The techno-literary world is abuzz over Kindle, Amazon's handheld electronic reading device which is quickly gaining popularity in the small circle of people who love books, aren't afraid of computers, and have $400 in disposable income. According to a recent Nintendo investor report, European DS owners might be able to ride the e-book wave this coming winter -- the tentative release date for the tentatively titled DS Novel.

Details about the game are non-existent, though DS Fanboy speculates that it's an English language version of a Japanese title which allows the user to peruse over 100 complete books. We hope to hear more about this later in the year -- the thought of being able to sit down with our favorite editions of "Chicken Soup for the Soul" without all the fuss and muss of ink and pulp fills us with anticipation.

About ten days ago, we got our first glimpse of a video showing a downloadable, Nintendo DS version of Super Mario Galaxy, supposedly hidden inside the Wii version of the game. We watched with rapt attention as the shaky-cam footage showed Mario and Luigi jumping from the Wii to the DS using a previously unknown, hidden galaxy and the DS' WiFi download capabilities. We were surprised to see low-resolution versions of Mario and Luigi running around low-resolution versions of familiar Mario Galaxy levels. We were shocked and hopeful when the video promised each DS star would be redeemable for 10 Wii shop points.

We weren't ready to definitively declare the video real or fake at the time, but now, after some digging, we're ready to set the record straight on this hoax. Read on for our evidence and thoughts on the matter.

Do people exist somewhere that don't own this system? If the Japanese sales charts are to be believed, then there have been enough Nintendo DS systems sold so that every man, woman, child, and dog on the planet could have one of these. And a spare.

However, if you are DS-less and have a hankering to get onboard with the action, and you have some rudimentary photochopping skills, then try your hand at the Nintendo DS/DK contest at SmugMug. All you have to do is paste the little guy climbing to the top of pretty much anything, and then submit it. Keep in mind though, images must be under 12 mb in size (good gawd).

It's a pretty easy contest to enter, and the swag is well worth the time, so why not whip something up and get in? We made one in just a few seconds (hint, it's the image for this post) so you should trump our skillz easily and submit it to them.

Check out the rules on their site. Also, the comment on the first (and only) entry that's up so far is ... priceless. Ahh, the internets.

If The Martian DS looks a little rough on the edges, it's because the title was originally created by a team of three for a 72-hour game development competition four years ago. The resulting project is actually quite impressive, considering, and we're happy to see that one of the original developers took the time to create a homebrew port of it for the DS.

Short but sweet, The Martian DS is a side-scrolling shooter in the vein of Alien Hominid. Players roam the city picking up weapons and power-ups while dodging constant gunfire from the local law enforcement. The game really suffers from the lack of a soundtrack, but the original character sprites, especially the donut-heaving boss, makes up for it.


[Via GBATemp]

Just when you think we've established what the Nintendo DS is capable of graphics-wise, homebrew developer Phillip Bradbury comes along and smashes those preconceptions with a Videlectrix port for the ages. If you thought Population: Tire shook the scene with its innovative touchscreen controls, prepare to be brought to your knees by Secret Collect. Epic in every sense of the word, this remake is half Indiana Jones, half God of War The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time:

"The greatest secrets man has ever known have been scattered all over the globe and its [sic] your job to find them."

Homestar Runner's Strong Bad stars in the game, represented by a magnificently detailed, red square. You'll navigate the agile hero through fifteen blocky mazes and collect yellow squares to advance to the next spine-tingling level. Picking up the blue power-ups (also squares) will boost your speed, keeping you ahead of the labyrinths' treacherous monsters -- so treacherous, they're invisible to the naked eye!

The original Flash version is also available online for those of you who either lack the tools to play homebrew games or don't have enough room on your hard drive for the 18KB download.

Though the Nintendo DS version of The Simpsons Game won't have the 3D frills that its console counterparts will feature, that's perfectly fine with us! We didn't need 3D to enjoy The Simpsons' license when it was an arcade game in the 90s, and we don't need it now!

Judging by these first two video previews, the family's first foray onto our dual-screened system looks fantastic! As expected, the 2D platformer is teeming with references and characters from the show, even including a a level where you get to eat your way through the Land of Chocolate. According to Game|Life, Electronic Arts will be packing the handheld title with 2000 lines of spoken dialogue.

We weren't impressed with most of the minigames we saw unlocked in Noiseland Arcade, but the "Pet Homer" Nintendogs spoof definitely made us smile. We've always wanted a donut-chomping lout of our own to poke, feed, and care for. Do the Bartman and dance past the post break for GameTrailers' developer walkthroughs.

Promotional Consideration is a weekly feature about the Nintendo DS advertisements you usually flip past, change the channel on, or just tune out.

If you missed our spotlight on Leo Burnett's "Communion Day" ad last Sunday, make sure to give it a glance. Even if you've already skimmed through our words on the award-winning piece, we've updated our summation with some insight from art director Rosemary Collini Bosso.

This weekend's installment of Promotional Consideration takes a critical eye to an unconvincing ad that might actually drive away consumers. Read on for more details.

Only a couple of hours before Nintendo's E3 media briefing yesterday, rumors of a new Golden Sun game for the DS began to spread like a fast-moving cancer, traveling through the internet's lymphatic system, taking over gaming blogs and forums. Even Joystiq, the wind beneath our wings, fell victim to the malignant screenshots that were supposedly leaked from a "secret press gathering" by person-in-the-know gobo_4227.

To your right, you'll see one of those supposed screenshots of Golden Sun: The Sooth Sayer compared with promotional artwork that was released for Golden Sun: The Lost Age back in 2002. Unless you count the bloom filter and "Touch to Start" text, the images are exact twins. The fact that we've heard no official mention of the new RPG -- or any other Camelot-developed title for either Nintendo console -- whilst E3 continues makes this rumor seem even more unconvincing.

We've got a flood of Front Mission DS media for you today. In addition to the new screenshots viewable in the gallery below, there's also a minute-and-a-half-long trailer for the Square Enix SRPG past the post break. If you need more than just combat clips and menu hopping to get you going, scroll down a bit further for the original Japanese trailer.

Front Mission DS finally bring the series' first entry to the states, adding touchscreen controls, multiplayer battles (local only), and several new Wanzers to the mech-based title. While this release already includes the alternative UCS storyline from the PlayStation remake, five new missions specific to the DS version have also been added.

RPGamer had a chance to sit down with producer Koichiro Sakamoto to discuss the handheld port and his thoughts on bringing more Front Mission games to the DS. According to the interview, were it not for the campaigning of a particular team member, North America might not have received the game: "There was one [who] was very passionate about the game, and wanted to give players in the United States the chance to experience. He felt that Front Mission 3 and 4 proved that there is a userbase, and since the DS is currently very popular, the thinking went, 'Why not give it a try?'"

It's true, we didn't hear much about The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass at Nintendo's E3 keynote. But Nintendo discreetly dropped some images into a press release and stuffed them into our briefcase, giving us the notion that if they happened to be shown to you guys, it wouldn't be terrible.

A few new screenshots have been added to the gallery, as well as some character art. One of the pieces is the same artwork used in the supposed US boxart, which, to us, confirms the validity of that boxart. Man, the Wind Waker art style still out-styles pretty much everything else out there, especially in mainstream AAA games. Sorry, every other game.

With so much emphasis put on The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass and casual games during this afternoon's media briefing, Reggie neglected to mention a few titles that I'm sure gamers would've loved to have heard about. News of Advance Wars DS 2, for instance, was hidden in a European press release, dated for the fourth quarter. Freshly Picked - Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland, starring everyone's favorite cosplaying fairy, was also quietly announced for this September 14th in the same report.

On the North American side, Nintendo revealed that it will be publishing Professor Layton and the Curious Village on December 3rd, the same day Super Smash Bros. Brawl is expected to hit store shelves. Two previously unannounced titles, Nintendo Crossword and Nintendo Magic, were also listed. Follow the link below to see what other first and third-party games are due for the remainder of 2007.

Halfway through its E3 2007 media briefing today, Nintendo announced that it will expanding its line of casual titles in the US with Strengthen Your Visual Power through Practice: Vision Training (Miru Chikara wo Jissen de Kitearu: DS Ganriki Training), retitling the game as Flash Focus: Vision Training in Minutes a Day.

If neither of the titles suitably sum up the game for you, it is a collection of exercises and minigames that test you on field of vision and eye-hand coordination, using the results to determine the age of your eyes. Shift your eyes past the post break for some video impressions of the Japanese demo from CAG's CheapyD!

The morning's whisperings, hushed under raucous E3 speculation, indicate that the Enamel Navy DS Lite's days could be numbered. Supposedly, Nintendo will be halting all production of the Japan-and-China-only version of the handheld by the end of the month.

We don't favor its termination, but considering Nintendo's recent introduction of two new tints to the DS Lite line, Metallic Rose and Gloss Silver, trimming the number of available colors might be in the company's best interest. Expect to see import and auction prices for this endangered edition shoot up to the heavens.

Farewell, Enamel Navy! We hardly knew ye.

It's the final countdown! Need the quick skinny on catching all of Nintendo's megatons, minitons, and Reggietons at this afternoon's E3 press conference? We've collected it all -- starting times, links to FREE and LIVE video streams, and even Morrissey -- right here!

Event location:

• Santa Monica Civic Center (Santa Monica, CA)

Press conference starting times (today):

• United States - 9:00 AM PDT, 10:00 AM MDT, 11:00 AM CDT, 12:00 PM EDT
• Europe - 5:00 PM WEST, 6:00 PM CET, 7:00 PM EET
• Australia - 12:00 AM AWST, 1:30 AM ACST, 2:00 AM AEST
• Japan - 1:00 AM JST
• Countdown clock

Live video streams (free):

• 1UP
• G4
• GameSpot
• Gametrailers
• Nintendo (GameSpot)

Songs that will get you pumped up:

• Europe - "The Final Countdown"
• Morrissey - "Irish Blood, English Heart"
• Mega Man 2 - "Intro"
  

If you're stuck at work, unable to watch any of the video streams, don't forget that our big brother, Joystiq, will be liveblogging the presentation. We'll also have our usual quips and tips afterward, as well.

[Via NeoGAF]

Atlus played it smart, sending its press releases out before E3 officially kicks off with announcements from bigger publishers. This time tomorrow, we'll be too busy with megatons like Brain Age: With a Vengeance to even register news about Draglade's localization, a Trauma Center sequel, or, in this case, the launch of Luminous Arc's official English site.

If you're curious at all about the details that separate this Marvelous-Interactive-developed title from other SRPGs -- synergy attacks, flash drives, and online battles -- definitely hit the page up. As for "extras," there isn't much there yet except for the standard wallpapers, but we're hoping for some Etrian-Odyssey-esque hilarity by the time Luminous Arc's August 14th release comes into view.