Guitar Hero Modern Hits to Hit DS

Another Guitar Hero for the DS is on its way. Called Guitar Hero Modern Hits, this Guitar Hero game will feature, well, modern hits from modern hit makers such as Sum 41 and Franz Ferdinand.

There's no release date as of yet, but we can bet that it will come out before the DSi's launch next year, seeing that the DSi has not way (yet) to accommodate Guitar Hero's peripheral.

The last two Guitar Hero games for the DS has been received with mixed reviews. Its guitar peripheral has been reported awesome by many, and awkward by some. The song lists are so-so, and I expect the same from Modern Hits.

Handhelds Dominated Japanese Sales Charts

It's no surprise that Dissidia: Final Fantasy made it to the top of last week's Japanese sales charts. In the process, PSP received a boost. It's also no surprise that the Nintendo DSi emerged as the top hardware. All in all, it was a good week for all (gaming) things handheld.

Software:

1. Dissidia Final Fantasy (PSP) - 489,126
2. Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 (PS3) - 176,448
3. Kirby Super Star (DS) - 149,643
4. Animal Crossing: City Folk (Wii) - 144,530
5. Tales of Hearts (DS) - 123,622
6. Wagamama Fashion Girls Mode (DS) - 99,887
7. Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 (PS2) - 99,696
8. Pokemon Platinum (DS) - 85,849
9. Fate/Unlimited Codes (PS2) - 82,873
10. Momotarou Dentetsu: 20-Shuunen (DS) - 79,717

Hardware:

1. DSi - 204,144
2. PSP - 145,957
3. Wii - 131,054
4. DS Lite - 50,308
5. PS3 - 39,136
6. Xbox 360 - 12,914
7. PS2 - 8,662

[source]

Blog Break!

Happy Holidays to all!!! Hope you all get your wishes. Regular postings will be back on Monday. Until then, better catch up on your backlogged games... early next year would be tough!

DSi Sales: More Than One Million in Less than Two Months!

Enterbrain reported total DSi sales last month to be over 500,000 units. That in itself is a feat. But their most recent numbers doubled that figured bringing total Nintendo DSi sales since its November 1st release to a staggering 1,062,416.

Guess what 24,859,874 is. It's the total DS units sold in Japan since its 2004 release.

New Blood of Bahamut Trailer Features Characters

Square Enix just treated spectators of Jump Festa 2009 in Japan with a brand new trailer of Blood of Bahamut. As expected from SE, the trailer is full of awesome.



The trailer features some of the characters including Ibuki, Yui and my favorite, Santiago. There's more footage of the game in action as well, including several shots of your soon-to-be gigantic foes. There's also a view of multi-player in play.

Here's to hoping Blood of Bahamut comes to North America!

Hammerin' Hero Trailer

Hammerin' Hero puts you in the hammerin' shoes of Gen, the friendly neighborhood hammerin' carpenter. When Hyosuke Kuromoku and his not-so-hammerin' evil construction company threatens to evict Gen's pals, our Hammerin' Hero Gen comes to the rescue!

Based on the trailer below, Hammerin' Hero is your basic platformer. There's nothing special that I've noticed, guess we'll have to wait for more details. Hammerin' Hero for the PSP will be released March 2009.

Dissidia: Final Fantasy US Release Date + Epic Intro

Square Enix finally gave a date (sort of) to Dissidia's inevitable US release. With 350,000 units sold in its first day in Japan, Dissidia might just save the PSP's dwindling sales numbers lately.

Slated for a "mid-year 2009" release, Dissidia: Final Fantasy is an action game featuring some of the most notable characters in the Final Fantasy franchise. There's no mention yet if the awesome Dissidia Special Edition PSP will be available as well, though.

There's still a few months to wait, and all we non-Japanese can do is watch trailers, read reviews and wait some more. To add to your suffering, here's Dissidia: Final Fantasy's epic intro in full. Enjoy.

I Love Katamari for the iPhone

Due to today's earlier post about the iPhone, I went ahead and browsed the iTunes App store, where you can download some goodies. Guess what I found? Katamari Damacy!!! O-M-G!

I am absolutely in love with Katamari! I wish they would sell Katamari crackers or sodas. I'd definitely buy some by the hundreds. But I digress...

Yes, Katamari Damacy is available for the iPhone in the form of I Love Katamari. The game is the same rolling action we have all enjoyed before. Although some reports significant slowdowns when your ball of crap gets too big. Nonetheless, this one's a gem for fans such as me.

Metal Gear Solid Touch Coming to iPhone

Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch landed a big deal with Metal Gear Solid Touch. This will definitely catch gamers' attention who are having second thoughts about the iPhone and iPod Touch as a handheld gaming device. It sure grabbed mine.

Metal Gear Solid Touch is scheduled for a March 2009 release, and will be a touch-based game. The game's story will fall in the lines of Metal Gear solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, with eight levels available initially. More will be available for download soon.

Another game to look out for in the iPhone is Silent Hill The Escape, which is scheduled to be out this month.

"No plans for a PSP2 are underway"

That's according to John Koller, Sony's director of hardware marketing. This is after news of a new PSP, aptly dubbed as PSP 4000, and a new handhled are under way.

Koller clarified that the media has misinterpreted Sony's new policy of focusing developers away from Universal Media Discs and towards digital distribution.

[source]

Nintendo DS Games Q1 2009 Releases

Nintendo recently released its North American game roster for the Wii and the DS. As with every Nintendo roster release, it's full of awesome.

Pokemon Platinum release date has been finally confirmed, as well as Moon. GTA Chinatown Wars has no specific date yet, though. Personally, I can't wait for My World, My Way, GTA, Pokemon, Suikoden and FFCC.

Here's a the list of Nintendo DS games for early 2009.

• American Popstar - Road to Celebrity - March 9
• Animal Planet™ - March 10
• Avalon Code - February
• Big Bang Mini® - Jan. 6
• Brave: Shaman's Challenge™ - Feb. 17
• Broken Sword™: Shadows of the Templars (Director's Cut) - March
• Chicken Hunter Star Karts - March 10
• Coraline - January
• DinoPets - March
• Dragon Master - April
• Dreamer: Top Model - March
• Drivers' Ed Portable - January
• Elebits: The Adventures of Kai and Zero™ - Q1
• FINAL FANTASY® CRYSTAL CHRONICLES®: Echoes of Time™ - Spring
• Fire Emblem™: Shadow Dragon - Feb. 16
• Flower, Sun, and Rain - March
• Grand Theft Auto™: Chinatown Wars - Winter
• Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure™ - Q1
• Hot 'n' Cold - March
• Imagine™ Cheerleader - February
• Imagine™ Family Doctor - February
• Imagine™ Ice Champions - March
• Inkheart - January
• Jagged Alliance - Feb. 17
• Jake Power Fireman - January
• Jake Power Handyman - March
• Jake Power Policeman - January
• JoJo's Fashion Show - February
• Learn Chess - March
• Learn Math - January
• Legacy of Ys™: Books I & II - Feb. 10
• Little Magician's Magic Adventure™ - Q1
• Matchstick - March
• Monster Band - January
• Monster Pals ™ - March
• Monsters vs. Aliens - March 24
• Moon™ - Jan. 13
• Music Star: Pop Star - February
• My DoItAll™ - February
• My Fashion Studio Paris Collection - Feb. 17
• My Personal Diary - February
• My World, My Way™ - Feb. 3
• Our House™ - Q1
• Paint by DS - March
• Paws & Claws Pampered Pets - Jan. 5
• Personal Trainer™: Math - Jan. 12
• Petz® Horseshoe Ranch - February
• Phineas and Ferb - Winter
• Pimp My Ride 2™ - March 24
• Pokémon™ Platinum version - March 22
• Powerbike - January
• Puzzle Quest™: Galactrix™ - Q1
• Retro Game Challenge - Jan. 6
• Roogoo Attack™ - Feb. 17
• Sarah - Keeper of the Unicorn - March
• SimAnimals™ - Jan. 27
• Suikoden Tierkreis - Q1
• Trackmania™ DS - March 17
• USA TODAY Puzzle Craze - January
• WonderWorld Amusement Park™ - January
• WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES™ - Jan. 19
• Zoo Quest - February
• Zubo™ - March

[source]

Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce Release Date

Get your trigger-fingers ready. Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce is arriving to North America a bit earlier than expected. Game developer Koei recently announced that Strikeforce will be released in March 24, 2009.

Dynasty Warriors is a mighty franchise with more than 20 tactical action games under its belt. It has games on all modern consoles, including some on the Xbox and the DS. This latest game however is for the PSP.

It's a common consensus that this latest DW game is far different from its predecessors. The gameplay has changed and almost all agrees that, from the videos we've seen, has improved. Here's the official Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce trailer.

Judge Gabranth in Dissidia!!

Arguably my most favorite Final Fantasy game is FFXII. The whole feel and look of it just got me engrossed, I clocked in at around 200+ hours before finishing the game. That, and the use of Old English. That's why I was more than glad to see Judge Gabranth on the list of Final Fantasy: Dissidia's characters.

Whether FFXII's Gabranth is playable or not is yet to be confirmed. The whole buzz sprang from the latest Dissidia trailer, showing Judge Gabranth. Whatever his role is, I just want to see me a kick-ass Judge in action!

FF Dissidia for the PSP will be released in Japan  tomorrow, Dec 18.

[source]

GTA Chinatown Wars Release Dates

Can't wait to peddle drugs? Or maybe run over pedestrians like a mad man? Or maybe you just want to see how franchise-giant Grand Theft Auto can pull out a GTA game on the DS. In about three months our wait will be over.

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars will be available in North America on March 17, 2009. Europe will get their hands on it on March 20th.

Ifrit Fires Up Blood of the Bahamut

If you're a Final Fantasy fan, chances are you already know who or what Ifrit is. He is almost in every FF game, and is pretty hard to miss. If you're not acquainted yet with Ifrit, he's one huge beast who likes to burn stuff up.

An recent update of the official Blood of the Bahamut website confirmed Ifrit as one of the giants you have to face. There's also a couple of awesome screenshots of the game in action.

Blood of the Bahamut for the Nintendo DS pits you against towering giants. To beat them, you have to find their weak spot and pummel like crazy. See the debut trailer here or see the latest screens below.

Nintendo Tops Japanese Charts (Again??!)

As expected by almost anyone by now, the power that is Nintendo overwhelmed November's Japanese sales charts. This is especially so with the recently released Nintendo DSi, which observed a 35% increase.

The Wii also ousted PSP from the second spot, gaining just 2,000 units more than Sony's handheld system.

Aside from Nintendo's babies, every other console sales numbers fell. Here's the data from Media Create:

• Nintendo DSi - 126,648
• Wii - 56,702
• PSP - 54,782
• PlayStation 3 - 30,309
• Nintendo DS - 12,096
• Xbox 360 - 9,988
• PlayStation 2 - 5,743

[source]

Shakespeare & Friends Coming to the DS

Nintendo recently closed a deal with HarperCollins, a well know publisher, to make 100 literary classics available for the DS. The list of featured authors reads like who's-who of literature: Mark Twain, Arthur Conan Doyle, Charles Dickens, and William Shakespeare are just a few.

Titled 100 Classic Book Collection, it will include plays as well. Users can read with the DS "book" style, adjust text size, bookmarks, and much more.

Aside from gaming, I'm a bit into reading as well, but I think I'll pass on this one. DS for gaming, books for reading :)

Recover Your HP With Dissidia Final Fantasy Potions

It has been an annual tradition of sorts for Square Enix to release a Potion of whatever game they are pushing that year. Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core got their own Potions before, and now here comes the "health" drink for Final Fantasy: Dissidia.

The Dissdia Potion, or "health" drink, taste like a mix of an energy drink and Sprite. There are a total of 16 different cans, with different FF characters. The flavors are divided into two; the "Chaos" side is dark muscat grape while the "Cosmos" tastes like grapefruits.

If reports are to be believed, this year's Potions tastes nasty and unhealthy besides. I wouldn't mind owning a set, though.

[source]

Dragon Quest IX: Confirmed!!!

Dragon Quest IX: Protectors of the Starry Sky was recently given a Japanese release date by Square Enix on a press conference. Them lucky Japanese will get to enjoy the latest in the Dragon Quest series for the DS on March 28 next year. It'll cost them, though. A copy of the game is around $65. Ouch!

Anyway, demos were available on the said press release, set-up on DSi systems with awesome-cool Slime protector cases. In addition... is that a Slime speaker stand???!? *faints*

[source]

New Phantasy Star Zero Trailer

I didn't get into Phantasy Star that much back in the days. But that won't stop me from picking it up now! Not after seeing this new trailer of Phantasy Star Zero for the DS.

Phantasy Star, musch like Final Fantasy, has a devoted cult following of its own especially in Japan. The series has produced almost 20 games in its lifespan, with Phantasy Star Zero being the latest.

Here's the latest trailer of Phantasy Star Zero.

Pokemon Platinum US Release Date.. ??

Get your Pokeballs ready. It looks like Pokemon Platinum is finally dated for a North American release if Circuit City is to be believed.


March 22 is the magical date, as listed on Circuit City's listing. That's about six months after Pokemon Platinum's Japanese release, and six months to long of a wait for me. It's not yet official, but let's all hope it is so (or sooner)!

Speaking of Pokemon games, have you finished yours yet? I'm still playing with my Pokemon Diamond and I'm pretty sure I have about 100 hours more to go.

UK Warned of Fake Nintendo DS

You know you have a popular product when counterfeiters are out to smooch some money off your name. Such is the case with Nintendo's top seller, the DS.

UK parents were warned of fake Nintendo DS and DS Lites, which may cause serious injuries and start fires. The HM Revenue & Customs recently seized hundreds of such consoles containing dangerous power adapters. There are already some who purchased the knock-off DS, which has a price tag of £40 instead of the usual £100.

[source]

Scribblenauts Details and Video

If you haven't heard yet, 5th Cell announced last Friday its newest DS game: Scribblenauts. I'd have to say, the announcement of this announcement is definitely worth it!

Drawn to Life allowed players to use their imagination, making us draw our own weapons and stuff. Scribblenauts will do the same, only on a whole new level. Write a noun and it would appear as an object on the screen, helping our hero reach his goal.

As per the Scribblenaut video below, the game is all about Maxwell and Starites. Looks like Max wants him some Starites for some reason, and we're to help him out by naming tools/objects which he can use. As you can see below, there's a number of ways to solve each stage. Ladders, footballs, and beavers are just a few of limitless options.



Sounds like fun? You betcha. Sounds like an impossible game to pull off on the DS? You betcha again. Hope I'm mistaken though, and I'm looking forward for this game's release on Fall 2009.

LocoRoco 2 Japanese TV Ad

I wish all TV ads were made by the Japanese. Those dudes sure knows how to produce a smile.. and buzz! They just make so-darn-cute commercials, as shown on the ad below for LocoRoco 2 for the PSP, which was recently released in Japan.

Download PSP Dissidia Themes

Dissidia mania is on!! And like any decent mania, it comes with its very own PSP theme. Square Enix is offering awesome PSP Dissidia themes on its website.


As of this writing, there are three Dissidia PSP themes available: Final Fantasy I, II, and III. Each theme shows the hero and villain for that particular game. Again, there's just three themes for now, but who knows? Maybe they'll have one for each Final Fantasy!

MOAR Mama! Gardening Mama Coming Next Year

I am, what some would call, a grown man. But dammit, I want more Mama games! Cooking Mama was one of the reasons I picked up a DS. It's fun and far from the usual kill-bystanders-jump-over-ledges games that I've played before. That's why I was delighted to hear that Mama has a new game coming out: Gardening Mama!

Gardening Mama features Mama planting flowers, fruits and veggies. Players can also produce jams and other garden-goodies Mama's garden produced. There's also a multiplayer mode and, as always, a dress-Mama-up feature.

Gardening Mama is slated for a Spring 2009 release.

[source]

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Coming to North America

Kingdom Hearts fans rejoiced as Square Enix announced Kingdom Hearts 358/2 for the Nintendo DS will be coming to US soil next year. For some odd reason, I did not really get into KH on the PlayStation. Nevertheless this game will be one to look out for in 2009.

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 is about former Organization XIII member, Roxas, who previously appeared in Kingdom Hearts 2. The game will feature a multiplayer game mode where players get to play as an Organization XIII member.

5th Cell Announced Announcement of New "Innovative" Game!!

You know you're a bad-ass game developer if you get people talking about the announcement of the announcement of your next game. 5th Cell did just that, and rightfully so.

The developers of Drawn to Life and Lock's Quest will be announcing their next "innovative, engaging and completely unique" game this coming Friday, December 5th. It will be an IGN exclusive, though, so better set your sights there.

One thing I like about 5th Cell is that their games are indeed innovative. Lock's Quest for example, took tower defense to a whole new level. The same goes with Drawn to Life games, which allows us to put our imagination at play.

Whatever 5th Cell will be announcing this Friday, I'm sure it's worth the buzz.

Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time US Release Date

It looks like we're all in for quite a long wait to have a go at Square Enix's FFCC: Echoes of Time. The game will be released by Spring 2009, but it is my humble opinion that the wait will be worth it. Aside from the usual cutesy Crystal Chronicles characters, Echoes of Time will feature the ability to play together between the Wii and the DS version.

Some die-hard Final Fantasy fans frowned upon Crystal Chronicles when its first game came out. Admittedly, the FFCC games are a bit more cartoonish than usual, and the plots are not as deep. Nevertheless, Crystal Chronicle games never failed to entertain.

Here's the FFCC: Echoes of Time TGS 2008 trailer.

Prince of Persia: The Fallen King Still Falls Short

I'm currently contemplating on getting a copy of Prince of Persia: The Fallen King for the DS, but after seeing the video below (and remembering the horribleness of previous PoP DS titles) I think I'll pass on this one.



Is it just me (or this video), or does Prince looks like Aladdin?

Atlus Getting DS-Happy

Atlus is on a roll! The company is spewing out hit-game after hit-game on the Nintendo DS. Etrian Odyssey? Atlus. Summon Night? Atlus. Trauma Center? ATLUS!!! The list is quite long, and there's handful more in the works, including but not limited to:

• TrackMania DS
• Legacy of Ys Books I & II
• My World, My Way

As if that's not enough, Atlus will be bringing Marvelous' Steal Princess, another ARPG, to North America. They will also release a dungeon RPG titled The Dark Spire, which some believe to be a localization of Genmu no To to Tsurugi no Okite.

Bye Bye Giant PSP

As if the lack of new PSP games this week is not torture enough for PSP gamers, the much adored billboard-sized PSP in New York's Houston St. is finally getting the boot.



The landmark has been featuring upcoming and popular PSP games for the past few years, but now it seems that the giant PSP the has served its purpose.

[via pspfanboy]

Imagination Technologies and Sony Teaming Up for PSP2??!

While it's still in the rumor mill, many regard this to be actual news. And a good one too.

Britain-based Imagination Technologies has signed an agreement with an undisclosed company that many are saying is Sony. Reports say Sony will make use of Imagination's PowerVR SGX graphics processor for the PSP successor.

More powerful graphics for the next PSP. Is that what it really needs? I say good games, and innovation should be their focus. They should've learned that by now.

[source]

Professor Layton: The First Movie

It is bound to happen, as with many lovable games and characters throughout gaming history. Professor Layton (of the Professor Layton DS games) will get a feature anime film that will hopefully be out in early 2010.

Professor Layton: The First Movie will follow the usual adventures of Professor Layton and his assistant Luke, as they solve mystery after mystery. The film will be produced by Japanese studio TOHO and the new story will come directly from Level 5 president Akihiro Hino.

Level 5 is getting quite busy, and beloved for that matter. Their upcoming collaboration with Studio Ghibli, Ninokuni: The Another World, is a sure hit.

[source]

Win a New Super Mario Bros. DS Lite Bundle

The boys over dsfanboy is conducting yet another generous contest, this time in line with Thanksgiving celebrations.

Up for grabs are Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, N+, and The Sims 2: Apartment Pets. Now if you think that these games are not worth the 2 seconds to join the contest, maybe the New Super Mario Bros. DS Lite Bundle will change your mind.

Yea, just days after the release of the limited edition DS, these guys are giving one away. Cheeky bastards. Head here to join the fun.

Nintendo DSi Crystal Chronicles Edition Coming Soon

Nintendo DS limited-editions are just piling up! Square Enix, for the nth time, will be releasing a limited-edition DSi to support the Jan. 29th release of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time.

The bundle comes with Echoes of Time and a "Crystal Chronicles Edition" Nintendo DSi. The DSi will be white with Echoes of Time logo plus the cat mascot featured on the boxart. To top it off, a bonus Crystal Chronicles CD featuring 4 tracks will be shipped with pre-orders.

Pre-Order Echoes of Time.

Syberia DS Trailer

If you missed playing Syberia on your PC years ago, now's your chance. Syberia is now available for the Nintendo DS. This is one adventure game you wouldn't want to miss!

Here's Syberia's trailer to see what you'll be in for.

2 New Limited-Edition DS Coming this Holiday

The Nintendo DS Lite has quite a handful of limited-eds under its belt. This coming holidays, add two more to the list.

The Mario Red DS is, well, red. With an "M" on the front cover, just like Mario's "M" on his cap. Clever. A copy of New Super Mario Bros comes with the package. I wouldn't mind adding this one on my DS wishlist.

The second limited-edition DS is Ice Blue that comes with a carrying case and a copy of Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day. This is alright as well but couldn't they bundle it with a much cooler game?

Both limited-edition will set you back $149.99.

[via destructoid]

Patapon 2 Japanese Commercial Makes Me Wanna Jump Over Fences and Sheeps Too

It's Patapon fever over at Japan right now (not really, just assuming), as Patapon 2 nears its Nov 27 release date. To add fuel to the fire (just a metaphor.. or is it simile?), this cutesy commercial complete with cute little kids was recently released.



Pat-Pata-Patapon!

Get Mario to Beg for Your Gifts This Holiday

If you doubt Mario's ability to persuade people to buy stuff, then look up every game that he's been in and add up total sales... Done? Now imagine Mario pitching your wishlist to your mom, dad, uncle, or whoever you're expecting a gift from this coming holiday season. A definite WIN!!
Nintendo is offering two ways to send your DS wishlist, first by creating said wishlist via a flash interface on this site. After picking games and DS color, a recording using Mario's voice will be sent to your loved one's phone or email.

The second option is an E-card, which you can compose here. Same mechanic, same goodies.

Now get to those sites and send em like craaaazy!!

Happy 4th Bday, Nintendo DS!!

Last November 21 marked the fourth year of the Nintendo DS in US soil. Who would've thought that this handheld console made for "casual" gamers will last this long and will make a huge impact in the way games are played today? Not me for sure.

Anyway, speaking of birthdays, have gone through all of the DS' launch titles yet? To be honest, I'm still not done with Super Mario 64 DS. And I still can't get enough of Feel the Magic: XY/XX.

Crisis Core Bags Best Handheld of the Year

On the recently concluded MTV Germany's 2008 Game Awards, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII for the PSP was awarded as the best handheld game of the year, or more suitably, "The Whole World in Your Pocket" Award. The prequel to the PlayStation hit, Final Fantasy VII, edged against tough competition such as The Legend of Zelda: Phantom of the Hourglass, Guitar Hero: On Tour, and the much adored Patapon.

There is much to be said about Crisis Core and Square Enix really did a fantastic job. Big ups and keep them games coming!

PSP 3000 Hacked: Lite Blue Tool

Speaking of pirates, after the long wait, a solution to downgrade your PSP 3000 is now available - meet Datel's Lite Blue Tool.

The Lite Blue Tool is a battery peripheral that when used, it will boot your PSP into service mode, where you can then downgrade to a cracked firmware of your choice.

Priced at $29.99, the Lite Blue will surely find a special spot on PSP "homebrewers" hearts.

[source]

Chrono Trigger DS Anti-Piracy Measures Cracked by Pirates

Square Enix is becoming popular (and innovative) in its attempts to block pirates from playing their awesome games. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates for the Nintendo DS had one, but was quickly checked by pirates.

When ROMs of the latest Chrono Trigger DS appeared on websites a couple of days ago, pirates were greeted yet again by another set of copyright protection. But as with other anti-piracy measures before it, it was beaten just hours after release.

Guitar Hero and Rock Band for the PSP??

Seeing that the number two use for the PSP is music, John Koller of Sony expressed his interest in developing music/rhythm games for the Playstation Portable. This may also be brought about by the popularity of Guitar Hero: On Tour, Rhythm Tengoku Gold, and Elite Beat Agents on their rival, the Nintendo DS.

With the PSP's ability to store music at a whim, I wonder why it's taking them so long to develop a solid rhythm/music game. Come to think of it, the traditional controls of the PSP won't do and they would have to come up with a peripheral for sure. Now how are they gonna do that?

Cooking Mama: Mama Kills Animals Flash Game

I'm all for animal rights and what-not, but I'm not always a fan of PETA and it's views. Their latest project is to protest Cooking Mama's excessive use of dishes made from dead animals.

To drive their point home, PETA has released a flash game based on Cooking Mama, Mama Kills Animals. To be fair, PETA did a good job of mimicking Mama. I enjoyed plucking the feathers and gutting the crap out of that dead turkey.

Here's Cooking Mama: Mama Kills Animals flash game. Be warned, blood and gore ahead!

Play LocoRoco 2 Flash Game

Who wouldn't want more LocoRoco?? I can't wait for the sequel of this cutesy game. But just like any other, all I can do is wait.

Europe is about to get their hands on LocoRoco 2 this coming November 21. To get fans' blood curdling, they've released a LocoRoco 2 flash game for everyone to enjoy. But hurry though. The game will be down November 21, the day the game launch. So get tilting!

Blood of Bahamut Debut Trailer

Blood of Bahamut, the latest Nintendo DS game from Square Enix, is no doubt a Final Fantasy spin-off. Not only that, it resembles one of my all-time favorite game - Shadow of the Colossus!

The game's heroes lives in a city on a back of a giant. That previous sentence alone shows how awesome this game would be. The graphics is another DS-limit-pusher, featuring 2d on 3d background.

Here's the Japanese debut trailer of Blood of Bahamut.

Pre-Order Dissidia Limited Edition PSP

Dissidia: Final Fantasy will be released on Japanese soil about a month from now, and gamers are all buzzing about it. Don't blame us, though, the game is really good. Aside from the "dramatic progressive action" game itself, there's also the Dissidia limited edition PSP.

The 20th Anniversary Limited Pack includes the best boxed PSP I've seen - clean and so very much like Final Fantasy. Inside is a white PSP with Cosmos and Chaos embossed. If you're tired of looking at pictures, then PRE-ORDER Dissidia Limited Edition PSP now at Play-Asia!

 

[source]

Handheld Gamers Prefer to Play at Home

A new research done by the NPD Group revealed gaming habits by handheld gamers. Most shocking of all, it turns out that 79% of the research participants says that they use their handheld device more often at their homes.

Here's a brief look at other tidbits from the research:

PSP Gamers

• Most used feature is gameplay.
• Only one third  uses their PSP to watch movies and listen to music.

DS Gamers

• 92% prefers to play by themselves.
• An average DS gamer spends 4.6 / week playing games alone.

Read more about it here.

Handheld Gaming for Divas On-The-Go

One good thing about handheld game consoles is that you can take it anywhere. That is why it's the perfect toy for busy gamers, just like Christina Aguilera & Beyonce Knowles.

On an interview, Christina said that she's a big gamer and loves her Nintendo DS, with Mario Kart DS topping her list of favorites. Beyonce on the other hand expressed her love for gaming by requesting for an Xbox and PSP to keep her company on a private jet.

[source & source]

Pokemon Platinum 4th Best-Selling Game in the World

For the third quarter of 2008, that is. According to numbers by NPD/GfK/Enterbrain, Madden 09 tops the list with just under 3 million sales. Pokemon Platinum for the DS made the fourth spot selling 1.482 million.

Released in Japan on Sept. 13, 2008, Pokemon Platinum is a remake of sorts of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. It sold 1 million copies in its first two days.

Who else can't wait for the North American version?

[Via kotaku]

Valkyrie Profile & Dragon Quest V for the DS Coming to America

Square-Enix recently announced that two awesome RPGs will be headed to America's shores next year --- Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume & Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride. That's two more DS role-playing games to add on a very long and impressive list.

Dragon Quest is slated to be released on Feb 17 while Valkyrie will come out Mar 17, a month later. Better tune-up your RPG skills for these two games.

Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume Video



Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride Video

New Ending for Chrono Trigger DS

Hardcore Chrono Trigger fans would sure have a fit when they hear about the rumored new ending for Chrono Trigger DS. According to Famitsu, the remake of Chrono Trigger will have a new ending, a new dungeon, and added character mode. The character mode will feature scenes, music tracks, treasure map, and monster data which I'm sure will be a welcome addition.

Here's a screen cap of the said new ending:

Moon Not Coming Out Until January 2009

Publisher Mastiff and developer Renegade Kid recently confirmed that the release of their upcoming sci-fi thriller title for the Nintendo DS, Moon, will be delayed until January 13, 2009. Mastiff did not give a reason for the hold-up.

Moon garnered much buzz since it was announced largely because it was developed by the same guys who made Dementium: The Ward. The game will pit gamers against aliens they found while exploring - you guessed it - the moon.

Let's build up our anticipation and watch a Moon gameplay video.

Fun with KORG DS-10

I drained my Nintendo DS Lite's batteries when I first got my hand on KORG DS-10. It was hours of fun and I managed to get about 20 seconds of good beats in.

KORG DS-10 is another non-game game for the DS Lite. It was released July 2008 in Japan, October 2008 in Europe, and November 2008 in the US. Basically, it's a KORG MS-10 synthesizer emulator. If you've never handled a KORG before, don't fret. As soon as you know what goes where, you can produce your own beats easily as well. Whether it's good or bad music is up to you.

Here's a couple of KORG DS-10 music I found on YouTube. Envy.



A demo of sorts, lets you watch while the beat is being made.



Snake Man's theme from the Megaman series. Wait until 1 minute in to hear the KORG version.





Do you have any beats you want to share?

Got Your Free Dragonite?

As with many things, I failed to mention last week that Toys “R” Us across the US will be giving away free Dragonites last weekend. Pokemon Diamond and Pearl owners would be getting a Dragonite plus if your lucky, a Pokemon Ranger poster and a $5 off coupon for any Nintendo DS game.

Silly me, I wasn't there. Anyone want to trade?

NEW Dissidia Video Shows More EX Mode

Final Fantasy Dissidia is getting more tastier every new video and image releases. This video shows Squall and Zidane battling it out complete with the much buzzed EX Mode. Japanese PSP fans sure are lucky to get this game this coming holiday season. No word yet of a North America release date :(

Win a Nintendo DSi!

Again, not from me silly. The guys over at kotaku has recently started their DSi contest.

But the problem is, it's not your run-of-the-mill comment contest. you have to work for it to win this DSi. 5 questions, and you have to find the post with the correct answer to proceed. Pretty tough, but would be damn worth it if you ask me. Alright, I'm off to win this!

Free Short Films for PSP, PS3 Owners

Shoot! is a project by SCEE that will allow PSP and PS3 owners to download six short films for free. The shorts are directed by well-established director plus a rookie director.

The films, which will be in High Def, are themed PlayStation: Play, Create, Share, Connect, Discover and Challenge. They will be available free for download on EU's PS Store on November 13.

Here's a quick list of the short films and directors:

1. Bitter - Joel Wilson and Jamie Campbell
2. Citizen Hero - Christophe Perie
3. Prison Food - Uwe Flade
4. Hands - Xavi Jose
5. 8.3 Minutes - Klaus Thymann
6. The Dreaming - Anthony Green

DSi to Feature New WarioWare Games

Wario is always an early favorite when a new Nintendo console comes out. The DSi is not exception. Nintendo will release a set of WarioWare games for the DSi in December that can be downloaded at the future DSiWare store.

WarioWare: Photograph will be just like any other WarioWare games: fun, extra weird, and makes good use of a console's features. I'm going on a limb here and say that this game would focus on the DSi's camera.

DS Lite owners are not be left out, though, as WarioWare: Myself is set for release as well.

DSi Hacked!!

Just when I thought that homebrewers will have a hard time cracking the brand new DSi, I saw this video on YouTube.



Yikes! Good or bad?

Elite Beat Agents 2 Coming Soon?

Elite Beat Agents is one of the reasons I bought a DS Lite. I was like a schoolgirl riding a flying unicorn 10 minutes into the game. That is why I dropped my pants and did three cartwheels when I saw this image over at gonintendo.

That's right. Elite Beat Agents 2 are GO!!!

DSi: Homebrewproof!

As of the moment, that is. Reports are abound that the recently released Nintendo DSi is not accepting slot-1 carts made for homebrew stuff. A member of Hacken.cc did a test with ten homebrew carts and all resulted to failure.

Here's a list of non-DSi-compatible homebrew carts:

1. R4DS
2. EZ Flash V
3. CycloDS
4. G6 DS Real
5. M3 DS Real
6. Supercard DS One
7. iTouch DS
8. FCard
9. NCard
10. M3 DS Simply
11. U2DS

I'm a big fan of the homebrew community, and this is definitely a turn-off for me. I would like to be able to play around with a DSi the same as the DS Lite. Hopefully this is just temporary (I'm sure it is!).

Video: PSP SNES Controller Mod

Foo successfully (and quite masterfully) modded a PSP to function using an SNES controller.

I guess this is what the next-gen handheld will look like when hell freezes over - Sony & Nintendo teaming up! I'm no expert with modding consoles, but I believe this one's pretty hard to top.



Head here for more!

Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades Complete Song List

I was a bit disappointed with Guitar Hero: On Tour's song list, to be honest. But nevertheless, like the good rocker I am, I still enjoyed the game. Two-weeks-or-so from now, Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades for the DS is set for release, and everyone's waiting to hear if the songs will improve.

Here's the song list for Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades

• "Smooth Criminal" by Alien Ant Farm
• "Dirty Little Secret" by The All-American Rejects
• "No Rain" by Blind Melon
• "One Way Or Another" by Blondie
• "You Give Love A Bad Name" by Bon Jovi
• "Rock and Roll Band" by Boston
• "I Believe In A Thing Called Love" by The Darkness
• "Free Ride" - Edgar Winter Group
• "The Take Over, The Breaks Over" by Fall Out Boy
• "The Pretender" by Foo Fighters
• "All Right Now" by Free
• "The Middle" by Jimmy Eat World
• "Satch Boogie" by Joe Satriani
• "Any Way You Want It" by Journey
• "Are You Gonna Go My Way" by Lenny Kravitz
• "One Step Closer" by Linkin Park
• "La Bamba" by Los Lobos
• "Sweet Home Alabama (live)" by Lynyrd Skynyrd
• "Crushcrushcrush" by Paramore
• "We Are The Champions" by Queen
• "The One I Love" by R.E.M.
• "Can't Stop" by Red Hot Chili Peppers
• "I Can't Drive 55" by Sammy Hagar
• "Remedy" by Seether
• "Tarantula" by Smashing Pumpkins
• "Down" by Stone Temple Pilots
• "Volcano Girls" by Veruca Salt
• "Buddy Holly" by Weezer

Glad to see a couple of good ones there. Definitely a notch better than the partial list I got before.

Can't Wait for Ninjatown!!

Oh man, I just can't wait to get my hands on Ninjatown for the DS, which is to be released any minute now. Gotta save up first, though. Meanwhile, here's some Ninjatown goodies including its trailer.

Ninjatown, as you can probably tell by its name, is a town populated by ninjas. But they were invaded by Mr. Demon who, as you can probably tell by his name, wants nothing but to destroy stuff.

Based on early reviews and videos, Ninjatown looks like a promising tower defense game.

Here's Ninjatown's official trailer:

PlayStation Store Now Open, Get Your Media Manager 3.0 Here!

PSP gamers, download and install Media Manager 3.0 now to access the brand new PlayStation Store. Unfortunately, it's only limited to Windows users (too bad Mac guys). After the installation and registration, you can access the PlayStation Store immediately.

With Media Manager 3.0, gamers can back up saved game data, rip music from audio CDs, and manage media files such as pictures and videos. Media Manager is a definite must-have for PSP owners.

Harvest Moon: Welcome to the Wind Bazaar Debut Trailer

Harvest Moon. You gotta love em. Well, with the barrage of Harvest Moon games, who wouldn't? There's something for everyone that would like to try their hand on farming. The upcoming Harvest Moon: Welcome to the Wind Bazaar for the DS is no different, except they've stepped up the multiplayer modes, allowing friends to come visit your farm and lend a helping hoe I mean hand...

Here's the debut Japanese trailer of Harvest Moon: Welcome to the Wind Bazaar.

Kirby Super Star Ultra Up for Grabs!!

Not here silly. Over at dsfanboy DS fanboys are commenting like crazy to win a copy of Kirby Super Star Ultra.

The mechanics are simple, the prize is awesome, so what are you waiting for? I've entered my entry and you can too until the end of Oct 28 ET.

Rune Factory 2 Confirmed on Nov 18

Farmers and monster collectors alike will be happy to hear that Marvelous has recently confirmed the release date of Rune Factory 2: A Fantasy Harvest Moon for the DS. The fantasy-farming game will be made available on November 18, 2008.

I didn't really enjoy the first Rune Factory as much as the other Harvest Moon games, but the addition of monsters and fighting was quite refreshing. The graphics and controls just didn't work for me. Hope this one will do better.

PSP Firmware 5.01 Coming Soon

Just days after the release of PSP's Firmware 5.0, Sony will roll out Firmware 5.01 due to a memory bug that gamers are experiencing. The said bug returns an "insufficient space" error when downloading onto a memory stick. The latest Firmware will be released just to fix this specific problem.

Kudos to Sony for getting on top of this so quick.

GTA Chinatown Wars Hands-On

The guys over at EDGE has been lucky enough to be invited by Rockstar for a hands-on of GTA Chinatown Wars. One word seems to sum up the whole first-impression review: mesmerizing.

The GTA game for the DS is complete with pedestrians, civilians, day/night cycles, and you can rotate the view 360 degrees. One downside, though, is the control system, since a majority of people grew up playing GTA with analog sticks.

Head here to read the full article.

PSP-3000 Not Doing So Well, Sold 140k

The sales number of The PSP-3000, or PSP Brite, is looking a bit dim in Japan. It sold 141,270 in its first four days (Oct. 16-19), trailing behind PSP Slim's intial numbers by around 100,000 units.

There's been reports of bugs and issues about the system's performance. Can this be the reason for the low numbers?

Via psphyper

DS Releases This Week

Nintendo DS gamers will have to add a load of games to their backlogs this week, with the likes of Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon, and Tornado set for release. Also, there's a lot, and I mean A LOT of games being released this week, and most are at the awesome level. What to play first, huh? I have the following in mind:

• Backyard Football 2009
• Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
• The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon
• Master of the Monster Lair
• Mechanic Master
• The Naked Brothers Band: The Video Game
• Pass the Pigs
• Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
• SpongeBob Squarepants: Nicktoons Globs of Doom
• Tornado
• TouchMaster 2
• Transformers: Animated

Mother 3: What the Hell Is It??!

The handheld gaming community, especially GBA fanboys, are all buzzing about Mother 3 and the recent release of its English translation by die hard fans. This would make one wonder - What the HELL is Mother 3?

The Mother series are RPG games, with knights and magicians aside. Instead, it has a modern day setting, with enemies ranging from aliens to evil hippies. Mother 3, as the name implies, is the third game from the Mother series. The first game was released in 1989 for the Famicom, and was followed in 1995 for the Super NES with a US title of EarthBound. After 12 years of development, Mother 3 was released in Japan for the Game Boy Advanced. No English version followed, leaving fans of the series in state of wanting.

You can download the Mother 3 fan translation here, with instructions on how to make it work.