While The Third Phantom is no Final Fantasy Tactics, it is still a very solid package, and Bleach fans in particular will enjoy it despite its flaws. Other RPG gamers may find the conversations too long winded for them.

You don’t control any of the units, instead you control a floating wisp. You attack by re-awaking the ghosts of the dearly departed, whom served as soldiers in life. You equip them with weaponry to make them attack. If you find a key item during battle, then knight’s spirits will join you. You can raise their levels, and merge their spirits together to make them even more powerful. There is a lot to go into, such as battle phases, elements, and character classes and the battle system is complex, some times seemingly too much. However, once you get the hang of things, a light goes off in your head, kinda like the first time you were able to pull off a hadoken in Street Fighter or successfully run a play in Madden. Although you still have a long way to go before you fully master it, at least you know how things work.

Not even the game’s story is your traditional RPG fare. Similar to film noir fashion, it is told in both real-time and flashbacks, and it hints at a disaster that happened some time ago which claimed the lives of the king, most of his knights, and most of the villagers. There is a conspiracy afoot, and it’s up to you to piece things together. What happened, and when did it happen? Who is responsible? Who is the wisp whose actions you guide, and who is the armored maiden helping him? What’s in it for her anyhow? For every question you manage to find the answer to, two more seem to pop-up!

KITN may not be for everyone, but it is rewarding to those who give it a chance. Multiple endings, hidden secrets, and unlockables await those willing to dive in and discover it’s secrets. This game is also coming to PSP, so we’ll see how the stylus given gameplay translated to Sony’s handheld.

If you’re into casual games, this is a good addition to your DS lineup. Although it would have been better suited as a DSIware title, it’s still a fun game at a good price. You can also play the flash-based game online for free here.

Back into the swing of things after PAX with news… and Cool Beans? Find out what you’ve been missing on LOST, what you can expect in Doctor Who, and just what the heck a Pokewalker is for, anyway.

Direct Link: Powetcast Episode 31: Pokewalker, Monster Ranger

Audio Netcast Details
Subscribe to the Powetcast on iTunes

(Did you go to Anime Boston or Boston Comic Con? Enjoying the direct of LOST or Doctor Who this year? Do you have a Pokewalker? Leave a shout out below!)

Show notes after the jump!

Panel

• Sean “Ball and Chain” Corse


• aDam “But that’s secret” Gardner


• Crazy “I Met Jim Lee” Jaco

News

• Microsoft adds USB device storage functionality (16 GB max)




• (120 GB HDD drops to $99 because of new 240 GB @ $149)


• Nintendo 3DS – Virtual Boy 2.0? Pure hype? Too soon?




• iPhone OS games up in market share(only took about 5% from Nintendo’s 75%, but took 9% from PSP’s 20%!)


• 4cr has a design contest
  


• Thomas Dekker still thinks TSCC direct-to-dvd is happening




• Actual quote: “We might be doing a dvd movie but that’s a secret.”


• Quote on io9 and everywhere: “Yes, but it’s a secret.”


• MattyCollector Day is the 19th. Swift Wind confirmed. White or Pink?


• New Pokemon Black and White announced
  




• More info to come April 15th


• Receive the Yellow Forest on your Pokewalker

Cool Beans
Games

• Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver: The Pokewalker

Movies

• Blindness

• Doctor Who


• LOST

• Anime Boston
  


• Boston Comic Con

Pimpin’

• New Videos Every Wednesday (or your money back)
  




• Powet Toys Collectors Edition – Flocking (last week)


• PAX East 2010 Special (this week)
  


• Powet Toys…? (next week)




• Powet Alphabet




• (N is for Ninja, O is for Oldman, Gary)


• (P is for ?, Q is for ?)




• Powet Wedding 3


• Do your taxes!

Activision by way of GTTV on Spike has released footage of the next Transformers game. Looks like action gets pretty heavy with huge boss fights! Spot any favorite Generation One characters? Certainly looks like Ironhide doing that take down at about 1 minute in! A good mix of shooting and hand to hand combat will be key for this game, hopefully the promise of this trailer is realized when the game releases in May.

Marker Man adventures is a fusion of platforming and physics based puzzle gaming, but it doesn’t do either very well. You play as Marker Man, a stick figure out to find his dog Doodles. He can’t do much beside walk (very slowly) and jump, so you use the stylus to draw bridges and shapes to navigate. By drawing various shapes in motions, I activate the game’s power ups, such as breathing underwater and faster movement. Works good in theory, but the drawing is very unresponsive. I mean, having to draw a line 8 times before the game will register it and lay it down. Even worse, when I draw a shape, the system also misreads it, and I end up drawing a triangle when I wanted to draw a circle. Speaking of circles, they are the only way to deal with the game’s enemies. I can draw circles around them and push them around to keep them at bay, but the only way to deal with them permanently is to push them off cliffs.

The levels, though poorly designed offer several different solutions to replay them. Unfortunately, in the short amount of time I spent with the game, I found no way to select previously completed levels. There is no incentive to do so anyway, as there is no ranking, no scoring based on how you complete the levels, or no high score chart. Thankfully, the game takes care of that situation though, as my save file tends to get mysteriously set back to level 1. Combine this with some annoyingly haunting background tune (which seems to be the only music in the entire game), and what could have been a promising DS title ends up being an exercise in frustration and boredom.

In closing, if you must have a game like this, then just download Crayon Physics. If you must have a game like this on DS, then just cough up the extra $10 and grab Scribblenauts.

No official release date has been mentioned, so we could be waiting a while. Given the sales of the DS in North America, as well as how popular motion-sensors in things like iPhones and Nintendo’s own Wii console, you’d hope they’d be pushing for a release sooner rather than later.

Based on the Japanese TV series Retro Game Master, or GameCenter CX, Retro Game Challenge is a compilation of games made as if they had been developed for the NES. The game also features a story. The game master Arino has become disenchanted with gaming after losing at online multiplayer one too many times (a plight I’m sure many of you can relate to). Taking his frustrations out on you, he has sent you back in time, turned you into a child, and is forcing you to play through the games he enjoyed as a youth. You’ll unlock the games as you progress, and each game has several challenges to meet. As you finish each game’s challenges, they become unlocked for you to play anytime you wish. Just like in real life, you’ll read instruction manuals, check out gaming magazines, and even make use of cheat codes. There is a subplot about 2 kids playing video games together, but it doesn’t have any bearing on the actual gameplay.

As for the games themselves, while they are brand new and exclusive to this cartridge, they are reminiscent of various NES titles and early arcade classics. Cosmic Gate is a Galaga-style shooter, while Guadia Quest is a role-playing game. Robot Ninja Haggle Man is a platformer series which progresses from being a Mappy-style hop and bop in its first game to a exploration-heavy action game in its third, complete with upgradable abilities and battery backup save. Although the game doesn’t have much variety (one game, Rally King SP, is simply an upgraded version of another), this game has something for everyone, and it’s an awesome way to take a trip down memory lane, even if the games are fictional. There is a sequel in Japan which features 16-bit games, although U.S. publisher XSEED has stated that it would be unlikely to receive a U.S. release due to the low sales of the original game. However, there is always hope that they will change their stance. Until then, Retro Game Challenge is a must-buy for Nintendo DS owners, especially those who like old-school gaming.

The game takes place 6 months after the original Ninja Gaiden and sometime before the second. The Hayabusa village is slowly rebuilding after the Dragon Blade incident, when Ryu’s apprentice, Momji has been kidnapped by the black spider clan. Therefore, Ryu must set out to save her. You’ll battle enemies throughout several familiar locations, and you’ll use a variety of different skills and abilities, but the real story is the unique gameplay. You hold the DS like a book. To move Ryu, you tap the stylus anywhere on the screen, and to jump, you slide it upward. To attack an enemy, slash at them, and to throw a projectile at them, tap them. Other attacks and skills make use of easy-to-remember stylus motions. To use ninpo magic, just tap the symbol and fill in the outline. There is also a high score list you can upload your stats to. Ninja Gaiden contains excellent polygonal visuals which do a good job of pushing the DS to its limits. The trademark Ninja Gaiden challenge is here to, where the game’s difficulty only makes you wanna try harder to push forward.

Ninja Gaiden DS is an excellent addition to any DS owner’s library. It provides a unique experience unlike anything else seen on the handheld, and it does an excellent job of bridging Ninja Gaiden 1 and 2.

(What did you think of the E3 announcements? Leave a comment below!)

Audio Netcast Details
Subscribe to the Powetcast on iTunes
Direct Link: Powetcast Episode 12: E3 and the 80s

Show notes after the jump!

Panel

*Sean “on the fucking spot” Corse
*Sindra – “The Ones Who Misses Out”
*Zac “Rocket” Shipley
*Crazy “No I did not buy everything at Botcon!” Jaco
*aDam “Rulz” Gardner

News

*David Carradine [1936-2009]
*Futurama renewed for 2 seasons and 26 episodes
http://www.reuters.com/article/televisionNews/idUSTRE55909G20090610
*Mickey Rourke is Whiplash in Iron Man 2
http://blog.newsarama.com/2009/06/09/first-look-mickey-rourke-as-whiplash
*Shia Lesomething maintains he does not want to be Y the Last Man
http://blog.newsarama.com/2009/06/10/oo-oo-pick-me-shia-lebouf-says-again-he-doesnt-want-y
*Burnout team moving to NEED FOR SPEED
http://kotaku.com/5285730/ea-burnout-devs-making-revolutionary-need-for-speed

Roundtable

*E3 News:
**Metroid Trilogy for Wii confirmed
http://kotaku.com/5264932/metroid-trilogy-preview-the-game-so-nice-you-can-play-it-thrice
**Nintendo announces: Super Mario Galaxy 2, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and Metroid: Other M
**Konami Shows New Kojima-Developed Castlevania
**Mass Effect 2:
http://www.gametrailers.com/game/mass-effect-2/10875
**Left 4 Dead 2:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/92174-Valve-Fans-Form-Left-4-Dead-2-Boycott-Group

Cool Beans

*Movies
**Terminator Salvation
**Fanboys, bad movie or worst movie?

*TV
**Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien

*Games
**Final Fantasy IV: The After Years

*Comics
**Justice League International

*Toys
**Super GoBots Leader 1
**Rocklord Rockasaurs

Pimpin’

*Powet Toys: BotCon Edition (last week) June 10
*Keep Playing: Mass Effect (this week) June 17
*Keep Playing: Rewind – DemonSword (next week) June 24

Enjoy this special Powetcast for the week of June 1st, 2009! Tune in in two weeks for our regular news and features.

(Did you go to BotCon? Go to the Paramount Party? Leave a comment and tell us what you thought of this year’s convention!)

Audio Netcast Details
Subscribe to the Powetcast on iTunes
Direct Link: Powetcast Episode 10: War of the Prequels

Show notes after the jump!

Panel
Sean “Didn’t Get Mistaken for Zac Braff” Corse

(BotCon) News
*Animated is definitely no more
**Working on a new show for their new children’s network, hence the cancellation of the Cartoon Network property
*”Animated will set the tone” for the new series
*Toys 2009-2010
**Animated: Arcee, Rodimus Minor, Cybertron Ratchet, Cybertron Ironhide, Fugitive Waspinator, Blackout (Earth mode), Electrostatic Soundwave, Goldfire Grimlock,
**Any remaining Animated toys may come out as part of Classic/Universe/whatever-it’s-called
**Movie Bludgeon (enemy of Jungle Assault Ironhide)
**Sideways movie toy not an Audi
*Nimoy (rumored as The Fallen) might not have made it into the movie — could just be a shout-out
*Tyrese stories

Roundtable
*Ten Years of TF Fandom
**1999 – Ben Yee, Beast Machines, Bigbot, Allspark
**2001 – First general meetup
**2003 – OTFCC
**2006 – First Powet convention video
**2009 – More Powet! Two Transformers movies. Lots of kids.

Cool Beans

Movies
*Transformers 2 Clip (from Paramount Party)

TV
*Transformers: Animated Series Finale

Games
*Activision Game (Xbox 360/PS3, Wii, PS2, DS)

Toys
*Botcon Hauls

Pimpin’
*LOTS of BotCon coverage. More going up during the week.
*Orci and Kurtzman Q&A
*Activision Games
*Transformers: Animated – Weird Al and David Kaye
*Star Trek review (last week)
*Powet Toys: BotCon edition? (this week)
*More BotCon stuff! (next week)

The game’s story takes place after the Soul Society Rescue arc of the series. Ichigo and his friends have arrived to prevent their friend Rukia’s execution, only to discover a plot by a rouge Soul Reaper to overthrow the entire Soul Society. While recovering from their injuries and waiting to go back home, Ichigo and his allies explore the Soul Society, but before long, they get caught up in another plot involving the monstrous hollows, and soon they may have to help save the Soul Society yet again. Yeah I know, a lot of this seems alien to outsiders, but fans of the series know quite well what I’m talking about. For those not in the know, the game contains an in-game encyclopedia which explains these terms.

The battle is the same as it was in BOF. Up to four players participate in a battle, and each character has their own selection of special moves and abilities. Players can line jump to dodge hits (similar to Fatal Fury) and preform a flash step to get away from an enemy quickly. The cards also return, as they grant various powers including everything from raising your character’s attack to making items appear on the screen. This time, when constructing your deck, you can select one of several different frames, each having their own requirements to satisfy to make your deck usable. In addition, there is also the Reji, a set of jewels which you can rearrange and upgrade in order to give your character an additional attribute boost, kinda like a do-it-yourself RPG armor. The touch screen has been modified, and now cards and quick touch special moves are on the same screen. Players can either battle local via Wi-Fi or online.

The story mode, which was the weakest part of the previous game, has been overhauled completely. The quests are laid out on a grid, with some quest branching off, and others needing a key to be found before you can access it. While most of the game sees you playing as Ichigo, you’ll also play as one of the other characters during the missions. Not all missions are straight-up one on one battles either, as minigames have been added to the mix. Most of these center around collecting a certain number of objects, destroying a certain amount of items, or mastering some trick. There is even a Bleach trivia battle quiz. These minigames add some variety to the action and make the story a bit more enjoyable. When you beat the game, you can go back through it and play to any scenario you wish, and even retry those you missed. Several new characters have been added to the cast as well. Most of the newcomers are the lieutenants and lower ranking members of the 13th court guard squads, and there are even a few hollows to be unlocked. While some of the characters are completely useless, you get well over 40 fighters on the cart (after you unlock them), so you’ll find someone you’ll like. Also of note is the awesome opening theme ‘Resistance’ by the Japanese rock group High and Mighty Color, the same guys who did the theme for the last game. It fits in perfectly with Bleach, and could have very easily been an opening theme to the TV show.

If there was one fault with this game, it’s that this game is exactly like the last game, so if you didn’t like BOF, you won’t like this either. Otherwise, this is an excellent package, and a must own for fans of the series or DS owners who like fighting games. If you missed the first game, then don’t worry, you didn’t miss much, and there is plenty material on the cart to help you get up to speed. However, if you’re a veteran of the first game, there is more than enough new stuff that will hav eyou making a return trip to the Soul SOciety.

Enjoy while we get Episode 10 compiled and made AWESOMER.

Subscribe:

Show notes after the jump!

Supplemental material for Episode 9: The Superhero Movie Curse:

Cool Beans (cont’d)
*Zac Plays some DS Games: Retro Game Challenge, Geometry Wars Galaxies DS, Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
*Free Comic Book Day (May 2nd, 2009)

First off, no more of this Red Star, Blue Earth, Green comet or whatever. A meteor has hit the planet, devastating a large portion of the planet and killing a large percentage of its population. The survivors have been left behind to contend with famine, plague, bandits, and generals hell-bent on settling old scores. It’s in this setting in which we find out main protagonist, Will. Will was one of many that were left behind wen the comet hit, although he was a student at a military academy. After being attacked by bandits, he is picked up by Brenner’s Wolves, an outreach group dedicated to helping survivors. While trying to make their way in the world, they have to contend with more bandits, rival armies, greedy politicians, and a mysterious virus. While there are some hints of anime silliness, the narrative is being handled with a the seriousness that a game about war should have. The graphics and sound reflect this new atmosphere as well.

For those unfamiliar to Advance Wars, you create units and use them to destroy the enemy. You use infantry to capture cities, factories, and other structures. By capturing cities, you gain credits you can use to purchase more units, and by capturing factories, players have more facilities with which to build units with. The game’s challenge is such that one minor mistake can send a whole campaign spiraling out of control. This entry adds in several new units, such as a motorbike (which can be used to capture buildings with its increased range), an anti-tank artillery canon(self explanatory), and a duster plane (which can be used to take out both ground and air units). A few of the older units have picked up some new tricks too. The APC can make temporary harbors and supply depots, useful for a quick refill. Command officer powers are back as well, although they are done a bit differently. They add a temporary stat boost while not breaking the game. Anyone who had their supplies halved by a tidal wave in Dual Strike will appreciate the change. COs can even board vehicles, increasing their abilities as well.

Sadly, some things from the previously game didn’t make the cut. CO tags, dual front battles, and the shop were removed from this game. Instead, there are well over a hundred maps available for multiplayer mode. Speaking of multiplayer, the game can now be played over Nintendo Wi-Fi. The map editor has increased functionality, and created maps can even be traded over Wi-Fi. It’s as if for everything that was cut from Dual Strike, the developers replaced it with something even cooler.

Even with the new style, Advance Wars retains the addictiveness and challenge that hooked in fans for the past 3 installments. Hopefully with the DSi coming out soon, we may see a sequel that makes even better use of the system’s online capabilities.

Ending Music: “Unholy Vespers”

The first of my two reviews for the recent Castlevania games. Like what you see? Be sure to check out my Staff Pick for the month. (last month too!) Make sure to check back here at Powet.tv for the other Castlevania review you won’t want to miss!

YouTube

(Be sure to watch our extended Video Netcast version, which has an additional segment about “Other Uses” of the Famicom Microphone!)

Video Netcast (Extended Version)
 Subscribe to iTunes POWETcast
Famicom Dojo – Episode 05 – Microphone Roundup

It’s finally here! The first of the last two episodes of Famicom Dojo Season 1! We’ve gone too long between episodes, which is why we’re determined never to let it happen again. After the show notes (talking more about Karaoke Studio), read on to find out some of our plans for the end of the season, and beyond!

Show notes:

First, we’d like to thank Dueling Analogs for referencing our fourth episode in their Double Entendre comic. Let us know what we can do to return the favor.

List of Microphone Games

(Credit goes to Famicom World for their contributions to our research!)

Controller II Games

Atlantis no Nazo (アトランチすの謎)
Kid Icarus (光神話。パル手ナの鏡) (Legend of Light: Palutenta’s Mirror)
The Legend of Zelda (ゼルだの伝説)
Takeshi’s Challenge (たけしの挑戦状)

Games with Microphone Peripherals

Karaoke Studio (カラオケスタジオ)

The case of Karaoke Studio is actually very interesting. Like the Famicom Microphone, Karaike Studio’s microphone attachment could not adequately sense your pitch, so the game was not on par with more current-day offerings such as Karaoke Revolution by Harmonix.

The cartridge adapter contained several of its own songs. Even more interesting than the microphone was that the cartridge adapter accept a proprietary cartridge format made by Bandai for new song selections? Clever, or what.

Bandai was way ahead of the curve on this. It’s unfortunate that the hardware was not yet adequate to the task. Karaoke Studio definitely deserves its own segment. Perhaps in Season 2 it will get one.

But, hey, speaking of Season 2…

The Future of Famicom Dojo

The End of Season 1

It’s been far too long since Episode 4, a wait we don’t intend to repeat again. So we’re telling you right now that you’ll be seeing Episode 6, and the end of the first season, in just one month right here on Powet.TV. Excited? That’s not all.

Stay tuned to the Video Netcast after the new year for more regular (albeit shorter) content until the start of Season 2. We’ll have more details for you when Episode 6 goes live.

Episode Links:

For more on the topics covered in this episode:

Karaoke Studio Wikipedia
Buy Karaoke Studio on Ebay

Season 1 (so far):

Famicom Dojo: Famicom and Disk System
Famicom Dojo: The Battery Backup
Famicom Dojo: Nintendo Has Moxie
Famicom Dojo: Cartridges and Pins

Check out the Powet.tv review of this game.

Order of Ecclesia already had some footage released that’s been floating around the net, and this video just provides greater coverage of the Glyph system that the game uses, as well as a bit of dialogue between main character Shanoa and her mentor Barlowe. The Glyph system is interesting in that you can assign glyphs to each hand to attack with, using either the same glyph for both or different glyph for each. As has been mentioned before, the action will be combination of styles from previous recent Castlevania games such as Symphony of the Night or Dawn of Sorrow, with a traveling map similar to oldschool classic Simon’s quest.

As for Judgement, we only get to see a small snippet of playtime. Playable characters revealed are Simon Belmont, Maria Renard, and Alucard. Though gameplay seems fluid and the characters seem to move and attack well, the game thus far looks like a clone of Soul Calibur….with zombies. However, I will hold off on my contempt for the game until I get to watch the full thing when it’s released.

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, reported upon earlier, is the Nintendo DS title following upon the footsteps of previous games such as Symphony of the Night and Aria of Sorrow in terms of gameplay, as an action-adventure 2D platformer. It takes control of newcomer Shanoa as she searches for the lost Belmont family while battling the minions of Dracula.

Castlevania: Judgement, if you haven’t heard yet, will be a 3D fighting game; a first for the series. (for obvious reasons) Castlevania characters from all over the series continuum will be thrown together in a style leechingly-similar to Soul Calibur to fight one another in a (hopefully) non-canon battle royale. A even more shocking twist is the hiring of Death Note’s Takeshi Obata to do character designs, completely overhauling pre-existing designs mostly coming from series-usual Ayame Kojima.

This fall will surely prove to be an interesting turn of events for Castlevania fans. Many debates have already begun as to the fate of both games as numerous fans, while liking the usual-style Ecclesia is going with, denounce Judgement as straying too far from the Castlevania norm and claim it to be merely Konami’s cash-maker. Come this autumn, we’ll see what’s what when both games are launched to brave public scrutiny.

Square has seen fit to re-release Chrono Trigger. Sounds like they’ll be tossing in a ‘new dungeon’ as well as modifying the game to make use of the dual screens and some touch commands. But, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it: They won’t make it a 3D conversion like some of the recent Final Fantasy games on DS. This video above is from the Playstation version. No word if those new anime cut scenes will survive to the new DS version, but all are available on youtube if you’re clever.

If you never played Chrono Trigger, and there are a lot of you, then know this: its the only Japanese RPG I ever played, and I played it enough to see all the endings, including the very hard one. Its the classic story of boy meets girl, girl falls into time warp, boy saves girl, robot punches dinosaur, world falls into peril, magic kingdom summons alien, etc, etc. But its really fun with engaging combat options that do away with random battles and grinding, as well attacks that combine character abilities, and enough time travel puzzles to make Marty McFly’s head spin.
Join us in our forums to talk about what you loved about the game, or leave a comment asking us what the fuss is about.

Official press release follows

CHRONO TRIGGER Returns! The Timeless Classic Teleports to Nintendo DS This Holiday Season

LOS ANGELES, CA USA
Journey Through Time with the RPG Masterpiece that Started It All

LOS ANGELES, July 2 /PRNewswire/ — Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of Square Enix(TM) interactive entertainment products in North America, announced today that it will release CHRONO TRIGGER(R) in North America this Holiday season. Remastered exclusively for Nintendo DS(TM), this marks the first time that the groundbreaking RPG will be available on a handheld console.

Originally released in 1995 on Super NES(R) and shipping more than 2.5 million copies worldwide, CHRONO TRIGGER has been hailed as one of the greatest games of all time by critics and fans alike. With a unique and multifaceted storyline, the game revolutionized the world of RPGs with
never-before-seen features, including an unprecedented soundtrack and multiple endings determined by side quests and the player’s actions.

With artwork by famed manga artist Akira Toriyama and an unprecedented and inspiring musical score created by Yasunori Mitsuda, CHRONO TRIGGER represents the best-in-class of the video game world. This newly revamped edition maintains all of the game’s original elements and spirit while
introducing the portability, dual-screen presentation and Touch-Screen functionality of Nintendo DS. Players will soon be able to rediscover the exhilarating RPG experience, breathtaking storyline and innovative gameplay in the palm of their hands.

STORY

When a newly developed teleportation device malfunctions at the Millennial Fair, young Crono must travel through time to rescue his misfortunate companion from an intricate web of past and present perils. The swashbuckling adventure that ensues soon unveils an evil force set to destroy the world, triggering Crono’s race against time to change the course of history and bring about a brighter future.

FEATURES

— A masterpiece with an engaging and unparalleled storyline, leading to the discovery of multiple epic conclusions to a journey that transcends time

— An unprecedented and inspiring musical score created by Yasunori Mitsuda

— Intriguing battle system made possible by the unique combination of the Active Time Battle system and Tech skills

— Famed character designer Akira Toriyama lends his signature art style to create the vibrant world that has captivated gamers around the world

— Taking advantage of the Nintendo DS hardware, CHRONO TRIGGER makes its way onto the portable platform with all-new dual screen presentation and Touch-Screen functionality

— A brand new dungeon and a Wireless Play mode adds exciting new dimensions to this timeless classic

CHRONO TRIGGER has not yet been rated. Please visit the Entertainment Software Rating Board website at http://www.esrb.org for more information about ratings. The official website can be found at
http://na.square-enix.com/ctds

This version of the game sees a number of changes to make it fit for the DS. First of all, the four youths are given their own names and backstories. Secondly Square-Enix updated the visuals to give the game a 3-d polygonal look, reminiscent of FF IX. While the visual quality is less than that of a PS1 FF game, the visuals push the Nintendo DS to its limit, and allow for zooming in and out of the camera. There are even some pre-rendered FMV cinematics. There is also Wi-fi connectivity, as you can send and exchange messages with friends via Mognet. You can even unlock new jobs this way.

Be warned, despite the updates, this game is as old school as it gets, meaning that random encounters are all too frequent, enemies tend to be more cheap than they need to be, you need to spend a lot of time leveling up, and there are times when the plot seems as though it was scripted by fifth graders. Even so, this game stands the test of time and remains every bit ass innovative as it was when it was first released. Any fan of Final Fantasy, as well as any fan of old school RPGS will want to add this to their collection.

Read on for contest details.

The July 15th date has passed, and so contest entries will no longer be accepted. Stay tuned for the announcement of a winner on July 22nd 2008.

Please keep in mind, this accessory set includes only the case, stylus and screen wipe. This is not a contest for an actual Nintendo DS system. Actual value of the accessory set is about 25$.

Another interesting bit of Castlevania news has been rumored as to the next Castlevania game after Ecclesia, which has been confirmed as being for a console. The title “Castlevania: Judgment” has been registered by Konami almost right on the heels of Ecclesia, and whispers from Japan hint that the console of choice very well might be the Nintendo Wii. The real reason this is interesting is because IGA had stated long ago that he was frowning at the idea of having a Castlevania on the Wii due to obvious gimmicks that would be associated with the Wiimote and a whip-weapon system. Only time will tell if these rumors, like the ones for Ecclesia, prove to be true.