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[bitwise]

OFFICIAL NOW, so screw you "old" sayers YES WE KNEW IT WAS COMING.



finally hitting the major news outlets:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050816...4ZnooVdCGYD;_ylu=X3oDMTA3cjE0b2MwBHNlYwM3Mzg-



Nintendo Co. is getting more aggressive in the portable video game market, announcing a $20 price cut Tuesday for its newest handheld system.


The Nintendo DS is being reduced to $130 from $150. The cut is effective Sunday, a day before the release of the anticipated title "Nintendogs," an interactive puppy simulator that lets owners train and play with a virtual pet. The dogs respond to owners through the built-in microphone and react to praise via the handheld's touch screen.

The dual-screen handheld device made its way to retail stores in November and has sold more than 2.5 million units in North America and 5 million worldwide.

But Sony Corp (NYSE:SNE - news).'s PlayStation Portable, which retails for $250, stole the limelight in March with its all-in-one entertainment system that lets players watch movies, listen to music, play games and view photos. Sony has sold almost 2 million units in North America and shipped more than 5 million worldwide.

According to market research firm DFC Intelligence, the worldwide portable game market is expected to grow from $4 billion in 2004 to $11.1 billion by 2007. Nintendo is credited for creating the market in 1989 with its Game Boy series.

This fall, Nintendo plans to let DS players challenge each other via Wi-Fi — a feature already on the PlayStation Portable.

 

[demi]

bitwise cuts use of search feature

 

[Hyoushi]

 

[dark10x]

So the price drop will occur this Sunday?

What else is available on this platform in Japan? There is currently only one US game that I would purchase, so I must turn to JP releases. Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan!, Castlevania, Lost in Blue, and perhaps one other game that I'm forgetting.

Just what else is there? There is so much praise for this thing, as of late, but I haven't followed it that closely. What's worth picking up?

 

[demi]

What's worth picking up?

Meteos
Kirby
Mario
Castlevania (Oct)
Advance Wars (Aug 22)

Other than that, nothing. Period.

Until later on down the road, anyway.

 

[drohne]

assuming the one US game you'd purchase is meteos, there's nothing else worth picking up. advance wars is coming soon, though.

 

[cybamerc]

There is so much praise for this thing, as of late, but I haven't followed it that closely.

Yet you seem to be in every DS thread. Is it really that hard to look up a game list at IGN or Gamespot?

 

[dark10x]

Yet you seem to be in every DS thread. Is it really that hard to look up a game list at IGN or Gamespot?

I KNOW what's available in the US, and that's what those sites cover. I also know of the top JP games...but considering how much praise the thing receives, I'm expecting like 15-20 classics that I've missed or something.

 

[demi]

15-20 classics

Lol. Nah man. Horseshit.

 

[sonycowboy]

Looks like the DS is going to have a BIG holiday, IMO.

They needed the price drop badly and with Nintendogs, Mario Kart, Sonic Rush, Super Mario Bros, & Metroid Prime Hunters leading the pack, they really look to be well positioned for the holidays.

However, besides Sonic Rush what third party games will do well this year? And will the NDS hurt the GBA HW sales?

 

[demi]

However, besides Sonic Rush what third party games will do well this year?

Castlevania? Or is that not third-party.

 

[jman2050]

Looks like the DS is going to have a BIG holiday, IMO.

They needed the price drop badly and with Nintendogs, Mario Kart, Sonic Rush, Super Mario Bros, & Metroid Prime Hunters leading the pack, they really look to be well positioned for the holidays.

However, besides Sonic Rush what third party games will do well this year? And will the NDS hurt the GBA HW sales?

I think the Micro pretty much assures GBA dominence, so I wouldn't worry on that front.

I'm interested in what third party games will perform exceptionally though. if Nintendogs ends up fueling DS sales, it can up the sales of future third party releases. Although yeah, only Castlevania and Sonic I forsee as doing good as far as third parties are concerned.

 

[Taker666]

Dear Nintendo of America,

If you are cutting the DS price for the release of Nintendogs ...
...THEN RELEASE SOME NEW COLORS AT THE SAME BLOODY TIME.

Look at Japan, copy and repeat.

Fools.

 

[dark10x]

What is wrong with NoA anyways?

The current lineup is terrible IMO, which is why I was turning to JP releases. I just took another gander at the rest of the year and there are only three games that I am interested on the US list (and I'll probably import one of them). What the hell?

Guess I'll stick to Japanese releases...

 

[Netrunner2k2]

However, besides Sonic Rush what third party games will do well this year? And will the NDS hurt the GBA HW sales?

It is hard to say what game that isn't a big franchise in America will do well, sadly.

I know some third-party games I am looking to are Lost in Blue, Trauma Center, Phoenix Wright, and Snowboard Kids, but I don't think they are going to do very well. Maybe moderate success though.

 

[sonycowboy]

Castlevania? Or is that not third-party.

While very good games, they haven't exactly lit up the sales charts. And this is on the GBA which has a huge installed base.

GBA CASTLEVANIA CLASSIC KONAMI OF AMERICA Oct-04 105,425
GBA CASTLEVANIA: ARIA KONAMI OF AMERICA May-03 158,148
GBA CASTLEVANIA: CIRCLE KONAMI OF AMERICA Jun-01 480,236
GBA CASTLEVANIA: HARMONY KONAMI OF AMERICA Sep-02 125,986

 

[demi]

Considering how hot DS sales are as of now, I'd say it will do well for what it's worth.

 

[cybamerc]

I KNOW what's available in the US, and that's what those sites cover. I also know of the top JP games...but considering how much praise the thing receives, I'm expecting like 15-20 classics that I've missed or something.

Or maybe, just maybe, some people enjoy other types of games than you do. We get that Sony makes you hard. Good for you. Surely there must be a thread about the life altering experience that is PSP that allows you to share your love without having to feign interest in DS.

 

[thestopsign]

Well what about Age of Empires. I can see that doing pretty well. Black & White should do okay next year. But besides that there aren't many good selling 3rd party games. I'm sure Viewtiful Joe will be the best 3rd party game out this year. Tis a shame that it won't do all that well.

 

[jarrod]

However, besides Sonic Rush what third party games will do well this year?

For big sellers (200k+ in the US), I'd say the following are likely canidates...

*online play

-Crash Tag Team Racing (VU Games)
-Disney Presents a Pixar Film: Finding Nemo 2 (THQ)
-Disney Presents a Pixar Film: The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer (THQ)
-Dragon Ball Z: Super Sonic Warriors 2 (Atari)
-Dynasty Warriors DS (Koei)*
-Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles DS (Square Enix)*
-Frogger: Helmet Chaos (Konami)
-Pac n' Roll (Namco)
-Sonic Rush (Sega)
-SpongeBob SquarePants: The Yellow Avenger (THQ)
-Spyro the Dragon: Shadow Legacy (VU Games)
-Tetris DS (THQ)
-Texas Hold 'Em Poker (Majesco)
-The Sims 2 (Electronic Arts)
-Tony Hawk's American Wasteland (Activision)*
-Ultimate Spider-Man (Activision)
-Yu-Gi-OH! Nightmare Troubador (Konami)
-Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble (Capcom)


...there's other games with an outside shot of doing the same depending on how hype and distribution is handled (Castlevania, Lost in Blue, Harvest Moon, Trauma Center, Fullmetal Alchemist, Snowboard Kids, Zoo Tycoon, Age of Empires, etc) but these are all practically guaranteed to pass 200k sooner or later.

 

[jarrod]

While very good games, they haven't exactly lit up the sales charts. And this is on the GBA which has a huge installed base.

GBA CASTLEVANIA CLASSIC KONAMI OF AMERICA Oct-04 105,425
GBA CASTLEVANIA: ARIA KONAMI OF AMERICA May-03 158,148
GBA CASTLEVANIA: CIRCLE KONAMI OF AMERICA Jun-01 480,236
GBA CASTLEVANIA: HARMONY KONAMI OF AMERICA Sep-02 125,986

All those except CotM saw just one printing. Had Konami handled distribution better, HoD and AoS both could've likely doubled those sales.... as is they're extremely sought after releases.

 

[dark10x]

Or maybe, just maybe, some people enjoy other types of games than you do. We get that Sony makes you hard. Good for you. Surely there must be a thread about the life altering experience that is PSP that allows you to share your love without having to feign interest in DS.

Jeez, what an asshole...


Ignoring him, I'm looking to grab (at sometime or another) Ouendan, Kirby, Meteos, (maybe) Jump Super Stars, Castlevania, Lost in Blue, and Sonic Rush.

How is Another Code? I remember hearing some positive things there. Good storyline?

What about Catch, Touch, Yoshi? I've played this a bit, and found it somewhat enjoyable, but I've heard there is very little content. True?

How did Goemon turn out?

Advance Wars might be kinda fun as well (never did get into the previous games, but I might give it a shot).

That's enough to consider it worthwhile, but is there anything else I'm missing that's worth looking at (either available now or upcoming)?

 

[Fuzzy]

All those except CotM saw just one printing. Had Konami handled distribution better, HoD and AoS both could've likely doubled those sales.... as is they're extremely sought after releases.

Yep, Konami only has themselves to blame for the low numbers.

 

[Alcibiades]

they also botched Twin Snakes distribution...

The Best Buy I worked out only had 2 copies ever during the time I worked there (Summer 2004), and the Target next door never had any copies in...

I don't know who they hire for that kind of stuff, but Natsume and Atlus sometimes do a better job of getting their titles on the shelves...

 

[Rayven]

Meteos
Kirby
Mario
Castlevania (Oct)
Advance Wars (Aug 22)

Other than that, nothing. Period.

Until later on down the road, anyway.

US
Puyo Pop
Nanostray
Mr Driller
Warioware Touched!

Import
Jump Superstars
Ouendan
Band Brothers
Electroplankton
Goemon

 

[Zeo]

Meteos
Kirby
Mario
Castlevania (Oct)
Advance Wars (Aug 22)

Other than that, nothing. Period.

Until later on down the road, anyway.

Nah, ignore the man. You can get Zoo Keeper for 20 or under now. Feel the Magic is great, Nanostray is great, Bomberman is awesome on multiplayer.

 

[Tiktaalik]

Ignoring him, I'm looking to grab (at sometime or another) Ouendan, Kirby, Meteos, (maybe) Jump Super Stars, Castlevania, Lost in Blue, and Sonic Rush.

[edit: missread quote]

 

[callous]

Castlevania? Or is that not third-party.

What

 

[Zeo]

Seriously, Nintendo needs to put out the white, black, and pink DS here NOW.

 

[drohne]

another code has a few very clever puzzles, and its chip music, naïve storytelling, and primitive graphics lend it a weird retro charm. but it's also thin on content, and just when it starts getting good, it abandons puzzles and focuses on story to a degree that its writing just can't bear. i suspect it was rushed. think of it as resident evil without the zombies, or a graphic adventure for japanese kids. only...not quite as bad as either of those descriptions makes it sound.

i wouldn't recommend buying it.

but if you insist on buying it, i'll sell you my euro import!

 

[Argyle]

Well what about Age of Empires. I can see that doing pretty well. Black & White should do okay next year. But besides that there aren't many good selling 3rd party games. I'm sure Viewtiful Joe will be the best 3rd party game out this year. Tis a shame that it won't do all that well.

Age of Empires is definitely not the same game on DS and didn't seem all that exciting when I checked it out.

Of course, it is hard to get a good impression of a turn based strategy game at E3, but it seems to me that they licensed the name and likeness and not much else, so I'm not too optimistic.

US
Nanostray
Mr Driller
Warioware Touched!

Import
Ouendan

Nanostray is pretty mediocre, IMHO. Try to get the Japanese or European version of Mr. Driller if that strikes your fancy since it has the Drillstone mode missing from the US version...and Warioware Touched is crap. Buy Warioware Twisted instead.

Ouendan is awesome, definitely worth importing

 

[Fuzzy]

Seriously, Nintendo needs to put out the white, black, and pink DS here NOW.

Looking at the lineup just from Nintendo for the rest of this year I really doubt we'll see new colours to boost the DS until next year.

08/22/05 - Nintendogs
08/22/05 - Advance Wars: Dual Strike
09/26/05 - Trace Memory
10/24/05 - Metroid Prime Pinball
Q4 2005 - Mario & Luigi 2
Q4 2005 - Mario Kart DS
Q4 2005 - Animal Crossing DS
Q4 2005 - Metriod Prime Hunters

 

[olimario]

Now they can advertise Nintendogs heavily with the price cut.
Making out to be the next tomagochi will work to their benefit.

 

[sgt]

I just bought my DS last week and cannot locate the receipt.

 

[drohne]

nanoSTAYTHEHELLAWAY

http://forum.gaming-age.com/showpost.php?p=1698728&postcount=103

 

[dark10x]

No no no, don't worry. I've tried Nanostay and there is no way in hell I'd buy it (bad bad game). I've already listed all of the (current) US DS games I would purchase. I've played around with some of those other games listed and really don't like them.

 

[Amir0x]

Nah, ignore the man. You can get Zoo Keeper for 20 or under now. Feel the Magic is great, Nanostray is great, Bomberman is awesome on multiplayer.

NANOSTRAY is great? Have you NEVER played another game in that genre in your fucking life?

Nevermind your shite Feel the Magic reccomendation. You have shit taste, stop leading people astray.

 

[Jeff-DSA]

NANOSTRAY is great? Have you NEVER played another game in that genre in your fucking life?

Nevermind your shite Feel the Magic reccomendation. You have shit taste, stop leading people astray.

It's Zeo's part-time job.

DS games worth owning now:

-Mario 64
-Wario Ware Touched
-Bomberman (if you can get multiplayer games going)
-Meteos
-Kirby
-Yoshi (if you like arcade style play)

 

[Zeo]

NANOSTRAY is great? Have you NEVER played another game in that genre in your fucking life?

Nevermind your shite Feel the Magic reccomendation. You have shit taste, stop leading people astray.

Stop lying to people.

Nanostray IS great and a lot of people agree with me. Are there better games in the genre? Yes. But is it fun as hell on its own? Yes. End of story.

And Feel the Magic is -great-. Too short, but it's one of the most fun and original handheld games I've played in ages. And again, many will agree with me that it's good.

 

[Wario64]

Nintendo giving old news. Cheap ass gamers win.


and the Nintendo DS w/ Metroid Prime Hunters bundle for $150 makes sense now



also, nanostray sucks. i know. and i havent even played it

 

[dark10x]

Stop lying to people.

Nanostray IS great and a lot of people agree with me. Are there better games in the genre? Yes. But is it fun as hell on its own? Yes. End of story.

And Feel the Magic is -great-. Too short, but it's one of the most fun and original handheld games I've played in ages. And again, many will agree with me that it's good.

Well, at least I can write off those opinions...

You may as well recommend Blowout to a Contra fan.

It looks fantastic for a DS game, but the game itself doesn't seem to be very good. Now, to be fair, I haven't put a lot of time into the game...but at the same time, it's pretty easy to see whether or not a shooter is worth playing from just a short exposure. Add in the wealth of negative impressions and I don't think it's worth buying at all.

 

[krypt0nian]

Meteos
Kirby
Mario
Castlevania (Oct)
Advance Wars (Aug 22)

Other than that, nothing. Period.

Until later on down the road, anyway.

+

US
Nada

Import
Jump Superstars
Ouendan
Band Brothers

Edited Bizarro World list to better fit with Earth-1 logic.

 

[Amir0x]

Stop lying to people.

Nanostray IS great and a lot of people agree with me. Are there better games in the genre? Yes. But is it fun as hell on its own? Yes. End of story.

Stop lying to people? Are you HIGH? Anyone who likes this genre, which isn't a huge amount of people to begin with, knows what complete and utter SHIT the game is. Teddman tried to defend it, but pie on the face! It's a fucking joke, and the fact that you're endorsing it just proves that you'd jizz over any game you can for the sake of it if it seemed to help your camp. Even at its best - and I mean, I'm giving it a lot of leeway for people who AREN'T nerds of that genre - it's mediocre.

And Feel the Magic is -great-. Too short, but it's one of the most fun and original handheld games I've played in ages. And again, many will agree with me that it's good.

Hahahaha. Most original handheld game you've played in ages? BLOW IN MICROPHONE WITH CHEESY, STUPIDLY EASY, POORLY THOUGHT OUT MINI GAMES! A REVOLUTION IN HANDHELD GAMING.

Your taste sucks. Go to bed.

 

[Zeo]

Stop lying to people? Are you HIGH? Anyone who likes this genre, which isn't a huge amount of people to begin with, knows what complete and utter SHIT the game is. Teddman tried to defend it, but pie on the face! It's a fucking joke, and the fact that you're endorsing it just proves that you'd jizz over any game you can for the sake of it if it seemed to help your camp. Even at its best - and I mean, I'm giving it a lot of leeway for people who AREN'T nerds of that genre - it's mediocre.



Hahahaha. Most original handheld game you've played in ages? BLOW IN MICROPHONE WITH CHEESY, STUPIDLY EASY, POORLY THOUGHT OUT MINI GAMES! A REVOLUTION IN HANDHELD GAMING.

Your taste sucks. Go to bed.

Nah, my taste is better than yours and both those games are great. You're wrong. ):

 

[Drakken]

It's Zeo's part-time job.

DS games worth owning now:

-Mario 64
-Wario Ware Touched
-Bomberman (if you can get multiplayer games going)
-Meteos
-Kirby
-Yoshi (if you like arcade style play)

^This is an accurate list. Feel the Magic is NOT worth paying full price for, though it may be charming. Yoshi isn't worth full price either, unless you see yourself spending hours and hours trying to beat your high scores. I'd say the #1 game to get is Kirby.

 

[Zeo]

^This is an accurate list. Feel the Magic is NOT worth paying full price for, though it may be charming. Yoshi isn't worth full price either, unless you see yourself spending hours and hours trying to beat your high scores. I'd say the #1 game to get is Kirby.

I don't see how Feel the Magic is not worth $30. I got a few weeks of play out of it.

Besides, you can probably get it for less now anyway.

 

[Amir0x]

Nah, my taste is better than yours and both those games are great. You're wrong. ):

Man, Zeo, and here we all thought you could never get any more incorrect. We thought "We know 'he's just being Zeo', and he's always wrong, and he's a joke, and his standard of greatness is so low as to be irrelevant, it can't get worse!"

It's nice that you prove us wrong, for a greater and more hilarious tommorrow.

I don't see how Feel the Magic is not worth $30. I got a few weeks of play out of it.

Besides, you can probably get it for less now anyway.

He apologizes. He meant that Feel the Magic is not worth 30 dollars for anyone who likes quality games.

 

[Zeo]

Man, Zeo, and here we all thought you could never get any more incorrect. We thought "We know 'he's just being Zeo', and he's always wrong, and he's a joke, and his standard of greatness is so low as to be irrelevant, it can't get worse!"

It's nice that you prove us wrong, for a greater and more hilarious tommorrow.

Eh, whatever. Since you're just being a jackass now I'll leave it at that. I like Nanostray and FtM (and many others do as well), and you don't. The end.

 

[Amir0x]

Eh, whatever. Since you're just being a jackass now I'll leave it at that. I like Nanostray and FtM (and many others do as well), and you don't. The end.

Hahaha, your post is so desperate.

In fact, I'm going to start adding that to my opinions.

"I like Super Mario Sunshine (and many others do as well). The end guys! The end!"

 

[drohne]

nanostray probably seems passable if you're a hopeless nintendumb whose favorite "shump" is "raiden trad," the horrendous snes port of the mediocre first raiden game. this isn't a hypothetical person. this is olimario. you'll probably like nanostray if you're olimario.