News of Major DS releases :)

August 25th, 2005, 00:44 Posted By: wraggster

News from Lik Sang

Nintendogs - NDS (US)

They won't wake you up in the morning, demanding to be led outside, totally oblivious to weather status or how much sleep you got the night before. No bite marks on furniture, shoes or your favorite videogame system. Nintendo's fresh flea bag sim, developed by Shigeru Miyamoto, barked up a storm in dog-crazy Japan, and this week takes its innovative twist on the virtual pet concept to the US market. Again there's three different versions available: Chihuahua, Dachshund and Lab. All include their canine friends, and while the later replaces the 'Shiba' title, it does include that breed. In fact in addition to more items to collect than the Japanese originals, which pushes the total over 100, the US releases feature three new breeds, Boxer, Golden Retriever and Husky.

Using the voice recognition feature, you can teach your new puppy its name, then a wide variety of tricks such as sit, shaking its tail, "shake paws", or so many more. You can also take a walk to the park and buy a Frisbee on the way, or meet and play with other dogs. When another Nintendogs owner is close by, the NDS will “bark” an alert, inviting owners to connect with one another and allow their pets some interactive playtime together. Don't forget to give your canine buddy a bath every now and then though, nor forget to take a 'doggy bag' with you on those walks. Each version of Nintendogs arrives this week, at just US$ 39.90.

Advance Wars: Dual Strike - NDS (US)

Advance Dual Wars hit the DS this week, and the turn-based military tactics game is all the better for it, with a new battle system that takes full advantage of both screens. New missions will have you commanding air forces in the sky on the top screen, and ground forces below on the touch screen. There's new Survival, Tag Team and Combat game modes, plus all new Real Time Combat where players lead soldiers into a fast-paced, action-oriented battle against a storm of enemies. In addition to leading your army to victory with any of the original or nine new Commanding Officers (COs), you can also clash with up to eight friends over a wireless connection with just one cartridge!

Getting back to the COs, as the US commercial shows, you now have two at your fingertips instead of one. Separate they are strong, but together they can pull off extremely devastating combination super attacks on your unlucky opponent. Further additions include new units like an Aircraft Carrier, a Stealth Bomber which can cloak, a Megatank that costs the same as a battleship, moves 4 squares and has 4 shots, and many more. Finally you can imagine how much easier map creation is with a touch screen, and naturally you can save your maps and wirelessly send them to friends. Pre-orders of Advance Dual Wars are getting dispatched as we speak, while new orders are welcome.

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow - NDS

Set just a year after the events of Aria of Sorrow on Gameboy Advance, where a cult decided to resurrect the fallen Dracula and the evil that follows, the legendary Castlevania series continues. As either Soma Cruz or later Julius Belmont or Yoko, each with their own individual gameplay styles, you must infiltrate enemy territory and stop the evil of Dracula's resurrection from happening. The upper screen displays a map and character data, while the lower view is where the action is. The touch screen also comes into play with a new ability where gamers can "shatter" weak bricks with their finger or stylus, or learn and draw magical seals to defeat enemy creatures.

Further making use of the NDS, there's two different wireless modes, the first of which lets you trade soul abilities between systems. The second is a multiplayer versus mode, where one gamer builds a level by filling areas of the castle with their enemies of choice, and then race each other through it. With multiple endings, both good and bad, and gameplay additions like Weapon Synthesis mode, where Yoko will combine your weapon with a soul to create new items, get ready to sink your teeth into another Castlevania classic. With an official Japanese release date of Thursday the 25th, we have our copies already, and all pre-orders have been shipped. New purchases are welcome, and ship within 24 hours.

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