Thanks for the information. I've been keeping my eye out for information on DQIV, but I completely forgot that they were remaking FFIV in Japan. I'll buy both when/if they come here. I've been considering importing DQIV and just using an Action Replay to unlock the English dialogue track, but I don't really know how to do it.

Bad news on Disgaea DS. It seems to be just another remake of the first game like the PSP version I skipped for the same reason. I like the franchise, but I spent a lot of time already on the PS2 version and have no interest in replaying the same game again on the DS or PSP.

I have a question about Mario Kart DS.

Does it have a single player mode that is "beatable". I only play single player games, and I like games that I can clearly say...I beat that.

Yep. Just beat all the different cups.

Any love for Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer and Anno 1701? I got both games this weekend and they are fantastic. I just started Shiren and I'm enjoying it so far. I have heard the game is hard as hell but I'm up for a challenge. I've lost a whole chunk of my weekend playing Anno 1701 and I'm very suprised how good it is.

I picked up Shiren over the weekend and have been enjoying it. I'm a Mystery Dungeon veteran and it feels very close to the Torneko game on the PS1 and as I put more than 100 hours into that, this could be dangerous. I'm very glad this made it out here as the Pokémon version lacked a lot of the bite (which was expected) that made the series such a joy for the masochist.

On a sort-of related note, I just found out about Dungeon of Windaria.. which seems like an ultra triple combo for me. It's a dungeon crawler, it's based on a classic anime that I adore (with character designs by Mutsumi Inomata) and it's being developed by Compile Heart, which is made up of former member of Compile, one of my favorite game developers. I know we have Shiren, Pokémon and Izuna for the DS already but I just pray and hope that this makes it over the the US.

http://www.famitsu.com/game/coming/1213942_1407.html

How would Mystery Dungeon compare to Etrian Odyssey in that deliciously addictive difficulty and grinding?

They're totally different beasts, to be honest. It'd be hard to give a comparison. But, odds are that if you liked Etrian Odyssey, you have a very good chance of accepting the RPG challenge any of the Mystery Dungeon games (or other rogue-likes, like Izuna) bring to the table. They're brutal but rewarding. Grinding kind of varies from game to game. Some of them allow you to keep your experience levels throughout the game, others start you at level one for each dungeon but allow you to bring equipment with you to start off with, so the grinding typically comes from crafting weapons. Death in these games is unusually cruel, typically involving loss of equipment and/or levels and the games are setup so that you can't "redo" if you die.

Just some example of how insane Shiren is: in the second or third dungeon, there is a monster that can turn any item you are holding that isn't equipped into food and in the next dungeon there's another monster that turns items that haven't been picked up yet into worthless weeds. Monsters can even kill other monsters to level up themselves.

It's also on sale at Fry's this week for $24.99

Is it a shorter game than Etrian? I never did finish Etrian just due to attrition. I got tired of feeling like i wasn't really advancing even though i was leveling. The fact i knew there were a ton of layers didn't help my morale. I do miss my Dark Hunter though and would have loved to eventually fully bind a monster and pull of Ecstasy.

Survey says: Probably.

The Mystery Dungeon games are very arcade-like. So keep that in mind when hearing potentially terrifying things like "lose all your levels" or "lose all your equipment." If Shiren follows the Torneko Mystery Dungeon at all, the main game could probably be completed in a few hours, maybe ten max. But then you're given a series of optional advanced challenges that will make a serious man out of your RPGing skills. This is normally called "where the real game starts" among Mystery Dungeon fans. I actually never completed the "ultimate dungeon" in Torneko, it was a 100 floor dungeon that you enter at level 1 with no items. I am shamed.

Pinata - I love Professor Layton

I rented Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates last night and played it for close to two hours. I'm really enjoying it thus far - although it's tailored for a younger audience, it's a really fun game that seems to take some inspiration from Zelda. I've decided to just beat the rental copy and not worry about buying it like I had once figured I would do, because it's apparently only ten hours long.

I'm thinking about buying Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker. Is it any good? What's the gameplay like?

Did Disciples ever come out on the DS? I remember it being announced, and it shows up as oos at amazon, but I have a feeling it isn't out yet.

I like Joker, but it's a lot like Pokemon: you pretty much have a team of three creatures at a time that fight battles for you. You, as the trainer, are limited to using items, traversing the map, and simple spells like escaping dungeons or going back to bases. You can recruit new creatures, there's a more varied leveling structure, and you can combine them to create new creatures, which is a little more flexible than Pokemon breeding. It's also a 3d environment, much like the last DQ game that came out on the PS2.

It's a good game, great if you like previous Monsters games or Pokemon itself, but it's far from a traditional RPG.

Sounds pretty interesting. I might pick it up sometime when it's cheaper - I don't feel like spending $40 on it right now. I have Dragon Quest VIII for the PS2, so maybe I'll try that before I make up my mind on whether to buy it sometime.

I'm about four hours into Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles and I still really like it. I don't know if it'd be worth a purchase, since it's relatively short, but it's a great rental. Just beware of the fact that it's tailored towards a younger audience, because it's quite easy as a result.

Anyone know where I can get a good deal on the NDS? Kids hounding me to get them one as bdays are approaching. Thanks

Target has them for $119 through Saturday.

I think I need to get another. I can't pry my new DS Lite out of my g/f's hands. I need to beat Zelda already!

Thanks. I tried but they were sold out everywhere. Still looking (for black) if anyone knows of anywhere else.

more info on that?

Is this the first DS game you have to hold upside-down?

Hell, in that configuration with the microphone, I'm expecting Flute Hero: Jethro Tull to be announced any minute.

Maybe N wil release their own Ocarina Hero now.

There are several games that play like this: Brain Age, Hotel Dusk, Puzzle League, etc.