Finally, some love for Nintendo DS fans: compared to last week, the domain of all things Ninty (at least, the smaller Ninty device) is now getting some action in the form of exciting game release announcements, like Chrono Trigger for the DS (yay!) and some possibility of brickage for R4 users (nay!). Get the full skinny of what you might have missed this week in the full article.

The release dates for the upcoming Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice for the PS3 and Disgaea: Prince of the Demon World and the Red Moon for the DS are finally out, and as it turns out, Nippon Ichi fans only need to wait for less than two months before the next Disgaea comes out. The dates, and a surprise mention of a certain NIS America title, in the full article!

It's now official: Disgaea DS is coming to North American shores thanks to NIS America. Previously announced for Japan as Disgaea: Prince of the Demon World and the Red Moon, this version for the Nintendo handheld will be loaded with new features introduced in Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness with additional improvements to boot. Hit that jump to learn more, dood!

 

Kyoto-based Nintendo isn't just today's leading game hardware maker, it's now the top game publisher as well. This is according to Game Developer Magazine's annual Top 20 Publishers report.

This marks the very first time that publishing powerhouse Electronic Arts has been knocked off its throne. EA has held the first place among publishers since the annual report was initiated five years ago.

Sadly, though, all reigns must end and Nintendo Company Ltd. won this year's coveted distinction on the strength of big software sales, positive feedback from industry insiders, and excellent responses from trading partners worldwide.

EA remains in the top tier as it grabs a firm hold on the second spot, while rival Activision comes in at third. French Publisher Ubisoft's investments on the Nintendo Wii and DS platforms produced a huge pay-off as it now ranks fourth. THQ jumped to fifth place by virtue of its best-ever revenue results.

Just outside the Top 20 list are major forces such as Atari, Warner Bros. Interactive, Gamecock, and NIS America. Here's the full list of this year's Top 20 Publishers by Game Developer Magazine in descending order.

1. Nintendo
2. Electronic Arts
3. Activision
4. Ubisoft
5. THQ
6. Take-Two Interactive
7. Sega of America
8. Sony Computer Entertainment
9.  Microsoft Game Studios
   
10. SCi/Eidos Interactive
11. Square Enix
12. Namco Bandai
13. Vivendi Games
14. Capcom
15. Konami
16. NC Soft
17. Disney Interactive
18. Atlus USA
19. LucasArts
20. Midway
    

Phoenix Spaulding, the person responsible for translating Nippon Ichi Software (NIS) games before reaching the west, sat down with Gamasutra to shed light on what NIS America does during the localization process to get its games outside Japan. Aside from finding out who's behind the wacky item descriptions of Disgaea 2, what caught our interest the most is the possibility of Disgaea going to Nintendo platforms.

Now that NIS America is porting Disgaea on the Sony PSP as Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness, it seems like the company is testing new waters. When asked if there's any chance we'll see Nippon Ichi games on the Nintendo Wii or the Nintendo DS, Spaulding replied:

I don’t have any details on it, but I know back at Anime Expo, NIS Japan made a very brief mention about Disgaea on the DS. As far as I know, that’s still planned, and I know they’re at least looking at the others, like Wii, and maybe some other DS titles. I hope they do because so many of our fans, they’re all DS kids. It really just makes sense to at least try it.

While NIS Japan is sorting out plans to give Nintendo fans some love, those who haven't played the first Disgaea on the Sony PS2 should try it out. The cult hit, originally published by Atlus, didn't come in abundant supply (ask any Atlus fan how difficult it is to find its games months after release), but NIS America recently reprinted Disgaea after seeing its sequel's success.

For the full interview, click on the Read link below.

 

The Disgaea series has been the torch-bearer of the strategy-RPG genre since the Final Fantasy Tactics franchise opted to go full-time on handhelds. Now Laharl and the rest of the wily cast seem to be heading in the same direction.

The thing with NIS America is that it has a bit of crossroad up its path. Depending on how you respond to a poll they opened on their site, the direction that the franchise might take could change. The only question to answer is "which handheld device do you own?" The site then thanks you and sends you on your way home.

Does this mean that NIS is trying to feel out where more of the fans they bred on the PlayStation 2 have gone? The poll might have been a little more exciting if the fans were also consulted regarding the next game's content. In any case, go out there, show your support for their efforts, and see where that leads the series.

Check out the Read link to place your poll answers!

One can remember Disgaea as a sleeper hit on the PlayStation 2. While some merely passed it off as a Final Fantasy Tactics clone. Most of us who snapped up the title (either in curiosity or simply looking for another SRPG) fell in love with the game's simple battle mechanics, over-the-top attacks - and an overarching storyline that NEVER took itself seriously.

But that was then. Now, with a sequel and a PlayStation Portable title underneath its belt (the latter yet to arrive in NA shores), the series may have set its sights to blast into the handheld scene yet again - this time, on the Nintendo DS.

This somewhat-rumor comes from a Q&A session with NIS America, who seemed game enough to reveal this juicy tidbit to the gaming public. Here is the actual question and response, verbatim:

(Reader Question): Any chance of Disgaea on the Nintendo DS?

    NIS America rep: Let me just say this… you can look forward to it!

While we don't want to get our hopes up, there hasn't been any news to confirm nor deny the possibility of a Disgaea title coming to the Dual Screen. We can't help but be excited at the prospect of taking the Disgaea experience on the road. Keep it locked right here for any and all developments!

This is for those of you guys who love Disgaea, as well as other games from Nippon Ichi's stable. Although they don't talk about the North American PSP version of the beloved game, GameSetWatch's interview with Jack Niida and Mitsu Hiraoka of Nippon Chi Software America (NISA) talks a bit about the mother company's future game plans... and a lot about Prinny collecting.

Niida was quick to point out that, while a majority of their releases were on the PS2 and PSP, they are nonetheless committed to supporting other platforms as well: "gamers (on all platforms) can expect surprises from us." Of course, they will still work as closely with Sony, "providing great games for PS2/PS3/PSP users as well."

Wonder why GameSetWatch didn't ask about the possibilities of a PS3 game set in the Disgaea universe?

Moving on... Part of the interview was dedicated to NISA's contribution to geek love, their online store RosenQueen.com. The name's taken from an item shop in Nippon Ichi's Marl's Kingdom series, and since it doesn't "literally" carry the NIS/NISA name, it can carry both Nippon Ichi-related products and products that aren't related to NIS/NISA at all, providing a service to both the customer and other companies (double cha-ching to NISA, too).

Remember the Disgaea wish list? They carry Prinny plushies! (Dunno if the plushies carry their in-game power, though: you might want to run them past an X-ray or something, just to be sure. Kidding!)

Speaking of collectibles, in this case special editions of their games, Niida also explained the logic behind putting out a collector's edition of a game. "Judging cost effectiveness on a bonus item for video games is always a difficult task. What it comes down to is cost-benefit, customer interest, affordability, and future impact."

It also depends on the retailer's cooperation - if they're willing do devote resources to promoting these spec.-editions in stores - but Niida did say that they would "like to provide similar special editions packages." Hmm... we're wondering if there will be a special-edition North American Disgaea Portable with free Etna and/or Flonne in the pack... Who wants to start the letter-writing campaign?!

 

NIS America just made our day when they spilled the beans on Disgaea Portable's US version. Now, we'll just have to wait if Nippon Ichi would indeed fulfill our Disgaea wish list. While we wait, let's focus our attention on the other things that NIS America has in store for us.

It was way back in June when NIS' Jack Niida talked about making games for the Wii, potential downloadable titles, and sticking to 2D games. After that, we heard nothing about NIS making games for the Wii or the Nintendo DS...until now. Apparently, during the presentation of NIS' new online store, RosenQueen, a company exec hinted that NIS is moving into Wii and DS development. He said that "I've heard rumors - just rumors! - that NIS is preparing DS and Wii contracts". And if you check out RosenQueen, you would see that the company now sells Wii and DS accessories.

Hmmm. We don't know what games they are planning to make for the Wii and the DS or if they are really serious in developing for the mentioned platforms. We guess we have to hear some official word from NIS America. For now, keep checking us out for updates.

Alchemy, magic, and kicking ass. In essence, that is what Atelier Iris, from Japanese developer Gust, was all about. It was one of the more enjoyable PS2 RPG series in recent years, thanks largely to its item creation system that allowed players to synthesize items and equipment to gain additional abilities and powers.

Now the word is out that Gust will be adding a DS entry to the Atelier Iris series. While this has been confirmed by Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu, additional details regarding the game as well as a release date are yet to be announced.

Fans of the Atelier Iris series will surely get a kick out of this new DS game. Atelier Iris's 2D sprite graphics look like a perfect match for the DS, and we're interested in what new gameplay features the DS's touch screen will bring to the series. Here's hoping that NIS America will also bring this game to US shores.