To our delight, whispers of a new entry in the ‘main’ Pokemon series have caught our ears.
By ‘main’ game we mean the games that are released as pairs, and often have a nice third game which differs in no way at all for a bit of cash. We’re not talking about the several hundred awful spin-offs, re-makes and/or non-DS games (God damn you Battle Revolution). Red and Blue, Gold and Silver, Ruby and Sapphire and Diamond and Pearl are all ‘main’ series; Yellow, Crystal, Emerald and Platinum have are all the ‘third’ game which are always totally unnecessary and rarely bring anything new to the pair released prior.
Anyway, now that we all know what I’m talking about let’s get to the actual news. Oh wait, that is the news.
Besides announcing that the game exists and that it will be released, Nintendo didn’t share many details. All we know is that it’ll almost certainly be set in a different environment, have 120-ish new Pokemon, which will all probably follow the decreasing trend in design originality, and will hopefully introduce a few exciting and innovative gameplay mechanics to the series.
After being wildly popular in Japan, the latest Pokemon games are set to release the catch’ em all craze all over again.
Really? Thanks for the heads up. You hear that readers? Pokemon hide in the grass. Don't worry, I didn't know either.
Soul Silver and Heart Gold are actually just remakes of Gold and Silver. See what they did there? They added an extra word in front of the previous games names. Know you see it. Nintendo’s magic play on words has worked again!
Seriously though, HG and SS have been penned in for a UK release date on the 26th of March, ‘10.
With new Wi-Fi features, pokewalker peripheral and enhanced graphics the pair could well be the best yet.
P.S. I’m almost finished playing through a copy myself, and will get a review up shortly.
Okay, so 2009 wasn’t the GREATEST year for games, so much for the recession-proof industry eh. Many big releases were postponed ’til 2010 because of the surrounding money issues. Let’s hope ‘10 is better than ‘09.
Only a minuscule amount of DS releases have been documented for 2010, we expect to see more releases announced as the year progresses.
Gauntlet – Well…we think we know it’s coming. After being heavily rumored to being cancelled, to continued, to cancelled, to continued, it is hard to know where you stand with Gauntlet. We still live in hope for the cult classic to be re-ignited on the DS though.
Supposedly, it will feature 4 player multiplayer co-op, as well as an all new 3D movable camera.
Hotel Dusk: Last Window: Midnight Promise – Only recently announced, the continuation of the series brought a smile to the faces of many fans of the original; our forum administrator, Falco, in particular. Hotel Dusk: Room 215 was released at varying times over the first half of 2007, and no word of a sequel was whispered since…until an out-of -the-blue trailer was released. The mystery thriller appears to be themed similarly to that of the first game. Point and click, mini-puzzles and notepad style gameplay.
Infinite Space – Anyone for sci-fi role playing? Infinite Space puts you in command of a fully customizable space ship. Although there isn’t infinite space to journey, as the title would suggest, there are two vast galaxies ready for your exploration. With over 150 different ship parts and another 150 varying crew members to accommodate your ship, you’ll be spending as much time number crunching and working out how to build the best ship as you will actually using it.
Astro Boy – From the popular anime series, titled the same, Astro Boy will bring a much needed 2D side-scroller to the DS. Aside from New Super Mario Bros., can you think of any stand-out platformers on the DS? Didn’t think so. Hopefully, Astro Boy will supply tidy graphics and polished gameplay. I don’t expect the latest and greatest innovation to come from this game, just a gap in DS software filled.
Sonic Classic Collection – The legendary Sonic classics are to be remastered. What could go wrong? Not much. Whilst not much could be at fault with this game, it’d be very interesting to see any kind of new addition to the franchise. Some sort of online or local multiplayer would be sweet, however it is very unlikely. Online leaderboards would also be a long lasting bonus to the collection.
Phantasy Star Zero – This one is large. And I mean really large. A potential game of the year or even best game for the DS. Differing from Final Fantasy, this RPG takes on a closer third person view, more similar to World of Warcraft. In fact, the entire game is comparable to the Warcraft series. Also, you can join up to three friends online and slay the bosses together; or if you’re a loner, you can search for randomers online and talk to them via a messaging system that seems to be a close relative of Picto Chat.
Golden Sun DS – Camelot Software are back to revitalize their classic series, Golden Sun. Another action-RPG, but the best games on the DS usually are. Golden Sun DS will continue the storyline, starting where the second game left off. If I had to make a game of the year prediction, due to it’s acclaimed past, I’d have to stick Golden Sun on the shortlist.
Despite there being few titles penned for release besides the ones listed above, the pick is still relatively exciting. With more to come, hopefully, 2010 will be a damn sight better than last year.
2009; gaming has certainly seen better years. Nonetheless, amidst the recession, the industry still managed to produce some masterpieces. Let’s recap the year, shall we.
And the winner is... Kingdom Hearts 358/2
Best RPG – Candidates:
Chrono Trigger
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time
Disgaea
Pokemon Platinum
Kingdom Hearts 358/2
Mario and Luigi: Bowsers Inside Story
Next Up…
And the winner is... GTA: Chinatown Wars
Best Shooter- Candidates:
Moon
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized
Dementium
Big Bang Mini
GTA: Chinatown Wars
…
Next Up…
And the winner is... Age of Empires: Mythologies
Best Strategy- Candidates:
Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon
Age of Empires: Mythologies
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Sky
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds Accelerator
…
…
Next Up…
And the winner is... Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
Best Platformer/Puzzler- Candidates:
Assassin’s Creed 2: Discovery
Scribblenauts
Professor Layton and the Curious Village
Castlevania: Orders of Ecclesia
Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure
Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
…
Next Up…
And the winner is... Pokemon Platinum
Best Multiplayer- Candidates:
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time
Pokemon Platinum
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized
Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
Age of Empires: Mythologies
…
Next Up…
And the winner is... Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
5. Professor Layton and Pandora’s Box – Compelling storyline, intriguing characters and Sherlock Holmes style puzzles. The Professor will always get you in the festive mood.
4. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized – The acclaimed Call of Duty franchise delivers again with this well rounded FPS. Gather your mates and have yourself a friendly 6 player match. Whether it’s free-for-all or some 3v3 objective game modes, you’ll consider it time well spent.
3. Scribblenauts – Despite going from ‘The most innovative idea ever’ to ‘A tad disappointing’, this little puzzle platformer will still hold your interest for hours on end. With the map making too, you could potentially spend an extremely long time fiddling with every part of the game. Oh, and it’ll satisfy your cravings to see just how powerful god is, although he does turn into a vampire when bitten by one.
2. Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 – This outstanding RPG will keep you entertained from the moment you start playing it. Don’t worry about buying and wrapping presents, feeding the cat, going to work, cooking xmas dinner, visiting relatives, talking to relatives over the phone, answering the door to relatives on xmas day, acknowledging relatives when they break into your house to see if you’re ok, or breathing. Just make sure you finish this game…in one breath.
1. Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks – The little green fellow just cannot stop performing. Everything is going his way. There isn’t an ounce wrong with this game; absolute perfection. Enough said.
Merry Christmas from myself, alias Don Mildreone, and our forum administrator, alias Falco.
After months of analysts predictions, Nintendo’s little beaut has stolen the Playstations legendary status: the best selling console ever.
During the week that started on November 16th, and ended on the 22nd, the DS surpassed 10.05 million sales. The PS2 has currently sold 10.02 million, however, the sales are pretty abysmal nowadays.
In contrast, the DS is still shooting strong consistently bringing in the numbers month after month. Driven by the success of Nintendo’s campaign to lure ‘non-gamers’ into the world of gaming, the DS attracted a truck load of customers that Sony never even thought about. Now, the aforementioned consumer group are the most sought after herd around, with the likes of Sony and Microsoft trying to thief away the ‘non-gamers’ from Nintendo’s glorious two consoles.
As soon as you read those words, you just want to play it.
We all know it’s big. But did you know how big?
Following the release of Activision-Blizzard’s latest money maker, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the monstrous company says that the Call of Duty franchise as a whole has surpassed the $3 billion milestone.
With all 6 Call of Duty titles amassing a combined 55 million sales, I’m sure Activision-Blizzard will be laughing all the way to the bank. Helped considerably by the world renowned Modern Warfare 2, which smashed records when it sold 4.7 million copies in its first 24 hours, selling 1.23 million in the UK alone.
Activision chief executive Bobby Kotick claimed that Call of Duty is now one of the “greatest entertainment franchises of all time”, and who could say otherwise? Now, it is undoubtedly in the Zelda, Mario and Halo bracket of games.
Bobby Kotick also stated: “If you consider the number of hours our audiences are engaged in playing Call Of Duty, it is likely to be one of the most viewed entertainment experiences in modern history.”
The Call of Duty franchise, the Modern Warfare branch in particular, seems to be the most successful formula for printing money to date. How can they improve? I’m sure they’ll think of something.
Sega have officially announced a tantalizing compilation of retro classics. Sonic Classic Collection, available in early 2010, will cluster the first four Sonic the Hedgehog games: Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog3 and Sonic & Knuckles.
Sonic Classic Collection will appeal to both Sonic newcomers and nostalgic players alike. Offering hours of endless fun rushing through the utterly flawless levels like Green Hill Zone and Jungle Zone.
After being out of the spotlight for such a long time, due to lackluster 3D games, Sonic Classic Collection will remind us all why Sonic used to compete against Mario for best platformer.
Early December marks an occasion no DS player shouldn’t know about.
The most recent installment in the worshipped Legend of Zelda series is set for release at various dates within December; 7th for North America, 10th in Australia, 11th for Europe and 23rd for the Japanese.
Nintendo just dropped a sweet, sweet, sugary lover bomb on us Zelda fans with this jaw-dropping new multiplayer trailer, which appears to gracefully accommodate 4 people at one time.
You have to look like this old Bidoof to play a DSi XL/LL.
As the DS is craved like heroin over in Japan, it is no surprise that the brand spanking DSi XL/LL has sold in large quantities since its release last weekend.
Enterbrain and Famitsu both clocked Nintendo’s new machine at a touch over 103,000 in the consoles first two days of commercial existence.
To put this into perspective, the regular DSi sold 170,000 in the same period of time.
The PSP Go sold 28,000 in its first day. Just putting that out there.
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