To celebrate the release of Pokemon Movie 9: Pokemon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea, Nintendo and JB Hi-Fi have teamed up to gift Pokemon players with the (apparently) sought-after character, Manaphy.
Those interested need to visit a JB Hi-Fi store between 7-13 November with their DS and a copy of Pokemon Diamond/Pearl, and follow these instructions. To find a JB Hi-Fi store near you, use this site.
A small scale study at a primary school in the town of Dundee, Scotland has uncovered some very promising findings. The study set out to test the benefits of using More Brain Training for the Nintendo DS as an educational aid.
The students were separated into 3 groups of 30 for 10 weeks, one that played More Brain Training for 15 minutes each morning, one used “Brain Gym” (physical exercises meant to stimulate brain activity) and the last group did nothing.
A math test given to students at the start and end of the study showed that the students who used More Brain Training improved their scores by a greater margin than those who didn’t. Interestingly, students who performed poorly on the first test saw particularly impressive gains over the course of the study - one special-needs pupil raised his score from 25/100 to 68/100.
Derek Robertson, from Learning and Teaching Scotland (LTS) speaks about the project he helped design:
The results of this small-scale Dr Kawashima project have shown how a targeted and managed use of such a game can help to enhance pupil numeracy skills and classroom behaviour.
There was also a noticeable impact on behaviour and levels of concentration throughout the school day, with the children becoming more self-confident.
It had a real calming effect on children in the class. In fact I have never before seen such gains across the board.
Educational games don’t usually make it to consoles, and certainly never make it “fun” like is always claimed… except on the DS. So it’s good news to hear the DS is finally taking the plunge in respect to a musical education, with the game Rhythm N’ Notes. Through the use of piano and drums the game aims to teach the technical aspects of music. The game is designed for both the musically inept and advanced, with ranging difficulty levels. Available now, at the very reasonable price of $19.99 you really have no excuse not to aim to be that musical virtuoso you always wished you were.
via DS Fanboy
Ever had the red battery light on your DS light up in the middle of a boss battle? Sure it’ll last for another 30min or so but it psychs you out, flattens your mojo and tears shreds in your confidence. Well you could buy a bulky battery pack to plug in and negate the portability of the DS - or you could get a Charger Bracelet. The device from Thanko will boost your battery by 15 to 20 hours and is also compatible with the PSP and many different mobile phones.
If you don’t feel like enough of a badass, a Google translation of the manufacturers website proclaims “Do a game, fight leprosy!” which is a fair call since you couldn’t use the device if you had a severe case of Hansons disease. The Charger Bracelet will set you back 4,980 yen (or $43 USD), a small price to pay for looking like you are from the future.
via DS Fanboy
Ever dreamt of mangling a tight breakbeat in public? With this homebrew app for the DS you’re able to load either wav files or live recorded audio and manipulate them in real time using a bunch of digital effects. All with the no-nonsense DS stylus control and dual screen display. Its also a great studio tool too, because you can transmit your MIDI data wirelessly to the rest of your gear. Who knows, maybe strict gamerheads will get a taste for making beats after messing around with this for a while.
Via CDM
Ever wanted to read but can’t be bothered lugging around your usual assortment of gadgets plus a book? The Moon Books Project might be just what you are looking for. It’s a library of classic titles that can be downloaded to be read on your DS. To do so you’ll need a G6 DS Real, M3 Simply card or a R4 card and a copy of Moonshell on there. All you have to do once you have all that sorted is browse the list of books on Moon Books and download the ones you want. All the books are public domain, so you won’t find any current titles, but there are plenty of classics.
via Wired
Nintendo must have caught wind of Sony’s recent PSP announcements, as they’ve started work on a similar download service for the DS. Called “Everyone’s Nintendo Channel” the service will turn the Wii into a download station for the DS, offering both demos and videos. Currently there is no word on when the service will be available.
via Engadget
In response to last weeks news of a canned Halo DS game, Bungie’s Brian Jarrard has set the record straight in an interview with Kotaku:
This rumor has been circulating for a while and as you know we even saw some real life screens and assets this week. Ultimately it’s up to Microsoft to decide if and when they take Halo to a different platform. That particular demo was in fact created and I believe it was an unsolicited pitch a long time ago but nothing ever came of it.
via Gaming Today
Renegade Kid has treated us all to some extra videos of their very scary DS game, Dementium: The Ward. With the game being one of the few survival horror games to be released on a hand-held device, the video shows that it packs a big atmosphere into the the small frame of the DS.
Of course with Halloween coming up Renegade Kid would be foolish to miss the opportunity to release the game then. Foolish they are not, for the game has been finished and cartridges are being manufactured as you read.
Hit the jump for more video.
