Video games gift

We've been asked by some close friends about our opinions on video games as Christmas gifts, mainly to the elderly. To be honest, apart from the Brain Training and Professor Layton series on the DS, I can't think of any video games suitable for elderly. I haven't been following the DS scene for some time to be honest, but a cursory glance on DS charts seems to confirm my suspicious that those two series are the only ones worth getting as gifts for the elderly.

As for getting video games to other target audiences, I have a couple of suggestions. SingStar series is always a great gift idea as only the most thick skin person would deny its entertainment value. It is also perfect for post-Christmas and New Year Eve party where booze is readily available. For your average surly teenager I reckon something like Uncharted 2 or Left 4 Dead 2 would be welcomed - provided he/she hasn't already played it. Something newer like Assassin's Creed 2 is probably a safer bet.

For those who likes to play with their (very) young kids, may I suggest EyePet or Rabbids Go Home. They aren't terribly exciting, but will surely entertain those (very) young kids whilst keeping the adults amused (for a while). And finally if you have none-video gaming loft residing (e.g. Bermondsey) friends, then I am sure Wii Sports Resort, the new Zelda, Mario & Sonic or something silly like those overpriced toy guitar games will be appreciated (even if it is silly).

20% off consoles offer at Sainsbury's

Sainsbury's is having a 20% off consoles offer that is brilliant for people who prefer to get their consoles and games the a la carte way.

Amazon UK is selling the Nintendo DSi for £139.99, but Sainsbury's selling it for £119.97 - a saving of £20!

The PSP-3000, which normally costs £129.99, is being sold for £119.99 - a decent saving of about £10 even if it comes with some Hannah something game. Still you are better off getting the Dissidia: Final Fantasy bundle for £10 more if you are planning on getting that anyway (I do suggest so as it is a brilliant game).

The Wii console bundle with Wii Motion Plus, Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort is priced at £135.99, a saving of about £30 compared to Amazon's price of £164.99.

And finally, the new 120GB PlayStation 3 Slim has a RRP of £249.99, but is a snip at only £199.99 at Sainsbury's, making this the best none-bundled PS3 deal you can find in the UK at this time. Also, don't forget that ever important cheap HDMI cable (sorry What Hi-Fi, your expensive HDMI cable is better is a load of bollocks).

My GOTY: The World Ends With You

Yes, you read that right. That is my personal choice for game of the year - besting highly rated titles like LittleBigPlanet, Persona 3, Metal Gear Solid 4, etc. etc. etc.

The reason is very simple. Whilst LittleBigPlanet was incredibly innovative and MGS4 mind numbingly amazing, The World Ends With You far exceeded my expectation not only with its innovative and unique gameplay and great visual style, but also in terms to changing my whole perception on how the evolution of role-playing genre should head next. The game literally offers hundreds of possible combinations of attack forms, tons of customisation and good funky music - while being addictive at the same time. The videos may seem baffling, but once you grasp the mechanics, you will not want to stop. Hell, the game completely destroys the concept of forced levelling by introducing an adjustable difficulty, manipulating brand trends and cashing in for unique goods and pins from different sorts of stores. Even the emo lead character got a bit likeable near the end.

I won't bore you with a repeat review as you can already read that here, but I have to say I have extremely disappointed with some of you lot. The World Ends With You deserves huge success. Instead you keep buying complete shit like Dinosaurs, Junior Brain Trainer, Mario & Sonic, Sight Training, Wii Music and all the other crap that is spewed on a regular basis - just because Fern and Phil told you so. Tut tut.

My 2008 top 5
1. The World Ends With You
2. Persona 3 (review)
3. Metal Gear Solid 4
4. Bangai-O-Spirits
5. LittleBigPlanet

Nintendo

So it has come to this. Nintendo's solutions to drying Wii titles is through remaking GameCube games. Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition was a nice update, but that was a year ago when Capcom wanted to make a quick buck and test the market. But this autumn 2008, two years after the Wii was released. Pikmin was a great game and I may rent it again (but I'll not buy). While it does look like a couple of new I.P.s will be coming our way like that Kid Icarus-like game shown at the conference, I just hope that development of new titles isn't hindered by their new found wisdom of cashing-in on GameCube Wii-makes.

Update: Joining Pikmin as Nintendo's 'take advantage of gullible fan base who will buy anything' business model are Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, Chibi Robo, Pikmin 2, Mario Tennis GC, Metroid Prime, and Metroid Prime 2 Dark Echoes. Sigh.

I've mixed feeling about the new DSi. Not sure about the camera and music player but the bigger screens may may handy, though without an increased in resolution may prove pixelated. Also glad to see it has reinforced hinges. The DSi is a bit like the Game Boy micro - a new model to milk the brand dry and prevent a price drop. Personally I'll hold out for the proper DS successor, but if you don't already own a DS Lite then I see nothing wrong with the DSi. Unless they start making DSi specific games that is... Hmm...

In other news Dragon Quest IX has been dated for a March 2009 release, in Japan. Well, at least the title has not been stuck in development hell. In the meantime do play Dragon Quest IV.

Video games for travelling

We made the mistake of packing two DS and two PSP consoles when we last went on holiday. I only touched the DS once to play a bit of Final Fantasy IV DS and the PSP for WipEout Pulse and a little bit of God of War, but for most part I totally ignored both consoles.

Games like Geometry Wars may sound like perfect travelling games, but as I use the stylus to play it has proven very difficult to play due to bumpy coach rides, as well as the lack of seating space. As such I often ignore bringing any DS games that requires the touchscreen to work - unless we take the train. Rhythm games like Patapon and Gitaroo Man! are also a no for me, as the precisions required to succeed would be compromised.

I think long RPGs are ideal for travelling with, mostly because it is while travelling will we have the time to invest in it - particularly grinding. Another genre suitable for on-the-go gaming is racing, you know fine games like OutRun 2006 or WipEout Pulse. These are wonderful 'dumb' games that doesn't require much of your brain to function, and is always a delight to find someone else in your train/coach/plain with the same game when local multiplayer makes travelling fun. Both of these also support online multiplayer, very useful if your hotel offers free wireless online access (ours did not).

But really, I hardly ever touch my DS and PSP during weekend retreats. I'll bring them, but I often find myself preferring to listen to music while looking out the window admiring the view. In the hotel I prefer to rest as much as possible (we never plan in advance - just go around as much as possible, which explains why our retreats are so chaotic and tiring) or a search for a restaurant to dine in. Still I doubt I'll ever leave either DS or PSP at home the next time we go off as you never know when you may have the urge to game.

In reply to Zorocaster.

N+ for PSP review

Like flOw, N+ is based on a popular free internet game. Now optimised for mobile platforms (available in both DS and PSP flavour), with more contents thus giving us a chance yet again to pay for what originally (and still is) free. However as N+ is designed to be played in short burst with short levels, it has proven to be a perfect gaming-on-the-go portable game.

The concept of N+ is simple: play as a pixelated Ninja and lead it through a bunch of obstacles. Something a bit like Lode Runner, but also a bit more frantic and furious. Like Bandai-O Spirits, N+ is a game that requires exceptional twitch skills within the gamer to master the game. It does remind me somewhat of the classic Prince of Persia game, where pixel perfect wall jumps are high on the required to-do-list. N+ is rather easy to get into but very difficult to master, especially once the difficulty curve goes through the roof. While they are no gamerpoints of trophies to boost your ego, much like echochrome, there is a satisfaction to be had every time a hard level is conquered.


Time limits per level requires quick thinking players as they control the Ninja through the game's complex but often flawed ragdoll physics engine. Controlling the Ninja could not get any simpler. Understanding how N+ works is simple - only three buttons are used while in play: left, right and jump button. When a level begins, get to the switch to open the door while evading obstacles, then get to the door ASAP. Obstacles includes such niceties as lasers, mines, turrets, guards and other such murderous contraptions that wouldn't pass even the least strict building regulations code. A number of different modes of play is available in N+. The single player 'Race' mode with a time limit. Co-op allows a partner to join in on the fun. Unfortunately as the game does not support 'download' play, playing co-op will require you to purchase additional copies of the game.

Visually the game does not look much different from the flash version, and you can toggle on "enhance" graphics if you think it does enhances the look... But this title is a perfect example of offering pure gameplay and the simplistic visuals only enforces the ideal. Actions are quick as you can handle as the superbly animated Ninja death scenes will hopefully spur you on through the hundreds of available levels. Speaking of death scenes, you will not get bored of seeing your Ninja explode into thousands of red pixels as you miscalculate a jump.

In a nutshell, N+ is simply an awesome game that every self confessed gamer should play. It offers something that it slowly eroding from modern games: challenge. With the ability to create your own custom levels and downloading shared levels, there really isn't any excuse to miss this. Buy it now. With tens of hours of content, you owe it to yourself.

N+ is available on the DS, PSP and Xbox Live.

Final Fantasy IV DS remake review

Now that Nintendo has finally (well almost) abandoned development of the DS in favour of pursuing none-gaming Wii money, DS owners has been looking towards 3rd party developers to pony up to its core audience. One such developer has taken up the task with massive enthusiasm. In fact Final Fantasy IV DS, the game I will be writing about today, is Square-Enix's 17th game on the platform - with many more due within the next six months.

Having said that many of the titles are either ports or remake of old titles - Dragon Quest Roto trilogy, Chrono Trigger etc. While Final Fantasy IV DS isn't exactly a new property that many I am sure would rather have, the fact that the classic title has been redesigned from the ground up meant that it almost felt like a new title. While the plot and gameplay remains almost unchanged, the script has been written, visuals upgraded from sprites to polygons and some new gameplay introduced.

Comparisons to the previous Final Fantasy III DS is inevitable, but the two could not be any further apart. While Final Fantasy III eschewed storytelling for addictive gameplay and its revolutionary job system, Final Fantasy IV was always best known as the title that finally introduced some kind of storyline within the franchise. While most of the time you would not really care about deaths in the previous game, Final Fantasy IV is littered with death (I won't spoil it for you), or what may seem like loss. It is a storytelling strategy that Square (and Square-Enix) has since used in many of its future titles.

The story begins with the delusional Dark Knight Cecil, leader of the Red Wings of Baron. Through certain circumstances where a bunch of innocent villagers got killed, Cecil eventually turns on his now corrupted kingdom. During his journey to salvation he teams up with what is now easily one of the most memorable cast of Final Fantasy characters assembly, including the Summoner Rydia, twin extraordinary Palom and Porom and Dragoon Kain (who is now more Dark Knight-like than Dark Knight Cecil himself!). Together they aim to defeat the dark lord and restore peace to their surrounding kingdoms.

Final Fantasy IV DS attempts to introduce some form of customisation in the form of Augment System (known as Decant Ability System). Personally I've ignored the new feature so please forgive if my explanation seems rather elementary. Abilities are scattered throughout the game, some hidden and some through event-triggered circumstances (such as when certain members leaves the party). These abilities allows some degree of customisation and gives party members new abilities that were previously unavailable to them in previous iterations of the game. Another new addition to the remake is the New Game+ mode which gives you access other features. I've yet to delve deep into New Game+, but from what I was told that you are limited to three playthrough. In addition to being useful to completists, two bonus bosses are also available in New Game+ mode.

Controls are via the face buttons. Thankfully you are not forced into yet another gimmick stylus touchscreen controls, as I personally believe that face buttons works best in games that features an overhead perspective - they just work. The semi-old school Active Time Battle is retained, relatively unchanged from the original with minor UI tweaks and a new feature to toggle auto fight. Auto fight, unlike the superb implementation in Final Fantasy XII, is an utter gimmick here. You can only specify a single type of action and unlike Final Fantasy XII's gambit you can not assign a trigger to the action. It is probably useful during level grinding but for random fights, and especially boss fights, I would not recommend to use it unless you have a video gaming death wish.

Visually Final Fantasy IV DS is similar to Final Fantasy III DS. While they look better initially (due to the none-chibi like character designs), on closer inspections I've found that character models in comparison to Final Fantasy III are slightly downgraded. Polygons are clearly rougher and the liberal use of camera close-ups tends to reveal nasty looking textures. While still a technical achievement, I often wonder how much better a remake of Final Fantasy IV would look if it was remade on a more powerful machine like the PSP or Wii, using either the Crisis Core's or Crystal Chronicles's visual engines instead. There are some nice touches like self shadowing and hair flutters but those are limited to cut scenes (Adrian in the comments section brought up a good point about the number of characters on screen will undoubtly cause the developers to reduce visual fidelity). Having said that, the character designs are wonderful even though nowhere as accurate as Yoshitaka Amano's designs. Regardless I expect this title to be the limit on how the DS can be pushed visually, though I hope to be proven wrong with Dragon Quest IX.

Voice acting is the bane of this otherwise enjoyable remake. While I initially looked forward to voice acting, I now wish that they were banished and space saved to be dedicated to better quality textures and bonus dungeons. I did mention that the script has been redone and now features more a ye olde English screenplay. The voice acting on the other hand is mainly littered with atrocious and contradictory American accents, for example Palom and Porom sounds more like the Olsen twins than wizards. I've no qualms against American accents, and the cast is made up of some pretty damn good voice actors - veterans of series like Shin Megami Tensei and other fine franchise including other Final Fantasy titles. But somehow American accent and fantasy storytelling does not seem to gel - just imagine Viggo Mortensen doing a GI Jane accent in Lord of the Rings. Still I am impressed by the way they sync their lips to the voice acting. The re-arranged soundtrack excellent, but you know that already. Tip: wear headphones.

Now, plenty of people have complained about the difficulty in Final Fantasy III DS. While we personally found Final Fantasy III DS to be easy, I am glad that Square-Enix did not retool Final Fantasy IV DS's difficulty to appease these RPG noobs. In fact the difficulty has been ramped up even from the already hard GBA version, giving us a delightful treat of challenge after challenge. The save system remains essentially the same - you can only save in the world map or dedicated save sections in deep dungeons - so be prepared to read nasty reviews by people who lacks foresight or the ability to strategised correctly. Regardless we didn't feel like we spent too much time purposely grinding we did in Final Fantasy III DS - the goal to achieve 100% exploration in exchange for bonus treats probably helped.

Final Fantasy IV DS is, despite its lukewarm conversion, the definitive version of the game. But somehow it felt that Square-Enix just needed another excuse for people to repurchase Final Fantasy IV for the fourth or fifth time. Perhaps there was nothing wrong with Final Fantasy IV in the first place and the 3D remake did not go far enough, or perhaps I would have loved it more if this was the first time I played it and not the sixth time. Overall, anyone who has never enjoyed the classic title should play this. It is a flawed rework, yes, but it is still a wonderful game that deserves to be appreciated by all.

Final Fantasy IV DS will be released in the UK this Friday.

Bangai-O Spirits box-art defiled by USK

If you have been following my Twitter blog, you would know that I've been raving about Bangai-O Spirits. The game is awesome I give you that, but the one thing that irked me about the title is the box-art, or to be more precise, the manner in how the German software regulator Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (USK) ruined it.


Oh yes, if the yellow colour isn't loud enough USK is very keen to point out that the title is only suitable for those aged six and above. Never mind that the classification symbol sucked in the first place (notice how PEGI ratings uses a larger font while retaining a much smaller footprint), but what is a German software rating classification, which isn't a sticker, doing on my copy of Bangai-O Spirits in the first place? Reminds me of the Dawn of Sorrow's boxart. And it isn't like the DS box has much real estate with that hideous white large Nintendo DS logo...

I probably sound like a whiny bitch, so I will shut up now and continue playing Bangai-O Spirits. Ruined box-art or not (or just get the US version) would not stop me from having a blast (Treasure you rock!).

Apologies for the crappy image, my camera's broken.

Buy Bangai-O Spirits

The sequel to one of Treasure's Bangai-O is out now in Europe.

Buy now.

I am being serious about it. You do not need a review to tell you, it is fucking Treasure for christ's sake.

If you love incredibly insane games, you have to buy it.

Not even a new dead-pixel, conspiring to have me buy a new DS Lite will put me off recommending this masterpiece.

If you hate none-games masquerading as video games, you have to buy it.

Whatever you do, just buy it and play it.

This delightful treasure game is available from Amazon UK or Play-Asia.

Chrono Trigger DS box-art

Looks familiar? Well it is the same cover art that was used in the original North American SNES version. Pretty isn't it (though a bit too white)? The DS port will be the first time the game is officially made available in PAL regions, though with the DS region free you should probably import it.

DS Lite Turquoise £89.98 delivered

You know as much as we are beginning to view the DS platform as dying (or at least being ignored), I can't help but point out that Amazon UK is selling the new Turquoise (or Ice Blue as it was called in Japan) version for a credit crunch busting price of £89.98 with free delivery. Not bad for anyone who is thinking of getting into DS gaming and has a liking for classy colours. The Ice Blue version was actually one of our target purchase when the DS Lite was launched in Japan in March 2006, but we got the Enamel Navy version instead (which so far is the only mass produced model not to be officially released here).

Note: Whatever you do, please please do not buy Nintendogs.

Final Fantasy IV DS first impressions

Based on a short playtime (well, watching Jennifer play - I will wait for the weekend trip to Scotland first):

Cecil: Not liking his voice so far. Apparently the voice actor Yuri Lowenthal voiced Seraph from Digital Devil Saga series (and the main protagonists in Nocturne), all of which I enjoyed. I hope for an improvement when he becomes a Paladin.

Kain: So far the best with a gruff and dark voice that matches the new Batman look. According to the ever unreliable Wikipedia, Liam O'Brien is "usually cast in some of the most unusual roles, as such he tends to play characters that show signs of insanity or are complete evil geniuses".

Rosa: An elegant voice, though a bit too Americanised for the setting. I rather enjoyed Karen Strassman's performance in Odin Sphere as the Valkyrie Gwendolyn, but for some reason it isn't right here.

(Young) Rydia: No idea who the voice actress is, but nothing wrong with it. She sounds like a naive kid, which is exactly what she is when she first joins the party. We will see if her voice changes as she matures.

The new translation is an improvement over Final Fantasy IV Advance and the other English versions. The language has been spruced and cleaned up too. You will be glad to know that touch screen controls is optional and you can stick with superior face button controls. I will write more once I get a chance to play it this weekend and get the hang of it.

Oh and Namingway is now called Mappingway but changed his name to Livingway at Kaipo...

You can order the North American version of Final Fantasy IV DS here.

E3 presser round-up

So what did we learn from the big three's E3 press conference?

Nintendo
- Still focusing on none-gaming.
- Animal Crossing Wii looks like DS version with voice chat and waggle.
- Back patting themselves is all they do these days, very early 1990s of them.
- Video games? What video games?

Microsoft
- Is trying to get some of that casual gaming moolah, will likely to fail.
- Did a great job crashing GAF with news of Final Fantasy XIII on 360.
- Still using proprietary HDD interface. 60GB? Very meh.

Sony
- Team ICO, where art thou?
- 256 player MAG by the developer of SOCOM is exciting news indeed.
- GOW III has been re-confirmed, again. Nothing new we didn't already know about...
- Resistance PSP sounds exciting but the developer doesn't. Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror was shit.

To be honest I didn't bother to watch a single video of the conference, bar the last couple of minutes of Sony's. Just text updates on Twitter and GAF. A disappointing E3 so far. Boo!

Chrono Trigger DS

Very excited here (unless it is a port, in which case meh). If it is a new entry or a remake (similar to Final Fantasy III and IV DS), then that would be a great reason to dust down my DS - which has been neglected for far too long.

Square-Enix's Chorno Trigger countdown

Golden Joystick Awards

Obviously not all are true. For example I've never played Portal on the 360 - only on the PC, I've only played MGS4 for like 2 hours (best 2 hours of my life, this year), and Snails Reloaded isn't on the best mobile list (for shame Future, do you even play games???). But I am not going to pass off the opportunity to skew the votes now, am I?

www.goldenjoystick.com

Anyway, which of you nitwits nominated Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles and Sonic & Mario for best handheld game?

The World Ends With You mini-review

After all the hype, I finally decided to cave in and play The World Ends With You (It's a Wonderful World), the second game this year with characters designed by Tetsuya Nomura (shocker!) after Crisis Core. So does it live up to its hype, or is this another example of a over-hyped game? So what is the appeal of The World Ends With You? For one, it is a new I.P. risk by Square-Enix (another shocker there). Then there is this new real time battle system that is very different. I will come to that later but let's get the storyline out of the way first.

You play as Neku (an"emo" teenager with an awful fashion sense, who hates people in general) who one day finds himself in the Shibuya shopping district (based on the famous shopping district in Tokyo, Japan) in possession of a rather odd and alien looking black pin/badge. Neku is a generic RPG hero, whose spiky hair and short term memory loss does nothing to prove otherwise. With the pin, he has the ability to sense the thoughts of people around him, but the thought of being surrounded by people disgusted him. But for reasons unknown to em, he is not allowed to leave. Neko later finds out that he is part of the 'Reaper's Game', a game that spans seven days. If he or other participants fail - they would be erased. To survive, Neku and his companion pact, Shiki Misaki, has to defeat 'Noise', which are physical manifestations of people's ill feelings, and complete mission objectives issued by the Reapers within seven days.

The gameplay revolves around searching for clues from people wondering around Shibuya, and fighting 'Noise'. Touching the black pin on the bottom screen will allow Neku to read people's thoughts and locate Noise. The game also has an innovative adjustable difficulty level for players who wants to take greater risk. The increased in difficulty is off-set through rewarding the player's risk with higher quality item drops. Customisation isn't a problem here, as Shibuya shopping district proves to be big enough to cater to the average cliché RPG hero, and then some. New techniques can be discovered during the course of the game, which allows Neku and his companion to unleash special attacks and combos depending on the pins (which can be stat boosted) equipped. Foods and clothings can be bought to augment Neku and his partner's stats.

Combat takes place across two screens, with Neku on the bottom controlled by the player via the touchscreen, and Neku's partner on the top screen. Controlling Neku is a fairly obvious process, with the player controlling his movements and attacks using a stylus, like slashing upwards on an enemy to perform an uppercut. Because battles takes place simultaneously, the player has the option to control the top character via the d-pad (lefties can use the face buttons). This takes some getting used, and for the first hour I did think it was a mess and often surrendered the controls to the A.I. (you can select how quick before the A.I. takes control back in the options). But once the initial first few combats, you will likely to get used to it and find a very deep and compelling battle system buried here, often trying to create combos and chaining battles.

The visuals aren't the most impressive technically, but the player is constantly showered in colourful and often psychedelic design giving the game a rather unique look, reminiscent Jet Set Radio. Character designs are generic enough, though more often than not, their vibrant fashion sense does liven up the screens. A bit like Viewtiful Joe and Persona 3. It is too bad that the developers has paid very little attention into creating an intuitive UI, as everything seems to be cluttered. It doesn't help that the colourful menu sometimes distract the player more than it assist them. The soundtrack on the other hand is a mixture of licensed J-pop, again reminiscent of Jet Set Radio. We should be thankful that a global company like Square Enix has decided not to dumb down the soundtrack (like Nintendo did with Elite Beat Agents) to cater for 'local musical taste', as the music provided here is infectiously addictive and catchy.

The World Ends With You does not live up to its hyperbole, but it is still a wonderful game. The imprecise stylus usage may annoy people seeking for a portable experience and the dual screen battle may scare people away, but the learning curve is there to be exploited. One thing I loved about the title is how 'unwesternised' the title is. It is refreshing to play a game infused with a foreign culture - something that is originally intended by the developers. With great style, wonderful soundtrack and a new innovative, fresh and deep immersing gameplay that actually takes advantage of the touchscreen (unlike gimmicky tacked on controls in games like Phantom Hourglass), I believe you will likely to enjoy your trip to Shibuya.

Get it now at Amazon UK or Play-Asia.

DS redesign wish list

Rumours of a new DS redesign is spreading. Who knows if it is true, but personally I would rather wait for a proper DS successor than yet another DS redesign. Even then I can't help but create a wish list of sort for possible improvements that Nintendo can implement over its wonderful but flawed DS Lite.

1. No more glossy case please. Seriously, the DS Lite's glossy case is the worst thing about the DS Lite. It looks flashy in photographs, but the moment you touch one you can never clean it. Not only is it a fingerprint magnet, it also scratches easily. I will take matte or brushed metal over glossy plastic, even if I have to pay more.

2. Stronger hinge. The multiple reports on the web indicates that the DS Lite's hinge design is flawed. I've never dropped my first DS Lite ever, and the hinge still came one year later.

3. Proper OS. Nintendo can mutter how much they want the DS Lite to be a pure gaming breed, but their software and peripheral line up says otherwise. So please create a proper and flexible OS that gives people the choice to listen to music, surf the web and do pretty much anything a £20 throw away phone can do.

4. Built-in storage and/or memory card support. If Nintendo wishes to allow DS owners to download games and demos via the Wii, this is a must.

5. Mini USB port. If only so we have an industrial standard port that we can charge with. The PSP supports it and even Nokia dropped their ubiquitous pop-port to support it, so I expect nothing less from Nintendo.

6. TV-out. PSP Slim style, not Game Boy Player style.

7. Better integration between Wii and DS. Where are the DS demos as promised? Just take a look of the expanding PSP-PS3 connectivity features that SCE are implementing.

8. Support for WPA2. This should have been standard when Mario Kart DS came out.

9. Proper volume control. Nothing fancy like the PSP's soft buttons, but an old style jog dial is still a hundred times better than the 3mm dial on the DS Lite.

10. Brightness control. The DS Lite has an awesomely bright screen that made playing over the summer months tolerable. But to change the brightness you are required to exit the game (restart the DS)! And people complained that we are forced to restart Windows to install security patches...

I am sure there are other improvements that can be made, though I am not in the mood to think of anything else. Maybe I should write another one regarding the PSP Slim's inevitable successor, PSP-3000 or rant about why the Wii should come with more than a paltry 512MB. If you guys have anything to add, feel free to abuse the comment system away.

Some Final Fantasy IV DS info

A little late to post this, but fuck it. Here's some intriguing localisation news regarding the DS remake of Final Fantasy IV. These info comes from Tomoya Asano, producer of FF III and FF IV DS remakes as well as Takashi Tokita, lead game designer and scenario writer of the original FF IV as well as co-director of Chrono Trigger and director of this remake.

The story has not been tinkered much, so as not to upset picky fanboys. This despite the original game being only 25% of what they intended. Some of these discarded scripts were reworked into the remake in the form of flashbacks.

FF IV DS will have new story scenes that will flesh out Golbez's character.

Problems that plagued Final Fantasy III DS will be addressed. This includes improved loading, character development, more abilities, elaborate summoning cut scenes etc. I am not too sure whether I would welcome a more elaborate summoning sequences. Hope they are skipable.

In FF III DS, one of the screen is switched off during dungeon crawling and combat, but in FF IV DS, the lower screen will be used to display enemy info, status conditions etc. during battle. Nice.

As I mentioned in my impression of the Japanese version, the lower screen contains a map percentage feature where if you explore 100% of the dungeon you will get a reward.

The Augment Ability System (Decant ability) replaces the system in FF IV Advance where the characters that were temporary in the original version are playable again later on. They didn't like it because it messes with the story.

The Augment system will allow characters to permanently learn new abilities. This was originally meant to allow leaving characters to transfer their skills, but is now expanded out to allow you to learn new abilities by furthering story sub plots.

The weird creature that was with Rydia will be called Whytkin. Which doesn't sound as cute as Pochika...

Some of Edward's abilities which were near useless in the original game will be made more useful. Thank god.

It was acknowledge that they didn't want to lower the difficulty to appease to casual gamers. Makes sense, but I remember even hardcore gamers were complaining about FF III DS's difficulty. Man up people! Stop complaining that we need save points just before boss fights!

This is important. FF IV DS won't be an easytype. Instead difficulty is increased as bosses were rebalanced to stop people from memorising boss strategies from earlier versions. I hope we will get a Hard mode like the none-Japanese version of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, but right now nothing has been confirmed.

Auto battle mode similar to gambit where you assign a single action for each character. In the Japanese version this can be turned off during battle if you wish.

The bonus Lunar Ruins from FF IV Advance won't be making it here. Nothing was mentioned about the new dungeon on Mt. Ruins.

Instead we will getting New Game+. ^_^

Summons are called Eidolons for IX fanboys. I have no idea why they would do that...

Totally ripped-off from GAF

The English version of Final Fantasy IV DS remake will arrive 22nd July this year. Take advantage of the low dollar and import.

Miles Edgeworth to star in spin-off title

Miles Edgeworth the prosecutor extraordinary of the Gyakuten Saiban series, is finally getting his own spin-off game. About time! Gyakuten Kenji (codenamed as New Gyakuten, Not Saiban)will apparently be a law adventure game and so far the two main characters confirmed are Edgeworth and Dick Gumshoe. Gumshoe as our bumbling sidekick? Even more awesome. The game will feature a sprite-based third person gameplay with a new point & click search and deduction system.

(spoilers for GS3-less Europeans - just import the damn game)

That is great news. Ever since we were given the chance to play as Edgeworth in GS3, I have been itching for Capcom to create a game that solely revolves around him.

(spoiler ends)

Hell, back when I first played the first Ace Attorney I've already started hoping for an Edgeworth spin-off. Now if only Capcom get of their arses and confirm Franziska von Karma and Godot's own spin-offs. Especially von Karma. Because playing as a hot prosecutor with her own whip is made of win.

via GAF

Updated with scans!

Professor Layton and the Curious Village mini-review

I haven't been giving Level-5's first DS game as much attention as I would like. First the playthrough was rudely disturbed by my desire to complete Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, then Persona 3 came along. And don't let me start on the PSP. Sadly to say, I could have devoted more time to this title earlier - as Professor Layton and the Curious Village is an absolute gem. The game is narrative based with a mixture of point and tap investigation and puzzle solving gameplay. Interactivity is minimal, despite that you will likely find the voice acting and animation cut scenes to be surprisingly splendid.


While puzzles are more or less have absolutely nothing to do with the plot of the title, it is a requirement prerequisite to solve a certain number of them to progress through the game. Puzzles consists of very simple brain teasers that range from simple mathematical questions to trick IQ-style questions that can tear you up until you finally realised "oh yeah, why the hell didn't I read the question properly". The only major issue with the title is the DS touchscreen is too small and low resolution, hence isn't that useful for scribbling stuff. You may need to keep a separate pen and paper handy.

For an adventure game, Professor Layton and the Curious Village comes off slightly short. Depending on your skills, as well as the amount of puzzles you tackle, it may provide around 10 hours of gameplay before completing the adventure. Even then you will likely find yourself spending more hours searching for more puzzles, as well as downloading new one via Nintendo's WFC service.

8/10