If you’re like me, you’re still enjoying some of the great games that have come out in the past couple of weeks, both retail releases and downloads. Thankfully, it’s a quiet week in that there aren’t many major blockbusters with heavy marketing telling you to buy the games - you can ease yourself into this week.

Those of us in the States (and Canada) are getting a Crash game, Line Rider 2, NBA Live, Spectrobes: Beyond the Portals, and the always enjoyable Imagine: Babysitters. Over in Europe, the line-up is a little bigger with games like LEGO Batman and Lost in Blue 3, and Japan should be good with Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and Snoopy DS.

Read on for the full retail lists!

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Looks like the rumors were spot on at this point. Fresh out of Nintendo’s briefing in Japan, Iwata has lifted the sheet off of the newest Nintendo hardware. Dubbed the DSi, the new unit drops the GBA slot, gets 12 percent thinner, adds larger screens, and two cameras (one of which is VGA resolution). Click over for all the juicy details.

[Update: The DSi will only use the bottom screen as a touch screen. Some sites were reporting dual touchable goodness, but it looks like it was just wishful thinking.]

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After I was able to spend a few minutes with Sonic Chronicles earlier this summer, I keep telling people that if they’ve played at least a little bit of iNis’ Elite Beat Agents, they’ll have a head start on learning Sonic Chronicles’ battle system. It’s extremely similar in the inclusion of contracting circles and moving beach balls.

Of course, there’s a little more strategy in being able to power up your battle moves before hand and skill in being able to execute combo attacks. Oh, and while perhaps I couldn’t really hear the game over the noise of the crowded convention center, I’m pretty sure the fact that you’re not performing the touch-based combos in rhythm with the background music will make things a little more challenging.

I’m almost 100% sure the enemies and overall story in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood are complete originals from the team at BioWare. That said, the main enemies remind me somewhat of the “Dark Legion” cult from the comic series (from Archie Comics). They just so dark with an aura of mystery and power.

And then there are the “easy” enemies. These things look more like robots than any of Eggman’s recent creations. It’s actually pretty refreshing to be fighting so many robots again. Ironically, I don’t think they’re Eggman’s…

I think most of us can agree that the two biggest in-store releases for Nintendo platforms this week are Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood and Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility. We got to check out both games as early as in July, and both were solid games for that stage in development. There are other titles as well, and you can check out all of those lists after the break.

Europe and Japan’s release lists for the rest of the week are also after the break, but it’s worth mentioning that Europe is finally getting Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations. I mean, come on, it’s Ace Attorney. Out of release order.

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Hopefully you’ve gotten a chance to see the first developer diary from Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, because the duo of Raymond Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk are back for another entry. They and a quartet of key figures working on the game show us just what it’s like bringing the characters and the environments in the game to life.

Of course, it’s always nice seeing projects like this take shape, step by step. Come Tuesday, all you’ll have time to think about is how to get further in the game, and whether or not BioWare will be the one officially bringing Sonic back into prominence. Correct?

Sonic fans out there that aren’t living under a rock are probably anxiously awaiting the release of Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood for the DS… unless they don’t have a DS. Or they live in Europe. So, to celebrate, I’ve upload 61 new images for/from the game, which you can check out after the break.

There are a whopping 43 screens of the game which look noticeably better than earlier screens from the game, 11 pieces of character art, two copies of the logo, the UK box art, and four images of game art that might just make for some great wallpaper.

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According to Nikkei, Japan’s largest business news source, the DS is getting another redesign in Japan, and it’s getting it soon. New features will include a built-in camera, music playback, and a stronger wireless range for connecting to “information terminals.”

What’s more, a screen cap of what appears to be an earlier version of the story (posted on a site called Monex) says the new model will also feature larger screens and the ability to transfer data from the Wii or an SD card. That version of the story story is not on Nikkei’s website, however, so take it with a grain of salt.

The print version of the story (not available online, but in the Nikkei Financial Daily newspaper) reports that the new DS will cost less than 20,000 yen (or $188 USD) and will launch some time this year.

Nikkei
Via NeoGAF, Wired

It has begun. You may or may not have heard that the upcoming Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars will allow you to sell drugs. Well, someone knows and, according to UK newspaper “The Sun,” they’re outraged.

There are a few lines in the article that are likely to make any gamer with any experience following the industry raise an eyebrow or two, such as the very first paragraph, which refers to the Nintendo DS as a “family friendly” handheld, as if there has never been an M rated DS game before. It also claims that “Experts predict the final edition is unlikely to feature explicit criminality.” That’s like saying the next Dead or Alive game is unlikely to feature breasts. Mm-hmm.

The Sun
via Game Politics

Chalk up another version of the DS to keep track of. Nintendo has joined the battle against breast cancer with the newest version of its current handheld. The ribbon is more than just a social statement, however, as the company has pledged to donate $5 to cancer charity Susan G. Koman for the Cure for every unit sold. It’s always nice to see breast cancer support. Er, breast cancer research I mean. Supporting the actual cancer is less nice.

DS Fanboy