Nintendo DS

[Penfold]

^ What EA *just* announced was that SimCity DS is coming to The Rest Of The World. Previously it was only known that it would be out in Japan.

Gotcha. Again, damn IGN for their inappropriate wording :-P.

[Bahamut]

So I just beat Trauma Center - easily one of the best DS games out there and highly recommended.

[Evilhead]

Just got it so I'll be playing it this afternoon!

My R4 card is jam packed with tons of awesome DS games. Love it! Fans of the Point Blank series should check out Point Blank DS. It's pretty much exactly like the PS1/arcade games except you use the stylus obviously. Works really well though! It's a great pick up and play game.

Anyway, I was wondering if there is any homebrew software for the DS you guys would recommend. Not really interested in games since I have more than enough of those (although if there is a homebrew game that really stands out, please do mention it!), but are there any apps or utilities that make good use of the touch screen? Maybe like a cool drawing program or something I'm not thinking of? Thanks.

[atmuh]

Just got it so I'll be playing it this afternoon!

My R4 card is jam packed with tons of awesome DS games. Love it! Fans of the Point Blank series should check out Point Blank DS. It's pretty much exactly like the PS1/arcade games except you use the stylus obviously. Works really well though! It's a great pick up and play game.

Anyway, I was wondering if there is any homebrew software for the DS you guys would recommend. Not really interested in games since I have more than enough of those (although if there is a homebrew game that really stands out, please do mention it!), but are there any apps or utilities that make good use of the touch screen? Maybe like a cool drawing program or something I'm not thinking of? Thanks.

ask drack he knows

[Bahamut]

Hey, more cheap DS games! Todays Amazon DOTD is Magical Starsign for $15: http://www.cheapassgamer.com/go.php?http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000GHG9VG/ref=nosim/cheapassgam08-20

Also if you're looking to buy some games on amazon.com, there's a coupon for 30% off your video game purchase (works on this too, I just bought this, Trauma Center DS, and Loco Roco for $43...by abusing another 30% off promo) - coupon code is: JKF4VS99

[Necrotic]

Hey, more cheap DS games! Todays Amazon DOTD is Magical Starsign for $15: http://www.cheapassgamer.com/go.php?http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000GHG9VG/ref=nosim/cheapassgam08-20

Also if you're looking to buy some games on amazon.com, there's a coupon for 30% off your video game purchase (works on this too, I just bought this, Trauma Center DS, and Loco Roco for $43...by abusing another 30% off promo) - coupon code is: JKF4VS99

How do you use coupons? Do you type them in at the checkout or something? Can't find out where, but this would be the PERFECT opportunity to get Phoenix Wright. Thanks man!


-Nick

EDIT: Dayam, Amazon.com doesn't ship video games to Canada. Seems kind of absurd, but whatever. And unfortunately, the coupon code doesn't work with Amazon.ca which would ship to me. :(

[cllzzrd]

my favorite DS games are
New Super Mario Brothers
Metriod- WiFi is what makes this game even better.
Lost Magic- this is probably the best (and least known about) game I have, it has WiFi, and a relatively good storyline. THe WiFi can the a tad laggy, but it usually goes away as the match progresses.
FFIII- This game is amazing, im only about 7 hours in, but it is really good.
DKR- This was a un game, I got it for the Wifi, but getting TT was a little frusterating.
Adcance wars dual strike- this game was really really good. I did not finish it because I lost it, but I played 95% of the game, and it was really good.


DO NOT GET WORMS FOR THE DS!!! IT IS HORRIBLE!!

[Black Mage]

my favorate DS games are...

Well that's super.

[Katsurugi]

Fans of the Point Blank series should check out Point Blank DS. It's pretty much exactly like the PS1/arcade games except you use the stylus obviously. Works really well though! It's a great pick up and play game.

I played it for a little while since my friend also got a flash cart for his DS as well. But I didn't really find Point Blank to be as challenging as the arcade version. The games are similar in nature, but somehow the transition from gun to stylus doesn't feel right. I just think that Point Blank is best in the arcade. I haven't played the multiplayer, but I hope they kept in the "Shoot red." Shoot blue." "Shoot everything!"

[Drack]

Just got it so I'll be playing it this afternoon!

My R4 card is jam packed with tons of awesome DS games. Love it! Fans of the Point Blank series should check out Point Blank DS. It's pretty much exactly like the PS1/arcade games except you use the stylus obviously. Works really well though! It's a great pick up and play game.

Anyway, I was wondering if there is any homebrew software for the DS you guys would recommend. Not really interested in games since I have more than enough of those (although if there is a homebrew game that really stands out, please do mention it!), but are there any apps or utilities that make good use of the touch screen? Maybe like a cool drawing program or something I'm not thinking of? Thanks.

DS Homebrew is quite nice. Here are some nice examples:
Moonshell: Plays music (mp3, nsf, etc...) and movies (any format, includes a converter program)
DSFTP: Run your DS as an FTP server - Read and write to your flash card over wifi
DSLinux: Run simple Linux command-line apps
QuakeDS: Quake 1 on DS with multiplayer wifi to other DSs and computers running Quake.

There are also emulators and other apps, even some homemade games.

[Bahamut]

Today is Elite Beat Agents for $20 on Amazon.com! Pick it up if you haven't yet.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HE9LL8/ref=amb_link_4457402_1/102-5500428-1859344

[Soma]

Today is Elite Beat Agents for $20 on Amazon.com! Pick it up if you haven't yet.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HE9LL8/ref=amb_link_4457402_1/102-5500428-1859344

I'm glad i already own it. Damn you Bahamut, you're on fire lately with these deals.

I got my Children of Mana yesterday, hadn't played it yet though. I started playing Izuna though. Izuna isn't bad it just plays very different than you might expect. The dungeons are randomly generated and your first time through them you're going to die, because you can only level up in dungeons. Also when you die you lose all items and money that are on you (bank FTW). So you basically end up doing the same dungeon several times until you level up enough to complete it. I never bring any items into the dungeons so far (maybe i'm doing it wrong) but it seems to be working for me. The graphics aren't that bad, looks like a GBA game. There's some voice work (in japanese) that's a nice touch.

[Penfold]

Went to help a friend move some stuff today, and on the way back we stopped at Bestbuy. Much to our suprise, there was a buy one/get one deal (that actually ended up being a 1/2 off sale, when it came to ringing it up) on certain games which they stocked all together in the middle of the main aisle. Got Baten Kaitos Origins and Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin. I know I'm a little late to the party as far as Castlevania for the DS goes, but I'm really enjoying it. Also got my friend to purchase Rocket Slime and PoR too, in addition to getting Rocket Slime for another friend whose had some interest in it. Fun time. Suprised I never saw any adds or whatnot for the sale, which is cool cuz otherwise there wouldn't have been any good games by the time I got there.

[Bigfoot]

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow - $19.99
http://www.amazon.com/Konami-24106-Castlevania-Dawn-Sorrow/dp/B0009Z3K9E/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-2251503-1230002?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1172990805&sr=1-1

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin - $20.99
http://www.amazon.com/Konami-083717241126-Castlevania-Portrait-Ruin/dp/B000GIXIPK/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-2251503-1230002?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1172990780&sr=8-1

[Evilhead]

DS Homebrew is quite nice. Here are some nice examples:
Moonshell: Plays music (mp3, nsf, etc...) and movies (any format, includes a converter program)
DSFTP: Run your DS as an FTP server - Read and write to your flash card over wifi
DSLinux: Run simple Linux command-line apps
QuakeDS: Quake 1 on DS with multiplayer wifi to other DSs and computers running Quake.

There are also emulators and other apps, even some homemade games.

Hmm, all of those things are done better on the PSP. I was looking for something that actually used the stylus...

[Dhsu]

A DS web browser would be so much win.

[Evilhead]

A DS web browser would be so much win.

Um... there already is one.

[Penfold]

Um... there already is one.

And is apperantly slow as fuck (any idea why?). One of the many reasons I got a laptop.

[Penfold]

Bump.

Just watched the new FF Fables: Chocobo Tales vids on IGN (http://media.ds.ign.com/media/848/848026/vids_1.html). Realy looking forward to this game.

Also...holy crap, C:PoR is awesome. That is all.

[Bahamut]

So, I've been playing a lot of games the past few days, including Children of Mana - CoM isn't bad. I like the dungeon crawling aspect to it, but don't play it expecting a full Seiken Densetsu game, because it isn't one.

[JoeFu]

yay atlus is bringing Luminous Arc here!

[Dhsu]

Um... there already is one.
What, where?

[atmuh]

What, where?

japan silly

[watkinzez]

japan silly

And Australia, for some bizarre reason.
Runs like shit, though.

[watkinzez]

Okay, I'm pretty much kicking myself over why I didn't import Phoenix Wright sooner. It (finally) came out here last week.

[The Damned]

Pokémon Diamond and Pearl are only 6 weeks away. Exactly six weeks. And each day is an exercise in distraction and patience.

Why would they release it on a Sunday, anyway? An attempt to trick people into not going to church? I guess it's better than having it come out on Monday. Work would slow down, costing who knows how many hundreds of millions of dollars... maybe even billions. The economy would suffer.

Don't believe me? Pokémon is the second biggest (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best_selling_computer_and_video_games#Fran chise) selling series in history, doubling sales of even the entire Final Fantasy series. That's worldwide, by the way, not just in Japan. And the average age of Pokémon players is 21 years. Think about it.

I haven't even decided on which start to choose, yet...

[Bahamut]

Well, maybe Nintendo's view is that parents will be out for church, and so the kids will probably pester them to stop by a store that sells pokemon while they're outside.

[JoeFu]

I pre ordered diamond. Next month is Super Paper Mario and Pokemon month for me.

[captaineegee]

If anyone is interested I am selling my DS lite with New Super Mario Bros, and Tetris DS. All are in excellent working condition. Let me know if you are interested.

[Merk]

So a new Wario platform game, Wario: Master of Disguise was released LAST WEEK? Boy that one came out under the radar.

[Katsurugi]

So a new Wario platform game, Wario: Master of Disguise was released LAST WEEK? Boy that one came out under the radar.
Yeah. I think it's been a while since a Wario platformer has been out. Most of this games have been the quirky mini-game type. I remember playing a Wario platformer. It was pretty fun. But I don't know how this one is going to be. I really don't think they had to make use of the stylus though. To change disguises or suits, you have to draw some pattern or design on Wario. Instead, shouldn't you just be able to select it from a menu when you press 'start'?

[Antipode]

It's too bad that Master of Disguise was so supposedly mediocre - the Wario platformer games are one of my favorite series of games ever. It's too bad WarioWare and this game are pretty much killing it...

[Antipode]

Hey, got a random question about the DS. If I change my DS username, will I lose my stats for online games such as Mario Kart and Hunters (or any game for that matter)?

[Smoke]

Hey, got a random question about the DS. If I change my DS username, will I lose my stats for online games such as Mario Kart and Hunters (or any game for that matter)?

Nope. Only if you get a new DS and don't transfer the NWFC settings.

[Evilhead]

Nope. Only if you get a new DS and don't transfer the NWFC settings.

Crap, I didn't know you could transfer those. I I got a light and there went all of my Tetris wins. Oh well, I'll just have to earn them all again!

[Darth GourryGN]

I snuck up behind you; I am wearing a freaky mask. I go to pull out my knife and you wet yourself. Oh, wait. It's just a plate of reviewburgers of some excellent Japanese DS games. You naively begin eating only to find the burgers to be laced with insanity and insomnia. I am error. Theme Music Start (http://www.doulifee.com/prc/PrcSong/prc67/PRC67_Darth_Gourry_-_Bombastic_STFU_Kitty.mp3)

Jet Impulse is awesome. Seriously. It's just like Ace Combat, but maybe better.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksIolu65CbI
This game is not made by Namco, but I bet Namco couldn't have made a better flight game for DS. The graphics are excellent and the missions are fun. There's plenty of different weapons to buy. It has 24 different jets plus crazy downloadable fighters; the designs are pretty wild, like a UFO or something looking like a car turned into a stealth fighter with a lazer, for example.
The game also has lots of voice acting and FMV, and it's nice that there are lots of menu buttons in english (and engrish). There's supposedly online battling to be done, but as only about 3 and 1/3 people must've bought the game I have yet to connect to anyone (damnable Nintendo online barhbawifiogfrajkd). The only other problem with the game is that slowdown occasionally occurs. But I don't mind since it just allows for some incredible Jedi Matrix Newtype Bullet Time stuff to be pulled off. Continuing with that tangent, I noticed that some plot elements seem to be jacked straight out of the original Gundam anime. Black Orion Stars? The enemy Crimson ace who keeps getting better machines in the same color schemes and is related to a close friend of the main character? Ryu dies? Space Nazis? Chewie's his sister? Snape kills Dumbl- uh I think I got confused. The story is pretty easy to follow even without knowing Japanese. I hope this game comes to the U.S. intact or better (but in English). I can't help but think of what happened to Ace Combat 3. Anywho (ain' I just HIlarious), this is definitely one of the top 5 games on DS.
Score: 10 out of 10 -- Buy it or go to Heck. Maybe Hell.

Dear Santa,
Another awesome game I played is Tank Beat. The game has tanks and cool music, so the title is totally not trying to trick you into buying a game about abusing your aquarium.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgjLd_g3KB8
It's an action game where you control your tank like it's a real-time strategy game. It works well, but it could have been done in a less asinine manner. The game still kicks ass, though. I heard the game was coming to the U.S. in March. But then it said May. Does this kind of thing happen a lot? Oh well. Just watch the video cuz that aquarium joke took a lot out of me.
Score: 8 bad jokes out of 10
P.S. The cookies were poisoned. Or maybe not. Actually, they were. Sorry.
P.P.S. Thanks for the pony. It was delicious.

And one more thing. Chou Soujuu Mecha MG.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoV1B_6Iozg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsmZXAXmyAw
The title of this game loosely translates to "Great Ballbusting Marionettes from Hell, That Silly Hirohito Is Back Went Back in Time to Conquer Za Warudo WRyyyyyyy Robotto. ¿Mucho Gusto."
I don't know if it will come to the U.S. I do know that it is based on the principle that picking up buildings with a giant robot and punting them is fun. Other than moving your unholy marionettes around with the d-pad, you use the awesome touch screen controls to control everything. Wow I write good. Swiping the stylus from side to side to to slash with a sword or flail the robot arms is great. You really get a rumbling giant robot battle vibe from the giant footfalls and ridiculously violent satisfying bouncing explosions of enemy robots. There are a lot of different robots to use, some with the ability to transform, and some that may look like Mr. Peanut or a windmill. In some of the missions you are given, rather than kill robots you have to destroy buildings or race a snailbot or, and this may be blasphemy, simply place rocks in a set area or remove them within a time limit. I have nothing else to say except: defenestration.
Score: 8 broken touchscreens and windows out of 10

And one MORE thing. Maybe two.
Hiite Utaeru Guitar M-06
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJm6xu1QGsU
A "non-game" where you play the guitar. You can only play chords, but the samples are good and you can strum up AND down (DAAAMN) or do a half strum thing. I dunno. Not being able to play single notes definitely makes it a non-buy for me. It'll come to Not Japan later this year.
I also played Heroes of Mana. It's an RTS with resource gathering rabites and a flying base ship that generates loyal stupid monsters from resources gathered by slowly murdering trees and rocks that have faces. Standard stuff. Your troops like to take roundabout paths to where you guide them, politely giving as many out of the way enemies as possible the chance to attack. Whatever. I hope Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Ring of Fates Failure to Alliterate on the Sub-subtitle YOU LOSE GOOD DAY SIR is good. Whenever the hell that comes out.

And with the last of my dignity and coherence gone I bid you suffering in the spirit of Schadenfreude. สมน้ำหน้า

[The Damned]

One month until Pokémon Daimond and Pearl come out.

And I still have two months of classes left. Seriously, I will fail those last parts, simply because I will not be able to NOT play the game.

[Penfold]

So Ninja Gaiden for the DS announced today (http://ds.ign.com/articles/776/776483p1.html).

[G_D]

So I picked up Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow today at Best Buy for $10. Pretty good deal, I'd say. I haven't started playing yet, though.

[BlueMage]

So I picked up Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow today at Best Buy for $10. Pretty good deal, I'd say. I haven't started playing yet, though.

I have looked EVERYWHERE for that here. I cannot find.

Also, have I mentioned how much fun I'm having with Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney? Because I'm having a lot. Bus-rides to work go so much quicker now.

[Black Mage]

I have looked EVERYWHERE for that here. I cannot find.

Also, have I mentioned how much fun I'm having with Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney? Because I'm having a lot. Bus-rides to work go so much quicker now.

I have learned that buses and DS do not mix well.

[supremespleen]

Hot damn, the new Pokemon games look amazing.

[JoeFu]

I'm looking at the ninja gaiden screens on IGN and man, does the game look good. It looks like it utilizes pre rendered backrounds and makes the game look awesome.

[Penfold]

I'm looking at the ninja gaiden screens on IGN and man, does the game look good. It looks like it utilizes pre rendered backrounds and makes the game look awesome.

Yeah, it's lookin' pretty awesome. They were saying the screenshots don't really do it justice because of the dynamic use of the camera and whatnot, so I'm looking forward to seeing more.

[Katsurugi]

IGN mentioned that there's a unique system and there's a tutorial to help you get acquainted with that. Hmmmmm....... I kind of want something like the original Ninja Gaiden. Maybe I'm a bit of a purist in that sense. But I think this is definitely one of those titles that doesn't have to make use of the stylus if in fact that's what is used in the unique control system. It does look nice.

[Soma]

IGN mentioned that there's a unique system and there's a tutorial to help you get acquainted with that. Hmmmmm....... I kind of want something like the original Ninja Gaiden. Maybe I'm a bit of a purist in that sense. But I think this is definitely one of those titles that doesn't have to make use of the stylus if in fact that's what is used in the unique control system. It does look nice.

I was assuming the whole Ninja Gaiden DS thing to be an early april fools joke from tecmo (team ninja?) But it was on IGN gamescoop and 1up Yours! this week. It sounds like a bad idea, I like ninja gaiden (old and new school) but a game similar to the NES games would be a better fit IMO. It's weird that you have to hold it like a book (ala hotel dusk), twitch games don't work so well on the DS but maybe this will open up the door for more action games.

I can't frickin wait for Pokemon to come out, i haven't decided which version to get yet.

[KakTheInfected]

So, has anyone else here tried Chocobo Tales? I can best describe it as "surprisingly awesome". Definetly work checking out, even if you aren't a huge fan of Final Fantasy.

[Penfold]

So, has anyone else here tried Chocobo Tales? I can best describe it as "surprisingly awesome". Definetly work checking out, even if you aren't a huge fan of Final Fantasy.

I've been pretty interested in it. B-day is Friday, and I'm thinking a friend got it for me as a gift, but if not I'm buying it this weekend.

[atmuh]

havent played a ton lately but since castlevania dawn of sorrow was $20 i went and got it
man i made a good choice this game ROCKS

[watkinzez]

So I won a copy of Spectrobes for, long story short, being a smart arse.
Good game? Shit game? Trade-in fodder?

[Hellcom]

So I won a copy of Spectrobes for, long story short, being a smart arse.
Good game? Shit game? Trade-in fodder?

Judging by this review
http://www.rpgamer.com/games/other/nds/spectrobes/reviews/spectrobesstrev1.html (http://www.rpgamer.com/games/other/nds/spectrobes/spectrobesprev.html)
pretty bad.

You play as Rallen, a Planetary Patrol officer so shallow and unoriginal that you'll likely forget his name in a few seconds and start mentally referring to him as Cloud.

lolz

[Forty-second]

I picked up Phoenix Wright JFA recently and absolutely loved it. I'm absolutely hooked on that series. I ordered the first one the day I finished it, and I'm waiting for it to ship. The writing for that game is some of the best writing for a game I've come across.

I recently heard of a game called Hotel Dusk that looks very interesting, along the lines of PW, Myst, MoTaS, etc. Does anyone know much about it? I'm thinking of getting it after I finish my Phoenix Wright binge.

[atmuh]

I picked up Phoenix Wright JFA recently and absolutely loved it. I'm absolutely hooked on that series. I ordered the first one the day I finished it, and I'm waiting for it to ship. The writing for that game is some of the best writing for a game I've come across.

I recently heard of a game called Hotel Dusk that looks very interesting, along the lines of PW, Myst, MoTaS, etc. Does anyone know much about it? I'm thinking of getting it after I finish my Phoenix Wright binge.

wait so you've played JFA but not the first?
get ready for JFA but with awesome music

[Dexie]

So I won a copy of Spectrobes for, long story short, being a smart arse.
Good game? Shit game? Trade-in fodder?

Shit game.

Worst $30 I've spent in a while.

[Yoshi3gg]

I recently heard of a game called Hotel Dusk that looks very interesting, along the lines of PW, Myst, MoTaS, etc. Does anyone know much about it? I'm thinking of getting it after I finish my Phoenix Wright binge.

It's definitely not as good as the Phoenix Wright games, and it can get sort of tedious at times, but it's good. I'd recommend it.

[Bigfoot]

Holy crap I can't wait for summer vacation. There's so many games I need to get..

[Citris]

I went and preorded Pokemon Diamond and Pearl he other day. God I can't wait for the 22nd!

[The Damned]

We will have to start up a Pokémon D/P trading and battling thread once it comes out.

Is that OCR DS friend code page still up and running?

[Alpine Flame]

I've also pre ordered it. Looks amazing! Should start a list of friend codes for sure.

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

Man, I hope Itagaki and the folks over at Team Ninja add a left-handed orientation option for Ninja Gaiden DS...

[Oddllama]

We will have to start up a Pokémon D/P trading and battling thread once it comes out.

Is that OCR DS friend code page still up and running?

http://wiki.unmod.org/index.php?title=Nintendo_friend_codes

[Penfold]

Got Yoshi's Island and Phoenix Wright: Justice for All this weekend, fun stuff (though it did take me a little bit to get into Phoenix Wright). Also ordered Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales since it was sold out at local stores...shipped today, should be here by Friday. Also, since Pokemon was in the same order as Super Paper Mario, I realized today I accidentally got it sent to my parents house. On the bright side, at least I didn't send it to my old dorm or something. On the down side, I prob won't be able to play Pokemon till the first weekend of May.

Oh, question about Phoenix Wright. Which was more fun: the first or JFA? At some point, after I finish some of my backlogged games, I'll be looking in to getting the first one.

[Oddllama]

http://wiki.unmod.org/index.php?title=Nintendo_friend_codes

Seriously people, add yourselves to this.

[Katsurugi]

Yeah. I'm extremely torn because of the Pokemon D/P's online capability and just my love for the older Pokemon. Anyone want to help me decide between Fire Red or the newer versions?

(On another note, if I were proposing to a girl, I'd give her Diamond on its release day. That would be extremely corny and nerdy... yeah, that's me.)

[Ab56 v2 aka Ash]

Newer versions. You can do much more stuff with them. Also, Fire Red has crappy music.

[KakTheInfected]

http://kotaku.com/gaming/inis/ouendan-2-coming-next-month-251288.php

Oh joy.

[Evilhead]

I doubt there are any fans of the manga/anime here, but they've announced a Nana game for the DS that should be out in Japan in June. Seems like some kind of simulation game. Hopefully it's not as crap as the PSP Nana game.

[atmuh]

We will have to start up a Pokémon D/P trading and battling thread once it comes out.

Is that OCR DS friend code page still up and running?

http://www.ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=4901

hopefully it gets more attention once them games are out
and also most of our coordination will be in our irc channel

irc.enterthegame.com #clanocr
right now its pretty dead but hopefully people will waddle in there when they get their pokeymans

[Ab56 v2 aka Ash]

Any idea which starter yall are gonna pick?

[Oddllama]

I'd like to pick the penguin... he has a buttload of resistances and near no weaknesses...

but I'm probably going with the plant-type that looks like a dinosaur.

[Bigfoot]

Any idea which starter yall are gonna pick?

All of them.

[Penfold]

All of them.

Yeah dude, that's the way a friend and I are going too.

[Bigfoot]

Yeah dude, that's the way a friend and I are going too.

It's the way both of my DS are going :P

[Penfold]

It's the way both of my DS are going :P

lol nice (10characterlimit).

[Alpine Flame]

I'd like to pick the penguin... he has a buttload of resistances and near no weaknesses...

but I'm probably going with the plant-type that looks like a dinosaur.

Yes! I'm not the only one. But, seeing as the trading capability will be much easier, I'm gonna start with the turtle, and hopefully end with all of them.

[Bigfoot]

I was just watching some of the new Pokemon D/P videos over at http://www.gametrailers.com , and you really see some of the dumbest comments.

"This could be on the GBA easily".

"For god sake, why are they still using midi files?"

"graphics suck!!!!! omg, they could have done way better w/ the DS"

"graphics are #$@! (yes i expected more)"

"this game looks like it did on the gba"

"It looks almost exactly same as the GBA battling wise."



I guess there always has to be some form of hater.

[Ab56 v2 aka Ash]

Oh come on. Most people probably ARE gonna get them all eventually, but which one are you gonna train first?

I usually go with fire, but I'm not so sure this time... The water starter actually seems cool and the fire starter looks ugly and is the same types as the last starter. The grass starter also learns earthquake eventually too. I can't decide.

[Bigfoot]

I always choose the grass type as my "main".

[atmuh]

I always choose the grass type as my "main".

yay me too!

[JoeFu]

I'm gonna get diamond and http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v75/joefu12/Turtwig.png ALL THE WAY BABY!!!

[Soma]

I'm gonna get diamond and http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v75/joefu12/Turtwig.png ALL THE WAY BABY!!!

That looks cool. I usually start with fire or water (charmander and squirtle) And i chose the fire one in gold. Maybe a grass type this time. Though you usually do end up with all 3 fully evolved at least i did. But i used to cheat and use that GB trade trick where you yanked the link cable out at the right moment when trading and you both get the PKMN. Gave alot of people mews that way.

[Evilhead]

I'm actually looking forward to Diamond/Pearl. It will be the first Pokemon game I've will have played since the original Red/Blue on GB, so hopefully I won't get bored with it so quickly. Should be fun doing online battles with ClanOCR! Also, am I the only one getting Pearl? All the Diamond exclusives seem so boring... Just tough/strong types. I'd much rather play with weird/cute Pokemon but I guess that's just me.

[atmuh]

I'm actually looking forward to Diamond/Pearl. It will be the first Pokemon game I've will have played since the original Red/Blue on GB, so hopefully I won't get bored with it so quickly. Should be fun doing online battles with ClanOCR! Also, am I the only one getting Pearl? All the Diamond exclusives seem so boring... Just tough/strong types. I'd much rather play with weird/cute Pokemon but I guess that's just me.

I think I'll have pearl as well. And I look forward to some hardcore clanocr matches!

[Evilhead]

I made a DS OS skin for those of you use have an M4/R3 card. Enjoy!

http://www.mavisxp.com/r4/skins/1176461896_preview.jpg
http://www.mavisxp.com/r4/skins/ (http://www.mavisxp.com/r4/skins/)http://www.mavisxp.com/r4/skins/1176461896_Evilhead.rar

http://www.mavisxp.com/r4/skins/ (http://www.mavisxp.com/r4/skins/)

[supremespleen]

What are the exclusives for each game?

[Evilhead]

What are the exclusives for each game?

http://www.serebii.net/diamondpearl/exclusives.shtml

[Mr.Roboto]

Wait a fuckin second here.

Pearl gets a Walrus pokemon?

...Thats so fucking AWESOME.

[Evilhead]

Yeah, if I get one I will make it my strongest pokemon.

[Alpine Flame]

I decided to get pearl a while back (like march). I like the white palkia rather than the wierd looking horse thing on diamond. I'm going to try to get every eevee form and form a team with 'em. Beat that. Looking forward to some tight matches w/ Clan OCR.

[Penfold]

I'm getting Pearl as well, though just cuz my friend and I preordered the two games from Gamestop.com and she wanted Diamond :razz:.

[Kanthos]

Can someone explain the idea of Pokemon to me? If I'm right, it's basically RPG-style battles with monsters that you've captured, bred, or traded, plus some RPG-like story elements and gameplay making it more than just combat. Is this basically it? Why should I consider buying one of the Pokemon games? What is the difference between the two?

[Mr.Roboto]

Can someone explain the idea of Pokemon to me? If I'm right, it's basically RPG-style battles with monsters that you've captured, bred, or traded, plus some RPG-like story elements and gameplay making it more than just combat. Is this basically it? Why should I consider buying one of the Pokemon games? What is the difference between the two?

It's satanic!

[luminaire23]

Wait a fuckin second here.

Pearl gets a Walrus pokemon?

...Thats so fucking AWESOME.

Actually, Walrein and his lesser evolutions premiered in Ruby/Sapphire for the GBA. Not all those exclusives on that serebii page are new.

[Mr.Roboto]

Actually, Walrein and his lesser evolutions premiered in Ruby/Sapphire for the GBA. Not all those exclusives on that serebii page are new.

Well..thats obvious.Most people who are getting Pearl/Diamnd only played Red/Blue,I only went up to Gold/Silver.

[Fire in the Hole]

Why do I have to go and read this thread? It only costs me money.

I think I'll grab Pearl but someone here or elsewhere I know had better get Diamond because I want my damn Scyther.

[JoeFu]

One reason I'm not getting Pearl is because Palkia looks like a giant wang...

Just look at it

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v75/joefu12/Palkia.png

Anyways, I hope Evilhead and his pearl will catch many of the exclusives so he can trade them to us.

[Soma]

I preordered diamond, i never thought about which one i wanted until the guy in the store asked. Looking through that list, i think i can live with the diamond exclusive pokemon.

[Mr.Roboto]

One reason I'm not getting Pearl is because Palkia looks like a giant wang...

Just look at it

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v75/joefu12/Palkia.png

Anyways, I hope Evilhead and his pearl will catch many of the exclusives so he can trade them to us.

....

So?WHATS YOUR FUCKING POINT MAN!?

http://www.asmodee.com/dl/secret/walrein-1-.jpg

MOTHER FUCKIN WALRUS!

Yeah.I'm loving this pokemon way too much.

[JoeFu]

PW3 annouced for September. It's called Trials and Tribulations.
Now I really need to get the 2nd game before I get too far behind the series.

[Bigfoot]

I'm going to be running a Pokemon Farmer website.

$5 for regular lvl 100 Pokemon(all versions).
$10 for legendary lvl 100 Pokemon(all versions).

Payment will be accepted through paypal only.



But I'm just joking.

[JoeFu]

if u wer seriuz i culd werk 4 u. i m azn so i do jawbs lik dat.


But yeah, I want to play pokemon. I don't really have a game to play in bed before I go sleep now :(

[The Derrit]

haha i do the exact same thing joefu. its probably the best habit i could possibly have. not only that it puts me to sleep like no other; once you're done its out like a light for me.

mmm. light.

[Bigfoot]

Playing your handheld on the can is also fun too. It may leave your family members wondering what the hell you're doing in there for so long.

[Warmech]

Phoenix Wright 3 baby!

[Fire in the Hole]

So anyone know how much DS Phat goes for these days? I'm thinking of laying down the last of my credit at EB Games and whatever I can get for the Phat wherever I can unload it to pick up a shiny new Onyx Lite. Also, to anyone who has done such a conversion, is it worth it?

This may be a bad move as Nintendo may be looking into another price drop to keep an edge on PSP, but if that happened Phat value would also decrease. Plus, there's no guarantee it will.

[KakTheInfected]

I have both. Not gonna sell my old DS because it has much, much better speakers and it's more comfortable.

But if you want really nice colors, you have to get a Lite.

[Bigfoot]

I don't know, I doubt the DS Lite will drop in price anytime soon.

[Fire in the Hole]

I forgot another question. How does a White Lite hold up to wear? I've heard that the shiny outer casing can turn dull and speckled over time due to dust and dirt and finger prints and whatever else, but that this is no such problem for darker models like Onyx. Confirm/deny?

[The Damned]

Can someone explain the idea of Pokemon to me? If I'm right, it's basically turned=based battles with monsters that you've captured, bred, or traded, plus some standard RPG story elements and gameplay making it more than just combat. Is this basically it?
Pretty much. The whole point is that unlike pretty much every other RPG, even the other creature-collecting ones, you can make any team you want with almost any attacks you want. You can even get so specific as to choose which stats get bonuses, both battle and otherwise.
Why should I consider buying one of the Pokemon games?
Because they're fine games? Because they're solid titles in their own right? Because it's fun to make a team and use it to beat the shit out of other teams, whether it's in-game or against another person?
What is the difference between the two?
http://www.serebii.net/diamondpearl/exclusives.shtml

Some older and newer pokémon show up only on one version. Trading is also a hell of a lot easier, so getting those missing ones is pretty simple.

If you have wi-fi, you can place the poke you want to trade away on the Global Trade System (GTS), and even when you turn the game off, the server(s) that handle the trading system on-line will store it for you. If another person has the poke you're looking for, and they agree to the few conditions you specified (like gender and level), they send their poke to the server. Once you turn your game back on, the system automatically completes the trade for you and taa-daa! You traded a pokémon without even having to be there.

[Bigfoot]

Just remember a few things.


Never play your white DS Lite after eating greasy foods.


I guess that's just one thing.

[Katsurugi]

I forgot another question. How does a White Lite hold up to wear? I've heard that the shiny outer casing can turn dull and speckled over time due to dust and dirt and finger prints and whatever else, but that this is no such problem for darker models like Onyx. Confirm/deny?
I haven't heard of those problems yet. My sister has had one for a couple of months now and it's still just as new as she got it. Fingerprints on the white one are almost invisible whe compared to the Onyx version which I have. I worry more about the L and R buttons changing some color over use due to the acidity of your fingers. But aside from that, it's like buying a white or black shirt/car/etc. The color itself has its own advantages. I think that the shell Nintendo uses for its DS is perfectly fine.

[Power Surge]

Even though I have a black DS lite, I still have my phat DS, which has a problem. Whenever I turn on my phat DS, the touch screen fades into a thick gray color after a few minutes, making it all but impossible to see anything on it; it happens every time. Is there a way to fix it? I'd like to keep it because games that use the D-pad, especially Metroid Prime Hunters, handle like ass on the lite because of its shitty D-pad.

[Bigfoot]

You could always send it in to Nintendo.

[The Damned]

I found and bought a black DS Lite, and I returned it.

There was a problem with dead pixels, yes, but that wasn't the real issue.

I found the glossy coating to be really, really annoying. Every time I touched it, it was like someone had rubbed bacon on it. The smudges were terrible. If it was a flat, matte black, I would have been fine with it. Gloss is a terrible thing to put on anything a person is going to be constantly touching.

NINTENDO, MAKE NON-GLOSSY DS LITES, PLEASE!

[Mr.Roboto]

I found and bought a black DS Lite, and I returned it.

There was a problem with dead pixels, yes, but that wasn't the real issue.

I found the glossy coating to be really, really annoying. Every time I touched it, it was like someone had rubbed bacon on it. The smudges were terrible. If it was a flat, matte black, I would have been fine with it. Gloss is a terrible thing to put on anything a person is going to be constantly touching.

NINTENDO, MAKE NON-GLOSSY DS LITES, PLEASE!


Yeah.Thats one of the main reasons I still have my DSPhat.(also the fact that the DSLite is very small.

[Evilhead]

I have one of the light blue DS lites and I don't notice the smudges unless I'm looking for them. White seems like it's even better, but both of them get a little dirty as far as the matte parts go (mainly the hinge and L/R buttons). My black PSP also seems to get pretty smudged up but usually just around the d-pad and buttons. Black glossy things are just made to be scratched/smudged.

Still, not at all a reason to not get a lite, especially with the lighter colors available! While the regular DS has a more responsive d-pad, the lite vastly out performs it on just about every other level.

Also, on a different topic, have any of you guys experienced a self-fixing dead pixel? Right after I got my lite I noticed a dead pixel right in the middle of the lower screen. At first I was annoyed but it wasn't noticeable during gameplay. Then one day I realized it was gone completely and has yet to return. Anyone know how this happened? Maybe cycling through the brightness levels a bunch of times did it? I'm happy, but it's a little puzzling, since the dead pixel on my PSP has stayed dead for a long while now.

[The Damned]

Still, not at all a reason to not get a lite, especially with the lighter colors available! While the regular DS has a more responsive d-pad, the lite vastly out performs it on just about every other level.
I'd say that only the brighter screen settings make it any better.

The size and weight differences aren't that much, and the speakers on the Lite are pathetic compared to the DS. Play something (ideally the same game) in both a DS and a Lite, and you'll hear the difference instantly.

Also, while some people have left GBA games behind, there are still lots of us that haven't. The Lite leaves the GBA cart sticking out. Not a major issue, but it is sort of annoying.

Yeah, only the brighter screens really make a Lite worthwhile. And since most of us aren't in Japan, saying there are more colors out doesn't help any... Stupid Japan, getting like... twenty colors or something.

[Bigfoot]

The speaker difference doesn't bother me that much. Nothing a good pair of headphones can't fix. Besides, aren't the speakers on the DS Phat just louder? I use the Phat for EBA, and that YEAH! to get to the menu screen when you play the game is so freakin' loud, lol. The better screen is what wins for the DS Lite.


On another note, watching the new RE Umbrella Chronicles sparked something in my head. Why hasn't there been a rail shooter for the DS? It could work easily. Unless there is one that I don't know about?

[supremespleen]

On another note, watching the new RE Umbrella Chronicles sparked something in my head. Why hasn't there been a rail shooter for the DS? It could work easily. Unless there is one that I don't know about?There's some zombie one comin' out.

[Katsurugi]

Also, on a different topic, have any of you guys experienced a self-fixing dead pixel? Right after I got my lite I noticed a dead pixel right in the middle of the lower screen. At first I was annoyed but it wasn't noticeable during gameplay. Then one day I realized it was gone completely and has yet to return. Anyone know how this happened? Maybe cycling through the brightness levels a bunch of times did it? I'm happy, but it's a little puzzling, since the dead pixel on my PSP has stayed dead for a long while now.
Dead pixels are white or black and irreparable. If it's any other color, red, green, or blue, then it's only a stuck pixel. I'm probably assuming that it was only stuck and they can get unstuck just by the hardware trying to use that pixel. Usually though, I find stuck pixels just as bad as dead ones. You must have good luck then!

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

Yeah, I have s stuck pixel on my Onyx, and while it isn't a pain in particular when I'm playing games, it's still there, and my subconscious is killing me about it. That's not a bad idea cycling through the brightness settings. It's too bad there's no other way to fix the damned thing.

Also, any way to get rid of scratches on the exterior?

[Katsurugi]

It's really a case by case type of thing, but I don't have any luck with getting pixels to be unstuck, even if cycling through brightness settings on LCD screens in general. As for scratches, I guess it's going to be similar to that of cars... maybe waxing it? I don't know if that'd work too well, but it's an idea.

[atmuh]

I have one of the light blue DS lites and I don't notice the smudges unless I'm looking for them. White seems like it's even better, but both of them get a little dirty as far as the matte parts go (mainly the hinge and L/R buttons). My black PSP also seems to get pretty smudged up but usually just around the d-pad and buttons. Black glossy things are just made to be scratched/smudged.

Still, not at all a reason to not get a lite, especially with the lighter colors available! While the regular DS has a more responsive d-pad, the lite vastly out performs it on just about every other level.

Also, on a different topic, have any of you guys experienced a self-fixing dead pixel? Right after I got my lite I noticed a dead pixel right in the middle of the lower screen. At first I was annoyed but it wasn't noticeable during gameplay. Then one day I realized it was gone completely and has yet to return. Anyone know how this happened? Maybe cycling through the brightness levels a bunch of times did it? I'm happy, but it's a little puzzling, since the dead pixel on my PSP has stayed dead for a long while now.

first off I WANT THE LIGHT BLUE ONE D:
they have them at nintendo world but theyre $50 more, so I have a white one

and yeah its the same with me with pixels
out and in

[Katsurugi]

They sell the light blue ones at Nintendo World? Hmm... I never noticed before. I guess my friend will be happy to hear the news then.

[atmuh]

They sell the light blue ones at Nintendo World? Hmm... I never noticed before. I guess my friend will be happy to hear the news then.

and the dark blue ones
theyre like $179
I WANTED ONE D:

and yeah they are in the same case as they regular lites

[Fire in the Hole]

Hmm... I think I might stick with the Phat for now. Since I don't really take my DS anywhere as is, the extra portability isn't worth much, and I wouldn't want poorer speakers because when I'm sitting around at home I don't use headphones. Really, the extra $40-$60 I would need to scrounge up to cover the difference for a Lite would only be for extra sleekness factor, and better buttons (but apparently worse D-Pad?), which I don't have a problem with anyway. My credit would be better spent elsewhere.

By the way, what do you guys mean about the Lite D-Pad being worse? I've played with it some on the demos and it seemed fine to me. You just mean that it's a softer press? Because if that's all, I actually prefer the Lite.

[KakTheInfected]

Some Lite D-pads have weak diagonals. It used to really bother me, but after you get used to it it's no big deal at all.

[atmuh]

Some Lite D-pads have weak diagonals. It used to really bother me, but after you get used to it it's no big deal at all.

mine had this
nintendo replaced it

[JoeFu]

Some Lite D-pads have weak diagonals. It used to really bother me, but after you get used to it it's no big deal at all.
I remember the time when Bigfoot AKA Kevin F AKA blah blah blah.


Man, that was freaking awesome, remember bigfoot who was also me and like 3 other people on 1up?

[Bigfoot]

I remember the time when Bigfoot AKA Kevin F AKA blah blah blah.


Man, that was freaking awesome, remember bigfoot who was also me and like 3 other people on 1up?


rofl, oh god. That stuff was crazy.

[Evilhead]

I just find the d-pad to be less responsive in general since it's so squishy. It works perfectly fine for most games, but compared to the regular DS's clicky d-pad it's just less accurate. I'm more likely to mess up when going very quickly in tetris for example. If they would have made the d-pad a little stiffer it would have been a perfect balance of form and function.

As for the lite, to me the screens make all the difference in the world and totally justify the purchase. The regular DS's screens were just awful, espcially the touch screen. It just looked like crap, and it was practically unplayable in sunlight. The size difference is a huge plus as well. I could only take the regular DS anywhere in winter when I was wearing a coat with big enough pockets. Now I can slip the light in even relatively tight jeans pockets. The speakers are a bit quieter, but most of the time I am playing the thing on the train with the sound off anyway. The lite's stylus is a lot easier to hold too. The start button on the lite is complete crap though. Too small, in a weird spot, and it's hard to push.


And I guess I had a stuck pixel since it was kind of a light blue color. Weird, because on my PSP it's pretty much the same color so I wonder if it will come unstuck one day. And for those of you with the ability to play homebrew, I saw some utility floating out there that's some kind of stuck pixel fixer. If you have a flashcart/card and some stuck pixels it might be worth a shot.

[atmuh]

well on my bros DS it literally took half a second to turn around (that wasnt very nice in Megaman ZX) so yeah we switched it but the one we got from nintendo works perfectly now. I notice no difference between that and my old DS.

the lite is WAY better I don't see why you people would prefer an old one over it

[Bigfoot]

The only thing that I don't like about the DS Lite is the GBA slot. It sucks that they couldn't figure out a way to make it so it doesn't stick out leaving you with a plastic piece to hold onto.

[Dark Chocobo]

I have no idea where my little thing is. I've always got a GBA game of some kind in mine (FF 6 Advance right now), so it never bothers me, and it still fits in my pocket just fine.

Whoever was talking about the fingerprint marks, someone actually went and de-polished his black DS Lite. I saw it on a website a while ago, can't remember where now. I'll look for the link.

[Unstable Hamster]

I have been wondering if I should sell my DS and get the lite, yet recently I found a dead pixel (I don't know how long it's been there, I found it playing FF3). You guys think I could get my DS replaced for a DS lite by Nintendo?

[supremespleen]

I have been wondering if I should sell my DS and get the lite, yet recently I found a dead pixel (I don't know how long it's been there, I found it playing FF3). You guys think I could get my DS replaced for a DS lite by Nintendo?I've often wondered that myself. I don't have a dead pixel, but I have a weird smudge on my screen that has been there since I got it and cannot be cleaned off.

[atmuh]

I have been wondering if I should sell my DS and get the lite, yet recently I found a dead pixel (I don't know how long it's been there, I found it playing FF3). You guys think I could get my DS replaced for a DS lite by Nintendo?

if within a year yes

its worth a call
the worse they can say is no, but they probably wont

[Evilhead]

If Nintendo gives you a DS lite because you have ONE dead pixel on your regular DS, they've crossed the line from good customer service to being downright stupid!

[Bigfoot]

Are you sure it's dead and not just a stuck pixel? They'd probably just fix the pixel(if possible) and send it back to you.

[Citris]

The only thing I miss about the original DS is the speakers. The Lite's are just downright crap. It doesn't really matter when playing in public, since I usually have headphones, but at home it's rather disappointing.

[The Mutericator]

If Nintendo gives you a DS lite because you have ONE dead pixel on your regular DS, they've crossed the line from good customer service to being downright stupid!

Or, you know, having a product of such high quality that they can afford to replace minor instances like that.

[Kanthos]

Pretty much. The whole point is that unlike pretty much every other RPG, even the other creature-collecting ones, you can make any team you want with almost any attacks you want. You can even get so specific as to choose which stats get bonuses, both battle and otherwise.

Because they're fine games? Because they're solid titles in their own right? Because it's fun to make a team and use it to beat the shit out of other teams, whether it's in-game or against another person?

http://www.serebii.net/diamondpearl/exclusives.shtml

Some older and newer pokémon show up only on one version. Trading is also a hell of a lot easier, so getting those missing ones is pretty simple.

If you have wi-fi, you can place the poke you want to trade away on the Global Trade System (GTS), and even when you turn the game off, the server(s) that handle the trading system on-line will store it for you. If another person has the poke you're looking for, and they agree to the few conditions you specified (like gender and level), they send their poke to the server. Once you turn your game back on, the system automatically completes the trade for you and taa-daa! You traded a pokémon without even having to be there.

GTS sounds like a really nice feature. As for differences, I know about the differences in pokemon. I meant with respect to story, interface, or anything else. Or does the story just not matter much?

[Ab56 v2 aka Ash]

The story of pokemon is always pretty much the same. You start out as a noob with no pokemon, do something at the beginning to obtain your starter pokemon, get a pokedex and go collect your first badge. Soon you'll meet the evil guys (Team Rocket in Red, Blue, Gold and Silver; Team Aqua and Magma in Ruby and Sapphire; and Team Galaxy in Diamond and Pearl). You'll encounter them frequently as you go on collecting badges until you have a showdown with them because their plans involve doing something Dr. Evil-like Evil with legendary pokemon. KILL THEM. Get your last badge and fight the elite 4 to become THE POKEMON MASTERZ ZOMG!

[Fire in the Hole]

The story of pokemon is always pretty much the same. You start out as a noob with no pokemon, do something at the beginning to obtain your starter pokemon, get a pokedex and go collect your first page. Soon you'll meet the evil guys (Team Rocket in Red, Blue, Gold and Silver; Team Aqua and Magma in Ruby and Sapphire; and Team Galaxy in Diamond and Pearl). You'll encounter them frequently as you go on collecting badges until you have a showdown with them because their plans involve doing something Dr. Evil-like Evil with legendary pokemon. KILL THEM. Get your last badge and fight the elite 4 to become THE POKEMON MASTERZ ZOMG!

And yet it looks so good.

[The Mutericator]

The story of pokemon is always pretty much the same. You start out as a noob with no pokemon, do something at the beginning to obtain your starter pokemon, get a pokedex and go collect your first page. Soon you'll meet the evil guys (Team Rocket in Red, Blue, Gold and Silver; Team Aqua and Magma in Ruby and Sapphire; and Team Galaxy in Diamond and Pearl). You'll encounter them frequently as you go on collecting badges until you have a showdown with them because their plans involve doing something Dr. Evil-like Evil with legendary pokemon. KILL THEM. Get your last badge and fight the elite 4 to become THE POKEMON MASTERZ ZOMG!

Most people usually have a point to posting something like this. I'm assuming you're insulting the game based on its storyline, which is NEVER the point to buying a Pokemon game?

[Ab56 v2 aka Ash]

You know what they say about people who assume.

[Fire in the Hole]

Most people usually have a point to posting something like this. I'm assuming you're insulting the game based on its storyline, which is NEVER the point to buying a Pokemon game?

Or perhaps he's simply explaining what the storyline is honest-to-God like, since the question was asked, and subtlely implying that the storyline is mostly irrelevant? Great critical reading on your part.

[Ab56 v2 aka Ash]

For seriously, Pokemon games are great. I played at least one from every pair of games (except I haven't finished Fire Red).

[Evilhead]

Most people usually have a point to posting something like this. I'm assuming you're insulting the game based on its storyline, which is NEVER the point to buying a Pokemon game?

Yeah, what interests me in this one is the WiFi battling/trading. Before you were pretty much limited to a couple people to play, but now you can battle anyone in the world! Quite different, although I'll surely be discouraged by the people who do NOTHING but play Pokemon.

[Antipode]

In case no one's mentioned it:

http://ds.ign.com/articles/780/780820p1.html

Sonic Rush Adventure. It would be nice if it actually wound up being good. I wonder if "Adventure" means it's actually supposed to fit into the Sonic Adventure series plotline or if it's just referring to the style of gameplay (free-roaming, third-person platforming). I hope that if it's the latter they actually do it right. Either way, since it's on DS we shouldn't have too many issues with cheesy voiceovers!

Incidentally, it's going to be online.

EDIT: It looks like the only third person segments are the water vehicle parts and boss fights (a la Rush). The rest of it will be sidescrolling. Well, I'm cool with that, as I pretty much liked how Rush turned out.

[atmuh]

Yeah, what interests me in this one is the WiFi battling/trading. Before you were pretty much limited to a couple people to play, but now you can battle anyone in the world! Quite different, although I'll surely be discouraged by the people who do NOTHING but play Pokemon.

and the fags that use the action replay for DS

[Drack]

and the fags that use the action replay for DS

The producers of all the DS cheats I know of do not publish codes or enable the software for games that feature Nintendo WFC connectibility.

The only cheats going on would probably be save hacking from flashcart owners - a tiny minority of DS players.

[atmuh]

The producers of all the DS cheats I know of do not publish codes or enable the software for games that feature Nintendo WFC connectibility.

The only cheats going on would probably be save hacking from flashcart owners - a tiny minority of DS players.

if you give your pokeymans crazy stats with action replay then play online dont your pokeymans stats stay the same online?

[Ab56 v2 aka Ash]

I'm a flash card user but I don't even know how to hack saves, and I'm glad for it since I wouldn't find the games even 1/3 as fun if I did.

[Evilhead]

Well, you just download a save file and pop it in there instead of the save file you have on your card. Takes all of 3 seconds assuming you have an R4/M3. Haven't done anything like that, even though there are some games I physically own and have beaten nearly 100% and have to start over completely using a the ROM. What's the point really? You're just cheating yourself out of gameplay. But when it comes to smashing people over WiFi... hmm....

[atmuh]

Well, you just download a save file and pop it in there instead of the save file you have on your card. Takes all of 3 seconds assuming you have an R4/M3. Haven't done anything like that, even though there are some games I physically own and have beaten nearly 100% and have to start over completely using a the ROM. What's the point really? You're just cheating yourself out of gameplay. But when it comes to smashing people over WiFi... hmm....

D: dont be a meanie!!!!

[Ab56 v2 aka Ash]

G6 Lite actually

[Evilhead]

G6 Lite actually

Seems pretty cool since you can play GBA ROMs with it, one things the slot-1 cards can't do yet. Too bad it's only 512 megs, but that's still enough for plenty of games.

[Drack]

Atma, what I was saying earlier was that cheating software like Action Replay and Dipstar have historically been completely disabled for games that connect to Nintendo WFC. As in, no offline cheats either.

I'm pretty confident that there will be a savehacking trainer like there was with ACWW though, but I don't think random matches will show many "hacked" opponents at all, even among flashcart users. For example, I have NEVER played anyone in MKDS who had so much as the mapvoting hack (for those who don't know, a ROM patch allows you to vote for any MKDS track for online matches .. normally about 2/5 of them are disabled online).

And slot-1 flashcarts will probably never have GBA support - No one's going to write a GBA emulator for DS, and I don't foresee development of a "reverse-passme" happening any time soon.

[Penfold]

So I'm thinkin' Megaman Star Force is looking pretty cool (though I didn't really play the Battle Network games) but I dunno which of the 3 versions I'd get (I don't really care to buy essentially 3 of the same game). Is anybody else interested in this game and already know which they'd buy?

[Ab56 v2 aka Ash]

Seems pretty cool since you can play GBA ROMs with it, one things the slot-1 cards can't do yet. Too bad it's only 512 megs, but that's still enough for plenty of games.

It's actually ideal if you want to emulate pokemon games (DS & GBA) and not have a GBA cartridge stick out. GS Lite lets you link up the games you emulate. Just last week I linked a Megaman Zero 3 rom to a Megaman Zx rom. Ideally, I should be able to trade pokemon between roms too.

[Drack]

Not sure if this topic is allowed.

I use an M3 Perfect Lite. Expensive, but it's the best.

[KakTheInfected]

Since we're on the subject...

I hope Japanese saves will work with the US version. I already have a pretty good party built up.

[bouncerboy15]

Since we're on the subject...

I hope Japanese saves will work with the US version. I already have a pretty good party built up.
I'm doubting that it'll work, but you can still try.

[atmuh]

ok so after many months I decided to finally go back to Phoenix Wright JFA (I got it the day it came out finished the first case and stopped). It got a LOT better (what I really didn't like was the music, but that improved since more and more of the original stuff came back).

good game

I was especially amused when the clown said "from west clownadelphia born and raised" etc and maya said "FOR GREAT JUSTICE"

[KakTheInfected]

I'm doubting that it'll work, but you can still try.

It does work with Japanese saves...I am so happy. I'll post my code when I get it.

[Fire in the Hole]

To cave and get a Lite or not to cave and get a Lite... that is the question.

I only have 1 DS game, plus Pearl reserved, anyway, and I only know of one more coming out sometime that I for sure want to get. Hell, I've only used my DS to play FFV and VI Advance in the last month.

[supremespleen]

What starter Pokeymans are you guys goin' with? I'm pretty sure I'm gonna pick the penguin thang.

[The Damned]

I hate all of you right now. You don't have a major exam, one that gets you a pay raise, on Monday. Some of you are also getting your games a day or two early. And then there's those of you that have working wifi.

Hate you all... so much...

[Fire in the Hole]

I'm pretty sure I'm gonna pick the penguin thang.

Who wouldn't? that is rhetorical do not answer

[atmuh]

To cave and get a Lite or not to cave and get a Lite... that is the question.

I only have 1 DS game, plus Pearl reserved, anyway, and I only know of one more coming out sometime that I for sure want to get. Hell, I've only used my DS to play FFV and VI Advance in the last month.

if that one game is not phoenix wright i pity you

[Ab56 v2 aka Ash]

I finally decided on picking fire. Later on I'll trade for a water starter though.

[Evilhead]

It does work with Japanese saves...I am so happy. I'll post my code when I get it.


Really? I was holding out on playing the Japanese versions for so long because I wanted to play with all of you honkeys when the English version finally came out but knew I wouldn't have the patience to restart my game. Kind of sucks that not everyone will be starting at the same level though! I thought it would be cool for people to all be battling weak pokemon right when it came out and then gradually getting stronger together. Oh well.

[Fire in the Hole]

if that one game is not phoenix wright i pity you

When good games like that and Trauma Center were still coming out I had no money. Now that I have money I can't find the games or the time for them. You really should pity me. Maybe not whatever.

(I am also an idiot and sold MPH and Animal Crossing in the days when I had no money.)

[JoeFu]

Is anybody going to breed all the start pokemans? If any of you guys could, that would be awesome because I want the orginals :(

[atmuh]

When good games like that and Trauma Center were still coming out I had no money. Now that I have money I can't find the games or the time for them. You really should pity me. Maybe not whatever.

(I am also an idiot and sold MPH and Animal Crossing in the days when I had no money.)

scrap together $20 and make phoenix wright your next game (I saw it for $20 at toys r us)

[The Damned]

To anyone that has their Pokémon Diamond and Pearl games, can you answer a few questions?

First, are the carts both different colors (as as the tradition with Pokémon games), or just the regular black?

Second, how shiny and fancy are the cases? I've seen the usual box art pics, but I've also seen some shiny, possibly holographic, foil details on a few others.

Thanks in advance.

[atmuh]

To anyone that has their Pokémon Diamond and Pearl games, can you answer a few questions?

First, are the carts both different colors (as as the tradition with Pokémon games), or just the regular black?

Second, how shiny and fancy are the cases? I've seen the usual box art pics, but I've also seen some shiny, possibly holographic, foil details on a few others.

Thanks in advance.

I've seen cases
they are shiny

[The Damned]

And the carts?

[atmuh]

And the carts?

havent seen em yet I WANT MY POKEYMANS NOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

[The Damned]

How do you think I feel? Everyone else can get it on Sunday morning. Me? I have to wait until Monday Afternoon because of a fucking exam!

And studying for it is so difficult right now...

[Bigfoot]

Carts aren't different colors :\

[atmuh]

Carts aren't different colors :\

hey are you gonna join us in clanocr for massive pokeymans playin?

[KakTheInfected]

Yays, finally beat the Elite Four. Now to work on getting something other than Parukia (Palkia?) to a decent level.

[JoeFu]

Nobody wants to be a breeder?

I think we should make a collective effort and have someone force the pokemons to have babies for us.

[The Damned]

Well... I do like to watch. And I do have pretty much every single pokemon there is, including starters and legendaries... even those Mews from the last Pokémon event.

And I will have random amounts of free time over the next while.

Anyone want some starters?

[Citris]

Omg I Forgot I Will Get My Games In 6 Hours! I Just Wet Myself!

[Soma]

I've got my diamond reserved at EBstop, dunno if they are getting it today (Sunday) or Monday. I assume they'll have it since most stores have seemed to have it since last week. Do you think i'll have any problem getting a DS headset? I've honestly never seen one in stores, i think a friend of mine has one though. How does the voice chat work in this? during battles? before/after matches?

[Bigfoot]

I've been so caught up with other crap, that I totally forgot D/P comes out tomorrow.

[Drack]

Pokémon is nice.

Classic, addictive, familiar.

[I-n-j-i-n]

I almost feel like looting a Pokemon D/P from a young relative. I know they will have it soon. 10 years ago roughly, when I was like that too. I feel so old.

[Ab56 v2 aka Ash]

I'm gonna be playing the crap out of pokemon on Monday after my midterm.

[Fire in the Hole]

scrap together $20 and make phoenix wright your next game (I saw it for $20 at toys r us)

(I only quoted this to get to replying quicker)

Anyone who has played both Trauma Center games: is the Wii remake new and good enough to buy for someone who has played most of the way through the DS game? How does the difficulty match up? (I remember wanting to kill myself around the fifth chapter of the DS game, when you had to treat 5 patients in 10 minutes... if it's even harder I'm not sure I want to bother.) Should I just spend $50 on Phoenix Wright and Trauma Center DS (so I can actually finish the game) rather than Wii?

[SirChadlyOC]

I was in the exact same situation.

I don't think it's worth $50. You could rent it, beat it on easy mode, then try normal mode until you get stuck (in the same place probably, lol), and you'll probably have played it enough.

Or you could buy it after the price drops to $30 or less.

[Hale-Bopp]

Picking up Pokemon Pearl later this morning after reserving it at TRU only yesterday. I have no idea what I'm getting into. The wife made me do it. Honest.

heh, guy at TRU suggested we not show up until sometime after 11am once the Wii craze dies down. They expect a huge rush of kiddies.

[supremespleen]

Picking up Pokemon Pearl later this morning after reserving it at TRU only yesterday. I have no idea what I'm getting into. The wife made me do it. Honest.

heh, guy at TRU suggested we not show up until sometime after 11am once the Wii craze dies down. They expect a huge rush of kiddies.You should join is in #clanocr on ETG. I'm sure later in the day there will be lots of playing and trading starting up.

[Hale-Bopp]

I'll pass the word on to her since it's her copy for her DS. She still hasn't quite talked me into buying my own copy of the game...yet.

[JoeFu]

I have pokemon :)

[The Damned]

Think there's enough interest and general happenings to warrant a separate Pokémon DP thread?

[Bahamut]

Just post one and see what happens...I'll be leaving to get my Pokemon soon (hopefully) - think I'll be able to snag one without having reserved it?

[JoeFu]

Just do it.

Pokemon is big enough for its own thread.

[Penfold]

News for Dragon Quest IX (http://ds.ign.com/articles/783/783284p1.html). Apparently it's going back to turn-based instead of the battle system announced previously. It now no longer features random battles, rather you are able to see the enemy on-screen ala Chrono Trigger or Tales of Symphonia. Also, the addition of character customization makes sense for this game. Finally, the cooperative play sounds intriguing.

[Bigfoot]

Taiko Drum Master for the DS

http://blog.wired.com/games/2007/04/taiko_drum_mast.html

Sweet.

[Penfold]

Taiko Drum Master for the DS

http://blog.wired.com/games/2007/04/taiko_drum_mast.html

Sweet.

That sounds pretty cool.

[Bigfoot]

Hell yeah. The DS could always use more rhythm games.

[AzureZeal]

I curious to see XenoSaga I & II get released out in the States, but I probably shouldn't hope too much.

[Penfold]

So I never played FFXII, but it sounds pretty interesting that they made FFXII Revenant Wings into an RTS (http://ds.ign.com/articles/783/783724p1.html).

[Bigfoot]

Want to see the most disgusting DS Lite you'll probably ever see? I'm guessing the person at customer service didn't even look at the actual DS Lite when the person said it "stopped working". There's no way it should have been returned.

I'm wondering how old the child was that was the primary user of this DS Lite.. it looks like it's been dropped, chewed, molested by Cheeto infested fingers, and who knows what else.

http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/7151/ds1xx0.jpg
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/7936/ds2hx1.jpg
http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/8923/ds3cb6.jpg
http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/25/ds4xn8.jpg
http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/1275/ds5je5.jpg
http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/7272/ds6dq7.jpg
It's so busted, that the upper part doesn't even snap when you open it. It just keeps going back.
http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/1474/ds7nd7.jpg
http://img385.imageshack.us/img385/696/ds8fi3.jpg
http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/3707/ds9pc3.jpg

[Fickett Towleny]

Jeez, that looks worse than mine.

Ever heard of 'Paper Towel' or, heaven forbid 'Napkin' kid?

[atmuh]

ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

[Penfold]

New Dragon Quest IX screenshots (or compilation of 4 screenshots into one) on IGN (http://media.ds.ign.com/media/849/849436/img_4511819.html). What do you know, it looks just like you'd think :razz:.

In unrelated news, my copy of Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales, which has been on backorder at bestbuy.com for a while, finally shipped. Now only another week before I get it lol.

[Penfold]

Nintendo announces 2007 DS lineup (http://ds.ign.com/articles/785/785725p1.html). Not as exciting as the Wii 2007 lineup announcement, but interesting nevertheless.

[Warmech]

Picked up a copy of Hotel Dusk yesterday. Didn't think I'd be able to find it anymore, but on a random trip to EB there it was.

I was also wondering, is there anything else coming out soon worth pre-ordering? I slapped down some on Dawn of Mana, but the guys there didn't have a release date for World yet.

[KakTheInfected]

You could import Ouendan 2.

[vega12]

Wow! How did I not notice this?! A game called "Planet Puzzle League" is coming out for the DS this summer! Basically, to me it's online Tetris Attack... that's going to be so many kinds of awesome.

[Bahamut]

Wow! How did I not notice this?! A game called "Planet Puzzle League" is coming out for the DS this summer! Basically, to me it's online Tetris Attack... that's going to be so many kinds of awesome.

Yeah I told Taucer earlier - he's going to get a DS just for it! June 4th, just after my birthday too...all kinds of sweetness there.

[AzureZeal]

If I can scrounge up a few more dollars, I'm getting Etrian Odyssey. Looks to be an interesting game.

[Penfold]

Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: Rings of Fate news (http://ds.ign.com/articles/787/787035p1.html).

[JoeFu]

Etrian Odyessy is next week right?

I'm happy I have a job now and can pay for my own games :)

[Toadofsky]

Just upgraded to a DS lite, trying to get back to beating some of these old games I have so I can trade em in (I just can't find myself keeping games I don't play around my room)

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

OK, so I just went out on a spending spree(hey, I had books to sell and a really hard final, so I felt like treating myself), and bought Pokemon Diamond, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, and Final Fantasy III. So far I love each and every one of them, but here's the thing: I've been seeing plenty of light scratches all over my DS, and it's kind of pissing me off.

Just wondering if any of you might know of a way to remove these scratches.

[Soma]

OK, so I just went out on a spending spree(hey, I had books to sell and a really hard final, so I felt like treating myself), and bought Pokemon Diamond, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, and Final Fantasy III. So far I love each and every one of them, but here's the thing: I've been seeing plenty of light scratches all over my DS, and it's kind of pissing me off.

Just wondering if any of you might know of a way to remove these scratches.

alot of people say get screen protectors. I know that won't really reverse your problem but it could help in the future maybe. You ever see those commercials on late night TV about that stuff you put on glasses to remove scratches? it's like some goo that fills in the holes or something, that could possibly work (in my mind at least). or it could completely ruin your touch screen.

When i first got my DS FAT i used to be careful with the screen and everything because i'm really anal about scratches and keeping things nice. But since i've got the ds lite i just let it go. It is called a "touch" screen, so i do actually touch it with my hand now (well sometimes, jump superstars being a good example)

The external of my DS lite is pretty scratched up now too, anyone know of any good cases for the DS lite? I have a nintendo one but it's like a glorified sock with mario on it.

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

I don't have anything on the actual screens(save for a stuck pixel which I think I might just have Nintendo look at). It's just the exterior that's loaded with the light scratches.

I'm thinking I might use the CD doctor liquid and buffing pad and see if that does anything. Gotta wait 'til next week, though.

If anyone has any tried and true methods, I'd love to hear 'em.

[Czar Diego]

The external of my DS lite is pretty scratched up now too, anyone know of any good cases for the DS lite? I have a nintendo one but it's like a glorified sock with mario on it.

I have this case from Nakiworld that I got from EB that's pretty good. It has a zipper compartment for the lite, and then another one that holds 3 gba games and a little ds card case with room for 9 cards.
The set also comes with screen protectors, 2 extra styli, a car charger, and some other good stuff. I think I got it for ~$20.

[KakTheInfected]

So Ouendan 2 is out...I'm suddenly very, very bored of Pokemon.

[JoeFu]

Is etrian odyessy out yet?

I need to get that game.

[Kanthos]

Came out on the 15th, I believe. I'm going to see if I can get it tomorrow.

[Soma]

So Ouendan 2 is out...I'm suddenly very, very bored of Pokemon.

Hells yeah, i got mine today. I doubt I'll ever finish pokemon now. I got to the elite4 and my interest just kind of dropped off.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v337/shaotaku/ouendan2.jpg

[supremespleen]

I'm considering getting Hotel Dusk. Is it anywhere near as satisfying and enjoyable as Phoenix Wright?

[Thalzon]

I'm considering getting Hotel Dusk. Is it anywhere near as satisfying and enjoyable as Phoenix Wright?

I enjoyed it immensely, but never played PW, so I can't draw up any comparison. Still, it's a great story.

[supremespleen]

I enjoyed it immensely, but never played PW, so I can't draw up any comparison. Still, it's a great story.About how many hours would one get out of it?

[Thalzon]

I got 20. I'd say the norm is about 12-15. Maybe longer than 20 if you don't use a guide (I did in parts because I was wandering around forever).

[vega12]

So I imported Planet Puzzle League (Panel de Pon DS - パネルでポンDS - basically, Tetris Attack on the DS) and it arrived yesterday. Thought I'd post some impressions.

First of all, I played the game for the first 5 or so hours using the D-pad instead of the stylus. The game gives you the option to play holding the DS normally, or holding it like a book left or right handed. You can only really play with the D-pad while holding it normally, while the book style is meant for stylus use. You can try to use the stylus for the normal way of holding it, but the panels are signficantly larger when held like a book, making it much easier to make moves.

I started off just playing VS against the CPU on hard. There were 10 rounds to play, and it took my 19 losses before making it through them all! Needless to say, the CPU blows Tetris Attack out of the water. The mean game length was like 5 minutes at least. I'd say it's on par with Pokemon Puzzle League in terms of difficulty. The big thing I noticed though is that the non-standard panels are more awkward to work with, because my mind is trained to work with the normal Tetris Attack ones. Don't fret though; it gives you the option to either use the stage panels, or chose a set for all stages. There's also items you can turn on for garbage battles which make garbage battles much more interesting, and less of a battle of attrition. I don't know what all do for sure, but some one would lock one row of your opponent down temporarily so they can't swap them, one would clear garbage off you completely, one would start randomly switching the opponents panel colors for a short time, one would change some blocks into grey duds temporarily. Not sure if that's all, but that's what I recall right now.

There's a few more modes to play with too. You can try to get high scores in a 2 minute interval in Score Attack, Garbage Attack, Clear Attack. Score Attack is the normal points for chains/combos. In Garbage Attack, you are continuously bombarded by garbage, and your goal is to clear as much garbage as possible. And Clear Attack is just like the stage clear mode where you have to raise the stack as much as possible.

Now, one option they give you that changes the dynamic significantly is the ability to raise the stack while panels are clearing. This means you can potentially chain for as long as you want! After a couple hours of playing, I already have a 49x chain, and score of 80000+. Although I think to break 100,000 points, you need to put lots of bonus matches in during the chain, because that 49x chain was for about 1:45 of the whole 2:00 :-D. The other thing that makes it easier to achieve high scores is, believe it or not, the stylus. You can swap panels across the screen with lightning speed, and move the stylus from the bottom to the top of the screen much more quickly and accurately than with the D-pad. Also, if there are clearing panels in the way, you can basically 'queue' up a swap moving the pen like you would normally, but without lifting it off the screen, then when the clearing panels are done clearing, the panel will immediately swap. It makes for doing some things much easier, like catching some dropping panels, or double-swapping to continue a chain.

I don't have wireless at my home, so when I'll test out the competition online later. I guess this is a good enough post to tell you what I think of the game. If you liked Tetris Attack, get this game. It is different enough, yet similar enough to keep my interest, and has some new modes to keep an experienced player busy for a bit, before they become absorbed in online play :-D. Also, I hear you can talk using the mic online.

EDIT: Oh yeah, it can also save movies of your feats in Score Attack. Sweet, eh?

[Kanthos]

Huge recommendation here for Etrian Odyssey. You have to like the old-school RPG format (it's turn-based, plus you make your own maps with the stylus, which is easier than it sounds). It's got good visuals, although the monsters and characters aren't 3D and the landscape confines you to a north/south/east/west grid. Haven't listened to sound much (it annoys people when you play with sound on the subway), but the bits I heard were good.

The best part is party formation and customization. There are a lot of options. You start with 7 possible classes and pick up another 2 later, and most classes have more than one way to specialize them. All skills, including spells, are learned by using skill points, similar to talent builds in World of Warcraft. You can have a guild of up to 16 people (I have 12 right now), and can have 5 people in your party at a time. I have a party of 5 for clearing out dungeons, plus one each of the other main classes just to play around with (troubadours are great for buffing in boss fights). I also have a second warrior-type class (called a landsknecht); the main one specializes in swords and gets an attack that hits everyone, but the other one specializes in axes and will be good in boss fights. I also have 4 survivalists (ranger types) who I'll use mainly for farming materials.

In the dungeon, there are spots where you can harvest plants, chop wood, or mine if you have skills for it. The higher your skill, the more attempts you get, so I use the 4 survivalists along with one other character to do farming runs to get money.

You buy all your equipment and potions in town, besides what you get as treasure, but the list of items available to you depends on the monsters you kill. Monsters don't drop gold, they drop various monster parts (hides, shells, wings, etc). You take them to town and sell them to the shopkeeper, and as you do, she becomes able to make different and better weapons using the materials you've given her.

There's no saving in the dungeon, but it's not a big deal, because after maybe 30 minutes of playing you unlock an item at the shop that lets you warp back to town, plus there are other ways to warp around the dungeon, so it's not like you have to run down 17 floors to get back to where you were.

Overall, it's quite well designed and it's the best RPG I've played in a while.

[watkinzez]

You know what's awesome? The fact that the DS is semi-resurrecting the adventure game genre.
Crackpot Entertainment, made up of old school LucasArts alumni, are developing a game called Insecticide (http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/24/insecticide-lucasarts-alums-bring-us-ds-adventure-game/). It's different, it looks great, and it's coming from some talented people. I'm almost sold already.

[Dhsu]

In other news, Gamecock is the best name for a company ever.

[atmuh]

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/25/gyakuten-saiban-3-to-include-english-translation/

yesyesyesyesyes

[UnforgivingEdges]

Huge recommendation here for Etrian Odyssey. You have to like the old-school RPG format (it's turn-based, plus you make your own maps with the stylus, which is easier than it sounds). It's got good visuals, although the monsters and characters aren't 3D and the landscape confines you to a north/south/east/west grid. Haven't listened to sound much (it annoys people when you play with sound on the subway), but the bits I heard were good.

The best part is party formation and customization. There are a lot of options. You start with 7 possible classes and pick up another 2 later, and most classes have more than one way to specialize them. All skills, including spells, are learned by using skill points, similar to talent builds in World of Warcraft. You can have a guild of up to 16 people (I have 12 right now), and can have 5 people in your party at a time. I have a party of 5 for clearing out dungeons, plus one each of the other main classes just to play around with (troubadours are great for buffing in boss fights). I also have a second warrior-type class (called a landsknecht); the main one specializes in swords and gets an attack that hits everyone, but the other one specializes in axes and will be good in boss fights. I also have 4 survivalists (ranger types) who I'll use mainly for farming materials.

In the dungeon, there are spots where you can harvest plants, chop wood, or mine if you have skills for it. The higher your skill, the more attempts you get, so I use the 4 survivalists along with one other character to do farming runs to get money.

You buy all your equipment and potions in town, besides what you get as treasure, but the list of items available to you depends on the monsters you kill. Monsters don't drop gold, they drop various monster parts (hides, shells, wings, etc). You take them to town and sell them to the shopkeeper, and as you do, she becomes able to make different and better weapons using the materials you've given her.

There's no saving in the dungeon, but it's not a big deal, because after maybe 30 minutes of playing you unlock an item at the shop that lets you warp back to town, plus there are other ways to warp around the dungeon, so it's not like you have to run down 17 floors to get back to where you were.

Overall, it's quite well designed and it's the best RPG I've played in a while.

Listen to this man. The game is old school to the max, but it looks great, plays great, instills the ever-addictive "I'll just do one more thing before I quit/oh shit it's three hours later" syndrome, has a great sense of adventure and exploration, is very challenging and super fun.

This is the ONLY RPG you'll need for your DS.

[Soma]

Listen to this man. The game is old school to the max, but it looks great, plays great, instills the ever-addictive "I'll just do one more thing before I quit/oh shit it's three hours later" syndrome, has a great sense of adventure and exploration, is very challenging and super fun.

This is the ONLY RPG you'll need for your DS.

Well damn, you just sold it. Now i have to pick that up too.

[AzureZeal]

Might be true, but I read on the Atlus boards that a sequel for Etrian Odyssey is already confirmed and the password option is used for it. Think I spent most of the evening playing that game straight.

[Imagist]

So I spotted the latest deals at EBGamestop online Saturday and went over to trade in several games I'll never play again (Red Steel, Call of Duty 3, Smash Bros. Melee, Mario Kart Double Dash and Tales of Phantasia) along with my old DS for some $130 in credit. I paid off a reserve for Mario Party 8 and with the credit on my card from something long ago found myself with $117. So I'm going in tomorrow with Sonic and the Secret Rings to pick up a DS Lite. Yippee.

The exciting part? I just noticed another part of their latest ad advertising the original Phoenix Wright for $19.99, and after checking availability it looks like all the stores near me have several copies, so I'll probably shell out the cash for that and I'll finally get to play it. I was kind of pissed off for the longest while when it looked like no one carried it new and I couldn't find it used any more.

The bad part? After that I'll probably want to buy Phoenix Wright 2, and then have to save up for Phoenix Wright 3. There's $60 more down the drain. :-|

[Necrotic]

The bad part? After that I'll probably want to buy Phoenix Wright 2, and then have to save up for Phoenix Wright 3. There's $60 more down the drain. :-|

Don't think of it as a trap, but more like the inevitability of something totally, mind-numbingly awesome entering your very soul.


-Nick

[Oddllama]

Hey - someone told me a while back, but I forgot...

Is it better for the long-term capacity of my DS battery if I only charge it when I need to, or if I constantly charge it whenever I can?

[Czar Diego]

You should only charge it when it's close to being dead. If you constantly charge it, it'll wear on the battery after a while. That's what happened to my first DS. It's life went down by like a third before I traded it in.

[Imagist]

So I picked up Phoenix Wright, but have no DS to play it on. The only color Lite any of the stores near me had was pink. I could settle for a black instead of the white I want, but no pink. Maybe they'll get some with their Mario Party shipment tomorrow and I can pick up both at once.

[Mr.Roboto]

So I picked up Phoenix Wright, but have no DS to play it on. The only color Lite any of the stores near me had was pink. I could settle for a black instead of the white I want, but no pink. Maybe they'll get some with their Mario Party shipment tomorrow and I can pick up both at once.

Get a Pink one you pussy.

[Imagist]

Who the hell capitalizes colors?

[AarowSwift]

Who the hell capitalizes colors?

Somebody who wants to Emphasize the word.

[The Mutericator]

Who the hell capitalizes colors?

The colors are, in fact, the special titles for each version of the DS Lite - Pearl Pink, Something Blue, et cetera.

[SirChadlyOC]

I have a pink one that was given to me for free 8-O

I plan on buying one of those skins for $10 to cover it up, and I might also buy a replacement stylus, GBA cover or even battery cover to make it more dual-toned and less blatantly FABULOUS!!