Read into this what you will, but Renchi has slashed the price of a Japanese Nintendo DSi by $50 or, as its press release states (because it sounds more impressive), 17%. You can now pick one up there for $249.99. Fifty bucks is a generous cut, and makes the idea of buying a DSi a little more palatable. Unless you've already bought one for more than that, which just makes it annoying. Sorry.
For the record, Play-Asia and YesAsia still have the systems advertised at the laugh-out-loud price of $300. We'd wager that those sites will follow Renchi's example soon.
A game revolving solely around time-consuming, tear-inducing brain teasers likely isn't anyone's first guess for the kind of quick gaming the DS so clearly excels at. Layton might be an unusual choice for this week's edition of Gaming to Go, but it's most certainly not a bad one, as the unique hybrid of puzzling and adventuring makes a number of concessions that'll help even someone who is pressed for time advance through the game unhindered.
Skipping freely through the game's myriad puzzles is hardly ideal, of course, but what can you do? Some of Layton's 135 brain-destroyers can make even a grown puzzle-solver cry, so it's a testament to the solid game design that you can still feel the satisfaction of completing the game even without experiencing all of the content it has to offer. In the mood for a fantastic puzzle game but not so keen on spending hours just to slog through every challenge? Click that big button down there and see why Professor Layton and the Curious Village might be exactly what you've been searching for.
Remember the ridiculous rumor a while back about the Kingdom Hearts 358/2 DaysDSi bundle? It's true. Well, the part that you'd expect to be true is. Square Enix has just announced that in February, a special "Kingdom Hearts edition" DSi system will be released. They have yet to reveal the color or the design of the system.
The other part of that old rumor, that the special Kingdom Hearts system will include a Game Boy Advance slot, was not mentioned in this announcement. Even though someone accurately predicted the existence of a special edition DSi for this game, we don't think the rest of it will come true. The existence of a limited-edition portable console bundle for a Square Enix game is a pretty safe prediction.
Thanks to the screenshots sent out with the story, we can confirm popsicles in the new game. CONFIRMED.
Gamer cakes, cookies, and cupcakes have become a staple of the community, because hey, we've all gotta eat. But there's no reason your food should be at all normal! There's no canvas like the edible canvas, and because of that (or maybe because we're hungry), we're shining this week's community spotlight on sweet treats (with a gaming spin). Take the guided tour here, or just hop right into the gallery below!
Show and Tell is all about fan stuff, so long as it's Nintendo-related. We love to see your collections, your crafts, your frosted creations, your t-shirts and swag of all sorts.Just snap a few pictures, tell us what's up, and send it all to showmeit [at] dsfanboy [dot] com. We'll take care of the rest. Not a handy type, but found something neat? Send us a link instead.
Yesterday, we were all blessed with first images and video of the upcoming Square Enix DS game, Blood of Bahamut. Naturally, we're totally psyched for the game and liked what we saw yesterday. Of course, everyone might not feel the same, so toss your two cents in here. Do you think Blood of Bahamut looks like a good time, or are you not interested at all? What has got you so pumped for the game? What has turned you off about it? Opinions, please!
Oh Mama, is there nothing you can't turn your versatile hand to? With Mama cooking games now out on DS andWii, and a gardening game due out this winter on the handheld, Japanese publisher Taito isn't done milking the money-printing franchise.
Last week, the company trademarked Pet Shop Mama, which seems self-explanatory. There's no hint of what platform this will release on, or even if it will end up being a real game (our bet: it will), but Mama's past cosy relationship with the DS makes it an obvious favorite. Our minds boggle at the potential minigames for this: will we be balancing hats on cats? Brushing dog teeth? Fending off fuming PETA campaigners armed with disturbing parody games?
We were about to praise this animated promotional video for Sega's Phantasy Star Zero. The look, the design of the environments, and the atmospheric music scream "Phantasy Star Online." The storyline does a beautiful job of presenting a civilization of technologically advanced pioneers. And just the very existence of an animated short like this suggests an admirable budget for the DS edition of the online action-RPG. It seemed like Sega was really going to do right by PSO fans.
And then the theme song, "Makenai Kokoro" (Undefeated Heart), started. It's neither as sweeping as the PSO opening theme, "The Whole New World," nor as goofily enjoyable as Phantasy Star Universe's disco-style theme "Save This World". But we're nitpicking. The theme can certainly be endured long enough to see the lovely gameplay footage in the last half of the video.
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars will feature around three-quarters of the Liberty City map seen in Grand Theft Auto IV. That's according to a preview in Spanish magazine MarcaPlayer, which stated that Broker, Bohan, Dukes, and Algonquin (all of which are highlighted in yellow above) will be playable, with only Alderney missing. GTA IV's map might not be the biggest in the series, but this is further evidence that Rockstar is squeezing every last drop of juice from the DS.
Also bound and gagged in the trunk of MarcaPlayer's preview were a few new details. While the action plays out on the top screen, the touchscreen lets you control your PDA (which contains the map and mission goals), GPS (on which you can mark destinations to find the shortest legal route), and radio.
As you explore the city (with the help of a camera that can be swiveled 360 degrees), new landmarks and venues you discover are marked down on your map, and you'll see lots of nice little touches, such as trains that pass over the city. You'll also be able to whistle into the microphone to hail a cab; they just couldn't resist, could they? And now we wait!
From big name releases like Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades to kids' games, at this point, the releases just aren't going to slow down. Everyone wants a piece of the holiday pie, even -- or perhaps especially -- in a flagging economy, but that just means a few agonizing decisions over what to buy. What will win for you this week?
After that glorious concept art revealed for Blood of Bahamut, we've been hungry for more of Square Enix's latest, and since the website has updated, we're happy as pigs in piggy poop. Not only do we have the first two non-scanned shots of the game in our gallery below, and the first trailer after the break, but the official website has more action shots, as well as a beautiful downloadable wallpaper that features the aforementioned concept art. If Square Enix is trying to whip us into a froth for this one, well, it's working. Not that they have to do much to get us going.
But a new DS is on the way, and we have yet to make a decision about our purchase intent -- well, Eric seems to have arrived at a decision, but the rest of us are situated somewhere in the fence area.
Have you stalled on DS or DS Lite accessory purchases since the announcement of the DSi? You wouldn't want to have a Gachapin DS Lite protector in your home and not be able to use it.
Moon may be delayed, but that doesn't mean Renegade Kid is going to make you suffer without getting peeks at the game. Not only did we recently get to check out a batch of new screens, but they've released a combat-heavy new trailer, too. With all the pretty, pretty lights in this footage, we kinda felt like we need a glow stick and a pair of very large pants in order to get the full effect.
The last time we talked about what we might want from Club Nintendo, we restricted our discussion mainly to soundtracks. Today, we want to open it up, and not just to those of us in North America dreaming of what's to come -- no, we've got questions for everyone. If you are in North America, what past goodies are you hoping for most? Anything from our retrospective? If you're already enjoying the fruits of Club Nintendo, what do you like best about it? What other items are you hoping for, or would you like to see?
In the comments area of our recent post about the adventure game Lux-Pain, a discussion popped up about length in adventure games. Basically, they tend to be short. Some people avoid some adventures because of this (a problem that is exacerbated by the fact that most adventure games have zero replay value), and some accept it (understanding that an adventure game requires a great deal more dialogue than most other games).
Where do you stand on this issue? Do you love adventure games, but wish they could be longer? Do you steer clear of them in general in an effort to get the most game time out of your money?
Our latest giveaway has concluded, meaning it's high time we selected our winner. Via random drawing, the individual selected to get our copy of MySims Kingdom is:
ShadowGirl, who would hire some skilled lawyers to iron out the winning of her kingdom. How thorough!
Congrats to our winner and better luck next time to all of you. Keep your eyes on DS Fanboy. We'll be starting up another giveaway soon.
Still undecided over importing a DSi? Head here for our hands-on impressions of the console. Note: article also contains cat pictures.
Gamer cakes, cookies, and cupcakes have become a staple of the community, because hey, we've all gotta eat. But there's no reason your food should be at all normal! There's no canvas like the edible canvas, and because of that (or maybe because we're hungry), we're shining this week's community spotlight on sweet treats (with a gaming spin). Take the guided tour 
In the comments area of our recent 
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