiplayer mode that lets up to six players compete over who's calligraphy is the most accurate. We're sure that's a better idea in theory than in practice, but it's still a nice feature.
Game Watch also reports that there's a quest mode included in
Calligraphy Training, as you'll be helping a wanderer to perfect 3099 different characters. Not bad for a simple little calligraphy game, Nintendo.
Before you think "neat" and then forget about this game for the rest of time, you can head on over to its official website to watch some video footage, should you feel so inclined.
[Via Modojo]
Posted Jan 7th 2008 2:15PM by David Hinkle
Filed under: Downloads, Interviews, Nintendo Wi-Fi
Nintendo head honcho
Satoru Iwata recently conducted an interview where his comments regarding Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connect were pretty darn interesting. While the dreamer in us was hoping for a retooling of the useless Friend Code system, such is not the case. What Iwata hopes to do is
expand how the
DS is used to access information, such as possibly downloading surrounding map data after getting off of a train.
The idea of being able to do things such as this with your DS is something we definitely can get down with, but we wonder about the execution. The homebrew community can definitely come up with applications to cater to these needs, but an official Nintendo solution, a kind of "all-in-one" thing would be great. Get on it Nintendo, we need more excuses to carry our DS
everywhere.
[Via Nintendic]
Posted Jan 4th 2008 2:15PM by Alisha Karabinus
Filed under: Screens
Yes, we know that one of the themed games in the
Paint by DS catalogue is centered around
painting military vehicles, but we're still mystified every time we see something from the title. Is penciling and shading the side of a bomber particularly zen? Or is it just that it's
completely manly? If so, we can only hope you still have a
headband or two lying around. In the meantime, you can check out some new screens. Shockingly, they include military vehicles. Yeah, we're still surprised by that.
Really. Tanks? What happened to great works of art, or kittens, or Jesus?
Posted Dec 20th 2007 4:00PM by David Hinkle
Filed under: Features
Well, not all of it. This is more about the highlights, the
big news of the year. The kind of stuff that we should look back to and highlight as being memorable in 2007. It's been one hell of a year; a roller coaster ride of hits and misses. So, grab your admission ticket, buckle yourself in and join us for this look back at the news of 2007.
Continue reading All of the news DS Fanboy saw fit to print in 2007
Posted Nov 14th 2007 3:40PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: News, Video
We're definitely intrigued by
Paint by DS, a digital coloring book of sorts, seeing as we're such horrible artists ourselves. Granted, it's a niche title if there ever was one, yet we're very much charmed by this little nongame.
Still, some things about it just don't sit too well with us. One off-putting thing is that there are themed versions of the game. The theme game showcased above was "Military Vehicles," and we have to wonder, how many of you out there are just dying to color in tanks? It seems like an odd choice, especially when mixed with the peaceful music of the above trailer.
If you're like us and don't appreciate the themes, though, you can always get the regular version of the game, which is filled with some artistic masterpieces that you'll probably recognize. We might even see other themes in the future, ones that actually appeal to us, so all isn't lost.
If you're in Australia and Japan you might have even tried this nongame already. It won't come to Europe until next week and the US until, oh, sometime next year.
Posted Oct 30th 2007 3:40PM by Alisha Karabinus
Filed under: News
Just when we were beginning to think it was no longer possible to further expand the audience of the DS (it's everywhere), Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata says the company is planning to do just that. In a recent
Wall Street Journal article, Nintendo execs mentioned practical, wireless content for use in "train stations, amusement parks or museums" (where have we seen
that before?). There was also mention of a television-programming feature for Japan that would allow users to check listings and plan out their viewing schedule. We can't help but wonder if it's related to that
TV tuner that recently resurfaced, since it sure sounds like it.
Personally, we welcome our new DS overlords in every part of our daily lives -- if Nintendo can manage something a little classier (and more common) than the
Nintendo Fan Network that debuted at Safeco Field this year. The DS has a lot of useful functions that can certainly be exploited for more practical uses, and we
already carry one around, so we hope some of these make it over to our side of the ocean.
[Via Engadget]
Posted Oct 29th 2007 10:33PM by David Hinkle
Filed under: Video
You know, we could use not only a coach for our words, but perhaps a coach in all things in life. We already have a coach for when we need to
get down to business, but what about a coach to tell us what to choose when we're presented with the question of paper versus plastic at the grocery store? What about a coach to help us through the difficult task of deciding to go with whole wheat or white bread on our hoagie? What about a coach that could help us in picking out the appropriate pair of underwear for the day ahead? Actually, we don't think
any coach would be up for that task.
Looks like we'll just have to settle for
My Word Coach ...
for now.
Posted Oct 27th 2007 10:30AM by Candace Savino
Filed under: Imports, DS Daily
Time and
time again, we feel the need to remind you that there are tons of
training games for the DS. We're not complaining, we're just in awe.
The sad thing? Most of these nongames only come out in Japan. Sure, we can
improve our brains or the brains of our
fake pets. Soon our DS will even teach us
yoga. But, as life dictates, we always want what we
can't have. So, which Japanese training game do you wish you could play?
Posted Oct 17th 2007 4:50PM by Alisha Karabinus
Filed under: News
Picross not enough to fulfill your painting obsession? Fear not, for
Paint by DS is on the way. But this is not your math-friendly grid environment; this is a full-fledged painting sim that challenges you to recreate the works of the masters.
What seems like a simple title -- there are fifteen different paintings, as well as a few minigames that offer players a break from the painting grind -- shows some surprising depth when we take a closer look. Before undertaking a project, you're challenged with a choice of materials, from paint to canvas or paper, just as you would be with a real painting. You can also mix your own colors and save them for later ... and if you mess up, that's just too bad. There's no neat, clean "undo" function, but you can utilize realistic techniques to clean up your work as you go.
For hardcore artists,
Paint by DS may be too simple, but for those just embarking on an artistic hobby, or those who like to play around with paint without the mess, this one sounds like it might be worth looking into. Between this,
Picross, and
Drawn to Life, it looks like DS developers are finally utilizing the stylus in a very obvious way -- and we can only hope for more!
Posted Oct 9th 2007 4:00PM by David Hinkle
Filed under: News
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Templar Publishing and Codemasters have struck a deal to release some games based on the
Ology series of books. Due to hit the DS and Wii late next year, first three books in the series,
Dragonology,
Wizardology and
Pirateology, are going to be the first of the titles to grace the systems.
The difference in the DS and Wii versions of the games are supposedly going to be fairly vast, with the DS versions offering more of an interactive book experience. While we might have seen this idea as a little odd following the launch of the DS, for how many other non-games the system has, we're sure these interactive books will find their audience.
Posted Sep 19th 2007 5:00PM by Alisha Karabinus
Filed under: News
We've been interested in Konami's
yoga trainer, but is the handheld ready to move beyond the mat? Apparently someone thinks so, because the company is planning several new similar titles. One is another yoga trainer, but there's also a Pilates trainer and a title focused around skin care.
Doko Demo Yoga,
Doko Demo Pilates, and
Beauty Navigation: Dream Skincare are currently in the planning stages, but at the pre-TGS press conference, Konami reps also spoke about their plans to remake DS owners from the ground up with their Entertainment, Exercise, and Self-Management series.
While the combination of skin care and the DS seems like a stretch for us (without
protection, anyway), bringing Pilates to the handheld may be even more lucrative for the company than yoga. Pilates training can be notoriously expensive, and depending on the depth of the software, this could really offer a lot of options for people looking to add the method to their exercise regimen without emptying their wallets.
Posted Jul 3rd 2007 10:40AM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: Rumors
Even with a diminished E3, there's no controlling the wave of rumors that hit the Internet every year before the show. Why fight it? From now until E3 hits, we'll be posting one piece of wild speculation every day. Some may be patently ridiculous, and others just might turn out to be true. Even some of the ridiculous ones might turn out to be true! Rest assured,
everything will be totally made-up and unfounded. Except, of course, when we speak about all the ass Reggie is going to kick. That part? Totally true.
Rumor: The third
Train Your Brain installment,
Brain Age: With a Vengeance, will be announced for a late 2007 release. To keep the non-game series fresh, this third episode will come packed with popular gimmicks like customizable outfits, alternate endings, and a new, sinister villain -- Dark Dr. Kawashima!
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