So many DS software to do with lifestyle choices available now. Newest among these…
1) かんたん！ たのしい！ お菓子ナビDS (Kantan! Tanoshii! Okashi Nabi DS: Easy! Fun! Sweets Navi DS)
Basically teaches you how to bake the more popular desserts. If you are a fan of baking however, do keep in mind that the flour that the Japanese population uses and the ones you use may differ (and yes, it does matter a great deal – for fluffier Japanese style cakes, you need less than 10% gluten), so make allowances for subtle changes in the directions/amount. Out mid-March for £17.50.
2) ビジネス力検定 (Business Exam)
Tests out your ‘Business Power’, like how to talk to customers in certain situations, how to improve cashflow… that kind of thing. It is entirely in Japanese however, and will likely only apply to Japanese businessmen. Dad, you can always make your subordinates do this. Out 27th March for £13.
3) 開一夫先生（東京大学）監修 すくすく子育てDS 赤ちゃんと遊ぼう！ (ParentingDS Play with your baby!)
Yes, you didn’t misread it. Parenting DS. Teaches the parent how to play with the baby/toddler, not only using the DS (sticky hands beware!) but in pretend games etc. So expect a generation or so of kids who grew up on this stuff to be conformists extraordinaires and bore the hell out of you. Out this spring for £17.50.
The Skype/PS3 thing hasn’t exactly fallen through but is in murky waters so expect the mic (single and twin packs both) to be sold later than originally announced. They haven’t yet announced when exactly though.
This is part of the promo vid for カドゥケウス NEW BLOOD Caduceus – you guessed it. You get to operate, and 2-player mode is also available (both players will need the nunchaku). Already out in Japan for £26.40 or so, hoping it gets over here. On their official site more vids are available from the Downloads section (from top of Movie section: Opening, Promotion, TV ad, Played).
Lastly, a bit of a downer. Soul Calibur IV will be coming out soon (hopefully without all the malarkey from last game) and they’ve announced Yoda and Darth Vader will be characters available for play. Except… well, Xbox360 players get Yoda, while PS3 players get Darth Vader. Why it has to be this gay I don’t quite get. I’m sure loads of people would love to see the two fight together.
Out in a few weeks in Japan, so add about 3 to 6 months for us. On a related note, the video below made us lolz (titled: Costume Change):
Wii to DS download won’t be happening, according to Nintendo. An erroneous article saying the opposite was apparently posted in The New York Times last year. Unlike the PSP… which now can boast Skype capabilities amongst its arsenal. Mind, it’s only the newer versions of the PSP that’ll do this, and you’ll need Memory Stick Duo, the microphone (sold separately), and a wireless connection. Those who have already invested in Talkman will have no need to buy more microphones.
Out 8th Feb. over here, if anyone’s interested.
Lastly but not least (to most Japanese people of an eccentric nature), ゲゲゲの鬼太郎 妖怪大激戦 is coming out on DS in April. As I mentioned in this past article, it’s about a mixed lineage boy with some very fortean overtones. Screenshots available here. Hmm, I wonder how my parents would react if I asked them to send over a box or so of all those comics?
新年明けましておめでとうございます to all of you (a stereotypical greeting at the start of the new year for us Japanese). I didn’t even think it, but of course, when I phoned my parents up this morning (to tell them, actually, what new stuff is being organized for my wedding), they greeted me with that. And with it, came the realization that yet again, I’m missing a lot of festivities.
On the news front, of course, 31st Dec. – 3rd Jan. being a bit of a ‘to-do’ over there, there just isn’t a lot on offer. But, I’ve managed to dig up some from the last year’s pile nonetheless (wait a couple of weeks for things to pick up over there again).
1) FF CC Little King: new movie up on their official site (try the button after ‘HOME’). Also got a few wallpapers in the Special Contents section (third one from right), with one available until 7th.
2) Chocobo game on Wii is out now in Japan, and by the sounds of things, worth playing, esp. if you’re a FF fan. There’s apparently a fair bit of duels involving those magical cards that you may be familiar from the DS game out last year. And yes, here are the screenshots.
3) For £26, and out now (since yesterday) is Cyber Famulator Lite. Not all Famicon games are available on Virtual Console… so this is the interim solution – stick your Famicon cartridge and play on your DSLite. Needs 4 AA batteries if in portable mode (lasts approx. 4.5hours), or link into a standard adapter or cable into TV.
4) Ever wanted to figure out what those Buddhist monks were chanting? Now you can… apparently… with It’s tehodoki! 般若心経入門 . It teaches you the chant, as well as help you write it, Japanese calligraphy style (習字). Intriguing, though hardly what I’d choose to spend my new year doing.
Out 8th Feb. over here, if anyone’s interested.
