The Koalition | The Video Game & Hip Hop Authority » Nintendo DS

Nintendo Unveils New DSi™ LL [Updated]

Carl Daniel — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:11:46 +0000

Did you just buy a brand spanking new DSi? Poor thing… Today during a press event in Tokyo Nintendo announced a new version of the handheld called the DSi LL. Although to the untrained eye it may look like the current DSi, the DSi LL actually has a much larger screen (4.2″) which as you can imagine increases the size of the unit making it even less portable. For most DS owners I’m pretty sure a larger screen is the last thing they want, especially since it retains its ancient 4:3 aspect ratio and a larger screen will inevitably make games look even worse. However if you’re one of those people who use your DSi as a multimedia, web browsing device this upgrade is supposedly for you.

Natural White, Dark Brown & Wine Red variations of the DSi LL are set to hit stores in Japan on November 11th for ¥20,000 (US$220), All systems will come with a built in dictionary, brain training software and 2 stylus (one regular, one large).

Update: Nintendo has confirmed that the DSi LL will indeed be coming to North America and Europe in the first quarter of 2010 under the new title DSi XL. Pricing is still TBA.

Amazon has a Buy 2 Games Get 1 Free Sale too.

Fergus Mills — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:25:31 +0000

Not to be outdone by Toys R Us completely, Amazon.com has a buy 2 games and get a 3rd game free sale going on this week as well. Toys R Us has the superior sale because it includes all currently released games and accessories, but Amazon has a decent selection of games with free shipping and no tax in most states. Now is the perfect time to pick up some games to go in your backlog. And who knows, maybe you could not open the games and figure out something else to do with them…

amazon.com

Nintendo Doesn’t “Get” The PSP Go

A.B. Frasier — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:23:48 +0000

Speaking with the Washington Post Reggie Fils-Aime President of Nintendo Of America didn’t hesitate to throw a few shots at Sony’s new gadget. You know how before you ‘diss’ someone you try to throw something in there before you ether them. Like saying “no disrespect” , then you go on to do the opposite and disrespect anyway. Well, Reggie started his statement like this:

“I have the utmost respect for all our competitors”

go on..

“But it’s interesting to try and answer the consumer question of ‘what’s in it for me?’ in that product.”

He feels as if the consumer wont see any value in the PSP Go. You agree Or Disagree? He also threw a few shots at Sony’s marketing of the machine.

He added the device may have a “fundamental concept problem in terms of ‘who it’s for’ and ‘what’s the benefit?’”

Props to GI.biz

Beyonce Wants A Video Game? Nintendo, Look What You Did!

A.B. Frasier — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:49:09 +0000

I’m not going to even front on you guys. I knew this day was coming the moment I saw Beyonce doing a DS ad. From then, I began to predict the days between that moment and today. Heres what “the hottest chick in the game” had to say:

“I’d like to get involved in video games, since I really love Wii Fit,” the diva recently said. “I think it would be a great idea to incorporate choreography, because, for me, my workout is way more fun when it involves dancing, as opposed to running on a boring treadmill.”

I can see the commercial already. A typical modern day family set up in front of the television doing a “Single Ladies” rendition. That’s not a good look. Oh shit, somebody already did one here. (give me a minute to throw up)

The game would be based around fitness and choreography, because she feels regular workouts have become boring. What do you guys think? Leave your thoughts.

props to Kotaku for the heads up

(Japan) Media Create Sales September 14th – September 20th

Gary A Swaby — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:10:38 +0000

This is the listing of the hardware sales in the Japanese territory for the week of September 14th – September 20th of 2009

1. Nintendo DSi / 66,073
2. Sony PlayStation 3 / 51,055
3. Sony PlayStation Portable / 21,073
4. Nintendo Wii / 16,698
5. Nintendo DS Lite / 13,555
6. Microsoft Xbox 360 / 4,965
7. Sony PlayStation 2 / 2,723

This is the listing of the software sales in the Japanese territory for the week of September 14th – September 20th of 2009.

1. (DS) Pokemon Soul Silver / Nintendo / 222,579
2. (DS) Pokemon Heart Gold / Nintendo/ 220,554
3. (PS3) Tales of Vesperia / Namco Bandai Games / 216,593
4. (PSP) Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu Portable 4 / Konami / 104,377
5. (DS) SaGa 2: Hihou Densetsu – Goddess of Destiny / Square Enix / 91,574
6. (DS) Tomodachi Collection / Nintendo / 72,629
7. (DS) Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s Tag Force 4 / Konami / 50,697
8. (PSP) Ys Seven / Falcom / 33,349
9. (DS) Dragon Quest IX: Hoshizora no Mamoribito / Square Enix / 32,603
10. (DS) The Idolm@ster: Dearly Stars / Namco Bandai Games / 30,786

DSi Gets new colors in Europe

Gary A Swaby — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:14:15 +0000

On 23rd October all you fellow European residents out there will be able to get your hands on three new Dsi colors.

you’ll now be able to pick up Metallic Blue, Light Blue and Red Nintendo DSi’s. If only they came in that Koalition green.

Here is the official press release from public relations.

NEW COLOURS FOR THE NINTENDO DSi

22nd September 2009 – Nintendo today revealed that the popular Nintendo DSi will be available to buy across Europe in three new colours from 23rd October 2009 – Metallic Blue, Light Blue and Red.

The Nintendo DSi launched in Europe in April 2009 in white and black and is packed with new features that excite fans of, and newcomers to, the Nintendo DS range. The Nintendo DSi enables you to create, customise and share photos with friends & family, listen to and play with your favourite music and sounds, play over 1000 existing Nintendo DS games and download games directly to the console through the Nintendo DSi Shop which is accessible through the console. .

And with the new colours comes a series of new benefits including the new Flipnote Studio and Facebook feature pre-installed. The Facebook feature allows users to post their photographic creations straight to their Facebook profile to get the most out of the fun image manipulation tools in the Nintendo DSi Camera. Flipnote Studio enables users to conveniently make notes on their Nintendo DSi or get creative and animate their own mini-movies! Upload and share your creations online via a special service accessible with the Nintendo DSi: Flipnote Hatena and join the growing community of animators!

Also those that use their Nintendo DSi to access the Nintendo DSi Shop through Nintendo Wi-Fi connection before March 31st, 2010 will receive 1,000 Nintendo DSi Points for free! Users can then use these points to download exclusive games and/or applications called Nintendo DSiWare. Users can also purchase additional Nintendo DSi Points within the Nintendo DSi Shop or redeem Nintendo Points cards that can be bought in stores where available.

Nintendo DSi is the third iteration in the range of Nintendo DS consoles which are currently enjoyed by millions of people around the world. It features the trademark dual screens and the simple-to-use controls that players have come to love. The Nintendo DSi also features improvements. The Touch Screen, that makes playing software and navigating the controls simple and intuitive, is now bigger and brighter then ever before. Users can now purchase and download games directly from the Nintendo DSi Shop onto their Nintendo DSi, as well as play over 1000 existing Nintendo DS games. Picture files can also be stored directly to the Nintendo DSi and using the new SD Card slot, music files can be played from a SD Card; all ensuring true entertainment on the go.

More colour and now more fashion with Nintendo presents: Style Boutique

And to match the stylish and colourful new Nintendo DSi, there’s another great arrival on the same day with Nintendo presents: Style Boutique hitting the shelves across Europe. Nintendo presents: Style Boutique, for both the Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi, challenges you to run your own fashion store as a style consultant, hand pick your own stock from 10,000 items, take part in Fashion Contests to win special items, open a branch of your shop online and even play against other consultants in multiplayer modes. Working your way up from shop assistant in a store, you can offer clothing advice and outfits for customers. With each customer having their own style and personality, you need to choose their clothes carefully to make a successful sale.

Nintendo DSi in Metallic Blue, Light Blue and Red and the new Nintendo presents: Style Boutique are all available across Europe from 23rd October 2009.

-ends-

(Japan) Media Create Sales September 7th – September 13th

Gary A Swaby — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 06:57:30 +0000

This is the listing of the hardware sales in the Japanese territory for the week of September 7th – September 13th of 2009.

1. Nintendo DSi / 66,498
2. Sony PlayStation 3 / 55,344
3. Sony PlayStation Portable / 18,375
4. Nintendo Wii / 17,568
5. Nintendo DS Lite / 11,179
6. Microsoft Xbox 360 / 7,568
7. Sony PlayStation 2 / 2,612

This is the listing of the software sales in the Japanese territory for the week of September 7th – September 13th of 2009.

1. (DS) Pokemon Soul Silver / Nintendo / 722,904
2. (DS) Pokemon Heart Gold / Nintendo/ 720,086
3. (DS) Tomodachi Collection / Nintendo / 73,789
4. (DS) Dragon Quest IX: Hoshizora no Mamoribito / Square Enix / 36,877
5. (PS3) Mobile Suit Gundam Battlefield Record U.C. 0081/ Namco Bandai Games / 32,679
6. (Wii) Wii Sports Resort / Nintendo / 32,217
7. (DS) Love Plus / Konami / 21,620
8. (Wii) Monster Hunter 3 / Capcom / 15,531
9. (PSP) Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (PSP the Best) / 13,018
10. (PSP) Maplus: Portable Navi 3 / Edia Co. / 12,510

http://www.m-create.com/ranking/

Well what do you expect? This Pokemon IP is over 186 million sold worldwide, therefore making it the best selling RPG of all time. The DSi complements this nicely. Now about that region locking…

Scribblenauts Review

Carl Daniel — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:17:40 +0000

I’m sure by now you’ve atleast heard of Scribblenauts, after being awarded “E3 2009’s Game Of The Show” by several major publications Scribblenauts instantly became one of the most highly anticipated DS games ever. Developed by 5th Cell, makers of Drawn To Life and Locks Quest, Scribblenauts is one of the most ambitious games ever made. Put simply, your objective in Scribblenauts is to solve environmental puzzles and collect “Starites” but writing down any (non-copyrighted, non-offensive) object/animal/person that you can think of for assistance. The object you write down will instantly appear in the game world and it will act more-or-less as it would in real life. So for example a lumberjack may need your help cutting down a tree, you can choose to call upon a beaver to chew through the bark, or burn the tree down with a lighter, or take control of a Bulldozer and knock it down, the list goes on. Scribblenauts contains 220 puzzles in all and each can be solved in numerous ways so getting through the game in its entirety will take a very long time. The amount of objects 5th Cell managed to cram in to this tiny DS cartridge is mind blowing, there are over 20,000 objects in total ranging from an Elephant to a Sledge Hammer and you’ll no doubt spend a lot of time writing down obscure items just to see if they actually appear.

If You're Gonna Commit Suicide Atleast Glue Toaster To Your Head First!

Playing through Scribblenauts I’ve discovered that I more than likely have mental problems, presumably caused by daddy issues. Let me explain, when I was tasked to help a kid bust open a Piñata at a birthday party in my head I know all I need to do is hand the young’n a baseball bat and be on my way. However before doing so I spent around 20 minutes thinking of new ways to massacre the little squirt and all his little friends. I’ve called upon a Cannibal to attack them, I’ve glued meat chunks to their heads then made a blood thirsty lions gatecrash the party, I’ve even gone as far as putting on a balaclava myself, grabbing a knife and… well lets just say things got messy. Even when my conscience finally kicked in and I gave the kid the baseball bat I knew he needed I still couldn’t resist the urge to throw a grenade in his direction just to see if he would attempt to deflect it. Of course he didn’t it, he just died, and honestly I was glad he did. Moving on, some of the puzzles in ‘Nauts can be extremely tricky, especially when an object that “should” help you fails to do what you want it to, there are always multiple solutions at hand though so just take the time to think things through thoroughly and eventually that Starite will be yours.

How Will You Stop That Vampire? A Cross, Some Garlic Or A Shotgun!

By far the best part of Scribblenauts is the title screen where you have a blank canvas to condure up a bunch of random objects and have them all interact with each other. Ever wondered who will win in a fight ManBearPig or a Giant Enemy Crab? simply summon them both and watch them square off! I’ve spend hours upon hours just goofing around on the title screen, giving God wings and have him perform aerial fights against the Devil above a couple land mines was hilarious and I had fun trying to initiate a threesome by drawing up a Wife, a Mistress and a Bed. If you’re waiting for the part where I say something about the game sucks, here it is… The controls in Scribblenauts suck! I’ve been following Scribblenauts for over a year now and the only negative thing I’ve heard anybody dare utter about it were regards to its unresponsive controls, so why has the game still shipped in this almost broken state? Instead of controlling your character (his name is Maxwell by the way) with the d-pad as one would assume you actually direct him but tapping on the screen, bear in mind that you also pick up and manipulate objects by tapping on the screen so as you could imagine there will be several instances where you try to interact with an object but instead Maxwell comes charging over to it like a doofus, putting himself in harms way. Maxwell seems to have a mind of his own and getting him to be where you want him to be or do what you want him to do requires way more effort than it should. It really is a testament to the rest of the game that I’m still rating it very highly despite such a major flaw but Scribblenauts is truly a game like none other. It is a game that must be played by all, and hopefully all the buzz will translate in to sales and from here on the Scribblenauts franchise will continue to grow even beyond the DS.

Professor Layton And The Diabolical Box Micro Review

Carl Daniel — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:18:03 +0000

Professor Layton and his pre-pubescent apprentice Luke are back to solve more puzzles and investigate more strange beings after last years incredibly successful outing. This time around the pair are investigating to death of Layton’s old pal Dr. Schrader who mysteriously died after opening a mythical box called Elysian, so it’s up to Layton and Luke to solve puzzle after puzzle until they get to the bottom of the case. In the progression from ‘Curious Village to ‘The Diabolical Box developer Level 5 have placed a lot more enthusiasm on the games storyline which means more time tapping A to advance the story and less solving cool, mind-breaking puzzles. Thankfully most of the games dialogue is also delivered in audio form and there are several cartoon-esq cutscenes through-out, so the story/investigative sections are much more enjoyable than your typical point and click adventure.

Be warned though, some of the puzzles/riddles featured in Diabolical Box are incredibly hard and you’ll often have to rely on the in-game hint system, which can be obtained by collecting hidden Hint Coins for the solution. Each puzzle has three increasingly specific hints available so as long as you have enough Coins handy you’re unlikely to be stuck on any given puzzle for too long (and of course there’s always GameFaqs!). As with the first game Layton has proved undoubtedly that puzzle solving and giving your brain a workout can actually be fun, there are several games (especially on the DS) that attempt to blend “work” with “play” but none even come close to Layton’s pedestal. By the end of the game (after cracking over 150 puzzles) not only will you feel satisfied by the games strong narrative, you’ll also feel a true sense of real world accomplishment which video games very rarely provide. That in itself is enough to deem Professor Layton And The Diabolical a success.

Coming Soon September 13th – 19th

Gary A Swaby — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 21:11:55 +0000

This is the listing of games that are due out for the North American, European/PAL, and Japan/Asia territories for the week of Sunday September 13th thru Saturday September 19th of 2009.

Nintendo Wii

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs / UbiSoft
NHL 2K10 / 2K Games
Tornado Outbreak / Konami
Our House: Party! / Majesco
Animal Planet: Pet Vet / Activision
Marvel Ultimate Allaince 2 / Activision
Toy Story Mania / Disney Interactive

Nintendo DS/DS Lite/DSi

Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story / Nintendo
My Boyfriend / THQ
Princess in Love / THQ
Our House / Majesco
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs / UbiSoft
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 / Activision
Naruto Shippuden Ninja Destiny 2 / Tomy
Bleach: The 3rd Phantom / Sega
Scibblenauts / WB Games
Animal Planet: Pet Vet / Activision
Dreamer: Top Model / Dreamcatcher

Sony PlayStation Portable/PSP

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 / Activision
Need for Speed: Shift / Electronic Arts
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs / UbiSoft

Sony PlayStation 2

NHL 2K10 / 2K Games
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 / Activsion

Sony PlayStation 3

NHL 2K10 / 2K Games
Heroes Over Europe / UbiSoft
Tornado Outbreak / Konami
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs / UbiSoft
Need for Speed: Shift / Electronic Arts
WET / Bethesda
Pinball Hall of Fame: Williams Collection / Crave Entertainment
NHL 10 / Electronic Arts

Microsoft Xbox 360

NHL 10 / Electronic Arts
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 / Activision
NHL 2K10 / 2K Games
Heroes Over Europe / UbiSoft
Need for Speed: Shift / Electronic Arts
Pinball Hall of Fame: Williams Collection / Crave Entertainment

PC / Games for Windows

Batman: Arkham Asylum / EIDOS Interactive
Age of Empires III: Complete Collection / Microsoft
Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim / Paradox Interactive
Red Faction: Guerrilla / THQ
Need For Speed: Shift / Electronic Arts

Nintendo Wii

Peppa Pig: The Game
Dead Space Extraction
MySims Agents
Rock Band 2
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2
Family Trainer Extreme Challenge
SafarWii
Vertigo
Medieval Games
Spyborgs
Big Top Circus
Casper’s Scare School: Spooky Sports Day
Kirby Wii
Pilot Wings Wii
Pool Hall Pro
Real Madrid: The Game

Nintendo DS/DS Lite/DSi

Cate West: The Vanishing Files
Happy Party With Hello Kitty & Friends
Kirby: Super Star Ultra
Blood Bowl
Queen Teen: The Clique
Clever Kids: Creepy Crawlies
Yamaha Supercross
Clever Kids: Pet Store
DJ Star
Imagine: Journalist
The Humans: Meet The Ancestors!

Sony PlayStation Portable/PSP

MotorStorm: Article Edge
Blood Bowl
Need For Speed: Shift
Imagine: Champion Rider

Sony PlayStation 2

SingStar: Motown
MotorStorm: Arctic Edge

Sony PlayStation 3

Need For Speed: Shift
SingStar: Motown
WET
NHL 10
NHL 2K10
Katamari Forever
Heroes Over Europe
Cross Edge

Microsoft Xbox 360

Need For Speed: Shift
WET
NHL 10
Raven Squad
NHL 2K10
Gears Of War 2: Game Of Year Edition
Fable II Game Of The Year Edition
Heroes Over Europe

PC/Games For Windows

Batman: Arkham Asylum
Resident Evil 5
Need For Speed: Shift
Blood Bowl
Red Faction Fraction: Guerrilla
Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim
Order Of War
Raven Squad
Heroes Over Europe
Cinstellation Professional (Flight Simulator X Add-On)
Supreme Ruler 2020: Gold Edition
Brain College: Lost Cities Of The Amazon
The Humans: Meet The Ancestors!

Nintendo Wii

Forever Blue 2: Beautiful Ocean / Nintendo
House of the Dead: Overkill / Sega
House of the Dead: Overkill (w/ Wii Zapper) / Sega

Nintendo DS/DS Lite/DSi

Crash King V201 / Genterprise
Kintaihi Shounen no Jiken: Kyakusen Eris-Gou no Sangeki / Creative Core
KORG DS-10 Plus / AQ Interactive
KORG DS-10 Plus Limited Edition / AQ Interactive
Motto! Hamster to Rasou: Akachan ga Umare Tayou / Interchannel-Holon
Ookami to Koushinryou: Omiowataru Kaze / ASCII Media Works
Ookami to Koushinryou: Omiowataru Kaze Limited Edition / ASCII Media Works
SaGa 2: Hihou Densetsu – Goddess of Destiny / Square Enix
SaGa 2: Hihou Densetsu – Goddess of Destiny (SaGa 20th Anniversary Edition) / Square Enix
The Idolm@ster: Dearly Stars / Bandai Namco Games
Bae Yong-joon to Manabu Kankokugo DS / D3 Publsiher
Bae Yong-joon to Manabu Kankokugo DS Limited Edition / D3 Publisher

Sony PlayStation 2

Biohazerd Code: Veronica + Biohazard 4 (Value Pack) / Capcom
Bully: Scholarship Editiion (Best Version) / Bethesda
Canvas 3: Tanshoku no Pastel / GN Software
Canvas 3: Tanshoku no Pastel Limited Edition / GN Software
Hachi-One Driver / SilverStar Japan
Jigoku Shoujo Mioyosuga / Compile
Jigoku Shoujo Mioyosuga Limited Edition / Compile
Zero no Tsukai: Maigo no Period to Ikusen no Symphony (Best Version) / Marvelous Entertainment

Sony PlayStation Portable/PSP

428: Fuusa Sareta Shibuya de / Japan
Amagoushi no Yakata Portable: Ichiyagi Wa, Saisho no Junan / Nippon Ichi Software
Hoshi no Furu Koku Portable / Idea Factory
Ikkitousen: Eloquent Fist (Best Collection) / Marvelous Entertainment
Irregular Hunter X + Rockman Rockman (Value Pack) / Capcom
Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu Portable 4 / Konami
Katekyoo Hitman Reborn! Battle Arena 2 – Spirits Burst / Marvelous Entertainment
Macross Ace Frontier (PSP the Best) / Bandai Namco Games
Memories Off #5: Encore / 5pb
Memories Off #5: Encore Limited Edition / 5pb
Memories Off: Sorekara Again / 5pb
Memories Off: Sorekara Again Limited Edition / 5pb
Need For Speed: Shift / Electronic Arts
Taikou Risshiden V / Koei
Tantei Jinguuji Saburo: Hai to Diamond / Arc System Works
Ys Seven / Falcom
Ys Seven Limited Edition / Falcom
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds Tag Force 4 / Konami

Sony PlayStation 3

Fuel / Codemasters
Makai Senki Disgaea 3 Append Disc: Raspberyl-hen Hajime Mashita / Nippon Ichi Software
Need For Speed: Shift / Electronic Arts
Tales of Vesperia / Bandai Namco Games
Tears to Tiara Gaiden: Avalon no Nazo / Aqua Plus
Tears to Tiara Gaiden: Avalon no Nazo Limited Edition / Aqua Plus
Terminator: Salvation / Square Enix
WET / Bethesda

Microsoft Xbox 360

WET / Bethesda
Fuel / Codemasters
Left 4 Dead (Platinum Collection) / Electronic Arts
Need For Speed: Shift / Electronic Arts
Terminator: Salvation / Square Enix
Velvet Assassin / UbiSoft

Coming Soon August 30th – September 5th

Gary A Swaby — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 22:31:40 +0000

This is the listing of games that are due out for the North American, European/PAL, and Japan/Asia territories for the week of Sunday August 30th thru Saturday September 5th of 2009.

Nintendo Wii
Muramasa The Demon Blade / Ignition Entertainment
Cruise Ship Vacation Games / Activision
Guitar Hero 5 / Activision
Guitar Hero 5 Guitar Kit / Activision
Mini Ninjas / EIDOS Interactive

Nintendo DS
Mini Ninjas / EIDOS Interactive

Sony PlayStation 2
Cabela’s Outdoor Adventure / Activision
Guitar Hero 5 / Activision
Guitar Hero 5 Guitar Kit / Activision

Sony PlayStation Portable/PSP
Soul Calibur Broken Destiny / Namco Bandai Games

Sony PlayStation 3
Mini Ninjas / EIDOS Interactive
Cabela’s Outdoor Adventure / Activision
IL 2 Sturmovik Birds of Prey / 505 Games
Guitar Hero 5 / Activision
Guitar Hero 5 Guitar Kit / Activision

Microsoft Xbox 360
Section 8 / SouthPeak Interactive
Gears of War 2 Game of The Year Edition / Microsoft Game Studios & Epic Games
Mini Ninjas / EIDOS Interactive
IL 2 Sturmovik Birds of Prey / 505 Games
Guitar Hero 5 / Activision
Guitar Hero 5 Guitar Kit / Activision
Raiden IV (GameStop is selling an exclusive Limited Edition) / UFO Interactive Games

PC
Mini Ninjas / EIDOS Interactive
Champions Online / Atari Games
Section 8 / SouthPeak Interactive

Nintendo Wii
Metroid Prime Trilogy
Cursed Mountain
Academy of Champions
Cate West The Vanishing Files
Medieval Games
Big League Summer Sports

Nintendo DS
Cate West The Vanishing Files
Happy Party With Hello Kitty & Friends
IL 2 Sturmovik Birds of Prey
Big League Summer Sports
Zorro Quest For Justice

Sony PlayStation 2
N/A

Sony PlayStation Portable/PSP
Dissidia Final Fantasy/Limited Collector’s Edition
G.I. Joe The Rise of Cobra
IL 2 Sturmovik Birds of Prey
Warriors Orochi 2

Sony PlayStation 3
IL 2 Sturmovik Birds of Prey
G.I. Joe The Rise of Cobra
Cross Edge

Microsoft Xbox 360
Section 8
IL 2 Sturmovik Birds of Prey
Guilty Gear 2 Overture

Nintendo Wii
Ousana Monogatari / Marvelous Entertainment
Tebemon / Namco Bandai Games
Top Spin 3 / D3 Publisher

Nintendo DS
Anpanman to Touch de Waku Waku Training (Special Package Edition) / Namco Bandai Games
Love Plus / Konami
Sloane to MacHale no Nazo no Story 2 / Level 5

Sony PlayStation Portable/PSP
Samurai Dou 2 Portable / Spike
Simple 2500 Series Portable!! Vol.12: The Hohei 2: Senyuu yo, Sakini Ike / D3 Publishing
Yamamura Misa Suspense: Kyoto Kuramayama Shou Satsujin Jiken / Marvelous Entertainment

Sony PlayStation 2
SweetHoneyComing / Kadokawa Shoten
SweetHoneyComing DX Pack / Kadokawa Shoten

Sony PlayStation 3
428: Fuusa Serata Shibuya de / Sega
Afrika (PlayStation3 the Best) / Sony Computer Entertainment
Hakuna Matata (PlayStation3 the Best) / Sony Computer Entertainment
LittleBigPlanet (PlayStation 3 the Best) / Sony Computer Entertainment
Mobile Suit Gundam Battlefield Record U.C. 0081 / Namco Bandai Games
Mobile Suit Gundam: Target in Sight (PlayStation3 the Best Reprint) / Namco Bandai Games
Ridge Racer 7 (PlayStation3 the Best Reprint) / Namco Bandai Games
Trusty Bell: Chopin no Yume (PlayStation3 the Best) / Namco Bandai Games
Uncharted: El Dorado no Hihou (PlayStation3 the Best) / Sony Computer Entertainment

Microsoft Xbox 360
Magna Carta 2(Asian version) / Namco Bandai Games

The PlayStation 3 Slim and the Mobile Suit Gundam 30th Anniversary Bundle is due this week in Japan. Don’t forget the Vertical Stand. The only difference in that region’s console is that you’ll be able to watch Region 2 DVD (Famitsu, Sora Aoi, etc), and be able to play Japanese PSone Classics from the Japanese PlayStation Store on the PS3. You can bypass this if you have a PSP. Also you’ll be able to access the Video Store as it is region locked via hardware. So what’s your game? Leave a comment.

Carl Daniel vs… ACTIVISION

Carl Daniel — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 12:48:53 +0000

Ever since it’s merger with PC giant Blizzard, Activision has quickly become my most hated publisher. It seems as if every other week they do something completely obnoxious that has me scratching my head wondering what the fuck is wrong with them, whether it’s buying out Genius Products solely to hinder the release of Scratch: The Ultimate DJ, or forcing a peripheral on the Tony Hawk series in order to compete with skate, or threatening to cease developing games for Sony platforms unless drop the price of their console, or milking the guitar hero cash cow until the udders have started to produce blood rather than milk, or dropping a number of great titles like Ghostbusters and Blood On The Sand simply because they’re not considered “annualizable”, or suing EA for picking up Brutal Legends after they dropped it, or giving Prototype a release date around the same time-frame as inFamous forcing SuckerPunch to release it earlier, or charging over £100 for DJ Hero and Tony Hawk Ride here in the UK, or… I can go on forever!

Despite their unmatched track record of being a dick, their latest move to rip-off UK consumers takes their arrogance and unfairness to a whole new level. Activision has recently raised the Recommended Retail Price (RRP) of Modern Warfare 2 in the UK to a wallet busting £55 ($90). To put this in to prospective a typical PS3/360 game usually costs £40 ($65) but most can be pre-ordered for around £35 ($57) so Activision charging a £15/£20 premium because they assume gamer are clamoring for it and will likely cough up the extra cash is despicable. Thankfully many retailers are well aware that charging £55 for a regular edition of a game won’t go over too well so they have reduced the pre-order price to (a still high, but more reasonable) £45.

Earlier today I spoke to an employee of Gamestation (the UK’s equivalent of Gamestop) and I was told “[Gamestation] normally sells the regular version of a highly anticipated title like Modern Warfare for £35 to £45 depending on local competition, so I can’t see any way we can justify selling a title that doesn’t come with some sort of peripheral for £55″, when asked if there is any chance Gamestation will sell the game at it’s heavy RRP the employee said “We might have to sell it for at least £50 but if we do, I for one won’t be buying it at launch and I’m sure most people will just wait and pick up a pre-owned copy”.

Some may argue that Modern Warfare 2 will have a lasting appeal of over 2 years just like its predecessors, thus making it worth the £55 asking price, but since when has the price of games been based on their length? When Activision inevitably releases another 4 hour Spyro game will they sell it for £20? No, they will still charge full price for that bitch so why is it they see fit to inexcusably up-sell Modern Warfare 2? Activision you are officially the most greediest, relentless publisher in the world, and for you deserve nothing but failure.

The opinions expressed during “TheKoalition vs…” are solely the opinions of the author and they do not necessarily reflect the thoughts and/or opinions of the entire Koalition staff.

Top Five 2009: Nintendo DS

Carl Daniel — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 15:20:58 +0000

5) Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story (Q3 2009)
Ever wanted to travel inside Bowser (no homo) and get to the bottom (no homo!!) of what he’s really about? well now here’s your chance! Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story is the third installment of the critically acclaimed Mario & Luigi RPG series which began life on the GBA and continued on the DS. I’ve admittedly never played a Mario & Luigi game before but as a huge fan of the Paper Mario series I’m really looking forward to popping my cherry here (no ho… argh fuck it).

4) Professor Layton and The Diabolical Box (Q3 2009)
Layton is back and this time it’s personal! or not… I don’t really know. What I do know though is the first game with its neat storyline, beautiful cutscenes and 100’s of mind-bending riddles to solve was excellent and easily managed to sell well over a million copies worldwide. Hopefully this sequel will be just as good (if not better) and goes on the receive similar commercial and critical success.

3) The Legend Of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (Q4 2009)
A Zelda game only reaching #3 on a Top 5 Games list? It seems preposterous I know, but regardless of it’s position Spirit Tracks will undoubtedly be a worthy contender for best handheld game of the year. Not much is known about the games story so far (apart from the fact that Link rides around in a train) but at this point any new game with the word “Zelda” in the title is guaranteed to be a classic.

2) Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth (Q4 2009)
Seriously, the Ace Attorney series is my favorite franchise ever. I absolutely loved the first 4 games on the DS so basic logic tells me that I will love this game too!. Unlike the previous games this time around you play as prosecutor Miles Edgeworth rather than a defense attorney, and as the name suggests there will be a heavier focus on investigating rather than questioning suspects in the courtroom. I’m not sure how I feel about the drastic change in direction the series is taking but I have total faith in Capcom to deliver an utterly brilliant experience, I simply can’t wait!.

1) Scribblenauts (Q4 2009)
If you haven’t heard about this game yet, where the fuck have you been? Scribblenauts is an action/puzzle game where you collect stars by writing the name of just about any object you can think of for assistance, so if the star is on top of a tree you could write the word LADDER and a ladder will appear in the game world allowing you to climb up it and reach the star, or you could write the words AXE and LUMBERJACK and have the Lumberjack pick up the Axe and chop the tree down. Or you could call upon a Trampoline to bounce to the star, or a Flame Thrower to set the tree on fire, or Dynamite Stick to blow the whole damn thing up, or 1000’s of other objects that may potentially help you reach the star. Still not sold? Check out this video walkthrough to have your mind officially BLOWN!

Bonus Round: Nintendo E3 Predictions

Edward V — Sun, 31 May 2009 21:31:27 +0000

This is the final E3 Bonus Round episode and they saved the best for last. This time all eyes are on Nintendo. Last year, Nintendo failed to please hardcore gamers and didn’t really live up to the casual expectations either (Wii Music was a flop.) Nintendo will have their press conference on Tuesday, but we really don’t know a thing. The Bonus Round crew predicts on what to expect this Tuesday. New Zelda? New Mario? New Peripheral? Check out the show below:

[GameTrailers]

Top 5 Games Nintendo Should Reveal At E3

Carl Daniel — Sat, 30 May 2009 19:24:45 +0000

All eyes will be on Nintendo on Tuesday morning as they host their E3 2009 Media Briefing, and after disappointing fans for 2 years in a row by appealing to casual consumers Nintendo has admitted defeat and has promised to spend more time focusing on us, who they commonly refer to as”core gamers”. But what should Nintendo show during their conference? I could spend the whole day listing off titles and franchises that they should revisit but the sake our readers sanity here are my top 5 (in no particular order);

5) New Zelda (Wii)

There is currently a lot of speculation regarding Ninty showing off a new Zelda for the Wii at E3, I’m hoping that they will return to the stylized visuals akin of Wind Waker rather than going for realism.

4) Mario Power Tennis 2 (Wii)

Now is the time! Tennis on Wii Sports was a bonified system seller, so imagine replacing horrible looking Mii’s with Mario characters and giving the controls an overhaul with the magic of Wii Motion Plus… Instant Genius!

3) New Super Mario Bros. 2 (DS)

Please god please! Nothing much needs to be said here, you already have the engine Nintendo so just make the damn thing!

2) Paper Mario RPG (Wii)

2007’s Super Paper Mario was absolutely brilliant, but sadly it wasn’t as compelling as the Gamecube game, When the Gamecube adaptation Paper Mario was released I literally spent 23 hours straight playing it, if they doesn’t prove greatness (or possibly madness on my behalf) then I don’t know what does.

1) Donkey Kong Country 4 (Wii)

Donkey Kong is a gaming icon and Nintendo’s oldest remaining character, so why hasn’t he starred in a great game since the original Donkey Kong Country released 15 years ago?. Nintendo needs to step up and bring the gorilla back and what better way to do it than Donkey Kong Country 4? No stupid bongos, no flying jet barrels, just platforming perfection like they did it back in the day.

all box arts courtesy of vgboxart.com

Zelda: Spirit Tracks Being Dumbed Down?

Carl Daniel — Fri, 08 May 2009 10:02:26 +0000

When Nintendo announced The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks for the DS a few weeks ago at GDC, most fans were secretly disappointed that Link would be returning to the DS and not the Wii. For the fans who we’re disappointed though Nintendo has revealed a bit of news that will surely have you feeling as low as the rest of us. According to the folks over at Kotaku, Nintendo has said that the latest Zelda adventure will “appeal to a wider age group of people, and will launch in the latter half of the year.” Fantastic! hopefully Thomas The Tank Engine will make a guest appearance and the game will be so accessible that it will practically play itself. Well Done Nintendo.

The Demise Of Nintendo Part 2

Carl Daniel — Thu, 07 May 2009 06:43:04 +0000

In last week’s Demise Of Nintendo feature I explained how Nintendo has lost their place in the hearts of hardcore gamers and has continued to alienate their mature audience by devoting the majority of their resources towards appealing to a new generation of gamers, a generation consisting mostly of females, housewives and old folks. For the remainder of this three-part article I’m going to outline issues that Nintendo needs to solve and steps they have to take in order to win us life-long fans back. This week I’ll talk about a key thing Nintendo should do if they wish to reclaim mind-share in the handheld market and that is bring back the Gameboy!. When the DS was first announced in E3 2004 it was said to be “The Third Pillar” in Nintendo’s hardware trinity and it was meant to co-exist along with their Gameboy brand. Sadly, due to the DS exceeding all expectations and achieving global dominance, another Gameboy branded piece of hardware never come in to fruition and to be honestl it was never really needed, until now.

Come back, we miss you!

The lackluster sales of Grand Theft Auto’s DS debut proved that mature gamers have little-to-no interest in the DS. The DS has carved out its own casual market and is unlikely to ever break away from it, that is why I feel a new Gameboy should enter the playing field and win back the millions of gamers who view the DS as nothing more than a “toy” and has flocked towards the PSP and iPhone as portable alternatives. But what exactly should a new Gameboy do to keep true Nintendo fans happy? Thankfully I’ve compiled a Top 10 List (designed specially for you lazy readers) explaining exactly that. So Nintendo if you’re listening, sit back, relax, and let me do your hard work for you.

01. Sexy/Sleek Design
The Clam-Shell design of the DS doesn’t make it particularly attractive, Nintendo should take a look at their competitors and really something more sexy and stylish, something that a grown ass man like myself wouldn’t be embarrassed to pull out on the bus.

02. A Single Screen
Sadly most DS games don’t fully utilize both screens, therefore I think Nintendo should revert back to using a single screen, one with an improved touch functionality and multi-touch support. Dual Screens may have seemed impressive 5 years ago but these days it feels more like a gimmick than an innovation.

03. Tilt Controls
This may seems like an unnecessary feature because tilt controls on the iPhone and Wii usually feel unresponsive and cumbersome, but an accelerometer built in to the Gameboy would be perfect. Anyone who has played Wario Ware: Twisted on the GBA would tell you how brilliant tilt controls could be if developers use it right and don’t try to shoe-horn it in where its not needed.

04. Slide-Out Controls
For the sake of design Nintendo should take the cell-phone approach and conveniently hide most the buttons out of sight. Not only will it make the new Gameboy look far more sexier, it will also be practical when playing games which only use the touch screen, shoulder buttons and/or tilt controls.

05. Full Wi-Fi Store
Apple did it right, Sony is looking to follow and Nintendo needs jump on the bandwagon too and offer the ability for consumers to purchase entire games via a Wi-Fi store. This will allow developers to release smaller, more original titles which simply wouldn’t cut it as a $30 retail games, However…

06. Nintendo’s Official Seal Of Quality
…The last thing Nintendo needs is an Apple situation where 9/10 games on the system completely suck!. Even the Wii and DS are being flooded with an array of crappy software which developers promptly release to make a quick buck. Nintendo needs to start regulating which titles make it on to their hardware and keep their systems free from shovel-ware.

07. Virtual Console Support
How awesome would it be to re-visit old Gameboy and GBA games on your new handheld?. Technically Ninty have the ability to do this will the current DSi but as I previously mentioned, most people who are interested in vintage Nintendo classics wouldn’t be seen dead playing any DS of any kind.

08. Wider Range Of Genres
I’m not asking for much here, just more Fighters/Shooters and less Animal-Sims/Self-Improvement games, thanks.

09. More Mature Titles
I don’t necessarily mean bloody, violent, gore-fests; just games which cater to a mature audience. Sony seems to be taking this route with the recent announcements of games like Soul Calibur, Tekken 6, Motor Storm, Gran Turismo Portable and LittleBigPlannet all making their way the PSP, Nintendo needs to follow.

10. Extra Functionality/General Applications
I don’t just want my handheld to play games, why can’t it also play mp3’s and video? Why can’t I have youtube support so I can watch videos of games that I’m thinking about purchasing? Its 2009 Nintendo, get with the times!

Aesthetically, the new Gameboy should really look like this.

The saddest thing is I doubt Nintendo will do any of these things I mentioned and I’m pretty sure the Gameboy will remain dead for the rest of eternity. If all the rumors about the PSP 2 are true, Sony seems to be on the right track and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if Sony becomes everything we all want Nintendo to be. The DSi currently looks like a massive step in the wrong direction as it presents nothing of interest for us hardcore gamers, it just sweetness the pot for casual consumers and pushes us away even further. In the final part of The Demise Of Nintendo I’ll talk about the several bad decisions that Nintendo made with the Wii and compile my E3 2009 wish list. Until stay tuned to TheKoalition.com for all the news that relevant and none of the bullshit in-between.

The Demise Of Nintendo part 1

Carl Daniel — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:36:22 +0000

Nintendo fanboys deserve to be praised. We fell in love with the company back in 80’s when they released the original NES. We supported them throughout the early 90’s when Sega’s Genesis came into the market. Most importantly, we stuck by them during the 3D era when the N64 and Gamecube both got the holy shit kicked of them by the PSone and PS2 respectively. But still we never lost hope, and after 10 years of being laughed at and ridiculed online and in school playgrounds, we have finally achieved victory. Every month our beloved Nintendo dominates both the hardware and software charts with the Wii, DS and ever-green titles like Wii Fit, Wii Play, Mario Kart Wii & Brain Age. So why is it that us die hard fans no longer care?.

April 2009 saw the release of March NPD figures which more or less proved that Nintendo’s hardcore fanbase has moved on. Both Sega’s Madworld for the Wii and Take 2’s GTA: Chinatown Wars for the DS drastically under-performed and failed to show up in the top 20 software charts. Both games received a shit-ton of hype and critical acclaim, (Chinatown Wars is currently the highest rated DS game ever according to Metacritic and had the marketing to match) but both games combined only managed to shift a measly 155,000 units in their first month of release. Putting this in prospective they sold less than what Officer Ricky sold in a week!.

: Unlike Your Favorite Rapper, Despite Killing People Jack STILL Won’t Sell!

As disturbing as that sounds, it’s not the only worrying statistic to take in to consideration. Lets take a look at a few games which managed to outsell both Madworld and Chinatown Wars during the month of march. New Super Mario Bros on the DS which was released in 2006 and has already sold well over 10 million copies. Mario Kart DS, originally released way back in 2005! Take 2’s other release MLB 2K9 on the PS3 which had stiff competition from Sony’s own MLB: The Show, and Lego Star Wars on the Wii which was released in 2007 and is simply a double port of two PS2 games. This is clear evidence that the majority of Wii and DS owners don’t want mature, original content. The hardcore Nintendo fans who once begged their parents to buy them a NES for Christmas have become tired of Nintendo’s new focus on casual gaming and have moved on to the Xbox 360 and PS3 to fulfill their needs. Nintendo might be miles ahead of the competition in terms of sells, but in the eyes of every true gamer Nintendo is currently irrelevant.

The Conduit and Dead Space: Extraction are both set to be released this year and like almost every other M-Rated game on the Wii, they simply won’t sell. Soon after that, third-party developers will stop trying to be creative on Nintendo platforms and mercilessly bombard us with mini-game collections and Wii Sport clones and I wouldn’t blame them. So with E3 just a few weeks away what can Nintendo do to wow us hardcore gamers and capture back our hearts? Find out next week on The Demise of Nintendo pt. 2 right here on TheKoalition.com.

The Future of Handheld Gaming

Fergus Mills — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 05:22:09 +0000

The other night I was going through my game collection looking for stuff to sell for ramen noodles and shrimp, when I happened to notice my PSP sitting in the corner wrapped in a plastic bag. I started to reminisce on all the good times that I have had with it and realized that I rarely even played the thing since owning it. Besides the occasional mega game like God of War: Chains of Olympus and Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, I have not touched my PSP in a long time.

This caused me to think about questions relating to handheld gaming in general. Comparing console usage to handheld usage, does handheld usage come anywhere close to being relevant in a gamers monthly playing average? Do people really take the time to put down the 360 or PS3 controllers and put handhelds into their gaming rotation. The main purpose of handhelds is entertainment on the go, but really. How often do people play their DS’s and PSP’s when out on the go? Do people find themselves playing handhelds only because they didn’t want to feel like they wasted money, or do gamers just really enjoying playing handhelds games?

One thought led to another and I ended up thinking about the very existence of handheld gaming. The more I thought about it the more I realized that handheld systems still have a presence in the industry, but a change is starting to come. The future of handheld gaming is one that is already evident and the takeover is happening slowly but surely. All you have to do is reach in your pockets and pull out your cellphones and you will understand where I’m coming from. There are over 153 million cellphone owners in America alone so the potential reach of the games is tremendous. Combine that with owners of other portable devices like ipods and zunes and the market for handheld game distribution may be too irresistible for game developers to pass up on. These portable games are inexpensive, fun, and developer friendly. Portable games are slowly moving away from being dominated by handheld systems while cellphone, zune, ipod, etc. gaming is on a rapid and profitable rise.

This however is not the only one reason I see the transition of handheld gaming taking place. The second contributor to this every approaching change will be piracy. Piracy has always been looked at as something that only hardcore gamers attempt to do, and something that casual gamers don’t tend to bother themselves with. This has not been the case for handheld systems. Tutorials for modding handheld systems are as common and as simple as one of Rachel Ray’s 30 minute meals. Gamasutra recently had an interview with Peter Delle, Sony senior vice president of marketing, and he stated that he blames piracy for poor software sales. Nintendo has not been able to escape this growing monster as well. All you have to do is look month after month for the latest NPD numbers and ask why the games are not selling. PSP and DS software sales compared to their install base is worse the Detroit Lions 0-16 season.

This is a deadly combination that may very well cause the destruction of handheld systems. Companies are tired of investing money into something that brings minimal financial gain. Preventive measures have been put in place to combat handheld piracy such as the release of the PSP 3000 and DSi, but the hackers are always one step ahead. Game companies may be pondering to understand why such things are happening throughout the gaming community and ways to overcome this viral outbreak, but you always fear what you don’t understand. The very foundation of handheld gaming may be reinvented by the time they find their answers. All it would take is for people to buy more games and maybe developers would not be threatening to pull support for handheld games like they had did with the PSP a couple of years ago.

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars Dissapoints

Gary A Swaby — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 22:05:24 +0000

After being estimated to sell 2 million units in the first year in the US; Take Two have now had to slash their forecast down to just 500,000 units for the year, due to the game tolling in just 89,000 during March. The company was aiming for 200-250,000 for the sales in March, so the performance was pretty disturbing for them.

Doug Cowan from the company suggests that it is due to the burden that third party developers face when producing for Nintendo hardwares, and that the performance was not due to the quality of Chinatown Wars.

Take Two had expected their most valuable IP to perform on the most widely distributed hand held, even given the demographic of the platform. They had faith that there were enough core adult gamers out there to buy into the GTA franchise.

“either the demographics are more challenging than we thought, or core gamers did not view the title as an essential purchase due to the nature of the platform.” Told Chowan

With the current economy all developers will likely face hardships, as the NPD group revealed that the March sales in the US were down 17% compared to the previous year.