Some people just take up a hobby for their spare time, and that’s it. Shigeru Miyamoto, on the other hand, tends to take up hobbies and translate them into hit video game ideas. He takes up gardening, and Pikmin is born; he gets a puppy, and suddenly we’ve got Nintendogs. So maybe it actually makes sense that Nintendo has now asked him to avoid talking about his current hobbies publicly. After all, with the Wii still on top of the console heap, anything Miyamoto might even just be thinking about could possibly turn into Nintendo’s next big reveal.

Whatever he comes up with, it’ll probably turn into a unique gameplay experience, although I wouldn’t bet on something geared towards the “core” gamers at this point. Let’s just hope he isn’t taking up taxidermy right now, even though I’m sure that would work great with the Wii’s motion controls.

Via The Times Online

Nintendo has confirmed that three new colors are coming to the Nintendo DS Lite line-up on June 13th. In Europe that is.

The three wonderful and bright colors are lime green, red, and turquoise and will cost 99 GBP . This is pretty decent news for Europeans who want something different other than the normal white and black. However, the only new DS color we are getting over here in the states (in the near future anyway) is the frosted pink color that originally came with Nintendogs. Pretty girlie looking if you ask me – of course, that is most likely their intent.

When Nintendo announced they were unveiling “Metallic Rose,” the first thing that came to mind was that they had somehow put together a 80’s hair band to promote all things Nintendo across the U.S. and rock faces along the way. Instead, it turns out it’s the color of a new DS. The Metallic Rose DS (i.e. “pink DS”) was originally featured as part of a Nintendogs bundle, but now it’s getting a new release as a standalone piece of hardware. I’m guessing this new color is aimed primarily at the female demographic, considering they’ve enlisted Carrie Underwood and America Ferrara (Ugly Betty) to do commercials for it. Liv Tyler is also set to do advertisements for a Crimson/Black version. The new Metallic Rose DS is slated to hit store shelves later this month. And now I’m going to have that damn “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” song stuck in my head all day.

Via Press Release

In more Nintendo financial news, the DS has now sold 70.6 million units worldwide and 30.31 million DS units were sold in the 12 months leading up to March 31. That is a lot of DS units in gamers hands. The biggest selling games for the Nintendo DS were Brain Age 1 and 2, Mario Party DS, New Super Mario Bros., Nintendogs, and Phantom Hourglass.

With more and more DS games being announced on what seems like a weekly basis (I am exaggerating of course) million dollar sellers could become the norm for Nintendo.

Thanks: Videogaming247

On Wednesday, Chris informed us of the new Nintendo DS Lite color scheme cobalt/black hitting shelves around V-day. Today, we received confirmation from Nintendo on this cool addition to the the handheld’s wardrobe. Cobalt/Black marks the seventh color in the Nintendo DS Lite palette with former versions being Polar White, Coral Pink, Onyx, Crimson/Black and the limited-edition Gold and Metallic Rose.

Nintendo DS just finished 2007 as the best-selling video game system in the United States, with more than 8.5 million sold last year alone. Since it launched in November 2004, Nintendo DS has sold more than 17.6 million in the United States. With a variety of colors for everyone, and a slew of games its no wonder. Even with all the cool colors out there, and as snazzy as the cobalt/black is, I will stick with my sexy sleek black one.

The cobalt/black DS is expected to hit shelves on February 10th.

The wait for Super Smash Bros. Brawl has been one of the most excruciating waits in gaming ever. It’s not due to the delays or anything like that, but the way that we’ve slowly received Dojo updates bit-by-bit-by-bit ceaselessly for months and months has my blood pressure rising. This latest news development ain’t helping, either.

The infamous Japanese magazine Famitsu has given Brawl a perfect 40/40 review score. While at first glance that doesn’t appear to be particularly noteworthy, you should know that the mag has given out a perfect score only six times previously. The others went to Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Soul Calibur, Vagrant Story, Zelda: Wind Waker, Nintendogs, and Final Fantasy XII.

Additionally, many a scans have of Famitsu have appeared on NeoGAF illustrating characters, their moves, and lots more – albeit in Japanese.

Through clenched teeth, I’ll point you towards our recent coverage of Smash Bros.’ latest delay, Snake’s Final Smash, Sheik’s reappearance, Captain Olimar, and some recent Japanese TV commercials.

Now do you see why I’m freakin’ out?

via Game|Life

Win your own copy of Shrek Ogres and Dronkeys for the Nintendo DS from GirlieGamers. The game sounds like a combination of Pokemon and Nintendogs.

Choose one of the three playful Ogres or one of the five Dronkeys from the Shrek movies. Raise your mischievous Ogre and Dronkey and manage their hectic life as they learn unexpected and funny new skills.

Take your Ogre and Dronkey out into Shrek’s fun and twisted fairy tale land. Use their newly learned skills to solve captivating puzzles and overcome unexpected challenges in the adventure of their lives

Play with your friends in mini-games featuring the young Ogres and Dronkeys. Have fun with Candy Gobble, Target Practice, Firefly Catch, Snail Bowling and more.

Play with your young Ogre and Dronkey using the stylus to brush them, play with their toys and call to them on the DS microphone.

Shrek Ogres and Dronkeys is rated E for everyone and recommended for players 3+. Players who are very young at heart or with young children need answer a very simple, very easy question to win one of five copies of the game.

Who voices “Shrek” in the movies?

A) Mike Myers
B) Eddie Murphy
C) Rupert Everett

Send your answer through the GirleGamers Contact page for your chance to win.

via GirlieGamers

Just in time for Christmas, Nintendo has announced that on the most feared day of the year for shoppers everywhere – the day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday) – the new Phantom Hourglass and the Nintendogs DS Lite bundles will hit stores. This announcement comes long after Sears revealed their ads for the bundles at the end of October.The Phantom Hourglass bundle has the cool looking gold edition of the DS complete with the Hyrulian Tri-Force symbol, while the Nintendogs bundle is every little girl’s dream because not only does it contain the “Best Friends” edition of the game – the DS included is the “rose” version – and quite pretty I might add. Both packages will be available on November 23rd for $150.

According to George Harrison, NoA’s senior VP of marketing (not the deceased Beatle), “Nintendo DS remains the portable system of choice for gamers, [and] our new bundles will be collector’s items for current gamers while offering an attractive way for people new to videogames to play with style.”

A Black Friday ad for Sears has revealed two new DS Lite bundles – a pink/tangerine DS Lite with a footprint of a dog on it and a copy of Nintendogs: Best Friends Edition, and a gold one with a triforce and copy of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. Both will retail for $150, although we’re unsure if this will be a Black Friday-only deal or if Sears will be the only store selling it.

via DS Fanboy

Recently, Times Online reported that the Wii and DS are selling rampantly to women gamers. With 51% of Wii users and 53% of DS users being women, it is no wonder that the gaming giant will be giving its Christmas advertisements a more “girly” feel. With the Wii Fit getting ready to hit stores, Nintendo sees this as a gold mine and a budget buster for women – what with the yoga, balancing exercises and fat-fighting activities contributed to the floor-based sensor.

With this new focus on women, come the cold hard facts associated with the types of games that Japanese women are currently buying for their Wii and DS. Nintendo has found that Nintendogs is a huge hit with women, along with “lifestyle” titles that teach cookery, healthy eating, and make-up tips.With that tidbit of information being said, I will get to the point of this editorial, but before I do, let me clarify a few things before I am called out for having “penis envy”, accused of being a dude, or being overly dominated by male members of my family. First off, I am well aware that Japanese culture is much different from American culture, and what is popular over there is not necessarily popular over here in the States. Secondly, I am also well aware that the majority of female gamers lean more into the casual genre of the industry than men do. This fact has been pointed out to me on numerous occasions; studies have been done on this fact and no matter how much I argue with the findings, it is simply that… a fact.

Most women are casual gamers. Period. Thirdly, before I continue, let me also clarify that I like to cook, I try to live a healthy lifestyle, and I also wear make-up – plus, although it is a bit of an aside to the subject – I love shoes. I have no problem shelling out more than what I should for a pair that I like, especially boots. If this does not prove to you that I am 100% female as well as feminine – you wouldn’t know a female gamer if one walked up and slapped you with a vintage NES controller.

Ok, now that I have given you a disclaimer, I will finally commence with my griping and moaning about this new information from Nintendo.

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