J!-ENT
Asian Entertainment News and Pop Culture

SAN MATEO , Calif. — February 19, 2008 - Capcom® Entertainment, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced that the latest installment of its highly popular courtroom drama series, Apollo Justice™: Ace Attorney™ ä is now available at retail. The first Ace Attorney game developed specifically for Nintendo DS™, this is the fourth title in the series and will feature all new characters, including new defense attorney Apollo Justice. Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney has been rated T for Teen by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB).

This new chapter to the Ace Attorney series will drop players into the shoes of Apollo Justice, where they’ll make use of his uncanny ability to uncover witnesses’ lies by studying their body language. But as talented as our hero is, he wouldn’t get far without the support of his assistant Trucy, a mysterious female magician. Apollo also receives invaluable advice from Kristoph Gavin, his ultra-cool mentor whose perfect logic and natural instincts have won him numerous cases and the respect of his colleagues.

Finally: Lost Planet for the PlayStation 3 ships next Tuesday, Feb. 26

Our CM Pick of the Day goes to Becky for her “Koinu Dekururin” Nintendo DS commercial

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Our video game segment pick of the day goes to “Hokuto no Ken: Hokuto Shinken Denshousha no Michi” which comes out in Japan on February 14th for the Nintendo DS.

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Unravel Mystery, Secrets and Brainteasers in a New Nintendo DS Treasure Hunt

REDMOND, Wash., Feb. 11, 2008 - Move over, Sherlock Holmes! There’s a new Brit in town. The Feb. 10 launch of Professor Layton and the Curious Village™ brings a world of riddles, secrets and brainteasers to the portable Nintendo DS™. The puzzle-filled game provides hours of mind-bending game play, thick story plots, funny, eccentric characters and a double murder-mystery.

In the curious village of St. Mystere, a wealthy baron passes away. His will reveals that a treasure is hidden someplace inside the village. Unable to locate the treasure, the baron’s family calls upon renowned archaeologist and puzzle expert Professor Layton for help. Upon his arrival, the search for the treasure is interrupted by the suspicious death of another member of the family. Now with two mysteries on his hands, Professor Layton must work his way through the village’s many challenges to get to the truth.

“Professor Layton and the Curious Village combines a mix of clever storyline and brainy twists,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of sales & marketing. “Like the Brain Age titles before it, this new puzzle genre requires players to use their minds as much as their thumbs. The strong story, charming hand-drawn animation and fully voiced movies appeal to hard-core gamers and casual gamers alike.”

Players will tackle brain twisters ranging from mazes and riddles to logic and sliding puzzles as Professor Layton progresses through an engaging 19th century anime-styled mystery. Touch-screen controls make working through the game a snap for players of all skill levels. What’s more, for a limited time new puzzles will be available weekly for download via Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection for extended replay value. The Professor Layton series is already a smash hit in Japan, where each succeeding game outsold the one before it. For more information about the U.S. game, visit www.ProfessorLaytonDS.com.

About Nintendo: The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™, Nintendo DS™, Game Boy® Advance and Nintendo GameCube™ systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.5 billion video games and more than 430 million hardware units globally, and has created industry icons like Mario™, Donkey Kong®, Metroid®, Zelda™ and Pokémon®. 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.

New Adventure Game and Cool New DS Color to Share the Spotlight at Festive Feb. 10 EventWHAT:
Nintendo invites fans of all stripes to a release-day launch party for Professor Layton and the Curious Village™, an innovative new game for the top-selling Nintendo DS™. Combining a rich murder-mystery storyline with dozens of brainy puzzles and fully voiced animation scenes, this hand-held adventure puts veteran gamers and newcomers alike at the center of a captivating case where nothing is as it seems.

To double the excitement, Nintendo also celebrates the release of a new color scheme for the Nintendo DS itself. The sleek, fashion-forward Cobalt/Black DS is the seventh color to be made available to consumers, and fans of all ages are sure to line up early in hopes of adding this eye-catching system to their hand-held arsenal.

Energy will run high at the Feb. 10 event, offering fans a first look at the anticipated Professor Layton and the Curious Village, plus a chance to compete for cool prizes including the Cobalt/Black Nintendo DS.

WHO:
Video game enthusiasts of all ages

WHEN:
Sunday, Feb. 10
Event time: 1 - 3 p.m.

WHERE:
Nintendo World store
10 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10020
646-459-0800
www.nintendoworldstore.com

NEWS/VISUALS:

TITLE: ADVANCE WARS: DAYS OF RUIN

PLATFORM: DS

DEVELOPED BY: INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS

DISTRIBUTED BY: NINTENDO

GAME INFO: Wireless DS, Multi-Card Play

RATING: E for Everyone, Language, Mild Violence

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

For me, there are some video game series that are must-get when released. One of the series that I’m just totally into is “ADVANCE WARS”.

The popular tactical warfare game is back and like previous installments, I am hooked!

From the first two games on the GameBoy Advance to the step up into DS territory with “Dual Strike”, I have been highly anticipating the release of “DAYS OF RUIN” because not only are we getting a brand new storyline and new characters but the ability to design, upload and trade custom maps via Nintendo WiFi Connection and much more.

According to Nintendo, “Advance Wars: Days of Ruin” features a new group of COs and supporting characters, as well as a new setting. After a terrible asteroid strike that leaves few survivors, the world is in chaos. Toxic dust clouds are choking out the food supply. New diseases strike without warning. Terror runs rampant as people do whatever is necessary for their own survival. Against this background, one small band fights to restore human dignity in a world gone mad, but the mission seems impossible. Their own country is being led by a dictator. Their former enemy thinks only of revenge. And behind the scenes, a scientist with unbelievable power dreams of eliminating the human race once and for all.

The main characters are Will.  A former student of the Rubinelle Military Academy and the sole survivor who is found by Brenner, the commander of the 12th Battalion and Lin, a lt. and second in command to Brenner.  Will saves a mysterious girl named Isabella but you start to realize that there may be more to this girl.  Overall, the storyline is very well planned.  To see how people react when being the only survivors, how one would survive with only so much food, what happens if one gets sick and just the fear of a new world and how some people become twisted when reaching for power.

Game-play Modes:

• Single-player: Players battle their way through a lengthy campaign and the twists and turns of the main story.
• Free Battle: Players challenge themselves or up to three friends on more than 170 two-, three- and four-player maps. When playing with friends, players use one Nintendo DS and pass it among players.
• Battle: Fight up to three other players on more than 170 maps via local wireless communication or Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Each player must have his or her own game card.
• Design Room: Players use the touch screen to design their own maps, controlling every aspect from troop placement to terrain features.
• Trade Maps: Link to a friend via local wireless communication or Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and swap topographical masterpieces.

Special powers/weapons/moves/features: Multiplayer has always been the backbone of the Advance Wars game play, and the addition of playing via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection makes it even better. Here’s a brief overview of the online experience:

• Exchange Friend Codes with a close circle of military geniuses, then declare war against one of them over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. While battling, players can communicate with each other using full voice chat.
• Players pit their skills against the world as they take on random players. They can choose to fight against people of their own skill level or engage whoever dares to take them on.
• Advance Wars: Days of Ruin contains one of the most robust map-creation systems ever seen. Use the stylus to paint and create the perfect map, then send it to a friend for a test run. It’s easy, fun and very, very addictive.

I’m really enjoying this game and I know there is a lot of gameplay value, especially with the additional training missions and I’m looking forward to seeing how much they packed into this game.

So, far I’m on chapter 13 and I’m enjoying every minute of it.  Especially, the twist and turns in the storyline.  Wow!

If you enjoyed the previous games, you have no reason not to get this one.  It’s also a good starting point because “DAYS OF RUIN” introduces new characters and brand new storyline.

I highly recommend this game because even for a few hours of playing it, it’s an incredible game which will have you replaying each level just to get that S ranking or A ranking and of course opening more maps and more characters.  Very cool!

 After I beat the game, will return with a full review.

The best-selling video game system in the world is adding a cool new color scheme to its wardrobe on Feb. 10. Like a black T-shirt with a splash of color, the new Cobalt/Black version of the portable Nintendo DS™ grabs your attention. It looks good whether it’s toted in your school backpack, pulled from your purse or riding with you on a family trip.

Cobalt/Black marks the seventh color in the Nintendo DS Lite palette. It joins Polar White, Coral Pink, Onyx, Crimson/Black and the limited-edition Gold and Metallic Rose. Now there’s a Nintendo DS color to complement any outfit.

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. Its smart looks, innovative touch screen and voice recognition features, and remarkable software have reinvented the way people think about video games while attracting girls, women, baby boomers and seniors to the world of video games in record numbers.

The new Cobalt/Black version will be available starting Feb. 10 wherever video game systems are sold. For more information about Nintendo DS, please visit www.nintendo.com/ds.

New Look, Storyline and Online Battles Reinvent Award-Winning Strategy Game Series

REDMOND, Wash., Jan. 22, 2008 - Forget everything you know about hand-held combat strategy games. With this week’s release of Advance Wars®: Days of Ruin for Nintendo DS™, Nintendo is calling on strategy buffs of all stripes to save the planet with a new set of combat-ready characters, captivating visuals and extraordinary wireless features. For new recruits and Advance Wars veterans alike, Nintendo wants you!

“Days of Ruin is much more than just a new chapter in the Advance Wars series,” says Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of sales & marketing. “Our core gamers continue to buzz about the game’s post-apocalyptic storyline, new characters and stylized graphics that bring a totally fresh experience to the series. The focus on strategy beyond raw firepower makes it more rewarding than typical war games.”

Kicking off a bold new story in the series, Advance Wars: Days of Ruin imagines a dark future in which a devastating meteor strike has transformed the planet into a perilous battleground, fraught with disease and barbaric enemy forces. Players must use sharp turn-based strategy to lead their own heroic unit on a mission to restore humanity, rendered in an exciting new dual-screen graphics scheme.

Players can use local networking or Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection to enjoy limitless replay by designing and sharing their own maps or facing opponents in faraway places. Solo players can command their troops in a series of tactical skirmishes, while the Free Battle mode allows up to four players to challenge one another using one Nintendo DS system.

Advance Wars: Days of Ruin is one of two games Nintendo is releasing this week that demonstrate the way the company has something for all types of gamers. While Advance Wars: Days of Ruin for Nintendo DS is a classic battle strategy game, Endless Ocean™ for Wii™ invents a new genre of video games as it takes users on a remarkable underwater journey of exploration. For more information about Advance Wars: Days of Ruin, visit www.AdvanceWars.com.

About Nintendo: The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™, Nintendo DS™, Game Boy® Advance and Nintendo GameCube™ systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.5 billion video games and more than 430 million hardware units globally, and has created industry icons like Mario™, Donkey Kong®, Metroid®, Zelda™ and Pokémon®. 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.

Nintendo DS and Wii Finish as the No. 1 and No. 2 Best-Selling U.S. Systems

REDMOND, Wash., Jan. 17, 2008 – Nintendo DS™ and Wii™ finished strong in 2007, commanding sales in the holiday shopping period and finishing the year as the two best-selling video game systems in the United States, according to new data just released by the independent NPD Group.  Nintendo DS was the top-selling U.S. system of 2007, with nearly 8.5 million sold, including more than 4 million in November and December alone. Wii placed second, with nearly 6.3 million sold through the year, more than 2.3 million of which sold in the final two months.

“By the end of 2007 we were sold out of virtually all hardware, and much of our stock of software and accessories was sold out as well, thanks to the broad appeal of Wii and Nintendo DS to core gamers, women, families, grandparents – and seemingly everyone in between,”said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of sales & marketing. “And that momentum continues here in the early weeks of 2008.”

Some additional facts about Nintendo’s 2007 performance in the United States (note: All figures are from NPD):

• Nintendo accounted for 52 percent of all video game hardware systems sold in 2007 – more than all other manufacturers combined.
• Since their respective launches, Nintendo has sold more than 17.6 million Nintendo DS systems and nearly 7.4 million Wii systems in the United States alone.
• Wii Play™, a collection of nine fun mini-games, finished 2007 with 4.1 million units sold.
• Super Mario Galaxy™ sold through more than 2.5 million copies since it launched on Nov. 12.
• The two games in the Brain Age® series each sold about 1 million copies in 2007.
• Half of the top 30 best-selling games of 2007 were made for Nintendo systems, including Pokemon® Pearl, Pokemon® Diamond, Mario Party® DS, Guitar Hero III™: Legends of Rock and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games™.
• Nintendo continues to dominate the hand-held market: Of the top 30 best-selling portable games sold in 2007, 25 were made for Nintendo DS and another two were made for Game Boy® Advance.
• Sales of Nintendo DS systems grew 60 percent over those from 2006.
• In 2007, the video game industry grew by 43 percent over 2006. Nintendo is responsible for 60 percent of that growth.

About Nintendo: The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™, Nintendo DS™, Game Boy® Advance and Nintendo GameCube™ systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.5 billion video games and more than 430 million hardware units globally, and has created industry icons like Mario™, Donkey Kong®, Metroid®, Zelda™ and Pokémon®. 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.

KEY INFORMATION
In the curious village of St. Mystere, townsfolk speak to each other in riddles, lock their doors with sliding puzzles and hide their secrets within brainteasers. When a wealthy baron passes away, his will reveals an elusive treasure hidden someplace inside the village. Now it’s up to Professor Layton to untangle St. Mystere’s riddles and puzzles, find the hidden treasure, and crack the case.

• As Professor Layton, players tackle more than 130 puzzles as they unravel the mysteries of the village. Challenges range from mazes and riddles to logic and sliding puzzles, many of which are new for the North American release. Touch-screen controls make working through puzzles a snap for players of all skill levels, and new puzzles are available weekly for download via Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection.
• Unlike other puzzle-driven titles, Professor Layton is the first to offer a story, cast of characters and style that are just as strong as the game play. Fully voiced animated scenes bring the story to life, while the funny and eccentric villagers and the classic, hand-drawn art provide a stylish charm that will appeal to gamers and non-gamers alike.

Game storyline: When the wealthy Baron Augustus Reinhold passes away, his will reveals a hidden treasure in the village of St. Mystere. Unable to locate the treasure themselves, the baron’s family calls upon renowned puzzle expert Professor Layton and his apprentice, Luke, for help. Upon the pair’s arrival, their search for the treasure is interrupted by the suspicious death of another member of the Reinhold family. Now with two mysteries on their hands, Professor Layton and Luke must work their way through the village’s many puzzles, riddles and brainteasers to find the truth.

How to progress through the game: The storyline and puzzles are tightly integrated, so that as you explore the world and progress through the adventure, you will encounter more and more puzzles. Many of the puzzles are new to the North American release.

Characters: Archaeologist and puzzle master Professor Layton, his wide-eyed apprentice, Luke, and a host of quirky townsfolk.

Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Content: Each week for half a year, a new puzzle will be available for download via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

Professor Layton and the Curious Village™