Microscopic music: Electroplankton Trapy
(Credit: Nintendo)The Nintendo DSi's downloadable game store has been, for the most part, a landscape of lesser games and strange add-ons, devoid of some of the more memorable Nintendo franchises and virtual console-style re-releases some might be looking for.
We were excited that Electroplankton, one of the more obscure yet cult-popular titles on the DS, has seen a re-release on the DSi in America. Designed by artist Toshio Iwai, Electroplankton are best described as musical pets, each one a unique musical toy with different controls.
The original cartridge featured 10 Electroplankton, each with unique quirks to explore. We own a copy and still love to pop it in from time to time. While it costs $29.99 on Amazon, each of the DSiWare downloads that the title's now broken into sell for $2 each. Five of the original 10 are currently available.
For a quick two bucks, these are very entertaining toys that thrive perfectly on the DSi's built-in memory and feel like they make more sense in this form than as a cartridge. They haven't changed since the original release, but this is a great way to pick one up for a try. Electroplankton isn't the first DS game to be broken into bits--Brain Age Express and Clubhouse Games have gotten similar treatments--and we look forward to Game & Watch hopefully being the next to pop up.
Nintendo's portable virtual console is going to the source.
(Credit: Wikipedia)Nintendo's DSiWare service, like its WiiWare platform, are temptations and teases for the lovers of the independent and obscure. Because no boxes or cartridges/discs need be sold, the ability for much-loved indie titles to be finally unleashed or re-released seems to be too good to be true.
Making good on part of that promise, Nintendo has had a busy week announcing both downloadable versions of their retro Game & Watch series, as well as their cult-classic music/art title, Electroplankton.
For the uninitiated, Game & Watch was Nintendo's first electronic gaming platform, dating to the very early 80s. These black-and-white LCD standalone handhelds were what I grew up on, and they were lovingly re-created in a series of compilations on the Game Boy Advance (and in a Club Nintendo limited-edition DS cartridge). Nine of these games will be available for $2 each, a steal when you consider that's the same price as a Mario-themed calculator. Breaking them down to individual titles is also a smart move because it allows the fans to build their own collection instead of having it forced down their throats.
Electroplankton was a Japan-first project created by visual artist Toshio Iwai which synthesized music and motion into a collection of quirky aquatic visual toys. The 10-creature set will be broken down into three installments selling for $2 a piece, which is fantastic for deal-seekers--for a grand total of $12 you can own what previously cost over $20.
First of all, these better hit the U.S. shores. Second of all, we hope that this encourages Nintendo to explore other DSiWare avenues, including releasing the Japan-only bit Generations retro games that inspired the Art Style titles currently on DSiWare and WiiWare. And while we're at it, how about a proper DSi Virtual Console with GBA games galore?
This should be what downloadable games are all about--large catalogs of rare treasures, priced affordably. That, of course, depends on the whims of developers and publishers. Years after the Virtual Console debuted, many fans are still waiting for Mother 3.
What do you want on your DSi? Let us know (and maybe let Nintendo know, too) in the comments.
(Via Offworld)
It's a fact: DJs get more chicks than gamers. If you're looking to transition your skills at Zelda into something more musical, the Protein DScratch software for the Nintendo DS might just have you rocking a dance floor on a Saturday night.
The software allows you to load your own WAV files, and then tweak them with effects, pitch changes, and scratching. The software even sends out MIDI clock messages that will let you sync up the DScratch tempo with other electronic music gear. Hell, you could start an entire Nintendo DS band at this point. Just get a few friends on Electroplankton, come up with a catchy name, and you're a MySpace profile away from a cross-country tour filled with free beer and nerd groupies. Go live the dream, my friend.
(via Create Digital Music)
It's a Fender Strat for nerds.
(Credit: FutureMusic)Toshio Iwai, the designer of beloved Nintendo DS music game Electroplankton, has been showing a prototype of his jaw-dropping Tenori-On instrument since 2005. Last week, Yamaha announced plans to turn this Star Trek-worthy digital sound toy into an actual shipping product, retailing with an estimated price tag of around $1,000. For most consumers, that is an insane price for a beautiful sound toy, but electronic musicians and artists are falling all over themselves for this thing. The Tenori-On is a touch screen grid of white LEDs that allows you to compose music by activating little squares that trigger built-in sounds or samples loaded off a flash memory card. It has a built-in speaker, headphone output, and MIDI connections for other music gear. You really have to see this in action to appreciate it. There's a great video of the device on YouTube and a more in-depth one at Sonicstate. For now, I'll just keep honing my touch-screen music skills on Nintendo's ElectroPlankton.
- prev
- 1
- next
