Topic: 100 Classic Books

There we go, that's what I suspected.

The cost of a DS game that has 100 books that were still outside of public domain would be somewhere around $750, not $50

Lol, you mean $20.

Sorry, I was talking in Aussie $s

Certainly not a bad collection, but I really can't see the appeal here. Reading books on a screen is bad enough with a computer, and will be a nightmare with the DS's tiny screen. Any self-respecting library should have most, if not all, these books available if you don't want to buy them, and you probably won't be reading so many of them at once you need to lug a huge collection around, either. Just who is this aimed at?

I am one of those people who cannot physically read large blocks of text on a computer screen in one go - it makes me ill, but I had no trouble using 100 classic books on the DS. Certainly, there are better options (like the Kindle), but carrying 100 books along with your other games when you take your DS somewhere is easy and convenient.

As for your other arguments - the same could be said of the Kindle, and yet the Kindle is proving very popular. It's simple convenience. Unlike a library you do get to keep a copy of the books, and you don't need to go to the hassle to heading down to the library to get the book. Some people can and do read multiple books at a time (I'm currently reading three), and it is inconvenient to be carrying three books around.

Finally, some people like keeping their personal library of physical books in good condition. I cannot stand my books having damaged covers or bent/ ripped pages. 100 book collection, and then the Kindle, solved this problem for me.

I don't use 100 book collection now that I own a Kindle, but for people who don't want to go and buy one of those, this collection is pretty good value.

So, to answer your question - me, and people like me.

This is also good for someone who wants to test the E-reader waters. If i still Had a DS i would be all over this but i'll just wait for a Ipad or the next gen kindle.

Oh good. Glad this finally made it outside of Europe. I really enjoy reading the books on here. I've read some that I never even heard of before and quite enjoyed them. It's a cartridge that I always carry around with my DS.

@Qwikman: Strange...the official Nintendo.co.uk page for this game mentions Jules Verne specifically among authors included (and the list on that page is far from complete).

@Adamant: I like doing things on MY time, not somebody else's. Checking out books from the library makes me feel obligated to finish and return them even if I might rather do something else at any given moment. That alone makes this "game" worth having, but you also have the fact that a DS with this "game" is smaller and easier to carry around than ONE book from this list in print form.

If this list is reasonably accurate, I'll definitely want to pick this up. I loved the BBC miniseries of Bleak House and want to read the book, and that's just ONE example off that huge list I'm interested in. I wonder what took them so long to release this in NA... Oh, well, at least they finally are! And it's cheap, too!

New info (that I'm out of room to add to my previous post)!

GameSpot's news regarding this title (hidden within a live blog of the event as IGN's was) also mentions Dracula, but not Journey to the Center of the Earth. This leads me to believe that they ARE, in fact, in the American version of the software. Hopefully at the expense of some of the Shakespeare.

So I guess the book list will NOT be entirely identical to the PAL release. I just hope they don't take out Uncle Tom's Cabin or Pilgrim's Progress (those two seem most likely due to political/religious content).

For those with the PAL version how often was DLC released like every week or all the content dumped at once?

Glad to see it's outside of Europe but I loved IGNs blog comment about how all the books are free domain and free on the net or any mobile device.

Yeah, I feel a bit odd about paying for content that's free elsewhere... but the convenience is undeniable. Also, if you break it down, each book comes down to about 20 cents each. I can find a few dimes on the sidewalk each day, and I'm funding years of reading material -- not bad. I'm a lover of physical objects, and would never trade my personal library of paper-and-ink books for anything, but this is intriguing. Not sold on E-Readers (I need to feel the pages, the heft of the book itself, etc.) so again, this somewhat goes against my "philosophy." But I like the idea.
To those that have used it already in Europe: Any problem with eye strain, etc.?

The DLC is free, by the way.

Well my eyes aren't that great (I struggle reading on my laptop and wear reading glasses). But I do just fine with the 100 Classic Book Collection on the smaller font size. With or without my glasses on, I don't find it a problem.

For those with the PAL version how often was DLC released like every week or all the content dumped at once?

There was a bunch (10) books made available at launch, and the service was never updated again (at least, the last time I checked). I got rid of the software two weeks ago, though, and didn't check for the last month I owned it, as I have a Kindle now, so there might be more updates now. Japan apparently gets a steady stream of new titles.

To those that have used it already in Europe: Any problem with eye strain, etc.?

As I said earlier - it's fine and I never had any difficulty with it, despite being unable to read large blocks of print on computer screens.

It's not a patch on the quality of a proper e-reader, though.

As uncommon as this viewpoint seems to be, I'm just not a big fan of the experience of reading a physical book. I really can see me reading more with this DS software than I would otherwise do, even though my parents already have a number of the included books sitting around in the basement somewhere.

It should be kept in mind that the DLC release schedule of the European release will likely not correspond to ours, just like it didn't for Picross DS. I don't know WHY Europe keeps getting the short end of the stick on these deals, but there you have it.

That just convinced me to get it.

Aimed at me. My job involves a bit of traveling, and unfortunately I don't always have the luxury of good lighting on the road or sharing a room, so I rarely bring a book along. 100 Classics sounds perfect for long drives and late night motel stays. In these situations I crave distraction and relaxation, and even casual games can get a bit stressful, so having so much to read in such a compact package is very attractive.