Starting in 1996, Alexa Internet has been donating their crawl data to the Internet Archive. Flowing in every day, these data are added to the Wayback Machine after an embargo period.
Come this November, Wii owners in Japan won't have to venture into the wilds of the internet for information on upcoming games or go down to the local retail chain to try out the latest DS titles, as Nintendo has announced plans to launch the Minna no Nintendo Channel (Everybody's Nintendo Channel), promising to turn the Wii into a Nintendo DS Station retail kiosk for the living room.
According to IGN, this latest channel in the Wii's arsenal, which was announced during Nintendo's 2007 Fall press conference in Japan, will offer promo videos for upcoming games, as well as allow players to download playable demos, though the report only mentions DS demos at this time, solidifying the linkage between both the Wii and Nintendo's touchable handheld.
Just the same, we remain thrilled to see Nintendo warming up to the idea of demos, and are hopeful that this could open the door for a similar treatment for Wii games, though sooner rather than later would be nice. In addition, the channel will also include a bit of social networking, allowing players to search for information on games based on data provided by other Wii users.
While less exciting, the Minna no Nintendo Channel will also be joined by the Mii Contest Channel this November in Japan as well, offering a place where players can show off their Mii creations, as well as vote on and even take home other people's Miis. While no release date for either channel has been announced for the U.S. or Europe, we've informed Dr. Zoidberg and he's already packed his bags.
The PC-and-console version of Call of Duty 4rocks as much as expected. But at a recent hands-on session, the DS take also impressed. The 3D graphics look surprisingly good; after a few minutes of settling in, I stopped scrutinizing textures and focused on the gameplay. And that gameplay carries the title.
COD4 switches between FPS sequences, helicopter-gunner modes, bomb-disarming moments, and AC-130 gunship sections. The DS version feels full of care and craft, from thought put into controls, to the segmented sessions that play well on a handheld.
Super Mario Stadium Baseball was unceremoniously revealed in a collection of clips for previously-announced games.
Nintendo will soon "begin a service similar to the DS Station retail service. You'll be able to download demos from your home."
Virtual Console has reached 7.8 million downloads. Even if all those sales were NES titles (and we know they're not), that's at least US $39 million in almost pure profit.
"Nintendo will put more emphasis on the Wii Vote channel in the future. You'll be able to put rankings for games that you've played and search for games that fit your liking."
A NeoGAF poster has put up the alleged sell sheet for Konami's Contra 4 showing a Nov. 13 release date. From what we've seen, Contra 4plays like a classic Contra experience, which for fans of the franchise would be a good thing.
We've contacted Konami to find out if they can verify the date. Of course, it wouldn't be Contra without two player co-op which the sell sheet says is a feature. Now we just have to wait until Nov. 13 to see if the "Konami code" is in there as well.
KB Toys is doing a better deal than what we've come to expect from Toys R Us by offering "buy one, get one 50% off" on all GBA and DS titles. CheapAssGamer has lead the way to the savings which can be found in-store only and end Oct. 30.
Now the key thing is just finding a store. Beyond that there are plenty of other toy related items part of the same deal (we just happen to focus on the video games). Could be an ideal time to get a little early holiday shopping done. Yup, it's almost that time.
Behold above the wonderous exposition found in the Panzer Tactics DS video. Actually, maybe it is good to refresh people every now and then from square one and treat potential customers like mouth-breathing tools. *clearing throat* You are now reading Joystiq, a video game blog. Here we write about video games. We will now talk about Panzer Tactics DS for the Nintendo DS handheld system. It is a video game playback device you hold in your hand.
There are Informative lines in the above video like: "You can play PanzerTactics with the buttons or the stylus, most people use both," and "to make things really exciting, there are also units with special abilities." *back to normal voice* Although we're perfectly fine with the concept of what Panzer's marketing department was trying to do with the video, there really is no need to explain a strategy game from square one. Show us what's different, most DS owners into that genre will have hopefully played Advance Wars: Dual Strike and understand the basics. If this video was designed to get "casuals" interested, somehow a WWII turn-based strategy game doesn't sound like their cup of tea.
LucasArts recently showed off the in-development DS version of Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga. The company tried to remain positive -- or at the very least, civil -- about the previous DS bomb, Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy. But this showing was clearly to prove to journalists that the DS version of the new game won't follow the murky fate of its predecessor.
Lego Star Wars creator, Traveller's Tales redeveloped the game for the DS instead of re-using the old DS engine, and it shows. The new game more closely resembles LSW on other consoles. In my brief play session, I was impressed with the top-screen 3D graphics; LSW Complete could be the graphical leader for 3D DS games with its November 6 launch.
EA Playground for the DS follows the general theme of the Wii game. Players compete in nine games to become the king of the schoolyard. While up to four players can battle on a local network, every competitor is forced to buy a copy of the game. I recently sampled all of the activities; a few stood out, but I anticipate that playing them mostly against AI opponents would grow boring over time.
If you've got three other friends with a DS and copy of the game, EA Playground might be fun. Younger gamers might also like it. The rest of us? The longevity is questionable.
Tsunde Tsumi Kiss was recently released in Japan and is available through your favorite not-yet-shut-down importer. We're not sure if we'll place an overseas order, but if any of our crack TGS team of reporters finds a cheap copy, we'd happily accept the puzzler.
Loosely similar to Egg Mania (look it up, puzzle fans), Tsunde Tsumi Kiss requires gamers to build a tower. Tangram-like shapes are balanced with the DS touch screen. Players win when the tower reaches the designated height, and the rabbit-bird creature hops to the top.
If you find that the constant deluge of statistics and sales data still fails to convey the enormous success enjoyed by Nintendo's DS, perhaps a strong visual indicator will be enough to convince you. Constructed by one "loopy," this decidedly unportable device clearly proclaims that the DS is big in Japan. In fact, this one's big everywhere. Though it's really just a larger input and display powered by the normal DS' innards, it's estimated to cost $600 if you're setting it up from scratch. We recommend you print out the funds with your regular DS before proceeding.
Change your point of view for other ugly scenes and have a look at the video after the break.
Gone from the game is any hint of a karaoke portion (which might be a good thing, given the quality of the DS's tiny mic). Instead, Boogie DS seems to be purely about a series of weaksauce rhythm mini games. Tap the tambourine! Strum the guitar! Step to the beat! It's every great music series mashed up in a mediocre milkshake. Of course, we'll hold off from making any strong assumptions until we can actually play the thing. In the meantime, anyone else care to judge the book by its cover?
European and Japanese game, Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland has a new trailer showing the too-hot-for-America RPG. While no U.S. release has been mentioned, Tingle importers should at least be able to read the English in the European version, due September 14. That's assuming fans of Tingle can read.
We can't imagine Tingle not getting a U.S. release after the work has been done for the European localization. But maybe our myopic tastes make Nintendo nervous. (See the last sentence of the previous paragraph for an example.)
Ubisoft has announced the official track list for Jam Sessions, the DS guitar simulator known formerly as the hard-to-swallow Hiite Utaeru DS Guitar M-06.
Songs include Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone," Beck's "Jackass," and Coldplay's "Yellow." The 17 tracks feature a solid range from mainstream pop, to reggae, to good ol' rock & roll. Like M-06, Jam Sessions will step players through the chords of each song, allowing them to rock out with their whatevers out. Of course, Jam Sessions will still feature the free-play modes that made the original such a viral sensation. After an initial delay at the start of the summer, Jam Sessions is currently scheduled release on September 11th, and we can't wait for it. Check out the full song list after the break.
Taito's Exit, formerly on the PSP, is currently in development for the Nintendo DS, according to a recent issue of Famitsu Magazine. Players will once again be taking on the role of famed escapeologist Mr. ESC, as he runs, jumps, and climbs through structures to save disaster victims and find the, well, exit.
According to the Famitsu article, the game is slated for a January 2008 release in Japan. No word yet of a North American release, but given the critical success of the PSP version, there's no reason not to expect some localization of the adaptation in the near future.
As a master of the occult, Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter has access to an astonishing amount of prescient items. He typically rotates them, most recently speaking to the mirror which he got at an estate sale from a Queen who apparently took a nasty fall. Pachter went up to the mirror and asked, "Mirror, mirror, on the wall. In July, who's the console winner of them all?"
The Mirror replied, "Why the Nintendo Wii and DS, of course."
Miffed at the information given by his impulse purchase, Pachter replies, "You better tell me something I don't already know or I'm shipping you by freight to Pidgeon!"
In a moment of sheer panic the Mirror blurts out, "NPD will report the PS3 beat the Xbox 360 in sales for July."
Pachter believes that for the month of July, which will be official from NPD on Aug. 23, that the DS (450,000 units) and Wii (330,000) dominated sales in North America. Although, for the first time ever, the PS3 will show sales of 160,000 units, while the Xbox 360 will have 115,000. This would also mean that the PS3 will have doubled sales since announcing their 60GB clearance sale last month. He goes on to say that the Xbox warranty issue was a speed bump for Microsoft as "as consumers struggled with the meaning of the 'three red rings of death' issue." He believes that the price cut and apparent fix of the design flaw will rebound Xbox 360 sales.
Come this November, Wii owners in Japan won't have to venture into the wilds of the internet for information on upcoming games or go down to the local retail chain to try out the latest DS titles, as Nintendo has announced plans to launch the Minna no Nintendo Channel (Everybody's Nintendo Channel), promising to turn the Wii into a Nintendo DS Station retail kiosk for the living room. 
The PC-and-console version of Call of Duty 4 
LucasArts recently showed off the in-development DS version of 
EA Playground for the DS follows the general theme of the Wii game. Players compete in nine games to become the king of the schoolyard. While up to four players can battle on a local network, every competitor is forced to buy a copy of the game. I recently sampled all of the activities; a few stood out, but I anticipate that playing them mostly against AI opponents would grow boring over time.
European
