DS

[toms]

I've been all sniffly and so i'm just catching up on online happenings, and i can't help but noice that the Nintendo DS seems to be everywhere...

 

what with

- nintendogs selling 250,000 in a week

- metroid prime hunters getting online wi-fi multiplayer

- advance wars dual strike getting great reviews (92% av)

http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/924889.asp

- penny arcades comments that loads of people at their convention had DSs and almost none had PSPs

 

Pictochat signal permeated the entire convention, as anyone who attended was probably aware of, and from time to time naughty images would appear within that clean interface. I don't have a problem with that sort of... expression, but then I am possessed of a magnanimous character. Not everyone shares my view.

 

I will tell you that I saw perhaps 10 PlayStation Portables the entire weekend, and we gave five away during the show, so the amount of brought hardware could have been half that. They were easy to pick out against the sea of dull platinum they bobbed in, the contrast you understand. I think it'd be difficult to enumerate the DS population at the event. As I've said, I think the systems are for different people, and so comparing them straight across is goofy at best. And I hold to that high-minded view when I look out from the parlor of my manor house, gently tapping my pipe against the cool window. So, basically never.

 

I try to be fair about it, but I don't feel any particular compulsion to analyze any group but avid game players, and outside of some extremely classy titles available at launch the PSP has lurched to a stop. There's good stuff coming, Virtua Tennis springs energetically to mind, but the fact that I'm now in a position to recommend a piece of hardware that costs a hundred and twenty dollars less than the other is something that makes me hear the Twilight Zone music.

 

Before Advance Wars: Dual Strike, the system was building toward a solid first party lineup, but many of the titles were clever games that were situated too deeply in a niche. Excellent, provided you owned the hardware. Advance Wars completes the shift that games like Meteos and Canvas Curse started - to the degree that I can wholeheartedly recommend the hardware. I didn't know that I'd ever be able to, and it took a while, but they've really learned to make the machine sing.

 

I still believe that the PSP is an amazing piece of hardware, but it's a sentiment I'm not entirely sure Sony shares. It's clear that there is a kind of tug-of-war going on internally about the level of multimedia power they should expose to customers, and it's really diminished my perception of the company's stature. Their lineup is anemic. UMD movies are apparently moving briskly, but as a game system all that initial momentum has evaporated. You'll recall that the PlayStation 2 entered a phase like this as well, its multimedia prowess taking the fore. I wouldn't be without it on a plane, but that's got nothing to do with games.

 

I would never have called it, indeed, I remember that it was once the uniform, unassailable belief that the DS was proof Nintendo had gone out of its ****ing mind. I didn't want to subscribe actively to the position, but all the same I feared it was true. It's also widely held that innovation is either dead or, at the very least, bad business where videogames are concerned. It's refreshing to see the counterexample.

 

or is sony right when they say "With the DS, it's fair to say that Nintendo stepped out of the technical race and went for a feature differentiation with the touch screen," Harrison says. "But I fear that it won't have a lasting impact beyond that of a gimmick - so the long-lasting appeal of the platform is at peril as a direct result of that."????

 

Dunno why i posted this... just seemed that about 5 or 6 things i looked at in quick succession all seemed to be talking about the DS...

[swphreak]

Well, I recently got Advance Wars DS, and it's fun. Going head to head with friends is fun as well. You can even make custom maps. At $30 vs PSP's $40-$50, I think it's a bargain.

[TiE23]

Yah, If I was to get one of the two, I might get the DS, the games just seem more fun, but the PSPs look so cool. But they are supposed to break easily. :/

[ZBomber]

I'd get NDS, just for Metroid.

[Kusanavi]

Well, I gave the NDS some time and it seems the good games are coming out now, ten months after the handheld was released. I'm doing the same with the PSP and waiting a couple of months (not saying that the games currently out for the PSP are bad, at the contrary, there's a nice list of good games out, unlike the NDS when it first came out).

 

Like Phreak, I found Advance Wars: Dual Strike incredibly fun, so I highly recommend you get it. One game I find incredibly stupid, and still don't understand why people love it so much, is Nintendogs...it's the usual cute/kiddy game made by Nintendo that grabs everyone's attention, so I sure as hell won't be buying it.

[lukeskywalker1]

Nintendogs is like one of those old gigapets. Its actually smart. A lot of young kids will like that. I mean, its a good idea, but not something I would want, unless my dog could fight or something... even then, im not sure I would want it.

[El Sitherino]

So far I'm looking to get an NDS merely for Nintendogs and Advanced Wars. Advanced Wars DS is a hell of a lot more fun than the GBA ones, and that's saying a lot.

[Lynk Former]

This is just the beginning for the NDS, the first boost was Nintendo releasing something more original than everyone else, the second boost was the colours (I kid you not), the third boost came from Nintendogs (and Jump Superstars in Japan), the fourth boost will come from Nintendo's WiFi network coming online and the release of WiFi enabled Mario Kart and Animal Crossing. This will be one hellova boost. Metroid Prime Hunters will be another boost, so will DSpeak (a phone for the DS user). And then there's Pokemon... At this point there is no doubt that the Nintendo DS will be one hellova force.

 

Harrison is a moron who should've kept his mouth shut. I'm serious, at this point in time it was the most stupid thing to call the DS features a gimmick seeing as A LOT of consumers have taken a shine to the new features the DS possesses. It's kickin ass in Japan. You'd think that the Japanese would go for the "superior" gadget, and at first people thought they were, but the clear majority go for the Nintendo DS because the Japanese love something new. The PSP is being raped over there. On the other hand, in the US people are more worried about how cool they look, and overall power, so the PSP is ahead. Unfortunately for Sony, not enough to say that they're dominating the area seeing as that most of Nintendo's goodies haven't come out in the US or the rest of the world.

 

I'm not saying the PSP will fail, it'll sell very well, I'm just saying that the NDS has a lot of good stuff coming for it very soon and comments like Harrisons are utterly stupid.

[Mike Windu]

Nintendogs is fun.

 

Really really fun.

 

And I have a real dog too.

[BongoBob]

Games that are out that are really fun...

 

Warioware Touched

Mario 64

Meteos

 

That's about it right now that I know of.

 

Let's see what's coming out...

 

Nintendogs just came out

Advance Wars Dual Strike also

Metroid Prime

Mariokart

Dynasty Warriors

Viewtiful Joe

New Super Mario Bros

Pokemon

 

Yes, at the start, very few good games, but now, there's so many more coming out, it's just soo awsome to laugh at teh sony fanboys that thought the ds was gonna flop.

[Kusanavi]

I just hope they release Jump Superstars in the US sometime..I've been looking forward to that game for a while now. It's like a Super Smash Bros. game with popular anime characters (there's around 160 characters in the game, not all are playable though). ._.

[abespam]

are they making a luigi and mario superstar sequel? that game was awesome

[txa1265]

Sony is being completely arrogant, and assuming that better technology alone will win. They had better launch titles, but *nothing* since then but crap. Nintendo's portfolio has just been growing and growing. Nintendogs isn't my sort of thing, but Advance Wars is *far* better than anything on the PSP.

 

I want good games on both - heck, I *have* both, but can't help by find Sony annoying for their arrogance.

[Acrylic]

I'll wait until I get a job, the DS drops down in price a little bit more, and it comes out in a blackish color to get one. But ooooohhhhh how I want one. I've been wanting one since it first came out, because I was in love with the whole dual-screen and touch screen idea.

 

I'm also going to get a psp...but from one of those free sites. *cough it's from the same company i got a freeipod from* http://psps.freepay.com/?r=15512520 *cough*

See, I personally couldn't see myself giving $250 for a portable system. I mean, it's specs are nice, it looks nice, it'll probably have nice games, but if my parents knew I gave $250 for that....they'd kill me. So, I'm going with the "getting one free option"

[jokemaster]

DS at first had very little good games, PSP had a lot, but then a lot of awesome DS games are coming up and very few PSP ones.

 

I got a DS over PSP because:

1. Creativity factor. I support this in all games and often find myself buying games just because they're creative or innovative.

2. Superior battery life

3. No loading times

4. Price.

 

And I don't regret it at all.

[toms]

Well, after all that promising DS stuff i read over the last few days, one bit of pro PSP news I saw today:

UK gamers finally got their chance to buy into the official launch of the PSP, although some hardcore gamers had already ordered the console through e-commerce sites. The numbers rack up to be the biggest console launch ever: over 185,000 units sold according to some estimates, smashing the previous recod held by Nintendo DS at 87,000.

 

[edit] though this might be partly nintendo's fault, as the PSP has launched with a much better lineup than it did in the US (ie with most post launch games) but nintendo hasn't even released Meteos in the UK yet, let alone Advance wars or nintendogs.

Still, seems there are a lot of "hardcore casual" gamers in the uk, the sort who are wowed by stuff like the PSP.. whereas nintendo attracts the smaller markets of "hardcore" and "casual".

[Lynk Former]

Aye, it is Nintendo's fault having such a weak launch lineup. It's like that down here in Australia too and because of that most people who don't keep up with gaming news don't get the DS because they think it has no games worth buying.

[Lightsaberboy]

are they making a luigi and mario superstar sequel? that game was awesome

 

yes. it's gonna be on DS and there will also be baby mario and luigi in it also and they have to work together with regular mario and luigi, or something like that.

should be fun.

[Surfnshannon]

I broke down and bought a DS like two weeks ago. Nintendogs mania I tell you. I got it in a bundle from toysrus for $140. Not too bad. Nintendogs is a very cute game. I can't believe how real it seems. My son loves it - it does get a little monotonous at times - its a very sophisticated Neopet. However, my two year thinks its awesome. you wouldn't think a two year old would understand touch screen - but he picked it up like nothing. I'm actually kind of wary he might stab the screen - but so far has been good.

I am looking forward to some wi-fi games as I want to play against people. The two player games are the best on DS.

Bomberman and whats that other one popfu or something. That is a lot of fun. I want animal crossing and mario kart - but thats more towards October November near my birthday .

[Lynk Former]

Told you you'd get into it.

[Mex]

My brother has a DS.. The warioware game was pretty fun, until I completed it.. I played it for hours! Pac-pix is kinda fun.. but I've only played that for 5 minutes.