New Super Mario Bros. dated? Winning Eleven to be Wifi Connection compatible? Can it get any better? (Answer: Yes)
Great as the "non-games" are (called the "Touch Generations" line of software in Japan), what does the "hardcore" handheld gamer have to look forward to? The answer, as evidenced by Nintendo's press conference announcements this morning, is plenty.
Though the press conference was dedicated to the public unveiling of Nintendo's DS Lite redesign, the Company That Mario Built had plenty to share in terms of upcoming games. In regards to Mario, the highly anticipated New Super Mario Bros. finally has a concrete release date: May in Japan at the price of 4800 yen. As the long-awaited sequel to the legendary Super Mario Bros. series of 2D platformers, the game certainly has much to live up to. Fortuneately, screens and hands-on impressions have been glowing and the game now feels closer than ever as ongoing development appears to be going smoothly. Even as a handheld game, it is expected to be one of E3's biggest titles.
Many other games had their moment in the spotlight as well. For the sake of organization, and because they are just so darn fun to read, software highlights from the press conference are bulleted:
* Konami's uber-popular Winning Eleven series of football games will be utilizing Nintendo's new WiFi Connection service to allow blistering matches to be played against anyone in the world.
* On that note, so will Dynasty Warriors. The popular series, in its DS debut, will look to successfully shrink and distill the battle carnage the series is best known for into portable-friendly form: and to allow players to throw down the gauntlet in online warfare.
* Super Robot Wars will be returning to the DS. Regular readers of the charts know how popular this mega-license strategy series is in Japan. Practically a shoe-in for over 100k in sales.
* Meanwhile, RPG fans have much to be excited for: video was shown for both Namco's Xenosaga 1-2 and Square-Enix's Children of Mana. The games are looking absolutely beautiful and best of all...the chances they will be localized for Western gamers is hovering somewhere between 99-100%. Just waiting on the official release dates...
* On the topic of RPGs, remember that Final Fantasy III is still deep in development and looking excellent. (No major new details, just an excuse to run the new screen)
* One more from Square-Enix comes in the form of Mario Basket 3-on-3, which will be WiFi Connection enabled as well. The game is really looking terrific (Square seems to have wasted no time in harnessing the system's power)
* Tetris DS will be released at the budget level of 3800 yen in Japan (comparatively cheap with most new Nintendo DS titles costing 4800 yen or higher). This further positions the reincarnation of the Father of Puzzle Games for monster success when it releases very soon. Of course, the WiFi Connection and 10-player LAN multiplayer features don't hurt either.
* Other games include: the RPG Contact and From Software's Tenchu DS (both WiFi Connection enabled), Namco's Tales of the Tempest, Puzzloop, Pokemon Ranger, Phoenix Wright 4, a Tamagotchi sequel and the strategy RPG Archaic Sealed Heat. Check out (tiny) screens of all the above right here at
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ds/dsconference2006 .
Lots of gaming goodness in the near future... and its not even E3 yet folks. Keep an eye on R-E as we update with new information on these and other upcoming titles.
also
Tentatively known as Calligraphy Training DS, the game was shown off for the first time at the DS Lite Conference in Japan today. Beginners or experts can learn or polish their calligraphy skils in this simulation, which utlises the DS being held on it's side.
By closely copying a correctly drawn Japanese character, the DS can judge how accurate and neat your version was. Tracing the figure is also available for beginners. It'll be a while before this is released apparently (and for us to see it in the West is rather unlikely) but we'll keep you posted of any more information on this title.
also
Along with the new Calligraphy Training which was also announced at the DS Lite press conference today, yet another Touch Generation title was unveiled - the tentatively titled Nabi Cooking DS.
Speech recognition will be one of the methods of control in the game, with the gamer saying phrases to turn the pages of the in-game cook book to select a recipe. Supplies must be stockpiled in the fridge, and more groceries shopped for to enable you to make the tastiest recipes.
After all ingredients are gathered, the game switches to a simultation of the cooking process itself, where the gamer must decide on the exact ingredients and amounts, and virtually prepare the dish using the touch screen (chopping vegetables, stirring mixtures etc.)
It's likely we'll hear more about this title next at E3, but if we manage to find any other details beforehand, R-E will be sure to let you know!
http://revo-europe.com
he DS will be recieving a web browsing application based on Opera. Slated for a June release.
On the heels of Reggie-sponsored rumours indicating Nintendo's interest in designing a DS-specialized web browser, we now have official word.
At a press conference this morning in Japan aimed at introducing the DS Lite to the public, Nintendo shared a number of new software revelations for their dual-screened monster portable. Among the announcements was confirmation that a DS-specific web browser is under development. The DS Opera browser will come on a DS card. Users need only power on the system and connect to a wireless network to surf the web. Building off the user interface and featureset of the popular Opera browser, the DS application will span both screens with the touch screen serving for input (with certain stylus gestures allowing for functionality such as changing the viewing angle.) ATOK Kanji conversion will be supported out of the box. Priced at 3800 yen, the browser will be released in Japan come June.
Specific plans to expand the browser into other territories, surprise surprise, have not been announced. As the functionality has been greatly desired by a large number of western DS owners, hopefully Nintendo will take heed.
UPDATE: From the forums on Opera's website, developers have commented that while web email will be functional, features like RSS and widgets could not yet be commented on. It was relayed that Flash and PDF would not be viewable though (likely due to hardware limitations).
Opera has posted their official announcement of the project on their website. Reproduced below:
In Opera's agreement with Nintendo, Nintendo DS users will now be able to surf the full Internet from their systems using the Opera browser. The Opera browser for Nintendo DS will be sold as a DS card. Users simply insert the card into the Wi- Fi enabled Nintendo DS, connect to a network, and begin browsing on two screens.
Earlier this year, Nintendo reported that 13 million Nintendo DS systems were sold to consumers around the world within just 13 months of its debut in November 2004. Nintendo DS combines unique dual screens, touch screen, voice recognition and wireless and Wi-Fi communications capabilities. According to an independent market research company in Japan, Nintendo DS has become the fastest selling video games machine to top the six million sales mark in Japan in just over 14 months since its Japanese debut, breaking the old record held by Nintendo's Game Boy Advance.
"The incredibly popular Nintendo DS is already Wi-Fi enabled to support real time gaming, so adding Web browsing capabilities was a natural evolution for this device," says Scott Hedrick, Executive Vice President, Opera Software. "Gaming devices are growing more advanced and a great Web experience is becoming a product differentiator for gaming manufacturers. Opera is excited to work with Nintendo to deliver a unique dual screen, full Internet experience on Nintendo DS."
With an on-screen keypad and stylus, users can easily navigate the Web from their Nintendo DS with PDA-like functionality. Based on the same core as the Opera desktop browser, Opera delivers superior speed and rendering of Web pages on the Nintendo DS.
"Within just five seconds of turning on the system, the Nintendo DS is already fully operational. This makes it the ideal device to enable people to swiftly obtain the latest information from the internet, wherever they are," says Masaru Shimomura, Deputy General Manager of Nintendo's R & D Department. "Opera exceeded our expectations with its user friendly interface, quick access to all your favorite sites, ease of use and, most importantly, in making the best use of the Nintendo DS system's unique double screens and touch screen features. Opera is an important partner for Nintendo in our efforts to further expand the users of the Nintendo DS."
Nintendo Co., Ltd. held a presentation today in Tokyo, Japan, to announce updates for the Nintendo DS. Information on the availability of the Opera browser DS card has not yet been announced.
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