Famitsu.com reports today that a limited edition Nintendo DS Lite featuring Final Fantasy III graphics printed on the outer shell will be available August 28, 2006 for 22780 Yen (about $197.23). The DS Lite appears to be the standard white version with four characters from the game along with the Final Fantasy III logo appearing on the front. It seems these will also be stamped with a serial number, though production quantity is unknown at this point.

Follow the link for the article (in Japanese) and to see the full photo:

http://www.famitsu.com/game/news/2006/07/12/103,1152678634,56678,0,0.html

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Here it is, the last issue I have of the The HuBee Network USA newsletter. Released in the winter of 1993, this issue shows an incredible change in layout over the past issues. Gone is the use of cheesy clipart and crude layout design; this issue actually looks quite professional! This issue also utilized red ink to add a bit of color to what would otherwise be a drab, black and white newsletter. It really helps make the newsletter more appealing and eye-catching.

But enough about my general thoughts on this newsletter--let's get to the info inside! Read on for the page by page breakdown...

Continue reading "The HuBee Network USA Newsletter (Winter 1993)" »

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Girl gamers are growing in number and the Nintendo DS has shown to be pretty female-friendly. Enter Keys Factory's Lovely Boston DS--perhaps the most feminine DS carrying case in exsistence. Now, I'm not a girl, but my girlfriend is, and she owns a DS. So when I noticed this being sold at Play-Asia, I asked her if she'd like to have one over the Hori DS pouch she currently had.  She chose the blue one (it comes in three colors: pink, black, and blue).

About a week later it arrived, and I took some photos for review purposes before handing it over to its new owner. It's a small, pleather purse-like case, with feminine graphics printed on it. The word "girl" is printed on it to make it completely obvious that this product is for the female persuasion. A metal chain with little heart charms on it dangles on one side. So cute! At least, that's what I'm sure most girls would say.

Continue reading "Keys Factory Lovely Boston DS (Blue) Case/Purse" »

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I've been tracking two "rare" games for quite some time now: Capcom's Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, and Konomi's Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix. These two games were fetching high prices on eBay thanks to their notoriety as being "rare", but have recently become...well, not so rare. So what happened?

Let's look at Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. This game is great for what it is- a zany courtroom/detective style game with a great sense of humor and melodrama. It was a sleeper hit for Capcom, who didn't press a lot of games because of its niche-style gaming. The game's reputation in America started growing, mostly through various discussion boards. And then one fateful day, people started to realize that they hadn't seen the game in stores for a while, and upon further searching, this game couldn't be found at any stores! If I remember correctly, it was toward the end of January of this year that this realization had dawned on people that the game they had repeatedly passed up was now no where to be seen.

Mad searching for the game ensued with success stories popping up here and there. People who had never had an interest for the game were now asking if it was worth buying. Prices for the game on eBay kept going up and up. Sixty dollars...seventy dollars...when would it stop?

March 13th. NCS gets a new shipment of Phoenix Wright and sells the game for $35. The crazy eBay prices fall back down to a normal $35-$45 range and life is as it should be...or is it??

Continue reading "Rare Games...That Aren't Rare Anymore" »

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Continue reading "The HuBee Network USA Newsletter Vol.1, Issue 3 (December 1992)" »

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Japanese magazines are great because they usually come with some pretty cool stuff. Take the latest issue of Dengeki DS (formerly Dengeki Game Cube) for example. It comes with an Oide yo Doubutsu no Mori (Animal Crossing) neckstrap, a double-sided poster, an Animal Crossing Schedule Book, and Animal Crossing stickers! That's a lot of extras! It's possible that they're trying to better Famitsu DS by putting out more extras, and if that's the case then I'm all for some friendly competition.

But before we take a look at the extras, let's take a look at the actual magazine. It's always interesting to see how different the Nintendo magazines are made as opposed to the Famitsu Xbox or Dengeki Playstation magazines. The Japanese Nintendo mags look almost like the thick manga magazines with their overly complex covers. You can tell that this magazine is aimed at children. The inside of the magazine is no different from the cover, and it's very colorful and busy. Magazines like this are perfect for hyperactive kids.

Continue reading "Dengeki Nintendo DS Magazine June, 2006" »

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Hudson (who will be releasing the Bonk series on the Nintendo Wii) has recently been taking a look back at the history of their company. Their website  has some great articles such as an article titled "The Definitive Bonk", and an interview with Hudson president, John Greiner. After reading some of said articles, I became a bit nostalgic and dived into my archives to see what I could contribute to this rememberance...

What I found is what you see here, perhaps one of the least ambitious-looking newsletters in my collection, The HuBee Network USA newsletter.  While other companies went all out and created full-color newsletters or used high-quality paper, Hudson went the economic route. It looks as if they used a simple computer program like Print Shop to create this. Don't get me wrong, the information within the newsletter is actually decent for its time period, but it's hard not to knock the cheesy clip art.

Continue reading "The HuBee Network USA Newsletter Vol.1, Issue 2 (March 1992)" »

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The Nintendo DS is taking over the Japanese video game market, and in reflection of that, Famitsu redubs its Nintendo-centric magazine as Famitsu DS + Cube & Advance. Oide yo Doubutsu no Mori is also big in Japan (that's Animal Crossing: Wild World to you and me) and this issue comes with a cool 3 piece pencil set that features artwork from the game. You get a pencil (the kind with multiple pencil tips housed inside), an eraser, and a pencil bag. Check out the photos below!

The actual issue features some great info on the game as well (as long as you can read Japanese), such as a guide to every character in the game, a calendar of in-game events for April, and other interesting things that I don't understand.

The top reviewed games this issue? Children of Mana for the DS gets a 35/40 (9,8,9,9), Pokemon Ranger gets a 32/40 (8,8,8,8), Contact gets 32/40 (7,9,8,8), Garak Tale gets a 32/40 (9,8,8,7), and Far East of Eden II Manji Maru gets a 31/40 (8,7,8,8).

The top game for the month is the second Brain Age game for the DS, followed by Animal Crossing Wild World, #3 is an English training game, #4 is the first Brain Age game, and #5 is Children of Mana. The most wanted Nintendo game is Hoshi no Kirby for the Gamecube, followed by New Super Mario Bros. for the DS.

Oh yeah, the issue also comes with stickers of various characters from games such as New Super Mario Bros, Rockman, Animal Crossing, and Pokemon. A manga-sized comic book is also included featuring stories based on Mario Kart, Kirby, Animal Crossing, and Super Princess Peach.

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Are you a Super Mario Bros. fan? Wish you could take some of the sounds from the game wherever you go? If so, you should check out this great set of gashapon toys from Bandai. Each "soundrop" has one sound from the classic 8-bit game which can be activated at the push of large round button. There are eight soundrops in all, each in a different color. The type of sound effect is illustrated and written out on its surface. The list of sounds is as follows:

1. Start
2. Jump
3. Big
4. Coin
5. 1up
6. In
7. Swim
8. Ouch!

Each soundrop is in a teardrop sort of shape and has a metal chain attached. They're perfect for attaching to backpacks, bags, beltloops, keyrings, Christmas trees, rear-view mirrors, or just about whatever you want to attach it to.

Continue reading "Super Mario Bros. Soundrop" »

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Portable gaming isn't always as portable as I'd like it to be. I don't have many pants that have pockets large enough for a PSP or a Nintendo DS, and carrying around a man-purse to hold all my gear isn't always my favorite option. Enter the Game Boy Micro. Released on September 17th of 2005, the Game Boy Micro is small enough to fit in practically any pocket.

The general release versions of the Micro come in black or silver, and on November 28th of 2005, Nintendo released the 20th Anniversary Edition pictured here. 20th Anniversary of what though? The package doesn't really say, but Nintendo Power states that it celebrates the release of the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America...which is odd since this Micro is modeled after the Japanese version of the NES, the Famicom. On the package there is a sort of crest that has an image of Mario from Super Mario Bros., but that is the only clue for those who don't who don't know their history.

Continue reading "Game Boy Micro: Special 20th Anniversary Edition" »

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