These are the top ten games for the DS as of press time:

1. Guitar Hero: On Tour
2. Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training Nintendo
3. New Wall*E
4. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
5. Cooking Guide: Can’t Decide What to Eat?
6. Cooking Mama 2
7. LEGO Indiana Jones: Original Adventures
8. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness
9. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time
10. New Super Mario Bros Nintendo

The list includes action, dungeon crawlers and puzzle games. What the list lacks is a fighting title. Not because there is a lack of new released fighting game, there are some titles but are not buzz worthy.

The last great fighting game for the DS was Bleach: The Blade of Fate, which was released last year. After that, no other fighting game was released for the DS that’s worth playing.

Read more »

The Wii is enjoying much success in the market today. Last month it has outsold the PS3 and the Xbox 360. The Wii did this with its innovative control system and high quality games. I have one wish for Wii though. I hope that Nintendo increases the Wii’s internal storage.

Its 512MB internal storage is the smallest among gaming consoles. Even the latest iPhone has a larger memory with its 8GB of storage capacity. I don’t know why Nintendo don’t want to increase the Wii’s storage.

Games such as Guitar Hero need more storage space for its DLC. Then there’s the WiiWare service. With its current internal storage, you can only save at least 5 games in it. Although you can use an external SD card for storage, you can’t play from it.

Read more »

Nintendo is the latest conquest of a small Texan company. Anascape Ltd. Has successfully filed a patent infringement against Sony and Microsoft. Sony licensed the patent in2004 while Microsoft settled in May of this year.

Nintendo challenged the ruling but the court sided with Anascape. This ruling makes it illegal for Nintendo to sell its Wii Classic Controller, GameCube WaveBird, and the regular GameCube controller. This ban is still on hold while Nintendo appeals the ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals.

Nintendo spokesman Charlie Scibetta has this to say about the case:

“Nintendo was already planning to appeal this case to the Federal Circuit court. The recent ruling by the trial court does not impact that decision.”

Read more »

Top Japanese manga publishers grouped together to bring their works into the Nintendo Wii console. The four publishers, Kadokawa, Kodansha, Shueisha and Shogakukan, call their venture Librica. They will be offering the digital versions of their mangas via the Wii Ware.

Manga is a lucrative business. This Japanese import is popular worldwide. Bringing it to the Wii will definitely affect its sales. This can help the Wii stay on top of the PS3 and Xbox 360. This can also help the publishers reach out to their global audience.

There is also talk on bringing the content to the DS portable console. Recent sales chart shows that the DS is the number one gaming console in the market today. Bringing the manga to it will definitely cement its hold on the throne.

There is no talk about the exact date of the launch and how much it will cost. I’ll keep you posted on this one.

40 year old gamers, third parties, lawsuits, goosebumps and shortages… All this and more in this week’s Nintendo News wrap up.

Canada AM – The 40 Year-Old Gamer

According to statistics, the average age of gamers in Canada is 40 years old. It also stated that 48% of Nintendo DS users are female. That’s the reason why there’s a flood of casual games in the market today.

Third-Parties Have a “Window of Opportunity” on Wii, DS

Nintendo left the door for other companies to share with Nintendo’s market share. This is good news for the consumers. By giving third parties the chance to come out with games, the users have plenty to choose from.

Defenders of Law, Inc announced for Wii, DS

Apollo Justice and Phoenix Wright will be having some competition in the courtroom gaming genre with the entry of Defenders of Law. I hope that Defenders of the Law is as entertaining as Apollo Justice and Phoenix Wright games.

Scholastic Launches Games Label With Wii, DS, PS2 Goosebumps

The children’s book series Goosebumps will be made into a game for the Wii, DS and PS2. This is according to the books publisher, Scholastic. I know my nieces and nephews will enjoy this game.

A Wii Bit Short On Supplies

There is still a lack in the supply of the Nintendo Wii console in the US market. This is according to the latest report. If you’re thinking of buying one for the holidays, start looking for one today.

SouthPeak Games has announced that their popular puzzle game RooGoo will be released for the Nintendo Wii and DS later this year. RooGoo was first made available on Xbox Live Arcade for the Xbox 360. The DS and Wiii version are said to have new levels and game modes that will take advantage of the DS and Wii’s unique input features.

With the Wii version, players will use the Wii-mote to rotate platforms, capture pieces and stop the evil Meemoos. The game can support up to four players and has cooperative, adversarial and party play modes. The publisher promises that the game play will be as addictive as the original RooGoo.

The DS version will have the same 3D background and will use both DS screens. It will also feature new levels, backgrounds and puzzles. It will be utilizing the stylus to control the game. There is a bonus game play for owners of both the DS and the Wii. There’s a game mode in which you can use the DS to control the game in the Wii. That sounds like a lot of fun.

RooGoo for the Nintendo DS and Wii is scheduled to be released in time for the holidays.

Nintendo dominates the US gaming market for the month of June. Its Wii and DS consoles grabbed the top two spots in the gaming charts. The Nintendo DS sold 783,000 units while the Wii sold 666,700 units.

At the E3 last week, Nintendo announced two new titles for the Wii to help them stay on them. They are betting on Wii Sports Resort and Wii Music to keep the gamers interested, although I have my doubts on the sports title that requires a new peripheral in order to play it. Check my MotionPlus article for more on that one.

Here’s the US gaming charts:

1.       Nintendo DS — 783,000

2.       Wii — 666,700

3.       PlayStation 3 — 405,500

4.       PSP — 337,4000

5.       Xbox 360 — 219,800

            6.    PlayStation 2 — 188,800

Source: NPD

Previously I have written about a NES System in a cartridge. This is much cooler than that. I have stumbled upon a mod that puts the entire NES system in a NES controller. G-force, a modder from Benheck forums, has this to say about his creation:

“I took a famiclone (Super Joy III) and put it in a controller, with a bit of style and quality added. It was made for my girlfriend who’s a big NES nut like me. That made it easy to guess a gift for her birthday. Just thought, “What would I want?” I got it made a little late, but it was worth it to make right.”

I’m sure he scored huge points with his girlfriend because of this gift. Plus his mini NES controller system has tons of features such as built-in games including Tetris and Contra, a cartridge connector at the back, and a 2^nd player controller port.

G-force has a gallery of the components and the actual controller system here.

Nintendo announced at E3 an upgrade for the Wii-mote. It debuts the MotionPlus add-on for the peripheral that would translate into more accurate motion sensing. It sticks to the bottom of the Wii-mote.

The MotionPlus add-on will cost you $30. To date, only Wii Sports Resort is the only title that’s compatible with it. With all the hype and its price tag, there must be a perceivable advantage over a regular controller but those who have tried the demo were disappointed with it. There’s nothing out of the ordinary with it.

Good thing the MotionPlus is still in demo. Maybe some tweaks will happen for its commercial release. Nintendo stated that Wii Sports Resort will require you to have the MotionPlus add-on. I don’t like this Nintendo business module at all. Why force their consumers to buy an add-on just to play a new incarnate of its Wii Sports game?

Family games, portable gaming, Grand Theft Auto, Bolt, and musicality… All these and more from this week’s Nintendo News wrap up.

E3, Wii and family gaming ‘re-defined’ - plus GTA on DS!

Nintendo unveiled family oriented games and gaming peripherals during E3. Grand Theft Auto is also coming to the Nintendo DS. There are lots in store for Nintendo fans this year. Yay!

Nintendo’s big bet on small games

Nintendo DS users can look forward to a stellar list of games within this year. The DS outsold the Wii when Guitar Hero hit the stores last June.

Breaking E3 News: Nintendo Wii Animal Crossing, DS exclusive GTA China Wars

Nintendo announced that Wii will be having the cute Animal Crossing and the DS will be having a GTA title. Hardcore gamers will surely grab a DS once China Wars will be released.

[E3 2008] Disney’s Bolt dashes onto Nintendo Wii and DS

Disney’s upcoming animated movie Bolt will be heading to the Nintendo Wii and DS consoles. I hope these games would have decent gameplay.

Nintendo execs show off Wii Music

Wii Music is about jamming and creativity unlike other music games that are competitive. It’s just saying that the Wii Music is not in the same level as Rock Band and Guitar Hero. At least Nintendo is honest about it.