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.

With summer almost here, most people are now starting to get preoccupied with either looking for summer jobs or planning their summer vacations. But dedicated gamers are of a different sort - waiting for games to be released these coming days is their main business (or sometimes, folly).
Here's a list of games for release from June 5 to 9 this week. I wonder which ones I'll be able to grab...


JUNE 5, 2006

AMF Xtreme Bowling (PS2, Xbox)
MLB SlugFest 2006 (PS2, Xbox)
Origin of the Species (PC)
Magnetica (DS)
IHRA Drag Racing: Sportsman Edition (PS2, PC)
Dark and Light (PC)
Big Brain Academy (DS)


JUNE 6, 2006

Cars (PS2, Xbox, GC, DS, GBA, PSP, PC)
WWII Combat: Iwo Jima (Xbox, PC)
Gradius Collection (PSP)
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (PS2)
Jaws Unleashed (PC)
Backyard Baseball 2007 (GBA)
Dragon Ball: Advance Adventure (GBA)
The Movies: Stunts & Effects (PC)
Race Driver 2006 (PSP)
Mumbo Jumbo Puzzle Pack (PC)
And 1 Streetball (PS2, Xbox)
Ultra Sudoku & Ultra Kakuro (PC)


JUNE 7, 2006

Moscow to Berlin: Red Siege (PC)
SuDoku & KaKuro Collector's Edition (PC)
Deep Sea Tycoon: Diver's Paradise (PC)


JUNE 9, 2006

Scurge: Hive (DS, GBA)
Juka and the Monophonic Menace (GBA)

Magnetica is a puzzle-game for the Nintendo handheld which is essentially a virtual game of marbles.

Marbles are exclusively controlled by a stylus  Marbles roll down a twisted track toward the player, who must attempt to stop them by launching launch new marbles with the stylus. With "ultrarealistic magnetic physics," launched marbles will curve toward balls of the same color. When three or more marbles of the same color are matched, they disappear. With an abundance of power-ups, multiple tracks, multiplayer mode and three single-player modes (Challenge, Quest and Puzzle), Magnetica should keep puzzle/action fans busy and happy for a long time.

Magnetica can be picked up at Lik-Sang, and has a $45 USD price tag, available starting today.

Whether you recognize it as the arcade game Puzz Loop's handheld version or the second coming of Zuma, Magnetica promises to be the perfect companion in the coming long summer trips.

This Nintendo DS game will see players using the touch screen to flick marbles one-by-one at an ever-growing spiral chain of marbles. Connecting three marbles of the same color will make the marbles vanish, which sometimes set-off a massive chain of reactions.

Single player modes in this game offer players bonus items that can slow or stop time or even reverse the course of marbles. There are 99 levels on four difficulty settings in the game's challenge mode. There are marble-stymieing obstacles like wind, water, switches, and multiple launchers to deal with as well. To win against your opponents in the two-player Versus mode, use weapons such as Ion Clouds (create smoke screens), Recoils (block an opponent's marbles), Black Holes (devour marbles), and Gravitons (alter the path of launched marbles).

Magnetica is rated E for Everybody and launches next week, June 5.

Magnetica, the puzzle game for DS, is a conversion of the 1998 arcade puzzle game Puzz Loop with added touch screen support. Some others might recognize it as the popular game Zuma. Either way looks like some fun is headed to Nintendo DS on June 5th as this title hits store shelves. The game modes include quest, challenge, check-mate and versus modes and support for DS download play will also be available. Go ahead and check out the thumbnails below to get a better picture of the new puzzle game before it's released.

Nintendo has announced the official release date for their upcoming puzzle game, Magnetica. It is a Nintendo DS version of the popular Ballistic game. You must stop incoming balls from reaching the middle of a spiral by eliminating them. They are eliminated by shooting new balls to create rows of three in the chain. The entire game will be played using the touchscreen. Check out our previous coverage! Magnetica will be hitting stores on June 5th, 2006. The Japanese date is May 6th, 2006.

A few screens as well as the box art for a DS puzzle game known as Magnetica have finally showed up, allowing us to get a first glimpse at this interesting looking title. Basically, the purpose of this game is to prevent marbles from rolling down a twisted path by creating groups of three to eliminate them. This DS version of a 1998 arcade game called Puzzloop will only use the stylus for control throughout the quest, challenge, check-mate and versus modes. Support for DS download play will also be available once this title hits stores in Japan this May.

Nintendo recently announced that "New Super Mario Bros." for Nintendo DS will hit stores just before E3 on May 7, 2006. This will be the first title for Nintendo DS where we'll be seeing the return of the Mario Bros. in an all new adventure. The storyline reads: "On the heels of Valentine's Day romance is in the air, even in the Mushroom Kingdom. But Princess Peach wasn't able to celebrate with her special someone, seeing that she's been taken prisoner by Bowser and Bowser Jr. Only the Mario Bros. can rescue the princess from her evil captors as they battle familiar enemies like Goombas and Koopas along with new foes and big bosses."

New Super Mario Bros. is loaded with features and characters that could only exist in the Mushroom Kingdom, including all-new power-ups like the BlueShell, in which Mario can ride, and a massive Mushroom that makes him ultra-huge. The title features stunning 3-D models moving through lavish, cleverly designed 2-D worlds, culminating in a final showdown for the freedom of Princess Peach. Just like the old days, this'll once again be a fun game to play and is something that you'll probably never get on Sony's powerful PSP.

If Mario Bros. is not enough for you, then be sure to check out for another brand new title heading your way in June. The puzzle game, Magnetica, that involves marbles rolling down a twisted path toward a goal and is up to players to stop them by launching new marbles into the oncoming ones, will be available from June 5, 2006. The marbles will disappear if players match three or more in this massive marble elimination. All actions are controlled with the stylus in this title that satisfies even the strongest puzzle addiction.

These are two great titles for DS owners to look forward to. For more exclusive info on New Super Mario Bros. grab the latest copy of the official US Nintendo Magazine.