But Nintendo is cheaper

Aug 16, 2005 18:34 GMT  ·  By

Nintendo has for its fans two news: one good and one bad. The good news is that the new pricing for the Nintendo DS is $129.99 MSRP, effective Aug. 21. Nintendo has lowered the price in advance of the arrival in United States of a critically acclaimed title Nintendogs, which has become a cultural phenomenon and a sales leader in Japan because of its innovative appeal.

Nintendogs is a puppy simulator made exclusively for Nintendo DS that lets owners name, train and play with a realistic puppy. The pups respond to their owners' voices with the built-in microphone, and react to praise and positive reinforcement via the Nintendo DS' touch screen. The sophisticated artificial intelligence simulates a real dog in every way. Nintendogs players pick from 18 breeds, then owners feed their pups, buy them new toys and take them for walks as they bond.

In addition to Nintendogs, Nintendo DS has a strong lineup of games arriving before the end of the year. These include Advance Wars: Dual Strike on Aug. 22, Trace Memory on Sept. 26, Metroid Prime Pinball on Oct. 24 and Mario & Luigi 2 in Q4.

The bad news is that Nintendo has announced that The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess won't hit its November release date. The conclusion? The game will be delayed until 2006.

Nintendo's development team has decided to take extra time to add some incredible new elements to "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess"

In a press statement, Nintendo said: 'We recognize there may be some disappointed fans, however we firmly believe this additional time will result in a much more enjoyable gaming experience. GameCube fans will have a variety of Nintendo games to choose from this Christmas, including Mario Smash Football, Battalion Wars, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and Pok?mon XD: Gale of Darkness'

Yeah! Like any of those titles could replace "Twilight Princess". Zelda is the Nintendo's biggest franchises and "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess" won this year's E3 Critics Awards for best console game and best action/adventure game.