We got word from badam that Nintendo's DS Download Station website has been updated and now shows a "Series 1 Line-Up" and "Series 2 Line-Up". For you curious folks out there, the two-series breakdown is not really a mystery. It just means that if you want to download certain games, you'd have to go to appropriate participating game stores.

The Series 1 Line-Up includes Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!, Mario Kart DS, True Swing Golf, Tetris DS, Meteos, Metroid Prime Hunters Movies, and Pokemon Trozei. These titles are available for download exclusively at Target stores.

The Series Two Line-Up is available at GameStop, Game Crazy, and Best Buy stores. Titles in this line-up includes Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!, Magnetica, Over the Hedge Movie. Tetris DS, X-Men: The Official Game Movie, Metroid Prime Hunters, and Big Brain Academy. These titles will also be available at Wal-Mart and Toys 'R' Us stores.

Lumines is as engaging as its creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi. That was proven at the Develop conference just today, when he enthralled the audience as he discussed what inspired his colorful career. Described as a "creative visionary" by no less than Sony Computer Entertainment head honcho Phil Harrison, Mizuguchi said that  gaming had been like a sponge for the last 30 years. He's been influenced by different aspects of entertainment, technology, and culture. He said, "You can use influences from anywhere and create anything you like. There does not have to be any shape or format, all you need is inspiration."

With that as a backdrop, he revealed that Ninety-Nine Nights was inspired by a TV coverage of the Iraqi War where media played the harbinger of a multitude of opposing viewpoints. In part, the game was also inspired by the movie 'Rashomon', where different witnesses to a brutal crime tell a different story. In N3, players are offered different viewpoints, all with compelling effect. To Mizuguchi, it's "a deep part of being human; the ability to see things from different perspectives."

Lumines, the puzzle game based on sound and light patterns, was inspired by the PSP, which he called a "visual Walkman". To him, it's the perfect game for the system. While visuals drove him to create Lumines, Meteos for DS was inspired by the multi-tasking environment that has become the way of life in this day and age.

His earlier works - Rez and Space Channel 5 - were influence by dance culture, the idea of invasive media, the musical Stomp, jazz, surreal art and MTV. His stint at Sega led him to create Manx TT Superbike and Sega Rally, both inspired by the popularity of racing events and the idea of movement becoming part of games. This is one guy who finds inspiration from most anything.

Getting a bit philosophical, Mizuguchi ends his speech with: "The deeper you look at people, the more they are the game. A game should fulfill a deep human need or want. Then it can be successful all over the world."

Boys and girls, listen up! It's time to stock up on DS and PSP Games because Circuit City is having an early summer sale for all the videogame junkies out there. A bunch of games are listed on sale for only $8.96. You're not dreaming and that's no typo! But before you zoom your way to the nearest Circuit City, please remember that not all stores will have all these games in stock. Also, don't be surprised if some stores put them aside for now, because technically, the sale doesn't start until the week of July 4. Oh, by the way, as it turns out, the sale also covers titles for the PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, and Gameboy Advance.

Here's the list of PSP and DS Games for the Circuit City $8.96 summer sale taken from Cheap Ass Gamer.

PSP
Darkstalkers
Exit
FIFA Soccer
Gretzky NHL
NBA Street Showdown
Need For Speed Underground Rivals
Spiderman 2
Tiger Woods PGA
Tony Hawk Underground 2 Remix
World Soccer Tour

Nintendo DS
Advance Wars
Asphault GT (DS) - $5.96
ATV Quad Frenzy
Burnout Legends
Dig Dug: Digging Strike
Dragonball Z Supersonic Warriors 2
FIFA Soccer 2006
Finding Nemo
Goldeneye Rouge Agent
Great Juju Challenge
Gulty Gears Dust Strike
Incredibles Rise Of The Underminer
King Kong
Lunar Dragon Song
Madden 2005
Madden 2006
Meteos
Metroid Prime Pinball
Monster Truck
Need For Speed Underground 2
Pac N Roll
Pac Pix
Pokemon Dash
Polarium
Scooby Doo Unmasked
Spongebob Yellow Avenger
Spyro Shadow Legacy
Star Wars Episode 3 Revenge Of The Sith
Texas Hold Em
Tiger Woods 2005
Trace Memory
Ultimate Spiderman
Urbz: Sims In The City

According to 1up.com today, Q Entertainment and Buena Vista Games have announced a new Meteos game for the Nintendo DS. The New version is entitled Meteos: Disney Edition and will probably use the same formula the first Meteos was famous for while adding Disney characters into the mix.

No screenshots or other information are provided, but we should expect to see more details coming soon - after all, E3's just right around the corner. We'll keep you posted.

A heads up to DS fans, especially Meteos fans. Contrary to previous reports, Meteos is still being shipped to stores and is still very much available to those who haven't purchased a copy. This is certainly a piece of good news for the fans of the highly praised puzzle game known to be heavily packed with block rocketing, stylus-heavy puzzles, and is also being tagged by fanatics and some critics as the Tetris of this generation. It looks like the Nintendo people have answered the call of those who negatively reacted with the above-mentioned rumor.

To know where to get a copy, check out the customer service site of Nintendo's official website.

Apparently another one bites the dust. Meteos, the brainchild of Tetsuya Mizuguchi, has been allegedly discontinued by its manufacturers. The game, which is heavily packed with block-rocketing and stylus-heavy puzzles, are still included in the titles being sold by some game retailers but apparently that is the last that we will see of Meteos. But then again, it is never too late for Meteos fans to hope that this news tidbit is untrue. Some fans are already negatively reacting over this development. Some are saying that the manufacturers have made mistakes of gargantuan proportions for the game has the potential of being the Tetris of this generation and that Meteos gives Lumines a run for its money. Let us just hope that the manufacturers heed these clamors from Meteos lovers.

Although they were confirmed for North America and the United Kingdom, most of Europe had heard nothing about these machines. A few forum members of "Gathering of Tweakers" (a Dutch techie site) reported seeing download stations in stores. The stations have demos of Polarium and Meteos available for download. It seems inevitable that the rest of Europe will be seeing download stations soon.

Download Stations allow you to use the "Download Play" option on your Nintendo DS to download temporary demos and videos. They will last until your Nintendo DS is turned off. North American Download Stations will be featuring demos of Brain Age, Mario Kart DS, True Swing Golf, Tetris DS, Meteos, and Pokemon Trozei as well as a movie of Metroid Prime: Hunters.

 

Early next year both games will be reunited on a single system. In fact, they'll be coming together on a gaming platform that you probably already own, whether you like to think of it that way or not. Gameloft has just signed an agreement with Q Entertainment to publish both Lumines and Meteos on, get this, mobile phones. How well the experiences will translate to the smallest of small screens remains to be seen, but if all goes well we'll be finding out in the first quarter of 2006.

Source: gamers

Screenshots: 1 2 3

Today, Nintendo announced that Meteos has shipped to stores nationwide. The game's story (such as it is) revolves around an obstinate evil planet that likes to destroy other planets. The player must defend 30 different planets from deadly meteor bombardments.

"Meteos is great to play whether you're heading to the beach for the day, or you have only a few minutes to spare," said George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications, who's obviously never brought a game system to the beach. "If you're hanging out with friends, its wireless functions let friends link together and play, even if only one of them has a Meteos game card."

Meteos is rated "E" for Everyone, and is available exclusively on the Nintendo DS for $29.99.