While the DSi's April release hasn't been confirmed, we know that timeframe is at least likely, and that means the time is approaching for you to make a decision. Are you going to buy one right away? Will you wait? Or, since we know a few of you are out there, did you buy one already, thus making this a moot question?

If you're on the side of waiting, we've got more questions for you. Are you waiting to save money, or because you're not yet sold on the system? And an even more interesting question, perhaps: which model do you have now? The original or the Lite?

Not only is this a good question for gamers, but it's a particular good question for Nintendo fans: do you prefer realism in games, or not? Is it even an issue for you? Some people make their decisions based on other factors, and for them, whether or not a game is particularly realistic or more "cartoonish" isn't an issue. For others, however, it can be a big deal. Where do you stand?

Renegade Kid is doing their damndest to push the DS in a variety of ways. With their games Moon and Dementium, they've attempted to bring a big-console feel to the dual screens, and the two represent a genre outside of the handheld's typical comfort zone. Moon and Dementium aren't so colorful as most DS games, and they lack the familiarity of a game like Metroid Prime Hunters. These are games of atmosphere, and often, there's blood on the walls and malice in the air.

So it's fitting that their games are also about exploration, about discovering limits and new areas. Renegade Kid may not succeed in every aim -- and Moon does not -- but they're doing something different (at least, for the DS). When you're talking about a phenomenon like the DS, when everyone wants in, and everyone is releasing games on it, companies that go against the norm are to be lauded if they are at all successful. Though Moon is uneven, it succeeds in a lot of ways, and so it is to be lauded, too.

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When Chrismix sent us pictures of a pink lantern Kirby, we were so bowled over by the cuteness that there was no other option than this: dedicating this week's Show and Tell to the little pink guy. Thus did we set out, scouring the harsh planes of these wild internets in search of custom Kirby swag. Interested in what we found? Take the guided tour here, or jump right into the gallery below.

More and more, it seems like Dead Rising for the Wii is not a harmonious port, adjusted to a new engine to improve the controls and to allow a new set of fans to enjoy the experience of knocking zombies down with bowling balls. Instead, it looks like Dead Rising is being pushed into the Resident Evil 4 engine with few to no adjustments to suit Dead Rising itself, even if they would make sense for the gameplay. According to the latest issue of Nintendo Power, Frank can no longer jump -- though we don't know if that includes attacks that require jumping. Does that mean weapons and items on certain ledges and overhangs will no longer be there, or will we have a special "action" button? Less tolerable still might be the changes to the items and melee weapons. Despite the Wii port's focus on the fun of poking zombies in the eye with broom handles and the like, with Chop 'Til You Drop, you can only carry one melee weapon at a time ... and the game will have fewer items overall.

That means most of your serious weaponry will be given over to guns. But it opens up a lot of questions, such as: what counts as a melee weapon under this system? Can you only carry (the horror) one small chainsaw at a time? Does that mean you'll automatically drop that chainsaw if you pick up one of the big table umbrellas to knock aside a bunch of zombies? And how, exactly, does that increase the fun factor of the game? Guns were great in certain instances in the original, but even an increased emphasis on shooting (and better controls for it) can't possibly compare to whipping through a crowd with Adam's chainsaws. The combination of chainsaws and zombies might well make up this blogger's vision of the perfect afterlife.

Some of us are trying to stay positive, because any Dead Rising should be (or at least, could be) fun, but Capcom, you're not making it easy. Perhaps, once played, all fears and worries will be assuaged, but at this point, we're looking at a totally different game ... and not sure it sounds all that fantastic.


[Via Go Nintendo]

For those of us in the United States, this week may be notable for more than video games, despite the debut of the fascinating Big Bang Mini ... and that may not even be limited to us! Well, Big Bang Mini is, but the news goes everywhere.

Of course, if you think about it, so do DS games, if you want to pay international shipping. If you want an Obama DS Lite, well, you've gotta do that yourself.

• Big Bang Mini
• Jumble Madness
• SimAnimals

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We've been big fans of Fragile since its debut, and it's certainly a highly-anticipated title around here, even though we don't know whether or not it'll ever see a release outside of Japan (though it's likely). That doesn't mean, however, that we won't criticize it occasionally, and so we're going to point out that the latest screenshots, though intriguing, are a little uneven.

We've seen this room before, and it looks tremendous; bright and colorful while still keeping the abandoned atmosphere of the game. But a few of these shots look a little messy; there are ragged, ugly edges on the protagonist. It's probably just the old curse of Wii stills, but next to the rest of the shots from the game, which are mostly fantastic, they stick out.

We see a lot of games in which you race cars or karts, play as some sort of soldier or agent (sometimes in space), or a young man with a large weapon of some sort, which he and his friends must use to stave off impending doom. You get the idea, and you know the patterns. But what would you like to see that isn't used a lot? Through out your creative settings or ideas. Arctic regions? Werewolves? Mowing lawns? Oh, wait, we did that.

We often talk about the homebrew software we recommend for the DS, so today, we thought it might be nice to turn the tables. What's on your flash cart? Do you prefer homebrew games or applications? What are your favorites? What would you like to see more of?

If you want motion control on your DS, it's available, and about to be even more available. Between the homebrew solutions, riskier options, and official motion-sensing tech coming down the pipeline, we're about to hit a glut of handheld movement. The question is ... do you want motion controls on your DS? Is it even an issue? Sure, some things might be nice. Feel free to suggest a few! But would you pay for it?

What? Spore on Wii? We thought it had disappeared completely, and after Spore failed to take the world by storm when it was released, we ... well, we kind of forgot all about it. Will Wright didn't forget, though, and Spore for Wii has resurfaced, only now it's going to be Spore Heroes and not a port of Spore itself, like the DS version. And speaking of the DS, another game is apparently slated for the handheld, as a companion: Spore Heroes Arena. Details are slim at the moment, but that doesn't matter; what does matter is how you feel about this development. Interested?

Why clutter up your house with a real metronome when you can use your trusty DS to achieve the same effect? Thanks to the homebrew community's continuing effort to turn the DS into the Swiss army knife of portable devices, soon, we anticipate the DS will be able to do just about anything ... and official releases offer a lot of practical options, too.

DSMetronome is the product of Demented, who noticed a hole in the system's abilties and filled it in tremendous fashion, building a clean application with built-in help. It may be simple, but DSMetronome does exactly what it's supposed to do, and does it well. Some games have included metronomes, but if that's all you need or want, this app may work well for you.

There's only one thing more explosive than new Big Bang Mini screens, and that's a new Big Bang Mini trailer.

Wait, no, really, that's completely inaccurate. Lots of things are more explosive than video and images, including, uh, actual fireworks, but maybe we can get away with the hyperbole when we're talking about a game that uses fireworks. Anyway, despite the extended opening and music from the other Big Bang Mini trailers, this footage from the schmup is new, fresh, and even a little Brazilian. Welcome to Rio de Janeiro. In this Rio, the weather is bad and you've got no homing missiles. But then again, would you have them in the real Rio? Confirmed: Big Bang Mini is like going on vacation.

Oh, just watch the trailer.


[Via press release]

Ever since we've learned that Arc Rise Fantasia was going to break out of Japan, we've wanted to see more of the RPG, but there was a long gap and not a lot to see. Now, however, we can check out ... well, honestly, it's a bunch of poses. Sometimes the same pose against a different background. There's serious fighty business going down, though, so they're worth a look. We've gone too long without some quality time traveling the world in search of turn-based battle.

Now if only we had a firm date ....

Okay, listen -- not everyone appreciates cosplay, and that's cool. Hopefully, even if you don't, you can at least give the creators their due. We sure like to, because some really dedicated fans can put together wonderful costumes ... costumes so wonderful we have no choice but to appreciate their cosplay!

But we see lots of Mario and Link and the usual suspects, so during these special community spotlights, we like to shy away from the typical. In our last look at cosplay, we saw characters from some of the best DS games represented, but this time, we just looked for more unusual selections. Take the guided tour of our findings here, or just jump right into the gallery below.

Four Swords cosplay image found here.