It is good, but the demo does not support the paddle control. I'm hoping it is just because it is the demo version. If Square removed support of this for the US version of the full game I will have basically wasted $30 and Square will have removed something for no reason. I can see them not wanting to bring the controller to the US, but don't remove support for those of us that imported it.

Now you know everyone will be mad if you don't explain what that picture you posted is about. ;)

Anyone had any luck finding Jake Hunter? Apparently none of my local EB's even got the game in stock.

I'm still debating this one. I like point and click adventures, but this one has been shredded by reviewers. Not only do they have issues with the game, but they also only localized half of the game for the US.

That said I haven't run across it either. GameStop is starting to get very picky about carrying niche titles. I won't be shocked if they don't carry the game. They didn't carry the most recent Pinball Hall of Fame and they refused to allow preorders on the upcoming Space Invaders Extreme and Arkanoid DS.

IGN just reviewed Space Invaders Extreme. They gave it a 9.0 and preferred the DS version for its better online. Most importantly the paddle support is still fully there.

Now to just find copies of it and Arkanoid DS next week.

I'm looking for a decent DS RPG, any recommendations?

I typically dislike JRPGs, but that is purely because long cut scenes aggravate me - i thought on the DS due to technical limitations that might not be an issue.

Would Final Fantasy III be worth looking into?

I heard that FF3 hasn't really evolved any from the Famicon version apart from longer random battles due to the introduced load times and 3D panning. Anyway, I tend to avoid remakes for the most part so I can't comment personally. I'm still waiting for more top tier original JRPGs to make their way to handhelds. Maybe Dragonquest 9 could be the one.

I thought FF3 was a nice little game without all the angst-ridden hero silliness of the post FF7 titles. Never played the original, but I think thought it was a nice mix of gameplay with enough drama to keep the story interestign. Only downside was the random encounter every ten feet got a bit tiresome after awhile.

I liked it as well. I played about half of a fan translated version of FFIII on an emulator and really didn't get into it. Too many random battles for my taste. I thought they evened all of that out for the DS remake. Granted some will complain about them making these easier, but I think in general most of us prefer less level grinding in these remakes.

Riz-Zoawd.

A new RPG based on.. The Wizard of Oz:

http://www.the-magicbox.com/0806/game080615c.shtml

I wish they would make a new Ghouls & Ghosts for the DS.

Anyone pick up Arkanoid DS or Space Invaders Extreme yet? The lack of a paddle controller for Arkanoid is a bummer, and the cost to import one seems a bit high. I also saw a pretty wide range of reviews for Arkanoid, so I'm sort of on the fence. Space Invaders Extreme seems to be getting great reviews, and I enjoyed the PSP demo, so I will probably be getting that one soon.

Anyone gotten Etrian Odyssey II yet? I'm curious how if it lets you bring in your characters from the first one or if you need to have beaten the first game to bring them over.

:up:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2...e/DSCN1044.jpg

Quoting myself here but i found a copy of Etrian II this evening.

The problem is before you start a game it asks for a password from your previous game. I never beat the first one so therefore don't have a password.

Sooooooo, anyone beat the game who is willing to share their password with me so i can start out with the Town Crown? :D

Wow, passwords is old school :). You probably already thought of this but I guess you could get something on gamefaqs.

After an hour or so with each I'm pretty impressed. Space Invaders Extreme is just fantastic. The changes they have made to the enemies is very cool. They have different sizes, come at you in different patterns and have shields at times to block or bounce shots back. The UFOs now have major importance as they activate the bonus rounds and are worth jackpot points in fever mode. They can also shoot at you with the big laser which caught me off guard the first time. The remixed music is excellent and the entire game is just a blast to play.

Now Arkanoid DS does not match it, but I'm liking it as well. The paddle works perfectly with both. I tried the stylus and it is fine, but I wouldn't use the D pad with Arkanoid. Arkanoid is much simpler and more like the original. I like the soundtrack so far, but the levels are pretty small. Instead of having the borders I wish they had opened the levels up wider. However, it seems like there are lots of levels and you get rewards you can use to unlock content so I see myself playing this a lot. The main game has branches as you go through so that gives you plenty of reason to replay. It gets all the basic breakout gameplay right and I personally have no issue with the dead space between screens. The stuff appears right where I expect it on the bottom screen.

I really can't recommend both enough at the $20 price, but if you only get one it has to be Space Invaders Extreme.

Yeah i ended up using one from Gamefaqs. I originally thought it would port over the characters so i didn't want to end up with some assclown characters. It turns out it ports over the name of your group and that is it. It even lets you rename the group first thing. Then if they got the Town Crown in the previous game it lets you start out with that piece of equipment. So no huge deal, but if you are going to play you might as well use the password. Be aware it is ridiculously long and a pain in the arse to enter.

I ended up getting both of 'em last night. So far I've only tried out Arkanoid, and it's definitely fun. As one review mentioned, the removal of the little floating enemies (as seen in the original Arkanoid) is disappointing, but it doesn't bother me as much as it did the reviewer. I'd like to get the paddle controller eventually if I can find a good deal. Where did you get yours?

Japanvideogames.com is where I found mine. I think it was $35 with the shipping, but now that I am playing both games it is well worth it. Arkanoid really is much more enjoyable for me with the paddle, but honestly both games are fine to play with the stylus or with Space Invaders the D pad. It is hard to recommend a $35 accessory purchase for just two games. I think the fact both games are budget priced helped the decision for me.

So far only Z-3 was a pain for me on Arkanoid. It takes a hell of a well aimed bounce to get it up to where you need it past the unbreakable blocks and the bottom row of them is close to the bottom so you end up with the ball spending a lot of time in the dead space between screens which can suck when it is moving fast and not staying on the top screen long.

That looks like something I might enjoy...

<img src="http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/9/2008/06/aa/e8/494x_aae893c314282fddaf931a5a7d85004f.jpg">