Sorry, i was going through Shiren withdrawal. :(

I had seen your post about giving it up for a bit so i wrongfully assumed it would send you a message when i gave up the rescue (when you logged on, not when you finished the rescue).

It's no big deal, I probably just grabbed the request before you gave up on it.

So when i get tired of Shiren, what other rogue games can i hunt down on the DS? You mentioned there are some Pokemon skinned versions?

Speaking of the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games, two new ones are coming out later this month. Both are up for pre-order at Target. If you put $5 on a pre-order, they give you a free strategy guide for the game. It's not a full huge guide, but not a typical freebie either, a rather nice looking 60 or so page book for each game.

Well, there's Izuna, which as I just posted about isn't very good. It's only real roguelike feature is that the dungeons are randomly generated. You could give it a shot if you want to, but without the strategy present in the Mystery Dungeon games, it can be rather tedious. It does feel pretty fun early on though.

The Pokémon games are actually part of the Mystery Dungeon series (and the huge success of the first one probably played a big part in Shiren getting released here). I played the first game for a little bit, I think it both suffered and gained from the license. The game is all about the Pokémon and it's quite enjoyable to mix and match and build up the various skills for you characters. On the other hand, you lose all the cool items from Torneko/Shiren and the abilities take center stage. There's also no or little penalty to dying, so the runs tend to be more careless, which can be either refreshing or boring depending on your mood. The game also focuses more on small missions and rescues, I didn't get far enough to see if there were any large dungeons or not. But knowing Chun Soft, there was probably a bonus dungeon (or six) that had some balls to it.

Apparently, Tao's Adventure is a roguelike and a sequl of sorts to Azure Dreams on the PS1/GBC. But it seemed to be received rather poorly from fans of the genre and of the previous game. I never had to chance to try it myself. There are also a couple of roguelikes exclusive to Japan and a couple more on the way there, so they could be eventual releases here.

I'm personally rooting for a game called Dungeon of Windaria (based on an awesome old anime).
http://gonintendo.com/wp-content/photos/dungeon239.jpg

I also saw this preorder guide at Fry's a few weeks ago, so it's not just a Target exclusive...

They did the same thing with the DS/GBA versions a few years ago. The book explained the basic Pokémon and their homes, skills, and a few other maps and charts and things. He enjoyed getting it.

I saw them at K-mart too.

But one good thing about Target pre-orders is that if you change your mind or forget to pick up the game, the pre-order gift card can be used on anything in the store.

Fry's had a GREAT deal on the first Pokémon Mystery Dungeon ($23.99?).

I won't be able to pass it up if they offer something similar again. :D

I added you to my list.

Forgive me for not being patient, but asking again. Anyone have any thoughts on Orcs and Elves?

I tried it and thought it was really simple and kind of dull. It showed it's cellphone game roots pretty clearly imo.

Thanks. I'm a huge fan of the old Dungeon Master and Eye of the Beholder games, and this looks like the closest to those.

Simple might be good for me, a DS newbie who still hasn't opened the box.

Belated thanks to Darkside and others for the Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fate info. I'm on the lookout for it.

And yet, it was that simplicity and oldschool fun that kept me playing it for awhile.

Has anyone bought Professor Layton? Is it any good?

Yes and yes.

It is a really fun game and has a good amount of free puzzles for download.

We discussed it quite a bit a few pages back. The consensus was that it was very good. I loved the demo. Decided to wait for it to drop in price or be part of a sale personally.

Thanks. I just needed at least one yea to make this my first purchase (that I'll open). I love old school Dungeon Master stuff, and a quick and easy dungeon game will be best for my DS newbie-ness and my short attention span.

With its save anywhere feature and multiple difficulty levels, it fits the bill for you... I also liked some of the Dwarves making you get drunk in order to help you.

http://gizmodo.com/378899/rumor-next...led-at-e3-2008

Rumor: Next-Gen Nintendo DS Unveiled at E3 2008

http://gizmodo.com/assets/resources/...ts-ds-open.jpg

Chris

The next DS needs to be all new hardware, not just bigger screens or bigger microphones or "peripheral" removal.

There's no need for another marginal revision.

My DS touch screen has been screwy, so I may wait to hear about this supposed update before rebuying.

? The link sends me to the pregnant marine story. Also the screenshot, which I assume is a mockup, nevertheless indicates that this is a hardware update: at least, Advance Wars doesn't look like that top screen on my DS.

Remember when they said the DS was NOT the next Gameboy, and that they were still going to come out with another Gameboy someday? Whatever happened to that?

The DS sold trillions, the plan changed.

Is it time for DS2 already? -eek-

I kinda doubt it... you'd think they can rely on the existing hardware for at least a few more years. The threat of the PSP seems to have diminished, and even with the graphical limitations of the current hardware, recent games have been extraordinary (where's DQ???). Plus, it's gotta be cheaper for developers to develop for, right?

I would absolutely buy a new version of the DS Lite.