Play mahjong against an assemblage of Japanese celebrities who have been digitized and caricatured into video game representations of themselves. Soul singer Akiko Wada appears dead-center on the cover of the game and she's joined by actress Ikue Sakakibara, actor Shiro Tsubuyaki, the duo Samaazu, the team of Supi Dowagon, Hori, and others. When playing mahjong, some of the personalities speak various lines and throw out voice snippets to add to the overall theatrics.
Standard Japanese MJ rules apply in the game but special moves may be used to change conditions and affect the other players. A Story Mode puts the participants in various roles and settings while the Communication Mode allows multiple players in the local area to play a game of MJ.
The original Days of Memories compilation for the NDS sold remarkably well for NCS. We're talking shooting game numbers here which is unheard of for a dating game. Then again, SNK and its stable of characters are a good draw most of the time.
Since it's Spring, love is in the air once again with SNK's Days of Memories 2 which gathers together another three DOM dating games which were originally released for the cell phone market in Japan. By using a touch pen and canned dialogue, players interact with the finest SNK lovelies and perhaps discover romance on the small screen of the NDS. Early preorders will include a bonus telephone card in 30% ratio.
The raucous crew of Taiko no Tatsujin is at it again with a new Nintendo DS game which includes a story based adventure mode and another collection of songs with which to bang your drum to. Another innovation is the concept of rivals which adds antagonistic drama to the game. As the story goes, players trek to seven islands to meet and beat various opponents in rhythm based drum action. Perform up to par and you'll continue onwards but falter and your journey ends. Abruptly.
When the game first starts up, a total of 36 tracks are playable but Namco touts a total of 50 songs in the game so 14 tunes must be unlocked. Similar to the first Taiko DS game, a pair of drumsticks is included inside the game package so you can hit the virtual Taiko in style. «Notes»
Join a virtual band and practice on brass instruments with Milestone's newfangled music simulator. Instruments featured in the game include a trumpet, tuba, saxophone, and a piccolo which may be operated by blowing into the Nintendo DS' microphone and fiddling around on the touch screen with stylus-based motion.
The software includes a digital metronome, the ability to tune instruments, and 150 songs to practice with. Users may play by themselves or link up wirelessly with three other participants to practice together like a real live quartet. The downside is that you'll all look silly blowing into a Nintendo DS but if you're really good and produce beautiful music, maybe you'll win some sort of recognition or award.
The original Naruto Shinobi Retsuden for the NDS was released in December 2006 and the game was based on the Naruto Gekitou Ninja Taisen games from the Gamecube. The sequel features a cast of 32 characters from Naruto Shippuuden who bout it out in a 3D fighting game that runs at a fluid 60fps.
Players may choose to play as the title hero himself, Naruto who's an all-around well balanced combatant or take control of a specialized fighter such as Gaara who's a master of the desert sands. The fisticuffs take place on the top NDS screen whilst the touch screen features a control panel where special items and Rasengan skills may be triggered with a quick stylus tap. A Wi-Fi function gives two players the chance to duke it out.
Flight Plan and Banpresto revives the original Summon Night game which was originally released for the Playstation in January 2000. In the S-RPG, players take control of a student named Touya (three other protagonists are possible) who has been spirited to a world known as Lyndbaum. Once there, he joins up with a ragtag crew and eventually goes on an adventure to save the world.
Summon Night caused a stir when it was first released and we recall brisk sales for months on end. The game plays like Ogre Battle or FF Tactics where heroes move on a map and attack enemies in turn-based fashion. Features in the NDS conversion include stylus-based gameplay, new artwork panels, and microphone interaction with summoned beasts.
Yattaman has been part of cartoon culture since the 70s and it's about time that the characters of the series became video game action heroes. Yattaman DS plays like your average side scrolling platform game but with gadgets and weapons from the popular animated series. Bonuses may be picked up to recover HP or to power-up.
A side game features mech-fighting action where a Yatta animal robot is piloted against one of six robotic adversaries. The entire cast of characters appear in the game including Gan Takada, Ai Kaminari, Omocchama, Doronjo, Boyakki, Tonzura. The original voice actors from the animated series were also tapped to reprise their roles in the game.
Those mangy Nintendogs are passé. The new day is all about cats. Did you know the Egyptians revered their felines and considered them sacred beasts? Well, it's true. A cat's eyes are like little living jewels so maybe that was the attraction.
Sega gives gamers a chance to care for and virtually cuddle with cats. Lots of them. There's 20 breeds featured in the game including American Curl, American Shorthair, Bombay, Siamese, and Siberian. By using the stylus to operate a virtual hand, players may pet their cat, massage its belly, and frolic with it. Simple toys such as miniature trucks and balls may also be used to interact with a feline and it'll crouch, stretch, and play like a real cat is apt to do.
