Playing on the Go

If Joystiq is to be believed, and from time to time they find themselves in that position, a new Monkey Island game from Lucas Arts just may be in the pipeline for us by the end of 2008. Those of you old enough to remember will certainly recall just how kickass these games were and how sorely they’re missed. For you younger guys who may have heard of the series, but have never played it, you could be in for something totally different, yet still a treat.

In past years, “point and click” adventures had more or less died out. Macromedia Flash technology on the web helped to kill it as the genre moved from a dedicated PC genre into a innerweb time killer. Thankfully though, thanks to some of the quirkier games on the DS such as Phoenix Wright and Hotel Dusk, it seems as if the point and click frenzy is beginning anew. While Monkey Island games have traditionally graced PC consoles, Lucas Arts would be just plain stupid at this point to not release a new installment in the series for the DS. There’s a huge audience for these quirky games, which has already been educated into the style of play by similar games which have already laid the groundwork.

The DS was practically custom built for this game. Make it happen, Georgie Boy.

nintendods, monkeyisland, lucasarts

Just a few years ago when some friends and I were of the age when we were just starting college, we would set aside every Monday night as “Vidgie Game Night”. Yes, we really called it that. I’m not really sure how that alteration of the word came about, but we still use it to this day. Around seven or eight o’clock, when most guys our age were about to watch Monday Night Football or Monday Night Raw, we were firing up the Gamecube or PS2. To be honest, most of our Vidgie Game Nights centered around just a few games. Mario Kart, Mario Party, and James Bond: Nightfire. And they were always a blast to play.

All three of those games allotted for some really cool three and four player multiplayer games. The multiplayer mode on Nightfire, specifically. Which I think we all still feel is a wholly unappreciated gem. As none of us took interest in the original XBox, that game was our Halo. Many times, we would have sessions on that game going for two to three hours and we never grew tired of it.

Don’t laugh, young’uns. This was THE game of 2003.

Here it is a few years later, and we’ve all gone sort of our separate ways and only get to see each other on the weekends every now and then. This past week, we’ve been getting in touch with one another trying to organize another Vidgie Game Night. The thing is, it’s just sort of odd to crash at our parents house and take over our old bedrooms or living rooms to claim it for either a Gamecube or Wii. But thankfully, each of us has our own respective Nintendo DS. Meaning we can take Vidgie Game Night anywhere we want it to be.

Sure, we could have done this during the age of the GBA, but that just would have been a monumental hassle in light of connection cables that hardly ever worked. Not to mention that thanks to WiFi communications available to both the PSP and DS, developers have been able to push out some pretty awesome mobile multiplayer games. We’ve still got Mario Kart available to us, anywhere we want it. There’s no Nightfire for the DS, but there’s always Metroid Prime: Hunters to do the trick. (Although I’ll always miss the Remote Seeker Missile weapon. That gun was awesome.)

I still think there’s good progress to be made in the area of mobile multiplayer games. Yes, there’s always the WiFi Connection, but there’s just something to be said of being the same space with a bunch of your friends. I’m sure that a game like Mario Party DS (should there ever be one) would be fun online, but it’s just not the same experience if you aren’t participating in the “party” part of it with your friends.

nintendods, gamecube, mariokart, marioparty, nightfire, mobile

When it comes to Jackass, the segmentation is pretty simple. You either absolutely love it or just can’t stand it. If you are part of the first half and own a PSP, you’ll be even more happy in just a few months. Jackass: The Game will hit the system sooner rather than later. The game is complete with both voices and motion capture from all of the Jackass crew, both in Los Angeles and in Westchester, representing Knoxville’s and Bam’s respective posses.

An interesting revelation about the game is that it will include downloadable episodes and user created content. Which, considering some of the incredibly insane stuff pulled in Jackass Number Two, is really scary. I personally am in the camp that loves the show and their movies. But I do have to say, some of the gross stuff that they pulled in the sequel really made me squirm and turn away from the screen. No indication yet of whether they will tone it down for the game, but it is probably a safe bet that scenes like the “puppet” or the leeches wouldn’t get past the ratings board without the fabled “AO” rating.

psp, jackass, johnnyknoxville

[via pspfanboy]

PSP Fanboy is currently running a feature detailing what they say will be sixty reasons to own a PSP. The funny thing is that so far they’ve only been able to come up with five. The first part of their feature claims that one of the biggest reasons to own the system is the games. Unfortunately, most of the games listed are PS2 rehashes or ports. It also currently mentions homebrew and online flash games, but it doesn’t necessarily mention that such things are also “doable” on the DS (now thanks to the DS browser).

While the editorial does include a picture of Loco Roco, it fails to make mention of it. This is one of the great games worth playing on the system, and is one of the very few that “got it” when it comes to what works and what doesn’t on the system. It plays like nothing else on a traditional console and works great on the PSP screen thanks to the higher res visuals. Sure, it could be done on the DS, but it probably wouldn’t look as nice. Were I to recommend any one game out of the PSP library, this would be it. It goes to prove that games on the PSP can be original, exclusive, and actually fun.

psp, locoroco

I had heard a lot of crazy stories about how some of the U.S. Defense Departments and sections of so called “intelligence” within our government use old computers still running Windows 3.1 or even DOS, but I never thought it would go this far. Apparently, the United States government now sees it fit to use the decade and a half old technology of the original Game Boy as a platform for some sensor technology to be used in the near future.

The technology is called STAP-BOY, and the military describes it in a way that only it can by saying that “STAP-Boy will develop innovative geometric algorithmic approaches in order to leverage the revolutionary teraflop signal processor architecture from personal computer gaming chips to enable this vision.” Basically, it’s a low tech GPS handheld coupled with signal sensors. Take that as you will.

Obviously, my knowledge of the technology and its purpose only goes so far. If you are interested, you’d probably be well advised to check out the details for yourself straight from the military. But in the meantime, we’ll just have to wonder why they chose not to go with the DS. It seems as if it would have been a perfect fit.

gameboy, nationaldefense, dumbideas

[from dangerroom]

Watch. Be jealous.

While very simplistic in nature, these Japanese TV spots do a great job of showing how the gameplay mechanics work. Many of the developer interviews concerning the game have stated that virtually the entire control scheme is utilized via the stylus. Honestly, I have to say that I was initially very skeptical of how this would work, but after seeing these videos I’m beginning to be sold on what I once thought was a gimmick.

nintendods, zelda, phantomhourglass

Well, that pretty much says it all doesn’t it? While Sony may have teased PSP owners with a game worthy of powering the system on for, it’s going to be a long while before we even see the promised demo. If you were lucky enough to get your name in the hat to actually have the demo UMD sent your way, you should be seeing it on or around September 7th.

Which in all reality isn’t that far away. Exactly three months from today. But please for the love of everything good in the world, don’t waste that time. That’s your entire summer.

psp, godofwar, chainsofolympus, umd, demo

For a while there, it seemed that the world of DS and Wii connectivity would begin and end with some wonky controls to Pokemon Battle Revolution. Which frankly wasn’t a big deal to everyone who isn’t a Pokeholic. To access the feature, you had to own both Pokemon Diamond or Pearl on the DS in addition to Battle Revolution for Wii. But now it seems that other games are beginning to take advantage of the feature, and what’s even more promising is that the connectivity is coming from a third party. Meaning Nintendo is finally releasing the tech information to do such into the wild.

My Word Coach, sort of a game either inspired by or ripped off of Brain Age (take your pick), is developed by Ubisoft and offers the feature. Within the game, you can use your touch screen on your DS to act as a writing pad. The letters and other charecters that you jot down on your DS magically appear on your TV screen via your Wii. IGN has a video demonstration of the entire process, and it seems to work like a charm. Another promising detail is that IGN describes the “handshaking” process that syncs the two systems as lasting roughly only two seconds. Of course, that’s a far cry from the days of connecting a GBA to the Cube. Connecting up to use the GPS like features in Wind Waker took approximately, oh, a week.

Hopefully, this is a sign of what is to come. Fingers crossed, this lays the groundwork for a DS Demo Channel on the Wii in the nearer future. I mean seriously, Nintendo. Everyone wants it. Hurry it up already.

nintendods, mywordcoach, nintendowii, connectivity

Every once in a while, you just happen to come across something that beats you over the head with how freaking awesome it is. This is one of those times.

Plundr is a type of geocaching game in which you interact with other players via Wi-Fi Positioning System technologies (WPS). The official site describes the game as “a pirate adventure, in which players move from island to island to buy, sell and fight for goods.” It goes on to describe that “(depending) on where you are in the physical world, you’ll find different islands, different market prices and different ships to fight. ”

If you tell me to my face that this isn’t all kinds of awesome, I shall spit at your feet and call you a liar.

Here’s the best part. It’s coming to DS. Well, sort of. According to Joystiq, the game is in the works for the portable system. From an assessment of the screenshots provided, it seems that the game will fully utilize the Google Earth interface. This allows for a seemingly easy rapport between the virtual piratey world on the top screen and its representation in the real world on the bottom screen. Sounds cool? Try it yourself online while waiting for the DS port. It’s too bad that the developers have to go a psuedo-homebrew route to get this game off of the ground. Nintendo would be well advised to fully support such a venture. Because, as stated, it’s just freaking awesome.

plunder, geocaching, nintendods

It’s come from the island of Japan, through the cold of Europe, and now it’s here to, um, help you surf the web.

The Nintendo DS Browser is finally out in the States today, so now you can just lug around that friendly DS fanny pack instead of that big old laptop bag when you need to surf the web. It’s retailing for approximately the same DS cart price of thirty bucks, so don’t get shafted by other brick and mortar or online retailers that may try and con you into paying more.

Also, remember that you can easily keep up with this site on the DS Browser via the RSS feed. An easy way to use this and other feeds is through DSfeeds.com, which offers a nifty way of entering in your favorite RSS links. After you enter in the URL and give it a label, it’s quickly formatted in a bare bones style for easy reading on your DS screen.

A quick note though. For every kilobyte of porn you download on your DS, Miyamoto loses a brain cell.* Remember Shiggy. No porn.

nintendods, dsbrowser, webbrowsing

*Not yet scientifically proven.

Just like European’s views of the U.S., E3 fell hard last year. Like, really hard. Booth babes and floor monkeys are out of work. The Staples Center will seem just a little sad over that normally sacred weekend. But aside from the lack of grandeur and overspent budgets, the show goes on in micro form and games will still be shown in one form or another to a select invited few. Here’s what has been announced so far that we’ll be seeing…

Capcom Entertainment
Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law (PS2, PSP)
Mega Man Star Force: Dragon (DS)
Mega Man Star Force: Leo (DS)
Mega Man Star Force: Pegasus (DS)
Mega Man ZX Advent (DS)
Monster Hunter Freedom 2 (PSP)
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations (DS)

D3 Publisher
Dead Head Fred (PSP)
Naruto: Path of the Ninja (DS)

LucasArts
LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga (DS, PS3, Wii, X360)
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (DS, PS2, PS3, PSP, X360)
Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron (PSP)

Sony Computer Entertainment
God of War: Chains of Olympus (PSP)
Jeanne d’Arc (PSP)
LittleBigPlanet (PS3)
NBA ‘08 (PS3, PSP)
Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice (PSP)
SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Tactical Strike (PSP)
Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow (PSP)

E3 starts on July 11th this year, when video game journalists will mostly cover the event in front of their computer screen instead of on the floor.

e3, psp, nintendods

[via ign]

Readers, you know I heart you so. As such, I don’t want you to have to venture into a dusty and grimy store full of crying babies and other various hazards. Plus, I want you to save money. Who doesn’t?

With that in mind, I’ll point you to Circuit City, whose online division has a DS on sale. It’ll run the regular price of $129.99, but it comes with free shipping and a game of your choice. Granted, you have to pick from The Sims 2 or Sonic Rush, but considering that its free, its not so bad. Personally, I’d probably go with Sonic Rush, but that’s up to you.

nintendods, deals

[via dealnews]

Speaking of things that the PSP can do that the DS can’t, here’s another.

The latest firmware for your PSP is available as soon as you fire up Old Fattie and connect her to the innerweb. The update doesn’t add a whole lot, but the main upgrade that it does consist of is pretty sweet. 3.50 allows for “remote play”, which in a nutshell allows for you to remotely connect to your PS3 from anywhere with a WiFi access point. So no matter where you are, you can access your PS3 files. Whatever they may happen to be. The update also expands some RSS features, but is still reportedly nowhere near as cool as the remote play feature.

Yeah. I wish the DS could do that.

psp, firmware

[via pspfanboy]

To think of it, the PSP had every factor on its side. It’s obviously a much more powerful system, has arguably cooler functionality, is capable of playing all sorts of multimedia and so on. But yet the Nintendo DS has laid it on its lap and gave it the whippin’ of its life. What could have happened? In such a tech obsessed society where we are out of place without a bluetooth device crammed in our ear or an iPod under 2 GB, how could a superior tech device be so beaten out by a less capable and quirkier competitor?

I think there are a number of reasons, of which I’ll go over what I feel are the most important. The most important of which is the “intimidation and acceptance” factor. When I use the term “acceptance” in this context, it applies to both gamers and non-gamers. For instance, it is much easier for a Sony fan to accept the PSP on face value, and vice versa for the Nintendo fan. That’s a given. But what about for the non-gamer? For the tech-challenged, the PSP may seem intimidating. It has a ton of features and sort of a confusing interface. The DS less so. It’s very straightforward. The intimidation factor is much less. The device itself is very friendly looking and offers only a few features, of which it does very well.

The other is the “newness” factor. In relation, the PSP really doesn’t offer anything new. All of its cool functionality is available on higher end cell phones, and of course the PS2, which of course millions of families already have in their homes. On the other hand, the DS offers an entirely new way of play, which interests and compels people. Plus. the much cheaper price point doesn’t hurt in satisfying this curiosity.

There are many factors other than these, of which of course we’ll cover here in the future. Even after the PSP practically could have already raised the white flag, it’s still incredibly interesting to see how much The Little System That Could has fared so well in the market.

psp

The images below may seem familiar to you, yet a little different.

Yep, those are actually two new colors for the DS. In a way. Both the white and the pink iterations have been given a silvery and shiny coat. Initially, these new colors will be released solely in Japan, but given the worldwide popularity of the system it is safe to assume that we will eventually see them in other markets as well.

This does beg a particular question however. Given that the DS Lite has practically become a must have fashion accessory, there’s probably some other colors that would also do the line well that some would love to have. I personally do dig the “metallic and shiny” idea, I think that same gleam would work well with colors such as red and blue. Those colors were given to the DS Phat, it would be nice to see them return in that futuristic form. What colors would you like to see come around?

nintendods, dslite

[via joystiq]