Phatkav
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DS Games Lineup of Q1 2009Here is a list compiled by Gamasutra for the must have DS games for the first Quarter of 2009. It seriously puts the consoles ones to shame. I even checked the PSP one and it got some good games though the PSP list got some games released later on in the year.
Retro Game Challenge
Release Date: February 10th
Developer: Bandai Namco
Publisher: Xseed Games
Even those unfamiliar with the Japanese show this title is based on, Game Center CX, or its host Arino, can still enjoy this release. Set in the 80s, Retro Game Challenge invites players to complete different challenges for eight different games that look and play like classic NES titles. The games range from shooters to platformers, and there's even a full Dragon Quest-style RPG!
Half of RGC's charm, though, comes from outside of the games, such as young Arino's encouraging cheers as he watches you play, the illustrated manuals that come with each title, and the fake gaming magazines that you can look through for cheats, previews, and commentary from familiar games journalists.
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon
Release Date: February 16th
Developer: Intelligent Systems
Publisher: Nintendo
Another remake for a Japanese-exclusive game, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon smartens up the first FE game (released for the Famicom in 1990) and adds online battles and voice chat, both of which are new to the series.
The turn-based strategy game stars blue-haired prince Marth, who should be familiar to Smash Bros. fans, and features 25 chapters, over 20 character classes, six difficulty modes, and touchscreen support for moving and commanding units.
Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride
Release Date: February 17th
Developer: ArtePiazza, Cattle Call
Publisher: Square Enix
As popular as the Dragon Quest series is in Japan, there are still a few titles from the franchise that haven't yet left the country. Dragon Quest V, originally released for the Super Famicom in 1992, will finally come to the West in the form of a Nintendo DS remake, using the same 3D engine seen in Dragon Quest IV DS.
This traditional Japanese RPG follows the protagonist over some 20 years, from his days as a young boy traveling the world with his father, to his adult life, taking on a wife (there are three to choose from in this version) and starting his own family.
Peggle: Dual Shot
Release Date: March 3rd
Developer: Q Entertainment
Publisher: PopCap Games
Dual Shot offers the most levels (100+) out of any previously released game in the series, collecting stages from both Peggle and Peggle Nights, and also packing in ten exclusive levels inspired by developer Q Entertainment's previous games (Rez, Meteos, Lumines).
This DS version of the addictive casual puzzler moves all the nonessential elements, like the score and fever bar, to the top screen, leaving more space on the touchscreen for aiming ball shots and clearing pegs. Players can use the new Peggle Zoom feature to adjust their shots pixel by pixel.
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
Release Date: March 17th
Developer: Rockstar Leeds, Rockstar North
Publisher: Rockstar Games
After shipping two Grand Theft Auto games for the PSP, Rockstar is turning its attention to the DS, keeping the controversial franchise's mature themes intact -- players can even take part in a drug dealing minigame, buying and selling narcotics around the city.
Visually different from other recent GTA titles due to hardware limitations but still maintaining a stylized look, Chinatown Wars features a full 3D overhead view, its city and characters presented with cel-shaded polygons. The game also uses the touchscreen for activities like hotwiring cars, playing a tattoo minigame, and accessing a PDA for email and ordering firearms.
Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume
Release Date: March 17th
Developer: tri-Ace
Publisher: Square Enix
Tying into Norse Mythology, Covenant of the Plume follows a young man hoping to distinguish himself as a warrior and seeking revenge against a particular valkyrie -- a winged female warrior named Lenneth Valkyrie, who starred and appeared in previous VP games -- for his hardship-filled life.
As a strategy RPG, the game's combat plays out similarly to Square Enix's Final Fantasy Tactics Advance series, and also uses an Active Formation system that can aid characters when they are positioned in specific formations for attacks and defense.
Pokemon Platinum
Release Date: March 22nd
Developer: Game Freak
Publisher: Nintendo, The Pokemon Company
Hardly showing any signs of diminishing popularity, Pokemon Platinum sold 2.12 million units in Japan since its September release, while the previous editions, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, moved over 14.75 million copies worldwide.
This enhanced remake of Diamond and Pearl includes an expanded storyline, 59 new Pokemon, a notification system that alerts players of completed online Pokemon trades, a Battle Recorder that allows players to share replays of previous matches, a Pokemon battling facility, and much more.
Mario & Luigi RPG 3
Release Date: April 1st
Developer: AlphaDream
Publisher: Nintendo
Nintendo's blithesome, portable RPG series returns, along with the company's mustachioed plumber mascots and even Bowser, this time available as a playable character.
Neither Alpha Dream or Nintendo have revealed much about the game, but initial trailers show that the timing-based combat system will reappear, and that Mario and Luigi will deal with a strange malady affecting the Mushroom Kingdom's inhabitants, causing them to balloon in size.
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