Official DS name, design, etc

[thray-walsh]

http://home.businesswire.com/portal/...44&newsLang=en

REDMOND, Wash.--July 28, 2004--In preparation for the launch of
Nintendo DS(TM) in North America and Japan later this year, Nintendo
today announces major global developments for the innovative
dual-screen, wireless, hand-held video game system.
Nintendo DS, originally chosen as the code name, has been selected
as the official product name. The Nintendo DS name evokes the idea of
a portable system with "dual screens," providing the rationale for the
final name. The hardware also has been redesigned to sport a slimmer,
sharper look. The retooled Nintendo DS features a thinner, black base
and an angular platinum flip-top cover. The face buttons and shoulder
buttons are larger, and some have been reconfigured for optimum use.
The unit includes a new storage slot for the touch screen's stylus,
and the speakers now broadcast in stereo sound, with or without
headphones.
"The Nintendo DS will change the future of hand-held gaming," says
Satoru Iwata, president of Nintendo Co., Ltd. "Dual screens, chat
functions, a touch screen, wireless capabilities, voice recognition --
these abilities surpass anything attempted before, and consumers will
benefit from the creativity and innovation the new features bring to
the world of video games."
Software companies worldwide have more than 120 Nintendo DS games
in development. Nintendo alone is developing more than 20 titles, and
in excess of 100 companies have signed on to create games for the new
system.
"The innovative functions make Nintendo DS a superior game device,
while the chat feature and ability to detect other DS units make it a
social device as well," says Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America's
executive vice president of sales and marketing. "We've figured out
the magic of what makes portable game play so attractive to consumers.
We've defeated nine challengers and once again we're prepared to win."
Nintendo will announce the launch date, price and game lineup for
Nintendo DS at a later date.
The worldwide leader and innovator in the creation of interactive
entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and
markets hardware and software for its popular home and portable video
game systems. Each year, hundreds of all-new titles for the
best-selling Game Boy(R) Advance and Nintendo GameCube(TM) systems
extend Nintendo's vast game library and continue the tradition of
delivering a rich, diverse mix of quality video games for players of
all ages. Since the release of its first home video game system in
1983, Nintendo has sold more than 1.9 billion video games and more
than 170 million hardware units globally, creating enduring industry
icons such as Mario(TM) and Donkey Kong(R) and launching popular
culture franchise phenomena such as Metroid(R), Zelda(TM) and
Pokemon(R). A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based
in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in
the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, visit the
company's Web site at www.nintendo.com.

[Reno]

Hotness! I can't wait for this puppy to come out ;D

Sweet.

[EThugg]

Colour me unimpressed.

Hope these work.

beautiful final design.

i couldn't have asked for more.




the design is soooo much nicer. this is the best system design since the SP.

Heh and here i was worried that those two button on top of the four buttons on the right were the L and R buttons moved there.

My worries are gone and now I am much more appreciative of the design.

[bahn]

Yes! I can't wait for this! Wooo!!!

Wooooo. Thanks Shane.

WOW that is a much nicer design, color me impressed with it. Very sleek and sexy looking there.

[EThugg]

That does look better, I'll conceed, but PSP still looks better. When they slap analog control on DS and get at least one game I want more than a little, I'll get one.

[Ammadeau]

After using the GBA and SP, I'm a little dodgy about that d-pad myself, even if the overall design looks sleek.

Looks better than the prototype. Not sure yet what to say about the D-pad yet. Guess I have to try it myself somehow. Anyway I just need news for more softwares (of my liking) and i'll be 100% over it.

[bahn]

Make it easy on yourself and just say "i want it"

"I WANT IT"

Very good.

[Jeremy]

Thanks for the info, Shane. This design looks amazing. The d-pad looks like it willl be comfortable to use, and not get in the way of things during play. The face button layout is ingenius, and I love the shiny finish on the system. Once a date and launch games are announced, I'm all over it.

[Bacon McShig]

A huge improvement on the design shown at E3.

For some reason it makes me think of a Delorean (car from Back to the Future).

Definately looks much better than what was displayed before. I dig platinum metalic look.

Still, its the games that it will/wont have on it that matter.

Nice. I have high hopes for this thing. Anybody know if the wireless features will prevent you from playing on an ariplane?

[Rocca]

Yahoooo!!! Off to pre-order I go. That looks much better then the model we saw at E3, the curvy look is getting me to ask for one on xmas.

[The Bastard]

By any chance do you have to hold down the power button to turn it off? If not, that looks to be quite the terrible spot for it to be. Great design otherwise....

We have a thread about the DS already but seeing as this one is where everyone is visiting, i'll just post it here..

Atlus has announced 5 games for the DS.

- Snobow Kids DS
- Shin Megami Tensei DS,
- Choro Q DS
- Jinsei Game DS
- Caduceus

Source is Jeux-France.

Also Square-Enix is also asking people that bought Final Fantasy I and II remake on the GBA what other games do they want to see on the DS in the near future (The game comes with a flyer that you can fill in and send it out to S-E)

Seiken Densetsu
Saga series
Final Fantasy III
Final Fantasy IV
Final Fantasy V
Final Fantasy VI
Chrono trigger
Front Mission
Hanjuku Eiyuu

[Bacon McShig]

C'mon, announce Advance Wars DS, Nintendo. I'll be your best friend.

[bahn]

I got a feeling that's already in development, man. (At least I hope so for your sake...since I think you were the one that told me how crappy the Cube version looks).

[Flik]

Originally Posted by k1d

Shin Megami Tensei DS

A US release of that would get me to buy the system. I'll probably end up getting one anyway. I'm glad they kept the name, I just hope the Dpad doesn't suck like the GBA SP one.

Originally Posted by Bacon McShig

C'mon, announce Advance Wars DS, Nintendo. I'll be your best friend.

shouldnt it be called DS Wars though

much like the gamecube one really should be called Gamecube Wars

A remake of chrono trigger?

Wow, the DS looks fantastic! I was fine with the previous incarnation of its design, but now looking back after seeing this version the old one looks pretty weak. But they had said from the beginning that the old desing was not the final one.

And yeah its got that kind of 80's sports car design to it, and I like that about it. Looks a lot bettern than the PSP in my opinion.

[Flik]

Originally Posted by Damian79

A remake of chrono trigger?

Don't hold your breath, I bet that any of the Final Fantasy games will get re-released before Chrono Trigger does.

It is a nice dream though.. I'd like to see that on a handheld.

Originally Posted by Flik

A US release of that would get me to buy the system.

Same here, once the RPGs (Cannot wait to see a ARPG or SRPG that makes a good use of the second screen comes out on the DS) but once some RPGs starts to get localized i'll be on board for sure. Shmups are also welcome.

Originally Posted by K1D

Same here, once the RPGs (Cannot wait to see a ARPG or SRPG that makes a good use of the second screen comes out on the DS) but once some RPGs starts to get localized i'll be on board for sure. Shmups are also welcome.

Maybe you will like this game?

Cerulean Dreams Preview
Last year we told you about two titles in development by MezCo Studios in our “The Games You’ve Never Heard Of” feature – Cerulean Dreams and Dark Reflections, both for Game Boy Advance. Since then, things have changed quite a bit at the Long Island, NY-based developer. For one, the company is focusing primarily on Cerulean Dreams, a shoot-em-up with RPG elements, as its debut title. And two, Cerulean Dreams is no longer for the Game Boy Advance – with the debut of Nintendo DS two months ago, MezCo Studios is now developing the title for the Nintendo DS and will take advantage of the DS hardware to give the game 3D elements, a unique touch-screen set-up and a potential co-operative multiplayer mode.

Upon seeing the word “shoot-em-up,” your first thought may have been that this would be a simple by-the-books shooter. However, the reality is much, much different – MezCo Studios has created an entire universe with Cerulean Dreams, with a compelling, in-depth story and RPG features in which the characters can gain experience and items to upgrade their ships over time. And yes, you did read correctly – “characters” and “ships.” Read on to discover the universe MezCo Studios has created with its game and why this should be on your “most wanted” list.

Game Features

* Take complete control of each of the four main characters as you complete missions and progress through the story. Kayle, Crystal, Gene and Vince are all played during different parts of the game. The characters you aren’t playing follow along to help with “assist attacks” during game play, providing a special ability or attack to use in your battles from time to time. Elaine follows only to make her assist ability available.
* Your characters gain experience and items that can be used to upgrade their ships and abilities as time goes on.
* In addition to flight combat stages, towns, cities, and other areas can be explored using an above-angled RPG-style adventure view.


Kayle Sethan's ship, The Assassin. More angles and details here


The Story
It’s a time of conflict; two major sky-city powers, the Daladian Kingdom and the Xamin Empire, have been warring for over 20 years with no real outcome. It’s also a world shrouded with superstition; people live in cities floating high in the sky but have no understanding of the ancient technology used to make them float, and the majority of people have never seen the ground. In reality, there is a world below the sky-cities which the Daladians and the Xamins have never discovered, and they are separated from this world on the ground by a vertically massive sea of clouds – the “second layer.” But when a close friend of Kayle Sethan, Gene Hakins, is downed in an air battle and falls into the “second layer,” Kayle, an assassin pilot of the Daladian Kingdom, refuses to believe Gene’s fate is sealed in superstition. Some have tried to explore beneath the second layer, but those who have either never come back or return after seeing nothing but clouds, and for this reason, Kayle is advised not to go after Gene. But, defying orders, he goes down to the second cloud layer, followed by his close female friend, Crystal Shelia. Unbeknownst to them, a team commander of the Xamin Empire, Vince, follows them, but the truth that Kayle and Crystal discover on the ground will force the Daladian and Xamin empires to work together – a civilization on the ground indeed exists, and the ground dwelling people are planning a massive assault on the cloud cities that will be all too successful if the Daladians and Xamins continued to oppose each other in their war…

The story of Cerulean Dreams is driven by the characters, four of which can be fully playable in the game – Kayle Sethan, Gene Hakins and Crystal Shelia, affiliated with the Daladian Kingdom, and Vince Caldry, affiliated with the Xamin Empire. There is also an additional character, Elaine Bellana, who finds Gene Hakins on the ground after the battle, and she will help the team in land battles. The characters in the game are certainly important, and as a result, it’s important to get to know them (the character profiles below are provided by MezCo Studios):

Kayle Sethan - Concept Art
Sex: Male, Age: 18, Rank: Assassin Pilot of the Daladian Kingdom

Kayle is a very well rounded individual. He’s loyal, hard-working, and typically a pretty serious person, although he does have a lighter side. Kayle can also be quite cynical at times. However, all in all, he gets the job done – he’s not one to give up, and always one to give everything he has if he believes what he is working for is a good cause.

Kayle’s parents were killed when he was 5, and he was sent to a government-run orphanage for children whose parents were killed in or out of combat during the war. It was there he met Crystal, and the two became inseparable friends from that point on. Many of the children in the orphanage had dreams of becoming pilots in the Daladian army, and Kayle was no different. He enlisted at 16, and moved quickly through his training to become one of the Kingdom’s most skilled pilots. He is admired by many due to his incredible expertise at flying the Daladian Assassin class ship.

Crystal Shelia - Concept Art
Sex: Female, Age: 17, Rank: Acolyte Pilot of the Daladian Kingdom

Crystal is a bright, bubbly girl. She’s the kind of person who will try to be cheerful in even the most serious of situations, although she does have her limits. She’s very attached to her close friends, and although one would think otherwise, she really doesn’t have many friends outside of Kayle, Gene, and a few others at the base. Most people there think she’s a bit of a ditz, although she’s actually quite intelligent – she just doesn’t like to act brainy or over-skilled, for fear of alienating herself even more. Although she’s considered very pretty, her lack of social skills beyond her small circle of friends keeps her moderately unknown around the base.

Crystal was also placed in the orphanage during the war. No one really knows what happened to her parents, she was merely found alone and disoriented wandering around Deladia. As stated above, she met up with Kayle at the orphanage. She’s very attached to him, and as such follows him everywhere she can. When they first met in the orphanage, she was huddled in a corner crying. Kayle came up to her and comforted her, promising to always protect her. Since then, she feels vulnerable whenever he isn’t around. Kayle is constantly trying to remind her that she’s strong enough, smart enough, and skilled enough to get by on her own, but it’s still difficult for her to feel comfortable dealing with things by herself. She enlisted when Kayle did, of course following him, and became pilot of an Acolyte support class ship in order to assist him (and others) in combat.


Crystal Shelia's ship, The Acolyte. More details here


Gene Hakins - Concept Art

Sex: Male, Age: 23, Rank: Squad Captain, Hunter Pilot of the Daladian Kingdom

Gene is a calm, collected person, for the most part. He’s very intelligent, and isn’t one who is quick to jump into battle without thinking it over. He makes excellent use of intelligence information on his enemies, and always seems to be in complete control of a situation, planning extensively, etc. There are very few times when his squad members (Kayle and Crystal) ask him something to which he does not have an answer or has not already thought out. Gene is well liked throughout the base, and is considered next in line for a promotion beyond his current Captain/Squad Leader position.

Gene has worked hard his entire life. His father went missing in an earlier battle of the war, and was presumed dead, so he had to help his mother raise his two sisters, being the oldest of the family. He didn’t have much spare time for recreation, so most of his free time was spent reading during the few minutes he had. Gene was always into technical and military information, however, and read lots of military strategy books and technical manuals. This gave him a huge head start when he enlisted into military service upon turning 18. Although his mother was sad to see him go, his family could provide a bit better for itself by then, although Gene has always sent some of his military salary back home. Gene has been Captain of his team for over a year now, and has been decorated nicely as a master strategist. He flies a Hunter-class ship and launches heavy attacks in support of the light fighters while he analyzes the changing battlefield situations and provides new instructions to the other ships on his team.

Vince Caldry - Concept Art
Sex: Male, Age: 21, Rank: Team Commander, Tracer Pilot of the Xamin Empire

Vince is a quiet person by nature. He’s been raised in a military environment, and therefore is not usually rash or outspoken. That’s not to say he doesn’t speak his mind – Vince speaks very directly, saying exactly what is on his mind in the most direct way possible. He’s well respected throughout the Xamin Empire, but does not really socialize with his peers – he’s distanced from them because of his origins as a person.
(Continued from above)

Vince has no parents – he was born in a laboratory – genetically engineered as the ultimate pilot. He has enhanced hand-eye-coordination and general reflexes, and was raised by the military to be an incredibly skilled pilot and an excellent soldier. However, his origins are no secret to many of the members of the Xamin military, and he is often seen as only semi-human – others are intimidated, and even frightened of him. His life has been one filled with only notions of duty, honor and justice – he was never taught the ways of love or compassion, and yet, due to his intellect, he is aware they exist, and thoroughly curious as to how they work. Vince fights because he has an intense loyalty to his country, his people, and was not only taught, but believes that the Daladian Kingdom is a monster of a country that must be stopped lest it destroy the people of Xamin. He flies a Tracer class ship – an experimental Xamin fighter known for its high tech weaponry and surveillance abilities.

Elaine Bellana
Sex: Female, Age: 20, Rank: None

Elaine is a citizen of the “World Below” – the ground dwelling people of the planet’s surface. She and her father live on a small farm outside city limits and find Gene when his ship crashes. She has lived with and taken care of her father for the past 2 years, and has been trained to operate several weapons and their assault jeep in order to defend the family land from outland bandits. When her father tries to turn Gene in to their government for a reward, she decides to help Gene and his friends, and continues with them on their travels.

The Gameplay
At this point, you may be wondering how the characters all fit into the game. Although at first the team at MezCo built the game around Kayle and had the other characters come into “assist” him when he needed help, the team opted to make Kayle, Crystal, Gene and Vince all playable.

Commented Rich Vitale, Lead Designer of the project and President of MezCo Studios, “Originally, it was going to be Kayle only. This meant that the only interaction with the other characters the player had was when he/she called them in. Since we decided… that the player wasn't going to control the assisted ship - rather, it would just fly out and do a specific attack/move - that cut down interaction with the other characters by quite a bit. Seeing as how this is a story driven game, I really did not want to alienate the player from the other characters. The last thing I want is for the player to feel apathetic towards them (y'know, like your "teammates" in Halo, or Luigi in Superstar Saga) because they only serve a simple purpose in the fighting portion of the game (not counting their storyline functions). So, I decided to make them fully playable. This means that some portions of the game you'll find yourself playing as Vince, Gene, or Crystal. Not only does that make for more variety in gameplay, but it allows us to do more with the storyline, as we don't have to follow Kayle everywhere he goes.”

The ships which the players have are also all unique; you can read more about them in the company’s forums with MezCo’s weekly “The Ships of Cerulean Dreams” feature.

As you know, the game contains RPG features. Essentially, the fighters in the game will gain experience and items over time so that the ships and abilities can be upgraded. Also as in RPGs, towns, cities and other areas can be explored with an “above-angled RPG-style adventure view.”

Apart from the in-depth story and RPG features, the game also can claim some pretty unique features thanks to the Nintendo DS. Touch screen menus will be shown on the bottom screen, and the game will also have wireless multiplayer features – meaning a potential co-operative multiplayer mode.

“Touch screen menu functionality allows on the fly adjustments to weapon and ability settings. Furthermore, the touch screen will display two power-management sliders to give non-novice players the ability to precisely adjust the power output between a ship’s shields and weapons, giving you more direct control over your offensive/defensive capabilities. Such a quick-access advanced feature would not be possible without the touch screen abilities of the Nintendo DS. [The game also contains] wireless linkup for multiplayer features,” continued Vitale. He also adds, “New functions will be added that allow you to better control your ships functionality. This one I can't expand upon more than that, but let's just say the touch sensitivity will be utilized, and it will add a lot more depth to gameplay.”


Early concept renders for an enemy unit, Seeker Drone, used by the Xamin Empire to travel on pre-set paths and fire on enemy units. Additional angles: Angle, Top


Technology
Along with advanced touch-screen features and wireless multiplayer, the Nintendo DS allowed MezCo Studios to have better graphics than originally planned. Essentially, 3D models will be used for main ship sprites, enemy sprites and some obstacle and terrain items; the backgrounds will be fairly 2D, but some 3D obstacles and items will possibly be “thrown into the mix to keep things looking good.” The company is hard at work with the game’s engine, which is being remade for the Nintendo DS (the company was previously working on a GBA engine). No screenshots are available yet, although a lot of concept art is available for view on this page and their forums.

And the sound is one of the most promising features of all; the team is hard at work creating a customized soundtrack to match the feel of the game. With the company's other game, Dark Reflections, MezCo hired the New York University Orchestra to perform a piece for the game, and after a couple rehearsals, a recording engineer came and recorded the music. You can see an orchestra rehearsal video here.

Read This
If it’s not clear with the expansive preview, Cerulean Dreams is no run-of-the-mill project. While most handheld games today are either ports or licensed games, Cerulean Dreams strives to be unique and fun in every way. The story is compelling and interesting, the gameplay looks to be very involving, with multiple characters and RPG elements, the graphics have been enhanced with the Nintendo DS and the sound has been orchestrated to pull off the feel MezCo Studios wanted to give players with the game.

It’s still a ways off, but if first impressions are any indication, Cerulean Dreams looks to be one of the most interesting original handheld titles in quite some time. We’ll keep you updated as the game progresses, but you don’t have to keep hitting the refresh button – MezCo Studios has a forum hosted by Nintendo Insider where you can ask anything that is on your mind related to the game. The communication between the company and gamers is quite refreshing, and there’s even more information on the forums we haven’t even touched on yet.
-Jonathan Coley

Information
Game: Cerulean Dreams Publisher: To Be Announced
Developer: MezCo Studios Genre: Top-down flight shooter, RPG Elements
Release Date: To Be Announced Players: One to Two

http://nintendoinsider.com/site/EplAAklAlkMrEbRlBv.php

[Bacon McShig]

Originally Posted by bahn

I got a feeling that's already in development, man. (At least I hope so for your sake...since I think you were the one that told me how crappy the Cube version looks).

Yeah, seems like a no-brainer. And it ain't necessarily that the Cube one looks crappy, it just looks like a completely unrelated game, not only gameplay-wise but design-wise. I hate when companies don't respect the source material. It's cool if they wanna do their own thing, but if the name is gonna be on the box, you should be obligated to adhere to the source material a little closer than what I've seen so far.

Actually, somewhat related, RTSes would probably work really well with the touch screen interface of the DS.

Originally Posted by Damian

All those character pics

:/

They're not bad, but I dunno, something about them seems too forced. Cool concept for a game, though, hopefully it'll turn out nicely. Is this company the same MezCo that makes toys?

Originally Posted by Bacon McShig

:/

They're not bad, but I dunno, something about them seems too forced. Cool concept for a game, though, hopefully it'll turn out nicely. Is this company the same MezCo that makes toys?

Not sure about the company. They have their boards at www.nintendoinsider.com . I think it is the painting of the art that messed it up and the third characteres art(I find it hard to tell if that is a he or she). Other than that it seems like a perfect melding of Japanese styles and western styles(as in the ones found in Baldurs gate).

the characters look like rejects that couldn't even make it into the PSO Reject Character Design club.

Originally Posted by Damian79

Maybe you will like this game?

I hate it when western studios tries to be eastern studios, in other words they try to draw the characters with manga features.

That said. The game concept sounds okay on paper. I'll keep my eye out for it from now on.Thanks for pointing me in that direction.

[Ammadeau]

Originally Posted by K1D

Same here, once the RPGs (Cannot wait to see a ARPG or SRPG that makes a good use of the second screen comes out on the DS) but once some RPGs starts to get localized i'll be on board for sure. Shmups are also welcome.

Makai Wars by Nippon Ichi is going to be on the PSP though.

And those character designs are god-awful. I hate mixed styles with a passion. They never blend to me at all. Stick with one or the other.

Originally Posted by Ammadeau

Makai Wars by Nippon Ichi is going to be on the PSP though.

I know that, when it gets a US release i'll be over the PSP. I was just shouting out loud what will it takes for me to buy the DS (same goes for the PSP, I just didn't mentioned it cause this is the DS thread :P )

However It will be an interesting point if we get to see an ARPG or SRPG on the DS using all the features of the DS. Something that I am really looking forward to.

I liked the old design of the DS, but I love this version.

[Wildcat]

Hm, that looks better, indeed. And I'd be so happy if Square brought Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana (and its Japanese SNES sequel) to the DS. ^^

Originally Posted by Johnny Nighttrain

the characters look like rejects that couldn't even make it into the PSO Reject Character Design club.

Reminds me of Hyun Tae Kim's art from "Magna Carta" though the colors aren't necessarily as strong and maybe the black lines aren't as noticeable.

[Bacon McShig]

Whoa, whoa, whoa, I've seen the Magna Carta art (had some as my wallpaper a few months ago), and comparing it with these designs is nothing less than sacrilege.

I meant colorwise mainly and some on style. Something just beckons to me of it reminding me of "Magna Carta". You can't see anything of that in there?

[Bacon McShig]

I meant colorwise mainly and some on style. Something just beckons to me of it reminding me of "Magna Carta". You can't see anything of that in there?

Not really, they strike me more of a pileup between Panzer Dragoon Orta, a snowboarding game, and bad western attempts at anime style.

For those who wonder what Magna Carta's designs look like, here's a gallery with some wallpapers.