GamerNode: Latest Nintendo DS News

Update: Chrono Trigger coming to the DS

A rumor was circulating the last few hours about a Chrono Trigger port coming out for the Nintendo DS. With Square-Enix's tendency to release older games on Nintendo's handheld, it wasn't a completely unbelievable rumor, but still, any fans of Chrono Trigger knew better than to get their hopes up by getting excited.

Well, get excited. While there's been no official word yet from Square-Enix about a Chrono Trigger DS, a page on Square's official site popped up a short while ago, all but confirming the existence of the project. All that remains to be seen now is whether or not Chrono Trigger DS will feature new or updated features, a la some of the ported Final Fantasy titles. 

In other news, if you've been sitting on a Chrono Trigger SNES cart in hopes the prices continued to rise, you may w...

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Wizard of Oz RPG coming to the DS

It's somewhat amazing that the actual implementation of this idea for an RPG hasn't come around sooner, but the good news is that it finally has--an RPG based upon the Wizard of Oz. The game is slated for release sometime in winter of 2008 for the DS.

Media Vision, the developers of WildARMS, an RPG that was released a few months before another little RPG made its debut, Final Fantasy VII, will take the helm in producing the game that will be titled, Riz-Zoawd.

Some of the original production members of WildARMS will be on this project such as game designers Tetsuya Ookubo and Nobuo Nakazawa, plus music composer Michiko Naruke.

Riz-Zoawd will be in 3D and will reproduce some of the locations that many Wizard of Oz fans are familiar with. Dorothy will be the main character in the game along wi...

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Fire Emblem DS allows you to wage war online

The acclaimed Fire Emblem franchise is heading to the DS later this year in Japan. The upcoming game will be the first in the series to make its home on the dual-screened handheld but it will also be the first to boast online multiplayer, says the latest issue of Famitsu.

You begin your online battles by picking out up to five units from your team that you built up in the singleplayer mode. The battles are then carried out on maps that are exclusive to the online mode.

Other than that, this entry in the franchise doesn't do anything else different (although most if not all Fire Emblem fans will tell you that's a good thing). In fact, this game is a remake of Fire Emblem 3 which originally served as an expansion pack to the first game.

That said, being a huge fan of the series, I'm definitely ...

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Portable Portal homebrew on DS

If the cake is a lie, then what is a homebrew DS game that is based on that fallacious, yet delectable dessert?

Indie game developer T4ils has released a scaled-down adaptation of Valve's hit first-person puzzle game, Portal, for the Nintendo DS. The stylus-controlled game is entitled StillAliveDS, and it requires players to use the touch screen capabilities of the system to manipulate portals and navigate a number of two-dimensional stages on their way to the greatest reward of them all -- cake.

If the initial stages aren't enough for die-hard Portal fanatics, T4ils has developed a custom level editor for the game, which is available for download on the StillAliveDS website, as well. Using the editor, players can not only create and play their own levels, but also share them with other ca...

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DS Downloads a no go if sharing is disabled

At times it's amazing that Nintendo has done so well with the Wii. For starters, it has sold millions of units in today's gaming market despite the underpowered graphics and terrible online environment Nintendo crafted. It's almost as if Nintendo is mad they didn't think of Xbox Live first, so instead of just copying Microsoft and reaping the benefits they're purposefully making the online experience a living hell.

The latest culprit for Nintendo's poor online choices is the Wii-to-DS experience. Should the user decide that he or she doesn't want Nintendo accessing the download data on their Wii, then the user loses the ability to access downloads for their DS. Why this is so important to Nintendo that they would make it so their most successful handheld doesn't work to its full potential,...

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Nintendo says that the DS has reached its peak

As it turns out, Nintendo is apparently a pretty modest company when it comes to what they are selling. Statements have recently come out from Nintendo themselves that state that the DS has reached its peak; gravity will now take over and pull it down the mountain of money.

Nintendo states that the DS has been an astounding success. Indeed, it will still continue to be a success in the future. However, according to Nintendo, this popularity is the DS's downfall. Over time, anyone who has wanted a DS has bought one. It's a bit like selling a huge tray of brownies in a room filled with ten people. After a while, everyone has had their share, and you can't really sell anymore.

Even though 9.5 million more DS's were sold in the US and Europe in FY07-08 than FY06-07, this decline, Nintendo ...

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Nintendo denies rumors of new DS model

A few days ago, we reported rumors of a new Nintendo DS model being unveiled at this year's E3. Nintendo responded to an inquiry from Japan's Yakan Fuji website pertaining to the comments Hirokaza Hamamura made about a new DS.

"We cannot comment on the specifics of what will be announced at E3, but at the very least there won't be anything like what Mr. Hamamura suggested, so would like to clearly deny this. We're having a hard time understanding what kind of evidence [Mr. Hamamura] had for saying this.", they said.

Nintendo initially said "At the present we can not say anything." which led gamers to believe that Nintendo was just being tight-lipped. Now comes this official confirmation. Granted, Nintendo didn't deny the existence of a new DS. They merely said that one would not be shown at...

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Paper Mario coming to the DS in July

The Japanese magazine CoroCoro Comics has confirmed that a Paper Mario title for the DS will hit Japanese retailers this July. A US release will likely happen soon afterwards followed by a UK release. CoroCoro reports that this game will be a port of the original Paper Mario for the Nintendo 64, which was first released in 2001. While the game will be a port, it is very possible (and more than likely) that the game will be updated to take advantage of the DS' touch capabitilities.

I was ecstatic when I heard this news. Paper Mario is quite possibly my most favorite game of all time. To bring it with me wherever I go on my trusty DS would be heaven on earth, and if it has new extras that weren't in the original, then that's even better. I can't wait to hear more information on this title.

I...

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Majesco flames bad review of cooking mama with ema...

Uh oh, be wary fellow game reviewers--Majesco doesn't like it when you harp on their games. Gamespot's Alex Nevarro gave Majesco's Cooking Mama 2 a 6/10 in his review late last year.

Alex said, "Not long before I left my previous job writing reviews of video games, I got this little gem from someone involved in the production of a game I didn't exactly care for. Game-makers bitching about reviews is nothing new, but rarely do they do it with as much sarcastic flair as this one does."

In Majesco's own words:

"Hey Alex,I would like to thank you for your review of Cooking Mama 2 for the DS. It was fair and balanced seemed to come from a special place in your heart. I would like to thank you for your blunt honesty and telling people the game is "not worth their while" and that they could "safel...

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New DS might be revealed at E3

E3 is always an exciting event for gamers -- it's when developers show what they have been working on and like to announce things that will get gamers super excited for the next year. A rumor is flying around that mentions a new version of the DS popping its undoubtedly cute head out from the woodwork this July.

Shown in the Japanese game magazine Famitsu, publisher Hirokazu Hamamura speculates that a new version of Nintendo's best-selling handheld may be revealed at this summer's E3 trade show. This information is based off what Hamamura said in Bloomberg Japan, and so far Nintendo has not commented on this announcement. You would think with such popularity that the DS has been receiving since its launch, another new version isn't very necesarry. But according to a rough translation from B...

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Final Fantasy IV DS dated for USA

Final Fantasy IV DS has been in Japanese gamer's hands since last year. A US version was never announced, much less dated, so after much waiting, fans got anxious that the title might not even make it here at all.

Well it's time to rejoice, fellow Final Fantasy fans because Final Fantasy IV DS has been given an official launch date here in North America. The hugely-anticipated remake of Final Fantasy IV will hit stores on July 22 of this year.

I'm sure this is great news for a lot of you out there, as it is for me. I simply loved the original FFIV and its recent remake on the Game Boy Advance. The DS remake will boast not only graphics and sound (voice-acting!) completely upgraded for the 21st century but it will also contain several gameplay refinements to the original FFIV formula. July 2...

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Lawyers abound, new Ace Attorney game on its way

Yesterday we covered doctor games. Today I'll be covering a major announcement on the lawyer game front. I love the Ace Attorney franchise. Absolutely. I have loved every line of text since the first game landed on this side of the Pacific Ocean so today was a happy day for me.

Some scans were leaked from the most recent copy of Japanese publication Famitsu. The article details a new chapter in Ace Attorney that has you playing as prosecutor Miles Edgeworth. The previous four games have you playing as defense attorneys Phoenix Wright and Apollo Justice. Switching things up like this is fantastic.

As Miles Edgeworth, your job is to investigate the crime scenes and find evidence crucial to getting that guilty verdict. It makes me wonder if you can doctor evidence the way it was always...

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Trauma Center 2 passes MCAT

In easily the best news I've read all day, Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 is coming to the US in June, a mere two months from now. Wooo!

Dr. Stiles and Nurse Angie are back, presumably with a vengeance. The newest installment of the Trauma Center franchise will be complete with new difficulty modes and hopefully some enhanced powers. Last time they battled the GUILT virus that was plaguing Hope Hospital -- who knows what's in store for the dynamic duo this time around. They could even be up against ANGST or SORROW!

I absolutely loved the first Trauma Center. It was the second game I ever bought for my DS, and I played the hell out of it. It still remains one of my favorite games on the system, so I'm excited to get back into my scrubs.

I'm hoping they allow you to swap difficulty mo...

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Force Unleashed DS details

Force Unleashed is the first big push LucasArts has made in quite some time to get a Star Wars game right. While Republic Commando, Lego Star Wars and even Jedi Academy were good titles they didn't meet the high praise of classics like the original Dark Forces, or its later cousin Jedi Outcast (the first game which really let you feel like a Jedi). 

With the current-gen technology ripe for the using, LucasArts is hoping that their latest game will find itself sitting next to the adventures of Kyle Katarn, when the fans are concerned. To appeal to as many fans as possible Force Unleashed, it is also getting a DS treatment where some of the control layouts have been revealed. Movement will be mapped to the directional pad, while attacking will be done by swishing the stylus across the DS. Eve...

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Ingenuity abounds for Guitar Hero DS

You probably thought exactly what I did upon hearing the announcement of Guitar Hero On Tour for the Nintendo DS, "That'll probably suck," or perhaps, "how the hell are they going to pull that off?"

Well if your thought processes are indeed likened to my own, then you're going to like this news bit. Activision has announced the means by which players will control the first handheld installment in the series. The game will ship with an exclusive peripheral that plugs into the GBA port.

Players will hold their DS Brain Age style and position their fingers along the four keys while strumming to the rhythm using the touch screen and a special On Tour pick stylus. I'm also told that there is a strap on the back that will aid the player's grip.

I don't know about anybody else, but this comes as a c...

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Info on new Atlus RPG for the DS

RPG games have a lot of cliches, such as when a king dies mysteriously and a kingdom plunges into darkness and an evil army invades and only a magical sword can save the kingdom and restore peace to the land.

Well, that is exactly what Atlus' new RPG for the DS is going to play out like. Well it's not like I haven't gone through this type of story at all. Atlus isn't stupid, and knows that this idea has been smacked over our heads many times before, so what is their lure?

A deep party management and battle system is what will seperate this RPG from every other one. The party management in this game allows you to send your party members off on errands or go on quests to level up on their own without having you worry about grinding the same goblin in the forest for an hour until you get to th...

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FF Cyrstal Chronicles has new anti-pirate routine

Square Enix has released Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates for the Nintendo DS. That should make Final Fantasy fans giggle with glee.

But who won't giggle with glee? Those who may try to crack the game by using certain flash card devices to make copies of the game... not that anybody out there would try to attempt doing that.

The anti-pirate scheme shows up when a backup copy is used to play the game. The protection routine lets you play for about 20 minutes and suddenly pops up a cute warning screen that says, "Thank you for playing!!" The game then shuts down automatically.

So unless you take breaks every 20 minutes, it probably is a good idea to just purchase the authentic retail version and save yourself a lot of hassle.

{via ps3news]

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Like, the DS made the Cheer Squad, too!

As GamerNode mentioned last week, THQ has announced that they are planning the first cheerleading game for the Wii, but more details have surfaced, and we just couldn't help but to...bring it on...(that was so lame).

In All Star Cheer Squad for both the DS and Wii, "players will immerse themselves into the world of competitive cheerleading as they experience the thrill and excitement of cheer through creativity, customization, style and teamwork. The release will mark THQ's first original property created specifically for girls on Wii and Nintendo DS."

The press release goes on saying "players will follow a year in the life of a cheerleader as they learn new cheers, participate in practices and create their own routines to make the squad and eventually become captain."

Apparently "world-ren...

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Man proposes via homemade Bejeweled

Every time I read about the latest nerdy marriage proposal, I can't help but feel at least a little warm and fuzzy inside. Somehow using videogame culture as part of one's expression of love just seems to hit home.

p3ng, also known as "Bernie," decided in January that it was time to propose to his girlfriend, who just happens to be an avid Bejeweled player. Rather than doing things the old-fashioned way, he crafted a homebrew version of the game for the NIntendo DS and gave it to her to play. After reaching a certain score, the screen went blank and a picture of a ring dropped into view, cuing him to pop the question.

Now who could say no to that? Hint: not her.

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Mario + Sonic + Kameo = Dragon Hunters?!

We all could've guessed that it wouldn't be long before somebody else attempted to capitalize on the incredibly well-received gravity mechanic introduced by Super Mario Galaxy, but would you guess that it'd be a Nintendo DS game? How about that it would also grab elements from both Sonic the Hedgehog and Kameo: Elements of Power? Nah, didn't think so. Well that game, entitled Dragon Hunters, does indeed exist, and is expected to be released sometime in the early part of this year. Look, I even have a video clip to prove it:

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