These DSiWare Games Are Likely Launch Candidates

By Spencer . March 5, 2009 . 6:03am

The camera is nifty, the sound feature is cool, but at its core the Nintendo DSi is a handheld game system. And most people are wondering whether the purchase will be worth it for exclusive Nintendo DSi games. No such retail games have been announced, but Nintendo is preparing a lineup of downloadable DSiWare software. We know what games are out in Japan, but which ones will Nintendo localize for the West?

The OFLC gives us a pretty good clue by leaking three of them: Paper Plane, Pyoro, and Clubhouse Games Express: Classic Cards. Pyoro sounds like the international name for Tori to Mame (Bird and Bean). Nintendo also used this name for the stretchy-tongue bird when he appeared in the WarioWare series. The same red bird also stars in the DSiWare game Tori to Mame.

It looks like the stripped down “Chotto” series will come over as “Express” titles. Clubhouse Games Express: Classic Cards is the first such title. Don’t be surprised to see Dr. Mario Express and eventually Planet Puzzle League Express in the future. Art Style: Decode, Wario Ware Snapped, and the freebie Moving Memo Pad have also been mentioned as DSiWare games for North America. So, it looks like Nintendo is preparing most of the initial line up of DSiWare games for an international release.

TAGS: Clubhouse Games Express, DSi, DSiWare, Nintendo, Nintendo DS, Paper Plane, Pyoro

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Ishaan

Cannot wait for Hacolife.

vicviper42

Agreed. PicoPict also looks particularly interesting.

MadMirko

"And most people are wondering whether the purchase will be worth it for exclusive Nintendo DSi games"

Really? People bought the DSLite even though it brought "only" a better screen, a lighter and more attractive design. The DSi has all of that, plus a lot more CPU power and RAM (for those future DSi games), as well as those cameras (which are also used for games, as you know), plus access to DSiWare.

Seems pretty good to me, guess that's why my pre-order came pretty soon after they announced worldwide availability.

EDIT: And oh yeah, Hacolife is so going to be mine as well.

Fili

The DSi has also a few bad points against it.

The battery life is worse. No GBA slot, and most important it's region locked.

If there will ever be in the future DSi only retail games (and I'm sure it will happen, look at the GBC), European players will be screwed for the first time in the portable gaming history.

As an European gamer, I can't really look with a happy eye at the DSi.

The DS lite had none of the above (except maybe the horrible shoulder buttons): it was better than the phat in every way.

MadMirko

The battery life is only worse if you select the brighter display settings. There is a GBA slot in my DSLites, DSs, GBA Micros, GBA SPs and finally GBAs. Do I need a GBA slot in the DSi as well?

DSi retail games have been confirmed for quite some time, and no one knows whether they'll be region locked. The only thing that IS region locked is the online shop. I'm sorry for you if you can read Japanese and miss out on the titles available there. Why should the games be region locked all of a sudden?

Back when the DSLite was launched, people (on the internet) also complained it was not thick enough, the hinges would crack or yellow, they complained about the dpad and that GBA titles would stick out of the console.

Joanna

there are no retail confirmed DSi titles, unless you have access to Nintendo's top secret information. hmmm?
Just because it's likely, doesn't mean it's confirmed. And as of now there are no retail titles confirmed :)
What has been confirmed is DSWare exclusive to DSi which is different from retail :)
And maybe North American DSWare will be region locked for Europe and the rest of the world, which would royally suck, and I think that was Fili's main point. It's not about region locking Japan, but also North America, because NA gets much more releases then Europe and the rest of the world. Sure they could just import a NA DSi, but why all the hassle when the DS was not region locked.

daizyujin

There is also the fact that the DSi costs more than the current model, something that wasn't true of the lite. The choice was pretty easy for most since the price was the same but I am imagining a lot of parents are just going to look at both, see one is higher and go for the low end.

As for me, I will not get it for some time, if at all. It has to have games that require the new hardware before I am going to invest in it. No matter what Nintendo says I still am not 100% convinced this is not a stopgap product. After all they did tell us that the DS was not a successor to the GBA.

jarrodand

"it was better than the phat in every way."

Not true, the Lite has an objectively inferior D-pad. Pop in SFA3 in both systems and you'll see, it's borderline unplayable on a Lite.

Joanna

I'm still on the fence, I mean a DSi is a serious investment, I'm not sure if I would rather buy hardware or more DS games. In the end I never get hardware at launch and the DSi will be no different. I'm excited, but not being filthy rich makes me patient. I'm basically waiting for a price drop and more DSi games on DSWare. :]

daizyujin

Damn right it is a serious investment. When prices of portables are approaching the prices of consoles, to me at least, it is no longer worth it. I usually play portables on my couch, not on the road so the portability factor is lost on me. I mean I have to actually sit and think, "For $30 more I could buy a console."

The one thing though that Nintendo needs to do is show us a reason why we NEED to buy a DSi and that is going to involve exclusive software that shows an obvious improvement over current DS games. At this point, with no retail games yet to speak of, I don't see how anybody can say they have even come close to that.