The analytical folks at Flurry have done some extensive NPD analysis to discover something stunning: the iPhone and iPod Touch gaming scene is eating away at Sony and Nintendo’s handheld markets. While it’s always been our contention that iPhone gaming is a console unto itself, it’s really nice to notice these specific numbers.
Says the author:
With these figures, our main finding is that iPhone and iPod touch is a gaming platform to be reckoned with. Controlling 5% revenue of a $10 billion industry in just a year and a half is significant. From a market share perspective, console games lost ground to portable platforms and iPhone. While the downturn in the economy may have dampened sales of the more expensive console games category, there is no denying that iPhone has generated substantial revenue and entered strongly into a mature industry.
UNO Publisher: Gameloft Players: 1-4 ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) Price: 800 Points
If you can’t carry around a deck of Uno cards, or lack a good flat space to play the game on, this could be your best friend. I’m thinking long car rides, yeah?
Dragon’s Lair Publisher: Digital Leisure Inc. Players: 1 ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes Price: 800 Points
If you don’t have an iPhone, this is the way to go. The game that married videodisc and videogame technologies back in 1983 is now in your pocket.
Hot and Cold: A 3D Hidden Object Adventure Publisher: Majesco Entertainment Players: 1-2 ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) Price: 800 Points
Hard to justify eight dollars for a hidden treasures game, but you never know. High Stakes: Texas Hold’Em Publisher: Hudson Entertainment Players: 1-4 ESRB Rating: T (Teen) – Simulated Gambling Price: 500 Points
Play poker on your DSi. Hudson joins the ranks of iPhone ports to the DSi experience, putting you behind a (hopefully) winning hand of Texas Hold Em poker. myNotebook: Green™ Publisher: Nnooo Players: 1 Price: 200 Points
Not really a game, but it’s cool to see productivity stuff like this hit the mainstream. Marketed to kids and students, this could make a good little notetaker, if you’re not a fan of the keyboards on many other portable devices.
We especially like the inclusion of the 80’s TV show/commercial about the game that marries the laser disk with computer technology. Yes, they said that. Enjoy the video and be ready to grab your own copy on Monday the 21st of December. Need we say it? Just in time for Christmas.
GfK Chart-Track has released figures showing the Nintendo DS has passed 10 million units sold in the UK. Let us sit back for a moment and day dream about the trash bags of cash Nintendo is raking in. This milestone makes the DS the best selling hotcake, bypassing the PS2 for the UK. It is estimated that one in six people own an DS.
Nintendo is happy to boast this achievement:
“Nintendo’s Touch Generations range of software, which has been expanding the definition of videogame, has resonated strongly with people of all ages, extending its appeal to a non-traditional gaming audience, which now sees people aged between five and 95 picking up and playing Nintendo DS consoles,”–Gameindustry.biz
We’re TRACKING all the latest news on this exciting release for you. Here are the most latest, bestest images and fun happy video we could find. Yeah, they JUST came out TODAY. Woohoo!
Remember when halloween was all about sacrificing goats on altars while chanting to pagan gods? Us, neither, but in these days of the commodification of just about everything, here’s one more: a metaphorical candy bowl of screenshots coming from the folks over at Southpeak Games. Oh, and a European trailer, for all you Europeans, what with your old world charm and goat sacrificing.
Enjoy, and stay tuned for reviews of this upcoming Nintendo DS/DSi game right here at TeePeeBoo! Errr, Gee.
Arcade action this week with the single DSi Shop release from Nintendo:
Thorium Wars Publisher: Big John Games Players: 1 ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Fantasy Violence Price: 1,000 Nintendo DSi Points Description: In Thorium Wars, you must stop the Thorions, a super species of Thorium-based machines, from destroying mankind. Blast through waves of Thorions by controlling an arsenal of tanks, skyfighters, hovercrafts, gunboats and starfighters with either the standard or touch-screen controls. In 12 exciting missions, navigate through a variety of combat environments while viewing 360 degrees of the battlefield, fully rendered in 3-D. Toggle between first- and third-person views to destroy the terrifying army of Thorium beasts, from swarms of Redeye Drones to the bone-crushing Manticore Walker. This man-versus-machine battle proves to be the ultimate test for the survival of the fittest.
Yep, it’s downloadable time again. This week, we’ve got another Art course for you budding young artists, and a sweet game from Squeeeeenix that looks like part RTS, part Tower Defense. W00t! We’ll try to get a copy and review it for your reading pleasure!
Nintendo DSiWare
Art Academy™: Second Semester Publisher: Nintendo Players: 1 ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points Description:Art Academy is a portable art course that anyone can enjoy. Art Academy: Second Semester provides new and returning students with a larger set of tools and in-depth lessons designed to encourage the creation of more complex artwork. By gaining an even deeper understanding of colors and techniques used by famous impressionist artists, you will be ready to take on more challenging themes that include moving objects, and vast landscapes with distant objects. The openness of Free Paint mode offers plenty of opportunities to hone your skills and boost your confidence as an artist.
DRAGON QUEST® WARS™ Publisher: SQUARE ENIX Players: 1-4 ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Cartoon Violence, Mild Language Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points Description: DRAGON QUEST WARS is a grid-based strategy game featuring all of your favorite quirky DRAGON QUEST monsters. Choose from several modes and get ready for battle. While the rules are simple, strategy is the key to victory. The game features single-player and DS Wireless Play, as well as battles with foes worldwide via Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection. (Broadband Internet access is required for online play.)
See more screenshots below, and stay tuned right here for all your portable gaming news and info! Want more delicious Nintendo download action? Hit the evil folks over at http://gamesareevil.com!
Color us as underwhelmed as you are. Seriously, we hope that companies like Subatomic get with the DSi action soon, as these games are really inducing yawns everywhere. Seriously? Art Academy: First Semester, announced on September 14th, is still being listed as a new game.
That being said, here’s what’s on download patrol this week for your DSi:
Clubhouse Games Express: Strategy Pack
Publisher: Nintendo Players: 1-8 ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points Description: Prepare yourself for a lesson in tactics as you play through five strategy-based games in this Nintendo DSiWare version of the popular Clubhouse Games. Take on an opponent in the classic Backgammon, invade an enemy base in Field Tactics, sandwich your opponent’s pieces to capture them in Turncoat, create strings of five in a row in Connect Five and guess where to attack your opponent’s pieces in Grid Attack. Play by yourself or use DS Download Play to host as many as seven friends.
MySims Camera Publisher: Electronic Arts Players: 1 Price:200 Nintendo DSi Points Description:MySims Camera is a camera application that utilizes popular MySims characters. You can take photos and overlay 3-DMySims characters to bring them into the real world. The 3-D characters can be animated, moved, scaled, rotated and cropped. You can also draw on the photos with the stylus or use the stamp tool to add more art and style. Create a unique frame and save the photos to the Nintendo DSi Camera album to share with friends. MySims Camerais a fun, creative experience for the entire family.
Greetings, y’all.It’s time for our weekly roundup of the DSi downloads. Today, we’ve got TWO of them to report to you. First up is an art lesson game, for 800 DSi points, and then we’ve got Oscar in Toyland, a new platformer for the handheld. Both are at 800 points, so they should be at least decent. Follow our cut and paste below, to get your Nintendo Portable Download Fix for this week.
Make sure you check over at GamesAreEvil, where they’ll run you down on all the new Wii downloads for the week, PLUS new Wii Channel news.
Art Academy™: First Semester Publisher: Nintendo Players: 1 ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points Description: Art Academy is a portable art course that replaces the lecture-like structure of art school and the trial-and-error of working on canvas. Art Academy: First Semester can guide you through the basics of pencil and paints, using Nintendo DSi controls to draw like the real things. With your own paintbrush set and color palette, you’ll learn texturing and blending techniques, plus ways to depict light and shade. There’s also Free Paint mode, which allows you to select and draw from photos in your Nintendo DSi Camera Album. In just a few lessons, you’ll be discovering your inner artist and creating your own masterpieces with art skills that you can apply with real-life materials.
Oscar in Toyland Publisher: Virtual Playground Players: 1 ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points Description: Meet Oscar, the new kid on the block. This fabulous jump-and-run game is easy to play, packed with hours of fun and nonstop action, hundreds of collectibles and surprises. In psychedelic worlds of candy, soda pop, amusement park rides, board games, fairy tales and more, you’ll meet cool toys and animals in hidden rooms, bonus and bogus mini games. Use Wings to fly, Springy Shoes to jump, and Oscar’s secret weapon, his magical Yo-Yo, to swing and zap enemies in some of the craziest platform levels you’ll ever play.
GfK Chart-Track has released figures showing the Nintendo DS has passed 10 million units sold in the UK. Let us sit back for a moment and day dream about the trash bags of cash Nintendo is raking in. This milestone makes the DS the best selling hotcake, bypassing the PS2 for the UK. It is estimated that one in six people own an DS.
MySims Camera
