The DS Weekend Warrior: talk of successors, Pokemon, and more R4
Last week’s edition of the DS Weekend Warrior was a blast, and this week is certainly not any lesser. In case you missed any of the updates in the past few days, expect to encounter the DS successor, an MMORPG franchise’s entry to the DS shores, and more. Read more about it in the full article.
Yes, it’s time for this week’s dose of DS news recap in the form of the DS Weekend Warrior. What do we have so far? Quite a handful, actually: speculation about new DS colors and even DS successors have popped up recently, as well as details pertaining to upcoming titles for the Nintendo handheld. The R4 also caused quite a stir in Japan, too. That said, let’s dive into the waters of what happened in the past week:
Playing second fiddle to Sony PSP, and a new DS redesign successor
It’s been quite some time since the Nintendo DS fell second place, next to the Sony PlayStation Portable. But that doesn’t mean that the handheld is not doing well – it’s still going strong, in fact, the Dragon Quest V remake for the DS currently holds the top spot for two weeks, and it’s not showing any signs of slowing down when it comes to sales.
Link: Media Create Japan: Dragon Quest remake and PSP rule supreme
Link: Media Create Japan: PSP still hogs top spot, reaches 2 million sales mark
We reported about speculations pertaining to a DS redesign last week, but Nintendo of America‘s Cammie Dunaway released a statement that it’s not going to happen anytime soon – not even new Wii colors or DS colors. And the reason? The Nintendo DS and Wii are selling like hotcakes in both US and Europe, and apparently there’s no need to entice people to buy more with new colors or slimmer consoles.
However, Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter is singing an entirely different tune, taking the idea of a new DS to a different level: a successor to the DS. Not a different version of the handheld, mind, but a device that will supposedly replace it.
The analyst made that particular prediction after seeing that the demand for the DS in Japan has declined, and even deduced that the new handheld will be introduced or even launched as early as the end of this year.
Link: Dunaway: no new Wii colors or slimmer DS from Nintendo, for now
Link: Pachter: Nintendo to launch DS successor as early as end of this year
More gaming updates
Now we move on to more exciting things (perhaps), such as game updates. We finally get wind of new updates concerning the Kingdom Hearts spin-offs, including Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. While there weren’t many details about the actual game system, the speculation that the game will be released sometime in 2008 is now confirmed, and we’re no less happy.
Link: Japan blog reveals new details for Birth by Sleep and 358/2 Days
Here’s something that may reveal hints as to what we can expect from the DS Grand Theft Auto title, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. While the only thing that proves the existence of the game is it’s official site – it doesn’t even have screenshots or tell anything specific about how it will play, but the blue Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection logo has been pasted at the bottom of the page, possibly confirming that yes, the game will have online of some sort. At least we can breathe easy concerning GTA: Chinatown Wars being online.
Link: Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars to have online game mode?
Speaking of online, we finally get pertinent game details and a Japanese release date for Ragnarok Online DS, after a year’s worth of wait for updates. While Ragnarok Online DS isn’t really online, at least players will still get an online mode of sorts. Besides, Ragnarok Online for your handheld? The idea is instant win for the multitude who love and play the actual MMORPG title.
Link: Ragnarok Online DS: scans, details now out
Those who like their Pokeymanz – uh, excuse me – their Pokemon will probably roll around with excitement when they see the Japanese TV spot debut of the upcoming Pokemon Platinum, which will be released in Japan this fall. The video shows Pokemon Platinum playing like Super Mario Galaxy, where players can apparently shift gravity and walk on walls and other places you’re not supposed to. It’s definitely something to look forward to.
Link: Pokemon Platinum TV Spot shows Super Mario Galaxy-ish gameplay
Japanese Revolution against R4
The R4 is certainly finding itself in hot water, with the Nintendo of Japan and 54 Japanese companies taking their cue from UK retailers and developers and suing local retailers of R4 in their region. It’s certainly a valid move towards the fight against piracy, but it seems as if not everything is going according to plan.
Why? Because the laws of economy have inevitably come into play. When the flow of R4 supply was legally threatened by Nintendo and several other Japanese companies, people keen on getting an R4 suddenly zerg-rushed to their nearest retailer and bought the flashcards like mad, causing heightened sales numbers for the R4.
Of course, retailers took notice and even doubled the price for the R4 overnight, but that didn’t stop would-be (or existing) R4 users in buying the questionable commodity.
What happened, of course, is obvious and Nintendo should have anticipated it before they made legal moves toward the removal of the R4 in Japan, but let’s hold off the opinions for now – they may have something up their sleeve.
Link: Nintendo, 54 companies slap lawsuit on Japanese R4 distributors
Link: Japan: R4 pricing and sales increase dramatically after legal threat
That’s it for now, folks. Expect more Square Enix-related developments on the next issue of the Weekend Warrior…and oh, will we sniff out more DS hardware and R4 news? Until next week!
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