• News
• Reviews
• Hacks
• Homebrew

DS Daily: Indie-S

Posted Sep 1st 2008 9:00AM by JC Fletcher
Filed under: DS Daily

Knytt Stories, almost! Cave Story, somewhat! Portal, in some form! Indie games are taking off on the PC and the console game download services, but the DS is the hottest place for indie PC games to kind of be -- unofficially, and for free.

Are there any indie games that you wish were ported by, uh, some guy to the DS? We would say N, ourselves, if Atari hadn't picked that one up for an awesome for-real (and for-money) release. Hey, maybe Atari or some other publisher will read our suggestions! Probably not!

Development for StillAliveDS is ... continuing

Posted Aug 22nd 2008 5:00PM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: Homebrew, Video

Promoting the 1.2 update for StillAliveDS (and drumming up votes for his Neoflash homebrew coding competition entry), programmer T4ils put out this trailer for the new version of his 2D Portal remake.

The release piles some impressive additions on top of an already exemplary stack of features; in addition to its polished mechanics, in-game level editor, and online custom game directory, StillAliveDS now features custom campaigns/stories, DS Motion support, online leaderboards, a skinning system for tilesets/sprites, and cool new elements like the wall that reflects your portal gun's shots.

If you haven't downloaded and played it yet, you should! This great game isn't a lie!

Gallery: StillAliveDS

Wacky Japanese games, emulation, DS Fanboy's recommendations, naughty homebrew: our recent week of homebrew coverage had it all. Don't be put off if you're a beginner, either -- we have guides and a glossary for the newest of newbs.

StillAliveDS update adds in-game level editor

Posted Jun 17th 2008 7:00PM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: Homebrew, Video

While Nintendo is busy hampering the momentum of homebrew developers on the Wii, it's business as usual for the scene with the Nintendo DS. Programmer T4ils has put out a v1.1 update for StillAliveDS, his popular 2D remake of Valve's first-person action/puzzler, Portal.

In addition to general improvements and bug fixes, the indie game now features an in-game level editor! The video above demonstrates how easy it is to lay out and test your own stage. After you've saved your map, you can even upload it to the online Custom Game Directory from your DS!

It's strange to see a homebrew title implementing such a relatively advanced feature (for the DS) that only a few commercial games support -- Picross DS, Advance Wars: Days of Ruin, Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, N+, Steal Princess, and Bangai-O (sort of). If you have the tools necessary for loading homebrew games on your DS, you should be playing this!

Gallery: StillAliveDS

StillAliveDS: Portable 2D Portal for DS [update]

Posted May 30th 2008 5:30PM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: Homebrew, Video, Screens

Following on the heels of Homebrew Week, our coverage of the DS's indie development scene, programmer T4ils has released StillAliveDS, a fantastic 2D remake of Valve's first-person action/puzzler, Portal.

Much like the PC game, players must rely on their wits (and a portal gun) to transport themselves around each stage, aiming shots with their stylus and grabbing pieces of cake along the way. It might not have the graphics of the original, but it definitely has the feel and charm. Hit the screenshots in the gallery below to see what we mean.

Along with the maps included with the game, T4ils has also released an editor for players to create their own levels. We haven't tried it out yet, but there's even some built-in functionality for sharing and downloading maps right from your DS. And it's all free for you to download and play!

Not sure about how to get started with playing homebrew games on your Nintendo DS? Luckily for you, we've written up a (Semi) Ultimate Homebrew Guide with information on the hardware you'll need and how to set it all up! How awesome of us!

[Update: For those of you having trouble getting past the menu screen, walk up to the box in the middle of the room and try to grab it with your stylus. This may take a few tries, unfortunately, but we found it easier if you're just a few pixels away from the box. After you grab the box, carry it over to the "Story" box. ]

See also: Show and Tell: Lies, damned lies, and DS Lites

Gallery: StillAliveDS

[via Dev-fr]

Show and Tell: Lies, damned lies, and DS Lites

Posted Mar 27th 2008 1:30PM by Alisha Karabinus
Filed under: Show and Tell

If there's anything we like, it's customization. Call us crazy, but even if it's, uh, not the best, we'll usually find something to say about it*. Lately, though, we've been blessed here in the Show and Tell corner with some really awesome submissions from readers who've been taking the look of their Lites into their own hands. Reader Josh didn't draw the art that he's used to adorn his DS, but he made it work on the case, so we'll credit both him and the artist. Can you puzzle out what it is? If not, teleport past the break to see it in full-sized glory. Actually, go whether you can guess or not!

Got something you want to show off to all the other DS fans? We like just about anything with a little Nintendo flavor, so snap a few pics, tell us your story, and send it all to showmeit [at] dsfanboy [dot] com. We'll take care of the rest.

*We didn't say it would be necessarily positive, but in that case, the artist herself seemed to be with us!

Continue reading Show and Tell: Lies, damned lies, and DS Lites

Play music with a nonexistent person

Posted Mar 3rd 2008 4:00PM by David Hinkle
Filed under: News

For this blogger, Hatsune Miku is something to be feared. Something about the creepy voice makes this blogger cringe like that scene where Freddy is scratching his claw against a chalkboard. Except, you know, less awesome.

But, the fears of one man are not to affect an entire country, as the fake thing has become quite the icon in Japan. In fact, Miku has become so popular that she is to star in a real game. Titled 13-sai no Hello Work DS, the game will have players tapping away on a virtual keyboard, eventually working their way up to the stage to sing with Miku.

We wonder how long it will take for someone to turn GLaDOS into a pop diva over here, since nobody can seem to get enough of that song? Actually, she might already kind of be one ...

[Via Siliconera]

Bowser is still annoyed with Mario

Posted Dec 22nd 2007 4:00PM by Candace Savino
Filed under: Fan stuff

This may be our second reference to "Still Alive" (aka "that song from Portal") in as many weeks, but some things can't be helped. This time the song is parodied by Rob Balder, and tells the woes of an end boss that Nintendo fans might be more familiar with.

That's right, the song features none other than Bowser, and he's not too pleased with Mario. Check after the break to listen to the parody, which is aptly called "Still Annoyed."

Continue reading Bowser is still annoyed with Mario

UK Frag Doll uses powers for good

Posted Dec 10th 2007 4:00PM by JC Fletcher
Filed under: Video

We don't normally have any reason to talk about the Frag Dolls at all, since the "competitive gaming" community doesn't really associate itself with the DS that often. And we really try to avoid that Portal song whenever possible, which is usually pretty easy for a DS site to do. (Yes, it's a funny song, but it has been run into the ground, okay?) But we do cover Jam Sessions advertising, and that's exactly what this video blog entry from UK Frag Doll Kitt is.

In this video, Kitt performs Jonathan Coulton's "Still Alive" using nothing but a DS Lite and a copy of our favorite guitar non-game. And it's pretty good! If you don't mind listening to "Still Alive" again. At least the computer-simulated guitar is thematically appropriate.

Features

Another Week in ... (50)

Bury the Shovelware (15)

Contests / Giveaways (19)

DS Daily (566)

DS Fanboy Lite (42)

DS Fanboy poll (41)

Friday video (70)

Game Night (157)

Gaming to Go (14)

Items of Import (7)

Metareview (58)

Point/Counterpoint (6)

Promotional Consideration (58)

Show and Tell (72)

The DS Life (67)

What are you playing? (90)

Bits

Accessories (147)

Downloads (68)

Fan stuff (1418)

Features (291)

GBA (129)

Hacks (82)

Homebrew (229)

How-tos (75)

Imports (937)

Interviews (155)

Meta (135)

Mods (17)

News (3318)

Nintendo Wi-Fi (190)

Reviews (192)

Sales (196)

Screens (992)

Video (733)

Rumors (193)

RESOURCES

• Send us news tips
• About Us
• Contact Us
• Advertise
• Corrections?
• Problems?

RSS NEWSFEEDS

• 
• Feeds by category

Featured Galleries

 

Most Commented On (14 days)

• Fanswag: Mystery Case Files: Millionheir (139)
• Nintendo announces Nintendo DSi (121)
• DS Daily: Will you get it? (107)
• DS Daily: Sad to see the GBA slot go? (92)
• DS Daily: What would you have done? (60)
• Nintendo: DSi is region-locked (54)
• DS Daily: Is your wallet ready? (44)
• Team 17 boss wary of DSi features (44)
• Point/Counterpoint: Nintendo DSi (42)
• DS Daily: Bummed about the GBA (40)

Recent Comments

• Loren on Unlikely rumor: Kingdom Hearts bundle includes GBA-capable DSi?
• aj on DS Daily: Saving up for a Flowery, Sunny, and Rainy day
• o_o on Point/Counterpoint: Nintendo DSi
• robert on Fanswag: Mystery Case Files: Millionheir
• Rob on Fanswag: Mystery Case Files: Millionheir
• Strike Man on DS Daily: Saving up for a Flowery, Sunny, and Rainy day
• Fri on Fanswag: Mystery Case Files: Millionheir
• Sonic_13 on Fanswag: Mystery Case Files: Millionheir
• justsomeKAI on Fanswag: Mystery Case Files: Millionheir
• SephFinale on Unlikely rumor: Kingdom Hearts bundle includes GBA-capable DSi?

More game info on GameDaily: GameDaily Biz, Fast & Free Game Downloads, Video Game Trailers, Video Game Cheats, Video Game Reviews, Video Game Screenshots,

All contents copyright © 2003-2008, Weblogs, Inc. All rights reserved

DS Fanboy is a member of the Weblogs, Inc. Network. Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, Notify AOL

• DS Fanboy
• Web
• Images
• Video
• News
• Local