A Salute to Nintendo: Part I: Nintendo DS

Welcome to The first installment of a Salute to Nintendo, uh, thingies. 3 out of 5 kids have a DS. I bet 4 out of five kids don't know this, the fifth being me! Enjoy!

In 2003, Nintendo announced that it would be creating a new console. On January 20, 2004, the console was announced under the codename "Nintendo DS". Nintendo released very few details at that time, only saying that the console would have two separate LCD screens, separate processors, and up to 1 gigabit of memory. In March, the codename was changed to "Nitro" and a document containing most of the console's technical stuff was leaked. In May, the codename was changed back to "Nintendo DS" and the console was shown at E3. All of the features of the console were released by Nintendo at E3. Also, the codename "Nintendo DS" became the official name of the console.

The Nintendo DS has a resemblance to Nintendo's first handheld console, the Game & Watch, specifically the multi-screen versions such as Donkey Kong.
Nintendo announced that the Nintendo DS would be released in North America on November 21, 2004 for $149.99. It was set to release on December 2, 2004 in Japan and 2005 in Europe and Australia. The console was released in North America with a midnight launch event at Universal CityWalk EB Games (that's where I got my Wii!) in Los Angeles, California. The console was launched quietly in Japan compared to the North America launch. In January 2005, the Australia release date of February 24, 2005 and the Europe release date of March 11, 2005 were announced.

Also new on the DS agenda, the Nintendo DSi! Read to find out more...

Nintendo has announced that it will be thinner than the DS Lite. The new handheld will contain two cameras, larger screens, and improved speakers. The power switch was replaced with a power button, as the original DS had, now located next to the bottom left side of the touch screen. A new SD card slot will be for storage of pictures and downloaded software. The front slot for Game Boy Advance cartridges will be removed, thus removing the unit's backward compatibility and its compatibility with accessories that require the GBA slot. The DSi will have its own internal flash memory and will ship with a built-in web browser. Photos can be sent to the Wii's Photo Channel. It is possible to download games from an online store, called the DSWare Shop, and store them on the DSi. The applications will either be free, 200, 500, or 800 Nintendo Points. Due to the higher power consumption and slimmer profile the battery life is reduced compared to its predecessor, the DS Lite.
It has been reported that the DSi will utilize region locking for DSi-specific software, since it will provide Internet services tailored individually for each region. In addition, the DSi uses rating-based parental controls, which differ by country.

Well, I hope you enjoyed that. Stay tuned for the Game Boy! Yay!

Nintendogs

Do you wish that you had a dog? All you have to play with is your Nintendo DS. Well, fret no more, because the game Nintendogs is an adventure that you'll never forget! The game starts out by creating your character, a dog trainer. Then you travel to a dog pound to buy your dog(s). You choose, tell your dog his name via the microphone. The Microphone can also be used to train your dog, like saying sit, then preforming a stroke of the stylus that makes your dog comfortable, and he sits. After a while (s)he gets it.



As the trainer, you can take care of your dogs. You pet them, feed them, water them, give them baths, take them for walks, and much more. At home, you can play with your dogs, give them baths, and more. You can enter dogs you've trained in contest to earn money, usually to buy supplies for your dog. If you run out of money, you'll be forced to sell your home, but then you'll have enough to buy an apartment with one bedroom. Then I won lots of contests, sold my apartment, and bought another house. So I guess everything worked out okay.


No doubt about it, if you like The Sims, you'll love Nintendogs. You'd have to have a cold heart to not love the bright eyes and wagging tails of the extremely lifelike Nintendogs. If you have a DS, you should buy it, because it will cheer you up, definitely.

The Simpsons Game

Well, well, well, a show that's been running for 21 years and only has one Wii game? The Wii is pretty new, but why couldn't they have another game in development at least? These are the 16 levels, in the order they are played:

The Land Of Chocolate

Bartman Begins

Around the World in 80 Bites

Lisa the Tree Hugger

Mob Rules

Enter the Cheatrix

The Day of the Dolphin

Shadow of the Colossal Donut

Invasion of the Yokel-Snatchers

Bargain Bin

NeverQuest

Medal of Homer

Grand Theft Scratchy

Big Super Happy Fun Fun Game

Five Characters in Search of an Author

Game Over

Now, we see why the game is rated T for Teen:

Alcohol and Tobacco Reference

Animated Blood

Cartoon Violence

Crude Humor

Language

Suggestive Themes

Can you believe my parents let me play that!? If there's another guy at your house who wants to play, no problemo! 2 player mode is awesome! This game is for the Wii, DS, PSP, PS2, PS3, and Xbox 360, so if you have one of those, it's a good way to spend money. :-)