So you've seen the "miniature giant" robots at work, and have also loaded up on the sweet scans we brought you just recently. Now if those weren't enough to temporarily satiate your robotic cravings, then you'll be glad to know that the official site for Custom Robo Arena is now up and running.

Oh yes indeed, you can now get the latest game goodies on this NOISE Inc.-developed game right from their site. We assume they're still working on putting up more features there but for now, you can download the latest screens and wallpapers as well as watch the trailer for the game in the video section.

You'll also find character profiles (or should we say specs?) on two of the robots you'll be seeing when the game hits shelves this March -- Ray MK II and Mistral. But you know what, why take our word for it? Go check it out yourself by clicking on the read link below. (Aaaand, all together now: Domo Aregato Mr. Roboto..*does the robot dance*)

 

There's an amusing word in the English language called the oxymoron. It's a kind of figure of speech that occurs when you take two words that normally oppose each other and use them side by side to describe something. Kinda like "girly man." Today, however, we're using another oxymoron: miniature giant. As in Miniature Giant Robots of Death and Destruction!

Now, it's been a long while since we heard anything from NOISE Inc. about Custom Robo Arena, also known as Custom Robo Rumble. On this dual-screened miniature console, you've got your giant robots made real, and you get to customize and manage your robot to make a specialized fighting machine. Why? Because you're a Robo Commander, and you better be good at your job!

In any case, the game's set to take the world by storm come March, but if you're hankering for something else to keep you wanting more DS goodness, here are a couple of new screens for you to think about. Now, take you miniature giant robot, and go beat the stuffing out of something, will you?

   

More robot screens after the jump!

Famitsu whets our DS appetite with another bunch of magazine scans for future DS titles courtesy of Cubed3. These scans include titles such as Itadaki Street DS, Custom Robo Arena, Prof. Layton, and Kirby Squeak Squad. Funny, all we can really do is hope that these titles will get international release, as they look awesome. Custom Robo Arena, for instance gets the most raves for its features: multiplayer with the Wi-Fi Connection, multi-card play, and download play. Itadaki Street, on the other hand, remains a popular title as it's the latest DS offshoot for the Square Enix franchise.

More info about these DS titles will be revealed so keep up with the updates here at QJ.

Battling it out in arenas? Robot warriors? And WiFi-enabled? It's a mech-geeks' dream come true. Custom RoboArena, or Custom Robo Rumble as it's known in Japan, lets you enter your robot in a Custom Robo Championship and earn parts to upgrade your robot. The sweet stuff:

• multiplayer with WiFi Connection, Multi-Card play, and DS Download Play
• use the touch screen to construct your robot and repair it after battles

The story? A young boy transfers to a new school and meets a girl named Saki. She wants to train the boy into the next great Robo Commander. Then, dum-dum-dum [insert scary effects here], the plot thickens from there. Sorry, this is a spoiler-free article; we won't tell you any more about the story. The game from Tokyo-based NOISE Inc. is set to come out December 4, 2006 in the US and October 19 in Japan. Keep your DS polished and ready.

Buy: [Custom Robo Arena]

  

The newest DS Famitsu scans are in, and three games have new screenshots on them. They are (from left to right) Custom Robo Rumble!, Magic Compendium, and Black Jack DS.

Yeah, you read that right. It seems Black Jack DS is not the middle scan. The said game is based on a manga which seemingly has nothing to do with the game of Blackjack. Weird, eh? Of these three titles, only Custom Robo has any real chance at an overseas release. More should be revealed on it as we get closer to release. For now, just check out the nice screens in the scans!

Jeux France has a bunch of character art and screenshots for the DS Custom Robo game coming out. It's titled Custom Robo Rumble! with an exclamation mark! I never understood the whole exclamation- mark-in-titles thing. It just makes using it in a sentence awkward, don't you think?

The series first reared its head in North America on the GameCube and became an instant multiplayer favourite among many. The sequel hopes to improve on that by adding Nintendo WiFi Connection play! The game seems built for the DS too, due to the high amount of customization that goes on in the game. It's something the touch screen and dual screen will likely benefit greatly from!

 

The Japanese have all the DS fun don't they? All we can do is cross our fingers that these exciting game titles will find a way to cross the Atlantic and dock on North American shores. Korean website DreamWiz has posted tons of magazine scans from extremely popular Japanese forum, 2ch.

There isn't very much information to go on in the site, so we really couldn't tell if this was from just one magazine or several. However, if you can read either Japanese or Korean, feel free to supply the missing words, sentences and paragraphs. Eventhough we're all a little lost in translation, these lovely pictures from Dragon Quest Monster: Joker, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Harvest Moon, Chocobo to Mahou no Ehon, Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin and Custom Robo, will surely break the language barrier.

Chocobo to Mahou no Ehon

   
     

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin

    

More of the scans await after the jump!

Name: Custom Robo Arena
Format: Nintendo DS™
Launch Date: Q4 2006
ESRB: RP (Rating Pending)
Game Type: Action Role-Playing Game
Accessories: Nintendo DS Rumble Pak™
Players: 1-2 via Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection, Multi-Card Play or DS Download Play
Developer: Noise

Custom Robo has become a popular series in which robot battling is a popular sport of the future. You can customize your own robots and fight with them like gladiators. Nintendo's Press Release reads:

• Players explore a sci-fi landscape as they fight toward the Custom Robo championship, powering up their Robos as they go. With tons of unique parts, there are literally millions of possible Custom Robo combinations, giving players complete control over how they fight their battles.
• Players can challenge their friends to one-on-one Robo battles anytime and anywhere using either Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, Multi-Card Play or DS Download Play.
• Players use the touch screen to customize every aspect of their Robo, including its weaponry, and then polish it up after every battle to bring it back to top fighting form.

The story will follow a young boy and a young girl named Saki. Saki is the "Robo Commander Champion." When this young boy transfers to her school, she sees potential in him and trains to be the next great Robo Commander to compete in the Custom Robo competitions. The boy's life changes forever when he finds out a secret that Saki is holding back. They live in an age where Custom Robos are used to do dangerous tasks, much like in the book I, Robot.

Most of the game will be played in battle arenas with huge fights. However, the game will also have an RPG element to it where you will wander the towns communicating with others to become the greatest Robo Commander in the world. With this type of theme, it's perfect for multiplayer. You can play multiplayer using Nintendo WiFi Connection, Multi-Card or Download Play.

Download: [Custom Robo Arena E3 06 Trailer]