GamerNode: Latest Nintendo DS News

Final Fantasy rhythm game coming to 3DS

Square Enix has unveiled a brand new Final Fantasy game coming to the Nintendo 3DS, but it won't be a typical Final Fantasy experience. The new title, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, will be a rhythm game.

Unveiled in the Japanese magazine Jump and translated by Andriasang, the game is being officially called a "Theater Rhythm Action" game. It will feature normal towns and dungeons, but battles will take place in the side view of older series titles where players will need to tap the touch screen in accordance to prompts.

The music will be taken from previous installments in the Final Fantasy series, as will the characters. Depicted in the tiny "chibi" style, franchise heroes such as Cloud and Lightning will star. They will be joining other classic Final Fantasy characters in a quest to return li...

Nintendo 3DS misses sales targets

Earlier this week Nintendo representatives officially confirmed that its latest handheld, the Nintendo 3DS, missed its week one UK sales target.

Despite achieving record-breaking pre-order sales figures the handheld only managed to sell 113,000 units out of Nintendo's 140,000 projection.

The press release revealed that since the handheld's disappointing start, Nintendo has elected to cut the number of consoles being shipped to the UK by 10 percent.

In a speech made after the sales slump was published, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata acknowledge the handheld's lack of strong launch titles as a possible reason.

"Some people may be waiting, thinking that there aren't yet enough software titles that they want to play," said Iwata. "Therefore, we recognize that we are in a situation where we need...

Nintendo 3DS most anticipated console of all time

In a recent press release online-retail giant Amazon has confirmed that the Nintendo 3DS has become its most pre-ordered console to date.

Announced this week, the 3DS has overtaken the PlayStation 3 -- which previously held the title -- gaining 20 percent more pre-order sales.

The handheld also ousted its Nintendo-born brother and sister, gaining 56 percent more pre-orders than the Nintendo Wii and an incredible 225 percent more than its predecessor the Nintendo DSi.

Chris Poad, Director of Video Games at Amazon.co.uk Ltd. commented:

"It's unusual for a handheld console to attract this amount of excitement in the run up to launch, such high levels of interest are normally reserved for the play-at-home hardware like the ground-breaking Nintendo Wii and last year's Microsoft Kinect.

"Nintendo ...

New Super Mario game coming to 3DS

During his GDC keynote speech today, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata announced that a brand new Super Mario game would be coming to the Nintendo 3DS.

The company has stated that the game will have traditional Mario gameplay and will be made by the developers of both Super Mario Galaxy titles. A few screenshots, which can be found at the bottom of the story, were shown during Iwata's keynote that displayed what appears to be vintage-style Mario levels that have been expanded into 3D.

This announcement came in addition to that of Nintendo's 3DS partnership with Netflix, which will stream movies and other content on the device, and the platform's ability to connect to the Internet at over 10,000 AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots.

The Nintendo 3DS is already out in Japan and will see its release in North Ame...

3DS sells over 370K during first two days in Japan...

The Nintendo 3DS has come out of the gate strong over in Japan. The new handheld with 3D that does not require the use of glasses has sold over 371,326 total units in just its first two days of release.

Nintendo only shipped out 400,000 units to retailers in the country, meaning that the supply is almost dry and could run out soon.

As far as launch titles sold, Level-5's Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask led the pack with a grand total of 117,598 units ending up in the hands of 3DS owners.

The reason behind the first two days of sales being tracked as opposed to the first week has to do with the fact that Enterbain, the company that released the figures, ends its monitoring period each week on Sunday. The 3DS launched in Japan this past Saturday.

The newest Nintendo handheld will be coming...

3DS launch lineup announced

The 3DS really stole the show when it was first announced at E3 back in June 2010. Zelda reboots, the return of Fox McCloud, and of course the incredible no-glasses 3D technology stunned and amazed even the stodgiest of gamers. And while some of these big names may not be coming as soon as the handheld's release, Nintendo announced the slew of titles that would be making their debut on March 27 earlier today.

Published by Nintendo, Pilotwings Resort (the Wii Sports of the 3DS) will get the gadget-goad for introducing newcomers to the potential of the 3DS technology package. Other first party games include Steel Diver, a submarine navigation game, and Nintendogs + Cats, the next installment in the popular pet-sim series. Third-party publishers will join Nintendo with series like Street Fight...

Cave Story 3D announced for 3DS

Originally a freeware release back in 2004, Cave Story was re-released on both WiiWare and DSiWare last year. Now even more people will be able to experience the retro action-platformer when it hits the Nintendo 3DS.

Publisher NIS America has revealed that a remake, Cave Story 3D, is being made for Nintendo's upcoming handheld. Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya, the sole creator of the original game, will be supervising the project.

No release date has been announced yet, but there are details on some of the new content. Most noteworthy is the graphical overhaul, which includes full 3D environments.

Also included will be new character designs, a remixed soundtrack, and completely new areas. Producer/music director Tyrone Rodriguez has also added that the remake will feature "some secrets and some Easte...

Nintendo defends 3DS price point

The 3DS is coming out in March, and it's going to cost $249.99, which to some is far too much for a handheld console. The European price point of the console could be even higher, since Nintendo is allowing retailers to set their own price for the 3DS console. The company is defending its price point though, by touting the many exclusive features that the device offers.Nintendo UK general manger David Yarnton spoke with GamesIndustry.biz saying that early consumer interest proves that the 3DS is sitting at the right price. The system offers 3D gaming, 3D photography and there have even been hints of 3D video playback capabilities. There has been no confirmation, but is entirely possible that you could be watching 3D movies on the device in the future.Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said t...

Capcom releases info on SSFIV: 3D Edition, RE: Mer...

Now that the Nintendo 3DS has a price and release date, publishers are starting to show off their upcoming games for the system. First up: Capcom.

Details for Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition and Resident Evil: Mercenaries 3D have made their way online. No release dates have been anounced yet, but according to Nintendo, both games should be out in the U.S. before June 2011.

Screenshots and videos about the games have also been posted. Check them out below.

[flash width="540" height="328"]http://www.youtube.com/v/732D3qMvLFU?fs=1&hl=en_US&color1=0x...

3DS launch detail blowout

With the big press event in New York today preceding the launch of Nintendo's new handheld device, the 3DS, on March 27 comes all the glorious launch details a Nintendo fan could ask for.

Most of these details have been known for a while as they arrived in bits and sprites since E3 2010, but now they're all here and they're all official. Among the most notable facts is the 30 titles that will be available during the launch window, most of which appear to be coming from third-party developers. With properties like Ghost Recon, Star Wars, Madden, Resident Evil, Street Fighter, Samurai Warriors, and Shin Megami Tensei this thing looks to be a blast for those developers lucky enough to get in early on what will surely be a big success.

And don't even start with the first-party titles. From 3D re...

Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance trailer lea...

Square Enix previously announced that an untitled Kingdom Hearts game would be released for the Nintendo 3DS. Today, they titled the game.

Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance will be making its way onto the 3DS with what looks like the original crew of the game. In a leaked trailer, Sora and Riku are seen in both their KH and KH2 iterations, talking to each other on Destiny Islands.

Details about the game are scant and no release date has been announced. However, check out the trailer below before it's yanked off YouTube.

[Joystiq]

Nintendo 3DS will launch without Mario

Set to launch its newest handheld the 3DS next month, Nintendo has revealed the launch titles that will accompany it.

When the handheld launches in Japan on February 26 it will be alongside:

Winning Eleven (Pro Evolution) 3DS SoccerSuper Street Fighter IV 3D EditionSamurai Warriors: ChronicleTobidasu! Puzzle Bobble 3Dnintendogs + catsRidge Racer 3DCombat of Giants: Dinosaurs 3DProfessor Layton and the Mask of Miracle

For the 3DS's launch it appears that Nintendo have chosen to let external developers take responsibility, with the nearly all the games on offer being externally developed. Also noticeable is the distinct absence of Nintendo's flagship character Mario.

Hardcore Mario fans will be left frustrated. Nintendo has given no solid hints or information on when gamers should expect to see...

Mario Kart, Paper Mario and Starfox for 3DS shown ...

The Nintendo World Event was held in Tokyo this weekend, and the 3DS was the highlight of the show. The videos embedded below obviously don't do the 3D elements of these games justice, but watching the videos does rather effectively show off how it will be implemented.

Starfox and Paper Mario look like just like their N64 inspirations, but with substantial graphical upgrades. Mario Kart, on the other hand, looks like an entirely new game.

Unfortunately, none of these games will be available in time for the Japanese launch of the 3DS, which will be February 26th. The North American launch of the 3DS will be in sometime in March.

New Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle scree...

Level-5 has released a couple of new screenshots for their upcoming 3DS title, Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle. The game comes out in the Spring in Japan, but all we know about a North American release is that it will exist. We're just not quite sure when.

Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle is actually a prequel to the Professor Layton games that we have seen so far in America, and is a sequel to the as of yet unreleased in North America, Professor Layton and the Specter's Flute. America is still a few games behind, as far as Layton is concerned.

This is the first Professor Layton game to feature 3D models (see above) and will take advantage of the 3DS capabilities by allowing players to explore areas from a 3D perspective. The in-game character models may now be 3D, but the ...

Nintendo DS becomes America's best-selling system ...

The Mario Brothers' domination has been cemented with the recent announcement that the Nintendo DS has become the best-selling system of all time in the United States with 47 million units sold since its launch in November 2004. That's more units than the PlayStation 3 has sold worldwide.

The announcement includes all versions of the DS - DSLite, DSi, DSi XL, and the original DS. Not only that, but Nintendo also announced continued dominance in Wii console sales as the first motion control gaming system sold more than 7 million units in the U.S. for the third calendar year in a row. This is only the beginning, though, according to Nintendo of America President, Reggie Fils-Aime.

"When we look back at 2010, we see consumers time and again turning to the value and enjoyment of our products," s...

3DS titles for Nintendo World 2011 revealed

Nintendo has released a list of 32 games that will be live to the attendees of next month's Nintendo World 2011.

Of those titles on the list, 15 will be playable at the event, including titles like Street Fighter IV 3DS Edition, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Kid Icarus: Uprising and the 3DS version of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. The event will also feature non-playable versions of Mario Kart, Kingdom Hearts and Paper Mario, all of which have working titles.

The event, which will let the Japanese public experience the new handheld, will take place between 10am and 5pm on January 8 and 9, 2011.

[1UP]

GameStop taking reserves on the 3DS

Nothing has been confirmed by Nintendo in regard to exact release date, price or launch library, but GameStop has begun it's reserve program for the 3DS console and a few games.

A $50 deposit is required to hold your console that is set to release sometime next year. No word on colors or anything like that, but Nintendo historically starts with one color for their handheld launches.

There are a few games that can be reserved, as well. With a $5 deposit, you can guarantee yourself a copy of Super Monkey Ball, Sims 3 or Cartoon Network's Super Toon Rumble. Hopefully the launch lineup will gain more titles soon.

Pokemon White and Black heading for North America ...

Nintendo has announced today the official release date of the latest Pokémon installments, Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version, for North America. The new versions that will once again bring in over 150 new Pokémon and a new region to the games' world will be arriving March 6.

As is tradition with the series, certain Pokémon will only appear in each version such as Legendary Pokémon Reshiram for Black and Legendary Pokémon Zekrom for White. But that isn't all that is different between the two versions, as they will have something different between each other that no other Pokémon generation has had before.

Pokémon White and Pokémon Black will each have their own unique areas in the game. The metropolitan area of Black City will be included in Pokémon Black, while the natural Whit...

Dragon Quest VI coming to America

Nintendo of America announced today that they will be releasing a North American version of Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation on the DS.

The game made its Japanese debut on the Super Famicom in 1995 under the title Dragon Quest VI: Relams of Reverie. Japan then got a second helping of the game when it was remade and re-released on the DS a year ago.

Finally ending it's American absence, the game will be re-released (again) with updated graphics and some fancy new features, like the ability to let monsters join a players party. That's right. The adorbale, DQ poster child, the Slime will be able to fight along side you.  

The game will also have more than 15 classes for each character to choose from, nine of which will be available at the start. The rest are unlocked throughout the game ...

Study shows Americans crave creativity, Nintendo r...

A public opinion survey firm called Wakefield Research was recently tasked with gathering statistics regarding Americans' feelings towards creativity. Guess who hired them?

Nintendo of America has just published Wakefield Research's findings, and the bottom line is Americans wish they and their families were more creative. According to the online poll surveying 1000 eighteen and older Americans (400 of which were mothers), 81% wish they were more creative. 80% also find creativity to be "one of the rarest skills in the workplace" and two-thirds of the parents polled said they would rather their child be creative than athletic. Personally, none of these statistics really surprise me (even Picasso wished he was "more creative"), but it means a lot to Nintendo.

Why, you may ask? Because Nintend...