Gaming Euphoria

Hands-on and ridiculously in-depth with the Nintendo DSi

2009-04-04T01:34:00.003+08:00

Ok, I am sold about this new DSI. Reading through this piece of article and I think you will be able to find out everything you wanna know about dsi(this one is much better than what I linked here last time).

When I say everything, it means everything ranging from its camera and its photographic toys, its sound application to how the slightly bigger screen is gonna affect your gaming experience. Believe me, even though this article spans 5 pages, I am sure it will definitely worth your time if you are still hesitated on getting one or you plan to get one. Hafez, I am sure after reading this it will definitely make you get it once it is released. I know I would provided I have the green! Say YES to blazingly louder volume baby!

Now, when can I get my hand on this? At least I wanna tinker with it as soon as it is released. Hopefully I would be able to attend the LYN gathering and get to experiment with this, particularly on the volume side of it!

I love Play-Asia

2009-03-30T13:40:00.003+08:00

It had been some time that I didnt make any purchase at Play-Asia due to the my slowly changing nature that propels me to wait for discounted products and used games. However, since there was a lucky spring sale last week(it should last until tomorrow which is the end of March), I hopped into that site hoping that I could get something as I hadnt bought any new games in a while. A quick snooping around was made and finally I came out with 2 games which were Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword and Chrono Trigger japan version(it features double translations which are English and Japan).

Thanks to my fellow friend, Corez, my order was paid on 22th March and they were shipped out to me the next day. I was lucky he could help me out with the order as I found out 1 or 2 days later both games were restored to the original price. Then of course I had to wait patiently for it to reach me. I was anxious at the same time fearing that this order may not be lucky enough to escape the bloody sucking claws of customs as I had ordered something before at usd80 and unfortunately I received a letter asking me to pay for some tax. No one is gonna enjoy of shelling extra dough for something they have already paid and neither do me. I prayed hard that I could receive this as early as possible and please no letter from custom this time.

To my surprise, I actually receive the order today and I never expect myself to receive it so fast. Ok I lie, I was kinda hoping that I would receive it today but that was really unforeseen as I would expect myself to get it this week. As soon as I received the package, I quickly fire up Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword(without reading the manual! Guess I have been clamouring for a new game for some time as I would read a manual first before playing a new game).

Once again Play Asia has done a great job of delivering its goods and top notch service and I would happily go back and shop again during next sale. For those who have obtained something from the Lucky Spring Sale, have you received your item? What have you bought anyway?

PS: Ok, I gotta head out now to pay Corez his money. He just received his bill statement today and I guess it is time to do my job now. Thanks again, Corez.

Why Zelda?

2009-03-27T00:02:00.004+08:00

There were a couple of big news disclosed during Satoru Iwata's(Nintendo CEO) keynote at GDC 2009 like the support where virtual games could now be played through your SD cards after a firmware update and new Final Fantasy games would be available through both Wiiwares and Virtual consoles(for more info, please refer here for the entire keynote) but nothing beat a trailer of a new entry in Zelda series.

It didnt come as a huge surprise to me and I was kind of expecting a new Zelda game on NDS or to be exact I was expecting either port of Ocarina of Time or Majora Mask but to my surprise, NDS is getting another new entry of Zelda series named The Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks. Why would I be surprised that NDS will have another Zelda whole new sequel? Let's have a look at the Zelda series on Nintendo portable systems. The original gameboy has its first share of portable Zelda series which is the Link's Awakening while the Gameboy Color has 2 Zelda games which are Oracle of Seasons and Oracles of Age, I consider them to be a game since the you have to link both games to acquire the real ending. Ok, Link's Awakening DX on Gameboy Color isnt considered as a new game. I am talking about the new game which has never appeared on the other consoles before. Next, move on to Gameboy Advance and what we have here? A Minish Cap right? Well, looking at every single portable system before Nintendo DS, you would realize only only 1 original entry of Zelda series will appear on each portable system. The Legend of Zelda seems to break the tradition and by having a new Zelda game on DS, I am both euphoric and disappointed simulatenously.

You know the reason I am happy right? Because it is a WHOLE new Zelda game. On the other hand, I am let down because it seems like as for now the game is not a lot of different than the Phantom Hourglass. Maybe it is too early to judge it but based on the trailer it seems like the game just plays out like Phantom Hourglass. I sure hope that this time it will AT LEAST include a d-pad control but I do notice the fairy is still available in this game, I guess I have to wait until my dream comes true in another outing. I am not trying to say that total touch screen control is bad here. In fact it is intuitive and it certainly injects a refreshing experience into a series that has been around for some time for those who are used to Zelda series but sometimes those Zelda veterans just want something traditional with their beloved Zelda series. Is it that hard to implement both touch screen and d-pad controls? The second reason I am disappointed is until now the DS still hasnt received its port of Ocarina of Time and Majora Mask. I don't care if some player think that Nintendo may milk this series by porting Ocarina of Time so many times(2 times on Gamecube and another one could be found at Virtual Console) but I havent played it and I have been waiting for a long time to see it on my Nintendo DS. This is one great masterpiece that I have been anticipating to play on the go. Why can't Nintendo make it happen? Up until now, both NES and SNES games have already appeared on GBA so I expect the N64 iterations to follow their heels by making ways to NDS. Hopefully this is going to happen one day. Nintendo, be it release them separately or combine them together in one cart, faithful ports or with some added and tweaked controls, just port them to DS one day I beg you!

Deep in my heart I know Spirit Tracks is going to be great and I will be there first day to get it, and not to mention its BGM is really that stellar and I have at least replayed the trailer 50 times to listen over and over to the same BGM and I dont seem to get bored with it. Hopefully Miyamoto will come out with something different to surprise me again in the latest Zelda game. For those Wii owners, I guess you would have to wait until next E3 to see if Zelda will be swinging his sword(or you can do that with the marvellous Motionplus technology, hehe)on Wii.

NDSi FAQ! Everything you would want to know regarding NDSi!

2009-03-18T22:02:00.005+08:00

Excited of NDSi? The third iteration of NDS is going to make it way to USA on 5th April. That is actually a tad earlier than I expected since based on what Nintendo said, I thought it will not be available until end of 2009. Nonetheless I guess it should be a great news for anyone anticipating it as the launch date is just 2 weeks away.

For those who are interested in it, have you ever wondered what the differences between this baby with the previous NDS phat and NDSL? I guess some may have done some snooping around to obtain more details but for the rest, they may still be left in darkness. Hence the following link that I am gonna provide is chocked full with everything you should know about NDSi. They are using a Japan version of NDSi to come out with this FAQ but I guess specifications will likely remain the same so it is still a utilitarian and useful FAQ....although I still wonder why no one has ever addressed the comparison between the volume of NDSi and NDSL. I am so eager to find out how loud NDSi volume in comparison with NDSL volume. Call me stupid but this might be the sole reason that might entice me to get it.

Five Years, 20 Lessons, 20 DS Games

2009-03-18T21:26:00.003+08:00

While most of us may not be familiar with Griptonite, it is actually one of the game developing companies that have created abundance of games for Nds in 5 years starting from games that first appeared alongside the launch of Nds Phat until now.

The following link will give a full picture of what they have learned(mistakes, lessons, improvements). Something I noticed while reading the article is the reason why movie adaptation games are generally bad! Most probably it is the shockingly short deadline. Tell me, how is a particular game supposed to be good when you are ordered to develop the games in just several weeks? Not going to happen I guess, hence it explains why most of the movie adaption games are so sucked.

It is a long and you might want to have a cup of coffee with you but I am gonna tell you this article is really worth you time.

P/S: I never thought that I have played one of their games which is the Urbz Sims in the City. The game itself was good but probably I am just not interested in Sims games, hence the game is no longer in my possession and I never buy any Sim games since then. What games developed by them that you have played before?

WTF price?

2009-03-14T00:13:00.004+08:00

For those who have followed this blog, they should know that now I already have the tendency to get something used rather than brand new copy due to the disparity in price. As usual I was browsing for cheap bargain at lowyat forum.

However I found it amusing that one particular seller was trying to sell his nds games at rather expensive price(more than rm100 for 1 used DS game anyone?). While I thought the high price tag was just set for display only initially(well, you know we can always ask for best price right?), after a couple pms, the seller was reluctant to even slightly reduce the price for some reasons, it is after all square enix games that we are speaking now(I am interested in one particular game but you know what? Other non square enix games are expensive as well!!) and due to the stronger USD currency. I know, it all boils down to the simple fact where if you agree with it, you just buy or you can leave if you don't like the price but I could not help to wonder who is gonna get it from you if you aren't willing to even reduce the exorbitant price and the fact that the games he is trying to sell aren't even rare?

Seeing how the whole thing took place around 2 or 3 months ago,when I bumped into the same thread recently and looked at how those NDS games are still "lying" at the thread without any buyers for now, I know the price set is just too high and even if I am trying to add the game into my collection, I know for sure I wont even consider getting it from him if he is still adamant to stick with his original price tag. I guess it is just a lose lose situation for both of us now.

Anyway, this post is not meant to bash this seller but just to get us wonder, what is the comfortable price that you would consider for a used ds game? I know I wont get a used ds game if it is more than rm100.

Music on!

2009-03-01T13:26:00.002+08:00

Having just completed Disgaea DS recently and clocked in around 80 hours in my first playthrough, even though I am compelled to play it again to level up my characters and see other endings, deep inside I am reluctant to do because I know I will be having difficult time putting it down once I start playing it again. Then I thought I am gonna have some new games in my hands soon, so Disgaea DS is temporarily put aside.

To my disappointment, I never managed to get The World Ends With You, Dragon Quest IV and Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword at discounted price since Stringfellow was too preoccupied with his future in laws during his vacation in USA(well, he is going to walk down his aisle later this year, so congratulations!) Fortuitously, The World Ends With You and Dragon Quest IV are getting the same treatment at Play-asia as well, so I might as well get them there later.

Being stuck in my library of games, I was having a hard time trying to decide what games should I replay. Unbeknownst to me, my hands just reached to Ouendan and holla, here I am playing Ouendan again.

Recalling how hard I tried to get all rank S for the very hard difficulty before but just gave up and moved on to another games when I grew too tired and bored of this game, I thought I will never manage to reach my goal and never did I realize that I am having a blast again with this game currently. Although until now I still haven't managed to get a rank S yet, I have been training and practicing hard to get one. However, the slightly distorted touch screen has so far managed to hamper my relentless effort. I tried Elite Beat Agents also but to my dismay this game seems to be less attractive to me now due to its rather poor selection of songs. I think I may not be able to finish this game at all since I am still in the normal difficulty.

Now that my interest in Ouendan series has piqued again and I would like to get Ouendan 2. Unwilling to spend dough on this hence I am thinking of trading this game with my getting-less-love-from-me Elite Beat Agents. Who has Ouendan 2 and wanna trade it with my Elite Beat Agents? Let me know please!

Another Mother 3 translation....in BM now?

2009-02-13T00:48:00.002+08:00

Apparently there are still many fans out there who are still clamoring for translations in their own mother tongue language even though the unofficial english translation patch had been released by starnet for sometime ago. I couldn't believe my own eyes and nearly fell off my chair when I saw someone apparently from Malaysia is trying to do its own BM translation of Mother 3. Don't buy into it? You gotta see some screenshots to believe in it.

This really sounds corny as it seems but we Malaysians should be proud that this game is going to be in Bahasa Malaysia soon(chuckle). Apparently this project has just started around January 2009 and I guess it should take some time before we can see the light of the final project. I was just hoping that this wont get canned eventually when he isn't passionate to do it anymore. The status of this ongoing project could be monitored here. You might wanna check it from time to time if you are interested in the final outcome of this project.

Hmm, if my eyes serve their purpose, apparently the person who works on this ambitious project seems to be only a secondary school student at SM Teknik Kota Tinggi. I can't imagine how a teenager can work on this alone and this only proves that I am rather outdated and obsolete by having such thought. We really can't underestimate anyone nowadays eh?

At Gamingeuphoria I am praying for all the best to this guy who works on this project and I am tempted to check out the final results.

Trivia: For those who dont have, we do have some localized international games like Resident Evil 3 and Dino Crisis for PC which were released years ago. I still remember the the localized title of Resident Evil 3 is Kubu Iblis 3 but I already forgot the localized title of Dino Crisis. I tried to find the boxarts for both games but to no avail. Both games are totally in BM and if my memory serves me well, the original versions were just rm20 each. Very cheap right?

The 14 best pre-order bonuses

2009-02-06T21:39:00.004+08:00

Call it gimmick or whatever you like but it is undeniably sometimes pre-order items are really essential in spurring sales of certain games. I am sure most of the gamer would have put down deposit just for the sake of certain preorder thingy.

However, trying to obtain pre-order thingy has been a hassle in Malaysia since the original gaming scene here isnt as active as it is in other countries like Japan or USA, hence most of time those who are interested to secure some really compelling preorder items would have to part with their hard earned dough and go the hard way plus a little luck to get them. As a gamer who has only started supporting the original games since the DS era, I dont have much experience of acquiring many preorder bonuses but some goodies still manage to make their ways to my collection. The most recent ones happened to be Disgaea DS and Rhapsody The Musical Adventure which came with a stylus, a Rune Knight figure and a musical cd respectively(although I mentioned it is the latest one, do note that the purchase was made last September) but the most notable one and most worthy one should be the Castlevania Portrait Of Ruin. Sure, I had paid premium for this game but the preorder bonus bundles with it was definitely worth the admission. Look at the image below and you would realize all the hard work and effort are definitely worth it.

Hmm, if only every preorder bonus is that sweet, I would dare to say everyone in Malaysia would be more inclined to support the original gaming.(not to mention they should be made easier to purchase as well).

However, it seems like Atlus has a new strategy and a new way to define pre-order bonuses where they will just bundle something cool with their latest games. Their latest games which have been bundled with some cool goodies are like Luminous Arc 2(comes with a original soundtrack and artbook), upcoming Legend of YS I and II(comes with an original soundtrack cd) and also Super Robot Taisen Endless Frontier(comes with an original soundtrack cd as well). This strategy seems to be paid off and has garnered some positive feedbacks among the gamers and I myself really applaud such a good decision where every gamer virtually everywhere(Malaysia also of course) would be able to get some preorder bonuses without paying premium price.(Those are actually obtainable at Play-Asia) But then again, I feel that some gamers might not find themselves to be happy with such decision from Atlus as it may seem that this move might render some of the preorder bonuses to be less valuable, hence make them less interested in getting the games from Atlus, haha.

The following link features some of the coolest pre-order goodies that have ever appeared, let's see how many of you own something in the list? I know that the Castlevania preorder bonus is listed as one of them, hehe.

R.I.P Electronic Gaming Monthly?

2009-01-07T23:38:00.003+08:00

I was shocked today when the news of Electronic Gaming Monthly(EGM) will be discontinued emerged out from today nowhere. The slumping economy must have helped to quicken the process(rumours of EGM demise have been circulating around for some time). It seems like everything has been finalized and January issue of EGM shall be the last printed issue we could find at book stores...

I may not have been a subscriber of EGM nor I get to read every issue that has been released but somehow I still managed to kill some time by getting some issues occasionally. But when I do have this mag, I will enjoy myself reading every article in the mag as this mag tends to be more"mature" so it does contain some jokes and article that can appeal to adult gamers like me. I would reckon that this mag resonates more with me compared to Nintendo Power and it is so sad to see it leave in this way.

In this new era where we can almost get everything latest related to gaming almost immediately on internet, it is not hard to figure out that printed magazines must have some hard time trying to convince old readers to stay subscribing let alone attract new readers to embrace it. In my opinion a mag can still thrive if it tries to break out the old mold and try to go in a new and radical direction where something available in the mag itself could not be found at internet. Let's see, an exclusive interview with some big people in the industry? How about exclusive games unveiled in the latest issue? I really applaud Nintendo Power decision to dedicate almost one page every month teasing us what great games that are bound to appear in next issue. Next thing I really like about a printed magazine is usually the features presented. I gotta admit here, the time I spend alone in reading features related articles is far huge compared with the time I spend reading reviews and previews of certain games. Since I am only a Nintendo DS player, features can always provide some insights for me in other gaming platforms which is a great welcome as I don't always have the time to keep tabs on all the news related to current gaming platforms.

I guess for those who have ever read EGM before are gonna miss the days without it anymore and everyone will miss its notorious EGM Aprilfool joke(Lego Halo anyone?)

A vending machine.....that you can buy Nintendo DS?

2009-01-03T16:05:00.006+08:00

Awesome is it? You maybe fortunate enough to see this if you go to an airport in USA. The best of all is it does sell a Nintendo DS Lite, so if you are in a hurry and forgot to bring along a NDS and you happen to be in an airport, you might wanna try to get it from this machine. After all, you will never manage to experience this back in Malaysia, haha. Besides Nintendo DSL, you can find some DS games inside like Mario Kart DS and Guitar Hero On Tour. They are just waiting for you to pop in the money and bring them back.

Trying to find this in Malaysia is practically impossible I guess seeing the low gaming penetration in our country, not to mention the rampant piracy that has shunned away so many potential gaming companies to promote their games here. We are really a huge step behind compared with Singapore in term of embracing original gaming.

If this machine DOES show up in Malaysia, expect to see it to be broken open soon enough because notorious thieves here will just do anything to get the valuable things inside, which shows how unsafe Malaysia is nowadays.

Games on sale!

2009-01-03T15:49:00.002+08:00

It has been sometime since my last post and I am sure someone of you might have missed my updates(please tell me there is AT LEAST one reader who wholeheartedly follows my blog, haha). Time is ticking so fast and I have gotten into a new semester in my university again. I was previously working temporarily hence it explains the long absent of my updates here(haha, some of you may say I am just lazy! I do admit I was lazy to write anything as I didnt have a proper pc and a stable internet line that could enable to update my blog as frequent as I did). Hopefully I will be able to update this site as frequent as possible and bring exciting news for you guys again, haha.

These are some games that I have bumped into when I went to Play Asia just now. They are great games and since the price has dropped, there is no reason why you should'nt get it.

1. Sonic Chronicles Dark Brotherhood-usd29.90
2. Izuna 2-usd24.90
3. Bangai O Spirit-usd24.90
4. Guitar Hero On Tour-usd39.90

Yeah, I love Rosenqueen!

2008-11-03T16:47:00.009+08:00

Ok, these games may not be so new but they are still in sealed condition and I have yet to unwrap them due to lack of time to do so(Ok, I was just exaggerating but I really don't have the time to play them), so they are still sitting idly with other games now...

I was really glad that I could preorder these all along with their preorder goodies thanks to rosenqueen which ships anything sold at the site worlwide. And thanks to my online friend, ashchia I have been able to save myself from an exorbitant shipping fee(still expensive though...) Not to forget to thank Corez as well for his cc. Bravo, dude!

What did I buy actually? Take a glimpse at the pics to figure out youself!

Disgaea DS and Rhapsody The Musical Adventure.

The games and preorder goodies.

A musical soundtrack comes with Rhapsody The Musical Adventure. Haven't tried it out and I don't think I will, haha.

A Prinny stylus that comes with Disgaea DS. Looks cute to me.

A cute figure that also comes with Disgae DS. This one should a Mage Knight...I think. Right, ashchia?

Unlike me, ashchia didn't get 2 games like me instead he was just getting Rhapsody and the soundtrack as he has already had the PSP version of Disgaea. For those who are interested in the preorder goodies for Disgaea DS, it is actually still available at Rosenqueen, so if you don't mind the EMS shipping fee or you can just find other friends to share shipping with you(do bear in mind that don't get anything more than rm500 including shipping or else get prepared to fork out extra amount of money for tax.)

Top 25 Worst Nintendo Games

2008-10-25T10:33:00.002+08:00

I have been a huge and devoted Nintendo follower as their games are always top notch and their games never let me down in term of quality or sheer excitement and fun. They have also produced so many great games in different genres that you won't have to crack your head just trying to figure out which titles that can cater to your taste. Of course, there are some genres that they are really good at and excel like platformer, cart racing and ARPG. The most beloved series from Nintendo for me is certainly the Legend of Zelda series. Even though the core formula hasn't changed for all these years, the games are still fun with certain additions that Nintendo will surely include with every iteration and I am glad the magic is still there after playing so many Zelda games.

But I guess no matter how good developers they are, it is still inevitable that occasionally they will produce games that are not up to par or simply garbages. Games that have wonky controls, nightmarish collision detections, fraught with unimaginable(and imaginable, pun intended)bugs, you name it. Same thing happens to Nintendo as well but as long as most of their games are exceptionally good and outstanding, we should just get over the bad apples and always long for the better games from Nintendo. So far I am really glad that I haven't really bought any crappy games from Nintendo thanks to several gaming sites out there which can always provide me some insights before getting games I am interested in.

Here is 25 worst Nintendo games by Gamedaily. Do you ever own or you are still having games that in the list? Do you really agree that those games listed are as bad as purported by Gamedaily? Please leave your comments here.

Play-asia Removal Sale is here

2008-10-25T10:23:00.002+08:00

Surprisingly, Play-asia is holding another sale before Christmas. I am hoping that it doesn't leave out the possibility that there will be another sale for Christmas where it should have more discount(30% discount sales? keep them coming!). Personally I am not really interested in getting anything currently as those which pique my interest are uneligible for this deal(Castlevania Order of Ecclesia is just released for less than 1 week) but I know there are people out there who can benefit a lot from this deal.

So what are you waiting for? Head here to browse through a huge catalogue of stuffs that are still in stock. Better be quick or you are gonna miss out some games that you have been rooting for to drop in price.

Chrono Trigger and....its preorder goodie?

2008-10-25T10:10:00.003+08:00

I have been torn whether I should join the bulk since the price has been bumped up to usd40 and it makes no difference if I purchase this from play-asia. Most importantly is most of time I will holding out for sales just to get it at a cheaper price. Not that I have time for it if I get it earlier as I am currently too preoccupied with study and other sealed games as well.

But oh well, it seems like the particular news is gonna draw me in for the bulk again. As the title suggests, it seems like Amazon will be giving out a soundtrack cd for those who preorder it.(Just check at Gamestop, this deal is available there as well)

This soundtrack seems to be more lacklustre than the Castlevania Order of Ecclesia soundtrack though. It will only feature 2 themes from Chrono Trigger and I am unsure how good they are since I have never played this game before. Nevertheless, it is still a bonus who plan to get it on day one.

PS. If you are interested in preordering it and would like to join the bulk, please head here for more details.

More on Castlevania preorder goodie...

2008-10-25T09:51:00.003+08:00

Previously I was having a deliberate discussion with why_79 trying to come up with a conclusion. Are we getting a physical copy of the Castlevania soundtrack or just a couple codes to access to the digital version?

Now that the game is released(have you got your copy?), our question is answered as well. Apparently this is some of the silliest business decisions that is gonna offend some of those who opted to preorder earlier. Instead of deciding whether those soundtracks should be distributed in digital form or physical copy, they have chosen to give away those soundtracks in both forms. Anyway to tell that you are gonna receive which of it? Not until you get either an email of the codes or just the cd itself with the game you order.

Apparently some Gamestop don't have the cd for grabs so if you are really interested in the cd itself, I would really suggest you to head down to a brick and mortar Gamestop now to find out whether they the cd. The cd should still be available at some shops so better be haste if you are really interested in it.

As for me, I am really glad that I didn't go through all the troubles just to discover that I am merely getting some numerical codes later(and not to forget the part where "the supplies last..." That is deplorable and unacceptable!).

For those who are unable to get hold of this cd, you might be tempted to see how the real deal is.

Preorder good of USA version of Castlevania Order of Ecclesia.(finally!!)

2008-10-09T06:16:00.004+08:00

Remember when I complained about the lack of preorder goodie for Castlevania Order of Ecclesia unlike its Japan counterpart here? It seems like someone at Konami has heard our rantings and has been kind enough to include something for those who preorder it now at Gamestop. Even though it still pales in comparison with Japan version of preorder goodie, why should you complain when the whole thing is still retailed at normal price while you will be getting a free thing? You shouldn't, really.

Ok, for those who are gonna preorder it at Gamestop, you will be getting yourself a soundtrack cd. It is not gonna include all bgm available in the game(not sure whether the soundtrack included in Japan version is gonna feature all the bgm though), but still this should make a cool addition (and not to mention it is virtually free you know?). The track list could be found below.

The question now is should I even bother to get it? Trying to get something in USA now has been a hassle since my friend in USA has refused to help me anymore with all the purchases there(haha because apparently I have been getting lots of stuffs after she went there to further her study). Should I get it or more accurately how should I get it if I am interested? Why, what will you do?

Upcoming DS software line up.

2008-10-02T19:43:00.003+08:00

In the conference, Nintendo has also released a trailer for upcoming DS software release until 2009. There are some interesting new titles like Mario and Luigi 3 where you can control Browser. Do note that those games are Japanese versions, so you might want to check your region release date for certain games that you are interested.

Releasing date for various games found in the trailer. Do note that this list might be incomplete because I will only list out titles that I know. Sorry for all the troubles because I just don't understand Japanese.
1. Kirby Super Star Ultra(nintendo)-6th November 2008.
2. Cooking Guide: Can't Decide to Eat in Japanese?(nintendo)-4th December 2008.
3. Mlb Bros 11(Konami)-4th December 2008.
4. Mega Man Star Force 3(Capcom)-13rd November 2008.
5. Valkyrie Profile(Square Enix)- 1st November 2008.
6. Chrono Trigger(Square Enix)-20th November 2008.
7. Chocobo and the Magic Storybook: The Witch, The Maiden and the Five Heroes(Square Enix)-11th December 2008.
7. Shiren the Wanderer DS2(Sega)-13th November 2008
8. Phantasy Star Zero(Sega)-25th December 2008.
9. Tales of Heart(Bandai Namco)-11th December 2008.
10. Another Harvest Moon(Marvellous Entertainment)-18th December 2008.
11. Avalon Code(Marvellous Entertainment)-1st November 2008.
12. Professor Layton 3(Level 5)-27th November 2008.
13. Mario and Luigi 3(nintendo)-2009
14. Warioware?(nintendo)-2009
15. 3d picross(nintendo)-2009
16. Phoenix Wright Miles Edgeworth Perfect Prosecutor(Capcom)-spring 2009
17. Final Fantasy Chronicles Echoes of Time(Square Enix)-29st January 2009
18. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days(Square Enix)-winter 2009 ?
19. Seventh Dragon(Sega)-spring 2009

Haiz, I was expecting for Dragon Quest IX trailer but it is nowhere to be seen. Hopefully there will be a trailer for it during Tokyo Game Show.

Nintendo DSi is finally announced!

2008-10-02T18:41:00.004+08:00

Finall,the big day is here and as expected, Nintendo has announced a redesigned Nintendo Ds, which is called Nintendo DSi. The meaning of the i still remains to be solved, as they never explained what does it stand for. Maybe it is an abbreviation, or it just doesnt have any special meaning. I am guessing that the i should stand for Interaction.

Let's have a look at changes shall we? The notable changes include:
1. An embedded 0.3 megapixel camera inside of the console and one 3mp camera outside of DSi which could be seen clearly on the pic above. Pictures captured can be edited using touch screen. SD memory card slot is now available so that you can transfer picture taken by DSi to your Wii and upload it into Wii Photo Channel.

2. Size has been reduced by 12% and 2.6mm. Too bad that they decided to omit the Gba slot.

3. DSi will have larger screens now, which are 3.25 inch compared with NDSL 3 inch screens.

4. DSi can adjust pitch and playback, which makes it suitable for learning language and music playing.

5. There will be onboard memory now just like psp which maybe used to shorten the loading time, but it remained to be seen how big the memory will be.

6. With the inclusion of Sd memory card slot, you can finally download DSi wares to your ds with previous Wii point, which has been renamed to Nintendo Point.

Another rumored feature is not included with the DSi, which is double touch screens.

The most shocking truth that I learned from this announcement is Nintendo decided to eschew the GBA slots. Oh come on, Nintendo. Just to make it lighter and smaller(which isn't THAT apparent in DSi), you remove a slot that has supported so many peripherals to date including the popular Guitar Hero grip. Don't forget this game is the most hot selling third party DS game in USA,I bet Activision is not gonna be happy with it because they will be releasing sequel of Guitar Hero On Tour soon. There are some people who think that Nintendo will release a redesigned DS soon again, only this time by including the GBA slot. What do you think?

Nintendo may have positioned its previous portable consoles as a merely gaming machine, it doesn't hurt that DSi has now featured music playing capability. Although I rarely listen to musics, I still welcome this feature as I foresee myself to be using it a lot. The audio quality is still questionable though until it is released. But for a guy who rarely listens to musics like me, I don't think that I will ever complain, haha.

I am really glad that Nintendo doesn't try to implement both touch screens because in my opinions, it could be disastrous. As we know currently NDSl has the notorious cracked hinge epidermic and it seems like Nintendo has done little to the design of DSi, so I expect(touch wood)there maybe some problems regarding the hinge after it is released. By implementing touch screen capability on the upper screen, it will just worsen the whole thing as gamers will clearly poke the upper screen incessantly(and unbeknown to them, some may have actually poke it too hard, which maybe too much for the upper screen), so there is a possibility that it will worsen the hinge. Ok, even if the hinge problem no longer exists, do you really favour wobbly upper screen after some time of using your DSi? This one should happen to every one after of owning a NDSL(not sure of NDS phat though) for some time as I am currently experiencing it as well. The upper screen is wobbly maybe due to the long-used loosen hinge. It is not really a serious flaw because it may happen to electric appliances that have designs like NDSL, but I am sure no one likes it, me included. If upper touch screen does materialize, I guess it will get wobbly very short after as you have been messing around with the hinge by poking at the upper screen almost every time you play some games.

There are still questions regarding the DSi wares. It remained to be seen whether those games are original games like Wiiwares or we will be able to download games from virtual console or the best of all from the catalog of previous portable consoles like Gameboy, Gameboy Color or Gameboy Advance. And they never even mention DLC. With the support of SD memory card, it surely does open up unlimited possibilities for DSi user. This is the only change I applaud them for and certainly most of the gamers have been waiting for.

Oh ya, forgot to mention some important details of NDSi. This baby will see its light out in Japan on 1st November 2008, which is less than 1 month away and it will see its release in other regions 2009. It retail price is 18900yen(about 180usd). It will be released in 2 colors which are white and lack. Corez may want to be an early adopter for this, but this time I am not gonna be like him like I did for DS Lite last time because the alterations just don't warrant a quick purchase for me. I am gonna hold out and see its review before I decide to pay for it. Hopefully I would be able to try it out during the November gathering, haha. For those who are interested, you might head to our friendly neighbourhood, Play Asia to preorder it now so that you won't miss it when it is released. White DSi could be preordered here while black DSi can be obtained here.

Fun as well!

2008-10-01T20:15:00.002+08:00

As you guys knew, I have recently purchased Final Fantasy Tactics A2 from an internet friend. Initially I wasn't planning to play this game considering that this might just have some minor upgrades from its predecessor, the gba version of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.(You guys must be wondering why did I get this game in the first place then. Haha, you will understand me if you are a game collector like me). But as time ticked away and I had nothing better to do(well, it is holiday now and I dont feel like studying) and since I have completed Rondo of Swords thrice, I might as well play this game while waiting for another 2 games I have ordered. How wrong was I? This game is simply a blast, even you have played the previous version before.

When I first fired up this game, first thing I notice about this game is the similar bgm that I can simply hum. Even though some bgm are just ported from the gba versions, there are still some new tracks which in my opinion are greater than the old bgm. Those new bgm are simply memorable and I will just use headphone when I hear them.

Next, some may complain that the graphics dont see major improvement than the gba version. I do admit, it still looks familiarly same but nonetheless, the graphics seem to be more intricate and I was just simply marvelled when I look at the cutscenes of espers appearing. One thing I have been puzzled though, why Square Enix never bothered to make the characters in upper screen during battles less blocky? It might seem ok after playing for some time but I still think that Square Enix could have done something to remedy it.

This game still plays the same like before, so if you have played the gba version, I am sure you will have no problem managing your team. Laws are still here, but it is much less punishing than before. In this game, if you uphold the laws, you will get some special items after the battle and you will be able to enjoy law privilleges during the battles. However, if you break the laws, deceased characters will be sent to prison and you can no longer enjoy the benefits of those privileges. Do not misunderstand though, those sent to prison will remain so for the battle ONLY. At first I thought I am gonna lose those characters permanently so I quickly restart my games once I have broken the laws and have my characters killed. Never did I know they will resurrect once the battle is over until I tried it accidentally. How stupid am I? The worst thing that could happen is those characters wont receive desirable experience points due to unable to participate in the battles anymore. Regarding the special items you receive after upholding the laws, you will soon realize those so called bonus items are no longer useful later as they tend to be weaker than those we can get from bazaar. Other than that, I don't think there is any problem and I have no qualms letting some characters die and be sent to prison. Also, I notice in this game, unlike the GBA, missions and battles are simply tied to same laws and there is no way you can change it like you did in the GBA version, which means if you are in some battles with some really absurd laws, either you are going to uphold it or you are going to break it! Worst of all, opponents will never be punished when they break the law, so they can exactly do what they want with disregard to the laws. Unfair huh? Luckily we don't have to pay too much for breaking the laws, or else I foresee many paying for their second consoles(haha because of throwing their NDS after getting screwed by the law systems. What? Not funny? Ok...)

For those who plan to upgrades themselves to powerful classes early on, there are some restrictions now as you can only unlock certain new jobs after completing certain missions. It is to prevent gamers from abusing some powerful jobs I guess and I am certainly ok with it. As usual, there are new jobs and even 2 new races here. So far I still haven't managed to try any new jobs except for arcanist for Nu Mou and I can't really tell as I haven't unleash it's full potential yet.. What I cant forget to mention is the new race, Seeq. A berserker Seeq is really great and it surpasses my expectation. In my opinion, it is more useful than white monk because of some of its abilities. You guys should try it yourself and shouldn't let its oversize body fool you guys.

Other notable changes from this game are:
1. You can no longer create your own maps like before. It seems like there will be a larger fixed map this time and it will require you to use airship to travel to other continent. Sweet!
2. Missions are more diversified this time. Even though most of the missions are still battle focused, this time it will add in around some extra storyline, so the whole affair isn't just as mundane and tedious like before.
3. You will no longer battle with other clans to gain the ownership of certain areas, instead you will be competing out with other clans in auctions to own those areas before the next auctions. The auction itself serves as an interesting mini game and it might take a couple of trials and errors before you can manage to get all areas in one auction. Nevertheless, it is fun and it is certainly rewarding once you do so as you will be able to bid for powerful weapons once you become an area master(you become one after winning all areas in one auction)
4. There will be a new section called bazaar in this game. You will be trading loots you gain from missions or battles for some powerful weapons that you can gain access to at a shop.
5. Our characters will start out with 0 MP in every battle and every round each character will restore 10 MP automatically. This is not some change that I favour as later on you will find there will be many restrictions as the magics you want to unleash will consume MP. Luckily you will get a new clan privilege that will double the MP restoration each round.
6. There will be clan trials in this game. You will get new law privileges after meeting certain requirements and new titles as well.

All in all, for those who expect a deep storyline here, I would suggest you to steer clear of this as this game main selling point is its deep customization system. This may sound complicated to some newcomers but be rest assured that once you get hang of the whole thing, you will soon be enjoying this like the rest of us do. Just don't shy away from this just because this seems to be so alien and strange to you. I remember I used to have same feelings when I started playing the gba version but I am really glad that I have taken to first step to experience it, or else I wont be hooked to strategy rpg games at all. I have clocked in around 32 hours since last week and I only managed to complete 75 mission and there are actually 400 missions in this game. Long? Yes. Addictive? Of course. Satisfaction? Priceless!

Surprising call..

2008-09-29T02:40:00.003+08:00

Haha, if you guys still remember, I did promote the Nintendo gathering at Corez house but I couldn't attend it because Raya is just around the corner and it would be a pain in ass if I have to go there now(not to mention the always-hard-to-get bus ticket). Much to my surprise, I received a call from them on that night.

I was wondering why would they call me on that particular night but actually they just wanna ask me to join a bulk for ordering Chrono Trigger at Amazon. At first I didnt give a second thought as they may have thought the whole thing throughly, so I quickly said yes to the whole deal. After hanging up the phone though, I started to rethink the whole matter. Is it really that cheap as they claimed? Play Asia price for Chrono Trigger is usd45 while Amazon price is usd37. While it makes sense that you might see Amazon should be cheaper but if you think deeper, actually it has no big difference. If I am going to join the bulk, the price is not usd36 alone as I still have to pay for VPost shipping back to here. Yeah I know it is gonna be cheap if more people share the shipping fee but we should know that the more orders it has, the heavier it will become. So in the end, it will still gonna cost me around usd40(don't forget that they would still have to send it to me later via Pos Laju as I am not based in KL).

On the other hand, Play Asia price might sound a tad steep but giving a serious thought, it might actually be as same as Play Asia price. The game itself costs us usd45, but seeing how relatively easy it is nowadays to get a usd10 off coupon, the game PLUS free shipping to my house will merely set me the same price which is usd40. Furthermore, I am not really keen on getting the brand new copy as I mentioned in previous post here and I have always been rooting for the used copies if the game itself is popular that it might see its light in used game market(PM, are you going to sell it again? Hehe)

I am still considering whether I should preorder it but since they are going to preorder it during mid October, so I guess I will have plenty of time to think about it. I am actually more interested in another game, Luminous Arc2 which is open for preorder as well at Amazon as it will feature the preorder goodie, the 60 pages art book that I am looking for. I am surprised that Aschia isnt interested in it considering that he has always been interested in preorder thingy. Hmm, should I seek help from Corez to order it? Oh ya, I am sure Andy is going to preorder it from Play Asia, so should I ask him whether he is interested in getting it from Amazon so that we can order together and save on the shipping?

Anyway, I am still glad that my fellow Internet friends have been supportive enough and they don't even mind going through all the hassles on that day just to call me. I can't wait to head down to KL to meet them again. I miss Andy's seductive voice, Corez baby voice and all the interactions with them, haha(no pun intended). It is so hard to find some friends who share same interest with you, at least that does happen in Perlis.

Unexpected thing at Play Asia

2008-09-20T23:48:00.004+08:00

For gamers in Malaysia especially those who support original games, Play Asia should be no stranger. Play Asia is well known for myriads original games available for various gaming consoles and almost everything could be obtained there except for one thing that left me wondering. While it does and always offer preorder goodie and limited edition for Japan version of games, it is far and few between for USA version of games. And when it does happen, it isnt really something you are looking forward to...

Just guess what the latest game comes with preorder goodie is? It isnt something you would be interested in, which is Drawn to Life: Spongebob Squarepant Edition. This game comes with a Spongebob pouch and it is only usd34.90. Drawn to Life is not really a bad game, but this game just doesnt appeal to me even if it comes with a pouch and the price is not too expensive.

I find it perplexing that if this limited edition can make it to Play Asia, why Play Asia just cant put some effort to bring other interesting preorder goodies and limited edition like the soon-to-be-released Luminous Arc 2? When you preorder it at Gamestop, not only you can get the included soundtrack cd, you can also bring back a 60-page full color art book featuring characters and designs from both Luminous Arc. For those who live in USA, getting this should be a breeze but how about those who are not fortunate enough to stay there and still interested in it? I am sure many gamers would be more interested in this if compared with Drawn to Life Spongebob Edition. I am not trying to insult those who like Drawn to Life but it just doesnt make sense when it can indeed become available at Play Asia, the limited edition of Luminous Arc will just leave us clamouring for more...

If Play Asia primary concern is the price they are gonna impose on the limited edition will scare potential customers away, I dont think it should be a deterrent as you can see another limited edition of Japan version of game is sold at usd120 but it is still at top 100 Nintendo DS games, which is the Konamistyle Limited Edition of Castlevania Order of Ecclesia. They must be aware that if the limited edition itself is a worthy game, gamers are still gonna grab it. Also, I really dont mind to pay extra bucks for the shipping if the size is too big or too heavy provided I can get my hands on limited editions of my favourite games. Gamers out there should understand what a true collector wants. Anyone out there who shares the same feelings like me?

Megaman 9 is finally here!

2008-09-20T19:28:00.005+08:00

All the bosses in Mega Man 9

Finally, the endless waiting is over. Mega Man will be hitting North America next week and every next gen console owner should be rejoiced as it will be hitting Wii, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 on 22th September 2008. According to this, you can get the Wiiware version at 1000 wii points while both Playstation Network version and XBLA version will cost you usd9.99 and 800 points respectively. Hehe, every next gen console owner will not be left out but I have yet to own either one home console, so I cant really play this game!

And for those who are still still on the fence considering whether they should get this title which has opted to go in different and radical direction(or should I say old school?), a video review and review by IGN has popped up. These shall really clear up your mind and I know I will be getting it if I own either one of the next gen consoles.

The review could be found here. This review is actually for the XBLA version but those 3 versions dont really have any major differences and the reviewer actually pointed out that the Wiiware version is the one closest to NES version as it has the "blockiest" graphics and it succeeds in term of mimicking the whole NES feel. So if you feel like going for the version which is close to the NES games in terms of presentation, you should go for the Wiiware version and for clearer and crispier version, XBLA and PSN versions are definitely your choice.

And what more exciting is the DLC that has been confirmed for this game. Finally in the first time of series, Proto Man is a playable character. I have been itching to control him since the first time I saw him in Mega Man 3. He is always shrouded in mystery and I always feel that he is and should be a better character than Mega Man to tinker around with. Now that it has come to fruition, all Mega Man fans should wet themselves in their pants! According to this, this paid DLC will arrive the week of October 6 for for 200 Wii Points, 160 Microsoft points and usd1.99 on PSN.

Some info of Proto Man:
-He has the ability to slide and shoot charged up beams.
-He can deflect most bullets with his shield but larger bullets can still inflict damage to him and on the downside he will be pushed back twice as far as Mega Man.
-He will stop charging once he is struck by enemies.
-Rush will not be assisting him instead all the Rush adaptors have been changed to Proto adaptors.

Oh well, after this character is available, who should we look forward to become available? I hope Roll can make the cut as I am not satisfied of controlling her in Marvel VS Capcom series and it is time for the her to get some credits for saving the world instead of helping Mega Man only! And how about controlling Rush? This robotic canine has always been a great helper for Mega Man but I think it is time that he deserves to save the world on its own as it can do so many things normal dogs arent capable of like flying, providing a platform to jump higher. I have a suggestion if Rush can indeed be a playable character. Dont make him like Proto Man where he can obtain and equip weapons from bosses just like Mega Man. Instead, just make it stick to one exclusive weapon(whatever it is, I will leave it to Capcom to figure out) and this can easily be the most difficult mode in Mega Man 9. Imagine going through the whole game with just a weapon and most importantly, you are Rush. Sweet indeed!

What we can do in the mean time while waiting for the game to be available next week? I have a couple of suggestions here. First, go through the ultimate Mega Man retrospective. I have posted it here before but in case you missed it, you can catch up with it here and it really makes up as a good reading as it has tons of details of every single Mega Man that is out there currently. Secondly, go through the every single boxart available for Mega Man game here. It only has the boxart for Mega Man games and not the other series like Mega Man X, Mega Man Zero etc, but still there are already so many unseen boxarts(for me at least). Who can possibly forget the horrendous boxart above for the first Mega Man?

So guy, dont miss it. Next week is certainly the week of Mega Man 9!

Divided but decided!

2008-09-17T14:46:00.003+08:00

If you have read my previous post regarding Blackmango, you must know that I was somehow interested in getting Luminous Arc from him and since then I have been doing research on whether it is worthy enought but I am really glad that I have done the research long enough that another good game has finally popped out and I will certainly choose it over Luminous Arc.

What is the another game you say? It is the used copy of Final Fantasy Tactics A2 that pr1me_minister finally decided to sell. Undoubtedly, I quickly pm him and furthermore called him to seal the deal as I know there is another forumer is interested as well so I gotta be quick! When I recalled, it was really fortunate that there were neither replacement class nor tutorial on monday that I could get back to my home and the rest was history.

I have been thinking of getting this game since I have played the GBA prequel and I like it a lot but I am just not willing to pay usd45 for this game(more to I dont have enough money to spend so much on it) and hence I waited for the used game to pop up. I am really glad that I would be the owner of this game soon or else I will be asking my friend, why_79 to find me the used copy if he goes to Singapore. I guess I am plain lucky!

So, pm, if you decide to sell off your The World Ends With You, I am here waiting to get it from you again!

Phantasy Star Zero announced!

2008-09-16T19:26:00.004+08:00

Finally Sega has announced another Phantasy Star for my favourite console, Nintendo DS after they have just released the PSP version of Phantasy Star Portable. I have been looking forward to playing this series after seeing how successful this series was on Dreamcast as it was the first online console RPG.

Seriously I have never expected the news to surface as the psp version has just been released and looking at its brisk sale and currently still staying in the top 10 softwares in Japan, it is shocking to see that Sega has made the announcement so fast.

This game seems to be more interesting than Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Rings Of Fate(ok, it maybe a tad earlier to make such judgement but I can always hope for it, right?) and I really hope that it can make it to USA.

According to this, this game seems to be based heavily on the Phantasy Star Online series, which is a good thing and the sweetest deal of all is it will support multiplayer online via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and local multiplayer as well(both support up to 4 players). I can just pray that the online experience isnt ruined by the possible lag problems. This inclusion alone beats FFCCROF in its face as multiplayer has always been the important part of this genre, so online multiplayer will just glorify and amplify the whole gaming experience. I really hope they wont screw the online multiplayer part or else this may end up hitting bargain bins not long after.

Have a look at the images above and you will realize that there are some pictures and handwritten words. How is it even possible to include them? Yeah, you are right. Finally, the superfluous Pictochat has been put into a good use. It is a brilliant move that Sega manages to utilize it and incorporate it into this game. With this feature, chatting and conveying message is a piece of cake and it is no longer limited to typing words or just some included emoticons. Who doesnt like to scribble and write their own words?(although I admit that I suck in drawing and I am pretty sure most of you wont understand what I draw)

So are you excited for this title after reading what I have written? With the installed base of Nintendo DS larger than PSP, I am sure this title is gonna be hot as well when it is released. Corez, forget Gauntlet DS and wait for this!

LYN Nintendo September gathering!!

2008-09-16T19:11:00.003+08:00

I have been quite active at Lowyat.net Nintendo thread for sometime and I have managed to befriend with a couple of nice people over there and we both share the same interest which is having blast with Nintendo consoles be it Wii or Nintendo DS. We also have a same tradition every month where we will gather at one place(changed regularly but our favourite spot is Sunway Pyramid Harts Chicken because of its affordable price and unlimited supply of food) just to play games and have fun together. This month gathering is gonna be a little bit different and it is gonna be bigger than ever.

First of all, it wont be held at any public places but instead a nice forumer, Corez has offered up his place for us to gather and play his Wii and not to forget, indulge in the usual mutiplayer Nds session. Wii Fit will be provided and for those who wanna experience it, you guys should not really miss it. Secondly, this time instead of having their meal ordered, they will just have a BBQ party at his house after they "berbuka puasa". Chicken wings, hotdogs....my mouth is watering now thinking of it.

The thing is I cannot participate in this event as I am currently based in Perlis and it is unreasonable to head there for 1 day even if I was used to do it before simply because the date of the gathering is 5 days before the Hari Raya Aidilfitri and it would be unwise to go there because of the difficulty in getting the bus ticket back to Perlis.

However, for those who are really interested in it and would like to take this oppurtunity to know more Nintendo gamers, I seriously recommend you to join this gathering as everyone of them is very nice and very helpful. So far I have attended the gathering thrice and I ended up very happy even though everytime it was tiring as it was usually one day trip from Perlis to KL. If you are just shy or dont want trouble them, I would suggest you to bring some food or drinks there so that not only you will feel better, they can have extra food to gobble as well. So if you are interested, dont forget to go here and let them know. I wish I can go...

Blackmango, the new official Nintendo distributor in Malaysia

2008-09-06T21:39:00.002+08:00

I am really surprised that after one whole long hectic week and since I didnt have the chance to surf internet, never did I know there is another official Nintendo distributor again which is Blackmango at lyn.

At first Ooj(owner of Blackmango) started aPS3 blu ray movies and games rental service and it didnt really pique my interest since I dont have ps3 and it seems like his business is doing quite well that now he decides to branch out to another new gaming systems which are Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS and Gameboy. I dont know how he managed to persuade those in charge at Maxsoft to let him bring in official Nintendo stuffs since there are already 2 official Nintendo counters in KL and 1 counter in Penang but I guess that is a good thing as those counters arent really up to date with the latest softwares and most importantly, the price of those games are ridiculously expensive that I wonder anyone will be stupid enough to get their games there.

Looking at the software catalog that Blackmango offers, it seems like the Nintendo DS original games price is quite reasonable and pretty cheap for some titles like Luminous Arc which was previously sold at usd40 at Play Asia now goes for rm120 only(and 10% less for all titles if you get them before 30th September. I might get it later seeing that I have been looking up and down this title for a while). And if he updates the catalog regularly and maintains the reasonable price, I think more forumers are more than willing to get games from him rather than Play Asia which offers similar price but the only downside is the 1 week waiting period. But one thing I do notice missing from the games he offers is there are no Square Enix NDS games like Final Fantasy series. I dont know the reasons behind it but hopefully and seriously he should get hold of Square Enix games as soon as possible as there are plenty Square Enix fans around.

All in all, even though Nintendo console are very easy to modify which leads to rampant piracy in Malaysia, I am sure there are still plenty people will continue to support original Nintendo softwares here like me as long as the price is reasonable enough. All the best, Blackmango.

Hunter X Hunter is coming back again soon!

2008-08-31T23:39:00.005+08:00

Ok, this is the first time I post something unrelated to gaming but since manga is something that has so many common things with gaming and related to gaming(who can miss the many Naruto games out there?) as well, I cant wait to post the following important news here.

Hunter X Hunter is one of my all time favorite manga but to my disappointment it seems that the Togashi can never keep up with 1 chapter per week and he has been notorious for delaying and delaying his manga(the official excuse is he is suffering some unknown disease. The same thing happened to Hunter X Hunter and the longest hiatus that I remembered if not mistaken was 2 years. That was a tad long even if he experienced Writer's Block. Nevertheless, I am still gonna support his manga because of its epic story telling and "out of galaxy" imagination. This manga is really that great and I wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone who likes mangas out there.

And for your information, this manga is currently going for a hiatus again for almost or 4 months but thankfully it has been confirmed that the manga will continue again on 5th October 2008. 1 month to go eh? I cant wait to see the battle between the 3 Guardians of the King with Gon, Killua, Knuckle and Shoot. Oh ya, not to forget the most nerve wrecking battle between King and the old man(sorry I forgot his name already). I wonder what are the nen abilities of the King and the old man. I cant wait anymore. Please, October, please come earlier!

Birdo? He or she?

2008-08-30T15:44:00.003+08:00

Anyone recognizes the character above? Neither did me initially. But the story I am gonna tell below is gonna let you recognize this character immediately next time(that is if you read this post of course). Its initial appearance was at Super Mario Bros.2 usa version and has then proceeded to appear on various games and the recent one is Captain Rainbow.

Captain Rainbow is a recent Wii game that is published by Nintendo, currently available in Japan only. This quirky game features several cameo characters from Nintendo relatively old series like Nes Punch Out and Panel de Pon. I am sure Nintendo hardcore fans will interested to play this game that pays homage to several old characters and they are anticipating this to be ported to USA. Unfortunately, I think this game will have a difficulty trying to get the "For Everyone" ESRB rating and I am not sure how Nintendo is gonna tackle some issues like the one I am gonna tell you guys later.

Ok, back to Birdo again. This is by far a character which has serious confusion regarding its gender. Quoting from Wikipedia, "Birdo's gender has changed throughout various American game versions, but has always been male in Japan. In the original manual for Super Mario Bros. 2, Birdo is referred to as male that believes he is female, and would liked to be called Birdetta. Most later American-localized games, such as the Mario sports titles, which have featured Birdo with a diamond ring, have usually listed Birdo as a female.Recent localizations have avoided the use of any gender pronouns when describing Birdo. In Super Smash Bros Brawl it is said that Birdo is of "indeterminate gender" in its trophy." Really mind numbing and perplexing eh? Then in its(decide to use it since I never know its true gender) recent cameo appearance in Captain Rainbow, there is a mission related to it where you have to prove it is a "she" because it was caught intruding ladies wash room. The next thing is something really shocking. I really dont dare to reveal it here as there are some adult things involved(until now I am still unsure how it can make it into Nintendo published games where all Nintendo games are usually family friendly), so I will just post a link to the discovery here for those who are interested.

So for those who know all the things going on, I guess you will never forget Birdo. I know its name will deeply engraved in my mind from now on, haha.

More of Jo Garcia, my sweet angel!

2008-08-24T00:40:00.004+08:00

Next time if people claim that girls are casual gamers, think again. I have no qualm defying it after looking at how serious and hardcore of Jo Garcia when it comes to coming to her(even more hardcore than me to be honest).

Usually for me, I will just complete a game without giving a second go unless the game is attractive enough for me to come back. But for every single Final Fantasy game, Jo Garcia will just rush for the first time to go through and understand the storyline. And during the second play, she will get a walkthrough or guide just to get every nook and cranny in the game. And not to mention she always jots down interesting info(like to get espers in Final Fantasy or side quest that she already compeleted) and some tips of the games she has either completed or yet to finish(like Metal Gear Solid 4)in a a note book.

I am really amazed at the way she plays games and it reminds me of another friend(male, sorry to let you guys down) who is similar to her where he will always compare the stats of characters in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance just to get the best and suitable characters for specific jobs.

Now, who dare says females cant be hardcore gamers? I guess Jo Garcia will always have a special spot at our hearts and I guess every gamer will be clamouring someone like her to be their special mates. I admit I am.

GC 2008 Castlevania Order of Ecclesia official trailer

2008-08-22T23:25:00.003+08:00

I cant wait, I cant wait, I cant wait. That is my true feeling after watching this trailer. It seems like Iga really honours his promise by not rehashing the old enemies design anymore. Even the usual enemies like Frankenstein and Axe Armours have seen different design. The graphics are prettier compared with Portrait Of Ruins. The voiceover is not shabby either. The artstyle is definitely much better. I cant wait to control Shanoa beating the hell out of various enemies. I am not sure why but for me this game is really reminiscent of Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow where you can use different abilities obtained from enemies too. Nevertheless, I like Dawn of Sorrow a lot and I think I am gonna love this one too.

Why_75, are you excited as well? I am still unsure of the release date but the Japanese version has been dated which is 23rd October, so I guess we will find out sooner or later.

GC 2008 Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood Official Trailer

2008-08-22T14:06:00.005+08:00

Finally an official Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood trailer brought to you by Gamespot. Based on the trailer alone, it seems like this game is shaping well. I guess it could be attributed to its developer company which is famous for developing rpg games like Star Wars Knight of The Old Republic and Mass Effect, Bioware.

After watching the trailer, the first thought dawned upon me was this game definitely looks a lot like Mario and Luigi Partners in Time as both games battles scenes are very interactive. In Mario and Luigi Partners in Time, you would have to concentrate when there is a battle going on as you have to press the appropriate buttons when your characters are trying to attacks the enemies to inflict more damanges. While in this Sonic game(Oh men, it seems like both games have another similarity, where both titles are so freaking long!), I can see that its battle scenes feature some Ouendan-esque tapping actions to execute combos and also maybe to inflict more damages! Good thing about this kind of system is battles will never get stale and leveling up would be much more interesting and not a chore. And it seems like this game will feature a roaster of different characters where we could control, sweet indeed. Even though Sonic game series have been lambasted for its too-many-characters, I am still glad if I can try out different characters as long as they have distinctive abilities and controls. And not to forget, the graphics are quite pretty too( Mario and Luigi graphics pales in comparison)

I never like Sonic games before even I owned Sonic Advance 1, 2 and 3 that are highly praised before. I guess I dont really like fast pacing platformer games as my eyes cant keep up with the screens if Sonic moves too fast and so the latest Rpg entry is something I have been looking forward to. Hopefully this title will manage to garner the attention that Sonic series deserves doesnt let gamers down. The release date is September 2008. I am not sure of the exact date as it is not mentioned in the trailer but I guess we wont have to wait long as September is just a few days away and we will find out soon.

Another attempt to get Mother 3 stateside.

2008-08-21T19:55:00.004+08:00

Not satisfied that Earthbound is finally coming to Virtual console(even though this still hasnt been released on it nor is confirmed by Nintendo but you can virtually find this on ESRB rating board, so I guess that kinda confirms the whole affair), Starmen is collaborating with The Speedgamers to hold a Earthbound Marathon trying to persuade Nintendo again to release Mother 3 in USA.

I never played any Mother games before, so I dont really know the appeal of this series. But for the rest who have played this series before, most of them are attracted by this quirky rpg where it maybe a little weird in every possible way like calling your father in the game to save your progress in the game, but it is those little weird aspects that manage to pull them in this series. That is why Starmen was founded by some hardcore Mother fans, where its main purposes are to gather all Mother fans all over the globe and to find any possible ways to make Nintendo bring the latest entry, Mother 3 to USA.They even tried to buy the licence of translating Mother 3 from Nintendo and of course, it failed as Nintendo wont give out the licence easily when it comes to their company intellectual properties. Head here to check out the relentless effort of Starmen members and hardships that they have gone through just to get Mother released in USA that have yet to yield any remarkable results except seeing Eartbound soon on Virtual Console. It is sad for Mother fans that the only entry that makes it to the state is Mother 2 for Super Famicom, known as Earthbound in USA.

The latest Earthbound marathon that lasts for 55 hours is trying to get those who know all this affair going on to call Nintendo Of America to let them know how much and how eager do you want to see Mother 3 make it to USA. Basically, the more people who call them, the higher the possibility it can make it as NOA will understand there is actually a market for Mother 3 in USA, where they may have underestimated the possibility of this title sale going strong in USA if it indeeds happens to materialize. For more details of the marathon, please kindly refer here.

I am not sure whether this whole thing can finally be successful in getting Nintendo to reconsider to translate it but surely I do hope that it will happen as I will be the first one to get the game if it ever happens(mark my words, Nintendo). I am interested in this series as well but since the last entry was on Snes and it has been for more than 10 years, it is kinda impossible for me to get into the series unless any Mother games can make it to stateside be it compilation of all three games on NDS or merely a simple port of GBA version. Bring it on, Nintendo. I am waiting for it.

Blatant rip off!!!

2008-08-21T10:06:00.003+08:00

Bandai Namco is really notorious for milking their famous franchise and the best example would be their Tales series. Let see how many Tales games appear on Nintendo DS? I could think of three which includes the upcoming Tales Of Hearts, Tales of Innocence and Tales of Tempest. It seems like every Tales fan is not tired with the so many Tales games bombarded to them, no wonder Bandai Namco just keeps churning out many Tales games on different platforms every year. My online friend, Swatwolf is really a big fan of this series and I could see that he is still having a blast with Tales Of Innocence. On the other hand, I have only the GBA version of Tales of Phantasia and I have yet to play it....

Ok then, lets get back to Tales of Hearts shall we? When the first scans of this game were released, we could see that this game is trying to go in a different direction, where we can clearly see that Bandai Namco tries to incorporate some CG cutscenes in the latest entry. Some fans may enjoy the radical change as if not mistaken, previous Tales have been using animated cutscenes, but personally i dont like those CG cutscenes and those characters in CD dont even match the same characters in 2d.

I guess Bandai Namco has expected that some fans might not like the whole new route they are taking and they are considerate enough to add in the animated cutscenes and this is where the problem arises. Instead of getting both animated cutscenes and CG cutscenes in one game, Bandai Namco decides to sell 2 versions which have different cutscenes. What a blatant rip off! I dont see any rationales behind this except that they are trying to get more money because they know that hardcore Tales fans will be unhesitated to get both versions. Very brilliant and tricky here. Is it that hard to compress all those cutscenes in one cart and charge higher price(like Tales of Innocence is cheap, this game is already more expensive than average NDS games in Japan)? I guess for those who are not willing to buy both versions, they sure will be cracking their heads figuring out which one is the better one.

Luckily I am not really into the series and the fact that this game is in Japanese doesnt help. If you are interested, which version do u plan to get or just get both? Swatwolf, what will you do?

Finally, greatest hits of Square Enix games

2008-08-21T09:51:00.004+08:00

Even though we foresee that this is gonna happen sooner or later, it seems like Square Enix has finally decided to release greatest hits(or ultimate hits in this case) of some of their NDS games. Those games include Dragon Quest Monsters Joker, Dragon Quest Heroes:Rocket Slime, Final Fantasy III and Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wings. All 4 games are slated to hit the stores on 23rd October and each game is priced at merely 2980yen only.

Although some maybe annoyed by the "ultimate hits" words slapped on the cover(each time when I think of those who will be irate over cover art, I would always think of why_79), personally I dont mind it as it still looks cool and the best part of it is I can get a whole new game at a cheaper price.

If only Square Enix decides to release greatest hit in USA too..... But if they really do that, I would suggest them to release only the greatest hit version of Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wings and replace the 3 games with other games(The World Ends With You and Final Fantasy Tactics A2 anyone? Haha, too early I guess) as those games are seeing a great price cut in USA and could be purchased for under usd20 at Amazon currently. I really do hope that Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wing could see a price cut as I have been eyeing on this for a while.

New Suikoden game announced for NDS

2008-08-21T01:09:00.005+08:00

Nintendo DS has been getting a really big slice of cake in terms of the numbers of Rpg appearing on this platform. Now, there will be another RPG that is going to pave its way to Nintendo DS.

As the title suggests, Nintendo DS will be seeing a latest entry in Suikoden series, which is Suikoden Tierkreis DS. This game is just like the Dragon Quest series, where the company decides to release the latest iteration on portable gaming console instead of the current next gen home consoles. I guess that is because Nintendo DS is currently the king of the gaming market and marketing a game on it may have a greater chance of selling more copies? Anyway, it is another great news for us, the Nintendo DS owners.

Looking at the scans of the latest Famitsu here, it seems like the game is similar to FF 3 and FF4 in terms of graphics style(developed by a same company? Who knows?). The battles scenes are just reminiscent of what I saw in FF3, it might be a good news for those who like cutting edge graphics on Nintendo DS. But I am not sure whether this game is related to the previous entries because I cant read japanese, so we will have to wait for someone to translate it later.

Even though the only Suikoden game that I ever played was Suikoden 2 on Play Station(and never managed to complete it), I am still excited for it as this game is famous for its grand storyline and 108 characters whom you can recruit(if not mistaken). Hopefully this game can make it to USA. Release date for this title in Japan still hasnt been announced yet.

PS. Wow, not long after I posted this, it appears that the info of this game has already popped up at neogaf. I will be listing out the additional info here for those who are interested.

- 50% complete
- Characters are 3d
- Backgrounds 2d
- Traditional rpg it looks like
- You tap the touch screen, making battles move at a fast pace
- The main headline of the article is "The Chosen 108 heroes have been destroyed?!" so maybe this game will be different from other Suikoden games in that regard?
- Only 4 party members in battle? Support characters return.
- New race. They're a race of porpoises.
- Apparently the game begins with the 108 heroes engaged in their final battle with the villain, and all the heroes being taken down except for four. This game's hero is not one of them, and his quest involves reassembling the 108, as opposed to discovering them.

Chrono Trigger is finally dated for USA

2008-08-19T02:50:00.004+08:00

Anyone excited for this game? I know I am as I have been hearing many praises of this timeless masterpiece and yet I never have the chance to play it be it on Snes or Play Station. Now that this is going to make it to Nintendo DS, I guess it is time for me to pick it up and experience it (without having to pay premium price for the used snes copies circulating at ebay or endure the unbearable loading times while playing the ps version)

This title has finally received a confirmed release date, which is November 25th 2008. I guess even without major graphical overhaul, every rpg fan is still going to gobble up this remake. I am glad that it hasnt received the same major graphics update like Final Fantasy III on Nintendo DS did because apparently grinding seems to be longer and more tedious than ordinary rpg games on portable gaming systems(forget PSP, every game on the system will have to load due to its umd format). I guess Square Enix decision to stick with the original graphics really reverberates what I have been hoping for their remakes of rpg games all this while. For this remake, Square Enix will just add brand new dungeons and also an Arena mode for multiplayer, where its details are still unknown. It may sound unjustified for those who have already played this game for countless times to pay usd40, but definitely it is not gonna bother since I never played it before and the the price itself is indeed much cheaper than a used Snes copy on Ebay.

I just cant wait to go through the multifaceted story and listen to the soundtrack by Nobuo Uematsu woven intricately into the game. This game seems to be perfect in every aspect, be it storyline, the soundtrack, the characters and the art style. I guess the dream collabration of Hironobu Sakaguchi, Kazuhiko Aoki and composer of soundtrack, Nobuo Uematsu known for their works on the Final Fantasy series and Yuuji Horii and artist Akira Toriyama, freelance designers for Dragon Quest series is something that is not going to happen very frequently and when it does, a legendary caliber of product will be born and here we are being treated to a timeless classic which is Chrono Trigger.

So what are you waiting for? It is better for you to head down to your local Gamestop stores to make a preorder so that you can guarantee yourself a copy during its launch day for those who live in USA. For us in Malaysia, we might not be fortunate enough to get it on the first day and we might not even see local retailers bring it in looking at the rampant piracy scene here but I guess you can still try. If it really doesnt work, I guess Play Asia is the only way to go and you can head here to preorder it. The earlier you preorder it, the earlier you will ensure your copy getting shipped first(but whether it will reach you earlier, it is another issue depending on shipping methods that you choose). I am sure andy_lhc has already preordered it. He is such a huge fan of Square Enix games.

Pokemon Limited Edition NDSL bundle details.

2008-08-18T02:18:00.002+08:00

Since it is already 17th August in Usa, some gamers have purchased the Pokemon limited edition NDSL bundle. Too bad for us in Malaysia like Blue Berry, you guys might have to wait a few days before getting your hands on this bundle.

Like I mentioned before, there are several things included in this bundle. Now more details could be found of the freebies since the details has popped up at gonintendo.

DS:
Hinge and inside are a slightly metallic looking onyx.

Poster:
Front has grovyle from Mystery Dungeon stealing a Time Gear
Back has Pokemon game information (from left to right: Diamond/Pearl, Mystery Dungeon 2, Pokemon Ranger 1 and 2)

Case:
Holds system and 3 DS games

DvD:
Slip includes password for special mission in Mystery Dungeon 2 (code: 78SR -H2m PO+4 Y6FY 1&Y+ #R9S Prize:Luxray Fang)

The info above was submitted by Deadmen to gonintendo.

Haha, code in the dvd was originally meant for those who are interested in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon 2 to get the bundle. But it seems like for those who dont really feel like spending on the bundle, you guys get the code for free because of Deadmen. Let us thank Deadmen, shall we?

Maggie Q and Need For Speed Undercover?

2008-08-16T20:09:00.003+08:00

Maggie Q is one of my favorite Asian actresses around. I first saw her acting in Gen Y Cop and her exotic look managed to make me go ga ga for her. However she has now rarely acted in Chinese movies anymore since she has already advanced her career to Hollywood and could be seen in several blockbuster movies like Mission Impossible III alongside with Tom Cruise or Bruce Willis's Live Free or Die Hard(it was known as Die Hard 4.0 in Malaysia though). She is also rumoured to be involved in the Edison scandal but fortunately there was no clip of her making out with Edison leaked in internet(even though we cant be too sure whether the tape itself really exists or not). She has been doing quite well in Hollywood and it seems like she will have another thing to add in her resume.

Recently she has signed with EA to be their Need For Speed Undercover' cover girl. Wow, quite a surprise as there is no Asian girl in history ever that ever made it to be Need For Speed cover girls. I guess she is really famous in USA now. Hopefully EA wont screw up her models in the game, or else it is just gonna make the whole game ruinous and mar the experience. But whatever it is, I dont think I am going to get this game even though how much I like her as racing games on Nintendo DS dont take off quite well(except Mario Kart DS of course) and the fact that racing games are not my cup of tea doesnt help. So I guess I can just pray for the success of the title here. This game will appear on almost every console out there which includes PS3, PS2, Xbox360, Wii, Nintendo DS, PSP and PC. So for those who are into arcade racing games, dont forget to support this game and buy it when it is out during November 2008. I would then try to search for clips of how she looks like in the game at Youtube when it is released later. Here is an interview between Maggie Q and Gamedaily regarding the upcoming Need For Speed Undercover.

How to afford games when your cash flow is low?

2008-08-15T16:58:00.004+08:00

Admit it, as original gaming supporters, sometimes we just dont have enough dough for games that we want. Even though how eager we are to get our hands on the latest games, sometimes it is just not gonna happen because of the rising living cost that makes our already expensive hobby(expensive to me at least) seem like a harder task to accomplish. Also, being a working adult does not make you have more money to burn on games simply because you will have more commitments now.

Duh, the fact that our ringgit Malaysia is weak compared to US dollar doesnt help....I am lucky that I am single now since all my pocket money could go to my personal interest, but i foresee that to change soon enough once I get myself a special mate. It has been hard to keep up with my gaming hobby since it seems like every month there are lots and lots of interesting games that make it to the game shops.

Here is an interesting article letting you know how to budget to finance your expensive gaming hobby(the article itself is quite long but I am sure you wont regret after reading it). Never did the writer realize that when he moans that he is already having troubles coping with the escalating living cost while he is ACTUALLY earning his wage in USD, we here in Malaysia are definitely having harder time when it comes to supporting original gaming in Malaysia. (Sorry but for those who simply dont give a damn to intelectual property and think that supporting original gaming is plain stupid, please stay out of this) However, I do already employ one of the many methods suggested in his article, which is waiting for some games to drop in price or just wait for the used copies to pop up instead of getting them at full retailed price. I guess by doing this, I can get more games at the usual usd35 I would have to pay for a single game. But looking at the rampant piracy NDS scene in Malaysia, practically waiting for used copies is harder than getting myself a brand new copy. Not that I intend to gobble up everything used just because they are cheap as not all of them are good. Duh, now I wish my friend in USA can help out with securing some bargains there(be it getting something when it has price drop or just trying to get some good deals at ebay) but it seems like this is impossible now as she is buzy with her new boyfriend and simply doesnt have time to entertain my request. The only suggestion mentioned in the article that I never(or rarely) use is selling off my already completed games. I always think that by getting rid of things you buy, you might be losing some bucks and it doesnt really worth it. So unless the games are what I think I will never complete it, they will likely remain idly in my cupboard.

So guys, what will you do to support your gaming habit? Please your comments here.

Konami Style Limited Release of Castlevania Order of Ecclesia

2008-08-13T22:57:00.005+08:00

While those USA gamers got themselves a sweet deal when they preordered Castlevania Portrain Of Ruins at Gamestop and EBGames, it looks like now it is time for Konami to give away some sweet preorder goodies for Japanese gamers who preorder the upcoming Castlevania Order Of Ecclesia at Konami Style.

For those who preorder this game at Konami Style, they will get the game itself, an original soundtrack cd and a leather jacket notebook.

This is how the notebook looks like. I bet you wont even write anything on it if you own this. I know I wont.

The only letdown of this preorder thing is it will set us back a whopping 8410 yen if you plan to get it. The preorder price of Castlevania Portrain Of Ruin was just only the normal retail price, USD29.90 and if you take this into comparison, you might find that the Castlevania Order of Ecclesia might be a little pricey.

This is what I get thanks to my friend help in USA. An original soundtrack CD, a stylus, timeline poster, deluxe art collection and a DS game case. Very nice limited release(and cheap too) and now I regret why I never get 2, one for collection sake, one for me to unwrap and go through everything inside.

But I guess for every Castlevania hardcore fan out there, they will just gobble up everything related to Castlevania, even if they have to pay premium price for it. For those who are interested, dont worry too much if you dont stay in Japan as Play Asia currently has a listing for this already here. Just prepare some dough for it as it is currently priced at usd119.90. I wont get it as it is too expensive and not to forget this is a Japan version, which is less tempting for me to get it. I guess I will just root for the USA version and keep my fingers crossed that the limited edition may head to USA.

Another limited edition(s?) of Nintendo DS Lite

2008-08-12T23:34:00.009+08:00

Another limited edition of Nintendo DS Lite that is slated to release on August 17, which is only 5 days away(Malaysia time at least). This time it is a Pokemon limited edition that features a black Nintendo DS Lite emblazoned with the images of 2 legendary pokemons in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, Palkia and Dialga. It seems like this is just the same Nintendo DS Lite like the Pokemon Center Special Edition Nintendo DS Lite that was previously only available in Japan in limited quatity.

Not bad huh? For those who were interested in this limited edition, I guess it is now time to preorder it. Good things about this USA limited edition is that it comes along with a special Mystery Dungeon DVD, a Dialga and Palkia carrying case, a collectible poster and best of all the whole package is just priced at a normal retail price, usd129.90. Not a bad deal right?
The carrying case.

The special DVD.

I just check at Amazon, Gamestop and Play Asia and I found out that only Amazon has it up for preorder currently but I guess eventually they will have it for sale too when it is released. For those who are interested, you might wanna inquire your local retailers. Hehe, Blueberry is already excited for this and plans to sell off his current Nintendo DS Lite just for this baby.

PS: Not sure whether I should list another limited edition of NDSL here but since I bumped into it while searching for the pics above, I cant resist to post another limited edition of Nintendo DS Lite.

This exclusive High Gloss White Giratina limited edition is even rarer than the one I posted above. Basically, if you dont live in Japan, you are out of luck for this baby. And even if you are staying in Japan now, the chance of getting is still rare. You need to be a member of Pokemon Dai Suki Club then only you will stand the chance to win this! This baby will be given out free for those lucky winners during September along with the release of Pokemon Platinum and the new Summer 2008 movie.

Still interested in it even though it will be extremely limited? Then just prepare to burn a hole in your pocket for it. This baby is available here at usd374.95 excluding shipping(it does ship to Malaysia, but just prepare for exorbitant shipping fee). Perhaps later it will pop up at Play-Asia, so just keep your fingers crossed if you hope to get it there.

Maybe soon enough in the future this NDSL will see its light in USA and just like the latest Pokemon NDSL in USA, it may come with more neater stuffs? Never say never! For those who are dont want to risk and just have a whole lot of cash to burn, just head to the respective site that I posted above to purchase it.

PS again: Hehe, this post is wholeheartedly dedicated to PM, which is the big fan of Pokemon series. PM, are you interested to get them?

Annoying non gamers.

2008-08-08T23:55:00.004+08:00

Non gamers and gamers. Indeed, they are easy to differentiate and most of the time, we would label those who never play games as non gamers. I dont mind helping non gamers who are interested to get into the seemingly unfamiliar gaming realm by informing them some important info regarding gaming(and most of them I am happy and willing to since there will be more people to share same interest like me) but recently I just encountered lots and lots of stupid non gamers that I find it ridiculous and I decided to post the one of the conversations between one non gamer and me below.

A: Bid, you are a gamer right? Do you know Wii?

Bid: Sure I do, why?

A: I am interested in it. It seems to be a different consoles than the other consoles available in the market now. Do you know how much is it now?

Bid: I dont really know the exact price of the wii console but for a US modded Wii, it should be more than rm1k.

A. Are you serious? I found it somewhere else that it is just rm500 brand new.

Bid: Wtf, are you sure? Rm500? Even now in US it is still usd250 excluding tax. There is no way it could be rm500 here brand new. The cheapest second hand I could find here is around rm700.

A: I am sure it is rm500 brand new. Since Wii is not a graphic powerhouse and most of its games are kiddy, not to mention it has been released for some time, it is reasonable to see that it is priced at rm500 now.

Bid:.......

At that time I just feel like slapping him. It is great to be adamant sometimes but in this case I would rather ask him to shut the hell up and listen to me(I am not boasting or flaunting but I am sure I am more experienced than him). So guys, do you have any unpleasant experience with non gamers?

PS/In case you are interested, Gameradar has recently posted an article of 25 annoying things about non gamers. I am sure some of you may have encountered any situations listed in that article. One of the famous ones should be "Can I play Mario on Playstation?"

Castlevania Order of Ecclesia boxart

2008-08-08T17:34:00.003+08:00

Finally, a glimpse at the latest NDS castlevania boxart. Not too shabby huh? At least it looks nicer than the previous 2 games boxart on NDS. Even though I am not a fanatic boxart fan, I am glad that that it has taken the old drawing style and drastically changes the boxart of this iteration. I never think that the boxarts of Dawn of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruins are ugly, it is just that the whole package looks nicer if the they decide to go in the old direction for boxart. The game now itself certainly has the creepy and gothic feelings, which are nowhere to be found in the previous NDS games. I wonder what the inclusion of Wifi symbol means? Does it mean that we are still getting the same boss rush co op mode and buying stuffs online or there will be another tricks up in Konami sleeves? I guess we will never find out until the game itself is released and it is rumored that this may have something to do with Wii connectivity. Dont tell me it has anything to do with the upcoming Castlevania Judgment please!

Hehe both the boxarts above will never freak the hell out of you and you might think these maybe some anime games if you are just mere casual gamers but luckily the games still have the same solid gameplay. Definitely recommend for long time Castlevania hardcore fans.

Why Japanese boxart is better?......(are they?)

2008-07-30T13:24:00.002+08:00

Personally I am a person who could not care less about the box arts of games as I rarely take out those game boxes that I own and marvel at the awesomeness of the beautiful box art. But for some, they are just particularly fussy about this issue and I personally know a friend who can get a myriad versions of a particular game just because the same game from other regions feature prettier boxarts. I dont know the rationale behind this habit(nor I dont think I will for the rest of my life) but I guess pretty boxarts hold special spots in my friend heart. Anyway, unless the boxarts really differs that much like Mystery Dungeon: Shiren The Wanderer on Nintendo DS, I guess I will just settle with the so called inferior boxart of North America release.
North Amerika box art. Looks fine in your opinion? Wait until you scroll down and look at the Japan box art.

Hands down, this definitely looks much better than the NA counterpart and I wonder who has decided to change the boxart and maybe that is why this game bombed in NA.

Gameradar has recently posted an article comparing the boxarts of North Amerika and Japan games. You will be amazed at how different the boxarts could be and leave you wondering that some ugly boxarts are just not meant to be published.

An archievement!

2008-07-30T13:17:00.002+08:00

It has been a long long time that I didnt post anything here because my schedule is so packed nowadays and I can hardly find time to online, let alone blogging? Anyway, when I checked my blog again recently, I found out that my blog, Gaming Euphoria has finally amassed at least 1000 visitors( I myself contributed to some of the visits as I will check frequently to find out who will post comments or just drop some messages at the chatter box) and although it is by no mean a great archievement, it still means something to me.

Next target? Hopefully my blog can hit the 10000 visitors. It may seem a long journey to go but I think with the supports of those who frequently visit my blog, it is not a dream. For those who visit my blog, dont forget to leave your message at the chatter box or just comment on any posts and I will certainly reply to it whenever I am free. For those who have already added me into your friend roaster, please kindly let me know too as I will do the same.

Thanks again for all the supports.

Nintendo E3 2008 afterthought

2008-07-19T15:57:00.004+08:00

To be honest, I am quite disappointed in this year E3 Nintendo conference(or should I say this is by far the worst Nintendo E3 conference?). There are nothing major(oh come on, Animal Crossing for Wii and Grand Theft Auto for Nintendo DS? You gotta be kidding me) for core gamers and mostly the news are mainly catered to the expanded casual audiences. But I guess Nintendo still has some interesting peripherals up its sleeves.

The first peripheral is Wii Motionplus that can be attached to the ends of Wiimotes. It will provide true 1:1 response and Wii Sports Resort is the first game that fully utilizes this peripheral. Have a look at Reggis and Cammie trying to beat the hell out of each other in Wii Sports Resort sword fight. Impressive huh?

This accessory will surely open up more possibilities in gameplay and more fresh and new ideas can be incorporated in games. I am definitely looking forward to what other game developers could come out with. This baby and Wii Sports Resort are slated for release spring 2009 and the bundle of this baby and Wii Sports Resort is priced at usd49.90. For more info regarding Wii Motionplus, please kindly refer here.

The second peripheral by Nintendo is Wii Speak which allows players to chat while playing games online. The first game that supports this is Animal Crossing City Folks. Unlike the normal headsets that you use while playing Xbox 360 or PS3 online, this accessory is placed on top of TV so it allows room to room conversation, not just person to person conversation. I see this as a fine protective move of Nintendo as the kids wont be daring enough to thrash talk at the living rooms or else the they are going to have a hard time with their parents. Kudos to Nintendo for figuring this out. Hopefully more and more games can utilize this accessory. Currently it is priced at usd29.90 and should be available along with Animal Crossing City Folks.

After talking about the hardwares, lets go into the software part. Before this, Reggis promises that they will announce games to satisfy core gamers at E3. So far, what did we get? Animal Crossing City Folks for Wii and Grand Theft Auto China Town for Nintendo DS. Oh my god, if he thinks that we, the long supporting Nintendo fans are going to happy with this, I can happily(or sadly?) say that we are not! First of all, I dont really consider Animal Crossing to be a game that could cater to hardcore gamers. And I think this game will mostly be gobbled up by many casual gamers, which leads to this game staying in the charts for month. Smart move huh, Nintendo? But sorry, I myself was having a hard time playing the Nintendo DS version and I have sold it not long after. This game is just not something for me. Secondly, Grand Theft Auto for Nintendo DS.... It is slated for release this winter 2008 but at the conference there is no footage of this game, no trailer or any test playing whatsoever. So how can they expect us to be excited of this game? Deep down in my heart I was thinking if the graphics are just like the GBA version, which dont really suit the sand box gameplay. Anyway, even if it is in 3d open world, I am still not going to get it because I have no interest in sandbox games. Gosh, the software lineup that Nintendo announced didnt impress me and I was left in disappointment hoping for more great games from third parties but still there are nothing worth mentioning Nintendo DS titles.

Aside from some interesting peripherals that Nintendo announced, the software line up totally fails and it would dawn to us, hardcore gamers that Nintendo is simply ignoring us hardcore gamers. Even Dead Rising for Wii is not announced at the conference and we only found out about this at Famitsu....... Gosh, Miyamoto told us that E3 will no longer be the place to announce games for hardcore gamers, so he better honours his words and brings us some good news later......

Play Asia Summer Sale is back again!

2008-07-13T14:04:00.002+08:00

Wooh, finally the annually sale is here again. All items in stock at Play Asia have been discounted for 25% and this seems like a great deal for me. Everything included the games, guide books or accessories of various consoles is discounted(I do check and find out that the consoles are excluded though)! The ongoing sale will last till Sunday, 20th July 2008. Even though by now some hot and popular items maybe(should be) snatched by those first comers, there are still some hidden gems waiting for you to uncover. I myself have purchased Rondo of Swords for Nintendo DS(finally! The price is too tempting that I cant resist it!) and might get something else if I have some extra cash later.

So what are you waiting for? Go and fish for octopuses now(items that have been discounted will have a cute octopus tag)!

Limited edition Nintendo DS Lite

2008-07-11T16:54:00.005+08:00

Today someone at LYN showed us that Play Asia is selling an absurdly overpriced Baby Milo edition of Nintendo DS Lite and when I checked at the site, it features not only one but 4 limited edition of Nintendo DS Lite. Shall we have a look at those expensive consoles?

1) Nintendo DS Lite(Baby Milo Edition by A Bathing Ape X Nintendo-Mario To Milo)-usd699.90

Some of the forumers dont understand why it costs usd699.90 while you can get this easily if you just buy some stickers and slap the stickers into your Nintendo DS. But I dont think that those are stickers and they are supposed to be etched into the console itself hence it wont fade easily. Anyway, this console is very rare hence resulting in its exorbitant price. Many Bape fans lined up when it was released and it was sold out very fast. Look at the line here before the console was released!

I guess for ordinary gamers like me the price is just not worth it as we can get so many games with the money. Anyway, I am sure there are some Bape fans out there who wish to get it, so dont hesitate to head over to Play Asia and get it now before it is out of stock. Currently Play Asia is only selling the white version and for those who are interested in the gold version, you might want to wait for a while before it is listed at the site.

2. Nintendo DS Lite(honeyee.com x fragment edition)-usd499.90

The second expensive Nintendo DS Lite on Play Asia currently. It is a collobration project between Nintendo, Honeyee and Fragment. This console looks cooler than the Baby Milo Nintendo DS Lite in my opinion because of its unique color combination. Unlike the normal Crimson/Black or Cobalt/Black Nintendo DS Lite where only the upper and outer body of Nintendo will be either red or blue while the rest body will be black, this awesome edition of Nintendo DS Lite will be black when it it closed while the inner part is total white. Speaking of universally agreed combination of awesomeness!

3. Nintendo DS Lite(Nenga New Year Greeting Special Edition)-usd499.90

This console is by far the worst among the 4 limited editions that I include in this post. I dont think that the price is justified. What is special about this unit? It was an exlusive all red console. But do note that the same color of Nintendo DS Lite is now available to Europe market and it wont be as expensive as this unit. Other than the color itself(and this is no longer the selling point) and the fact that it comes with several unreadable paper(for me at least as I dont understand Japanese words), it is nothing special and it is better off if you use the extra money to get something else. Please stay away from this if you plan to get it!

4. Nintendo DS Lite(Crimson/Black Dragon iQue DS special edition)-usd299.90

The last Nintendo DS that I am going to mention here is the China exclusive limited edition and it was released during Chinese New Year 2008 for China. It is a crimson/black Nintendo DS Lite that features a dragon painting on its outer body. The dragon painting looks cool and it means prosperity in Chinese culture.

Wow, after 3 years Nintendo DS has been released, there are so many colors available and now so many limited editions could be found. As for me, since I am not really interested in getting limited edition of Nintendo DS Lite(I would rather use the money to get more games) as they are sometimes too overpriced, I can only drool at those pictures. But I know there are some hardcore Nintendo DS collectors out there who are interested to gobble down every single edition of Nintendo DS Lite, so dont miss you chance and head over to Play Asia now to make your purchase.

What awaits me?

2008-07-09T12:17:00.007+08:00

Woot, I have always been nervous while anticipating for my parcel to reach me even though I already know the content of it. I guess it happens to everyone and it is the magic of traditional postage!

Anyway, when i went back yesterday, this is what awaited me.

Slowly unwrapped it and this is what inside it!

A euro version of Hotel Dusk Room 215. It makes me wonder why Why_79 never figured out it is this title although I have given him enough hint.

Well, this is the first point and click adventure game that I have and it shall serve as an experiment before getting Phoenix Wright series. After playing it I will know whether I am suited for games that require lots of reading(ya know this genre requires more readings than rpg series?). So anyone who owns this game and has a blast with it?

Zero satisfaction?

2008-07-06T17:16:00.004+08:00

Zero satisfaction. This was initially my feeling when I started playing Metroid Zero Mission because this game is basically a remake of the original Metroid on NES and for those who keep tab of my blog, you should notice somewhere in the blog that I did mention Castlevania series is better than Metroid series.

Ok then, I retract my previous statement now. Metroid Zero Mission is actually an enjoyable game and it is equally as good as Castlevania series, if not better.

Recently I picked up the game again and to my amaze, I managed to complete this game with some help of Gamefaq. The biggest surprise is during the middle of the game, I can control Zero Suit Samus, which is cooler than controlling her in the Super Smash Bros Brawl in my opinion. There is a catch though. Since Zero Suit Samus doesnt have armor nor any weapon, the gameplay is a little different than the usual shoot-and-destroy gameplay. It is Metal Gear Solid-esque, where you should try your best to avoid yourself from being found by the enemies lurking around as you are very fragile in Zero Suit Samus.This special mode is only available in Metroid Zero Mission only and not available in the original Metroid and I would say that this inclusion alone warrants this purchase.

For those who are familiar with this series, they should know that this series has so many endings that you have to fulfill certain conditions(like getting 100% of item or complete the game under certain time) to unlock variable endings. So far I only manage to get one ending but in order to complete the Gallery Mode, I guess I will be coming back soon for another fix of Metroid session.

Now where can I get Metroid Fussion? Can I hope for announcement of Metroid Dreaded in the next E3?

The Ultimate Mega Man Retrospective.

2008-07-01T23:24:00.003+08:00

Recognise every Mega Man character above?

With the recent confirmation of Capcom that Mega Man 9 will only appear on Wii(no other platforms have been announced but I think sooner or later Xbox 360 and PS3 will get their shares of Mega Man 9 too), it is time for us to look back at the series that has spawned over 100 different games over 20 years.

This 7 pages retrospective from Gameradar has mainly described the games of Mega Man series consisting from Mega Man 1 to Mega Man 8 like telling some major updates in every game and some notable stages and bosses(who can forget Snake Man?). It also features many spinoffs(and some unbeknown to me, like the Mega Man board game on NES)like the famous-than-original-megaman Mega Man ZX, the first Mega Man that made its first foray into 3d world, Mega Man Legend.

This is a retrospective that you should not miss if you are the fan of the series and waiting for the upcoming Mega Man 9, and even if you are not, it serves as good info to introduce you to this already famous side scrolling games. Really, every gamer out there should try at least one Mega Man game, as it has spawned so many games and ventured into so many genres that it is not possible if you cant find one Mega Man game that you like.

Zekkyo Senshi Sakebrain at Play Asia

2008-06-29T15:00:00.003+08:00

Like usual when I went through the catalog of discounted NDS games at Play Asia, I noticed an interesting game where its price has been marked down tremendously.

The game I mentioned above is none other than Zekkyo Senshi Sakebrain. This game is pretty rare as you cant get it from normal channels like the retail stores or online stores. This game is exclusive as a redeemable prize of Club Nintendo and never sees it light outside Japan(I doubt it will).

It is a multiplayer game only so if you plan to play it alone, you are out of luck. However, in order to play it, your friends dont have to own this game as it supports download play option. And the best of all you dont have to use the d pad and touch screen to play this game. How to control then you say? This game fully utilizes the microphone of the Nintendo DS to control your characters, so they will act according to what you say(or scream depending on how loud you convey your words!). The catch is here though. The words that you are supposed to use are Japanese words, so I guess you should be able to pronounce at least some key words to full enjoy this game.

Nevertheless, even if you are not capable of speaking Japanese, this game still deserves a sweet spot in your collection because of its incredibly cheap price, which is usd29.90(from usd49.90 previously) and the best of all, it is a brand new game and not a used copy. So what are you waiting for? Get it here.

Castlevania: Judgement

2008-06-27T19:54:00.007+08:00

Rumours of the existence of Castlevania Wi have been circulating for months and Igarashi had teased us about the possibility of wii version in several interviews and we all know sooner or later there will be an announcement for Wii version of Castlevania.. Many fans are hoping that the Wii version will return to the form of 2d side scrolling action games instead of 3d versions of Castlevania that have not been successful in capturing the magic and essense of Castlevania series.

Finally, the curtain has been lifted and the recent article found in the latest issue of Nintendo Power reveals the recently registered "Judgement" trademark turns out to be the Wii version of Castlevania. But guess what, at the same time this announcement surely shatters the hearts of many fans. It turns out this latest iteration is neither 2d nor 3d action game, instead Igarashi decides to take a big risk to turn the side scrolling series into a fighting game!(yeah, you see it clearly, it is a fighting game)

Initially I was shocked too when I read this news and it made me wonder whether the risk will pay off since the change is too drastic and the stake is definitely higher than ever. The venture into the 3d realm has not been well received critically and commercially, so I dont know what makes Igarashi decide to create this game.

This news reminds me of another game on Wii which is Sould Calibur Legend. Like Castlevania Judgement, Wii version of Soul Calibur Legend is unlike the previous versions of the main series and well, it was ill received and this flop certainly serves as a reminder for those who are willing to take bold moves to try something diffferent. Ironically, Soul Calibur is a fighting game series while Soul Calibur Legend is an action game.

This game will include a roaster of protogonists from previous games like Simon, Dracula(finally we can manage to use this character. Oh please, controlling the feminine Soma is very different than controlling Dracula itself!) and shockingly, this game will feature motion controls. It is daring for the team to take another bold steo as it is certainly important to make the control spot on for a fighting game or the game will end up unplayable. For more info, kindly check here and here.

So what do you guys think of this latest Castlevania? Happy that it has taken a big step forward(backstep if it turns out to be horrible......) or upset that it does not stay to its root? Please drop your comments.

Missing from my collection....

2008-06-26T17:06:00.004+08:00

Recently I browsed through my Gba collection and to my dismay, I still havent got hold of some favourites games that I used to play on my GBA(those are pirated versions which are not eligible to be included in my collection)

GBA games that I am really keen to own are Breath Of Fire, Breath Of Fire 2 and Tactics Ogre Knight Of Lodis. Breath of Fire series is one of my favourite RPG series and I have played for more than 2 times and I am still interested to revisit the series. On the other hand, Tactics Ogre is an interesting SRPG game that I have been looking forward to as it is created by Quest which is responsible for FFT series. This game has a cool feature which allows us to control monsters! How cool it is that we can use monsters to attack another monsters?(nah, beast masters in FFTA dont possess the same "coolness" as being the monster itself).

The only thing that holds me back from getting them is the exorbitant of the games circulating at ebay now. Perhaps the games are limited release from Capcom and Atlus, one could hardly find a complete version below usd30 at ebay, which is quite steep for a used game. Anyway, I guess one day I will be getting them too especially Breath Of Fire series. I am hoping that Capcom will bring Breath of Fire 3 and 4 to NDS but it is unlikely because of the limitation of NDS hardware. Maybe the next NDS will do? Who knows but I am certainly hoping for it.

Those games mentioned are high-want games and the low-want games are Castlevania series on GBA. I have been a Castlevania fan since I first played Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow, I also got myself the limited version of Castlevania Portrait of Ruin and I am certainly looking forward to the release of Castlevania Order of Ecclessia.And that is where the problem lies... Since i first started playing Castlevania series on NDS, I find it hard to be getting back to Gba and play the Gba series since I enjoy the convenience that NDS brings(dual screens ftw!) where I can just view the map without pausing the game. This is very important since I dont have to switch between the menu and game screen itself. This happened a lot when I played Metroid Zero Mission and that is why till now I still havent managed to beat it.

So mind to share what games you have been interested in but still havent manage to get hold of a copy? Leave your comment here.

Buy 2 DS games free 1 game!

2008-06-23T19:25:00.006+08:00

You think it is a scam? It is a real deal, just that the deal itself is not available in Malaysia, hence we Malaysians are not able to take full advantage of this deal.........

Aiks, I wish I am staying in USA now to make full use of this deal. There are so many games that I would like to get but I cant due to financial restraints.

This ongoing deal is for Toys'R'Us Nintendo DS games. If only I can get someone to help me get something there, I would definitely go for Final Fantasy Tactics A2, Final Fantasy XII Renevant Wings and get a free copy of Rondo Of Swords.... I wish Stringfellow were there now.......

Sometimes I can only wish.......or maybe someone will actually bump into this post and help me out? Anyway, this deal is until 28th June only. So anyone who is going there recently, dont miss out such a great deal. I knew I wont if I were there......

If only the original gaming scene in Malaysia is as good as USA's, probably we will be seeing lots of deals like this. Until then, expect to see retail price of certain games remain the same even long after they are released(like I saw a shop selling Tekken Tag Tournarment at rm260 recently, stupid)..

ILIS?

2008-06-19T20:26:00.004+08:00

ILIS? Does this word make any sense to you? Actually it is an acronym for I Like It Simple, a shop that was recently setup by my 2 internet friends, Aiyish and Kyoyagami. It seems like they are not going to sell videogames only, as indicated by the ILIS Gaming Division(what other divisions will be available? Hmm...)

There are more and more forumers at lowyat.net trying to get their hands on gaming business. Then what makes this shop stand out and hence deserve a post at my blog? Well, the reason is solely because of their willingness to bring in the latest Nintendo DS games.

For those who are familiar with the gaming scene in Malaysia especially those Nintendo DS supporters, they will know how hard it is to get the latest Nintendo DS games from local brick and mortar stores as they simply wont bring in any games knowing that they wont make any money(well, some of them still sell latest nds games but you should know they will only bring in the hot games and how about the good games that are overlooked? Good luck in finding them locally). The conveniency of playing downloaded games on Nintendo DS has been a deadly problem plaguing the Nintendo DS and leads to reluctancy of local gaming shops st0cking original Nintendo DS games. Thus, for those who are interested in purchasing Nintendo DS games, it seems like Play-Asia is the only solution to go. While it is not impossible to get the games, some dont like to buy it there like my friend from lowyat.net, Madmoz and some just think it is a hassle as they dont have a credit card.

It is a good news that ILIS are able to identify the untapped market here and are willing to take the risk to start selling them. I am sure many Nintendo DS games who have been getting games from Play Asia can now have another alternatives and get games directly from them without having to wait minimum 1 week to get their games from internet stores(applies only those for free shipping games.)

They still dont have a shop yet but it seems like they have already found a good place to be and hopefully they will announce it soon. As for now, they are still able to meet your demands as they are doing business online. Not only do they sell Nintendo DS related stuffs, they are also able to cater to your needs regarding PSP, Nintendo Wii, Playstation 3, Xbox 360. Their thread at lowyat.net is here and you can just drop a post there or pm them if you have any queries.

As for now they have already open preorders for 2 upcoming Nintendo DS games, which are Final Fantasy Tactics A2 Grimoire of The Rift at rm155 and Guitar Hero On Tour at rm210. For those who are interested in Guitar Hero and if you plan to get it from Play Asia, I would say it is better to get it from ILIS as the price of this software at Play Asia is more expensive than ILIS quoted price (there is no free shipping this time due to the bundled peripheral and you have to pay extra usd10.40) and this item might be taxed due to it more-than-average weight. Since I am not that interested in music games, I might get FFTA2 from them as I have been looking forward to this game(but no money.......)

They have my best wish for setting up a gameshop catering for original NDS gamers. Hopefully they can manage to become as big as Gamer Hideout!

Great deal of the day!

2008-06-17T16:02:00.003+08:00

It is hard not to recommend this ongoing deal at Play-Asia as it is a solid sequel to the hardcore action game series, Contra 4. With its price recently marked down to usd24.90(which is usd10 cheaper), this is simply a must get game for every Contra fan and I would sincerely recommend it to every hardcore action game fan out there. The difficulty curve has plenty reasons for you to come back and replay this game!

I guess the sale in USA has bombed partly because of the devilish difficulty that can scare off even the veteran gamers who get started on the default normal difficulty). But it is a great news for original gaming supporters as with the recent price, it is a real bargain and not only this game has the new sequel, Contra 4, it also has Contra(NES) and Super C(NES). It means that you are just paying merely usd8 for a game, which is a sweet deal indeed.

Never let the difficulty stop you from getting the game. Practice makes perfect. An advice for starters who are just into this series, you should start the game with easy mode and that mode really serves as a good tutorial mode for new players and after getting used to the gameplay, you will do better in the normal difficulty mode and hard difficulty mode(although I have yet to complete hard mode, that is plain insane!).

So what are you waiting for? Get it here now.

Another rebirth of old series!

2008-06-16T20:24:00.003+08:00

I havent had the time to access to internet for the past 2 days and when I browsed for some gaming news this morning, I bumped into a shocking news.

Apparently, Capcom decided to return the the classic Mega Man series and this shall prove that there is really something going on unless this proves to be some mistakes(which I doubt so).
Finally, this is he real deal that I have been waiting for. Just forget other series like Megaman Battle Network or Mega Man Star Force that Capcom has been churning out consistently these few years with minor additions in each sequel. They are just different games with the Mega Man logo slapped into their titles and they cant manage to capture the attention of old gamers like me(although I have a friend who really like those series more than the traditional 2d platformer games). I have completed almost every single entry in this series(well, till now I still cant manage to complete the super hard first Mega Man and since I never own a Snes, I also never have the chance to play Mega Man 7) and I have always been waiting for the new entry in the series.

Capcom has neither confirmed nor denied the news but if the image above is true, this game is going multiplatform. According to the links here(which is still rumor for now), this latest entry will appear on XBLA and PSN and Wii is getting a retail version. And here indicates that this game will sport a retro 8-bit style. This makes me wonder. Why dont Capcom just bring this latest entry to Nintendo DS like Konami did with their Contra series? I am sure with the rumored graphic style, Nintendo DS has the capability to support it and looking at the huge installed base of Nintendo DS, I am sure this title has the higher probability to sell like hot cakes. Or better else, if they just do some graphics overhaul like Nintendo did with New Super Mario Bros, it is going to be another fresh yet still the same and solid platformer game for me.

What do u think? Which consoles would you like to see Mega Man 9 appear?

New color NDSL again

2008-06-13T11:45:00.003+08:00

With the recent announcement of Guitar Hero On Tour DS Lite bundle, it seems like there is going to be another new color of NDSL joining the already many color NDSL available in the market now. The new color is the Metallic Silver Black. Just like the Crimson/Black and Blue/Black NDSL, it is half black while another half is silver this time. It looks quite cool but I dont think it is as good as Red NDSL just made available to Europe market(but then again, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder).

This bundle comes with a copy of Guitar Hero On Tour and the special edition of metallic silver black NDSL with Guitar Hero logo. This bundle is available on 22nd June 2008 along with the normal edition of Guitar Hero On Tour at USA retailers nationwide and for those in Malaysia who are interested, you might be thinking of Play Asia now but unfortunately this bundle has yet to make it appearance on Play Asia preorder list. I guess you might have to keep an eye on Play Asia site and you might be lucky enough to see a preorder open soon. But I dont think you have to be bitter if you cant get it from Play Asia. History indicates that local brick and mortar stores might bring it in, if they already managed to sell the Legend Of Zelda NDSL Bundle and Nintendogs NDSL Bundle before. But be prepared to ready a lump sum of money first before thinking of getting the bundle itself. This bundle should be more expensive than the previous bundle as the software itself is more expensive because of the inclusive new peripheral. For those who are interested in the new color console itself and not interested in the game, you might plan to wait for a while before you can get a standalone console. I am not saying that there is definitely 100% standalone console made available to the gamers but if the previous Brain Age 2 Crimson/Black NDSL package is any indication, you might want to keep your fingers crossed that it will be coming sooner or later.

So what do you think of the latest color NDSL?

Metal Gear Retrospective

2008-06-12T01:37:00.003+08:00

Well well, it has finally been the day that Metal Gear Solid fans have been waiting for. Fans can get their copies of Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns Of Patriots today. Hopefully this mega game lives up to their expectation. For those who are just caught up in the recent hype with Metal Gear Solid 4 and eager enough to secure yourself a copy, you might have some difficult time understanding the storyline if you never played any previous versions before although you might still be astonished by the intricate gameplay that this game provides and immediately hooked up by this game. But still, if you understand the story, you will indulge more in the series, right?

So I am here to provide you three ways to go through the history of this series and simultaneously have a grip of the intricately woven storyline. You will be amazed at how complicated the story is.

First of all, you can head to 1UP site to browse through the Gear Up!Metal Gear Solid Retrospective here. 7 pages in total but not really that much if you are interested to find out every game of the series. That makes a good reading but I dont think it can stand up to......

Watching it. What is the best way that you can get other than watching the whole retrospective from Game Trailer?It is easier to understand(at least for me, duh!) if I can listen to someone explaining and at the same time I can watch some pertinent videos. I myself have downloaded all the video clips and I have been watching them over and over again even though I wont have the chance to play MGS4. Well, this does not stop me from being a MGS fan right? Here are the links to download them.

Part 1- Metal Gear, Snake Revenge, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
Part 2- Metal Gear Solid, VR Missions, The Twin Snake
Part 3- Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and MGS2:Substance
Part 4- Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, MGS3: Subsistence and story of MGS Portable Ops
Part 5- Some portable spinoffs that are not included in the canonical storyline but nevertheless still have amazing gameplays which are handheld missions of Ghost Babel, MGS Portable Ops and both MGS Acid 1 and Acid 2.

I would say dont bother to watch it online as the speed of Streamyx in Malaysia is not up to standard, so it will be extremely laggy and it does hamper the whole experience. Just download it as the speed is very fast and those videos certainly deserve a spot in your hard disk. Dont worry, they are certainly worthy enough to be stored.

Lastly, if you are those who cant bother to go through any reading or video watching and you would like to experience all the games by playing them, I have a good news for you. You can go here and purchase a copy of Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection which includes the original Metal Gear Solid for Playstation and director cut of Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance and Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence for Playstation 2.

Well, if you plan to play MGS4, I am sure you will own a PS3 and since PS3 is compatible with PS1 and PS2 games, you wont have any problems accessing the game that you will get. It is only Usd 34.90 and even though unlike other games which have the free shipping option (maybe due to its larger-than-average game package), you will be charged usd10.40 for shipping but still it is still very cheap considering that you can get 3 greatest games of all time at usd45 only. That is practically usd15 per game only, so dont miss it.

So do you find the options I recommend above useful to you or you have other suggestions? Please drop by your comments so that others will have better alternatives.

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li

2008-06-11T15:14:00.003+08:00

13 years after the dreaded Street Fighter Live Action Movie starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, a new movie named Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li has been announced in year 2007 and it is slated for released in 2009. Now let us check the actors who will be portraying the great fighting game characters, shall we?

Like the title suggests, this movie lead character is Chun Li and Kristin Kreuk of Smallville fame will be taking this role. It is quite a good choice since Kristin Kreuk has the Pan Asian look but the only problem I could think of is can Kristin pull out the actions needed in this very action packed movie? And I cant wait to see 2 trademark buns in her hair.

Next, let's have a look at the one who will carry the role of the bad guy who always dons a mask equipped with claws on both his hands, Vega. Haha, you wont guess it right. It is Taboo from Black Eyed Peas. I am wary of this choice as the only similarity that I can see between Taboo and Vega is they both sport a long hair. Other than that, I guess we just have to wait until the movie to release then only we can start to judge.

The cast roaster also includes many familiar Asian faces(at least familiar to me since I like Hong Kong movies and Singapore dramas a lot) like Cheng Pei Pei who acted in Crouching Tiger Hidden Tiger, Josie Ho and Edmund Chen.

Do note that since Street Fighter universe has lots of different characters and cramming them all in one movie practically spells doom to the movie like the infamous Street Fighter Live Action Movie, many characters wont appear in this movie and yeah, Ryu and Ken are practically out of this movie. However, if this movie manages to attract bees like honey does, we might be able to see sequels with different characters as the lead characters.

When do you think we can see this movie? My guess is we might see this movie around the time Street Fighter IV is released, or vice versa.

For more info regarding this movie, please check the official blog which will be updated weekly.

I Play For Me

2008-06-08T22:21:00.004+08:00

As if Nintendo DS is not commercially successful around the globe, Nintendo recently rolled out their latest ad campaign with a slogan, I Play For Me to push up the sales of NDSL consoles. With their latest famous ambassadors, they are trying to reach the female demographic to show them the fun they could have with NDSL. Let's have a look at the ad, shall we?

Carrie Underwood of American Idol fame is shown playing Nintendogs on a Metallic Rose NDSL.

Liv Tyler having fun with Brain Age.

America Ferrera with her most notable role, Betty Suarez in Ugly Betty blasting through New Super Mario Bros. Do notice that her NDSL is a little special with her name on it so I assume that DS is really her own NDSL. According to her, she has been a Nintendo follower since she was a kid.

Want to have more info regarding the latest ad campaign? Check it here.

NIS America announcement!

2008-06-07T20:41:00.006+08:00

Unlike the recent disappointing Capcom Captivate 08, the small press in California by NIS America managed to surprise me a lot. This press served as an event to announce their summer/fall lineup. Looking at the games available, it blew me away as there is only one next gen console game, which is Disgaea 3 for PLaystation 3 while the rest are all for Nintendo DS. This is the first time I have seen NIS America giving their full support to Nintendo console because they gave their full support to Playstation 2 previously. Out of the 4 games available for Nintendo DS, 3 games managed to attract my attention.

1. A Witch's Tale(October 2008)

Does the cover look familiar to you? It does look like Tim Burton movie, The Nightmare Before Christmas to me. It is the latest collaboration between NIS America and Hitmaker and nothing much has been known about this action rpg game although the game is set to be on shelves around October, which is coincidentally(or not coincidentally) the Halloween Month. It is said to feature some kind of touch screen spell casting, which may play out like Lost Magic. You might want to check out the first trailer provided below even though nothing much could be found there except for some in game screens and the character arts.

2. Disgaea DS(September 2008)
I have been hearing praises about this game and since I dont have any Playstation 2 and Playstation Portable before, I have never been able to play this game and I am looking forward to jump on the bandwagon once this game is out. Looking at the trailer before, it seems like a fun SRPG game(I am a sucker for SRPG games ya know?) and I cant wait any longer.

3. Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure(September 2008)
This is another RPG that I am interested in. This rpg does not seem like the normal RPG that I have played before and I always welcome any RPG that deviates from the usual RPG formula. Let see how it fares after releasing. No trailer yet for this game but there are some screens.

Screens courtesy of GameRadar.

So does any game mentioned above have made its way to your buying list? I may hold out for some reviews for Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure and A Witch's Tale but I will definitely get Disgaea DS

Jo again!

2008-06-06T21:15:00.009+08:00

In the previous post, I have posted an interview with the not-so-average gamer, who is Jo Garcia. If the interview itself still cant convince you that she is a true gamer(yeah, hard to believe by looking at mere words without any substantial proofs), G4 had a gameplay session with her for several games including Mario Kart Wii and XBLA's Street Fight II:Hyper Fighting. And yeah, she did kick ass in the gamers.

Direct link here.

Huhu, I will definitely keep an eye on what this girl will be doing for the next few years. Her name is going to be etched in my brain for some time not because she is related to playboy, but simply because she is a gamer and the fact that she is hot does help a lot.

When gaming is not kiddy anymore

2008-06-05T23:33:00.005+08:00

Well, well. Guess who the pretty bombshell is? She is the Playboy.com’s 2008 ‘Cyber Girl of the Year’, Jo Garcia and most importantly, she is a self proclaimed gamer. She is quite hardcore when it comes to gaming, and she is definitely not the typical female gamers(no pun intended) you would bump into. Interestingly, she is never shy to admit that she is a gamer, which is quite rare considering the fact that some of the gamers(males included) nowadays are too afraid to admit their allegiance towards gaming fearing that such statement will be detrimental to their images(too kiddy some of they say).

Let's see what she has to say for those who claim gaming is only for nerds and geeks.
"I have nothing to say to people that claim that gaming is just for guys/nerds, because they are not true gamers and don’t know any better! A real gamer knows that the hunger can strike at any time. It’s like a calling from the guy upstairs; it knows no gender, it must be answered, and Wii must play!"

I am really jeaolous that RMC from gonintendo managed to hold an interview with her. Hopefully, I can have interview with someone like her too one day if my blog manages to gain the popularity like gonintendo did. For the rest of the interview, feel free to read it here.

Huhu, now when can I manage to find someone like Jo as my girlfriend? Hopefully my future soul mate can share the same passion as me..

Preordering Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns of The Patriots

2008-06-05T01:35:00.007+08:00

PS3 has been lambasted for deficiency of good games that can truly utilize the overly powerful specification of PS3. While some of the PS3 owners lament the fact that some of the killer games are going multiplatform like the recent Grand Theft Auto 4, a lot of them only treat PS3 as a mere blu ray player(well, it is still one of the cheapest Blu Ray player in the market now) because lack of quality games. The rest will just adapt the "wait and see" attitude before jumping the bandwagon as we know the console is currently the most expensive among the 3 next gen consoles.

Well, I think that is going to change in a few days. There are 7 days to go before Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns of The Patriots is released for PS3(12 June 2008). Undoubtedly, Metal Gear Solid 4 is one of the 2008 killer games for PS3. It is surely one of the highly anticipated PS3 games that the owners have been waiting for. For the rest, this is the sole reason they will just go out and get themselves the spanking new PS3 consoles.

I myself am pretty excited for this game too even if I have yet to own a PS3(oh well, I am not too keen to get myself a home console yet). I played the first Metal Gear Solid and I was pretty hooked up by the unique gameplay and later I also managed to complete the GBC version of Metal Gear Solid. It seems like Snake has aged well throughout the series and in the latest iteration he is already an old man(well, no pun intended). And also note that this shall be the last game in the Metal Gear Solid series that will be helmed by Kojima, so Kojima fans out there should not miss this masterpiece.

For those who are interested, you must be eager to preorder this game. Many prefer online sites like play asia or yesasia but for this game, I personally suggest you to get it from our local retailer, Djinn. Why would you say? Firstly you will stand a chance to win yourself a brand new 32 inch Samsung LCD TV if you preorder the game. Some may say"ah, I am not that lucky enough la" but well, if you just get it online, you will get nothing except the game but you wont lose anything if you preorder it from djinn and you dont manage to win anything. Well, there is always a chance for the great prizes if you preorder from him. Secondly, if you preorder one copy from him, Djinn will donate rm5 to the recent terrifying China earthquake victims. It may sound meager but you still manage to do something to help those victims. It is better than those who never donate at all. Thirdly, you can get the game on the official releasing date if not earlier. It seems like those who preorder can get it on 11th June according to this. If you preorder it from online sites and wish to get the game right after it is released, you have to pay for some shipping fee which in this case it doesnt matter as you just have to head to Gamer Hideout on 11th June. Lastly, you are supporting the local gaming industry if you preorder from Djinn. As we know, our local gaming industry cannot flourish due to the rampant piracy problems. But luckily gamers are getting more and more educated and they are trying their best to support original games now. Metal Gear Solid 3 is the biggest game of the year, so if you plan to get a pirated copy, shame on you(but if not mistaken, PS3 is still free from piracy problem, right?)

4 solid reasons enough to warrant a purchase from Djinn, so what are you waiting for if you are interested in this game?

Edited: Apparently there is an official launch for this huge game and if you go to this event, you will have greater chances of winning greater prizes like the limited Metal Gear Solid 4 bundled console version and a 32inch Sony Bravia LCD TV. Check here for more details.

Oh my god!

2008-06-03T19:06:00.005+08:00

Recognize the image above? For those hardcore Final Fantasy VII fans, you will have no problem identifying her. She was the one was back stabbed by Sephiroth(well, almost every player was trying hard to prevent this from happening back in 1997 but you know, that was practically futile).

The only difference is the image above is not actually a CGI image and it is actually a cosplayer. It looks so surreal that I was deceived when I first looked at it.

Cosplay first started in Japan and it has gained its popularity around the globe as more manga and anime fans flock to become the characters they like.

Even similar events are available in Malaysia, and I was fortunate that I could attend the biggest Malaysia cosplay event in Malacca, which was the GACC 2008.

However, as there are more cosplayers(persons who cosplay) around, you might be interested to find out who are really the best of the best. Well, look no more. There is a list compiled to show the top 11 scorching hot female cosplayers(10 if you exclude the cosplayer above). Most of them are simply as fantastic as their digital counterparts, which look very identical.

Well, now do we need a list of the most handsome male cosplayers? Can someone really manage to capture the magic of Cloud or Squall? I am looking forward to it.

What is wrong with my NDSL?

2008-06-01T03:47:00.005+08:00

During 30th of May, I noticed something different when I started playing my NDSL. The start up sound was just so different from the usual one and I could immediately notice the difference. The usual start up sound should sound like "Teng, Teng" while the different was like "Ting".

I was so scared thinking that something bad may have happened to my NDS(well, who wouldn't if something like this happened to your beloved consoles out of a blue?) Interestingly, besides the weird start up sound, my NDSL still worked perfectly and I could still enjoy playing Advance War Days of Ruin on it.

And after 30th of May, the start up sound was back to the "Teng, Teng" sound, so I had looked for the reasons behind the weird change. Well, then only I realized 30th of May was my birthday, and I did input my birthday date into my NDSL before, explaining the whole thing. I altered the birthday date in my NDSL to verify this matter and yeah, it was like what i expected.

It was nice to see this little weird function incorporated by Nintendo into their latest handheld console. At least it can remind you that someone is still aware of your birthday even though it is just a mere electronic machine.....

So fret not if you encounter thing like what I mentioned above. Your NDSL can still work perfectly and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.

For those who think it is hard to understand the difference between the 2 different start up sound I described before, which are "Teng, Teng" and "Ting", you can see the videos below.

Usual start up sound( the sound might be a little soft due to the low quality of my HP speaker)

Birthday start up sound and you can notice that the console wishes you happy birthday day when you use the Picto Chat.

My first post here at my very own blog

2008-06-01T00:14:00.000+08:00

Huhu, after procrastinating for a long long time, I have finally decided to setup a blog dedicated for my favourite hobby, which is entirely about gaming.

Well, for your information, this is not really my first blog but the previous blog was actually part of my assignment, which means I need to do it regardless of how lazy I am.

But now, here I am, coming up with my very first blog, which is meant to be a place for me to rant out anything regarding gaming. Hopefully everyone will enjoy reading my blog and any opinions are certainly welcome.