Nintendo Announces the 3DS

Earlier today, Nintendo announced a new portable system, the Nintendo 3DS. This system will offer 3D graphics without the need for special 3D glasses. This system will likely be released during Nintendo’s next fiscal year, meaning sometime between April 2010 and March 2011.

Further speculation leads to other conclusions, primarily that this is the start of a new hardware line for Nintendo, rather than just a continuation of the DS line.

The 3DS will be backwards compatible with the entire library of DS/DSi titles (which implies that the 3DS will, by necessity, have the same two cameras that the DSi has).

Expect a full reveal of the 3DS at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), which takes place mid-June.

The RaT Project 35

The RaT Project 35
Show Notes
Stardate 091102.2009

Correction from last episode: I misidentified the two Peter Cushing Doctor Who movies. The first Cushing movie (Dr Who and the Daleks) was based on the first Dalek story from televised Who (The Daleks), whereas the second one (Daleks’ Invasion Earth – 2150 A.D.) was based upon the televised story “Daleks Invasion of Earth”. Thanks to @tdrury for pointing that out.

On to the News:

News Dept:
Hulu to charge for video in the coming year?
Nintendo Announces DSi LL
–Significantly larger screens, larger stylus
–There’s no real need for this redesign
–Existing games will suffer aspect ratio when played on DSi LL
—-For example, try playing GB/GBC games on GBA
Ubuntu 9.10 Comments
–Pros
—-Definite improvement over 9.04
—-My audio problems have finally been fixed
—-Slight graphical glitches on dual-monitor display have been fixed
—-Compiz and \Emerald Theme Manager finally works on dual-display
——No “dead area” on right of display area
–Cons
—-Error reporter repeatedly sends out automated emails to Ubuntu users
——Users report getting hundreds of emails about the same bug report
——Can’t easily unsubscribe to these emails
—-CairoDock uninstalled by default, as is Pidgin
–Ubuntu One seems promising, but I’ve not tried it yet

Main features for this episode are reviews of the Nintendo DS games Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver and a spoiler-free review of the new Wheel of Time novel The Gathering Storm.

Subscribe today!

Nintendo Marketplace: 10/12/2009

Nintendo DSiWare

Pinball Pulse: The Ancients Beckon™
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Pinball takes on mythological proportions in this Nintendo DSiWare exclusive. Choose from two modes of play (Regular Game or Daily Game) and begin your journey to becoming a pinball champion. Conquer mythic quests, collect gifts from the 12 Olympians, and push your skills to the limit by facing Medusa, the Sirens and more. Your portable pinball table will give you a quick adrenaline rush as you watch the steel ball fly through ramps and carom off bumpers all over the playing field. Rack up combo points, open specific game modes and enlist the Oracle for some help. Will you accept Zeus’s challenge?

Virtual Console

Final Fight™ 2
Original platform: Super NES™
Publisher: Capcom USA
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points™
Description: It’s been several years since peace settled in Metro City. With Cody and Jessica on vacation and Guy resuming his training out of town, everything seems to be in order. But Haggar is feeling uneasy after learning that Mad Gear was not completely destroyed. Once again, the Mad Gear Gang has emerged, and this time they want revenge. They’ve kidnapped Guy’s master, Genryusai, and Genryusai’s daughter, Rena. Now Haggar must travel the globe in search of Genryusai and Rena. Hopefully, with the help of Maki and Carlos, the reign of the Mad Gear Gang will be destroyed.

WiiWare

Gravitronix
Publisher: Medaverse Studios
Players: 1-8
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: It’s time to claim your rightful place as the champion of the Gravitronix arena, but get ready to deal with up to seven other players who are all shooting for the same title. Vanquish your opponents with four different projectiles and the powerful beams of your gravity platform. Intercept attacks and take careful aim at exposed vulnerabilities. Deflect incoming projectiles or capture and charge them with energy for devastating explosive attacks. Team up with a friend and battle through campaign mode, or recruit up to eight players on a single Wii™ system in versus mode for an all-out battle. Customize your matches with a variety of different options, such as flooding the arena with projectiles or making the game insanely fast. No matter how you like to play, grab your friends and have a blast.

Nintendo Marketplace: 10/5/2009

Virtual Console

FINAL FANTASY
Original platform: NES
Publisher: SQUARE ENIX
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 500 Wii Points™
Description: The world lies shrouded in darkness. The winds die. The sea rages. The earth decays. But the people believe in a prophecy, patiently awaiting its fulfillment. “When darkness veils the earth, four Warriors of Light shall come….” After a long journey, four young travelers did at last appear, and in the hand of each was clutched a crystal.

Nintendo DSiWare

Thorium Wars
Publisher: Big John Games
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Fantasy Violence
Price: 1,000 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: In Thorium Wars, you must stop the Thorions, a super species of Thorium-based machines, from destroying mankind. Blast through waves of Thorions by controlling an arsenal of tanks, skyfighters, hovercrafts, gunboats and starfighters with either the standard or touch-screen controls. In 12 exciting missions, navigate through a variety of combat environments while viewing 360 degrees of the battlefield, fully rendered in 3-D. Toggle between first- and third-person views to destroy the terrifying army of Thorium beasts, from swarms of Redeye Drones to the bone-crushing Manticore Walker. This man-versus-machine battle proves to be the ultimate test for the survival of the fittest.

WiiWare

Word Searcher
Publisher: Digital Leisure Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: You’ll need a sharp eye and a quick mind to complete 100 themed word-search puzzles. Word Searcher contains fun words from multiple categories including anatomy, world cities and U.S. presidents. With a huge assortment of subjects to choose from, there’s sure to be a puzzle for everyone to enjoy. Help improve your vocabulary, memory and problem-solving skills with these engaging puzzles. Track and try to beat your own play-through times again and again—words are scrambled every time you play.

Nintendo adds new titles to the Nintendo DSi Shop and the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Mondays. Users with broadband Internet access can redeem Wii Points or Nintendo DSi Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel. Nintendo DSi Points can be purchased in the Nintendo DSi Shop. A Nintendo Points Card™ can be purchased at retail locations. All points from one Nintendo Points Card must be redeemed in either the Nintendo DSi Shop or the Wii Shop Channel. They are not transferable and cannot be divided between the two systems.

Nintendo Marketplace: 9/28/2009

Nintendo DSiWare

Art Academy™: Second Semester
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Art Academy is a portable art course that anyone can enjoy. Art Academy: Second Semester provides new and returning students with a larger set of tools and in-depth lessons designed to encourage the creation of more complex artwork. By gaining an even deeper understanding of colors and techniques used by famous impressionist artists, you will be ready to take on more challenging themes that include moving objects, and vast landscapes with distant objects. The openness of Free Paint mode offers plenty of opportunities to hone your skills and boost your confidence as an artist.

DRAGON QUEST® WARS™
Publisher: SQUARE ENIX
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Cartoon Violence, Mild Language
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: DRAGON QUEST WARS is a grid-based strategy game featuring all of your favorite quirky DRAGON QUEST monsters. Choose from several modes and get ready for battle. While the rules are simple, strategy is the key to victory. The game features single-player and DS Wireless Play, as well as battles with foes worldwide via Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection. (Broadband Internet access is required for online play.)

WiiWare

ARKANOID Plus!
Publisher: TAITO
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 600 Wii Points™
Description: ARKANOID Plus! is an updated version of the original arcade blockbuster. Players must destroy colored blocks by guiding an Energy Ball around the screen using a spaceship called a VAUS. The game features a host of new modes and settings that radically alter the experience: Arcade Mode consists of 61 rounds divided into left and right versions, with two types of boss characters appearing in the last round; VS Mode lets players face off against a friend or the CPU; and the unfailingly frantic Time Mode challenges players to clear rounds within a strict time limit. With the subtle differences arising from the choice of “Lives” or “Barrier” rules, plus a plethora of exciting items, you’re in for hours and hours of block-busting fun.

DRiiFT Mania
Publisher: Konami Digital Entertainment
Players: 1-8
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: DRiiFT Mania is the ultimate top-down multiplayer racing experience. Challenge your friends in fast, exciting races and some totally crazy game modes. You’ll need to adapt your driving skills to the different racing environments if you want to succeed.

Virtual Console

Altered Beast™
Publisher: SEGA
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Fantasy Violence
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: “Rise from your grave!” When legendary Greek god Zeus brings you back to life with those famous words, you set forth on a mission to rescue his daughter, Athena, from the wicked God of the Underworld, Neff. To survive the gauntlet of mythological foes, you must hunt down the three-headed wolves that inhabit each stage and collect the Spirit Balls that they release. The Spirit Balls increase your strength and allow you to transform into a variety of forms, including a Werewolf, Weredragon, Werebear, Weretiger and the ultimate form, the Golden Werewolf. Each creature possesses powerful attacks to help bring an end to Neff’s scheme.

Nintendo Marketplace: 9/21/2009 Releases

Beware of falling objects and soaring imaginations with this week’s new downloadable game offerings from Nintendo. The WiiWare™ service welcomes the precarious puzzle action of You, Me, and the Cubes™ and the court-storming antics of Family Tennis. Commodore 64 favorite Last Ninja 2 arrives on the Virtual Console™, pushing players to heroic heights in a classic martial-arts adventure. Nintendo DSiWare™ users can let the chips fall where they may with Clubhouse Games™ Express: Strategy Pack or create imaginative pictures with MySims™ Camera. Another heads-up for Nintendo DSi fans: Consumers can still receive 1,000 bonus Nintendo DSi Points™ by purchasing a new Nintendo DSi™ game system and connecting to the Nintendo DSi Shop by 11:59 p.m. Pacific time on Oct. 5, 2009. For full offer details, please visit DSiOffer.Nintendo.com.

WiiWare

You, Me, and the Cubes
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief
Price: 1,000 Wii Points™
Description: Experience a unique combination of strategy and skill as you maintain a level playing field in the physics-based action puzzler You, Me, and the Cubes. The action centers around Fallos, mysterious creatures that resemble humans and have an ability to balance on a playing field of 3-D cubes. First, create a pair of Fallos inside your Wii Remote™ controller by shaking it up and down. Next, determine suitable places for the Fallos to land, then fling them to the selected cube with a swinging motion. After that, the Fallos are on their own. If your placement is sound, the Fallos will remain stable and you’ll clear the stage after tossing a required number onto the cubes. But if the weight or locations of Fallos causes the cubes to tilt and sway too much, the Fallos will lose their balance and fall off. Adding to the challenge, you’ll find that some cubes have different properties, making tosses tricky and further threatening the stability of the Fallos. Guide Fallos through dozens of single-player stages or invite family and friends to join you in two-player cooperative mode.

Family Tennis
Publisher: Aksys Games
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief, Mild Suggestive Themes
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Daddy, Mommy, Sarah and Billy return for some hard-hitting, fast-paced tennis action. Battle it out between the happy family members as you vie for the top spot. Choose from three different modes: Elimination Match, Free Match and Thrilling Rally. Play against the CPU or compete with friends. Elimination Match mode pits you against the CPU to test your skills, while Free Match mode allows you to play against another player under conditions of your choosing. Thrilling Rally mode lets you join up to three other players and rally to see who can get to 100 points first.

Virtual Console

Last Ninja 2
Original platform: Commodore 64
Publisher: Commodore Gaming
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Mild Violence
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: The ninja known as the Mystic Shadow Warriors were the elite fighting force of ninth-century feudal Japan. The evil Shogun Kunitoki was once beaten, but he has gathered all his mystic powers to create a modern-day tyranny in Manhattan. Face your archenemy Kunitoki in the urban jungle and conquer him with your ninja skills. Transported to 1988 Manhattan by an unknown force, the ninja leader Armakuni must find a way to defend himself against the unknown dangers that lie before him. Will this be the final battle? Can you vanquish the evil Kunitoki once and for all?

Nintendo DSiWare

Clubhouse Games Express: Strategy Pack
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1-8
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Prepare yourself for a lesson in tactics as you play through five strategy-based games in this Nintendo DSiWare version of the popular Clubhouse Games. Take on an opponent in the classic Backgammon, invade an enemy base in Field Tactics, sandwich your opponent’s pieces to capture them in Turncoat, create strings of five in a row in Connect Five and guess where to attack your opponent’s pieces in Grid Attack. Play by yourself or use DS Download Play to host as many as seven friends.

MySims Camera
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Players: 1
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: MySims Camera is a camera application that utilizes popular MySims characters. You can take photos and overlay 3-D MySims characters to bring them into the real world. The 3-D characters can be animated, moved, scaled, rotated and cropped. You can also draw on the photos with the stylus or use the stamp tool to add more art and style. Create a unique frame and save the photos to the Nintendo DSi Camera album to share with friends. MySims Camera is a fun, creative experience for the entire family.

Nintendo Marketplace: 9/7/2009

Nintendo completes the trilogy of Super NES Star Wars games this week. Plus other titles for WiiWare and DSiWare.

WiiWare

Contra Rebirth
Publisher: Konami
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Fantasy Violence
Price: 1,000 Wii Points™
Description: Chief Salamander and his Neo-Salamander Force travel back to 1973 A.D. to invade Earth. They land in Central America and take control of the Shizuoka ruins on the Yucatan Peninsula. There, the aliens plan the destruction of all the “Contra” on Earth. The Galactic President calls on Lance Bean, a member of the elite “Contra” warriors, to save the day, but his sudden disappearance jeopardizes the safety of the planet. Now, Bill Rizer and samurai Genbei Yagyu are the last hope for Earth. They must pick up their weapons and defeat the evil Neo-Salamander Army before all is lost. Experience the fast-paced, action-packed, side-scrolling adventure that pioneered the run-and-gun genre.

ColorZ
Publisher: Exkee
Players: 1-3
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief
Price: 700 Wii Points
Description: With ColorZ, go forth in your spaceships on a mission to clean up virus-infested planets. Immerse yourself in a new gaming experience that will reveal mind-hand-eye coordination skills you never knew you had. Absorb viruses of your own color, but steer clear of the others. If necessary, you can cleverly merge your ships together to create new colors. Buzz past your enemies to keep your combo and clock up a new high score. Explore an extra dimension with the game’s multiplayer mode and share the unique experience of cooperative play between friends. Pool your forces, synchronize your movements and become a unified team of up to three players to meet the challenge together.

Virtual Console

Super Return of the Jedi
Original platform: Super NES™
Publisher: LucasArts
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Fantasy Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Join the Rebellion and crush the Death Star in a giant universe filled with all the action and adventure of the Star Wars® finale. Take command of five different characters — from Wicket the Ewok to Princess Leia — and go up against the Empire’s worst, from Jabba the Hutt to the Emperor himself. You’re going to need every ounce of Force you’ve got in you. Battle in actual movie locales, from Jabba the Hutt’s palace to the Forest of Endor and the Emperor’s Tower. Cross sabers with the darkest of the dark side: Bib Fortuna, Jabba the Hutt, the rancor, Darth Vader and the Emperor.

Nintendo DSiWare

Clubhouse Games™ Express: Family Favorites
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1-8
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Choose from five family-friendly games in this Nintendo DSiWare version of the popular Clubhouse Games. Play classic card games like Hearts and Contract Bridge; connect bones to other bones in Dominoes; think strategically in the simple but addictive Dots and Boxes; and move your pieces towards a common goal in Ludo. Play by yourself or use DS Download Play to host as many as seven friends.

Source:

http://press.nintendo.com/articles.jsp?id=19879

What’s Rand playing now?

And now for the first of the occasional section where I address various games I happen to be playing at the moment, and whether or not I recommend them.

Let’s start off on the DS!

I found Desktop Tower Defense for the DS recently, and decided to check it out. If you’ve played the online game, you already know what to expect here. It’s more of the same, just on the DS, so it’s more portable than before. The DS version allows you to customize various sprites that appear in the game, including the towers and the enemies. There is also a variety of game challenges to try.

Rand’s comment: It’s an enjoyable game; try to find it on the cheap somewhere, though.

I’ve finally gotten around to playing Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon on the DS. Somewhat late to the game, I know, but not too terribly late. I’ve played (and enjoyed) both Fire Emblem games on the GBA (never got around to playing the GCN and Wii titles), so I was looking forward to Shadow Dragon. I’m up to Chapter 7 right now, but then I let my mom begin a file. She’s been playing the game more than I have, and she’s already made more progress than I have in the game.

Rand’s comment: Definitely pick this game up, especially if you like challenging games and can handle frustration

Another game I’ve been playing is Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume. The fact that it’s a SquareEnix-published title caught my attention, and I’m finding this to be a rather enjoyable game. It’s another tactical game, meaning you and your opponent take turns moving your units individually around the map, picking fights. What makes this more fun is how the actual fights play out: you control each unit, and can bring multiple units into a fight if you line them up correctly. This leads to all manner of super-special-ultimate-can’t-touch-this attacks with flashier-than-thou special effects. Apparently there is also a story in here somewhere…

Rand’s Comment: F***yeah Seaking, Tactical game!

And I’ve been playing more on Pokemon Platinum Version.

Rand’s Comment: F***yeah Seaking, I’m not training any Seaking!

Now, over on the Wii, it’s been a mixed bag of titles.

The only Wii title I’ve been playing recently is Animal Crossing: City Folk. I finally got a copy of this game back in July, and I’m already up to the final house expansion. Late last week I finally got Nookington’s in my town. Yay for Animal Crossing.

Rand’s Comment: Who cares about Sims? Animal Crossing is where it’s at!

Since the Wii is the ultimate backwards compatible machine for Nintendo consoles (and other legacy consoles, thanks to Virtual Console), I’ve been playing older games. In particular, I’ve been trying to complete Pikmin 2. I’ve beaten the main story of the game (meaning I’ve collected the 1,000 Pokos debt), and am now attempting to rescue Louie (after what was perhaps the most forced story element in any game I’ve ever played). But you know what? Pikmin 2 is a damn fun game, and quite addicting. Don’t eat my Pikmin, you damn Bulbax!

Rand’s Comment: Pikmin 2 is very addictive, and a very awesome game.

Mega Man 9 secret still not uncovered

According to a recent interview with Seth Killian of Capcom-Unity, the major secret in the WiiWare title Mega Man 9 has yet to be discovered by gamers.

“I check in with the nugget hunt on the regular. Nobody has found it,” he told Destructoid. Talking about all the guesses and speculation that gamers have posted online (a common guess of late is that the secret might be a connection between MM9 and one of the NES Mega Man games), he added, “But even so that thread is like the greatest compendium of Mega Man trivia of all time—great stuff. At any rate, yes, it is cooler than those really obscure similarities”

Will this secret ever be uncovered? I’m sure it will eventually, but in the meantime, it’s fun to speculate about what this secret might be.

Nintendo Marketplace 8/31/2009: Wii/DSi Shop Updates

This week we’ve got two WiiWare titles, one Virtual Console title, and one DSiWare title.

WiiWare™

Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 2
Publisher: Telltale Games
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Alcohol Reference, Cartoon Violence, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes
Price: 1,000 Wii Points™
Description: Guybrush’s adventures continue on the high seas as pox-plagued pirates lay siege to the innocent Mer-People. Between defending the Mer-People and dodging the persistent pirate hunter hot on his trail, Guybrush manages to catch up to his beloved wife and despised arch-nemesis, but the reunion is short-lived. Now Guybrush must focus on eradicating the Pox of LeChuck before more harm can be done. And as the Mighty Pirate draws closer to a cure, the waters will only grow murkier in this thrilling chapter of the epic saga.

3-2-1, Rattle Battle!
Publisher: Tecmo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: 3-2-1, Rattle Battle! is a party game packed with exciting mini-games. Intuitive controls mean that anyone can enjoy playing – just grab the Wii Remote™ and shake it to “rattle.” Great fun for single players, but the party really gets started when you register high scores on Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection to see how you measure up against players from around the globe.

Virtual Console™

Phantasy Star™
Original platform: SEGA Master System
Publisher: SEGA
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone 10 and Older) – Animated Blood, Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Originally released on the SEGA Master System, Phantasy Star is a pioneer in the role-playing game genre. Alis is the fearless female protagonist out to avenge her brother’s death at the hands of cruel dictator King Lassic. Players must guide Alis and her troops through the sprawling environments of the Agol solar system in an attempt to defeat King Lassic and liberate the people of Agol. Engage in dynamic turn-based combat with dragons, ghouls, giants and magicians by using unique weapons such as glowing daggers, crossbows and magic spells.

Nintendo DSiWare™

Puzzle League™ Express
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: The ever-popular Puzzle League comes to Nintendo DSiWare. As it is with all good puzzlers, the concept is simple: Connect blocks of the same color to clear them from the screen and prevent your stack from becoming too high. There are four single-player modes to choose from: Endless (survive to earn a top score), Clear (eliminate all blocks above the line), Score Attack (score as high as possible in two minutes) and Vs. COM (use items and combos to attack a computer opponent). You can choose from a variety of background music to help get you in the zone, and even play in horizontal or vertical mode by holding the Nintendo DSi system normally or like a book. Whichever way you play, you’re guaranteed maximum fun.