DS - News
May2010
News Don't Get Too Attached to 3DS Name, says Iwata
Real name still under wraps
Even though the name seems to fit the upcoming console like a snug glove, apparently 3DS isn't the formal name for Nintendo's next handheld. No, it seems Iwata and company have an official title all lined-up, presumably waiting to unleash it at E3 in just over one month's time. As we can't think of anything that would...
News Capcom Will Give You 22 Games Before April
16 for DS, 6 on Wii
Capcom's had a pretty good start to this financial year, with Monster Hunter Tri for Wii and Super Street Fighter IV and Lost Planet 2 on the HD consoles. Hopefully you haven't had enough of the blue-and-yellow publisher yet, as they have a boatload of titles for you over the next year. Aiming to bring half a dozen Wii titles to...
News Software Pirates Beware: No 3DS Booty For You
Security tougher than a chastity belt... maybe
Nintendo takes a hard stance on piracy, using cartridge-based games for its systems way past their use-by-date. Whilst more difficult to produce illegal copies of their intellectual products, it also imposes a certain limit to how much data the console had access to. With the upcoming 3DS, Nintendo is...
News These Games Sold Over a Million Copies Last Year
But which sold more, Mario or Nintendogs?
Crunching numbers from financial reports isn't just for accountants and financial consultants: when a company like Nintendo releases its figures, even the humble gamer sits up to take notice. A list of the top-selling Nintendo games for the past financial year, then, is like sweet nectar to numeric nerds...
News 3DS Will Let You Play in 2D Too, If You Want
Third dimension will be optional
Worried the upcoming 3DS will ruin your eyesight or generally be a bit tiresome? Nintendo is way ahead of you, with President Satoru Iwata confirming the 3D mode won't be compulsory. He promised it will be easy to turn off the 3D function on the new machine, allowing people to play games, with or without 3D. Iwata...
News MySims Head Ever Skyward with SkyHeroes
Copter no longer necessary
Those MySims sure do get into some scrapes, and their latest adventure MySims SkyHeroes is set to debut on Wii and DS. According to Scott Evans, General Manager of the The Sims Studio: We are thrilled to have many firsts with MySims SkyHeroes, like introducing epic boss battles, cooperative gameplay missions and online...
News Nintendo's 2010 Release Schedule is Predictably Vague
Zelda, Golden Sun for 2010, Famicom Wars DS 2 and Kirby there too
Some of the recent doom and gloom surrounding Nintendo's recent and projected sales results may have put some fans in a melancholic state, but the company's upcoming release schedule should provide a welcome bit of optimism, though as always it's tempered with calls for caution. Big...
News Ivy the Kiwi Story - Chapter One
It's story time!
Xseed have just sent over some more information on their upcoming Ivy the Kiwi releases for Nintendo Wii and DS due to hit store shelves this summer. They've also sent the first part of their ongoing story for the games that will be released in parts between now and the official release date. You can check out Chapter One below and...
News E3 Promises Over 30 Nintendo Titles
Surprises not included
The run-up to E3 is almost as exciting as the event itself, with half the fun in predicting exactly what Nintendo will show. Not every company is as secretive however, as a recently published list reveals the show will play host to at least fifteen DS games and twenty titles for Wii. That may not seem like a huge amount, but...
News Buy Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar, Take Home a Horse
Enticing deal for all
There's a couple of Harvest Moon fans on the Nintendo Life team in Europe, now staring enviously at their counterparts across the pond as the latest plush toy preorder giveaway has been revealed for the upcoming Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar. If you preorder the title at GameStop you'll receive a lovely horse toy as a memento of...
News Nintendo DS Now Best-Selling Handheld
Record-setting Game Boy drops to second place
Nintendo recently released its current earnings report, and it's now safe to say that the Nintendo DS system has become the best-selling handheld video game system of all time. According to Nintendo, the DS line of systems sold approximately 27.11 million units worldwide this year, bringing the total...
News Nintendo Profits Fall for the First Time Since 2004
Still made a few billion, though
Associated Press recently reported the Big N's earnings for the fiscal year, which ended on March 31st. The company forecasts their first drop in profit in six years, at 230 billion yen (2.4 billion USD) profit, down from 279.1 billion yen (2.96 billion USD) profit in 2009. Analysts say that this is most likely due...
News Yuji Naka's Ivy the Kiwi? to XSEED Expectations
The storybook-style aims to enchant Wii and DS gamers this Summer
Following on the Japanese retail and download release a couple of weeks ago, the creators of Let's Tap and Let's Catch are about to bring their latest title to an American audience. Yuji Naka – one of the creators of Sonic the Hedgehog – has unveiled more on the rather
Nintendo Download 3rd May 2010 (North America)
Zombies, funk, but sadly no funk zombies for WiiWare; and five more for DSiWare. Virtual Console, where art thou?
WiiWare brings the funk and sees some long-awaited zombie killing action, and DSiWare has a bumper week with five titles full of crazy, balloons, mazes and other stuff we're not entirely sure of. Virtual Console fans can resume the...
April2010
News Blue Dragon: Awakened Shadow Poo Facts
D3Publisher talks a little sh*t about their upcoming DS RPG.
D3Publisher has just sent over the newest bit of news on their upcoming DS release Blue Dragon: Awakened Shadow. It seems they felt the need to set the record straight on the Poo Facts and they've put together a few of the more important ones below for your reading pleasure. Poo Facts:...
News Final Fantasy V and VI Technical Problems Prevent DS Conversions
Fantasy not quite final
Those of you who have enjoyed Final Fantasy's previous reinventions on the DS may be dismayed to read a recent Twitter tweet from Square Enix producer Shinji Hashimoto regarding the (hopefully) upcoming remakes of the fifth and sixth outings: For FF5 and 6, there are technical issues as well, so at present these are also...
News Mega Man Zero Collection Announced for June Release
Spend $30, get Zero (now with trailer!)
We previously reported that this game was to be released in Japan, and Capcom just announced its Western debut on June 8th. You can preorder it now and pick it up for just $29.99. Mega Man Zero Collection encompasses all four releases in the Game Boy Advance series, originally introduced in 2002. Additional...
News Intellivision to Be Reborn on DS
It's still alive!
Earlier this year we quite favourably reviewed the GameCube release Intellivision Lives!, a collection of over sixty games from the presumed dead retro system. Among its catalogue were not only nostalgia-inducing favorites but demos and prototypes as well, including everything from Bomb Squad to Baseball and Thunder Castle to...
News The Sims 3 Coming to Wii, DS with Exclusive Features
Annihilate your fake family from the comfort of your couch
EA's massively popular life-management Sims franchise is no stranger to Nintendo platforms; the Wii and DS have already seen versions of The Sims 2: Castaways and Pets, not to mention multiple entries in the younger-skewing MySims series. This fall, EA will keep that relationship going by...
Review Mahjong Quest Expeditions (DS)
A fresh update to an old-time classic
Let's get something out of the way right now: Mahjong Quest Expeditions has nothing to do with the game of mahjong (a four-player game more akin to gin rummy or poker): it's a solitaire game which is played using the same tiles and there the similarities end. Nevertheless it can be a fun diversion and the fact...
News Launch Trailer Shows Blue Dragon Sequel's Return to RPG Roots
Blue Dragon: Awakened Shadow hoping to fly off the shelves next month
When Mistwalker brought the Blue Dragon franchise over to the DS, it took a bit of a departure from the traditional RPG mould that the Xbox 360 original was cast in. Instead, Blue Dragon Plus took on a real-time strategy format, which was a fundamental change to long-time fans but...
A monster disappointment
Kaiju Busters (or "Monster Busters" as its effective English translation goes) is just one in a long line of monster-based video games that we don’t often get to see in the West. This handheld effort from Bandai Namco inevitably draws comparisons with Capcom’s massively popular Monster Hunter games, and in that...
News Ghost Trick to Haunt the West This Winter
Capcom unveils a new Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
We previously reported in 2009 that this new game from the original director of the Ace Attorney franchise was in production and planned for a Japanese release. Even then, Capcom had translated the name into English, so it may not come as much of a surprise that the company recently confirmed its...
News BBC Study Suggests Brain Training Games are Ineffective
Grey (doesn't) matter
Have you been playing Brain Training (known as Brain Age in the U.S.) or its sequel on your way to work, feeling good about yourself as you utilise your DS for something useful? Have you outsmarted your friends recently and thought, "there's that grey matter at work!"? According to a study recently published by the...
News Okamiden is Set to be Released Into the Wild in 2011
Capcom reveals game details and two trailers of the upcoming sequel to Okami
It took a couple of years to materialise, but when Okami got ported over to the Wii, it was certainly a welcomed gesture from one of Nintendo's oldest collaborators. Now, Capcom is bringing a second cel-shaded adventure to Nintendo gamers but this time it's on the DS. With...
News Nintendo Leads U.S. Sales for March
Mario leaps over the competition
The independent NPD Group recently assessed March U.S. gaming sales, placing Nintendo systems and games at the top of the list. The DS/DSi and Wii took the top two spots in platform purchases, moving 700.8K and 557.5K units respectively, with Sony's PSP system selling a comparatively unsubstantial 119.9K units. The...
News First Pokémon Black and White Screens Captured
They're actually in colour
We know that new Pokémon games are coming, but do we know what they're going to look like? Actually, yes we do now, as Nintendo has revealed the first handful of screenshots of the upcoming critter-catching adventure. Most intriguing is the screenshot showing off the new 3D city, perhaps hinting that no longer will all...
News DSi Gets Price Drop in Australia
Now cheaper than the XL
If you recall a couple of weeks back, we shared the news that Australia will be getting the DSi XL at $299.95 at launch. As the regular DSi was the exact same price at the time of the announcement, it makes sense that Nintendo of Australia have just made the announcement that the original DSi will be getting a price drop of...
News Bowser's Inside Story Gets a DSi Bundle
Pick up a white DSi and the game from April 25th
You've hopefully already bought Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, Nintendo's superb portable RPG, but if you were waiting until it was hard-bundled with a white DSi to take the plunge then do we have news for you. Starting on April 25th, gamers in North America will able to pick up a white DSi...
News Jam With the Band Calls Europe on Stage on 21st May
"About time", say hecklers
It's been a long old time since Daigasso! Band Brothers DX was launched in Japan, but Nintendo seems to be taking a "better late than never" approach by announcing a European release for May 21st 2010. With an extensive track listing including gamer favourites such as Chariots of Fire, Walking On Sunshine and...
News Black and White are the Next Gen of Pokemon Games
Coming to Japan this fall
Not-Japan may have just gotten their hands on the excellent remakes of Pokémon Gold and Silver, but that doesn't mean the Pokemans are taking a break. Far from it, in fact, as the names of the first 5th generation of games has been revealed: Black and White. It's certainly been a while since we've seen brand-new Pokémon...
News 50,000 Hearts and Souls Poured into Australian Homes
A tremendous first week for the Pokemon franchise down under
Live in Australia? Like Pokemon? Apparently you do, because the new series releases Heart Gold and Soul Silver, have already sold more than 50,000 copies. That makes up approximately 0.2% of the population, which as small as it sounds, is quite an achievement for only one week on sale...
News Nintendo UK Wheels Out Spring Wii, DS Line-Up
Few surprises, but No More Heroes 2 coming sooner than expected
In case you were wondering what would be hitting Wii and DS this spring in the UK, Nintendo's little ol' list right here will come in handy. The dates of big games like Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Monster Hunter 3 Tri were already confirmed, so there are few surprises for notable game...
Not a code breaker
Role playing games are rapidly becoming a staple genre for the Nintendo DS, with more and more quality titles arriving on the handheld. With Final Fantasy games, Dragon Quest releases and even new titles in the form of Nostalgia and Sands of Destruction, there is a lot of competition among a crowded market so
News Manga to Release Professor Layton Film in the UK
Perhaps the Professor can crack the code for a good game movie
The only thing worse than a video game based on a movie is a movie based on a video game, right? Sure, some are so bad they're good, but in our opinion, there really hasn't been a true high-quality game-to-film adaptation to date. Perhaps, though, just perhaps, someone may have solved...
The DS boldly goes where no handheld has gone before
Infinite Space begins with a familiar enough RPG scenario: youthful protagonist Yuri (are protagonists in JRPGs ever anything but youthful?), trapped on an oppressive planet and dreaming of life as a space traveller, is whisked from his tedious existence by Nia Lochlain, a kind of female Han Solo...
Podcast NLFM Episode 5: Dark Side of the Mario
Shake your plumber bootie
It's been a while, space cats, but NLFM is back with another mighty handsome selection of the finest chip and game music around. This time we're going to listen in on what makes Mario groove, go East/West (who knows?!) with the Kusagari and see just how epic one man can make the NES. NLFM generally focuses on music from...
March2010
News Nintendo's 3DS Announcement Wasn't Supposed to Happen Like That
Analyst: early reveal was meant to prevent further leaks
When a company announces new hardware, especially the successor to a massively popular one, it's usually done with much more pomp than what happened with Nintendo's recent 3DS announcement. The fanfare of the two-sentence press release was only slightly less than if Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata...
News Suda51 Keen on Making Game With Nintendo
Would be "very interested" if the opportunity arose
When you think about it, Nintendo games are ****ing crazy insane. You've got foxes and amphibians piloting starships, pink shapeshifting blobs, and space bounty hunters more focused on eradicating entire species and blowing up planets than collecting bounties. Not to mention Italian plumbers from...
News April 15th - Australian DSi XL Retails for AU$299.95
Aussies still not PALs with Nintendo on pricing
The good news is that our friends down under don't have to wait too much longer for the DSi XL, however they're going to have to pay more than any other region. Currently you can pick-up a DSi XL in the US for $189.99 ( ~£125), in the UK for as low as £139.71 and Europeans for around €166 ( ~£149)...
A real do-it-yourself project!
Back in 2003, the developers at Nintendo introduced a game that was basically nothing more than a huge collection of minigames that lasted only seconds, but were tossed at the player in rapid succession. While the idea initially seemed a bit ridiculous, it turned out to be one of the most addictive game releases and...
News Wii & DS Become Guardians Of The Great Ga'Hoole Tree
Fantasy book series gets video game treatment to coincide with film release
With several anticipated Summer blockbuster films ahead of us, we can expect to see video game spin-offs to start appearing our consoles and handhelds if they haven't already. Krome Studios and Tantalus Media, two companies that have given us video game adaptations of Star...
Review Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver (DS)
Nintendo used "Spare Time Eater"!
(Pokémon history lesson appeared!) A few years after the huge success of Red and Blue, along came Silver and Gold, offering a brand new region and dozens more freaky monsters to catch. Predictably the games were just as successful and even now are fondly remembered by many Pokémon fans – this one included – as...
Review Puzzle Bobble Galaxy (DS)
A worthy entry in the classic puzzle series
Known by the less-than-cool moniker of "Bust-a-Move" in North America, Puzzle Bobble has been a fixture of the puzzle genre for over a decade, appearing on every console and handheld since the NEO GEO and Gameboy Colour. Puzzle Bobble Galaxy isn't the first Puzzle Bobble game on the DS, but it is...
News DS Successor To Offer 3D Gaming
No specs required
Our own Sean Aaron has already demonstrated 3D gaming without the need for goofy glasses in the DSiWare title Rittai Kakushie Attakoreda, but now Nintendo is apparently ready to take it a step further with the revelation the next DS, currently titled 3DS, may offer full 3D effects with no accessories required. Coming out of a PDF...
Review Sonic Classic Collection (DS)
Hog roast
In a perfect world, there’s surely only one score we could give the first fully portable collection of the hedgehog’s finest outings: a well-deserved 10/10. SEGA’s handheld equivalent of Super Mario All-Stars, Sonic Classic Collection features the first four Sonic titles along with Knuckles’s appearance in Sonic 2 and Sonic 3,...
News Famous Developers to Create WarioWare D.I.Y. Microgames
Even more microgames to download!
It seems fans will not be the only ones to get in on creating their own micrograms using Nintendo's upcoming WarioWare D.I.Y. release on Nintendo DS. Nintendo has just announced that some big name video game developers are getting involved and creating some brand new microgames that fans with a wireless broadband...
Review FLIPS Percy Jackson (DS)
Harry who?
Rick Riordan’s tales of teenaged demi-god Percy Jackson’s adventures are a big hit in America. Following the success of 20th Century Fox’s adaptation of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief to the big screen, it somehow seems fitting that the Percy Jackson series makes a break for the UK market too by becoming one of the latest...
Box clever
Longstanding nonogram puzzle fans will know that Picross games have been a part of Nintendo gaming for the best part of fifteen years. The excellent Mario's Picross appeared for the Game Boy way back in 1995, but this quintessentially Japanese pastime – where a matrix of squares is carefully shaded in to reveal simple, blocky pictures...
A winning combination?
God bless the common burglar. Without his sticky-fingered ways, the humble safe may never have been invented to keep important things in and unimportant people out. Sadly it also gave rise to Safecracker, a crime against gaming that has stolen something more important than jewels or money: our time and attention. The story...
Interviews Steve Lycett - Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing
Sumo Digital's executive producer talks karts and characters
Since the release of OutRun 2 back in 2004, Sumo Digital has gone on to become somewhat of a bedfellow with SEGA, having produced several games based on key IP. Following on from the release on Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, we caught up with Steve Lycett, Sumo Digital's executive...
News WarioWare D.I.Y. Tutorial Videos 1 & 2
Learn how to create your own micro games!
The folks at Nintendo were kind enough to send over two brand new WarioWare D.I.Y. Tutorial Videos to help you gain a better understanding of how to create your own micro games using the game's intuitive interface. This title is really shaping up to be a great addition to the series and with the ability to...
Jack of all trades, master of none
Having met considerable success on Wii with their sports game compilation series Deca Sports, Hudson has seen fit to bring their hit to the small screens with all new games and even more players. Living up to its name, the game sports ten games of varying quality: golf, ping pong, rugby, sepak takraw (sort of like...
News Top DS Toilet Timewasters
Short spurt gaming at its best
Portable gaming and toilets go hand-in-washed-hand: there’s no better time to get some uninterrupted gaming going than when sat atop the porcelain throne. With the DS turning five years old in Europe today, we're celebrating some of the machine's golden titles: those games that make us wish there was a way to charge...
A modern masterpiece, marred
When the GameBoy Advance launched back in 2002, it landed with a port of Super Mario Bros. 2, not exactly the most fondly-remembered of plumber outings but one that still hit the mark by fitting the platform to a tee. Come 2005, Nintendo hit on the idea of launching the DS with a revamped Super Mario 64, showing off all...
Review Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing (DS)
Pocket rocket
Just like the Wii version, Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing on DS is up against some stiff competition, but as with its bigger brother manages to carve out a fine racing line for itself. One remarkable aspect of the DS version is how faithful it is to the home console version. All the characters, cups and unlockables are present,...
Review Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth (DS)
Eureka!
Although four installments long already, the Ace Attorney series has never really changed much in terms of gameplay. Every previous game consisted merely of showing the right evidence to the right people, or at the right time, with only very minor additions or alterations between each title, like the Psycho Locks in the second and third...
News Netflix Survey Suggests DS Video Streaming
DSi XL to replace drive-in movies
Wii owners will soon be able to stream video to their machine via Netflix, but what if you want to watch a video in a room that’s not the living room? Well, a new Netflix survey hints at the possibility of the DS being turned into a portable video device in future. Although at the moment the survey is only...
Review Resident Evil: Deadly Silence (DS)
A good adaptation with obsolete game design
It's tough to judge the classics, especially one like the original Resident Evil. Ground-breaking when it first hit the PlayStation in 1996, many of the game's mechanics are downright antiquated by now and can be off-putting to gamers who missed out on the series until Leon Kennedy shot up half the...
Review Bleach: The 3rd Phantom (DS)
The first tactical RPG for the modern manga classic leaves some to be desired
The 3rd Phantom is the latest Bleach game on the DS and also the first to depart from the fighting game genre. Instead, Sega have produced a tactical RPG resembling Nintendo's Fire Emblem or Sega's own Shining Force games, with players moving characters like pieces on a...
News Scribblenauts 2 Springs to Life
New adjectives system keeps things grammatical
This morning we received confirmation that developers 5th Cell are indeed working on a follow up to last year's successful Scribblenauts, a veritable dictionary of a game that allowed you to conjure just about any object you could imagine out of the ether. The aim was to use these objects to solve...
News Contra 4 Soundtrack Gets Metal Megamixed
Rocked 'n' reloaded
Since nothing is more metal than some shirtless machismo dudes shooting aliens and robots in the face with big guns, it's with much delight but little surprise to see the Contra 4 soundtrack get the metal total conversion it deserves. The remix album is directed by Andreas "SnappleMan" Kotsamanidis with Tony...
Review Wario: Master of Disguise (DS)
Not even a master could disguise this mess
Wario games have always stood out as being excellent venues for experimental game design. He challenged death in games by going immortal for a spell, helped Nintendo test the waters with motion control across multiple games and platforms and for the most part boldly goes where Mario dares not. He's seen a...
News Taz's Appetite Expands Onto The DS
Developed by WayForward Technologies, take control of The Tasmanian Devil in dual modes of play.
Looney Tunes is one of those franchises where the roster of characters is so large and diverse, there's one for everyone. Whether you share personality traits, or you just like the way they walk and talk, you just can't help but associate yourself with...
Review Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes (DS)
A classic DS mash-up is born
Mixing the heavy plot and masses of dialogue from an RPG with the instant gratification of a puzzle game might seem an odd choice, but Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes pulls it off with aplomb. Reminiscent of classic DS puzzler Meteos, Clash of Heroes offers a stylus-sliding take on the match-three genre. Each puzzle is...
Podcast Episode 13 - Happy 5th Birthday, DS
Get out the party hats and streamers
In the beginning, there was no DS. Now we've had our little chum for half a decade, as the DS hits its fifth birthday in Europe on March 11th. With that in mind, this is a DS special, looking at some of the memories that make this machine so special to gamers everywhere. Jon Wahlgren tells us about his path to...
The DS' first retro sci-fi MMO
Phantasy Star Online for Dreamcast was a genuine revolution: the first-ever online RPG for consoles, it boasted an advanced translation system, free online play and stacks of action. The GameCube saw Phantasy Star Online: Episodes I & II that expanded the original game with all-new areas, weapons, monsters and...
February2010
The 8-bit classic returns
If you were gaming on home computers in the 8-bit era then it's very likely you came across a game called Pipe Dream. Originally published on the Commodore Amiga as Pipe Mania, it's a puzzle game in which the goal is to link together pipe sections on a grid to complete a route for a green (or blue) liquid called...
News DSi XL Release Dates Announced
No time like the present
Confirmation of the release dates for the upcoming DSi XL for Europe, North America and Australia, have come out of Nintendo’s back pocket and into our hands. Europeans will be first to the party when the handheld hits the streets on March 5. Nintendo will then set sail across the pond for a North American entrance March...
News Nintendo European Media Summit 2010 Round-up
All the big news from the big day
Earlier today, two of Nintendo Life's UK editorial team attended Nintendo's European Media Summit in London's swanky O2 Arena, which was filled with transparent plastic chairs and surrounded with projection screens showing upcoming titles. Although many of the major announcements were made at the US summit...
News WarioWare: Do It Yourself - April 30th
The latest game coming in the WarioWare series on Nintendo DS, WarioWare: Do It Yourself, launches on April 30th
Ever wanted to be a game designer? To see your friends and family playing games that you created? Well, now’s your chance! WarioWare: Do It Yourself, featuring over 90 fantastic microgames to play and, best of all, the ability to create...
News Nintendo to Publish Dragon Quest IX in North America
Set to hit stores this summer!
Nintendo and Square-Enix have just announced that Nintendo will be publishing the much-anticipated Dragon Quest IX in North America. The game is set for a summer 2010 release and is looking to be one of the biggest DS releases of the year, especially for eager RPG fans who've been waiting to get their hands on the...
News Warner Bros. Interactive Announces New Batman Game for Wii and DS
Animated show tie-in to coming this fall
Wii owners may have missed out on Arkham Asylum, but they're getting an exclusive release in the form of a game based upon the Batman: The Brave and the Bold animated series, in which the Dark Knight teams up with other DC heroes to combat villainy. Wayforward are the developers behind this licensed tie-in,...
News Nintendo Patents Touch Screen Rumble Feature
No news of a new Star Fox to go with it
Nintendo have recently filed a patent for touch screen rumble feedback. The patent reveals a tactile feature, wherein rumble feedback is applied through the touch screen consequent to the user’s interaction. The patent confirms that the hardware to which the technology relates to consists of two screens,...
News The Nintendo DS in Breakfast Form
Now five years old, the DS is looking a bit crusty
In the world of cuisine, the first bite is supposedly via the presentation. Following that rule of thumb, the creator of this "DS toast" has obviously gone for a flavour that Nintendo fans will enjoy. Presumably created by a fan rather than a famous chef, the crunchy console takes its form...
News ONM Cross-Examines Capcom on Ace Attorney
Gamers get their questions answered
Coinciding with Friday's European launch of the fifth game in the series, a recent ONM Asks session saw Shu Takumi (Creative Director of the Ace Attorney series) and Motohide Eshiro (Producer of Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth) answering some questions on the popular quirky courtroom puzzle games...
News Mario & Sonic's Winter Olympics Outing Shifts 6M
Quite possibly more profitable than the actual Olympics
The real Winter Olympics in Vancouver may be watched and beloved the world over, but you know what else is beloved all across the globe? Video games, and especially ones starring Mario and Sonic. Combine that with the Olympics and hoo-boy is there money to be made. Sega and Nintendo would like...
News Tetris Party Deluxe Dropping Into Wii and DS
New modes, Wii Speak support and more blocks than the entire 8-bit era
You may have thought Tetris Party on WiiWare had exhausted all variants on the classic puzzler, but you'd be wrong. Very wrong. Hudson Soft, Tetris Online and Majesco have announced today that they've found even more kitchen sinks to throw into the mix for the retail release that...
News DS2 Rumour Is Rumour No More
According to The Pokemon Company
Did you scoff at the recent rumours of a DS2 development kit doing the rounds? Well get ready to wipe that smirk off your smug face because according to CVG the machine is very real. The website has been told by an employee at The Pokemon Company that they have indeed received DS2 development kits - although the tech...
News Developer Allegedly Has DS2 Kit
Could this be Nintendo's big reveal?
As Nintendo’s Media Summit approaches, rumours about what exactly the big announcement will be are starting to surface. According to French web site Gamekult, it could well be the unveiling of a DS successor. Developer sources close t
Luchador's lament
Lucha Libre has an interesting history and place in Mexican culture and luchadores can be viewed in the same light as Japanese sumo (unsurprisingly Lucha Libre has a strong following in Japan as well): real-life super-heroes. Like super heroes, most luchadores wear masks and go to great lengths to maintain an air of mystery about...
News Sonic Classic Collection Goes Collectible
Limited edition for Australia and Spain
Get ready to add yet another tin case to your growing collection, as SEGA have confirmed the existence of a limited edition release for Sonic Classic Collection for the Nintendo DS. The set comes in the aforementioned tin case, the contents of which are an exclusive Sonic figurine, five postcards featuring...
News New Pokémon Revealed in CoroCoro Magazine
New Dark-type 'mon on the way
The weekly Pokémon show in Japan, Pokémon Sunday, showed a silhouette of a brand-new monster due to be the first announced creature in the forthcoming fifth generation of the popular critter catching series. Pokémon fansite Serebii has since gotten its hands on scans of the latest issue of CoroCoro Magazine, which...
Review Geometry Wars Galaxies (DS)
A near-perfect translation of the console classic
Bizarre Creation's Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved is something of a modern classic. The wireframe graphics and gameplay consisting of firing at enemies in every direction on a closed 2D playfield are like a marriage of arcade classics Tempest and Robotron, making for some addictive gameplay. Sierra...
News Pokémon Lose the Slots From Their Heart and Soul
Risk explosions from Voltorbs instead!
Poké-fans in Europe may remember last year when during their Pokémon journey in Pokémon Platimum they discovered they couldn't play the slots like they could in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. It seems this trend continues with Pokémon SoulSliver and HeartGold as well, though this time instead of simply picking...
Review Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2 (DS)
Once you start, you'll need to call on the Ouendan to help you stop playing this game
In 2005, iNiS crafted Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan for DS. Rhythm games were hardly being made for the system, but they instantly proved that it could have amazing results when done right. People spoke so positively about it that it was popular both in and outside Japan,...
January2010
News Pikachu-Coloured Pichu Westward Bound
US and UK get a chance to nab rare ’mons
Way back when Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver was announced in Japan it also turned out a special Pichu was being released for Pokémon Diamond, Pearl and Platinum owners to download. The li’l fella is transferable to HeartGold and SoulSilver and will trigger an event to unlock another special Pichu in...
News Nintendo of Japan Outlines What It's Up To This Year
Metroid: Other M, Xenoblade, Last Story and new Pokemon in the cards
At an investors meeting in Tokyo today, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata was nice enough to outline what the company intended to do with all those funds this year. Included in the outline were Wii RPGs The Last Story from Mistwalker and Nintendo as well as Xenoblade, formerly known as...
News Mega Man Zero Collection Aims Westward
Z-Busting North America in early summer
We knew it was happening at some point, but now Capcom has announced that the upcoming DS release Mega Man Zero Collection is officially on its way out of Japan. The compilation will bring together all four of the GameBoy Advance Mega Man Zero games for "a great price" early this summer in North...
Herculean effort or Greek tragedy?
Role-playing game fans have to be excited to see the number of RPG releases appearing on the DS system continuing to grow. And while we've seen some very unique gameplay elements in many of the titles, we've seen almost as many titles take a much more traditional approach, choosing to stick to many of the familiar...
News Heart Gold/Soul Silver Aussie Release Date Announced
Later than America, sooner than Europe! Pokewalker included
Nintendo Australia have made the announcement that they will be releasing Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver on March 25th - a whole day before Europe gets it! They've also given the Australians a reason to go out and walk as it's recently been confirmed that the Pokewalker peripheral will...
News BBC Interested In Games Again
Looking to develop Doctor Who, Top Gear, In The Night Garden titles
MCV has revealed that the BBC Worldwide is interested in making games based on key IPs after years of sitting back and watching. The BBC has said that it wants to see its biggest brands like Doctor Who, Top Gear, In The Night Garden and more expand into games for all audiences. The...
News Glory of Heracles Launch Trailer
More video of the game in action!
The kind folks over at Nintendo were nice enough to send over the official launch trailer for their brand new DS RPG Glory of Heracles. You can check out the video below along with the official press release information to go along with it. We'll also have a full review of the game up shortly. For centuries, the...
News US Pokémasters: Preorder Now, Get Ho-Oh or Lugia Figures
Legendary Pokémon spotted at US retailers
The hype machine for Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver is certainly kicking into action now, with the news that select US retailers are offering Ho-Oh and Lugia figurines to preorder customers. If you want Ho-Oh, put your name down for HeartGold. Lugia fan? SoulSilver is the one for you. Here's what Cammie...
News British R4 Card Importer Shipping Off To Prison
Guilty plea nets 12-month sentence
Don't mess with Nintendo. British resident Yun Can Meng clearly didn't get the memo when he was busy importing approximately 26,500 R4 cards, as GamesPolitics reports that Meng has been sentenced to 12 months in prison for pleading guilty to the charge. Meng was sentenced in Hull Crown Court. R4 cards can be used...
Review Sands of Destruction (DS)
Yet another engaging DS Japanese RPG.
There's no denying that Nintendo's DS system has seen quite a few Japanese RPG releases over the years and is quickly becoming the system of choice for fans of the genre. Imageepoch, comprised of former developers of such legendary RPG classics as Xenogears and Grandia, have once again combined their talents to...
News Analyst: Nintendo DS2 to be Launched Next Year
According to research firm EEDAR, we could have our hands on the next handheld by April 2011
With the Wii smashing sales last month, it is no surprise to hear that Nintendo is planning on revamping its handheld market. According to EEDAR, a new version of the DS could be available by April 2011. Jesse Divinch, who is the director of the analyst...
News Wii, DS Have Record-Breaking Year In US
Hojillions and hojillions served
According to the NPD sales numbers for December, Nintendo sold more than double the hardware as all of their competitors combined, totaling around 7 million Wii and DS units sold. That's a spicy meatball, but certainly not the only one on top of the company's pile of money-shaped spaghetti that was 2009. In fact, the...
News DSi XL Gets The Hands-on Video Treatment
Exclusive Nintendo Life moving images contained within
No doubt you've already cast your gaze over Corbie's excellent hands-on impressions of the shiny new Nintendo DSi XL, and as a companion to that feature we've cooked up a little video review of the console, purely because we're nice like that. Thanks go to the friendly people at Nintendo UK for...
News Nintendo Doubly Outsold Everything Else Combined In US Last Month
Wii alone stomped the might of Sony and Microsoft
We had already heard from Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata that the Japanese giant was looking at record December console sales figures this year in the US, but now we've got cold hard NPD sales numbers to see just how many Wiis and DS's were shifted. Turns out that Iwata's "approaching 3M sold"...
