Joystiq

Rhythm Heaven Fever review: Crazy into you

JC Fletcher — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:00:00 EST

I hold Rhythm Heaven games to a high standard. The DS game became such a fixture in my life that it permanently wired rhythms into my brain. Months after the last time I picked it up, I'll still randomly "scratch-o, hey" or hit imaginary taiko drums in my head. I'm predisposed to seek music games with original music anyway (Parappa, Gitaroo-Man) as it is, and Rhythm Heaven is among the most replayable and content-rich of the genre.

So when I say Rhythm Heaven Fever doesn't quite measure up to its predecessor, please understand that's not a condemnation. I just mean it's merely wonderful instead of the most wonderful.

Continue reading Rhythm Heaven Fever review: Crazy into you

Rhythm Heaven Fever review: Crazy into you originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rhythm Heaven Fever spreads to North America in February

JC Fletcher — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:00:00 EST

Open the latest issue of Nintendo Power and you'll find yourself looking at four pages of heaven. Rhythm Heaven, specifically. The magazine drops the news we've been waiting for: an official release window for the Wii iteration of Nintendo and Tsunku's musical minigame series, titled Rhythm Heaven Fever. It's set for February 2012.

The article introduces several of the vibrantly cartoonish, inexplicable activities in which you'll engage, including seesaw inspection, tambourine practice with a monkey instructor, and protecting your date from an onslaught of soccer balls.

[Thanks, Aileen!]

Rhythm Heaven Fever spreads to North America in February originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monstrous Rhythm Heaven soundtrack announced for Japan

JC Fletcher — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 01:50:00 EST

While the rest of the world has to wait indefinitely for the Wii Rhythm Heaven (it has a TBA release date in the West), it's out in Japan as of last month. And now that Japanese version is being joined by an enormous soundtrack collection ... that will almost certainly never be released outside of Japan.

The ¥4,800 ($62) soundtrack comprises an impressive four discs and 177 tracks, including all the music from Minna no Rhythm Tengoku ("Everybody's Rhythm Heaven," the Japanese title for the game) and the two previous games. It'll be out -- in Japan -- on August 24.

Monstrous Rhythm Heaven soundtrack announced for Japan originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 03 Aug 2011 01:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nintendo's Comic-Con lounge stocked with Mario, Zelda, Rhythm Heaven, and more

JC Fletcher — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 10:15:00 EST

To keep you from ever having to look at an actual comic at Comic-Con, another game company has announced its lineup of playable demos. You'll be able to play a great deal of Nintendo's recent and upcoming 3DS lineup, most of its Wii lineup ... and Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 2 on DS.

Nintendo will have both a normal booth at Comic-Con, #5135, and a "Nintendo Gaming Lounge" at the adjacent Marriott Marquis & Marina hotel. This "Gaming Lounge" will feature playable demos of Super Mario, Kid Icarus Uprising, Mario Kart, Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater 3D, Shinobi, and more 3DS games. In addition, you'll be able to try The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Rhythm Heaven, Fortune Street, and more on Wii.

Bring your DS and/or 3DS when you go. From 4-6 pm on July 21, Nintendo will host a Pokémon Black/White meetup. The Lounge will also have a giant Pokédex 3D AR marker of Reshiram for you to take commemorative pictures with, and a "gallery" of oversized AR Cards. There will even be downloadable maps for Dragon Quest IX!

Nintendo's Comic-Con lounge stocked with Mario, Zelda, Rhythm Heaven, and more originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 18 Jul 2011 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rhythm Heaven preview: For your ears only

JC Fletcher — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 09:00:00 EST

The Wii Rhythm Heaven game was, without a doubt, one of the most delightful experiences I've had in the last week, in exactly the ways I knew it would be as soon as I saw the first screenshots. It turns out there is a formula for Rhythm Heaven games, and as long as the Rhythm Heaven team makes a Rhythm Heaven game using that Rhythm Heaven formula, the result will be something wonderful.

Rhythm Heaven.

Gallery: Rhythm Heaven Wii (E3 2011)

Continue reading Rhythm Heaven preview: For your ears only

Rhythm Heaven preview: For your ears only originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 11 Jun 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nintendo teases new Rhythm Heaven, Mario Party 9, Kirby titles

Justin McElroy — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 14:52:00 EST

Though Nintendo didn't do its traditional "Here are a bunch of logos of games we're making," it couldn't resist a little info dump at the end of the company's press conference. Shown on a screen as attendees exited were logos for [deep breath] The Rolling Western, Paper Mario, Super Fossil Fighters, Rhythm Heaven, Fortune Street, Kirby Mash Attack, Kirby Wii and Mario Party 9.

What systems are these games for? Who's making them? We have no idea. Have a nice day!

Nintendo teases new Rhythm Heaven, Mario Party 9, Kirby titles originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 14:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Footage of Nintendo's 3DS, DS and Wii lineups

JC Fletcher — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 04:05:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

Nintendo produced a few slick videos of its various console lineups for its conference, now embedded after the break.

In addition to footage of known 3DS games, including Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition and Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle, the 3DS video reveals a second Resident Evil game, Biohazard: The Mercenaries 3D. The Wii video offers the first look at the new Fatal Frame and Rhythm Heaven games, among many other first- and third-party titles. And though you have to wait until the end, you will see clips of the new Kirby game and Battle & Get! Pokemon Typing DS in the DS video.

Continue reading Footage of Nintendo's 3DS, DS and Wii lineups

Footage of Nintendo's 3DS, DS and Wii lineups originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 04:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Rhythm Heaven, Fatal Frame games announced for Wii

JC Fletcher — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 03:10:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

Nintendo's conference today wasn't all about the 3DS. The publisher has also announced new DS and Wii titles. Mistwalker's The Last Story was given a January 27 release date, but more excitingly, two new Wii sequels were announced -- one for the GBA/DS Rhythm Heaven series, and one for Zero, known here as Fatal Frame.

Both games are scheduled for 2011 releases, and screens of both are available in our galleries.

Gallery: Fatal Frame (2011) (Wii)

Gallery: Rhythm Heaven (Wii)

New Rhythm Heaven, Fatal Frame games announced for Wii originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 03:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Best of the Rest: JC's picks of 2009

JC Fletcher — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 15:45:00 EST

Muramasa: The Demon Blade
Muramasa appealed to me in a way that Odin Sphere didn't, thanks to an emphasis on combo-heavy sword action instead of planting and whatever. And the RPG elements that are left, like the sword upgrades and cooking, are not only fun, but simple enough that I can get right back into the game after a long break and still know what is going on.

Also, I don't mean to be shallow, but the fact that Muramasa is the most beautiful game of 2009 helps me be positive about it.

Continue reading Best of the Rest: JC's picks of 2009

Best of the Rest: JC's picks of 2009 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EEDAR predicts slower April sales, success for Rhythm Heaven

JC Fletcher — Mon, 11 May 2009 13:00:00 EST

EEDAR's Jesse Divnich released a Retail Sales Preview for April, containing predictions for hardware and software sales results for last month. It starts on a down note, unfortunately, with a projected decline in software sales of 17%. "We believe the weak retail environment is to blame for the year-over-year decrease in [average selling prices]."

Music and rhythm games got somewhat of a boost in April, according to Divnich, but only because of heavy discounts. "The biggest sales occurred at Wal-Mart.com with certain Guitar Hero World Tour SKUs being discounted by as much as $90 and Best Buy with a sale that gave away Guitar Hero: Aerosmith for free with the purchase of Guitar Hero: Metallica."

The two success stories this month are both DS-related. Hardware sales went up over last year, but only because of a new DS launch -- The DS is predicted to be up 129% year-over-year thanks to the DSi. "Without the DSi, hardware sales would have likely been down by over 27%."

In software, Rhythm Heaven's "sales performance has been nothing short of amazing," according to Divnich, with sales of around 154,000 copies. The reason? "Nintendo's ability to leverage an effective marketing campaign using a celebrity (Beyonce)." Hopefully some of the people who bought it because they saw Beyonce playing it will then play it themselves. They might like it!

EEDAR predicts slower April sales, success for Rhythm Heaven originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 11 May 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Life-to-date sales of the biggest Nintendo games

JC Fletcher — Fri, 08 May 2009 16:00:00 EST

We know that Nintendo is doing very well financially as of the end of fiscal 2008. And, of course, we know that hardware sales play a major role in that windfall. But how is Nintendo doing in terms of software sales? Very well, thank you! The company released a list of every million-selling first-party title on the Wii and DS as a supplement (PDF link) to its financial report, with no real surprises other than, perhaps, the monolithic bigness of some of the numbers.

The best-selling Wii title, of course, is Wii Sports, which sold 45.7 million copies across North American and European bundle sales and standalone Japanese sales.The best-selling DS game: Nintendogs, at 22.3 million copies!

We're just happy to see the wonderful Rhythm Heaven on the list, though there is something odd about it: according to the data, Rhythm Heaven sold 140,000 copies outside of Japan -- but the game didn't even come out in the West until April 5, after the end of the fiscal year.

The full list is after the break. Spoiler alert: if you are the type of person who gets angry about Nintendo's success in the expanded market, this will anger you.

[Via Kotaku]

Continue reading Life-to-date sales of the biggest Nintendo games

Life-to-date sales of the biggest Nintendo games originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 08 May 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We're in love with this Rhythm Heaven song cover

JC Fletcher — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:30:00 EST

Rhythm Heaven's "Love Lab" game has just about everything: a sweet melody, romantic sunsets, vague science, ominous bear-suited guys ... everything but lyrics. Dale North decided that the vocalizations in the existing song didn't do enough to tell the story of two researchers who spend their days shaking up love potions and pouring the resulting mixture into a bag, and so he recorded his own lyrics.

"I hope she likes my safety goggles," the super-literal lyrics to North's version read, "because the chemistry between us two is made by throwing little bottles." You can hear the song, and see the adorable animated video made to go along with it, after the break.
[Via That VideoGame Blog]

Continue reading We're in love with this Rhythm Heaven song cover

We're in love with this Rhythm Heaven song cover originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Joyswag: Nintendo DSi, Rhythm Heaven & accessories [update]

David Hinkle — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:00:00 EST

Update: The contest is closed and we have selected our winners. Keep an eye on your email inbox!

In honor of yesterday's DSi launch -- and you wise readers who did not brave the frenzied mobs of Nintendo's sprawling demographic -- Joystiq is giving away three Nintendo DSi systems (matte black); and two with a copy of Rhythm Heaven. Additionally, one grand prize winner will also receive a Power A Sleeve Kit, including hardware and game cases, styli, and screen protectors (just like this, but red). Excited? Simply follow the rules below for your chance to win:

Leave a comment telling us who you'd show off your DSi to first
You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec)
Limit 1 entry per person per calendar day
This entry period ends at 2:59 pm ET on Friday, April 10
At that time, we'll randomly select one grand prize winner to receive a Nintendo DSi ($169.99), Rhythm Heaven ($34.99) and BDA Power A Sleeve Kit (ARV: $14.99); one first place runner-up to receive a Nintendo DSi ($169.99) and Rhythm Heaven ($34.99); and one second place runner-up to receive a Nintendo DSi ($169.99)
For a list of complete rules, click here

Got DSi on the brain? Check out our in-depth unboxing feature that shows off the handheld's features, and be sure to stay up to date on DSi-related info through our Nintendo DSi tag!

Joyswag: Nintendo DSi, Rhythm Heaven & accessories [update] originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This Week in the Nintendo Channel: A new demo blooms

JC Fletcher — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:30:00 EST

After last week's super-megatons, we half expected to find some more crazy surprises on the Nintendo Channel today. Unfortunately, nothing available qualifies as a crazy surprise, unless you missed the addition of the Rhythm Heaven demo to the lineup last week. It looks like a permanent fixture, like the Brain Age and Flash Focus demos!

We were pleasantly surprised to find that the one debut demo today is something in which we have genuine interest: Gardening Mama. The list of demos and new videos is available after the break.

Continue reading This Week in the Nintendo Channel: A new demo blooms

This Week in the Nintendo Channel: A new demo blooms originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Iwata Asks, Rhythm Heaven team charms

JC Fletcher — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 11:30:00 EST

Nintendo's latest Iwata Asks interview puts the surprisingly small Rhythm Heaven team in the universally awkward position of being interviewed by their employer. The five-person team turns out to be every bit as quirky as the game.

Project lead Kazuyoshi Osawa, for example, said he "agonized" over the DS control scheme for about six months. Apparently, he wasn't exaggerating -- other team members noticed. "Yeah, he was in grueling agony for quite some time," said Kou Takeuchi. Osawa said that Masami Yone helps him cheer up by sending him pictures of kittens (an unauthorized use of company e-mail for which the two were semi-jokingly admonished by Iwata).

Oh, and there's also a lot of discussion of the Game Boy Advance, arcade, and DS games and their development, including details of producer Tsunku's involvement. But the adorable interaction between the team is the real draw here.

Gallery: Rhythm Heaven

Iwata Asks, Rhythm Heaven team charms originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GDC09 Joyswag: Rhythm Heaven (DS)

James Ransom-Wiley — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 15:00:00 EST

Update: The entry period has closed. Congratulations to our winners Gene and T.J.!

Even if you weren't actually there, you can say you sat front and center at Nintendo's GDC keynote by showing off one of these: the one-of-a-kind, Extra Special Edition of Rhythm Heaven -- bestowed unto Joystiq after the event!

... Um, okay, technically it's not exactly "one-of-a-kind" -- actually, we have two copies -- since every attendee was handed the game upon exiting the theater. As for being the "Extra Special" edition? Well, on further inspection, these are exactly the same as the standard retail edition (in stories April 5). Oh well. At least these specific copies are blessed with the spirit of this momentous day in Nintendo history ... well, maybe not "momentous," but -- okay, you're right. Let's just get on with it!

Continue reading GDC09 Joyswag: Rhythm Heaven (DS)

GDC09 Joyswag: Rhythm Heaven (DS) originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 25 Mar 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Joystiq Review: Rhythm Heaven

JC Fletcher — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 13:15:00 EST

These days, it's impossible to talk about rhythm games without bringing up Guitar Hero and/or Rock Band. Nintendo's Rhythm Heaven, to use the nomenclature, could be described as Soccer Ball Bounce Hero, Love Potion Mixing Hero, Race Car Photography Hero, Lizard Mating Dance Hero (that's right) and about 50 other things. But it's not really about any of those things. By making you do all kinds of different stuff rhythmically, it becomes a game less about simulating any one thing and more about pure rhythm. The fact that it's incredibly adorable doesn't hurt.

Gallery: Rhythm Heaven

Continue reading Joystiq Review: Rhythm Heaven

Joystiq Review: Rhythm Heaven originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 25 Mar 2009 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Beyonce is in Rhythm Heaven (ads), loves Guitar Hero

JC Fletcher — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 11:58:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

How do you market a very cute, but weird, musical microgame collection to the DS's "expanded" audience? For Rhythm Heaven's ad campaign, Nintendo has resorted immediately to plan B ... yonce.

The singer is starring in a new TV commercial for the WarioWare team's upcoming game, and spoke to Entertainment Weekly's The Music Mix blog about the game, although the interview got away from Rhythm Heaven and into general gaming fairly quickly.

"I have been having a great time," she said about playing Rhythm Heaven on-set. "I've been rehearsing for my [upcoming] tour in stilettos and uncomfortable corsets, learning all these arrangements. Today I was playing the game with my socks on, on the couch, and it was very relaxing!"

Beyonce told EW that she likes "all the Wii games," and that Rhythm Heaven reminds her of a portable Guitar Hero, "which is great, because I don't want to carry around a big guitar!" Perhaps somebody handed her Guitar Hero: On Tour instead of Rhythm Heaven?

Gallery: Rhythm Heaven

Beyonce is in Rhythm Heaven (ads), loves Guitar Hero originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 19 Mar 2009 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nintendo performs live demonstration of Rhythm Heaven

Andrew Yoon — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 12:55:00 EST

It's not every day Nintendo decides to stop by Joystiq's office in New York. It's a rare treat that was made all the more memorable through a musical performance that we were (unfortunately) dragged into. Rhythm Heaven is an upcoming DS game that features a series of simple music-based rhythm games. This real life demonstration of one of the mini-games was meant to highlight the quirky charm of the game, while highlighting its elegant simplicity.

It was a fun experiment, to be sure -- but we'll stick with playing on our DS systems from now on. Expect an early review of the game on Joystiq in the coming weeks.

Nintendo performs live demonstration of Rhythm Heaven originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 18 Mar 2009 12:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DSi launch title: Rhythm Heaven dated April 5

JC Fletcher — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 11:20:00 EST

Nintendo has the perfect companion piece for that DSi you'll probably end up buying on April 5: Rhythm Heaven! Coincidentally, Rhythm Heaven will also be the best way to console yourself if you walk into a store and find DSi systems sold out. In either case, the rhythm microgame collection from the WarioWare team will be available in North America on April 5, exactly as "predicted" by retailers, and is compatible with all DS hardware models.

Nintendo is seemingly putting a lot of confidence in a very strange game by positioning it as the DSi's "launch title." This is an especially surprising move considering that Nintendo never released the Game Boy Advance predecessor, Rhythm Tengoku, in North America, despite its hit status in Japan.

DSi launch title: Rhythm Heaven dated April 5 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Retailers suggest April release for Rhythm Heaven

JC Fletcher — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: News

Rhythm Heaven could be out in North America on April 5th, according to listings on the websites of Amazon and Best Buy. Gamefly lists the 7th, but their release dates are uniformly a couple of days behind the official one. Nintendo has yet to specify the release date for the WarioWare team's rhythm microgame collection beyond the "first half" of the year. At least Amazon moved their date up from November!

Siliconera notes that Nintendo has scheduled one first-party DS game for every month in the first quarter: Personal Trainer: Math in January, Fire Emblem in February, and Pokémon Platinum in March. Rhythm Heaven could be their one game in April! It could also be the "launch game" for the DSi, also rumored to come out in April.

Retailers suggest April release for Rhythm Heaven originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 10 Feb 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Punch-Out!! coming first half 2009, and more US / Europe Nintendo release dates

Ross Miller — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 10:36:00 EST

Nintendo has dropped a bob-omb of release dates for 2009 (via Videogamer). While mostly vague launch windows -- some of which will still likely be missed -- New Play Control! Pikmin and Mario Tennis will hit Europe February 6 and March 3, respectively, with the US getting both sometime in March. Other notable titles include Pokemon Platinum (March 22 for US, sometime 2009 for Europe) and Punch-Out!! (first half of 2009 for both regions).

Additionally, the Big N said Europeans will be able to welcome the DSi into their homes sometime this spring or summer -- not exactly the most narrow window there, and nothing we haven't already heard since president Satoru Iwata said the portable would be launching worldwide by summer 2009. Check out the the full list for Europe and US after the break.

Continue reading Punch-Out!! coming first half 2009, and more US / Europe Nintendo release dates

Punch-Out!! coming first half 2009, and more US / Europe Nintendo release dates originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 30 Jan 2009 10:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DS Daily: 2009: The year of the DS (again)?

JC Fletcher — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: DS Daily

While pretty much everyone expected the DS to have another awesome holiday, it was still a surprise when the NPD Group announced that the aging system had broken an all-time one-month sales record in December, beating (everything else, obviously, and) even the Wii.

The DS will have a killer software lineup in 2009, with awesome third-party games and Nintendo releases like Fire Emblem, Rhythm Heaven, and Pokémon Platinum, and will even see the launch of a new hardware configuration, which should boost sales. Do you think the DS's fifth year will turn out to be as successful as its fourth? And will anything outsell Mario Kart this year?

DS Daily: 2009: The year of the DS (again)? originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 19 Jan 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: Rhythm Heaven to be late, expensive

JC Fletcher — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: News, Rumors

Amazon has updated their listing for Rhythm Heaven with some new boxart, along with a terrible new release date and terrible new price: November 30 and $40, respectively. We are hoping against hope that these are both just placeholders, because while we will wait that long and pay that much, we really, really don't want to. The game is out in Japan! It was shown off at E3 2008! It's done!

All we know for sure is that Rhythm Heaven is not coming out in the first quarter of this year. Nintendo's press site still has it scheduled for "1st half 2009." However, the fact that Gamestop has no listing at all for it does suggest that it's fairly far off.

[Via GoNintendo]

Rumor: Rhythm Heaven to be late, expensive originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: Wii Fit 2, Wii Rhythm Heaven on the way

JC Fletcher — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Rumors

Japanese game magazine Game Labo is sometimes hilariously off base with their wild rumors (like when they had Dragon Quest IX heading to PSP or when they teased a redesigned Wiimote with a rechargeable battery), but sometimes they hit the nail on the head (in the very same issue as the Dragon Quest thing, they scooped everyone on the imminent release of the DS TV Tuner).

1up shared the latest rumors from the magazine, which include a couple of rather half-heartedly masked Nintendo rumors. One, about "Game Company 'N'" and a sequel to "its fitness game 'W'" is pretty clearly about Wii Fit. According to the magazine, a sequel to the megahit exercise game is on the way, adding stretching and massage to the directed activities, and potentially featuring endorsement from a "certain former U.S. Army instructor." Considering that Wii Fit is, like, a cultural institution, we are not surprised at all to hear about a sequel.

Also unsurprising, but about five million times more awesome if true, is the rumor that the same Game Company N is working on a Wii version of the DS "Rhythm game 'R'," or Rhythm Tengoku. Since the DS rhythm minigame collection turned out to be a big hit in Japan (and had better be a hit in the US, people), this makes total sense.

Also rumored is that Bandai Namco is going to make a ton of Tales games for every platform. Wow, such insider information. We also heard somewhere that EA is working on some games about playing sports.

Don't go preordering just yet -- these rumors are just that, rumors, and may just be junk some guy made up. But it's plausible junk!

Rumor: Wii Fit 2, Wii Rhythm Heaven on the way originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 17 Dec 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DS Daily: Rhythmblem

JC Fletcher — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: DS Daily

We have a pretty simple topic today. Two big first-party games are coming out for the DS in early 2009: Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and Rhythm Heaven. Well, there's also Mario & Luigi 3, but we've barely seen anything about that yet.

Of the two that we know stuff about, which excites you more? Which, in your estimation, has better sales potential: a new entry in the beloved series, starring that one guy from Super Smash Bros., or a musical microgame set that's been explosively successful in Japan? Games aren't worth talking about unless they can be forced into unnecessary comparisons.

DS Daily: Rhythmblem originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 04 Oct 2008 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DS Daily: Besides the DSi

Alisha Karabinus — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: DS Daily

Nintendo announced and showed off a lot more than just the DSi, though understandably, it's taking most of the spotlight. This is a new handheld, people: it's big stuff.

But we've talked about it, and we'll keep talking about it. Right now, we want to talk about something else. There's been a boatload of news in general the last couple of days. What else did you see that got your blood pumping? Release date for Rhythm Heaven? Mario & Luigi 3? New glimpses of Kingdom Hearts? New Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles?

DS Daily: Besides the DSi originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Oct 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rhythm Heaven, Mario & Luigi 3 vaguely dated for US

JC Fletcher — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:26:00 EST

Filed under: News

Nintendo's fall media event confirmed a US release for the newly-announced Mario & Luigi RPG 3, as if we didn't expect it! The date wasn't specified beyond "2009," leading us to wonder if it will be positioned to coincide with the DSi. Or not. There are plenty of dates in one year for both.

Also coming in 2009, specifically the first half: Rhythm Heaven, which has been selling like crazy in Japan. We really shouldn't let all the new hardware and new game announcements and such overshadow what is really important in life -- which is Rhythm Heaven.

[screen via Game Watch]

Rhythm Heaven, Mario & Luigi 3 vaguely dated for US originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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An extra dose of Rhythm Heaven

Alisha Karabinus — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:28:00 EST

Filed under: Video

Can't get enough of those wacky Rhythm Heaven commercials? There's a new dose of quick and quirky spots, fresh for Friday, featuring footage of some different mini-games with the same players we've seen before. They've also swapped some games from the last batch of commercials (which are also included in the second half of this video, if you missed them). Considering the way Toshihiko Takamizawa is dressed, the other players should be grateful that's all they're trading. We're not so sure we'd want to raid that guy's closet.

Check out the new (and old) commercials after the break, but be warned that, while the video plays just fine, the frame will display oddly here in some browsers. You can always go check it out at the source ... or at the real source, which is the Rhythm Heaven site. Or, uh, on Japanese televisions.

Continue reading An extra dose of Rhythm Heaven

An extra dose of Rhythm Heaven originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DS releases for the week of July 28

Alisha Karabinus — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:26:00 EST

Filed under: News

Not a great deal out for DS owners in the U.S. or Europe this week, but a lot of options if you're willing to look to Japanese releases for your fix. Steal Princess, Windy x Windam, Rhythm Tengoku Gold, the larger of Koei's Nobunaga games, and everyone's favorite witch-touching game sees a sequel. In fact, you know what? If you need us, we'll be on a plane to Japan, since most of these aren't yet slated for release outside their mother country.

Air Traffic Chaos
Suzuki Super-Bikes

Slog sadly past the break to see the rest of the major markets this week.

Continue reading DS releases for the week of July 28

DS releases for the week of July 28 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rhythm Heaven looks heavenly

Candace Savino — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:00:00 EST

Filed under: Video

Those of you interested in Rhythm Heaven have probably already read JC's impressions jealously -- though if you're neither interested in the game nor spent the time to read about it, shame on you.

All you sane-minded folks don't have to be too jealous of "Lucky Dog Fletcher" anymore, though. The video above shows the exact demo that he got to try during E3, only it's in Japanese. Sure, that's not quite the equivalent of playing the game, but it's enough to make us squeal all the same. (We rhymed, so it must be true.)

Go on now and watch the video above to see extended play of the Assembly Line, Robot Gallery, and Chorus musical microgames.

Gallery: Rhythm Tengoku Gold

[Via NeoGAF]

Rhythm Heaven looks heavenly originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Commercial Heaven

JC Fletcher — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Video, Imports

We didn't have to wait long for footage of more of Rhythm Tengoku Gold's games after the three-game E3 demo. Nintendo has posted seven short commercials demonstrating gameplay. The YouTube video above collects six of the commercials; to see the other one, you can check the website, although (spoilers!) it's just footage of a metronome anyway.

The celebrities in the videos are almost as interesting as the gameplay videos themselves -- the Japanese Steven Tyler in the pink suit (actually Toshihiko Takamizawa from the venerable Japanese rock band The Alfee) is quite a departure from the indistinguishable idols these companies normally use in game commercials.

If that's not enough Rhythm Heaven for you (it isn't), the Japanese site has also been updated with new screens and control diagrams.

Commercial Heaven originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E308: DS Fanboy's E3 Endgame Evaluation

Alisha Karabinus — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 23:10:00 EST

Filed under: Meta

In its second year as a diminished behemoth, E3 still manages to be packed full with news, media, and more. While there wasn't much from Nintendo themselves for the DS this year, third parties are still incredibly strong and we're faced with more games than we can possibly handle. We're also pretty sure we saw almost all of them at E3 this year. Relive the entire experience right from the convenience of this post!

Check out our choices for show highlights right here, or hit the break for the full rundown of our E3 coverage. Of course, we're still adding things, and will be over the next few days; keep up by clicking the E3 graphic in the sidebar.

GTA: Chinatown Wars shooting up the DS in winter!		Transfer data from Animal Crossing: Wild World to new Wii game
Highlights from Nintendo's keynote		Rhythm Heaven bumped by Cammie Dunaway's wrist
Konami booth tour		DS Fanboy reacts to the Nintendo keynote
Three DS news items you may have missed		Chrono Trigger's controls explained (and hands-on)
DS Fanboy enters the Retro Game Challenge		Rhythm Heaven is the best musical microgame collection at the show

Continue reading E308: DS Fanboy's E3 Endgame Evaluation

E308: DS Fanboy's E3 Endgame Evaluation originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 19 Jul 2008 23:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E308: Rhythm Heaven is the best musical microgame collection at the show

JC Fletcher — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: News

Nintendo's E3 offerings included a three-minigame demo of the stealthily-announced U.S. version of Rhythm Tengoku Gold. The games featured are the ones seen in the trailer:

Assembly Line, in which two metal squares roll toward the middle of the screen in rhythm as scales play, and you flick upward on the screen to launch a rod through them when the holes in the middle of the squares meet
Robot Gallery, in which a newly-assembled robot moves from right to left on a conveyer belt and you have to hold the stylus down at just the right moment to drop the fuel pump and fuel the robot, then release before you overfill it.
Chorus involves holding the stylus down until you want the player-controlled singer to join in the chorus with two other singers. You release the stylus to fit with the pattern of the two singers before. Frequently, the chorus leader will instruct everyone to sing out in unison, which I missed every time!

These three games were (as far as I know) new to the DS version. Though two out of the three could just as easily have been controlled by buttons, the stylus worked great. Also, even though the game offered a tutorial for the "flicking" motion, it was easy to jump in. I consider the tutorial, then, a freeform minigame about knocking trucks over.

E308: Rhythm Heaven is the best musical microgame collection at the show originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rhythm Heaven (aka Rhythm Tengoku Gold) announced for North America

James Ransom-Wiley — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:45:00 EST

Filed under: Nintendo DS, Rhythm, Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

While apparently not worthy of mention among juggernauts like Cooking ~~Nanny~~ Navi and Chinatown Wars during Nintendo's E3 2008 keynote, Rhythm Heaven was quietly announced on Nintendo's E3 press site today. Rhythm Heaven is, of course, the localized version of Rhythm Tengoku Gold, itself a sequel to one of Nintendo's last and greatest efforts on GBA, which was sadly never released outside of Japan. Today's confirmation (need not import!) included a fact sheet with these few tidbits:

Players hold the Nintendo DS system sideways like a book and tap their stylus on the touch screen to the rhythm of the music. Players tap, slide or flick the stylus to hit the right beat.
Rhythm Heaven features catchy tunes, charming characters and a wide variety of rhythm games.
Well-known Japanese music producer TSUNKU? (pretentious, ain't he?) helped direct Rhythm Heaven and composed the music for it.

Rhythm Heaven's release date is currently TBA.

Gallery: Rhythm Heaven

Rhythm Heaven (aka Rhythm Tengoku Gold) announced for North America originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E308: Rhythm Tengoku brings heaven to the U.S.

Candace Savino — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:34:00 EST

Filed under: News

Forget the keynote! (Well, maybe not Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars). Nintendo just announced on its press site that Rhythm Tengoku is coming to North America! Only, here it will be called Rhythm Heaven instead. As cheesy as the title is, it's only fitting.

We suggest now that you hold on those imports. Even though Nintendo didn't give us the satisfaction of a release date, we can't imagine the game taking all that long to head to our shores.

To play, you hold the DS sideways and use the stylus to tap, flick, or slide. You can expect Rhythm Heaven to include quirky and charming characters, as well as music from the Japanese composer TSUNKU. Also, make sure to check out new screenshots in our gallery.

[Via press kit]

E308: Rhythm Tengoku brings heaven to the U.S. originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UFO Catcher Tengoku

Eric Caoili — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fan stuff, GBA, Imports

We still haven't heard word on whether or not Nintendo will ever bring Rhythm Tengoku to the states (Highly unlikely), but Sega has been keeping the rhythm-action title going in Japan with its GBA-to-arcade port and, according to this new find, UFO catchers filled with Rhythm-Tengoku-themed prizes!

Provided that you're proficient with maneuvering a claw to pick up crap, you'll be able to win a number of brightly-colored, long-sleeved shirts with the minigame collection's characters screen-printed on them, as well as pillows shaped like Rhythm Tengoku's iconic, hairy onions. Click the link below to the beat, and check out more photos of the vending machine goodies past the post break.

Continue reading UFO Catcher Tengoku

UFO Catcher Tengoku originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Oct 2007 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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