The Game Console provides a concise reference on the history of console video games from Magnavox's 1972 Odyssey all the way up to the recently launched Wii. Though not complete, photos of the hardware, retail boxes, controllers and game media do accompany the profiled systems. How can we know where we're going, if we don't know where we've been? Your 10,000 word essays are due Friday by 5pm EST.
The Homebrew and Emulation Scene has seen some great Emulators over the years, Snes9X, Zsnes, Mame (in all its versions), Bleem, Ultrahle, Project64, Chankast.
Those Emulators have brought many thousands to the Homebrew and Emulation Arena, since those emulators have come and gone we havent had the buzz of a killer emulator since then.
That is until the last few months, the might of Sony and Nintendo have jumped into the Emulation Scene with their own emulators for the PSP and Nintendo Wii.
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Sonys PS1 Emulator
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Sony who using bullyboy tactics killed of Bleem and VGS have released what is the best emulator easily of the last year. The Playstation Emulator works at full speed with sound and decent controls in a widescreen on the Playstation Portable. The Emulator is being released in a single game format with PSX Games on the PS Network Shop. Luckily for the Homebrew Scene, Dark Alex released a custom firmware that opened up the emulator and now thousands of PSP Homebrew fans are enjoying all their favourite PSOne games in both NTSC and PAL format. Just about every game is perfect.
So well done Sony, for a company who hates emulators you have made the best one so far.
Nintendo`s Emulators for Wii
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The Nintendo Wii is an amazing console, not as powerful as the PS3 and Xbox360 but so unique it is gathering fans from all over the globe.
The Virtual Console is an awesome way to buy your favourite classic games and relive the best years of gaming.
For this Nintendo has written some excellent emulators for the Wii, So far we have Snes, Nes, PC Engine, Sega Genesis, Nintendo 64 and within the next few months NeoGeo and MSX.
Nintendo have done what most homebrew coders take years to do and thats get fullspeed emulators for the consoles mentioned above and with that in mind have dealt the homebrew community a major blow. Most Homebrewers love Emulators and with Nintendo covering most of the best systems already the need to write emulators for the Wii lessens.
Conclusion
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It feels strange as a fan of Homebrew and Emulators for over 12 years to be thanking Sony and Nintendo. But this year they deserve all the thanks from all corners of the emulation scene for the best emulators released in the last year.
Thanks Again Sony and Nintendo
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Do you agree or disagree with this article, answer via comments.
In what has been quite a busy day for news, a new games publisher has revealed its DS plans and a rumour has appeared about Sega resurrecting the Daytona racing franchise. First of all there is news of Xider stating it will release twelve games across the DS and PC throughout 2007. However, before getting your hopes too high, none of its DS projects have been announced yet. What is interesting to note, though, is that it will be bringing Telltale Games' previously download-only title 'Bone' to retail on PC, plus a sequel to Ankh. With Telltale's current love for Nintendo's Wii, could that be spreading over to the DS as well, via Xider? You can only hope so...
As for the Sega news, long-running UK Industry favourite EDGE recently held an interview with Sega's Racing Studio in which there was a suggestion made that a new entry in the Daytona racing series could well make an appearance...at some point in the future...and that the team is definitely a big fan of previous Daytona games. Vague? Most definitely. So certainly do not hold your breath for this one.
Nintendo DS:
Asonde Igo ga Tsuyoku naru!! Ginsei Igo DS JPN US$ 48.90
Asonde Shogi ga Tsuyoku Naru !! Ginsei Shogi DS JPN US$ 48.90
Bakegyamon: Ayakashi Fighting JPN US$ 48.90
Super Robot Taisen W JPN US$ 58.90
Unou no Tatsujin: Soukai! Machigai Museum JPN US$ 39.90
Magazines, Toys & Misc:
Animal Crossing Character Bottle Phone Strap Gashapon (Theater Version) JPN US$ 2.49
Animal Crossing Houses, Figures or Accessories Gashapon (Theater Version) JPN US$ 3.99
Arcadia Magazine [April 2007] JPN US$ 12.90
Dragon Quest Monster Mascot Collection 2 - Minisize Mobile Mascot US$ 3.49
FA4 Fate/Hollow Ataraxia Collection Figure US$ 6.99
Fairy Musketeers Konami Figure Collection Vol.2 JPN US$ 4.49
Famitsu Wave DVD [April 2007] JPN US$ 16.50
Fate/Hollow Ataraxia 1/7 Scale Pre-painted PVC Figure - Saber With Beach Ball (Bikini Version) US$ 47.90
Final Fantasy XII Play Arts Action Figure - Ashe US$ 38.90
Final Fantasy XII Play Arts Action Figure - Balthier N/A
Final Fantasy XII Play Arts Action Figure - Judge Maser Gabranth N/A
Final Fantasy XII Play Arts Action Figure - Vaan US$ 38.90
Neon Genesis Evangelion Pre-painted PVC Metamo Figure: Soryu Asuka Langley US$ 36.90
New Super Mario Bros. Pouch JPN US$ 2.99
Pia Carrot G.O. Pre-painted PVC Figure: Ayano Kunugi (Swimsuit Ver.) JPN US$ 46.90
Premium Heroines SNK Beach Volley JPN US$ 7.99
Zero no Tsukaima 1/8 Scale Pre-painted PVC Figure - Louise US$ 49.90
Video Game related Soundtracks:
Neo Angelique - Romantic Gift - JPN US$ 36.90
Reijo Tantei -Office Love Jikenbo- Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 27.90
Spica - Kokoro ga Tsumugu Okurimono - Ar tonelico hymmnos musical JPN US$ 29.90
Super Eurobeat Presents Initial D Fourth Stage Non-Stop Mega Mix With Battle Digest [2CD+DVD] JPN US$ 34.90
Not sure if any of you entered it but the prizes were very decent and even i had to enter it.
Heres the latest update:
The Lucky Lunar New Year Sale has officially ended. Winners of the draw will be announced during next week (between March 5th to March 11th). We thank all customers for the big support brought forward during this sale.
In a surprising turn of events, the PSP has beaten off the Wii and PS3, selling more than both consoles in Japan last week.
The latest weekly sales figures for Japan reveal that Sony's portable placed second in the hardware sales chart for the week ending 25 February, with unit sales of 96,750.
This falls short only of the still storming DS, which sold 146,250 units according to figures on vgcharts.org.
However the PSP beat even the might DS in the software sales chart in the same period, selling 808,750 games compared with 618,250 for the DS.
The surge could be put down to the recent release of Capcom's Monster Hunter Freedom 2, a co-op-enabled monster catching/battling game, which topped the software charts with a colossal 755,500 copies sold. Second down was Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Matsuri, with 90,500 sales.
Gamers from England have the most capacity for evil of all the world's videogame enthusiasts, according to Lionhead's Peter Molyneux, quoting statistics from a study of people who played his Xbox RPG, Fable.
The research also showed that most American gamers found it difficult to make evil choices during the game's freeform adventure, with roughly 90% of gamers in the US roleplaying as good characters.
"There was a disappointing number of people that tended towards good," Molyneux told US mag GamePro, "but it is also very interesting that the percentage of good players versus evil players varies very strongly by nationality".
For example, "the English are probably the most evil of all," but Molyneux reckons that 70% of the Americans researched played good characters, while 20% "didn't have the moral fibre to keep going down the evil path" and eventually turned to good.
Molyneux also revealed that in Fable 2 the divide between good and evil will be far bigger than before, explaining that gamers who wish to be either pure good or pure evil will be forced to make some sacrifices - and not just the bloody kind.
Although Molyneux has focused so hard on evil actions that, during a recent meeting at Lionhead, one staffer exploded that he would "never play a game" that had all the nasty things in it that Molyneux had suggested. We would, mind.
Japanese game site Eg has the the country's software sales data (via Media Crate) for the week of February 19th to February 25th. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd did better than originally thought. Way better.
1.) Monster Hunter Portable 2nd (PSP) Capcom 705281 (Last Week) 705281 (Total)
2). Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (PS2) Alchemist 80002 (Last Week) 80002 (Total)
3). Fire Emblem: Akatsuki no Megami (Wii) Nintendo 75359 (Last Week) 75359 (Total)
4). Sim City DS (NDS) Electronic Arts 50826 (Last Week) 50826 (Total)
5. Professor Layton and the Mysterious Town (NDS) Level 5 49979 (Last Week) 186716 (Total)
6). Wii Sports (Wii) Nintendo 47053 (Last Week) 1090736 (Total)
7). Naruto Shippuden: Gekitou Ninja Taisen EX (Wii) Takara Tomy 45792 (Last Week) 45792 (Total)
8). Dragon Quest Monsters Joker (NDS) Square-Enix 40507 (Last Week) 1174576 (Total)
9). Hajimete no Wii Pack (Wii) Nintendo 35811 (Last Week) 944586 (Total)
10). Picross DS (NDS) Nintendo 26693 (Last Week) 183357 (Total)
We're puzzle junkies. Yes, we love the genre and are always keeping our eyes out for new and interesting puzzle games. Tetris, Puzzle Fighter and Lumines are some of our most favorite games of all time. That's how even with the Disney theme stamped all over this title, we're still interested in Meteos: Disney Magic. Sure, we kept a realistic head about us and kept thinking of how it wouldn't be better than its predecessor. But then they changed how the game would be played and we became interested again. Then we forgot about it for a bit, but Mizuguchi's interview came and our interest was renewed yet again.
Now, the game has released and although many of the reviewing outlets haven't made their determination on the game's worth, we wanted to start this topic in the hopes that anyone who has gotten their hands on the game would speak up and let us know how it compares to the original. So, without further delay:
IGN (80/100) says the game improves on the original: "Meteos: Disney Magic does a really good job moving the design forward. Now let's bring back the alien worlds and take this sucker online."
Nintendo Power (75/100) sees the experience as being improved also: "Meteos: Disney Magic does more than provide a Mouseketeer-friendly facelift to one of the DS's best puzzle games; thanks to the ability to move blocks horizontally, the sequel has a thoroughly different dynamic than the original block launcher."
Capcom released a ton of screens today for the new Megaman ZX sequel, Rockman ZX Advent, and they show exactly what we want to see in our Megaman games: running from left to right and shooting at robots, all delivered in gorgeous hand-drawn 2D. We could look at stuff like this all day. Coincidentally, that's kind of our job.
In the first ZX, kids use "Biometals" ("Livemetals" in the Japanese version) to transform into robots similar to X and Zero from the Megaman X series, as well as a fused ZX form. The kids from last time, Vent and Aile, have been replaced by a pair of functionally-identical crimefighting children, called Grey and Ashe.
They operate a new Biometal, called Model A, which enables transformation into a dual-wielding robot seemingly based on Axl from Mega Man X7, a game that we're glad is on the PS2 (so we don't have to like it).
This is my 1st NDS homebrew project using devkitpro & PAlib. I had some trouble handling sound & sprites. The movement system leaves alot to be desired but, it was fun. Enjoy.
features
Deep, challenging labyrinths that change every time you enter!
Use Talismans to cast spells or power up your equipment!
Customize and power up your weapons, which gain strength over time!
description
Finally, a dungeon RPG strong enough for a man but played as a hot chick! Bust out those nunchucks and get back to the old school, hardcore, monster bashing we all grew up on! See if you have what it takes to conquer the impossible levels and gruesome bosses. After all, does it get any better than the feeling of cold steel at the palm of your hands?
Originally announced back in 2005 as Shrek 3, the now renamed Shrek the Third is a totally new quest with a plot running parallel to that of the movie.
As you work through the comedy fairytale, you will get to play as Shrek, Donkey, Puss-in-Boots, Fiona, Arthur and Sleeping Beauty.
All the usual stuff will feature - various collectibles, boss battles and a number of multiplayer mini games.
Shrek the Third will launch for... *deep breath*... Wii, Xbox 360, PS2, PC, PSP, DS and GBA in May.
The industry is currently gearing up in preparation of the Game Developers Conference 2007, to be held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, March 5 - 9.
The event kicks off on Monday, with a focus on mobile entertainment and a keynote from industry veteran Trip Hawkins, who will be discussing Making Mobile Phones the Ultimate Game Platform.
Other mobile focused highlights include founding chairman of GDC Mobile Robert Tercek's keynote on The First Decade of Mobile Games, highlighting the key titles, turning points and pitfalls of the industry so far.
Also sure to cause a buzz in the mobile sector will be Nokia's unveiling of the new N-Gage platform, with numerous speaker session covering the SDK, publishing partners, software and hardware specifications.
Phil Harrison's keynote will be the must-attend event of Wednesday, with the worldwide studios boss expected to reveal the next stage in Sony's intention to dominate the digital home.
Also scheduled for Wednesday is Katie Perez's session on how to develop and pitch a successful Xbox Live game submission, and Warren Spector's speech on The Future of Next-Generation Game Development.
Thursday again kicks off with a heavyweight keynote, this time from legendary designer Shigeru Miyamoto, who will be revealing how a singular creative vision guides his work.
Lionhead boss Peter Molyneux is also due to reveal more about his RPG sequel in Innovations in Fable 2 on Thursday, while Rare's Michael Boulton will take attendees on a detailed tour of the look and style of Viva Pinata.
One of Friday's highlights is likely to be id Software's Todd Hollenshead's frank session on The Videogame Piracy Problem, with insight from his experiences battling piracy over the past ten years. Also scheduled for Friday is Scott Kirkland's session looking at the physics of stand-out PlayStation 3 title Motorstorm.
It's is well-established that the science supporting a connection between video game violence and real-world violence is tenuous. A new article at Ars Technica examines why society finds a gaming-violence connection so comforting. From the article: 'Sternheimer suggests that gaming is simply the latest in a long series of media influences to take the blame. "Over the past century, politicians have complained that cars, radio, movies, rock music, and even comic books caused youth immorality and crime, calling for control and sometimes censorship." She terms the targets of such efforts folk devils, items branded dangerous and immoral that serve to focus blame and fear
features
Use the Touch Screen to execute launch procedures from within the cockpit and assess enemy targets during briefing
Fly 20 unique missions with multiple targets and objectives
Engage in intense aerial dogfights against hostiles
Master first-person take offs and landings
Harness the power of the 20MM Cannon, Sidewinder Missiles, Tomahawks and more!
4 player multiplayer aerial combat
description
SQUADRON HEADQUARTERS ADVISORY: Intelligence reports indicate that Iran is looking to conduct offensive air operations within the No Fly Zone. As an F24 fighter pilot you must eliminate the enemy, rescue international leaders and secure diplomacy in the Middle East.
features
Test your skills: With 4 modes, there are endless challenges! Travel through 8 planets to defeat the Space Monster on Arcade Mode, tackle 45 missions to rescue the Princess, take the challenge to reach up to Dimension 99 and more!
Challenge a friend: Invite a friend, or match up against Hell Metal to test your stacking skills! Can you fuel your ship faster than your mate?
Customize your experience: With 50 Effects and 10 screen Arts, the options are endless on how to create your very own look.
Different shapes, different strategies: With 5 different shapes, strategize to create your ultimate chain without breaking the 3x3 stacks.
Save up your coins: Accumulate coins through your games, and you can purchase new Effects and Arts - watch sushi rolls, dogs and tambourines pop out of your Trioncube!
description
The evil Hell Metal has kidnapped your Princess! As the Captain of the mighty ship Penko, you will embark on a journey to return her to safety.
Reach your goal by using blocks to provide your ship Penko with fuel - a series of 3x3 blocks, or Trioncube, will start a chain reaction that fuels your ship If you break the series of 3x3's or you over stack, all the blocks turn into coins and the chain is broken. Can you continue the action without losing your rhythm, and defeat Hell Metal?
System 3 again delighted video game historians when it today announced the re-launch of the classic Epyx Commodore 64 title, Impossible Mission, with some special enhancements for the Nintendo DS, PlayStationPortable, PlayStation2 and Nintendo Wii.
It's hard to believe that it was twenty-five years since the original release. Impossible Mission was the first game to use real synthesized speech, an incredible development when first unleashed on the 8-bit formats. The original game included a random game-map system which ensured that no two games were the same. Although the original still stands the test of time today, inclusion of brand new graphics and sound ensures that Impossible Mission is primed to thrill a brand new audience.
The gamer takes the role of a secret agent attempting to stop evil genius Professor Elvin Atombender who has been tampering with National Security Computers. Players must penetrate Atombender's base, attempting to recover parts of the system password whilst avoiding deadly robots in a race against time.
Whilst the game has been re-written from the ground up and features new graphics, 3D objects, new Sound Effects and Music the gameplay remains impressively loyal with the game layout changing for every new game. There are now three main characters to choose from plus a brand new tutorial mode. The player can now chose from three game modes, new, original and for the purist; a hybrid mode with the original gameplay using the updated graphics.
The PSP versions offer an unusual feature which allows players to send a full copy of their game to a friend by Wireless so they can try it for themselves.
"We've worked hard to bring Impossible Mission up-to-date whilst keeping the original gameplay that made the game such a hit in the eighties", commented CEO, Mark Cale, "We're particularly pleased with the handheld versions which will ensure this historic game can be enjoyed by a completely new generation of gamers".
Impossible Mission is part of the Epyx back catalogue and will be available Quarter Two.
Even though the DS is already blessed with a large and varied library of great titles, its hard not to wish for the games that should be, and the games that probably will never be. Nintendo's little white pandora's box of quirky interfaces seems destined to forever remain pregnant with possibility, no matter how creative the developers get. To vent their desires, Pocket Gamer has assembled a canon of forgotten gaming heroes and oddball fancies that would make a good fit for Nintendo's dual-screened play thing
Heres the list:
A LucasArts adventure game collection
Okami DS
Pilot Wings DS
Sketch Fighter DS
A board game compendium for big kids?
Mario Paint DS
Donkey Kong DS
Anima Wars
GoldenEye DS
Marble Madness DS
More than a third of young drivers are more likely to go faster on the roads after playing on-screen driving games, a survey suggests.
And 27% of motorists aged 16 to 24 admitted more risk-taking on the road after a gaming session.
A thousand drivers were questioned on behalf of driving school BSM.
BSM's road safety consultant Robin Cummins said the results showed an 'indisputable' link between gaming and dangerous driving.
A quarter of drivers even said they imagine they are in a driving simulation game while driving for real - men are the worst offenders for this.
The poll also found that 34% of the 1,000 young drivers questioned think computer games can improve real-life driving ability, with two in five reckoning the games can help their reflexes.
The guy in front, the music on the stereo...those are the things that make you speed up
David Perry
The survey revealed that just over half of frequent game-players pass their driving test first time, compared with only 45% of those who only play games infrequently.
Mr Cummins said: "With more than 200 young people killed each year due to speeding alone, it's crucial that they learn to 'keep it real' on the road."
But the survey's findings have been rejected by the US-based games designer David Perry.
The multi-millionaire from Belfast, who is currently designing a driving video game, said behaviour was affected by how drivers felt while behind the wheel, not before they got in their car.
"Anything that affects your emotions will affect how you drive. The guy in front, the music on the stereo...those are the things that make you speed up, not a game you played an hour ago."
NDS has released a new version of the DS Emulator for windows:
Heres whats new:
- Modified the icona of the program - Corrected a bug that gave problems to the execution of the emulatore
- Improved the function Open and Execute eliminating the bug that could block the computer
- Corrected some errors of text
- Inserted in the bar of the instruments the function Configuration
- Possibility to shape the diagram (as as an example not to allow the emulatore to execute nl operation of the game Main BG 0)
- Key rom improved and rendered automatic
- Possibility to decide in the operation of the game if to use or not to use the key rom through the men of configuration
- Corrected an error of the key rom (it could make to block the computer)
If you're going to do a jigsaw puzzle (or ten), then why not learn the details of a great masterpiece of art at the same time? We're not saying this DS puzzler is educational or anything, but it probably can't hurt. This is probably another of those games it's safe to import regardless of your comfort level with Japanese, and a great idea for the touchscreen
It's a Wonderful World just keeps getting more wonderful, and, um, worldly. Now in addition to the graphic style, we're hyped about the gameplay! Jeux-France has posted some scans of the game in action, highlighting the touch-screen weapons system, which uses badges to assign different attacks.
The attacks shown include Patrol Shot, Piercing Shot, Black Hole, Burst Shot, and Velocity Crash. All of these attacks are done with stylus gestures. The scans also state that part of the game takes place in Shibuya, making the game even more Jet Set Radio-like than we thought.
These are two early (and short) demos for a point and click adventure game Kitsuta and I are working on. It's our first game for the DS. Only tested on emulators and GBAMP as that's all we have.
The first file is a much earlier demo, the other has elements of the eventual storyline incorporated into it.
Controls
The SceneDemo just uses the stylus.
ScriptDemo uses buttons too; d-pad left switches to Interact mode, d-pad up switches to Walk mode, and d-pad right switches to Look mode. The left shoulder button brings down the top screen so you can interact with your inventory, etc.
Demonstration! As promised, even if I did not succeed in respecting my times and that I have a whole heap of things to make, here small a demonstration which shows a little all that was made. That remains however at a stage rather not very advanced, therefore do not expect any much... It is ugly, I acknowledge it, the framerate is not stable, the limited IA, the horrible jump... But that will come all that, that will come...
Want to try out the latest DS games for free? Well, step right up to one of Nintendo's wi-fi enabled retail locations and make sure you're packing a DS. Right now, you can sample Dr Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain?, Big Brain Academy, Clubhouse Games, Mario vs Donkey Kong 2: March of the Mini's, Hotel Dusk: Room 215 and Elite Beat Agents.
While you're there, you can also download unique items for Animal Crossing DS, and a special Nintendogs function that allows Nintendogs owners to experience the joys of Bark Mode without having someone else physically there to play with.
If you have a Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection compatible game, you can use it at a Hotspot to interact and play with other players around the world. Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection hotspots are currently available across numerous Australian retail locations.
Disney's next big animated feature's been a long time coming, but we're finally going to see Meet the Robinson hit the theaters later this spring. With big kid's movies come videogames attached to the brand, and Meet the Robinson is no different -- Disney Interactive will be releasing a bunch of games based on the film. We recently had the opportunity to romp around within the Nintendo DS version, which is a completely separate game from the Wii and PS2 versions in development at Avalanche.
The Nintendo DS game's being worked on by Altron, a Japanese studio that's very familiar with the Nintendo handheld platform. The game the team's created for Disney Interactive is a touch-screen focused over-the-shoulder action adventure that puts heavy emphasis on the Will Robinson's arsenal of gadgetry...something that fans of the movie will be quite familiar with.
The game's story is similar to what's been created for the console -- instead of a game that's a by-the-numbers retelling of the film, this game's more of a spin-off that revolves around the movie's characters but tells a new tale. Meet the Robinson starts in the past (as the Robinsons are huge on time travel) where Wilbur screws up the time line somewhere down the line and must fix a future gone completely screwy.
Players control Will using a combination of the D-pad and touch screen. Will's maneuvered via the directional pad, and enemies are targetted with a tap on the touch screen. The camera will lock onto the targetted enemy or object until the target's unlocked or simply destroyed by Will's firepower. Players can fire weapons and activate gadgets either by the system buttons or, better yet, via on-screen buttons so that players don't have to leave the touch screen. Shoulder buttons are used for rotating the camera for when you're not locked onto an object. Obviously with your hand off the system it'll make it difficult to hit the other shoulder button to rotate the camera the other way, which is why the developers added a virtual shoulder button on-screen to do the job. If that's not enough, simply tapping the L button will snap the camera in the direction Wilbur's facing.
The Nintendo DS version actually looks really impressive, offering an incredibly detailed 3D engine running at a fast and smooth 60 frames per second rate on the lower screen. The game is more about action than platforming -- in fact, like in Zelda, players don't have to worry about jumping. Wilbur jumps automatically in context to where he is...whether it's just across a gap in the floor or when he's trying to climb up a ledge.
Outside of the main adventure, players can take part in Charge Ball, a version of a futuristic sport that's a lot like a cross between Breakout and Discs of Tron. This sport can be played against the computer or against another player on a second system. It's not a bad diversion, offering a quick pick-up-and-play competition that's not easy to dominate.
Me and LiraNuna had a little contest today if you want to call it that. We made DLDI conversions of Tales of Dagur. Of course LiraNuna has been coding a lot longer than me so LiraNuna "won". (By 5 freaking min.) News via LiraNuna's Blog: http:liranuna.drunkencoders.com
"Due to some request made, I have decided to throw a quick DLDI support to Tales of Dagur.
There’s a known bug that prevents game reset after the "Game over" screen. If anyone finds a fix for that, Please do not hassist to notify me.
Thanks goes to DragonMinded for libfatdragon."
Overview : M3 DS Simply is a slot 1 device (no passcard required) from the famous producer M3 Adapter. It uses Micro SD card for cheap and high capacity while fitting nicely in your DS/DS Lite. Its low price and strong built offers a great value!
Features :
The same size as an original DS cart
Build in PassMe (No need for boot card or anything else to boot )
Using Micro SD card (Trans Flash) as external storage . Cheap & variety usage.
Boot clean dump images
Super simple to use , drag and files over to the micro SD card.
No drivers required
Standard FAT system support.
Support different speed of micro SD card even the low speed SD card .Run games without any lag or slow down.
Upgradeable Firmware ( OS / Bios / Kernel )
Touch screen control & robust skinning support.
No need battery , back up the save file into the micro SD card directly .Never lose your save.
Auto detect the save type & automatic generate saver file.
Homebrew support , IO lib will release on launch.
Direct watch movie , listen MP3 & read TXT on the DS via the use of Moonshell.
Support WiFi , DS rumble pack & DS browser.
Quality/Usability : Alot of DS owners have been wondering what is the difference between the M3 Simply and R4DS (review). The M3 DS Simply and R4 are produced by the same manufacturer and have almost identical hardware and firmware (non-interchangable). There is no difference when it comes to functionality. The only difference is the sticker and packaging. The M3 Simply uses a MicroSD card to store all the necessary data, from ROMs and music to the operating system files. For this review, I tested it with a US Modular 1GB and PNY 1GB microSD. There are some online sites that sell the M3 with a microSD (usually 1GB) but price will be higher.
The M3 Simply includes two shells (white and black) but due to production costs, the M3 now includes only 1 shell (black) instead of two. The old packaging that included two cartridges was a bigger package in a blister pack (plastic). Now, the latest packaging just comes in a cardboard box. Included in the latest packaging are:
1 x USB microSD card reader
1 x White R4 SLOT-1 shell
1 x Mini installation CD
1 x Silicone DS cartridge keychain holder
The included installation CD has instructions and all the necessary files to set up the MicroSD card ready for the M3. I personally went to their forums to download the latest files. The included USB microSD card reader allows the user to connect it to the computer and be able to transfer files/data easily. The DS cartridge keychain holder lets you hold the M3 Simply shell on one side and another DS game on the other.
Setting up the M3 Simply is fairly simple. If you downloaded the latest OS from their forums, all you simply do is download the file, extract is and transfer the files onto the microSD and thats it. You may also use the included CD but its best to get the latest files from their forum as the CD may be out of date. The CD also includes helpful files such as a save converter which lets you convert saves from other flash carts to the format that M3 Simply uses. In their forums you may also download a ROM trimming tool.
The M3 Simply cartridge size is identical to that of the original DS cartridge. The microSD card is inserted through the top of the cartridge and fits flush with the cartridge. The M3 Simply microSD slot is spring loaded. Unfortunately, the spring mechanism isnt that good. When you press down on the microSD, the card is suppose to pop up. Although it does, it doesnt pop up much and feels like its stuck. Occasionally it does pop up completely. Luckily, there is a small groove on the M3 Simply cartridge allowing easy removal of the microSD card.
Adding ROMs and Homebrew is simple. Once you have the microSD card inserted into the card reader and the card reader connected to the computer, its a simple drag and drop. You'll need to setup a folder called "ROM" and "HOMEBREW" with files going into its respective folder.
The operating sytem (OS) is easy to navigate and easily skinnable. Upon startup, user is greeted with three options; GAMES, MULTIMEDIA and BOOT SLOT-2. When GAMES is selected, the file browser is located on the top screen. This is where all your selecting is done. To navigate through files or to select a file, you use the directional pad to move up and down. Too bad that you cant use the touch pad.
All it takes to change the look of the OS is four simple images and placing it into the "_system_" folder:
logo.bmp -- Background of the Top Screen of M3 Simply's startup.
icons.bmp -- Background of the Bottom Screen of M3 Simply's Startup.
bckgrd_1.bmp -- Background of the Top Screen of M3 Simply's Explorer.
bckgrd_2.bmp -- Background of the Bottom Screen of M3 Simply's Explorer.
Note:
Do not change the picture's name;
Make sure the picture is .bmp format, 8-bit/24-bit;
Make sure the picture is 253*192 pixels.
I have tested the M3 Simply with commercial ROMs of games I actually own. The M3 Simply worked perfectly with all the games I tested and tried. All games ran at full speed without any slowdowns and saving of games worked. WiFi also worked on games that supported this feature such as Mario Kart DS. Playing against others with only one cart or multiple carts worked flawlessly as well. There was no problem with connected to Nintendo's WiFi with the M3 Simply. For an updated list of compatibility list, go here.
Testing of homebrew worked flawlessly for most programs. There were only a couple that I encountered that did not work for me. I dont know if it doesnt work in general or I did something wrong.
M3 Simply includes Moonshell which allows you to play multimedia files on your DS. In order to watch movies, you must use DPG tools (PC Software) to convert the files to a format Moonshell will recognize. Playing a movies is a nice feature to the M3 Simply but the quality will not compare to that of the PSP. Playing MP3s is a nice addition as well and plays flawslessly.
Conclusion : Overall, the M3 Simply for DS is a great product. Booting of clean NDS games and homebrew work flawlessly. Setting up the OS and placing of files is done with a simple drag and drop method. The ability to customize the look of the OS is a neat feature. MicroSD prices have dropped dramatically within the past year. You can purchase a 1GB for as low as $10! To find the best deals, visit our Online/Store Deals.
Now the question everyone wants to know is, which one is better? There is no answer. Both are identical in everyway when it comes to functionality except for the external look. It pretty much comes down to which shell color do you want (black - M3 Simply / white - R4DS) and price (if there are any deals).
Please note that none of the "upgrade" products listed in this site are endorsed by Nintendo, Sony and/or Microsoft. DCEmu Reviews and DCEmu Network does not condone piracy. The primary functions of a "modchip" and/or "flashcart" are to allow you to play imported games and homebrew software that you legally own or simply just for experimenting with hardware. We in no way endorse piracy, and encourage all users to do the right thing and support the developers/manufacturers that support them. We do not take any responsibilities for any use outside of these parameters or where the use of such a device is illegal.
Breathe a sigh of relief. As you can see from the list of games below, publishers are beginning to feel the warmth of spring approaching and are keen to hit stores with stock prior to the frenzy that will be PlayStation 3. Ket game releases listed right here.
It certainly beats last week's release schedule which was about as tempting as a meal in an Indian restaurant while you're sat next to Jade Goody.
Of particular note are two excellent DS releases in Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin and Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis. There's also relief to be had on Xbox 360 with the intriguing Bullet Witch and the solid Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2.
Sure, it's not a week that will go down in the annals of videogaming history but if you have a spare 40 (and it was pay day this week) there are definitely a few quality titles to encourage the money out of your purse.
The complete list of games released in the UK this coming Friday (09/03/07):
Bullet Witch, 360, Atari
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, DS, Konami
CSI 3 Dimension of Murder, PS2, Ubisoft
Garfield's Nightmare, DS, The Game Factory
Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2, 360, Ubisoft
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, PS2, Rockstar
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, PS2/PSP, EA
Lionel Trains, DS, Zoo Digital
M.A.C.H., PSP, Vivendi
Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, DS, Nintendo
Not too long ago, Amazon.com started a new feature in their video games section called Deal of the Day where they offer a popular game for a really cheap price for 24 hours. Recently we saw Rockstar's Bully for $25 and several other really great bargains. Definitely a feature to keep your eye on if you are looking to get some great games you may have missed on the cheap.
Today's featured Deal of the Day is Elite Beat Agents for $20. For the record, I am much more enamored of Ouendan! than Elite Beat Agents, but for twenty bucks I might be able to swallow my pride and sit through the likes of Ashlee Simpson and Cher. Combine this with the earlier Castlevania deal and you can get three DS games for the price of one PS3 or 360 game with no shipping! Pretty sweet
Here's a hot deal for all you Castlevania fans out there. Amazon.com is currently offering Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin for the DS at the low, low price of $21.99! Also available is the sometimes hard to find Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow for $20, which seems to be the regular going rate for this title now. Both games are eligible for free shipping so you can get both of these solid Castlvania DS titles delivered to your doorstep for a mere $41. If you haven't checked out either of these games yet, they are well worth having, especially at such a cheap price. So, fire up that credit card and get your Castlevania on!
Nintendo has updated the demo games at its Wi-Fi enabled locations, meaning DS owners can now take their DS along to one and try out the likes of Dr Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain?, Big Brain Academy, Clubhouse Games, Mario vs Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, Hotel Dusk: Room 215 and Elite Beat Agents.
You can also download extra items for Animal Crossing DS, as well as a special function for Nintendogs which lets you use bark mode without havng someone else physically there to play with.
Yeah, I figured it would be time to give you an update...
Just to make (almost everybody happy): It will work on any card that uses DLDI.
I will also post a picture of the browser fully working soon. (Probably Monday).
Oh, and the last thing: There will be 4 different versions. They are somehow the same, but they differ in size. We don't know the exact sizes yet, but the difference is the amount of space that can be stored in the file. That is "to be honest" the only thing that's left to do here (and some parts of the interface, but that's not that important). The biggest file will probably have around 100 mb of space to store images, favorites, pages and maybe Flash in the future. If you don't have enough space on your Flash Card, you can always use a smaller one.
PS: I can't wait untill it gets released! I would love to hear your reactions, so we can expand it even more!
Robert Durbin has made an update to his game Press Your Luck,
Heres whats new:
I now made it so Press Your Luck will display the top 10. Most of the changes were server side, but I fixed a small bug that wouldn't display the top 10 correctly on the DS.
Last years Neoflash Coding contest was a great success with excellent PSP and Nintendo DS/GBA Games and Applications being entered and this year DCEmu is to be a partner and member of the Judging Team for this years Coding Contest. The top prize in the contest is a Nintendo Wii.
As well as helping to judge the contest there will be a poll here at DCEmu so you the community can have some say.
Now theres only 3 weeks till the contest end and some of our DCEmu Coders did very well in the last contest (if memory serves me right Deniska won ).
Datel have finally released their Games ‘n’ Music DS Card thats the first Nintendo DS Homebrew Supporting Cartridge thats under 20 and comes with a 128mb Micro SD Memory Card and also a CD of the best in Nintendo DS Homebrew
Heres the full info:
Home brew games and music on the move with your DS!
With Games ‘n’ Music, you can put your Nintendo DS or DS Lite at the centre of your digital lifestyle. You can use it to launch home brew games written for the DS and readily available on the internet, listen to your happening sounds with the device’s integrated MP3 player or even watch videos. And you don’t need to modify your console to use it…
Games ‘n’ Music comes with a 128MB Micro SD card for you to store your games and data, and if that’s not enough, just slip in a new card and expand its capacity to up to 2GB. It’s really easy to use too. Just fit the Micro SD card into the USB adapter (supplied), plug it into your computer and drag and drop your files onto the card. It’s that easy!
Games ‘n’ Music contains everything you need straight out of the box. It even comes bundled with a 25-game CD, offering some of the best games the DS home brew scene has to offer, as well as a video conversion program for your PC (Windows XP or later required) to convert your movies and video clips to a format you can play back with Games ‘n’ Music. It’s the ultimate in digital entertainment!
As a webmaster of one of the biggest DS Homebrew websites on the net im pleased to see that companys are taking an effort into introducing DS Homebrew to the mainstream with a cheap device bundled with games and memory card.
Infantile Paralysiser has released a new version of their Media Player for the Nintendo DS Called Moonshell.
Heres whats new:
Version 1.7 beta0 2007/03/04
The DPG video decoder do speed-up.
OGG was supported with DPG audio. (Only very low bit rate.)
Version 1.7 beta1 2007/03/04
'Touch panel GUI draw bug' in DPG playing was corrected.
The bug that was not able to be ended with DPG/MP2 was corrected.
The GUI drawing bug when starting was corrected.
Start DPG playing from resume. The color bug was corrected.
Strategy RPG's seem like a natural fit for stylus controls, which is one reason we're glad to see Hoshigami coming to the DS. Another reason is that we missed it back on the Playstation when it came out in 2001, and we want to try again to like SRPG's.* Maybe we'll like them better on a cool console?
It's somewhat more likely, since in addition to stylus control, the new Hoshigami has wireless item trading. Importers will be able to make their own decision on May 24th.
Chishm has posted a sweet new app for the Nintendo DS, an Action Replay Clone that lets you cheat on Commercial games and even the codes used are the Action Replay Ones, excellent free clone for the Nintendo DS.
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Heres the details:
This is a homebrew Action Replay DS clone. The first release is version 0.1. It should be able to run any ARDS code, with one small exception. Since I wrote the cheat engine from scratch, any code that modifies the ARDS cheat engine won't work.
There are 3 added codes that don't exist on the ARDS:
C100000000 00000000 - this is the cheat list terminator. It is added to the end of the cheat list after it is loaded, so you don't need to worry about it.
C200000000 xxxxxxxx - relocates the cheat engine to xxxxxxxx.
C300000000 xxxxxxxx - changes the hook address to xxxxxxxx. The hook can be any address that is loaded then branched to. For example, you could hook the third word in:
Code:
ldr r0, . + 8
bx r0
.word 0x0200AC90
Codes are loaded from the file "/cheats.cht" on the root of your flash card. All libfat supported cards should work. All codes are loaded; this is version 0.1 after all. The codes should be in a format similar to:
Code:
Infinite Lives
220eca80 00000063
Infinite Mario Time
b20ecf40 00000000
10000008 0000001e
d2000000 00000000
The layout doesn't matter, the data values should be 8 nibbles long. Anything that isn't interpretable as hexadecimal is ignored.
If you find any codes that don't work, and don't rely on specific quirks of the ARDS, mention them here so that I can try to fix them.
Thanks go to:
kenobi - that AR code doc saved me heaps of time
Parasyte - thanks to you, hooking couldn't be simpler
bLAStY - provided the dumps I needed
cReDiAr - gave me the last missing piece required to boot a DS game
Everyone else who helped me along the way
Big thanks to Datel, for creating the original ARDS and the code DB to go with it.
Version 0.2 is now available. This version fixes an issue with type F codes and adds the ability to choose which cheat file(s) to load.
Download Both Versions and Give Feedback Via Comments
A highly reliable source just sent in this image of a Nintendo DS using WiFi -- rather than GPS -- for geopositioning data (sorta like that iriver W10 we mentioned back in January). Not sure when this might be commercialized, but it would potentially make it possible to add location-based data to DS games without requiring some sort of GPS add-on.
Just in case you were confused between the convenience store and the upcoming Namco game, we secured two exclusive videos showing the game in action. Though the clips are short, it is clear that some sort of hasty, brain stimulating gameplay is taking place, a la Brain Training or Wario Ware. Click the movies tab above to see for yourself.
As a medium, video games have been blamed for a whole host of society's ills. Violence, obesity, and educational underachievement are just some of the high profile problems that have been laid on gaming's doorstep at one time or another. But now, video games are being portrayed as the cause of a much graver threat; namely, the decline in Australian pet ownership.
As Australian Veterinary Association President Kersti Seksel told the Sydney Morning Herald (and any other outlet that would listen) today's kids "interact more by playing computer games and less by going out there and throwing the ball to a dog." Why is this a problem, exactly? According to Seksel, "We need to learn people skills, physical skills, and sitting in the lounge room with a computer doesn't teach you that."
Leaving aside for a second the idea of learning "people skills" from playing with an animal, implying that game playing and pet ownership are somehow mutually exclusive is a little ridiculous. You might as well argue that reading books and talking on the phone are dangerous pastimes because they take away from time with poor, neglected Fido.
Pet ownership usually takes up only a small part of a child's day, and singling out video games for distracting from that time strikes us as a little opportunistic. And while "you can't hug a computer," as the SMH article points out in the lede, you also don't have to take a computer out for walks. Man's best friend, indeed.
Nielsen Media Research, best know for its TV ratings, has released an outline the American video game landscape in the form of "The State of the Console" report. Among the more interesting findings:
45.7 million U.S. households have at least one game system, out of 111.4 million that have TVs (41.1%). This number has risen from 38.6 million (35.2%) in late 2004.
148.4 million Americans have access to a console in their home, out of 283.5 million that have access to TVs (52.4%). Of those, 93.8 million Americans (33.3% of the TV population) actually used a console in the 4th quarter of 2006.
The top 20% of gamers are responsible for 75% of the console time, averaging 5 hours and 45 minutes of use per day.
Those last two factoids are pretty interesting, as they show console games are still appealing primarily to a very small niche of the potential market, and that a small slice of that niche is responsible for most of the actual playing time. If game makers can somehow attract these uninterested console owners, they'll have tapped into a much larger market than they might be used to.
Speaking from years of experience, we know how hard it can be to get your girlfriend interested in playing video games. Granted, it might be impossible to drag her into play-til-dawn Halo 2 sessions online, but dropping into casual gaming with a Wario Ware: Smooth Moves round or two is entirely doable. Need some tips? Wikihow has an entry up on how to get your girlfriend to play video games, which offers up some gender stereotypes like this:
"Don't get games that involve things like strippers, prostitutes, and sex. Unless she has a really good sense of humor about such things, she probably won't like it."
Well, where's the fun in that? Oh, we keed, we keed. True, most of the article is common sense, and it might actually be helpful to some of you out there who have had a hard time getting your significant others interested in jumping into the game with you. However, some of it is just plain whacked, like explaining to your girlfriend how to stretch and uncramp her hands. If your girlfriend doesn't know how to do this already, then you've got more serious problems.
For those of you who need a girlfriend in order to find this article useful, check out Wikihow's hilarious "How to get a girlfriend if you're a nerd" entry. We're not sure whether to laugh or cry. For all of you female gamers out there, let us know how they could improve this entry, and don't worry about being gentle ... blast away.
A special version of the hectic puzzle game featuring many beloved Disney characters. Featuring an original story within the classic Disney universe, players will be asked to help Jiminy Cricket and Tinker Bell in their quest to re-organize the famous Disney storybook vault after someone accidentally changed the stories. By piecing together three or more Disney-themed blocks with the Nintendo DS stylus and launching them from the touch screen, players will be challenged to create puzzle patterns while interacting with some of their favorite Disney characters, including Pirates of the Caribbean, Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, Disney/Pixar Toy Story, The Lion King and more.
GPF has released a new version of his Commodore 64 emulator for the Nintendo DS, heres whats new:
This version loads the preference file /rd/Frodo.fpr which can be created with the pc version or use the enclosed version.
Code - LimitSpeed = FALSE
Code - Emul1541Proc = TRUE
are the only options i played with, and only really tested the 1541 Emulation worked.
I have also included some snapshots I created with the pc version, rename the one you want to load to jjr.fss and load by pressing the X key, most probably require that you have already mounted the correct D64 file the next time they go to load
I have tested Maniac Mansion and it is working, now I used a snapshot because I was impatient to wait for it to load but with 1541 Emulation on it seems to work fine (jjr.fss in zip file is Maniac Mansion, i think you need disk 2 mounted)
This version doesn't include an icon, for some reason the icon seemed to crash my m3sd for some reason.
Kevin has released a new version of his app that collects stats and more for both DS and Wii Games.
heres whats new:
- Added auto updater for new games and boxarts (Settings -> Update)
- Added 4 DS games (incl. Panel de Pon DS (J) and the new Yu-Gi-Oh)
- Added 1 Wii game (Elebits)
- Added Diddy Kong Racing gamehub
- Added a few new boxarts
- Fixed Megaman Dragon/Pegasus boxarts
This program is created to help me study Japanese (although it is not useful for that purpose yet). It is a basic flashcard program, displaying text on 2 sides of a card. In addition, it has a drawing pad where you can scribble an answer before you flip the card over.
Update: March 4, 2007
After many months of working on this on and off, I was just about ready to give up, but over the past few days I made some significant progress. Here's a new version just to let people know the project isn't dead. It still has a bit of a way to go before it's very useful.
Changes:
- Renamed the project from DSLearn to DSLearnJ, to indicate it is intended for learning Japanese.
- Can display Japanese characters now! Thanks to Benjamalin!
- DLDI support to load files.
Known Issues/Limitations:
- Don't use the quit option from the pause menu. It's better to restart your DS.
- I don't know what will happen if you put a lot of text on a card, or have a lot of cards.
- If cards are not in the correct format, it will probably lock up.
Upcoming:
I plan for the next version to support 3-sided cards (english, kana, kanji), have some options, cleaned up interface, fix bugs and have more stable code.
Here's another update with some much needed features, mostly small things to make the game a little more comprehensible.
Added all building/unit action buttons to the map screen.
Finally added some text descriptions for each of the actions.
Rewrote the building/unit status area.
You can now cancel queued items by tapping on the item itself.
That's about it, other than I fixed the random again, seems I broke it when rearranging menu stuff for the previous version. Hope you all enjoy it.
The game formerly knoown as wright flight has seen another new release.
Heres whats new:
v0.2.3 (04-Mar-2007)
* Starting a network match doesn't reset the planes any more.
* A suicide is worth one minus point.
* The missile turrets don't target invulnerable planes any more.
* Changing layers eats now batteries, and the batteries are
recharged over time.
* Shrunk the plane graphics, and made the planes a little more
agile to make the levels appear larger.
* Added layer check to bullet vs AI bot collision checks."
Just when we thought we had settled the issue of Professor Layton and the Townlike Area of Disputed Size (aka the 'Mysterious Village'), 1UP's preview of the second installment in the trilogy raises questions about the upcoming game's translated title. Thus far we've seen it written Professor Layton and Pandora's Box, but according to 1UP, it's the 'Devil's Box.' By any name, however, the first game looks incredible, and the second may be shaping up to be even better.
Some things in this second installment will be the same, such as the logic puzzles created by Akira Tago, and the Professor will again be accompanied by his assistant Luke. The story is where the second title really takes a turn. Instead of exploring -- you guessed it -- a mysterious village, the action in the second adventure revolves around a corpse, a train, and a strange box. Since the game already features a soft, retro look, mixing that with a traditional train-based murder mystery looks like a match made in heaven. Now if only we could get some localization news!
Yes, Pokemon Diamond/Pearl will feature Wi-Fi trading and battling, hurray-hurrah. Little did we know, however, that some independent developers (i.e. programmers with way too much free time) were developing an MMORPG version of the franchise based on the original Red and Blue versions. Sister site Joystiq clued us in, and we were rather intrigued.
Upon installation, we noted the extreme "alpha" status of the project. The only system currently implemented is that of battle, and even that seemed shoddy at best. You simply choose your six Pokemon from the standard list of 151 and walk around a grassy field until challenged. The game has a long way to go, and the chances that it can make it all the way past Nintendo's elite legal team seem slim. Try it out if you're bored a Pokemon fan!
And please, Nintendo, take a hint. We really want an official Pokemon MMO.
Over at 4 Color Rebellion, writer (and Seoul resident) N Rumas tells us of a nation's ability to love Nintendo again. In riding the train, he reports of daily sightings where people are enjoying the DS and Brain Age, as well as seeing the handheld plentifully stocked at local retail outlets. He even reports of a friend, who owns a shop, enjoying a boost in business.
Now, with the release of New Super Mario Bros. this week, sales in the region for Nintendo should skyrocket that much further. With the universal appeal and popularity of Nintendo's plumber mascot, the game should sell very strongly upon release.
I added internet highscore support to my Yahtzee game. A good score in Yahtzee would be around 300. Lets see how we all do. Can get some really high scores if you account for the Yahtzee bonuses, have fun.
"Hey everybody! In the last few days I decided to start learning C/C++ so I could do DS coding. Today I made my first app with PAlib. It’s kind of a multiple demo kinda thing.
Features:
Shows user info from the firmware.
Demonstration of all 3 PAlib splash screens
Shows a picture of a Hamster playing a DS Lite on the top screen
Shows a picture of a stick man pour gasoline on his head and starting on fire
plays a sound when you close the lid
if you can suggest anymore features to add in tell me.
Does anyone know how to launch NDS files in a program?"
Enjoy!
Download and Give Feedback Via Comments
EDIT: This version doesn't actually work (at least with my MMD) go to the blog to get the updated version that works with MMD.
If you have ever attempted any repair or improvement of any kind, you know that the right tools can make the difference between a good experience and a bad one. The Access Pro Toolkit by Zoozen has everything you need to get into your console and accessories. It is the only toolkit that includes tools for every console and handheld on the market today. And it includes unique and custom tools that are only available from Zoozen.
This tool kit includes the tools you need for the:
Microsoft products, including: Original Xbox, Xbox 360 and accessories like the Xbox 360 wired controller, and the Xbox 360 wireless controller. Special tools: the OneSnap, the only one-piece Xbox 360 case separator, and a special long neck tamper resistant Torx bit.
Nintendo products, including: the Nintendo Wii, GameCube, GBA, DS, DS Lite, and most accessories like Nintendo Cartridges, Gamecube controllers, and power supplies. Special Tools: Triwing bits in two sizes and two sizes of rare Linehead Nut Setters in hardened steel. Also has the correct tools for most of the retired Nintendo game machines (those not currently for sale in the marketplace).
Sony Products, including: PS3, PS2, PStwo, and PSP and many accessories (for example: Sony controllers).
The Access Pro Tool Kit also has the correct tools to open most third party products.
The tools are all housed in a convenient plastic case that keeps all the parts just where they belong. And, duplicates of most bits are provided, just in case you drop a bit behind your desk during a critical procedure.
Final Fantasy XII has held on to the top spot in the UK software charts for a second week, with the hugely anticipated RPG title continuing to hold off the challenge from Real Time Worlds' Microsoft-published action title Crackdown, which remains at number two.
Despite the immense success of the franchise internationally, Final Fantasy titles have traditionally not held on to top positions in the UK chart for long - in fact, only PSone title Final Fantasy IX managed a run longer than Final Fantasy XII's fortnight, staying at number one for three weeks back in February 2001.
The chances of Final Fantasy XII repeating this feat, despite its huge popularity, seem slim - with both Ubisoft's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 and Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories mounting a challenge for the top spot this Friday.
Housewife Superstar is a DS game from a new thai game developer by the name of Studio Nocturne, though they haven't put up their site yet. I met them today at GDC because of this entrancing poster you see below. I've got closeups of the bottom bits too, as you'll see. The game, though it's just in concept form now, is basically about being the perfect housewife - learning flower arranging, embroidery, dressing up, and various other things, but all a bit tongue in cheek, not taking it seriously. It looks really fun to play, and the story bits are definitely inspired by Ouendan, which isn't so bad.
This is one title I really hope comes out. They had a number of other very nice looking game concepts on display as well, which we'll handle in a new post entirely. For now, check out Housewife Superstar.
When Japanese customers won't buy your 18K gold stylus for the Sharp W-Zero3 smartphone, there's always the DS Lite. We've seen 18K gold touch pen before, but never gold bandwagoning. Retailer Coffret Jewelry actually advertises that its 63,000 (US $536) touch pen can be used with the Nintendo DS. Well, of course it can. It is a stylus!
Japanese homebrew shooters, or doujin shmups, form a subculture of developers and dedicated players in the indie gaming scene. It's a massively confusing (but not-so-multiplayer) world of strange games, websites with squiggly characters, and obscure names that have become the subject of fanboy worship. If you've played Warning Forever, Clean Asia, or even Cave Story creator Pixel's new project Guxt (a work-in-progress demo) you're off to a good start.
The Independent Gaming Source has published a quick guide to the world of doujin shmups. Everything is divided into digestible bits of information that actually makes sense to the doujin n00b. And once you know who Kenta Cho is and why you should put him in your will, an entire universe of free indie shooters is at your disposal.
Nintendos awesome Yoshis Island released for Nintendo DS (Jap Version)
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Return to the colorful wilds of Yoshi’s Island in a new platforming adventure for Nintendo DS.
A mysterious floating island has suddenly appeared over peaceful Yoshi’s Island. Soon after its arrival, a gaggle of kids vanishes from the island school. Thankfully, Baby Mario, Baby Peach, Baby Donkey Kong and Baby Wario manage to avoid being kidnapped. Now, Yoshi and the four young superstars must set out on a wild and colorful quest to rescue the kids and investigate the ominous island hovering overhead. Thanks to the power of Nintendo DS, all of the lush vistas and perilous paths of Yoshi's Island span two screens.
The Yoshis populating this wild and mysterious island take turns transporting the babies. Each baby gives Yoshi access to unique powers while they cling to his back: Baby Mario gives Yoshi speed; Baby DK gives him strength and the ability to climb vines; with her umbrella, Baby Peach gives him the ability to float high, and Baby Wario gives him magnetism (perfect for grabbing grown-up Wario's favorite things: coins!).
Over the last 30 years home video games and consoles have evolved at a dizzying rate.
As have the devices we use to play them - morphing from the humble paddle and joystick of the 1970s to the early game pads of the 1980s and beyond.
There has been a bewildering array of new games with unorthodox games controllers in recent years, with everything from dance pads to plug-in guitars appearing on the market.
One of the biggest hits to make use of non-standard controllers has been the Buzz! series of TV-style quiz games for PS2, which are sold with four buzzers - simple devices that let the players answer multiple choice questions.
Ease of use
David Amor, creative director of Relentless Software, the firm behind Buzz! believes the game owes much of its success to the simplicity of the controllers.
Buzzers work because they form a really easy interface that allows four people to play together straight away, said Mr Amor.
He believes there has been a swing away from complicated games and controllers in the home gaming market.
"The NES [Nintendo Entertainment System] followed by the SNES [Super Nintendo Entertainment System] and N64 and GameCube controllers seem to have got progressively more complicated and progressively alienated more people along the way," says Mr Amor.
"It's fine if you've grown up with them, but most people haven't, so to jump straight in with a controller with 13 buttons is scary."
It is a trend that other games developers and hardware manufacturers are taking heed of.
Nintendo's Wii console is designed to make game control simple and intuitive - the player only has to wave the controller like a wand to affect the onscreen action.
Rob Saunders, spokesman for Nintendo UK, is convinced that the Wii's ease of use has been behind its popular appeal.
"We realised that when people saw a traditional, modern day joypad they said, 'Where do I start? I have no idea!'," said Mr Saunders.
With 4m Wii units shipped in its first year, it is clear that the simplification of gameplay and game controllers has struck a chord with gamers, and perhaps attracted a new demographic to gaming.
Both Sony and Microsoft have elected to keep the standard design of the controllers for the PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles but have added wireless, and in the case of the PS3, replaced the vibration system with motion sensors, giving the controller six axes of manoeuvrability.
Enhanced gaming
But while some manufacturers have been simplifying their products and games to attract new people to gaming, hardcore gamers are being offered ever more peripherals to enhance the gaming experience.
The Novit Falcon feeds in-game gun recoil back to the player
So if you have a deep commitment to gaming and even deeper pockets, there are some interesting "gameware" gadgets emerging on the market.
The Novint Falcon for PC, which goes on sale later this year, touts itself as the first controller to make 3D touch possible for home computer applications.
The Falcon's arms allow the user to move the handle, or grip, in three dimensions, translating into movement on screen.
But the Falcon also pushes back.
Its motorised arms react to events and actions in the game, feeding that force back to the user so that gunfire makes the grip recoil, lifting objects makes the grip feel heavy, and taking fire batters the handle in the corresponding direction.
Xpad's Bodypad for PS1, PS2 and Xbox consoles is designed for "exer-gaming", giving games players a full workout while playing fighting, sport and dance games.
The Bodypad consists of four strap-on body sensors for the arms and legs combined with button controls held in the fists.
The sensors and controllers communicate wirelessly with the Bodypad's receiver which is connected to the console.
The player's movements are replicated by the onscreen character, allowing kicks, punches and combination moves to be made.
Virtual reality
Another device which bridges the gap between physical reality and the in-game world is eMagin's Z800 3DVisor.
The 3DVisor is a virtual reality headset with two microdisplay screens that combine with a headtracking system to give the player a 360-degree view of the game world simply by moving their head.
The simplicity of the Buzz! controllers helped the games sell
Although the Z800 3DVisor is ideal for first-person shooter games on PC, its $1000 (500) price tag probably puts it out of reach of all but the most dedicated gamer.
Gamers with an interest in virtual reality, but who cannot afford the Z800, may find what they are looking for with the next generation of games that make use of the Eye Toy for PS3 and the Live Vision Camera for Xbox 360.
"In the next couple of years we are going to see some really interesting applications using Eye Toy technology," said Brian Crecente, editor of Kotaku gaming website.
The Eye of Judgement board game, unveiled by Sony at the E3 games expo in Los Angeles, is an interesting example, said Mr Crecente.
The prototype strategy game uses real cards which come to life as mythical creatures on screen thanks to a camera attached to the PS3.
Although some commentators doubted the appeal of The Eye of Judgement's gameplay, it succeeded in demonstrating the potential for blending reality and the in-game world for the home gaming market.
The New Gamer might not have enjoyed their stay at Hotel Dusk: Room 215, but they appreciate the work put into creating its memorable characters. Adding onto the unique visual style, each individual has a rich set of expressions and postures to communicate with. When one of the hotel guests describes a mannerism of the game's protagonist, you know exactly what he means by "that serious look in [Kyle's] eyes."
Sonic's toe-tapping idle animation and King Hippo's falling shorts were also cited as great examples of unforgettable character details. Simple idiosyncrasies like that stay with you long after you've finished playing a game. What unique traits have you seen give a collection of pixels an identity? Was it Midna's sigh? Or Dry Bones' skeletal chuckle as he passed you in Mario Kart DS?
Infantile Paralysiser has updated MoonShell to version 1.7 Final Beta. Moonshell is an awesome media player for the Nintendo DS:
Ver1.7 doesn't change excluding the DPG decoding at all. Please copy the NDSROM file for adaptor onto media that have installed Version1.6 (or Ver1.7beta0/1/2).
Version 1.7 Changelog 2007/03/06:
The DPG video decoder do speed-up.
OGG was supported with DPG audio. (Only very low bit rate.)
'Touch panel GUI draw bug' in DPG playing was corrected.
The bug that was not able to be ended with DPG/MP2 was corrected.
The GUI drawing bug when starting was corrected.
Start DPG playing from resume. The color bug was corrected.
The NDSROM plug-in was enabled. (It disabled in Ver1.7b0/1.)
The OGG option was added to DPGEnc.
'Smooth frame blending' option was added to DPGEnc. (It was up to now always enabled.)
The bug that was not able to do the pause while DPG was playing was corrected.
When DPG was begun, the bug to which garbage was displayed was corrected.
The channels of DPG information windows was changed to the format.
Sega is running a poll on its website asking what game or character would you most like to see return.
The choices you're given are:
Nights
Streets of Rage
Samba de Amigo
Virtua Cop
Flicky
At the moment it's Nights that's leading the way in what the public wants to see next. Does this mean that there could be a new Nights game in the pipeline?
Hit this link and get voting - for Nights! Or would you rather see a new Streets of Rage game created? The choice could actually be yours...
Seiken Densetsu: Heroes of Mana is a real-time strategy role-playing game for the Nintendo DS. The game takes place 19 years before Seiken Densetsu 3, and features an all new cast of characters, as well as a few returning heroes from Seiken Densetsu 3. Take control of Roger, a skilled sword combatant in the Pendan Kingdom army. Using an air ship as your base, summon monsters to defeat oncoming enemy attackers.
It's a good time to be a DS gamer, especially if you think games could be serious business. In an interview with German financial magazine Finanzen, NoE's Laurent Fischer talked about the Wii shortage as well as the success of the DS, and the impact of bringing the talking Cooking Navigator to European handheld owners. Unsurprisingly, the cooking simulation, which guides users through recipes, is seen as a follow-up to Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training. We can't wait to see the English-language version in action!
Confirmation - Cubed has just spoken with a representative of the UK branch of Xider to confirm exactly what will be coming to the Nintendo DS in 2007. In response to our enquiry, it has been confirmed that Luminator and Ankh 1 will indeed be heading to the DS, the former being released on 18th May, 2007 and the latter on 31st August, 2007, both retailing for 29.99.
Great news indeed! Especially as others are definitely on the way, but just cannot be discussed at the moment.
Keep it locked to Cubed for further details...
Original Update - According to an update over on popular gaming website Gamasutra, Xider has revealed to of its Nintendo DS projects for 2007. The list mentioned is as follows:
Luminator DS (May),
World of Chaos (May),
European Street Racing (May),
Ankh (August)
There is a little bit of ambiguity in the way the article is phrased, though, so Cubed has attempted to make contact with Xider to get some clarification on the matter.
Stay tuned to see the final verdict...
Original Story - In what has been quite a busy day for news, a new games publisher has revealed its DS plans and a rumour has appeared about Sega resurrecting the Daytona racing franchise. First of all there is news of Xider stating it will release twelve games across the DS and PC throughout 2007. However, before getting your hopes too high, none of its DS projects have been announced yet. What is interesting to note, though, is that it will be bringing Telltale Games' previously download-only title 'Bone' to retail on PC, plus a sequel to Ankh. With Telltale's current love for Nintendo's Wii, could that be spreading over to the DS as well, via Xider? You can only hope so...
As for the Sega news, long-running UK Industry favourite EDGE recently held an interview with Sega's Racing Studio in which there was a suggestion made that a new entry in the Daytona racing series could well make an appearance...at some point in the future...and that the team is definitely a big fan of previous Daytona games. Vague? Most definitely. So certainly do not hold your breath for this one.
By the time Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales hits shelves next month, we'll hardly even need to play it! We've already seen several of the minigames in action, and GameVideos has added even more to the collection.
And we know, we're not fooling anyone. We're going to play this one until our fingers cramp. That little chocobo is just too cute to resist, and we're helpless when it comes to Final Fantasy.
We aren't sure how to feel about the announcement of DS and Wii games based on the Disney TV-movie High School Musical. On the one hand, it they're music games, and we categorically get very, very excited about all music games. On the other hand, it's based on a made-for-television movie, which, despite High School Musical's popularity, still makes a negative statement about the quality of the property.
The DS game involves dancing competitively, and creating and sharing videos of those dance performances-- it sounds kind of like Unison. We're going to have to go watch the movie now and try to sort out our feelings.
Bong has posted a new release for the DS, heres the translation:
Presentation:
The purpose of this application is to make function your DS like a pad without wire for PC.
History:
0.1:
functional customer and waiter (tested lengthily with zsnes)
file of configuration xml
compatible dldi (tested only on supercard sd)
PAlib for the interface
How to use:
Insofar as I develop only under linux, for the moment, only my happy colleagues will be able to test the thing. Can be a version win will come later.
To make function the waiter, you will have need for the modules uinput and joydev beforehand charged.
The waiter will reach the nodes /dev/misc/uinput | /dev/input/uinput | /dev/uinput according to your system
Ensure to have the rights necessary on these nodes (unless making turn the waiter in root, which I do not advise you).
The guys behind Gnirfleo the free Internet Browser have released Screenshots of their app in progress:
Sorry it took so long, had some trouble with signing in to Blogger: (Updated to the new blogger, but forgot that I had to log in with my e-mail instead of my account name.., but everything works fine again. Thanks for being patient.
Now, this is the browser fully working. As you can see, you have to hold the DS like a book. This can be changed if you want to, but trust me: Once you've tried this: you don't want anything else anymore! I mean it! It works so nice:
DecalGirl DS Lite NES Skin (Retro)
Manufacturer: DecalGirl
Site: Buy from DecalGirl
Price: $9.99
Overview : Protect and personalize your new Nintendo DS Lite with a precision fit, full-color Nintendo DS Lite skin kit! Each DecalGirl DS Lite skin is designed for maximum coverage and flexibility; this brilliant, high resolution "Retro Lite" design is printed on premium adhesive-backed cast vinyl then covered with a clear protectant layer for the ultimate in durability! An innovative repositionable, sremovable adhesive ensures that you'll have no air bubbles and a fast, easy and accurate installation. As always, they can be removed at any time without leaving any sticky residue!
DecalGirl has impressed me even more when I received their package in the mail. Their packaging is even more professional with an actual packaging unlike the Wii skin which had no packaging.
The DS Lite Skin comes with three skins; top, inner top screen and inner bottom screen. Applying the top skin was a piece of cake. As for the other two, it took alot longer than I expected.
You'll need a pen or something sharp to detach the little holes for the speaker. Applying the sides is no problem its when you get towards the screen. You will have to do a little fiddling around to align everything correctly. Since I use a screen protector, the skin covers the the sides of the screen. If you have a screen cover that covers the whole top screen, you'll have to either put the skin over it or put the screen protector over the skin. There are flaws to this though. If you put the skin over the screen protector, you'll have to remove the skin to get under the screen protector. If you place the screen protector on top of the skin, you might have problems with the screen protector sticking completely as the edges are now raised off the screen. I personally use Clarivue's screen protector which doesnt have any sticky residue but uses static
The bottom skin wasnt as bad as the top screen but you had to make sure it cleared the directional pad and buttons. At first, I though I would have problems with the skin as anytime you have a raised curve, the skin would crease. The DS Lite Skin did a great job of smoothing out around the corners. There is no crease at all. If there is.
Conclusion : Overall, the DecalGirl DS Lite NES Skin (Retro) looks hot! It fits perfectly and looks great. It may take a little longer for those perfectionist or those anal like me. Would have been nice if the inner top skin didnt cover the screen. Also, I notice that the gray lines on the inner skins arent evenly centered but its no big deal.
MythRemote is a remote control application for the DS. It is for use with MythTV front-ends only.
Whats New etc:
Automatic LCD backlight off.
Three pages of touchscreen buttons.
Support for latest DSLite wifi hardware (using DSWiFi CVS)
Return to menu (libCartReset)
Three Frontend IP Configurations (configurable at runtime)
LCD fade out
At the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco today, VP of Development at iNiS Corporation Keiichi Yano announced at his session entitled "From 'Ouendan!' To 'HELP!'": Inside the Elite Beat Agents" that the upcoming Ouendan sequel will feature a new rival group of Ouendan cheerleaders that players will both encounter and play.
Keiichi Yano mentioned that Nintendo will reveal more details on the sequel, later this week, but he gave us a glimpse of the new game and characters on the overhead projector. He also revealed that the original cast of Ouendan characters will return with a slight, ever so subtle edgier art style.
The sequel will be called Moeru! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashi: Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2, which, according to Keiichi Yano, loosely translates to "Burn hot rhythm soul!"
In his panel at GDC, Yano revealed the behind the scenes effort in not only bringing the Nintendo DS rhythm game Osu! Takakae! Ouendan! to life in Japan, but what lengths the team went to bringing the design to the US with different characters. He credited inspirations such as Ghostbusters, Men in Black, and The Blues Brothers for the creation of the Elite Beat Agents team, as well as Austin Powers and Charlie's Angels for their drive to motivate through music.
One tidbit of note was the revelation that the Elite Beat Agents were originally inspired by The Village People, and that the team was originally set to be called the Disco Rangers.
No details were revealed on a possible sequel to Elite Beat Agents, only hopeful words that the series may continue in some capacity...either as a continuation on the Nintendo DS or on a different game platform. Yano did seem very excited for the Wii platform in particular, and mentioned that Inis is in talks with Nintendo about developing on the system.
The last we saw of The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass was at the Electronic Entertainment Expo last year where Nintendo cobbled together a four level demo for the show. Since then, all has been quiet in the first touch-screen Zelda game. At the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco today, the company prepared a new demo for show floor attendees which spotlighted a new mode in the upcoming DS game: battle mode.
The demo at GDC did not have any single player component. When players booted up a system and touched the screen to begin a game, the system would automatically search out a system also looking for a second player. When two systems connected, the battle began.
In this two player competition mode, one player controls Link while the other controls three armored guards. Players who assume Link's control do so via the established touch-screen mechanics introduced in the E3 demo -- Link moves in the direction of where the screen's being touched in relation to him, so he'll move faster if the screen's touched further away from his centralized position. Players who take control of the guard have the map on the touch screen and guide them via drawn paths. The task: collect Triforces scattered around an enclosed dungeon and bring them back to your colored area while avoiding the guards that wander the playing field. If a guard captures Link, their turn's over and control swaps between the players.
There's a surprising amount of strategy involved in this mode. For example, the "Guard" player can always see Link on the map, but Link cannot see the guards on the map until he picks up a Triforce. The downside to carrying a Triforce is that it weighs Link down, and moreso as the Triforce pick-ups increase in size. Some Triforces are tiny and worth fewer points, but only slow down Link's movements a little bit. Huge Triforce pickups are worth more points but slow Link down to a crawl.
Almost as if the designers took a cue from Pac-Man, Link can hit escape tunnels at the top and bottom of the map, which are also surrounded by a "safe zone." While in these zones, Link cannot be touched by guards since the guards can't wander into them. Link also disappears from the guard player's map while in these zones...but if Link's carrying a Triforce, the Guard player can still see that Triforce move...giving away Link's location.
On top of all this, there will be power-ups scattered throughout the dungeon. Red power-ups can only be used by the red player, blue pick-ups by the blue player. Red players can run over blue power-ups to destroy them and take them out of play. Power ups include giving Link or the guards an extra boost in speed, or allowing Link to take a hit from the guard. Guards can activate power-ups that turn blowers on within the dungeon that will block Link's path with enormous gusts of wind.
At the end of three Link and three Guard turns for each of the competitors, the game calculates how many Triforce points each player earned within the battle and decides the winner...and in the demo it's a very uneventful "Win" or "Lose" screen.
It's a pretty cool tease of a mode that will eventually make it into the final product, but Nintendo's still not talking release dates for Phantom Hourglass. Nor do we know if the multiplayer will be accessible single cart or if it will be an online mode. Visually the engine nor the Wind Waker toon style hasn't changed since we saw the E3 demo.
We'll have more on The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass as the game continues in its development cycle.
Hidden in the corner of Nintendo's GDC expo booth is the first mutliplayer demonstration of Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass.
The demo pits two players against each other in a Pac-Man-style battle mode, with one player controlling Link and the other guiding three enemies around the map using stylus-drawn directions.
The player controlling Link is tasked with collecting as many Tri-Force pieces littered around the stage as possible, though the larger the pieces you pick up the slower you will be able t move. Once the baddie player successfully captures our green-hatted hero roles will swap and the game goes on.
Deus Ex creator Warren Spector believes improvement in design and delivery of game narrative and story is vital to the future of the videogame industry, and necessary to pull in a much-needed new wave of games players.
"I don't know about you, but my budgets are going up. We need to sell a lot more copies or we're not going to be able to make games for much longer. I think stories can be key to reaching nongamers, but we have to start creating more emotionally satisfying and interactive stuff," Spector said during an address at this week's GDC.
He went on to voice concerns that the power of new hardware could be detrimental to development of narrative, character involvement and character interactions in videogames, due to developer's being now able to ramp up visual quality and because "players expect a certain level of graphical quality".
"People who want to tell stories in an interactive manner, I think their job is about to get a lot harder," Spector opined.
Speaking further on the topic and addressing the games development industry at large, he said that games players should be "let off the rails" and that devs should "work with players" to tell their stories, as opposed to leading them around on a leash.
But Spector was also quick to point out that gameplay shouldn't suffer at the hands of a new approach to, and focus on, story and narrative.
"If you think that story has no place in games, you're crazy. If you think story is everything in games, you're just as crazy", he said. "It's all about balance."
Lightsaber-loving Star Wars fan looking forward to the impressive physics-based Star Wars: Force Unleashed will have longer to wait than expected.
Despite being officially confirmed for a November 2007 release, the game's website now deems the game's availability as "TBD", with it now expected to arrive in 2008.
This delay is a huge disappointment, coming so soon after LucasArts showed of an impressive tech demo demonstrating the stunning technology being put into the game. Still, better it be delayed and be as good as we all hope rather than be rushed out unfinished.
Gamers will be able to use the DS as a controller to play Pokmon Battle Revolution when it launches in the west later this year.
Nintendo told CVG: "There will be games that take advantage of a connection between DS and Wii. The first game to do this is Pokemon Battle Revolution."
"In Pokemon Battle Revolution, players can port characters from Pokmon Diamond and Pokmon Pearl via the DS and use their Nintendo DS units as controllers," explained Nintendo.
With both the DS and Wii having built-in Wifi capabilities, the two consoles will connect without the need for wires.
Pokmon Battle Revolution is, of course, also the first Wii game to boast online gameplay as we mentioned here last year.
The game will release in the US on June 25. A UK release is yet to be announced.
Epic's Gears of War was won three categories including Best Game in the seventh annual Game Developers Choice Awards, closely followed by Wii Sports and Okami, which have won two awards each.
Winners of the Choice Awards, the awards program where honours are bestowed on developers by developers, have just been announced at GDC in San Francisco.
As well as scooping Best Game, Gears of War won in the Technology and Visual Arts categories. Wii Sports won in Game Design and Innovation, while Okami also won in Innovation in addition to the Character Design category.
The full list of categories and winners in each is below. The list of nominees in each category can be found on the Game Developers Choice Awards website.
Best Game
Gears of War (Epic Games / Microsoft Game Studios)
- Cliff Bleszinski, Michael Capps, Rod Fergusson
Audio
Guitar Hero II (Harmonix Music Systems / RedOctane)
- Jeff Allen, Eric Brosius, Izzy Maxwell
Character Design
Ōkami (Clover Studio / Capcom Entertainment)
- Mari Shimazaki, Sawaki Takeyasu, Kenichirou Yoshimura
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has spoken out in support of Britain's creative industries, including the games industry, in a speech at London's Tate Modern gallery.
Addressing members of various different creative sectors, Blair described the UK as the world's "creative capital" and acknowledged that many different sectors, including videogames, have "contributed to the renaissance of British culture".
British videogames publisher trade body ELSPA welcomed Blair's remarks, pointing out that the videogames industry is a net contributor to the UK's balance of trade, and has achieved global success without any of the direct financial support or subsidy from government which have been enjoyed by other sectors.
"It is good to hear the Prime Minister's speech and the government's recognition of the creative industries in Britain and their contribution to the culture and essence of the country," commented ELSPA director general Paul Jackson after the speech.
"The games industry is a proud member of these industries. The talent and creativity that our industry houses and nurtures is what makes the games industry a part of Britain's cultural heritage, and more specifically, an important asset in Britain's creative and cultural future."
The British games industry is consistently noted for "punching above its weight", with massive international franchises including Grand Theft Auto, Tomb Raider and Project Gotham Racing all having their roots in the UK. According to figures cited by Eidos creative director Ian Livingstone, 25,000 people are employed in the games industry in the UK, with over GBP 2 billion per annum being contributed to the economy by the sector.
Koji Kondo, the veteran Nintendo composer responsible for the music behind the Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda series, received a rock star's reception during his lecture at the Game Developers Conference today. Once the cheers and applause had died down after his introduction, Kondo outlined what he views as the three essential elements of great gameplay music--rhythm, balance, and interactivity.
Kondo, speaking through an interpreter, said all games have an internal rhythm that must be identified and followed to create music that makes an impression. He used the now-famous music that is played during the first level of the original Super Mario Bros. as an example of finding rhythm, saying that he wrote the theme after long observation of how Mario moves and jumps in the level.
"All games contain unique rhythms in some form or another. These rhythms can be found in character movements and also in the timing of players pressing buttons. It's essential to grasp these rhythms and use the ones that represent the most satisfactory playing experience and create music based on them. To be able to do this, you have to play the game you're working on again and again," Kondo said.
When it comes to balance, Kondo said he thinks the most important sound effect should be the one heard most clearly. But Kondo added that the overall flow of the music from a game's beginning to its end is just as vital. Kondo says unlike other composers who hand in each piece of music to a game director after they are completed, he prefers to hold on to a piece for some time before handing it in with several other completed compositions. This allows the director to look at the music as a whole and not as discrete sections.
"It's important to think of all the music as one piece for an entire game and not just simply a collection of individual pieces," he said. "I consider how one song flows into the next and look at the overall flow of the music from the beginning to the end of the game."
However, interactivity is the key element that sets game music apart from other media, Kondo said. He urged the attendees at the lecture to continue to create real-time, interactive music to further the genre.
"I believe that incorporating sound ideas that showcase the interactive nature of video games is the most important part of sound work. For example, as the remaining time decreases in the original Super Mario, the tempo of the music increases. This is something you can't do with CDs, movies, or other broadcast media. It's just one example of sound changing to suit a player's condition." he said.
"Incorporating interactive elements has the following advantages. It has the ability to create music that changes with each play-through. And it has the ability to create a multicolored composition by transforming themes within the same composition. Musical changes can also add surprises to a game and make it more enjoyable to play. And it has the ability to add musical elements as actual gameplay features. Video game music is not the simple background music you find on movies or TV."
Ubisoft has picked up the North American publishing rights to Hiite Utaeru DS Guitar M-06, simplifying the name to 'Jam Sessions' and adding a save feature. Guitar Hero this is not. Gone is the rock star play-along backdrop, replaced with bare chord cues and player-generated rhythms. Jam Sessions morphs your DS into a simulated acoustic guitar, meaning that "it's both cooler ... and potentially way more niche" than the Harmonix pastime. Picture it: Minibosses take the stage and rock an entire 'Unplugged' sesh on their DSs.
Almost a year after its release in Japan and six months after the same in Europe, Nintendo is finally sending the Opera DS browser to North America on June 4. Although it lacks Flash, video, sound and PDF support (yikes!), the package includes full stylus control as well as handwriting recognition. You can create bookmarks and display images, but forget about saving sexy pictures of Anna Kournikova to your DS. It's definitely a gimped way to surf the web, but reports say it's a generally smooth experience. The browser retails for roughly $32 in Japan and $52 in Europe, but no pricing has been mentioned for the North American release.
Welcome to this week's Games & Toys update, our weekly summary featuring all new product arrivals from the last seven days.
It's been a fantastic release week, with more than 30 Japanese and a number of interesting Asian & US version game releases. Next gen console highlights have been Sega's tennis arcade hit Power Smash 3 / Virtua Tennis 3 (Japanese / Asia) for PS3, Bomberman Land Wii and Eyeshield 21: Field no Saikyou Senshi Tachi for Nintendo Wii as well as the Asia release version of Def Jam Icon for Xbox360.
The PlayStation2 continues to be strong in the market with releases such as Spike's Kenka Banchou 2: Full Throttle, the Sega Ages Monster World Complete Collection and Konami's GuitarFreaks & DrumMania Masterpiece Gold.
Popular handheld game releases have been Seiken Densetsu: Heroes of Mana and Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja (US version) for Nintendo DS as well as Marvel Trading Card Game for PSP.
Last but not least, Milestone's arcade shooter Karous is marking an end of the Dreamcast era. Due to Sega's GD-ROM production stop, this game is expected to be the last commercial Dreamcast GD-ROM release ever.
On Wednesday, the big news at the 2007 Game Developers Conference was Sony's debut of its PlayStation Home avatar-based service. On Thursday, Nintendo had the opportunity to claim some of the buzz with Shigeru Miyamoto's keynote at the Moscone Center's cavernous south hall esplanade.
The line of eager developers waiting to get into the hall surrounded an entire city block 20 minutes before the keynote was intended to tip off. It snaked back around on itself as GDC staffers did their best to keep the crowd from spilling over onto the streets.
The enthusiasm was understandable, though. The previous evening, Miyamoto took home a lifetime achievement award at the Game Developers Choice Awards for his three decades of work. After receiving a standing ovation, he promised those in attendance that he would have much to say at his keynote the following morning, amping up expectations to stratospheric heights.
10:40: Inside the hall, attendees are greeted by the obligatory gaming press conference thumping techno music. Five massive video screens dominate the space as a host of gaming journalists huddle over softly glowing laptops. Almost 10 minutes after the scheduled start time, people are still finding their seats as an announcement is made asking for cell phones to be turned off.
10:47: People are still finding seats. A certain game-blog staffer is running around with a video helmet haranguing anyone in range.
10:48: Staffers are still trying to find seats for attendees, squeezing as many people into the auditorium as possible. Mutterings in the crowd range from discussion of Sony's keynote to assessments of the week's various parties, with free beer, swag, and embargoed news being freely disseminated.
10:52: People continue to jostle for seating. Hopefully there aren't any fire marshals about...
10:55: The DS pictochats are almost as full as the auditorium as attendees are again asked to take their seats. The keynote is scheduled to end at 11:30 a.m., but that seems unlikely at this rate.
10:59: Still nothing happening. You can almost feel an epidemic of gluteal cramps begin to break out amongst the constantly shifting crowd. Still, Perhaps surprisingly, the crowd seems to be tolerating the delay in good spirits. Conversations about Mega Man, Mario, and other familiar franchises rise above the din.
11:00: Now the show starts.
11:01: GDC director Jamil Moledina takes the stage to introduce Shigeru Miyamoto, talking about the creator's "quarter century of disruptively contagious hits."
11:02: Miyamoto takes the stage to a round of applause and cheers. He's wearing a link pin on his lapel.
11:03: Speaking through a translator, Miyamoto says he will use the Wii's photo channel to give his presentation.
11:04: Miyamoto begins talking about his 25 years designing video games, referencing games like Donkey Kong and Pac-Man as the games people talked about.
11:05: He shows a picture of the stereotypical child gamer, eyes glazed, jaw slack, and calls it "disturbing."
11:06: He brings up the top-selling games of 1998, pointing to Nintendo's GoldenEye at the top of the charts and saying that the gamer image was still generally neutral. But by 2004, he said something had changed.
11:07: With Grand Theft Auto and Halo 2 on the top of the charts, Miyamoto said he was getting new questions from reporters, questions about what effects games had on people. Even though sales went up, he said the reputation of the industry went down.
11:08: Miyamoto expressed his concern about games becoming stagnant as everyone tried to do the one type of game that was successful, and then brings up his creative vision, and "The Nintendo Difference."
11:09: The three elements of Nintendo's corporate vision are next. Up first is the expanded audience. Miyamoto says he has his own way of gauging a product's potential success with an expanded audience. He calls it "the Wife-o-meter," and shows a graphic of it. It measures one variable: The interest of his own wife.
11:10: He says that we may remember the first time we played Pac-Man or Super Mario Bros. as important moments in our lives. However, they were not important moments for his wife.
11:11: Not even Tetris attracted Miyamoto's wife, but she took some interest in their daughter's experience with Ocarina of Time. Animal Crossing scored even better on the Wife-o-meter, convincing her to actually pick up the controller, but Miyamoto still strived to drive the meter higher.
11:13: Now he talks about pets. While his wife is a cat person, Miyamoto prefers dogs. He references the Wii Everybody Votes Channel poll on the subject to show that more than 60 percent of the voting population agrees with him.
11:14: After an extended detour and pictures of his dog, Pick, Miyamoto gets back to the point. He talks about showing Nintendogs to his wife, and how she started looking at games from a different perspective.
11:15: For Valentine's Day, Miyamoto said he came home from work expecting her to be asleep, but instead found her playing the Wii. She had stayed up casting votes on the Everybody Votes channel.
11:16: Miyamoto was shocked, saying it meant she had downloaded the channel herself. He said it would have been less surprising to find Donkey Kong ransacking his house.
11:17: Now he shows a picture of the second installment of Brain Age, and how she's embraced the game completely. Miyamoto says she's turned into a hardcore gamer and shows off her Mii, which she uses to play Wii Sports. Apparently she's made Miis for the whole family, extended relatives, and everyone in the neighborhood. He calls it her first step in game design, filling the Wife-o-meter completely.
11:18: The second key element of the Nintendo vision is balance.
11:19: At Nintendo, Miyamoto says teams working together work in the same building to emphasize teamwork. He talks about his collegiate education in industrial design, and how he's used that knowledge to help design every Nintendo controller from the NES to the Wii remote.
11:20: But he doesn't want people to think that he created the controllers solo. "It doesn't work that way at Nintendo," he says, "It's a group collaboration."
11:21: As for the Wii, he described it as the most intense creation process ever. One team was dedicated to developing new games. A second team wanted to preserve the company's classic franchises. A third team was dedicated to helping third parties work with the new controller.
11:22: In the process of designing the controllers, they designed numerous prototypes. Miyamoto shows images of a few of them, some showing the roots of older gaming controllers, some looking more like standard TV remotes. One prototype appeared to simply be a giant button with a Mario star shape on it.
11:23: Miyamoto says the final version of the Wii controller is the result of a true collaboration between different teams.
11:24: As a controller, Miyamoto says the Wii remote does a lot of what he's dreamed of for years.
11:25: He stresses the importance of providing game creators with the chance to make new kinds of entertainment that couldn't be realized with the way things were.
11:26: Miyamoto says Nintendo's viewpoint of progress goes beyond game hardware. He shows a picture of a museum in Kyoto for a Japanese game that blends playing cards and poetry. Nintendo is one company that makes said cards, and Miyamoto says he was asked to design the exhibits for the museum.
11:28: He said the project was enjoyable to work on because it wasn't technically a game, so they didn't have to worry about details like how it would end. But he said it was important because it bridged the gap between generations. Typically the poems are only of interest to the elderly, but the interactive elements have helped draw younger people into the traditional art.
11:30: Now he brings up the last element of Nintendo's corporate vision: risk. He says Nintendo employees are encouraged to do things differently from everyone else. He brings up the DS and Touch Generations titles, saying some may be good for the soul, and some may be good for the brain, but the ultimate goal is fun.
11:32: He says none of the company's past risks hold a candle to the Wii, however. He calls the GameCube a step towards the Wii with the emphasis on the big green A button on the controller, but said it was ultimately still too complex an interface for non-gamers. To really break through, he said they had to do more, but they were still challenged in developing the Wii Remote.
11:33: Miyamoto talks about meeting with his producers and think not about what functionalities would be lost by the Wii Remote's design, but what would be gained. He says didn't know the risk was going to pay off until last spring at E3 when he saw the long lines of people waiting to play the Wii and their happy faces as they left.
11:34: He moves from the corporate vision to his own personal vision.
11:35: In interviews, Miyamoto says he's often asked about where he got ideas from, or why he designed a certain level in a certain way. But he says that the harder people look at the particulars of his games, the further they get from the actual answer.
11:36: "When I'm creating a game, what I always try to envision is the core element of fun within a game," he tells the crowd. "And to do that, I imagine one thing, and that's the face of the player as they play the game."
11:37: He talks about watching people play the DS for the first time and shows clips of Japanese consumers' first reactions to the system.
11:38: Miyamoto points out that it wasn't just hte person playing each game that was happy, but the people watching (including the attendees in the auditorium) were happy and smiling as well.
11:39: Miyamoto talks about all the emotions that can be triggered by gameplay, and while he always wants them to walk away happy, he says all that's important is what "you" (the developers in the crowd) want the players to feel. However, Miyamoto again mentions that his personal taste is to always make that experience a positive one.
11:40: He says that developers sometimes get tunnel vision when creating a game, and says that they have to force themselves to create from the consumer's viewpoint.
11:41: That's why Miyamoto says he's willing to take a risk, delay a game, or change a key spec late in development. "In any case, I believe that my vision of a happy player's face--the one I try to imagine in every project--is also a good match for Nintendo."
11:42: He says that positive focus is what will appeal to expanded markets, and brings up Wii Play. Even though Wii Play isn't a core gamer's game, Miyamoto says traditional gamers are enjoying it because it's something they can play with non-gaming friends.
11:43: Miyamoto says he often makes games so that players themselves are encouraged to become more creative. At the core of that is communication.
11:44: Great games don't necessarily need to include communication (Solitaire, Pac-Man), Miyamoto says. He brings up Zelda, saying his first prototype of the game didn't go over well in Japan. People were confused, they couldn't solve the puzzles, and asked for simple routes through the dungeons. "I ignored them," Miyamoto said.
11:45: Instead, he dropped gamers into the world without even a sword, so that they would be forced to think about what they had to do. Other puzzles also inspired gamers to ask their friends for help and compare notes on the game.
11:46: He said in that sense, Zelda laid the groundwork for Animal Crossing.
11:47: The next aspect of game design he talks about is prioritization. He says all developers have the same complaint: "not enough." There's not enough people, not enough budget, or not enough time. As a developer, he shares those complaints, but has to cope with them anyway.
11:49: He talks about Wii Sports, and how it has only one stadium, no fielding, no ability to lay a bunt, and three-inning games. Not even the characters are realistic, Miyamoto says. They were based on traditional Japanese wooden dolls.
11:50: Despite all the unrealistic elements, Miyamoto said they prioritized pitching and hitting in order to make the game seem realistic regardless.
11:51: At one point in development, they tried to use Mario characters in place of the wooden doll-styled characters, but found that people liked the non-Mario style better.
11:52: Miyamoto says he's a baseball fan himself and hopes to play a more realistic baseball game on the Wii eventually, but says people are already enjoying Wii Sports baseball in its own form of realism.
11:53: Now Miyamoto is talking about tenacity. Referring to Wii Sports baseball again, he talks about how the idea for it had been something he wanted for a long time, and it was just a matter of waiting.
11:54: He brings up the Famicom disk drive and a simple face-creation utility Nintendo developed for it.
11:55: He changes the character's eye, hair style, and face shape in a way fairly reminiscent of the Mii. The utility was intended to come with an animation program. Miyamoto liked it, but the internal feedback was confusion over how it could be a game, and the product was shelved.
11:57: He revisited the idea in another form with the Nintendo 64 disk drive, and showed a 3D character editor made for the system with a wide variety of clothing options for characters. Miyamoto thought nobody at Nintendo could resist that idea, but again the project never reached fruition.
11:59: He tried to bring the idea back yet again with Stage Debut, a GameCube game that was intended to use the Game Boy e-Reader and a camera attachment. He demonstrates the title, which shows a digital Miyamoto dancing with Pikmin characters--and gets much laughter from the crowd. However, Nintendo once again balked at the idea, saying there wasn't really a game to make out of it.
12:00: However, when the Wii was in development, Miyamoto was told of a team within Nintendo that was working on a face creation utility for the DS.
12:01: Miyamoto said he went back to his team and called them useless before jumping to work on the new team's project for several months. He wasn't angry at his own team, he said, but frustrated that they had been working on it for 20 years without succeeding.
12:02: Miyamoto brings it back to the company's vision of an expanded audience, saying he'd had it backwards for years. By making things complicated, he was alienating potential audiences. By keeping the choices limited and making things simple, they got it to work.
12:03: He said tenacity paid off, but only when he was willing to take the risk.
12:04: Miyamoto says he's now working on a new Wii channel as a result of how successful the Mii concept has been. He's going to create a popularity contest for Miis that will feature contributions from gamers around the world.
12:05: His final example of tenacity is Mario. Miyamoto says the plumber came from humble beginnings to be in countless games. He event suggests there may be too many Mario games, a heretical concept to many Nintendo faithful.
12:06: But he's always asked what happened to Mario 128. He said the original Mario 128 demo at Spaceworld was intended to show off the GameCube's horsepower. Not only that, he said most of the developers had already played it, because it eventually became Pikmin.
12:07: A Super Mairo Galaxy graphic appears on the screen, and Miyamoto says the spherical stages of the game are another element of Mario 128 revived for the game, which will come out later this year.
12:08: He then shows a short demo of Mario catapulting between various objects and islands in space, dealing with changing gravity, collecting coins (natch), and fighting monsters.
12:09: Miyamoto's main message is that creative vision isn't one element of game design; it is the very essence of it. He stresses that the developers in attendance don't need to share his vision, saying their success will depend on how well they can realize their own visions.
12:10: Miyamoto talks about measuring the success of a game by how well it breaks outside of the sphere of gaming to attract those who don't play games, or are even afraid of them.
12:11: He again shows a picture of the stereotypical gamer sitting in a dark room staring a the glow of a TV with a controller in hand, and contrasts that with pictures of people playing the Wii.
12:12: Miyamoto closes saying if we can make a gamer of his wife, we can make a gamer of anyone. He receives a standing ovation as the lights come up.
For years videogame watchers have complained that there is no mainstream channel for independently produced games. Sure, you can hunt down great indie titles online, but until recently, the only way casual users could experience these hidden gems would be through a mainstream publisher picking them up for retail distribution.
Xbox Live Arcade and now the PlayStation 3's E-Distribution Initiative have shifted the industry mindset, with Microsoft and Sony actively courting the indie development scene. Sony has gone one step further with PS3, allowing users to install alternative operating systems to start their own programming projects. At last year's E3 event, Sony's head of the software platform division, Izumi Kawanishi, openly invited bedroom coders to start producing games and other apps for PS3.
But this is also happening without their permission. For years there's been a large homebrew development community, a determined band of coders who hack into the firmware of games consoles, to seize control of the silicon and persuade the machine to run their own applications.
But homebrew is quietly being legitimised. Online communities like Dcemu.co.uk provide a hub of homebrew development, offering clear instructions and helpful forums to non-techie uses wishing to run indie software on their consoles. The PSP scene is the liveliest. There are hundreds of apps, from emulations of classic consoles and home computer games to text versions of the Bible and guitar tuition.
Hardware manufacturers are getting in on the act. UK company Datel recently released a Games 'n' Music for the Nintendo DS - just slot it in and you can run homebrew games and apps, as well as watch videos and play MP3s. It even comes with 25 homebrew games.
Even more accessibly, the flash game site Wiicade.com released an API allowing developers to support the motion sensing capabilities of the Wiimote controller. Soon, then, Wii owners will be able to play independently produced titles that use the physical controls in entirely new ways, Or, just as likely, you'll get 100 versions of Tetris that let you manipulate shapes by twisting your wrist. But hey, that still sounds like fun.
This is, of course, all part of the breakdown in digital barriers between the consumer and the content provider. In courting the MySpace generation, console manufacturers have had to loosen their obsessions with control and security. And it's been liberating. Xbox Live Arcade is a success, and by embracing independent thought, Sony could turn round the PS3 naysayers. If indie gaming can do that, it can do anything.
Nice to see mainstream news sites taking notice of our homebrew community here at DCEmu UK
Sektor has released a new version of the port of Flashback to the Nintendo DS:
Heres whats new:
Updated to DLDI version of libfat for greater device compatibility
DS LED blinking is stopped at startup because DS-X annoyingly leaves it on
DS sleeps when closed (you have to pause manually)
Nintendo sent us a press release today, informing that Custom Robo Arena has gone gold and is on track to meet its expected release date of March 19th in the United States. Nintendo is quick to point out that in this future of theirs, all disputes are settled via robots fighting on holographic battlefields, reminding us that we have a long ways to go before achieving this Utopian society of theirs. Not only that, but the Wi-Fi Connect possibilities make us anxious to get our hands on this game for some Game Night action.
I have managed to get chex quest working with ds doom im still working on getting it all up and running but heres the .wad files you need to use with ds doom for it to work!
Thanks to the ds doom crew and to doom legends! I hope you guys like this!
Ive decided to do the first release of my source code. I hope to do this more regularly from now on too. This project has not become open source but you can now download the source and do whatever you like with it. If you do something cool with the code and want to send it back to me by all means do.. Im totally open to suggestions and bug fixes!
Theres a .doc file included in the archive that I would like everyone to read before using the source code!
This is the first time Ive done this, so erm, any questions let me know! Oh yeah, and I dont think this build works on the DS If you can figure out why not then please tell me ;p
Tileoptimize is a tool that is aimed to size-optimize tiled images for machines with multiple palettes.
Although the output is primarily made for GBA and NDS, it could be easily adjusted to output for other machines aswell.
The application will quantisize the colors of the image to NxM sized palette of M colors spreaded over N palettes, resulting a more colorful image in smaller tile size with repeating tile and palette combinations to save size.
Infantile Paralysiser has updated Moonshell to version 1.71 and also released DPG Tools v1.3:
Moonshell is an all singing all dancing Media Player for the DS:
Heres whats new:
Moonshell v1.71 Changelog 2007/03/08:
Changed default to '24kHz 2x oversampling'.
The DPG video decoder do speed-up.
The START button can be customized to soft reset.
General bug fixes.
Attention. Please do not mix MoonShell with the file of an old version.
The last we saw of The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass was at the Electronic Entertainment Expo last year where Nintendo cobbled together a four level demo for the show. Since then, all has been quiet in the first touch-screen Zelda game. At the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco today, the company prepared a new demo for show floor attendees which spotlighted a new mode in the upcoming DS game: battle mode.
The demo at GDC did not have any single player component. When players booted up a system and touched the screen to begin a game, the system would automatically search out a system also looking for a second player. When two systems connected, the battle began.
In this two player competition mode, one player controls Link while the other controls three armored guards. Players who assume Link's control do so via the established touch-screen mechanics introduced in the E3 demo -- Link moves in the direction of where the screen's being touched in relation to him, so he'll move faster if the screen's touched further away from his centralized position. Players who take control of the guard have the map on the touch screen and guide them via drawn paths. The task: collect Triforces scattered around an enclosed dungeon and bring them back to your colored area while avoiding the guards that wander the playing field. If a guard captures Link, their turn's over and control swaps between the players.
There's a surprising amount of strategy involved in this mode. For example, the "Guard" player can always see Link on the map, but Link cannot see the guards on the map until he picks up a Triforce. The downside to carrying a Triforce is that it weighs Link down, and moreso as the Triforce pick-ups increase in size. Some Triforces are tiny and worth fewer points, but only slow down Link's movements a little bit. Huge Triforce pickups are worth more points but slow Link down to a crawl.
Almost as if the designers took a cue from Pac-Man, Link can hit escape tunnels at the top and bottom of the map, which are also surrounded by a "safe zone." While in these zones, Link cannot be touched by guards since the guards can't wander into them. Link also disappears from the guard player's map while in these zones...but if Link's carrying a Triforce, the Guard player can still see that Triforce move...giving away Link's location.
On top of all this, there will be power-ups scattered throughout the dungeon. Red power-ups can only be used by the red player, blue pick-ups by the blue player. Red players can run over blue power-ups to destroy them and take them out of play. Power ups include giving Link or the guards an extra boost in speed, or allowing Link to take a hit from the guard. Guards can activate power-ups that turn blowers on within the dungeon that will block Link's path with enormous gusts of wind.
At the end of three Link and three Guard turns for each of the competitors, the game calculates how many Triforce points each player earned within the battle and decides the winner...and in the demo it's a very uneventful "Win" or "Lose" screen.
It's a pretty cool tease of a mode that will eventually make it into the final product, but Nintendo's still not talking release dates for Phantom Hourglass. Nor do we know if the multiplayer will be accessible single cart or if it will be an online mode. Visually the engine nor the Wind Waker toon style hasn't changed since we saw the E3 demo.
We'll have more on The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass as the game continues in its development cycle.
The world's most low-down and ornery garlic-lover never lets a get-rich-quick scheme pass him by. Wario: Master of Disguise opens with our money-mad hero taking a break from being a shady software impresario to watch a TV show about a master thief. Working himself up into a lather of jealousy, Wario leaps through the screen and embarks on his own glamorous globe-trotting career as a thief!
With the helpful advice of a mustachioed magic wand named Goodstyle, you'll soon learn how to use your DS stylus to draw specific designs on Wario to give him new costumes.
The US release version of Wario: Master of Disguise for Nintendo DS is available today, shipping at US$ 39.90 only.
Concluding Zelda designer Eiji Aonuma's GDC session this evening was a new nostalgia-packed trailer of colourful DS installment Phantom Hourglass.
As usual the handheld adventure is looking as wonderful as ever, with lush "art-shaded" dungeons and charming characters animating just as well as in the Gamecube look-a-like. The video also reveals new grappling enemy encounters where you have to rub the touchscreen to break Link free, as well as Link to the Past music tracks that still raise a few hairs.
With the free food eaten, appointments done and our backs almost broken from a week of ferrying gadgets between meetings, GDC 2007 has almost come to a close.
To help you reflect on this week of teasing announcements, behind closed door antics and developer bitching, we've consolidated a bunch of our bestest show floor pics so that you can pretend you're at the event long after we've come home and consumed legal alcohol in the pub.
The best part so far? Locating the only place in San Francisco that sells chicken nuggets - and they were wonderfully filthy.
Square-Enix has confirmed that Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales will be available throughout Europe in May.
The game sees you take the role of a chocobo, who has to save the day by stopping Darkmaster Bebuzzu from regaining his devastating array of powers. Because he's evil, as highlighted by the name.
Your epic journey will challenge you with more than 40 minigames, each successful one bolstering the deck you use in Pop-Up Duel Card Battles.
As usual, the stylus and touch screen are being put to good use, and you'll be able to use the DS Wi-Fi connection to battle your friends in duels or minigames.
"Fans of Final Fantasy both old and new will love the colourful cast of characters and fun minigames," said John Yamamoto, president and CEO of Square-Enix. "With adventure, puzzles, multiplayer and the impressive Pop-Up Duel Card Battles there is something for everybody in the game."
The game is due for release on 3rd April in the US, and is already out in Japan.
Software Association has begun sending out 'save the date' invitations for this year's E3, which will take place between July 11 - 13.
The invite states that E3 will offer "the opportunity to engage in one-on-one meetings with leading game company executives in an intimate setting, as well as network, socialise, and test pilot major company offerings".
All of this will take place in "an environment designed to ensure that you can get your business done efficiently and effectively".
The latest numbers are in and a massive improvement for PSP and PS3:
DS Lite: 111, 814 units
PSP: 66, 156 units
Wii: 57,972 units
PS3: 44,000 units
PS2: 15,364 units
Xbox 360: 3,379 units
Game Boy Micro: 805 units
Game Boy Advance SP: 738 units
GameCube: 303 units
DS: 112 units
Game Boy Advance: 25 units
Back in the mists of time 6 AA batteries could only buy you 4 hours of handheld dogfighting in a pseudo-3D 16-colored environment of a game heavily inspired from Segas Afterburner arcade. The game was Blue Lightning and ran on Ataris now-forgotten Lynx. Apparently 15 whole years ago. Funny thing is Jet Impulse, an import game for the Nintendo DS, immediately reminded me of said game. Then my Nitnendo DS died a particularly gruesome death and I got myself a nice (and rather used) replacement unit.
Still, arcadey flight sims are too much of a childhood favorite to allow me to fret over such minor disturbances, especially when they come all the way from Japan (uhm, the flight sims, not the disturbances, that is), feature a distinctly manga/anime storyline, 19 missions usually broken down in 2 to 3 stages and engrossing gameplay. You see, Jet Impulse is the product of one of those rare moments Nintendo comes up with a new franchise and thus is extremely polished, highly enjoyable and quite addictive. It also is another game designed especially for handhelds, which mean its perfect for a quick 10 minutes long bus-ride, what with its non-existent loading times and short but frantic levels.
The game, in essence a pure 3D shmup, plays rather traditionally for a DS title. The top screen is where the main action takes place, while the touch-screen serves mainly as a zoomable radar and a handy way to alternate between missile types. The d-pad controls the planes movement, R+L buttons its throttle and you got one button for selecting targets, one for shooting missiles and one for the machine guns. Nothing fancy really, but a tried and tested control method that feels intuitive enough to overcome the games Japanese manual and instructions.
In-game updates, objectives and mission descriptions in Japanese, on the other hand, do pose quite a bit of a problem. I for one spent hours chasing a certain red plane I should have simply ignored. I did hone my flying skills mind you, but the futile chase and pointless waste of enough tons of ammunition to take down a moderately sized army got incredibly boring and frustrating. Then, I just discovered the damn thing wasnt supposed to go down. I was supposed to merely avoid it and run away. Moral of the story? Either learn Japanese or use a walkthrough.
Speaking of stories, well, the story of the game, lavishly as it might be narrated, is equally incomprehensible to objectives written in Japanese. Then again, its probably a tacky near-future superpower vs superpower affair.
Its moments like speeding with a jet-fighter through heavy rain, climbing above cloud level and enjoying a serene silence only marginally spoiled by two enemy bombers, that are eloquent beyond the barriers of language and show off the sheer class of Jet Impulse. Same thing goes for huge naval battles, stealthy night missions and most of the set pieces the game has to offer. Actually, baring a few lengthy cutscenes and the odd incomprehensible objective, the language is more of an atmosphere enhancer than a problem. Especially considering that the English version of the game (to be released at some undefined point in the future) will be shockingly called DS Air. Dont believe me? Theres a whole website to prove the truth of my words, even though theres only this humble article to tell the western world how great a game Jet Impulse is. Not innovative, neither ground breaking or visually impressive, just great.
As for the online element of Jet Impulse utilizing the DSs WiFi capabilities, well, it seems pretty darn impressive, giving access to downloadable game content (via the official Japanese website) and the ability to go head-to-head against players over the Internet. Problem is my wireless connection has been generally non-existent for the past weeks, which means Ill be covering online play at some other day, provided I dont first microwave my router. Oh, and theres a 1-4 players wireless multiplayer mode, too.
Oishinbo is a manga about cooking that is apparently well-known for featuring delicious food. And now it's a DS game that features, well, pretty much everything. Usually licensed games aren't renowned for their innovation, but this thing looks nothing short of amazing.
Oishinbo Recipe Shuu features recipes, of course, keyword-searchable with handwriting input, and browsable images. It also has a quiz game (about food), manga-style tutorials of cooking techniques, and-- here's where it gets pretty impressive-- Oishinbo manga with links to the recipes shown in the manga. We love it! Well done, Bandai Namco. You've gotten us interested in a cooking game!
This is my first DS game which build with palib! It's a pretty simple card game, this game has sound and a bad AI (I learned C only about 1 year, and many things not very clear)
I test it on Ewin2 and SC and run well build with old palib, But I use the newest palib+devkitPro, it can run well on r4, but running on Ewin2 the touch screen not work and in Emulators will crash!
rule is 3 same card>royal flush>same color>flush>double same>nothing(I'm sorry my English is poor)
Both Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl -- the true follow-ups to the immensely popular Pokemon RPG franchise -- will hit the Nintendo DS in late April, so it makes sense that, this close to the release, we're finally seeing an English language build. At Nintendo's booth at the Game Developers Conference, that's exactly what we saw. Sort of. The Pokemon Company threw together an extremely limited demo for show attendees, playable for ten minutes or until you get to the demo's goal. Whichever came first.
In the demo playthrough, we're immediately tossed in Jubilee City in the Sinnoh Region, led through a specific path that will take us, eventually, to a cavern. Before we head off to our adventure, we're handed a Pokemon Watch which displays the time digitally on the lower screen.
However, a brief conversation later we're right into a battle with a trainer ready for the pouncing. Luckily for us, we have level 30 critters at the ready, including Lucario, Roselia, and Mime Jr. The first trainer first tried to take us down with his Buizel and Mantyke, but we stood strong and trounced him easily using the easy to navigate touch-screen interface to toss a few attacks in his direction. The second trainer posed no problem, either. He tossed his whole arsenal of Chatot and Pachrisu at us. Again. No problem. The third trainer brought forth his Kricketot and Cherrim, but again, with such powerful Pokemon in our pockets it was hard not to win.
The demo ends right when we strike up a conversation with the person who's blocking the entrance to the cave. A brief "See you when Pokemon Pearl and Diamond are released" message later and the demo comes to an end. It'll also end if you spend too much time lollygagging in the battles or on the path.
If you haven't been following the development of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, the two games are modest upgrades to the Game Boy Advance titles. Character models, backgrounds, creature designs and other elements mostly consist of skewed 2D sprites and bitmaps, though you might encounter a structure or two that actually pushes the 3D capabilities of the Nintendo DS system. The real hook in the update is the touch screen navigation which, admittedly, makes moving through menus a dream compared to the D-pad/button interface of the previous games.
The final game will feature Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection support so that players can battle over the internet. The game will also interface with the upcoming Pokemon Revolution Wii title where players can link their system and copy of Pokemon Diamond/Pearl so they can battle their characters in 3D on the Wii system. That feature was also demonstrated at Game Developers Conference, though the versions used in the demo were entirely in Japanese. The DS and Wii systems synched up quickly and smoothly, and enabled a full touch-screen control of the battles via the connection.
The DS games, already available in Japan since September 2006, will ship in the US on April 22nd. We'll have more on the games in the weeks leading to their release.
No, this isn't another rampant portable Xbox 360 rumor, but the somewhat indirect linkage is indeed notable. Reportedly, AMD is planning to bring "Xbox 360 quality graphics to handheld devices" by utilizing the company's next-generation mobile graphics technologies. Although no real specifics were handed out, AMD is purportedly "working with content developers now in preparation for the arrival of phones" powered by the forthcoming set, and should be made available to handset manufacturers through "discrete media processors as well as through IP licensing agreements with semiconductor suppliers." Already released is a developers toolkit that includes support for both the OpenVG 1.0 and OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics standards, and it will incorporate the same Unified Shader Architecture that's behind the scenes in your Xbox 360. Sadly, we've absolutely no idea which companies (if any) are already on board with this promising technology, but we just have to wonder if Dell won't reconsider its handheld gaming system considering the already amicable relationship with AMD.
April 22: Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl - Nintendo
May: Pirates of the Caribbean 3 - Buena Vista
May: Dragon Ball Z: Harukanaru Densetsu - Atari
May: Pony Friends - Eidos
May: Diner Dash - Eidos
May: Touch the Dead - Eidos
June 4: Nintendo DS browser - Nintendo
June 4: Planet Puzzle League - Nintendo
June 11: Touchmaster DS - Midway
June: Zendoku - Eidos
Spring: Naruto Ninja Council 3 - Tomy
Spring: Time Ace - Konami
Spring: Death Jr. and the Science Fair of Doom - Konami
Q2: Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon - Natsume
Summer: Shrek the Third - Activision
Summer: Transformers: Autobots - Activision
Summer: Transformers: Decepticons - Activision
Prof. Dmitri Williams, one of the leading academics in the gaming space, who was an expert witness at the U.S. Senate on the constitutionality of game banning laws, held a roundtable on game addiction at GDC. Williams referenced Carnegie Mellon University A. Fleming Seay's research on addiction in an MMO context.
The addiction, defined as "problematic use" by Seay, is when an entertainment product dominates and displaces other behavior,
causes conflict and not playing causes anxiety. Seay found that self regulation (self monitoring, self evaluation and self consequence) was difficult for certain people. This seems obvious, but like anything in academia, if somebody hasn't done the research it isn't legitimate. The other thing Seay found was people's affinity for a game caused their problematic use -- but the interesting part was that those with "problematic use" were those who didn't like the game they were playing. They would do the same actions over and over again, didn't find pleasure in their actions and got stuck in a rut.
Williams thinks now is a the time to start looking into the ideas of "gaming addiction" and "problematic use" before it gains traction. He says, "Coming up with a solution to that, is better than sitting in front of Congress in ten years."
Experience has taught me that oftentimes, gamers are better off taking projected release dates with a grain of salt, but I can't help but feel like 2007 is going to be one of the best years in gaming history. There are enough high profile titles on the way to drown a fish, and they all look outstanding. I had trouble limiting it to only 10 of them - so I didn't. Here are my most anticipated games of the coming year:
(+1) Halo 3
Now I know somebody out there doesn't care about this game, but the rest of the gaming world is salivating in anticipation. The third installment of the critically acclaimed franchise is set to be huge, with high-def visuals and enhanced online gameplay, not to mention the climax of the series' story. The near-universal love of the series is clear, as Halo 2 remains the most-played game on Xbox Live to date. With the online beta of Halo 3 just around the corner, there is a lot to be excited about.
10) Blue Dragon
This one has already been released in Japan, and is responsible for selling more Xbox 360s there than any other game can claim. This RPG is the craft of a dream team who, when last working together, created one of the most lauded RPGs of all time - Chrono Trigger. A game that tweaks its genre just right, Blue Dragon does away with random battles, putting enemies on screen at all times. It also features a unique system for GETTING INTO battles, allowing players to string together fights, building momentum as they go, as well as drawing rival creatures into the same bloody fray - where they will attack EACH OTHER. Other points of awesomeness are the party of five characters, which all fight in every encounter, and the deep class system. It sounds like an RPGer's dream.
9) Grand Theft Auto IV
Just one image. That's enough. Heck, ZERO images would be enough for this game. We don't know where it takes place, what time period it spans, or who the main character might be, but it doesn't matter - we know it will be good. As of this posting, 19 days remain until the first trailer of GTA IV is shown at http://www.rockstargames.com/IV/.
8) Mass Effect
"BioWare presents..." Those words alone are enough to gamers excited. The company's track record is indeed a sight to behold - they are responsible for Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire. Mass Effect's gameplay is reminiscent of prior games, but with a few huge improvements. The branching dialog in this game is done completely in real-time. This will allow the player to interject as he pleases and give these interactions a much less-scripted feel. The combat has also been improved, with all-new tactical control over party members' actions and equipment. Lastly, let's not forget that the voice acting is excellent and the graphics are some of the best around.
7) Super Mario Galaxy
This is the Mario game we're supposed to be excited about...and I am. It's Mario in full 3D again, and with a slew of Wii-centric controls, Super Mario Galaxy aims to take gamers on a ride unlike any previous Mario adventure. My only reservation was that game might focus too much on a single theme, quickly wearing out it's initial appeal (a la Super Mario Sunshine). Considering the variety of locales seen in this latest video, I'm not terribly worried, and can't wait to try it out.
6) White Night Story
From the developers of the recent hit RPGs Rogue Galaxy and Dragon Quest VIII, as well as the Dark Cloud Series, White Knight Story appears to be the game that could coax me into buying a PS3. Not only does it LOOK amazing, but it features a battle system unlike any other. Encounters are rendered in accurately choreographed sequences, where successful strikes on the enemy are mixed amongst a barrage of attacks that are either blocked or parried, before tasting the sweet reward of steel on flesh. As seen in the trailer, the protagonist is also capable of transforming into a hulking white knight, which is ALL KINDS of cool.
5) Metal Gear Solid 4
Metal Gear Solid is an incredible series, and MGS4 is sure to be an incredible game. Snake has grown old and battle-weary, but remains in the heat of combat, aided once again by his old friend Otacon. The jump to the newest console generation has done wonders for the graphical presentation of the game, and will propel the already stellar cinematography of the series to new heights. The story promises to be just as interesting as previous games, and will surely have plenty of underlying messages to deliver to eager gamers. This game will definitely be an experience.
4) God of War 2
If you've played God of War, then you MUST BE excited for God of War II. The first game was...well, awesome. It was fierce action combined with fun platforming and a top-notch story. If that game, and this trailer are any indicator, then God of War II is shaping up to be one of the best games the PS2 has to offer. We'll find out this Tuesday if the term "swan song" is applicable here.
3) Spore
When Will Wright creates something, people take notice. The legendary designer is hard at work on an ambitious new game, entitled Spore. Borrowing elements from games ranging from Pac-Man to The Sims, E.V.O. to Cubivore, it is what one might call a "life sim," where players guide the evolution of of an organism up through the generations, and at the same time through multiple game genres. The game features a huge amount of procedurally generated content, from the creatures that populate the game world, to the very world itself. Furthermore, Wright has dubbed Spore a massively single player game, because as players progress, their creations will begin to show up in other users' worlds. There, they become AI-controlled parts of that other player's game, and are tagged with their creator's information. From protist to intergalactic conquerer, there is just TOO much to Spore NOT to be excited.
2) Super Paper Mario
As a huge fan of the old 2D Super Mario Bros games, as well as the stylish Paper Mario games, there is no describing how exciting Super Paper Mario is to me. Not only that, but when Super Mario Sunshine promised an "incredible new feature," all I hoped for was a game that transitioned between classic 2D platforming and 3D exploration. It's finally here. This game introduces a myriad of new character abilities and gameplay opportunities to gamers, and combines 2D side-scrolling, 3D platforming, and role-playing elements all into a single bundle of AWESOME.
1) Assassin's Creed
I am in love with this game. Besides the ability to navigate your surroundings based purely on the physics and structure of the game world, it is everything I could ever want in an action game. Free-roaming exploration, acrobatics, stealth, swordplay, horseback riding, assassinations, and BEAUTIFUL visuals. Additionally, there have been rumblings of a very unexpected and intriguing plotline. All this from the people who brought us Prince of Persia. *swoon*
There you have it - a complete year of gaming goodness.
AgentQ has released a new beta version of ScummVM for the Nintendo DS, heres whats new etc:
THERE ARE NO CHANGES TO FILE LOADING/SAVING IN THIS RELEASE. IF YOU CARD DOESN'T HAVE A FULLY WORKING DLDI, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO USE SCUMMVM DS ON A SLOT-1 CARD. THERE IS NOTHING I CAN DO ABOUT THIS.
These beta releases are meant to be bugfix only, but I've slipped in a new zoom feature since so may people asked.
These are the new features in v0.9.1a beta3 of ScummVM DS:
Added 100%, 200% and 'Fit' options while zooming (Hold L and press A/B)
Allow CD audio tracks to start from track 1 or 2
Fixed long filename support to allow Mac versions of Scumm games to run
Fixed broken turning controls during fights in Indiana jones
You can now control my prototype RoboDS bot located in my basement in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Please go to natrium42.com/robot. Yes, the robot does have a laser
The setup consists of open RoboDS prototype and DSerial2, 3 cameras, an old computer acting as a camera server and my webhost. One camera is a Canon PowerShot A70 and provides periodic photos uploaded via FTP. Second camera is Logitech webcam, it provides top view video stream to the driver. Third camera is a wireless spy camera attached to the bot itself. It provides first-person view to the driver. The web interface uses AJAX with a PHP back-end to control the bot as well as to control the queue of people. Main concerns were the number of people and security. I cannot host all the people from my home connection, so I can only provide live video stream to the driver. Other people in the queue can see the digicam photos periodically uploaded via FTP. Security was needed so that it wouldnt be possible to cut in line or view the live video stream or control the bot despite not being in the driver position."
This has got a video too that eventually sings "rock, robot rock"!
Deniska released a GPS app for the PSP and now A.A. van Zoelen is near to publically releasing his GPS App for the Nintendo DS:
Heres Some Screens:
SPREAD THE NEWS
Today i finally made it. Not only do i get raw data on screen, now i can format it too. But there is more!
It got graphics now!
This weekend i tight all code snippets that i made and tested the last week together into my first version of a GPS device. I am amazed how accurate it is. despite the old SiRF II chipset. I had many hurdles to take and i took them all. I love this project and i will continue to make it better.
Aireplay is a Wifi Packet injection software, well known for Wifi Hacking.
I decided to port it to NDS as most of the new Wifi Chipset allow only Packet Capture and Aireplay is only available on Linux. Having a mobile wifi hacking solution is also a good idea...
In this build, the only activated function is the Broadcast Deauthentification module which allow to deauthenticate every user connected to a specific Access Point. It's useful for capturing ARP Request or flooding the wifi trafic.
*SPECIAL NOTES*
Most of Aireplay Linux functions are ported but not included. The NDS Wifi Driver allow only capture of packet sended at 1/2mbit rate. As all the function, unless the one included in this build, require capturing some packet from client side, you can't use them as the Client send them at over 2mbit rate(11mbit...).
I have no solution for this problem. If you have an idea/solution to set/slowdown the traffic rate to 2mbit, send me an email here : jsr(.)exp(@)gmail(.)com.
I will implement your solution and release a full build.
Usage :
------------------------------------
AireplayNDS_EarlyBuild.nds for NDS Cart (Slot-1)
AireplayNDS_EarlyBuild.ds.gba for GBA Cart (Slot-2)
The sublissime Arialia, goddess among the DS, delivers the new version of DSPhoto to us, a visual display of photograph for Nintendo DS. It improved time of loading of the jpegs and scaling. With this intention, it used the version beta of the libjpeg 6b. The zoom was also implemented. The scrolling oar a little on the other hand. This problem should be regulated with the next version. Lastly, Arialia currently works on the function email.
Heres a new version that fixes a couple of reported problems. The output filename munging routine has been re-written and overall is more cautious in regards to trimming. Thanks to _psychowood_ and Rejk. I havent tested this version much and Im thinking it will need more tweaking to get the right compromise between trimming and preventing overtrim. As always if you find problems please comment.
1.ROM number in fornt of the file name will be automatically added when replaced by the Chinese name or English name, choose this function in the software setting.
2.Add the choice of ROM processing mode 2 in the software setting. If there is any problem when writting any rom in the mode of default, for example, it appears white sreen after heading cartoon in 0094, in this time user can try this mode 2. But the writting speed of the default processing mode is faster, mode 2 is not recommended at ususal time.
3.0193,0659,0804 support soft-reset function.
4.Solve the problem of 0836 that appears error and can not enter the game, and all are well after reseted using soft-reset function.
5. Solve the problem that some games appear white screen when using their own soft-reset function.
6.Solve the problem that some game appear wrong screen.
Rom:0604
Rom:0635
Rom:0799
Rom:0826
Note: Please manually delete the romname.lst of the directory of system_ in the TF card, DSLink software will automatically install the new romname.lst while add ROM.
How to update kernel:
1.Copy _DSLINK_.NDS file to the root directory in the TF card.
2.Enter DSLink's interface to run this NDS file, and then appears the kernel update interface. User can also enter kernel update by long pressing START key.
3.Click SELECT key to start updating in the update interface. It has schedule sign, and updates successfully when it shows to shut off the power.
Note: If there is any accidental error while updating, user can follow the sign on the screen or long pressing START key to restart NDS to update it again. And user can also copy _DSLINK.NDS file to any other GBA flash card which can run NDS file to update DSLink.
In additon, since time is limited, some saver problems(0547,0696,0727) that have not been solved in this version and the update of GBALink software will both be solved in the near future.
New release of Archeide's SNES emulator for the DS:
This release contains various bug fixes, which should improve games compatibility and stability. Some minor features have also been added like options saved in save states, background Layer selector, and hinge support.
Here is a list of changes:
* Fixed ROM paging, this should improve stability of large ROMs (especillay DKC2)
* Some CPU instructions were bugged because of the way SNEmulDS write in I/O ports, this should also improve stability (ie Crash before first boss in Zelda)
* Fixed a bug that made Chrono Trigger freeze during battles
* Changed the way emulator detect blank screen (Street Fighter Turbo, RTYPE3, Final Fantasy Mystic Quest now works)
* Fixed some bugs with SRAM memory, which unlock most ROM protections (Uniracer, Bust-a-move, … now boot)
* Now sound core doesn’t randomly crash when using line by line engine
* Better reset of sound core, some games now run correctly when they are launched after another game (ie Super Bomberman >2)
* Save states also save options
* Added background layer selector. You can again enable/disable backgrounds.
* Added hinge support. If you close you DS, emulation is stopped and SRAM is saved.
* SRAM is now automatically saved before loading another ROM
id Software's CEO Todd Hollenshead has revealed that videogame piracy "has pushed id as being multiplatform."
In a lecture on videogame piracy during last week's GDC, he explained that the Doom and Quake developer started to eye console platforms as a method to battle the financial loss piracy incurs.
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars was given as an example of id's multiplatform direction. Originally in development for PC at the hands of Splash Damage and id Software, the multiplayer-focussed action game is now additionally heading to Xbox 360 and PS3.
In related news, the topic of videogame piracy was brought up in during a panel discussion focussing on the future of PC gaming at GDC last week.
In the discussion, Soren Johsnon - designer/lead programmer, Sid Meier's Civilization III & IV - said "game design on the PC is going to bend toward persistence" as in MMOGs. Massively multiplayer online games succeed because "You cannot pirate an MMO. Period", said Johsnon
Good news for the hard core Nintendo DS/DS Lite user: The ultimate device for their machine, the DS-X, is now below $100!
And one good news never coming alone, we are also taking preorder for the huge 16Gb version, available end of this month.
For those who don't know the DS-X, this is the most complete, advanced, greater compatibility device on NDS. If you only need one device, you need the DS-X.
Preorder the DS-X 16GB Version from Divineo USA for $124.99
A popular video game could provide doctors with a way of diagnosing depression.
With some illnesses, such as diabetes, a simple test can usually quantify how severe a person's condition is, but depression is more complicated. The condition has been linked to a shrunken hippocampus, a part of the brain that also plays a role in spatial memory, so Neda Gould at the US National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland, and her colleagues wondered whether a video game that tests spatial memory could help measure the severity of the illness.
To test their idea the researchers developed a game based on some scenes from Duke Nukem, a game in which players navigate around a virtual town. The participants, who were already familiar with the town, were asked to find their way to as many landmarks as possible within a set amount of time.
Depressed people found their way to an average of 2.4 locations compared with 3.8 locations for healthy controls. Indeed, the more depressed a person was, the lower the score (The American Journal of Psychiatry, vol 164, p 516). Gould hopes the test may eventually provide a quantifiable measure of depression.
It's just two years since the UK was first touched by Nintendo's DS, but what a two years it's been. Okay, so its ugly, silver toy-like appearance might not have drawn anyone's adoration at first, but Nintendo's innovative handheld eventually won us over with its sublime gaming possibilities and a barrage of cheerful, colourful and compulsive games designed to use DS's touchscreen, microphone and dual-view to brilliant effect.
Since DS launched in the UK on 11 March 2005, we've had sell-outs, brain-taxing new genres, and that sleek redesign that added supermodel looks to DS's already impressive wealth of talents. With DS Lite, we fell in love all over again - and so did the rest of you, if the 200,000 sold in the first ten days across Europe are anything to go by.
DS has posted some mind-boggling landmarks - a record breaking 87,000 were shifted over the DS's first two days in the UK, 10m have already been sold across Europe, and last summer some bright spark calculated that Nintendo had sold one DS every two seconds across the globe since the first one was sold in Japan. And, if the meteoric rise shown in our snazzy graph suggests anything, it's that DS is destined to become one of the best selling platforms ever made. Long live DS!
No, this is not a hellish sequel to Act Zero but instead a series of Bomberman games on their way this month. We already have Bomberman Land on the Wii gracing Japanese shelves, whilst this does retain the plucky and cute aesthetic style we are all used to the main game modes are much more generic action platformer fare (though thankfully the Battle Mode has stayed intact).
The other two Bomberman games scheduled for release are another Bomberman Land on the PSP, which is ironically the most faithful in terms of gameplay, and Bomberman Story on the DS. The latter has transgressed into action RPG territory, though there is already a proper Bomberman game on the DS. So at least we have that to be thankful for.
Henry Lowood, the curator of the Stanford University History of Science and Technology Collections, announced this past week a list of the 10 Most Important Video Games of All Time. This game canon has been created to preserve to cultural and historical significance of gaming. The list is a result of a collaboration between Lowood, Warren Spector, Steve Meretzky, academic researcher Matteo Bittani and gaming journalist Christopher Grant from Joystiq, and represents the games we must protect at all costs...our cultural artifacts.
Spacewar! (1962)
Star Raiders (1979)
Zork (1980)
Tetris (1985)
SimCity (1989)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (1990)
Civilization I / II (1991)
Doom (1993)
Warcraft (Series) (1994)
Sensible World of Soccer (1994)
The games all represent firsts for lasting genres, such as adventure games, multiplayer, FPS, story-driven RTS, et cetera. Each gamer is required to save these titles to a microchip embedded in the base of their skull in order to preserve our gaming heritage.
Rayman Raving Rabbids marks the return of the iconic video-game hero, Rayman, in his funniest and zaniest adventure ever. When the world of Rayman is threatened by a devastating invasion of crazed, out-of-control bunnies Rayman must rise up against his furry foes to foil their wicked plans.
Fight the Rabbid invasion and restore peace to the world in a brand new adventure unique to this handheld. In the DS game, you control control Rayman and his powerful otherworld avatars, the 'Guardians', together they will battle the Rabbids. With the help of four elemental Guardians, use the stylus to destroy obstacles and freeze water. And don't forget to speed up your character by blowing as hard as you can!
Having created Rotoshop, the software behind uniquely-animated films like Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly, Bob Sabiston is no stranger to new ways of manipulating media. His latest project, Fatbits Pocket Painter, takes advantage of the Nintendo DS' hardware features to create both pixel-based and vector-based illustrations.
The DS' top screen shows the entire canvas while the touchscreen displays a close-up view for editing.
Fatbits won't replace your copy of Adobe Photoshop, but with features like color palette mixing, variable thickness paintbrushes, and opacity sliders, the program is a lot more sophisticated than MS Paint. The application even supports an animation mode and playback for recorded sound effects (via DS mic) just like Mario Paint. Users will be able to share their complete creations or works-in-progress by uploading them to a web server with the DS' WiFi feature.
While Nintendo is aware of the project, there are no cemented plans for a commercial release. Sabistan admits that he might eventually cast the program loose for the homebrew community to play with if he is not able to find a publisher. For now, a brief user manual and a gallery of images created with Fatbits are available.
While the Game Boy Advance was home to a wealth of strategy RPG titles, the Nintendo DS' selection of SRPGs has been poor in comparison. For a handheld with unique features that seem to be made for the genre, games like Fire Emblem and Rebelstar Tactical Assault have been sparse on the portable. Atlus USA must have sensed this injustice, announcing plans to publish Luminous Arc, a Japanese SRPG, for the North American market.
Luminous Arc pits the forces of the righteous Garden Children against an army of Witches intent on warring with God. With features like item-crafting, online battles, and touchscreen support, the game definitely pushes portable SRPGs in the right direction. Import impressions have been positive, but we will wait until Luminous Arc's US release before we judge it against GBA classics like Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis.
I worked on it over the weekend and added a couple of new features as well as ongoing changes to the command queue system and other bits.
First I added rotation, so that units must face the direction of travel before moving and so turrets face their targets before firing. Im representing a rotation with a single byte right now, with 0 up, 64 right, 128 down and 192 left. This seems to give me enough accuracy and should do for now. This is now worked into the moving code and works fine. Units can have different turning speeds etc.
Lastly I added resources to the map. I see two choices for how to do this. First have a resource level per cell. This is just a number for each cell on the map. The second option is to define each cell that has a resource with a level and x/y co-ordinate. To fill every cell on a map this takes much more memory, but with the amount of resources on a map Id expect it would take less. Ive gone for the first option but Im not sure yet if it was the best one. Still the difference in memory requirement is small but I know things will get tight!
The R4 DS team have released version 1.07 of the R4 DS firmware. This update allows for greater skin customisation, such as the changing of font colours.
Also, loader 1.07 'A' will cycle between 12 different skins every month, whereas 1.07 'B' has this feature removed for those that don't want to use it.
Overview : The Soft Jacket Silicone Case gives better grip and protection to your controllers.
Features :
Ultra thin with Exquisite Details
Protection against dust, dirt & scratches
Smooth & Soft to Touch
EZ Dust Go Treatment
Quality/Usability : Capdase has released their first Wii product. Capdase is well known for the accessories and silicone cases. Included is a wrist strap and silicone case for the Wii remote and Nunchuk.
The soft jacket has a nice thickness to it that feels comfortable in the hands. What is nice about the Soft Jacket is that on the back, there are grooves which allows better grip to your controllers. Besides the grooves on the silicone cases, the soft jacket is slightly different from the rest of the silicone case such as the Wii Silicone Case and Wii Controller Glove (Official). The silicone cases just mentioned all have holes cut out for each button. Capdase decided to leave silicone over the buttons but have the rubber pop out a little so you can feel where they are. Having the silicone over the buttons still allows you to press the buttons easily without having to dig your finger/nail into the button in order for it to recognize.
Unlike the other cases, Capdase added a little hole at the bottom of the case. This allows you to clip a wrist strap on to the case. Why do you need this? Well, the wrist strap that Nintendo included isnt strong, so Capdase hopes to remedy the situation. The strap has a metal clip that clips on to the bottom of the case. The strap itself is very durable and so is the hole. With this attached, you no longer need to use wrist strap that Nintendo included.
Conclusion : Overall, the Capdase Soft Jacket Silicone Case is a very nice product. The soft jacket feels comfortable in the hands. With the included wrist strap, this gives extra durability. Capdase offers in the Soft Jacket Silicone Case in a variety of colors such as blue, purple, pink, white, black and grey (tinted black).
Overview : The Soft Jacket Advance protects your Nintendo DS Lite from scratches and fingerprints.
Features :
Perfected design for flip-up game consoles
Semi rigid frame keeps Soft Jacket Advance in place without hassle
Advance technology that combines silicon with rigid plastic
Includes Hand Strap
Quality/Usability : The Soft Jacket Advance is a silicone case that covers and protects the outside of your Nintendo DS Lite. Majority of the Soft Jacket Advance is made of rubber silicone but around the edges, it is made of plastic. The purpose of the plastic is to give that stiff and firm protection to latch on to the DS Lite.
Unlike other silicone cases on the market, Capdase decided to make the whole Soft Jacket Advance one piece. There is an opening for the stylus, power button, headset, volume, charging port and even the loophole so you can attach a wrist strap.
There is a slight problem though. The Soft Jacket Advance doesnt slip on to the DS Lite like other silicone cases, it clips onto the Lite as mentioned before. But it doesnt clip onto all sides perfectly. You may have one corner that doesnt clip on completely but the case is held on tightly. Some of the ports is slightly covered which makes it kind of hard to reach.
Capdase included a wrist strap just like they usually do for any of their protective cases. They also included "silicone caps" that cover the headphone jack and charging port. These are similar to that of those dust cover ports. Unfortunately, they are loose. So loose that you will lose it easily. The best thing they included was a silicone Slot-2 cover. This fits directly into the Slot-2 port of your DS Lite which matches the Soft Jacket Advance itself and replaces the one that Nintendo included. The Slot-2 cover is completely made of silicone and fits slug inside the port.
Conclusion : Overall, the Capdase Soft Jacket Advance does a great job of protecting the DS Lite from scratches and finger prints but falls short. The soft jacket doesnt clip on completely depending on which corner but with a little strength, you can force it to. The "silicone caps" will be of no use since it is so loose and will fall off. But I like that they included a Slot-2 silicone cover to match the Soft Jacket Advance. It comes in a variety of colors such as blue, pink, white and black.
First off a Quick thanks to Soully and Martin whos site design and skills with Vbulletin make the network what it is and also thanks to Malksta for making the new logo for the site.
DCEmu Blog Site is our Offtopic and Chat news site where anything from jokes to non gaming news will be posted.
The running of the site will now be handed to Guntimms who im sure will turn it into a great part of our Network of Sites and build upon the community we have here.
As promised here's my MMD supporting ToD by LiraNuna. I haven't actually tested it due to the fact that CreeboMe doesn't work with my MMD just yet. So, tell me if it works.
Over in Japan the classic Theme Park has been released for the Nintendo DS, the game has kept all the beauty of the original but with the Nintendo DS Stylus Control it adds a massive new dimension to this game.
Heres some awesome Screens:
Heres the press release from a few months ago:
Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS) announced today the development of Theme Park exclusively for the Nintendo DS (NDS) system. Based on the popular simulation game series, Theme Park will allow players to create, manage, and develop their own fun-filled park, packed with amazing rides, enticing shops and engaging sideshows, all via an intuitive Touch Screen interface.
"Theme Park is one of EA's long standing properties, and we are excited to breathe new life into the series by bringing it to the NDS platform for the first time ever," said Stan Chow, General Manager of EA Japan Studio and Executive Producer of Theme Park. "Taking advantage of the unique controls in the NDS, we are able to create an easy-to-pick-up game that offers the experience of creating and managing your own park to audiences of all age and gender. The game will have the depth to satisfy fans of the series, and also be accessible to lighter and new gamers with its user-friendly controls."
"We are in a unique position to develop compelling new games that appeal to consumers worldwide by combining EA's proven global IP with the expertise of EA Japan Studio in the NDS platform. Theme Park will be the first title out of the studio for international release, and we look forward to delighting gamers with this new offering," said Jon Niermann, President, EA Asia Publishing.
Developed by Tokyo-based EA Japan Studio, the game will deliver all the fun of the popular Theme Park franchise in the most accessible format for seasoned gamers and first-time gamers alike. The game is slated for release in Spring 2007.
Ubisoft's tactical shooter, Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2, has flown straight into the top of the charts, ending Final Fantasy XII's two-week reign of supremacy.
Here are the latest all format charts for the UK, released this morning:
The manufactuer confirmed with us that the M3 Simply will back in stock around 25th Mar. All the back orders will be shipped immediately. Thanks for your patience waiting.
Generally electronic components last pretty long, but you can't say the same about the plastic case of handheld consoles, they end up being scratched up and even broken quickly. The solution to this problem, a BRAND NEW case for your Nintendo DS Lite, including all buttons and parts.
In another outrageous outburst of initiative, Nintendo Japan has announced that games developed by students from its Game Seminar 2006 course will be made available to download from the DS Station.
It all kicked off last Thursday over there, and every two weeks a new creation will rear its unique little head on the service, which is free to snatch from.
These games are Attoiu Ma Ni? Ekaki Uta, which lets you communicate with aliens who've journeyed to earth by drawing pictures; Kuru Kuru Tonzuran, an action game that lets you help out mice captured by cats by swinging a steel ball and destroying obstacles; UJ No Tegakichou, which lets you draw pictures to interact with wacky UJ creatures and also doubles as a diary; and Hana Otoki to Hana Onna, an adventure where men and women shout stuff into the microphone at the appropriate times.
However, we won't be seeing either the games or the development course in Europe, unfortunately.
"No, it won't come to Europe, as it's a Japanese local market initiative," a spokesperson for Nintendo told Eurogamer this morning. "Great idea though."
MumboJumbo boss Paul Jensen believes Europe is an under-served community, and that casual gaming in the region is set to explode.
Talking to GamesIndustry.biz at the Game Developer Conference in San Francisco he reiterated the strength of quick-fix thrills, and MumboJumbo's renewed focus on the European territory.
"We are getting into Europe in a big way," Jensen commented. "We are continuing to be very aggressive at localising our games to get out to the larger countries in Europe."
"Europe is, in my opinion, under served, and is a market that is certainly set to explode, we just have to support it."
MumboJumbo plans to do this both on PC and next-generation consoles, with its first Live Arcade title, Luxor 2, due out shortly.
However, it doesn't want to pigeonhole itself for just one service, and is determined to expand its audience across all available platforms, including previously supported PSP and DS.
"Even though we have a great retail presence, we made a push into PSP and DS because we believe it's opening up an audience even further," Jensen added. "That's why we're supporting [new consoles] with our Xbox Live launch, and we're going to be there when we can with Sony and Nintendo."
With UNO continuing to be a best-seller on Live Arcade, it's a convincing argument, especially as publishers continue to make big noises in the sector - such as EA, and Sierra Online.
Zelda co-creator Eiji Aonuma confirmed in an interview with Game Informer on Friday that Phantom Hourglass will feature an online multi-player mode. Without disclosing any deets, Aonuma simply replied "Yes" when asked if the game would support "online battles over the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection." Strangely, GI failed to press the issue for more information. Note to self: If/when Nintendo ever confirms online multiplayer for Wii in an interview with Joystiq, just say "okay" and move on to the next question.
News from Play Asia of the latest Import gaming releases.
Heres the listing
PlayStation2:
Garouden Break Blow: Fist or Twist JPN US$ 64.90
Sengoku Basara 2 (CapKore) JPN US$ 29.90
Standard Daisenryaku: Dengekisen (Sega the Best) JPN US$ 29.90
Standard Daisenryoku: Shiwareta Shouri (Sega the Best) JPN US$ 29.90
The Nightmare Before Christmas (CapKore) JPN US$ 19.90
Nintendo DS:
Kotoba no Puzzle: Mojipittan DS JPN US$ 29.90
Theme Park DS JPN US$ 48.90
Tottoko Hamtaro Hai! Ham-Chans no Ham Ham Challenge! Atsumare wa! JPN US$ 48.90
In Rockman ZX, hundreds of years have passed since the battles between humans and Reploids (robots). After fierce wars between the two sides, peace was finally restored and the two groups were able to establish various cooperative nations within the "Inner" area of the universe. However, danger zones remained in the undeveloped "Outer" section where independently evolved robots called "Mavericks" began wreaking havoc.
A group called the Serpent Company scours the Outer universe to provide energy created from otherwise unattainable items to the Inner population and also serves to protect these peaceful nations from Maverick attacks over the years. On an excursion to the Outer region, they discover relics of ancient technologies in the ruins. These relics, called Biometals, are living, conscious materials, with records of information and weapon data from history housed within.
Capcom's Nintendo DS action game Rockman ZX (aka. Mega Man ZX) is now available at discounted US$ 19.90 only.
Game features:
Two playable characters play as either a male character named Vent, or as a female named Aile
Biometal is the key in order to gain the best transformation possible, strategically attack bosses without damaging its Biometals, otherwise its effects may become downgraded and must be repaired to regain its full potential
Transformations offer a range of different abilities
Real time info system engages both screens of the DS system
Regenerating bosses based on certain conditions, a boss that had been defeated will reappear again, allowing multiple opportunities to gain items from the repeated battles
Missions and Quests progress the story by completing main missions while optional quests scattered throughout the map offer valuable information and items
As usually, this weekly special is valid for exactly 1 week (if not sold out earlier) and this time limited to a maximum purchase of 3 units per customer. As a small restriction, please also notice that you cannot use any further discount coupons along with this special offer.
Oxygen Games is proud to announce the launch of Powershot Pinball Constructor for the Nintendo DS system in Q2 2007. Pinball enthusiasts can enjoy a great game of pinball by either choosing one of the pre-designed tables or by creating their very own! With the unique table editor, players can design and build their very own table and then share it online with friends. Play it. Create it. Share it!
Set in a stylish and modern environment, Powershot Pinball Constructor offers players pinball for the hand-held the way they like it. A neverbefore-seen table editor gives players a unique opportunity to design and create personalised tables, whilst gamers battling against their friends for that coveted high-score can employ the all-new versus mode to sabotage their opponents score. Reaction and skill are key to that high score - even more so because opponents will be instigating attacks from their DS.
Powershot Pinball Constructor is designed to be competitive and addictive fun inspired by everybodys favourite - pinball. Play it. Create it. Share it!
Assets are available to view and more information about the game can be found at www.oxygengames.net
Play it. Create it. Share it!
Powershot Pinball Constructor is scheduled for release on the Nintendo DS system in June 2007
First, for people asking me the meaning of final, dont be afraid! Final only mean that it is the last 0.4″ release. I consider that this version is enough stable to be useable and that i should better work on new features and graphics fixes (which will the main goal of upcoming 0.5).
Second, for people who cant or doesnt want to patch (because of their religious belief or whatever), I added a new page containing pre-patched binaries for all known DLDI-supported devices : DLDI.
You just have to put the binary in the root directory of your card, and create a SNES directory with ROMs inside, and thats (should be) all.
Feel free to add comments if you have found a new way to make SNEmulDS works on your device.
The last weeks, there were so many questions for flash cards / slot 1 cards, that I decided to make a DLDI driver for DSLinux. Thanks to the available documentation, it was an easy task.
Square Enix's Itadaki Street DS, schedule for this summer in Japan, is shaping up to be a pretty good looking little game. We can't wait to see more on the WiFi multiplayer, since that's what board games are built for. Is it too much to hope that this one sees an English release?
Many of you out there are looking for a quality Bubble Bobble game on the DS and believe us, you're not alone. We're right there with you, biting our nails in anticipation, hoping that Bubble Bobble Double Shot turns out the way we want it to. The embedded trailer, which is available past the post break, shows some promising gameplay, but we must warn you that the music is really hard to listen to. And the trailer is in German.
Preparing for Front Mission 1st's March 22nd release in Japan, Square Enix has released a two-minute promotional video for the futuristic SRPG. The trailer features a touchscreen demonstration and several dozen gameplay clips bookended with two gorgeous FMV scenes.
Players will command an army of customizable mechas, directing their turn-based skirmishes over a 21st century battlefield. While Front Mission 1st will be a remake of the identically-titled 2003 Playstation game (already an enhanced port of the first 1995 SNES original), this first entry to the Front Mission series has never seen an official North American release. Most of the screenshots at the Front Mission 1st site indicate that essential menus will be in English, but the Japanese-heavy dialogue and plot text is still a high barrier for possible importers.
Oshare Majo Love and Berry, the arcade-game-interfacing, rhythm-actioning, dressing-up smash from Sega, is popular enough to support even the most tenuous promotional items, as evidenced by the Janome sewing machine seen above. When Japanese gamers buy Love and Berry DS Collection stuff, they'll receive postcards they can send in for a chance to win this Love and Berry DS Collection sewing machine, as well as a Love and Berry DS Collection jewelry box. Oddly enough, this is not the first time the worlds of Nintendo handhelds and sewing machines have collided.
No matter what you think of it now, we guarantee you'll be pining for one of these machines when it goes up on eBay in five years. Or are we the only ones like that?
Overview : NeoFlash MK5 8Gbit GIGA is a slot 1 device (no passcard required). It does not use any external storage cards such as microSD. It holds up to 1GB of storage.
Features :
Support clean rom,not need any patch,just need drag and drop
Huge memory space,from 8Gbit upto 64Gbit
USB 2.0 high-speed data transfer
USB disk function, compatible with any operation system
Build in the last moonshell V1.5 and upgradable
Support homebrew
Build in SMS multi save function,and auto save
Menu upgradable,just need drag and drop the new core to MK5
Multi rom support,media play support
MK5 turbo engin, 100% full game running speed, without any delay
Build in passme function, can boot almost GBA flash cart perfectly
Quality/Usability : NeoFlash has entered the DS scene with their version of the Slot-1, MK5. Included with the package is Slot-1 MK5 8G DS Cartridge, Slot-2 GBA Linker, mini-CD and USB cable. Before you get ahead of yourself, this is not 8GB. This is 8Gbit which means 1GB of flash memory. There is also a 16Gbit as well (2GB - $59.00).
Out of the box, there were preloaded apps such as Moonshell and DSOrganize. The Slot-1 MK5 DS cartridge is the same as that of the real DS cartridge. It acts as a pass-me similar to that of the M3 Simply and R4DS. Unlike other Slot-1 cards, the MK5 uses flash memory to store all data rather than external cards such as microSD.
To transfer data, you will need to insert the MK5 GBA Linker. This is the cartridge that looks and is the same size as a GBA cartridge but has a USB port built-in. If you are to insert this into a DS Lite, the cartridge will stick out. Since the MK5 uses flash memory, the GBA Linker is used to communicate with your PC to transfer data. This does not store any data.
So how does this work? Insert your MK5 DS cartridge into Slot-1 of the DS and insert the GBA Linker into Slot-2 of the DS. Once the GBA Linker is inserted, connect the USB cable to the GBA Linker and PC. Turn on your DS and the PC will recognize the device as a removable storage. All you have to do now is just transfer your files. File transfer is pretty quick. When you have transfered all your files, turn off the DS. Since the GBA Linker only communicates with your PC, you will have to remove it. If you do not, you will not be able to access any of the MK5's feature and will be prompted with a message.
Upon turning on the DS (after you have removed the GBA Linker, you are brought to the DS menu screen. You will have to manually select the MK5. Once inside MK5, you can control the menu either with d-pad with A button to confirm or with the stylus. The menu screen itself isnt really attractive. With other Slot-1's you have some slight control over the look of the menu such as skinning. Unfortunately, you are unable to with the MK5. Although, you are able to customize Moonshell since they are based on BMP images and the fonts on MK5 via "global.ini".
The top screen shows the selected ROMs information such as ROM icon, filename, file size, last save date and page numbers (if you have more than 12 files).
The bottom screen shows the ROMs that you transfered onto the MK5. Each ROM has a 3D icon. As the current ROM is selected, the icon pulses to let you know which one is highlighted.
The MK5 worked perfectly with all the homebrew files I loaded onto the card. All homebrew booted quick and without a problem as it supported DLDI.
Booting of commercial ROMs were quick as well. The MK5 gets its save game size from a database. Luckily, the database is updated often. If for whatever reason the game save is not available, you can manually make one yourself by holding SELECT and pressing LEFT or RIGHT to select the save size. But this takes some trial and error if you dont know the size. You can see the compatibility and save game list here.
If you have a Slot-2 GBA Flash Cart, MK5 acts as a Pass-Me card which allows you to boot the GBA cart.
The MK5 also allows for future firmware upgrade. Upgrading the firmware is similar to that of loading a commercial ROM. It only takes a few seconds to upgrade the firmware.
A nice feature that NeoFlash included is the ability to format the MK5 incase it is corrupted. To format, just insert the MK5 and GBA Linker into the DS but dont insert the USB cable and dont turn on the system just yet. Hold down the L Trigger + R Trigger and the Down button then power on the DS. The MK5 logo will appear. While still holding the L Trigger + R Trigger and Down button, now press A + B button. The GBA Linker will now format the MK5. Since it is formatted, all data have been erased and you will need to transfer all data to the MK5 again.
Another unique feature that NeoFlash has released since the release of the MK5 is the ability to use the DS as a USB joypad and mouse. For more information, you can check out the official release.
Conclusion : Overall, the NeoFlash MK5 8Gbit GIGA Cart met my expectations if not more. The drawback of the MK5 is not being able to upgrade the memory since it is flash memory. But the price makes up for it considering the DS-X is 4Gbit and is twice the cost! For those first time users of Slot-1, you may not mind the menu screen but once you see or try others, you'll notice how plain the MK5 is.
*UPDATE*
New update from Dr. Neo over at NeoFlash.com regarding save memory self-test.
the new MK5 save memory self-test App
thanks cory tooooo much, he make a very useful MK5 2M save memory test App, just run it then can check your save memory working perfect or not!
how to use:
[1] copy "Save_Memory_Test.nds" to your MK5, and copy the "savetype.sdb" to overwrite your old file too.
[2] when you run it first time, just click it and start to excute the self-test and give out the testing report. If it's passed, then turn off your NDS.
[3] re-power on your nds and run this App again, it will verify the memory data automatical, if pass too, then mean your MK5 save system is working perfect and can keep the data after power off, 100% QC pass.
Please note that none of the "upgrade" products listed in this site are endorsed by Nintendo, Sony and/or Microsoft. DCEmu Reviews and DCEmu Network does not condone piracy. The primary functions of a "modchip" and/or "flashcart" are to allow you to play imported games and homebrew software that you legally own or simply just for experimenting with hardware. We in no way endorse piracy, and encourage all users to do the right thing and support the developers/manufacturers that support them. We do not take any responsibilities for any use outside of these parameters or where the use of such a device is illegal.
I've made the beginnings of a lisp toolchain for the nintendo ds. It's the little brother of devkitarm you might say. It's split into an arm assembler in Common Lisp called Armish and a nintendo ds rom compiler called Liards which builds upon Armish.
If you're into Common Lisp and/or arm assembly coding, all help is appreciated (cue image of some tumbleweed rolling across your screen).
Based on the upcoming feature film from Sony Pictures Entertainments Columbia Pictures, Spider-Man 3 allows players to experience the actions of heroic red suit Spider-Man, and for the first time ever, his darker, more mysterious black suit persona. Set in a 3D side scrolling world and delivering complete touch screen handling, players must draw upon Spider-Mans vast array of moves, attacks and upgrades as they choose their path and embark on a wide variety of city-based missions and multiple movie-based and original story arcs. Additionally, Spider-Man 3 for the Nintendo DS features local wireless multiplayer gameplay featuring with a variety of modes enabling awesome two-player head-to-head challenges like Brawler, Hot Potato, Target Practice, and Combo Challenge.
KEY FEATURES:
Welcome to the dark side For the first time ever, control the legendary symbiotic Black Suit, which magnifies Spider-Mans strength, agility, durability and web powers, but the power comes at a price. The longer gamers play as black suited Spider-Man, the more they risk losing the good in him.
Relive the movie and go beyond as you choose In a unique mixture of open-ended gameplay and linear story progression, players can traverse and protect massive, wide open sections of New York City, battle villains from the feature film, or embark on a variety of original story arcs in whatever order they choose when they choose.
Touching is good Maximizing the capabilities of the Nintendo DS, players will experience Spider-Mans unique abilities as never before by controlling both red-suited and black-suited Spider-Mans movement and combat with a multitude of organic touch screen gestures and motions.
Become the Spider-Man of your dreams Utilizing an in-depth hero points reward system, players can fully customize and upgrade Spider-Man maximizing his powers and abilities.
With liberty and multiplayer for all A variety of local wireless multiplayer gameplay modes such as Brawler, Hot Potato, Target Practice, and Combo Challenge allow for two players to face off in head-to-head Spider-Man action.
I spy with my little eye Within the game, various hidden collectibles are waiting to be discovered. Collecting items result in additional hero points and bonus materials.
Publisher: Activision, Inc.
Japanese developers so get the DS. Western ones, it appears, do not. A feature over at Pocket Gamer shows that while a ton of non-Japanese companies are making DS games, most of them just aren't very good. The site took all of Metacritic's 201 DS scores and tried to see where American and Japanese games rated on the review scale. Their results?
...realise that the highest-scoring non-Japanese DS game is Tony Hawk's American Sk8land, in 16th position with (a very respectable) 84 per cent. We then have another Activision title, Ultimate Spiderman, in 34th place, and then another Tony Hawk's title, Downhill Jam, in 40th.
On the whole, the bulk of the top 100 places 74 of them are from Japan, while the country is responsible for just 32 of the bottom 101 places.
Reuters informs that gamers born before the first Bush administration aren't all suffering from Peter Pan syndrome -- game systems are growing up with them. 37 percent of adults own a gaming console and 16 percent own a portable gaming device according to Nielson/NetRatings. Of those, 71 percent are married and 66 percent have at least one child.
According to Reuters, analysts predicted the Wii did well because adult gamers wanted to introduce their children to gaming. These "Nintendads" helped sell a lot of units. Oh please, "Nintendads" wanted the Wii for themselves. The kid was just the add-on peripheral excuse that allowed the wife to let them purchase the console.
Beyond Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft are clearly fighting it out for an adult focused media hub. Although neither is succeeding in making that all-in-one unit, we don't really care, as long as they focus on the games. All we know is as this "Nintendad" generation takes control, we'll see a significant decline in silly game legislation.
features
Head to head worldwide dueling via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
Includes over 1,600 of the latest cards and more available via download
Voice chat available before you start dueling
Create and edit the look of your character
description
For the first time, the Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship Tournament series makes its debut on the Nintendo DS. The official software of the 2007 Yu-Gi-Oh! World Tournament makes worldwide wireless dueling possible utilizing the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection. The game will include 1,600 of the latest cards and more cards will be available for download. Create your best deck and prepare for the World Tournament in the Summer of 2007.
Nintendo DS:
Finger Print Guard Film DS Lite US$ 12.90
Konami Arcade Collection JPN US$ 39.90
Kuru Poto JPN US$ 29.90
KuruKuru Princess: Figure de KiraKira Koori no Angel JPN US$ 48.90
Tokimeki Memorial: Girl's Side 1st Love JPN US$ 48.90
Calendar:
Gyakuten Saiban 4 2007-2008 School Calendar JPN US$ 14.90
Sony Corp., the world's biggest maker of game consoles, shipped 5 million PlayStation Portable machines in Japan by the end of January, lagging behind Nintendo Co.'s DS handheld devices by about three to one.
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.'s spokesman, Satoshi Fukuoka, gave the PSP shipment numbers in a phone interview today, confirming an earlier report by the Nikkei newspaper. Both the DS and PSP went on sale in Japan in December 2004.
Nintendo, the world's biggest maker of handheld players, has shipped 14.4 million DS units in Japan by the end of 2006, the Kyoto-based company said, giving its latest available figures.
Sony Chief Executive Officer Howard Stringer is facing declining profit for the group because of losses at the game unit on costs related to the PlayStation 3 and slower-than-expected PSP sales. The company is losing market share to Nintendo's DS, which attracts users with the help of a touch-sensitive screen and games that let them play Frisbee with virtual pets.
Wii sales in Japan totaled 1.69 million units as of Feb. 25, compared with 700,747 for PS3, according to Enterbrain Inc., a Tokyo-based research firm. Consumers are attracted to the Wii's price, at half that of the least-expensive PlayStation 3, and a wireless controller that can be swung like a bat or tennis racquet during play.
PlayStation 3 production snags created supply problems during the holiday shopping season, forcing Sony to concede market share to the Wii. Sony is relying on sales of Bravia TVs and Cyber-shot cameras to make up for losses at the game business.
Wider Loss
Tokyo-based Sony in January forecast losses at the games unit to exceed its October forecast of 200 billion yen ($1.7 billion) for the year ending March 31, because of price cuts to fend off the Wii. The loss will be less than 250 billion yen, Sony said.
The company cut the price of the PS3 in Japan after consumers there complained the player was too expensive compared with players from Nintendo and Microsoft Corp. The PlayStation 3 includes a Blu-ray DVD player that allows users to watch movies in a high-definition format, in addition to playing games.
Both the Wii and PlayStation 3 were introduced in November as competitors to Microsoft's Xbox 360, which was released in 2005. The Wii's $250 price tag compares with $499 and $599 for the PlayStation 3. The Xbox 360 sells for $299 and $399
We will soon be distributing the EZ5 and rumble pack flashcarts. First batch are expected to arrive early next week.
We have reduced our prices of the 4Gb DS-X to $94.99. We will also be carrying the 16Gb DS-X's for only $119.99. First batch of the 16Gb DS-X are expected to arrive in early April.
Posted schematics, pictures and brief instructions for connecting MIDI input and output to DS to the DSerial Wiki. MIDI output is very easy, because it requires no components besides wire and a 5-pin DIN connector. MIDI input, on the other hand, requires a 3.3V optocoupler because MIDI uses a current loop to prevent introduction of noise.
Did you know this week was Brain Awareness week? Neither did we, which might say something about the current state of our brain (see: mush). As part of this week's focus on the brain and the wonderful things it can do, UK retailer GAME is selling some bundles, along with a few games, at a discount to help you get the most out of that wrinkled little guy that rests snugly within your skull.
The deals offered include the pink and onyx DS Lites, bundled with Brain Training (Brain Age for us Americans) at a discounted price. Also up for grabs are Big Brain Academy, as well as Brain Training by itself, allowing those of you who already have a DS Lite (as you should) to still get in on the action.
We've had our eye on Spectrobes for awhile now, hoping that the game would bring some variety to the monster-collecting genre. Between all of the presentations the game's producer has attended, as well as the idea of utilizing punch cards, Spectrobes very much looked like it would bring that variety we so desired. According to the majority of critics, the game isn't that great, however. Let's see what they had to say:
Nintendo Power (80/100) says the game has enough to make it stand out in the crowd: "The game definitely has its roots in the Pokemon world, but provides enough new features to give it its own identity." [Apr 2007, p.86]
IGN (70/100) thinks the game is just too much to handle: "Spectrobes is way more game than is really necessary. Jupiter has some great concepts and tried to jam them all into one game."
Game Informer (65/100) sees a lot of the game as being a chore: "The slowly paced story turns the fossil digging into a chore, and the real-time battle system starts to feel the same not long after that."
GamePro (60/100) thinks the title is too gimmicky: "As it is, Spectrobes is little more than a dull game of collecting fossils with a momentarily enjoyable gimmick attached to it."
Any of you out there picked up the game yet? What do you think about it so far?
While hanging out at SXSW I caught up with the Opera team who are responsible for developing the Nintendo Wii browser and the upcoming DS browser. I pulled one of the programmers market researchers aside to give a little demonstration about how the DS browser works. Check past the break for more pictures of the box and video footage of the browsers features demonstrated by an Opera employee.
This is the second beta of DSChannels / DualChannel / WiiCloneDS (we haven't made our mind up yet).
You'll need 80x48 pcx icons for all your applications, some samples are included. Applications are looked for in the Apps and Applications folders of your card if present. Upto 60 files can currently be indexed by this menu. This is due to the fact all the icons are loaded at boot.
Many features are still not implemented. A default skin is included, feel free to make your own skins. The loader has a early dldi patching function that tries to find a dldi patch matching the card the file is on. If this doesn't work try any alt versions of dldi patches for your card or removing all the dldi patches from the folder. The dldi patch filename must match the 4 letter cardid (SCSD SCCF NMMC NJDS R4DS...) if it is to be found.
Today, Crave announced that it is teaming up with everyone's favorite Crayon producers, Crayola, to bring the company's panoply of colors to Nintendo DS screens.
Armed to the teeth with a wide selection of Crayola crayons, players can draw and color their way through challenging obstacles and mini-games. Throughout the game, players will visit locations around the world, as they hunt for treasure and fame.
"Crayola crayons are an integral part of American childhood," said Mark Burke of Crave. "We're honored to be partnering with a company that has been synonymous with childhood creativity for more than a century to bring a classic piece of American culture to an entirely new medium."
With Crayola's use of Animal Collective's "One Sweet Road" in a recent commercial followed by this game announcement, we can't help but think that Crayola is trying rebrand itself for today's image conscious youth. It's most definitely working.
Trioncube (or Kimochiyourensa Puzzle Trioncube - 'Feelgood Chaining Puzzle Trioncube') is a relaxing, semi-Lumines-like puzzle game for the DS from Namco Bandai. It came out in the u.s., in fact, which I realized only moments ago. The game itself seems nice enough, but what surprised me more than that were the japanese commercials (navigate on the right, press the pink remote control thing to play). The company put out nine commercials leading up to the game's japanese release (technically two were during/past release day), in order to drive interest. I'm not sure if it worked, but it was a great idea, all done with a budget of about $100, a crappy camera, and some editing software.
The commercials all center around the game's simple mascot demonstrating real-life versions of various elements from the game, such as the basic gameplay, the pleasant music, the versus mode, various backgrounds, and a not entirely bad little song thing. I think it was quite a nice campaign, really - I'm not sure if these aired on TV or were available only on their site, but if it were TV...I think it might've made me buy this. I'm probably buying it anyway, at this stage.
If the game interests you, you can basically try it for free in the japanese site's flash browser, or with different music in the american one. Direction keys move, z and x rotate the pieces. The rules are pretty self-explanatory.
Opera Software just confirmed that a Nintendo DS Browser powered by their software will be released to North America on June 4.
The haven't confirmed the price yet, but the same browser hit Europe late last year for Euro 39.99. Am I the only one who thinks they should call the thing the Nintendo Bowser?
Not to let Sega's other card game feel left out, no doubt. The company gave the DS version of Love and Berry a reader, so it more than makes sense that Mushi King gets one to boot! The upcoming DS game will be reminiscent of the arcade smash hit and will be out this summer. It will make lots and lots of money.
While we can't say much about the quality of Rayman Raving Rabbids DS yet, we're more than happy to sing the praises of Ubisoft's marketing behind the recently-released platformer. The France-based company sent out three promotional images showing the game's villains, crazed and deranged rabbits, in various states of distress.
They're not as cute as kittens playing with a Nintendo DS Lite, but not much else is. Head past the break for more artwork of the disaster-prone bunnies.
Fake R4 Flashcarts are popping up, heres some info to make yourselfs aware of the problem:
It seems that fake R4 Revolution slot 1 devices have been released in China, and have been making their way to customers via unreliable online retailers. Unlike the original R4 Revolution, these knockoffs utilize cheap internal flash memory and are basically poor DSLinker/MK5 replicas being sold under the R4 brand name. However, the packaging is near identical as are the devices themselves, although the main difference is the addition of a small blue label on the fake R4 that indicates the amount of internal memory.
The R4/M3 team will obviously not be providing support or replacements to users who purchase the phony devices. Our advice is to be very careful if youre planning on purchasing a new slot 1 device and to only order from a reputable online retailer.
Sure wireless MIDI is awesome, but it still requires a PC if you want to connect your DS to your MIDI keytar, MIDI modded NES or whatever weird MIDI gear you might have. So far, the solution to this dilemma has been TheRain's DSMIDI. But unfortunately it requires some skill to build and only supports MIDI output.
Now, with natrium42's, DSerial it's possible to connect MIDI devices to the DS easily. This method supports both MIDI in- and output.
So, DSMIDIWiFi has now become DSMI (DS Music Interface) and supports both MIDI over WiFi and DSerial - whichever of the two is available. You can even use both connections at the same time, for example to use the DS as a wireless MIDI bridge.
The example apps are DSerial-ready now as well. The current version is a pre-release that doesn't yet support MIDI input via DSerial, which I will implement once I have the hardware.
NitroTracker will soon get support for MIDI Keyboards and other controllers connected via DSerial. Given sufficient demand, natrium42 can probably be persuaded to mass-produce the MIDI-cables for DSerial as well.
yackom has released his port of Quake for the Nintendo DS, heres the full information:
Its been a long while since an update. Ive gotten quite a few emails suggesting that the project was dead but no- my intention in going public before was only to find help in developing on this project. I found a person that has been a great help in developing DSQuake, The Lord of the Pings (LOTP), fitting as he did most of the networking code.
With that said I would like to announce a pre-release of DSQuake available to download here. Since this is a pre-release it isnt in the full state that we wish to have it, things like better hardware support, graphics glitches, missing dynamic lights, better sound and possibly music and of course better optimized code for the DS.
The shareware of Quake is currently all we support. Which isnt so much of a technical limitation but because the optimization for the DS of the media in the Quake Pak files isnt fully automated just yet and without the tools we cannot obviously support the full game because distributing the full game isnt an option.
DSQuake also currently only supports the flashcards that work in the GBA slot of the DS and emulate a GBA cartridge, the Supercard, M3 and so on or are of the older style Flash Linker types. It currently doesnt support any of the fat only supported devices or any DS slot 1 devices. Sorry to the ones with hardware that isnt supported, we may be able to support those in the future.
There is another port of Quake to the DS being run by a friend Simon Hall which is a completely separate effort and our projects dont share some of the same limitations as mine so please check it out!
Basic sound works and now textures work and the game does looks quite good now and the frame rate is quite playable but it does get somewhat choppy in some sections of the game.
Networking is in fact working for those who want to deathmatch but only in client mode we havent got a DS to connect to a DS in network mode yet, but connecting two or more DS to a PC host works fine. It works great locally but the original quake protocol wasnt designed to work behind NATs which are very common these days so LOTP to developed a tunnel program which can sit between DSQuake and the Quake server. So playing on the internet is also possible with this program. It needs to be run on both client and server side so look into the .bat files for more information.
When starting the game you can press up and down to select the level you wish to play or watch the demos, and press start to make the selection. The controls for the game are the touch screen looks around like a mouse, shooting done with the L button, and jump by either double tapping on the screen or pressing R. Changing weapons is done on the very basic HUD we have now on the top of the bottom screen Pressing the weapon number switches to that weapon. To network or for other reasons to operate the game by the text console is done by Hitting select at the start of the game, but make sure to have a wifi connection configured with the DS, then you can telnet into the DS and operate the Quake command console by doing things like connect x.x.x.x to connect to an ip address.
Thanks everyone and I hope you enjoy the port so far.
The Nintendo DS continues to prove itself as a hugely versatile platform, and come June in Australia and New Zealand, gamers will get the chance to see another example of what it can do. That's the release month for Anno 1701 - a strategy title set between the 17th and 18th centuries, thanks to a new publishing agreement between German-based Sunflowers and Disney Interactive Studios.
The series originated on PC, and is one of the most successful PC game franchises of all time in German-speaking countries. Anno 1701 is at heart an empire-building sim, allowing players to explore new worlds and interact with a wide array of characters, and the DS version is being developed from the ground up to take full advantage of the system's dual screens, with stylus driven gameplay. Wilhelm Hamrozi, CEO of Sunflowers underlined this, saying that: "When expanding the property onto other platforms, we don't simply port the game design, but we develop new concepts that satisfy the familiar high standards in terms of quality and gameplay appropriate to the platform". In addition to a number of features unique to the Nintendo DS version, the game will also feature multiplayer for up to four players.
While we were surfing the halls at the Moscone Center during the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco last week, game developer Renegade Kid LTD. was out as well shopping around its original IP for the Nintendo DS: a survival horror-style first-person adventure by the name of "The Ward."
The Ward, currently without a publisher, puts players in the role of a man lost inside a mysterious hospital filled with horrifying beings. Players will have to use their smarts to figure their way out of this ward without, you know, dying while trying.
Players will look and aim via the touch screen, offering a similar control scheme to Metroid Prime: Hunters, GoldenEye: Rogue Agent, and Bionicle Heroes on the Nitnendo DS. The Ward will offer advanced 3D graphics and effects, including a real-time flashlight to really set the mood as players investigate the darkness.
Details are light on gameplay mechanics, but the development team hopes to have the game ready to go this fall.
Not that Pokmon -- only the second best-selling game franchise evar -- needs any marketing spin to excite sales of its predestined two-headed spawn Diamond & Pearl, but Nintendo does seems eager to herald the game's impending arrival as a sort of "My First Celly" for DS toting youngsters eager for chatter. Of course, this is simply the ability to chat with registered friends using DS's VoIP capabilities, enabled by the new Pokmon game. While it's a far cry from pending productions and possibilities proposed by the competition, VoIP on DS is a little used feature that has the potential to be a unique selling point.
Sure, it's tethered to Wi-Fi hotspots, but the technology offers the promise of safe communication -- in terms of both who your kid be talkin wit' and potential costs (or lack thereof) -- for concerned parents looking to serve their whiny offspring. Then again, DS VoIPin' lacks the much desired 'prank call' feature. With mischief muted, your preteens are gonna have to settle on playground gossip. That, or they could actually engage in some good ol' pocket monster melee. Imagine that.
Pokmon Diamond and Pearl are scheduled for release on April 22.
Developed by acclaimed game designer Michel Ancel, This new Rayman game features the funniest, zaniest, wackiest antics ever when the world of Rayman is threatened by a devastating invasion of demonic rabbits! With the help of magical creatures, Rayman must battle to save his world from the bunnies.
Tame various creatures such as Sharks, Eagles, Rhinos, Spiders, and Angelfish. Each has their own unique capabilities that Rayman will be able to use to battle against the evil rabbits. Help Rayman save his world from the demonic bunny rabbits. They are nasty, mischievous, insane, and completely out of control. There are several types of rabbits and each has their own whacked-out characteristics.
With huge free-roaming environments and epic landscapes that mix real and cartoon style.
Rayman Raving Rabbids for Nintendo DS is shipping today at US$ 29.90 only. This is the Australian release version, labeled as "Asia" version at Play-Asia.com.
Game features:
Take control of Rayman and his knack for attack to help save his world from the mischievous, insane and completely out of control Raving Rabbids
Tame and control various creatures such as sharks, eagles, rhinos, spiders and angelfish -- use their abilities to battle against the devious rabbits
Customize and disguise Rayman - Go punk, pop, rock or hip hop to infiltrate the bunnies and foil their devious plans
Explore amazing free-roaming environments and beautiful epic landscapes that mix real and fantastical styles to create a visually stunning experience
Ferrari and System 3 today announced that System 3 has secured the rights to publish Ferrari licensed games on the PlayStation 3, Wii, Nintendo DS and PSP. Details are somewhat thin on the ground regarding the games at this stage, other than that they'll be based on the Ferrari Challenge series and will feature "real cars, real tracks and true Ferrari racing dynamics".
In terms of each specific version, the PS3 game is apparently being "developed to maximise the technology in the new console format such as a 16-player feature rich simultaneous online mode with elements not yet seen in any race game to-date", while the Wii game will "fully support the unique control system offered by this system, including control by a Wii steering-wheel". No surprises there. As far as the handheld games go, the PSP and DS versions will "feature 4-player wireless play including adhoc play and game share".
While we know next to nothing, the announcement is exciting in and of itself, and we know that a first look at the game is only three months off - System 3 have already announced that international press will be able to attend a preview session at the home of Ferrari, in Maranello, Italy, in late June, which will coincide with the company's 60-year celebrations. The event will also play host to announcements of further System 3 titles, such as "Ferrari Street Racer" which features the entire range.
System 3's CEO, Mark Cale had this to say about the announcement: "Video games and racing have been my two passions during the twenty-five years that I've been in the business. Finally the two have collided and I'm immensely proud to be bringing the Ferrari Challenge to market this year. We have invested in the best development talent in the industry and I'm confident that the game will be even more impressive than the license."
Today, March 16th, is Red Nose Day, the day on the UK calendar when the nation unites to raise money for good causes in the name of comedy. So, eager not to be excluded, Games Press has been keeping an eye out for Red-Nose-related happenings in the world of games.
Yesterday we heard how residents of virtual world Second Life can buy Comic Relief T-shirts and Red Noses using their in-game spare change.
And today comes news of a cheat in Lego Star Wars II that unlocks Red Noses for all the characters, from R2-D2 to Mr Vader himself. No, really. If you don't believe us, see the attached screenshots.
We're not going to tell you what the code is. Instead we'd urge you - and your readers, if you'd care to tip them off with the URL - to head over to the TT Games website (www.ttgames.com) where the cheat can be revealed after donating whatever you can afford to Comic Relief.
Square Enix Ltd., the publisher of Square Enix interactive entertainment products in Europe and other PAL territories, today announces that FINAL FANTASY III will be released on 4th May 2007 exclusively on Nintendo DS.
Originally available only in Japan for the Famicom (known in Europe as the Nintendo Entertainment System), FINAL FANTASY III is considered the sole missing title in the world-renowned series in the Western world. Now, 17 years after its Japanese debut, European fans will be able to savour the legendary adventure for the first time.
John Yamamoto, President and CEO of Square Enix Ltd. comments, The arrival of FINAL FANTASY III on Nintendo DS showcases the power of the hardware and proves that no compromise has to be made in order to create an adventure of this magnitude for a handheld system. With over 1.4 million copies already shipped in Japan and North America, we are sure that FINAL FANTASY III will be a big success in Europe too.
Hiromichi Tanaka, Director and Executive Producer of FINAL FANTASY III comments, FINAL FANTASY III has been made anew on the Nintendo DS platform, including new graphics in 3D, rebalanced jobs, and brand new characterisation for the four young heroes. We hope that not only FINAL FANTASY fans, but a wide variety of players in Europe, enjoy the new FINAL FANTASY III.
With an innovative interface that capitalizes on the Nintendo DS capabilities, players can now experience the title that introduced the popular moogles, summons and the dynamic job system to the FINAL FANTASY series.
About FINAL FANTASY III
-The Story-
Protected by the crystals of light, the once peaceful land has forever been changed by the great tremor. Without warning, the earthquake pulled the crystals into the earth, upsetting the worlds fragile balance. It seems as if all hope is lost but as the Gulgan prophecy foretold, four souls blessed with the light shall once again restore balance to the world.
Near the small village of Ur, fate guides Luneth to a sentient crystal that changes his life forever. As the light of the crystal fades, Luneth embarks on a journey to seek three others who share his destiny to search for the remaining crystals, and fight the battle of light and darkness.
-Features-
The missing link in the evolution of FINAL FANTASY is unveiled experience a tale untold
A dynamic job-changing system allows for more than 279,000 party variations
The Touch Screen interface seamlessly utilizes DS capabilities explore dungeons, dispatch foes and cast spells using the Nintendo DS stylus
A complete visual overhaul breathes new life into a classic with colourful 3D graphics
Take advantage of both DS Wireless Communications and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to access the Mognet and communicate with other players as well as NPCs and uncover hidden dungeons, quests and items
Character designer Akihiko Yoshida of the award-winning and critically acclaimed FINAL FANTASY XII lends his talents by designing the four main characters
First-party players Nintendo and Sony are to attend the E for All expo in October this year, which many are calling the public replacement for the now neutered E3.
The expo was announced by Gamepro publisher IDG last year, and unlike that other Los Angeles game expo is fully open to the general public.
This is all according to Gamasutra, who has published initial details of the event which takes place on October 18-20 in E3's former home the Los Angeles Convention Center.
The arrival of the two companies at the show will no-doubt boost the interest of industry punters and show-goers, but despite the similar name and shared location E for All is set to be a very different beast from the other videogame super-show.
Due to its proximity to the holiday season and the thralls of average punters patrolling the halls, E for All is expected to have a large amount of already-released titles on show and for the same reason game announcements will likely be scarce.
Registration and pricing details for the expo are expected to be released in the next few weeks.
February hardware sales in the US are up by 98 per cent, according to the latest data released by NPD.
Thanks largely to impressive performance from the Nintendo DS and Wii, sales for February 2007 were US $402 million (EUR 301.7m).
Software sales also rose by 28 per cent to US $441 million (EUR 331m), compared to US $345 million (258.9m) during the same period in 2006.
The DS sold 485,000 units during February, while the Wii moved 335,000 units despite Nintendo struggling to maintain a continuous supply of its latest home console.
"We're gratified that the explosive appeal of the Wii, in terms of both new players and new ways to play, has created unprecedented demand, substantially beyond supply," commented Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo in North America.
Sony's PlayStation 3, due in Europe next week, registered disappointing sales figures in comparison. The next-gen home console sold 127,000 units and was outsold by the PlayStation 2 at 295,000 units and the PSP's 176,000 units.
Microsoft's Xbox 360, a console released in November 2005, managed to sell 228,000 units, and even the Game Boy Advance range of handhelds put in a better performance than Sony's next-gen machine, shifting 136,000 units.
Nintendo also enjoyed considerable success in the software sales charts, with the top three sellers all exclusive to the company.
Wii Play sold 371,000 copies, while Diddy Kong Racing for the DS moved 262,000 units and Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess sold 130,000 copies.
Of the US $96 million increase in sales over last year, Nintendo and Microsoft product accounted for US $79 million.
Sales were higher than figures expected from analyst Wedbush Morgan.
"Overall sales were much higher than our US $415 million forecast as next-generation console software sales substantially exceeded our estimates," offered Michael Pachter, senior analyst at the firm.
"Next-generation software sales totalled US $275 million, compared to our US $240 million forecast. The upside was primarily attributable to dramatically higher than expected sales of 360 and Wii games," he said.
"The sales pattern over the last few months had suggested to us that consumers are less concerned about the transition than they have been in prior console cycles. Demand for the PS3 is tracking below our expectations, while demand for the Wii remains strong," added Pachter.
The top three selling titles for each console follow:
Yoshi's Island DS has sold over 303,000 units in its first week of sales in Japan, placing it at the top of the charts according to data from Media Create.
The only other new entry in the Japanese top ten is Spike's Kenka Banchou 2: Full Throttle at number four, selling over 42,000 units.
There are two PlayStation 3 titles in the top 50 - Bandai's Gundam Musou at number seven and Sega's Virtua Tennis 3 at number 19. There are no Xbox 360 games in the top 50.
Hardware sales in the region have also dropped this week, with the DS selling 108,631 units and Sony's PSP shifting 56,175 units.
Nintendo has sold 44,495 Wii consoles in the past week, while Sony's PlayStation 3 has sold 32,115 units. The PlayStation 2 has sold 14,585 units, ahead of Microsoft's Xbox 360, which managed 3333 consoles sold.
The Japanese top ten follows, with weekly sales figures:
1. Yoshi's Island DS / 303,114 DS
2. Monster Hunter Portable 2 / 93,099 PSP
3. Layton Kyoujo no Fushigi na Machi / 45,344 DS
4. Kenka Banchou 2: Full Throttle / 42,131 PS2
5. Super Robot Taisen W / 36,310 DS
6. Wii Sports / 35,298 Wii
7. Gundam Musou / 31,145 PS3
8. Dragon Quest Monsters Joker / 26,452 DS
9. Wii Play / 26,340 Wii
10. Motto Nou o Kitaeru Otona DS Training / 20,716 DS
GamesRadar's female voice steps up to bring the stereotype down
With the launch of Nintendos seemingly more girl friendly DS and Wii, and gaming award ceremonys adding categories like Girls Choice Award, women picking up a joypad is apparently becoming more mainstream. But what is this obsession with women being a different gaming species?
Despite the acceptance that more women are playing games theres still a great divide one where male gamers fit into many categories and women get just one: girl gamer. The girl gamer is often seen as a casual gamer, dipping in and out of sunny, happy titles where any skill needed is thin on the ground; gameplay kept to a minimum.
As a girl, a gamer and member of the GamesRadar team Im here to dispel these myths. I may not be one of the PES regulars in our office every lunchtime but I know what I like when it comes to games. Read on to see just why girl gamers dont exist.
Jake Nickell assures us that he never ignored Norman, his Pug/King Charles Spaniel mix, in favor of playing the copy of Nintendogs that came with his Nintendo DS. If that's true, what could have lead the hound into chewing up the pet simulation's cart?
Maybe the puppy just grew tired of sinking his teeth into Jake's shoes, homework, and remote controls? Or perhaps Norman took the game's "Best Friends" label to heart, biting down on the newcomer in a fit of jealousy. We happen to think that this was his revenge on Jake for dressing him up in silly outfits and posting the photos on the internet. We would be pretty pissed too.
No, it's not another training game. Kotoba no Puzzle Mojipittan (Word Puzzle Mojipittan) is a Scrabble-style board game from Bandai Namco in which players use characters from the Japanese hiragana syllabary to spell words. Therefore, it's really, really, really hard to play if you don't know a load of Japanese words, and basically impossible if you can't read hiragana.
Mojipittan has appeared on other platforms before, but as the Shockwave demo says, "The stylus makes it simple!" We suggest giving the demo a shot and seeing if you're up for some wordplay. The bouncy music and adorable tile mascots may convince you to enroll in Japanese classes.
Elusion has released a new game for the Nintendo DS, heres the news:
Hello all,
This is my first submission to the Nintendo DS homebrew scene. Hopefully the first of many...
It has some striking similarities to a game on PocketPC's <ahem>... I won't name any names
The usual blah blah blah stuff applies -- I hold no responsibility if it blows up your DS (it shouldn't).
Big thanks to the guys that created PALib.. I would not have been able to crank this out as quickly
as I did without their stellar library and docs.
Also a big thanks to Grymmjack for providing a music track and digging out all of his old Mod
tracking tools!
Basically the point of the game is to clear the board of similar colored balls and get the best
score you can. The more similar colored balls you clump together, the higher the score.
Known Bugs:
The sounds get a little screwy with the music on. Not sure if this is PALib or me.
Controls:
Use the stylus for highlighting the balls.
Use the Left Trigger to reset your game board.
Use the Right Trigger to toggle the music on and off.
Ball Buster was created using devkitpro and PALIB.
Next month ushers in the release of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl in North America, and it seems like Nintendo is wising up to the appeal of online play for these games. It was already previously known that both of these games would support voice chat with people from your Friends List, but Nintendo confirmed to IGN today that it was releasing a headset peripheral for its popular little dual-screened monster, making chatting with your friends even easier.
Nintendo representatives were wary to confirm a specific release date, but they did state that the company plans to release the attachment to coincide with Pokemon Diamond and Pearl's April 22 release date. While Nintendo was characteristically tight-lipped, online retailer Gamestop lists a ship date of April 23 and a price tag of $14.99.
So, in just a few days from now Ubisoft will flood the market with games based on the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles flick, titled TMNT. GameCube, Wii, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Game Boy Advance...if you own just one videogame system, then chances are you'll have the opportunity to play a virtual version of the flick. Nintendo DS owners, it's the same for you: not only will you be able to play the absolutely rockin' side-scrolling brawler that's to be released for the GBA, you'll also get an original version that makes use of the Nintendo DS capabilities.
In our early playthrough of the version sent over by Ubisoft, you won't need the stylus -- all of the action's taking place on the upper-screen using the D-pad and buttons. The game isn't a port of the console games, however -- it's a completely original design that's admittedly very difficult to describe.
Yes, there will be weapons combat in TMNT for the Nintendo DS. The game features battles where you'll need to kick, punch and block while fighting with multiple enemies on-screen. But these fights are merely intermissions to the game's main focus: using the cityscape as your playground as you jump from situation to situation.
There's a lot of jumping in the Nintendo DS version of TMNT. A lot. So much that you'd think the second T in the title stands for "Toads." In this game it's all about leaping left, forward, or right by using the Y, X, or A button. Timing is everything as you'll need to prepare your next jump ahead of time -- if you hit the button at the proper time your speed will increase, and this jolt in pace will come in handy when you have to beat the timer. In many cases one of your brothers will show up on the scene and you'll need to race to his location so he can throw you to a particular part of the level that normally wouldn't be accessible. Take too long and he'll grow impatient and leave, which means you'll miss the opportunity to reach that hidden area.
You'll also have to time jumps while sliding through the sewers -- miss the proper opportunity to leap over a gap and you'll have to try that move again...with one live removed from the queue.
We'll hold our full impressions of the game for when the game ships next week, but at the very least the Nintendo DS version is a unique design that doesn't play anything like anything you've experienced on the handheld before. It looks pretty decent in motion, too -- though the character models are a little angular, the game runs at the Nintendo DS's silky smooth 60 frames per second mode which gives the production a bit of fast-paced energy.
If words didn't do this game justice, take the time to check out the game in motion by hitting the media link below.
Is it a console? Yes, we've been complaining about the lack of games over the last few weeks but there's absolutely nothing to bitch about come March 23rd.
You'd expect a long list considering the small matter of Sony's next-gen console hitting the shelves but 63 titles? That's insane. It certainly raises a few questions; like who's going to buy all this stuff, why did THQ decide to release the long-awaited S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl on such a fateful day and why does the PS3 look like a George Foreman grill?
We're covering the launch of the PlayStation 3 extensively over the coming week, which includes a reviews round-up of all the major launch titles and some features to help you get your new console up and running without any problems.
Right here, right now we'll take you through the best of the rest. And, by gum, there are a few corkers if you really don't fancy paying 425 on a new console.
The complete list of games released in the UK this week (23/03/07):
Aces of War, PSP, 505 Games
All Star Fighters, PS2, D3Publisher
Asphalt 2, PSP, Ubisoft
Blazing Angels, PS3, Ubisoft
Bomberman Land Touch, DS, Rising Star
Brian Lara's Cricket 2007, 360/PS2/PC, Codemasters
Dragonminded has released a new version of his excellent app for the Nintendo DS:
Heres whats new:
Update log is as follows:
- Sped up text display routines a lot, helping with larger text and html files.
- Vastly improved HTML rendering mechanism, large HTML files don't bog down any more.
- Switched to latest dsWifi from CVS as it no longer freezes on my DS.
- Added <q>, <dt> and <dd> to HTML renderer.
- Added flac support to the sound player.
- Added primitive sid support to the sound player.
- Added nsf support to the sound player.
- Added spc support to the sound player.
- Added ability to check card type in plugins.
- Added ability to move the cursor with the stylus on the configuration and irc pages.
- Added ability to customize colors with colors.ini file.
- Changed the sound player volume maximum to 400%.
- Changed vCard loading to load simple unicode files, though only ascii charset is supported still.
- Changed behavior of HTML renderer when leaving <TD> tags to fix bad HTML coding.
- Changed behavior of default settings creator to direct people to the correct IRC server.
- Fixed issue where keyboard repeats didn't work on the configuration screen.
- Fixed screen swap glitch with text input box on the scribble pad.
- Fixed potential bug with vCard separator, fixed naming issue with vCard separator.
- Fixed slight issue with mp3 playback clicks, but had to take oversampling down to 2x.
- Fixed memory leak in plugin loading.
- Fixed <pre> tag not changing to fixed width.
- Fixed bug in HTML syntax highlighting with more than one tag property that wasn't quoted.
- Fixed language being wrong issue when there is no config.ini file.
- Fixed issue where L and R GUI widgets were not clickable on picture viewer.
- Fixed a wordwrapping bug that popped up on the IRC window affecting scrolling.
- Fixed text color inconsistency on configuration page 3.
- Fixed issue with help screens and absolutely no help pages available.
Download and Give Feedback Via Comments
*Some users have compained about corrupt zip files etc, if you have a problem with this just redownload it again. Some downloads can time-out if the site is particularly busy*
Spinal has posted an entry in the Neoflash Coding Comp, heres the details:
This is a very great puzzle game for the Nintendo DS, the gameplay is simple, yet very addictive!
Please note this if for FAT cards only (sorry) and must be Dldi patched to work (it is currently patched for R4DS).
Sensitive will create a folder on your card called 'sensitive' for storing its data. Please do not delete this (unless you no longer play SensitiveDS).
[edit] SensitiveDS is compatable with DSMotion Card, so you can tilt your way around this extremely fun puzzler. [edit again] Just insert the motion card on the main title screen and a logo will apear on the top screen to show you have inserted it correctly.
In each level you must move the disk over every orange and green tile then get to the exit. If you fall off, you must start over.
There are five options in the main menu, they are -
[1] Instructions - Give you a breaif explanation of how to play.
[2] Challenge - Play as many levels as you can in one life.
[3] Puzzle - Complete each puzzle to unlock the next one.
[4] Custom Levels - Play some levels created with the Level Editor.
[5] Level Editor - Create your own levels to play in custom mode.
Fall Down DS v. 1.01
------------
This game is based on the classic TI-Calculator game, Fall Down.
Able to work on Max Media Dock and DSEmuME for sure.
------------
Gameplay:
Move the ball with the stylus
Try to fall through the openings in the bars of blocks
------------
Known Bugs:
If you fall from too high, you can skip a row of blocks
There is a way to earn unlimited amount of points, but I won't tell
If you lose, you have to reset
------------
Future Improvements:
Be able to restart without having to turn off the system
Music (nothing fancy)
Better Collision detecting
Saved High Scores List
2 Player (not anytime soon but hopeful)
------------
Credits:
Keoniomega - Main Programer
[edit] UPDATE: I've fixed the bug with restarting. All you need to do is hit start when you lose. [\edit]
M3 Team have released a new version of their software:
Heres whats new:
M3DS Simply Kernel upgrade to v1.03, it supports upgrade feature of Skin DIY, which is the expansion of formal feature of Skin DIY, it allows to all options of text colors on the Skin, the more features will be added in coming kernel upgrade.
Zarxrax had updated his DS application called DSLearnJ:
Heres more info:
DSLearnJ is a homebrew application for the Nintendo DS that I created so I could learn Japanese Kanji more easily.
Updated DSLearnJ to version 0.5. The program was completely rewritten from scratch. I have finally included all of the basic functionality, making the program actually useful now. There is still lots of room for improvement though, and code is still incomplete in some places (like the file menu).
Comic Book DS is a program making it possible to read your Comic Books on your Nintendo DS.
It can be also used as a photo or image based documents viewer.
It is composed of two parts:
The PC part, PictoDS, developped by Nicom00k, converts your pictures into a .cbds file (those pictures can be in a folder, a .zip, a .cbz, a .cbr, a .rar)
The DS part, ComicBookDS, developped by me, allows to display those .cbds files in a fast, pleasant and intuitive way (well, I hope ).
Heres whats new:
# 2.1 (16/03/2007):
* BugFix PC: Image size settings are now correctly used and saved.
* BugFix PC: Sometimes, the image was not correctly resized.
* BugFix PC: Better error handling, using popups to display error messages.
* BugFix PC: Detect when a .zip (.cbz) file is not a .rar (.cbr) file.
* New PC: Drag N' Drop support for file and folder addition.
* New PC: 'Open output folder' item added in menu.
* New PC: When the ComicBook name is changed, the output filename is changed accordingly.
* BugFix DS: The images are now fully displayed. (there are no missing right and bottom parts of some images anymore).
* BugFix DS: Memory regression problems solved, causing even small images to be partially displayed (the 'image too big' message display)
* BugFix DS: Stylus Jumping effect is highly reduced.
* BugFix DS: Program shouldn't freeze anymore when quickly switching from one book to another.
* BugFix DS: More than 300 pages per Book can be browsed. (however, the display will be quite slow)
* New DS: Thumbnails of the Library screen are loaded in background and they remain visible when switching between Library and Thumbnails modes.
* New DS: A popup is displayed when an error is found on the filesystem. (causing some .cbds files not to be found
So what is Marshmallow Duel? If you've never heard of it before, it could best be explained as a Super Smash Bros. type game, but from an earlier era and stranger minds.
Marshmallow Duel DS is a complete rewrite and evolution of the original Marshmallow Duel, designed for the Nintendo DS console. It is a 2 player deathmatch game of luck and skill where each player tries to knock their opponent into the deadly marshmallow pit or destroy them with one of the 18 weapons that randomly spawn in the map.
The current version, v2, features the following:
All the 2-player dueling fun and excitement of the original
Stylus control for the main menu, pickups selection menu and character menu
Configurable game options such as the number of pickups onscreen at a time, use of the bottom screen to show the pickups before they spawn, the number of rounds to play, and 'death while dancing'
The GP2X Store has posted that they have the EZ Flash V, flash cart in stock, heres the info on the cart:
EZ-Flash 5 Bundle Edition (3-in1 Expansion Pak) features an advanced PDA like interface and easy to use software. To this day, across the world, EZ-Flash Cartridges are being chosen over the competition for their reliability, performance, and ease of use. The EZ-Flash 5 slot-1 solution is based on mature Slot-1 technology, so there is no need to flash your system, use a passkey device, or patch your files anymore. You can focus on playing games without worrying anything else. More than that, EZ-Flash 5's multimedia functions turns your system into a multimedia powerhouse.
EZ-Flash V is the result of the EZ-Flash Teams's experience and expertise from the GBA era. The EZ-Flash Team has never given up to technology difficulties in the 4 years, and they have always pushed themselves on creating wonderful solutions for gamers. With highly secured quality assurance, active improvements on defects, and respect to the user opinions is what the EZ-Flash team have provided to satisfy gamers across the world.
- EZ Flash V features:
- 1:1 original card sizeCside loading.
- Using MicroSD(Trans Flash) as external storage. cheap and variety usage.
- Direct boot, no need another boot card or flash your DS. EZ5 also can be used as bootcard.
- Moonshell integrated bootloader, direct watch DPG movie, listen MP3, read TXT book in loader.
- Bootloader can be full customized. included skin and function. bootloader sourcecode almost full opened.
- Dual read mode: CLEAN and HYBRID. CLEAN means just drag the rom to card and play. HYBRID means EZ5 supporting the modified rom for further function, include softreset and cheat. it also provides improved compatiblity, such as boost the readspeed. no lag can be feeled even you have a low speed microsd card.
- Perfect FAT system support, automatic generate saver file. multi saver function available.
- Using hardware flashchip saver. never lose your save.
- Loader upgradable
- Homebrew support, IO lib will release on launch.
EZ Flash V 3 in 1 features:
- Equipped with 256Mbit Norflash, 2Mbit SRAM, Battery to make it compatible with almost GBA games.
- The data is still remains even after powering off.
- Can be used as a standalone GBA card.
- Perfect GBA/NDS linker.
- Browser RAM expansion function: it uses the highspeed ram cache as the offical one. perfect compatible with NDS Browser(JAP/EUR)
- Works perfectly with all official rumble enabled games. it also has three level vibration strenth adjust. now you can adjust between power consume and better game feeling by yourself. SDK also provide for third party developers.
With thanks to diceone for the rather spiffy logo and as usual thanks to Soully and Martin for the webdesign and PHP, im glad to say that Visual Dev our Art and Design News Site for DCEmu is now open. The community of Artists at DCEmu gets bigger all the time and the Homebrew scene needs a decent Art and Design community to help those coding the programs we use everyday.
Now its time for Malksta and others to really push the Art and Design Community at DCEmu.
Overview : Protects DS Lite as well as hold games and cards such as money, drivers license, credit cards and many more. Life Style Urban Wallet S is available in 4 colors; white, black, light blue and pink.
Features :
Made of light weight water-resistant nylon
Secure & safe S-Bracket attachment
Compartments for game disk and cards
Stylish Hand Strap
Quality/Usability : The Capdase Life Style Urban Wallet S is specifically for the Nintendo DS Lite. The Urban Wallet is made of durable nylon.
On the Urban Wallet, there is a plastic holder. There are two small clips on the plastic holder that clips onto the top right of the DS. If you have a wrist strap, these clips will not be able to clip on. The DS Lite is placed into this holder. There is an opening at the bottom to allows access to the GBA Slot-2 and at the top, there is an opening for Slot-1 and to charge your DS without having to take it out.
Underneath the DS Lite holder is a flap. This flap is similar to that found in an ordinary wallet. The flap has three pockets, one with a clear window for identification cards and the other two can be used for credit cards or business cards. On the backside of the flap is another pocket. This can also be used for credit cards, business cards or for your cash.
On the back of the case are two elastic bands. These hold two DS games of your choice for when you want to change games.
The Life Style Urban Wallet case is held closed with velcro and has a keyring if you want to attach either the Urban Wallet to a bag, attach your keys to it or use the included wrist strap.
Conclusion : Overall, the Capdase Life Style Urban Wallet S is a unique product. Capdase tried to make this an all-purpose case by incorporating your DS Lite and as a wallet for your ID cards and cash. The that concerns me is the elastic to hold your DS games. If for whatever reason the elastic may be loose or if you are moving around, the DS game may fall out. It would of been nice if it was a pocket instead. Another flaw is the DS clipping on to the holder. I use a wrist strap since I am clumsy at times. But with the wrist strap in place, the Urban Wallet is not able to clip into the DS since it is occupied. So in order to use this, I have to take the wrist strap off.
Towards the end of GDC, Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto revealed they had been toying with the concept of Mii creation for almost 20 years but were "never able to turn it into much of anything". It finally found a home on the Wii, but a recent developer's chat uncovered a few early screenshots of the Mii editor -- on the DS.
The concept doesn't seem to have changed much from this build to the final product, though the visuals did go through a much-needed evolution. Having a portable version of our Mii does have a certain charm, but it isn't likely Nintendo will invest resources in a pocket-sized Mii creator.
Alekmaul has released a Single Game Arcade emulator for the game Ghosts N Goblins.
Heres the translated info:
To use this emulator, you must have compatibles ROMS with NO COMPRESSION ZIP format.
Do not ask me about ROMS, I don't have them. A search with Google will certainly help
you.
Features :
----------
Most things you should expect from an emulator.
Missing :
---------
Sounds.
High score saving.
All that is not yet emulated
Cheerleading won't come easy in the upcoming sequel to everyone's favorite portable music game. The troupe of opposing ouendan are designed to be prettier and more charming than the gang you control. Of course, you won't let their beautiful heads of hair get in your way: you're going to out-cheer them, and put them in their place. Jeux-France has new scans of Ouendan's long-titled sequel, and not only do you get to see the new rival group you'll have to cheer against, you'll see a familiar, returning character go through yet another ordeal. (Japanese people sure have it rough, don't they?)
One of our favorite touches of the new Phantom Hourglass' trailer shown at this year's GDC event was its use of the reworked Hyrule Castle theme from The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. If there's one thing we love, it's retro tracks brought back for another round. That's why we're featuring a medley of songs from the original Zelda game (NES) remixed by electronica musician Ochre, for your Sunday listening pleasure.
We imagine that trying to add anything on top of Koji Kondo's classic work without ruining it is a difficult task, but this arrangement doesn't miss a step. Ochre's interpretation blends the 8-bit pieces with his own playful style, taking the listener through a six-minute daydream of Link's adventures. If you're a fan of lush synths and summery rhythms, we definitely suggest downloading this song along with Ochre's other remixes and original offerings at his site.
More Info
Treasure Gaust, Bandai Namco's Pokemon-esque monster game that uses magnetic fields to generate monsters, is headed toward a Spring 2007 release in Japan. We've got some new screens that show off the battle mode, which is more Pokemon Stadium than Pokemon Ruby, in that it is presented in full 3D. We like the pseudo-cel shading they've used.
Treasure Gaust's battling appears to be more action-based than Pokemon, as well. Players pick three creatures and battle with an opponent's three creatures in an underwater arena. You can capture defeated enemies to train them as partners. If a monster-collecting game with more action and more mysterious natural forces sounds good to you, then this may be exactly the game you're looking for! At least, it's as close as anyone's ever going to get to that specific description. We hope Banco decides to localize this one, because we're eager to play with the magnetism gimmick.
Tonight 2 more of our sites got revamped with the new network design. Both sites now have a much nicer look about them and with linkable newsposts with news archives and SEO on them (all helps google rankings etc)
Both sites also only carry news about the respective console, so no more network news will go through the sites.
Tassu has entered Phidias into the Neoflash Coding Comp.
Heres the release details:
Here is my entry. It's a drawing app called Phidias and it can be used to draw very nice pictures, pixel art or freehand drawings. It can also be used as an image viewer.
It should work on any device that has dldi support. It saves images in bmp format to the root directory but can load from any directory. Maximum resolution is 512x384 or 384x512.
Remember: you need to patch it with dldi before you use it. Otherwise it won't work!
The first release of the FREE Internet Web Browser from Okiwi:
Spread the Word
After some good programming sessions, the alpha version is ready.
Some notes:
- The file can be unpacked directly to the root of the flashcard, that is, Okiwi directory must be just under the root.
- Inside this there's the fonts directory, which contains three TrueType font files for the different character families, and also those fonts prerendered at different sizes (*.okf) and some other which contains tables needed to associate character bitmaps with their Unicode codes (*.okm). The extensions stand for Okiwi Font and Okiwi Map, respectively. If these fieles are deleted, the software will generate them again from the TrueType fonts, so each one can use the typography he/she likes more. The included fonts are Bitstream Vera.
- By now the only way to move along the document is to drag it with the stylus.
- The only working buttons by the moment are: the first, which will allow in a future to enter an
