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Penguin 24X DS Gaming Pouch

• Fits up to 24 games. The only game card holder for the serious DS gamer.
• Transparent Inner Pages for full view of your games collection. 
• Fit 6 Nintendo DS game cards per page, with 4 inner pages to fit up to 24 games.
• Made of Premium Material – Not from real leather so no animal was harmed.

The Gaming Pouch is a pretty handy unit. It’s 4 pages of pockets gives you plenty of room for those pesky little DS cartridges. If you have amassed a large collection, the 24X DS Gaming Pouch is a very handy item to have. I tested one of these little units for the past 2 weeks. They do indeed hold a lot of cartridges, which is great if you don’t want to keep having to open those little boxes.

The boys have a hard time with the Nintendo DS cases as it is. The usually smash fingers, or have a hard time prying the cartridges out of them, so they have wind up cluttering the floor of their room. The pouch makes it easy for them to keep the cartridges in place and the actual DS cases on the bookself. There is a nice touch with this unit as well: there is a loop for holding the extra stylus, which keeps it handy if one gets lost.

The 24X DS Gaming Pouch itself is made of a sturdy material, with nice poly pages inside that have taken abuse from the cartridges without stretching out. The outsides come in: White with Light Blue, White with Pink, White with Navy, and Black with Red. All have a little penguin logo on the front.

One issue we had with the DS Gaming Pouch is that the zipper can be a little tough if there aren’t many cartridges in it. This is mainly when zipping around the corners. If you or your kids are impatient, it’s easy to make the zipper skip some teeth. It’s easily fixable, and can be avoided by putting the cartridges in the corner slots first. 

Pros:
Holds a massive 24 cartridges.
4 different color schemes.

Cons:
Zipper can come off the track if you are in a hurry.
This unit holds a lot of cartridges and is a great bang for the buck. It can help keep those little carts secure, organized and handy for trips or just storage.

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Two WiiWare games are out today with 1 Virtual Console game. The VC title is a good one, loved by those who managed to play it, Star Tropics II! Here’s the news from Nintendo:

Dec. 29, 2008 – Champagne? Check. Confetti? Got it. But you’re not fully prepared for New Year’s revelry unless your Nintendo game library is stocked with games to please everyone under the sun. As always, the Wii™ Shop Channel is open 24 hours a day for your downloading pleasure. The final slate of new game offerings for 2008 includes a couple of wild multiplayer titles on WiiWare™, plus an enthralling sci-fi title for the Virtual Console™. Load up and enjoy!

Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:

WiiWare

Maboshi’s Arcade™ (Nintendo, 1-3 players, Rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points): Featuring three distinct modes and simultaneous play across three game windows, the constantly changing environment ofMaboshi’s Arcade creates an atmosphere unlike any other. Each of the modes is based on one of three familiar shapes (circle, stick and square) and offers the same goal: score a million points. Use the intuitive controls to bash enemies in Circle mode, weave your way through Stick mode or burn a path around obstacles in Square mode-all while dealing with power-up items and keeping watch on which effects the other game windows may have on your own. Also featuring Mii™ characters, action replays that you can send to your Wii™ Friends via WiiConnect24™, and the ability to download a version to a Nintendo DS™, you may never want to leave this arcade.

Cue Sports – Pool Revolution (Hudson Entertainment, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): Grab your Wii Remote™ controller and take a shot at this virtual billiard game. Enjoy match-ups, playing classic favorites such as 9 Ball, 8 Ball, Rotation and Snooker, as well as walk-through trick shots in Puzzle mode. Connect to Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection (Nintendo WFC) to go head-to-head with your friends, or even hustle opponents across the world in Nintendo WFC match-ups. This game offers two types of controls, allowing you to virtually strike the cue ball with your Wii Remote controller or use the buttons to adjust the strength of your shot and then strike. Hone your skills in Practice mode, learning all the cool techniques you need to be a true hustler. Use the edit feature to create your own challenge and nail the trick shot you’ve always dreamed of sinking. Pull off an amazing shot and show everyone who’s the biggest shark in the pool.

Virtual Console

Zoda’s Revenge™: StarTropics II™ (NES™, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone-Mild Cartoon Violence, 500 Wii Points): Take on the role of Mike Jones, intrepid hero of the StarTropics universe, and once again battle the evil alien Zoda to control the fate of the Argonian people. In this journey, the island hopping of Mike’s original adventure gives way to traveling through time and visiting locations around the world. And you never know what famous historical figures may appear along the way, giving Mike helpful advice or useful items. Luckily, Mike also has a wider range of weapons and improved play control on his side, so he may yet stand a chance against Zoda. Can you help Mike stand the test of time and save the world again?

For more information about Wii, please visit wii.com.

‘Hey, teacher, leave those kids alone!’ These words from a famous Pink Floyd song are a good prelude to Driving Kids World – the MMO environment with a new approach to kids’ edutainment.

AlbyMedia, Ltd announces the release of a massively multiplayer online edutainment game for kids. This game offers a colorful interactive world, a lot of various activities and an opportunity to chat with friends online. Driving Kids MMO (www.DrivingKids.com) will be of significant benefit for preschool and early school kids, educating and entertaining them at the same time. What could be better for your child?

Driving Kids has been created to meet the demand for a safe and creative international virtual MMO game for kids. This game is the perfect solution for kids and parents: the registration is free, with unlimited free play time, Also the variety of available games and activities is perfect for even the most demanding parents: logic and problem solving games, memory and puzzle games, math and calculation games, creative games and games just for play. Kids can have fun playing on their own or enjoy multiplayer games together with their parents and friends. That is how little children should be educated: without strain, without coercion, but with fun and pleasure!

One of the most important features of the game is a moderated chat, which allows a kid to communicate with friends, but guarantees his/her security (in contrast to other MMO games). Parents can sit next to their kids joining lessons for both kids and parents, or leave them playing alone; the kids are safe either way.

Driving Kids is a browser game, so it does not need to be installed or uninstalled. A kid is requested to register his/her name and password and to send a request to a parent’s e-mail. In this e-mail, a parent is given all the necessary information about the game and its safety, as well as what information the kid has submitted. As soon as the parent gives her/his consent, the kid can start exploring this wonderful interactive world of Driving Kids to learn and have fun. (If a kid cannot read yet, it is not a problem – a friendly robot-guide Arnie provides audio help instruction.) The entire game environment is in English, so if it is not your child’s native language, it will still contribute to his/her vocabulary enrichment and improvement of communication skills.

The game is set in a city, and a player starts to explore it while riding a skateboard. The streets are abundant with games and interesting places that wait for somebody to discover. The vehicle can be upgraded, modified and recycled. It is also possible to buy a different vehicle – a scooter, a segway or a car. All the purchases need some in-game money – “Auro”, which can be earned and spent. So apart from developing kids’ calculation skills and creative thinking, Driving Kids teaches them the basics of economics. The kids also get the basics of ecological thinking: they are shown a full product cycle by example of a car – from the shop in the beginning to the junk yard in the end.

Of course, the parents and teachers will appreciate the game’s educating ability, but what about the kids? No doubt they will enjoy bright colors, friendly game environment, merry tunes (unique for each game). Also there are new exciting games appearing every month. What is remarkable about the games is they don’t dominate the kids with any form of limit or control. That is a characteristic feature of all products released by AlbyMedia.

Pricing and Availability

Driving kids can be played under any operating system that has Internet browser software. The registration at www.DrivingKids.com is free, and membership benefits are also available for a reasonable fee. The information about membership benefits will appear if you click on a gas can icon in the right upper corner.

WiiWare Pool Title Features Realistic Controls Using the Wii Remote

REDWOOD CITY, CA – December 29, 2008 – Hudson Entertainment, the North American publishing arm of HUDSON SOFT, today announced that Pool Revolution: Cue Sports™ is now available for WiiWare™. Players no longer need to worry about having enough space for a pool table with this fun and addicting game that can be played against friends in the living room or online.

“Pool Revolution: Cue Sports is the only pool game for WiiWare that lets people play online,” said Sabine Duvall, Vice President of Product Development at Hudson Entertainment. “Pool fans can now play with people from all over the world in the comfort of their living rooms.”

Pool Revolution: Cue Sports features realistic controls where gamers use the Wii Remote™ just like an actual cue. The strength of the shot depends on how fast the player moves the remote. For those not quite ready to use an “actual” pool cue, the strength of the shot can be set by using the buttons on the controller.

Players can choose from the most popular types of pool for up to four players, including eight ball, nine ball, rotation, and snooker. An in-game tutorial will help provide descriptions of anything players need to know. Once gamers practice and understand how to play, they can also try performing trick shots in Puzzle Mode. For players ready for a challenge, they can even set up their own! And, for those who feel they are true pool sharks, there is online play for up to four players in a Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection matchup.

Pool Revolution: Cue Sports is rated E for Everyone by the Entertainment Software Rating Board.

The new item in Wonderland Online (http://wl.igg.com/main.php) this time is the Transfer Mirror!! If players want to change classes freely, they can have a try.

Transfer Mirror
Are you tired of your current class? Do you want to try another character? If you get a Transfer Mirror you can make a quick transfer from among the different classes. Players can be a strong warrior in the day while casting arcane sorcery by night. How cool is that!

The Transfer Mirror is an item which allows the transferred players to choose the class again. If their STR>INT, they can choose one of these classes – Warrior, Killer or Knight. However, if their STR<INT, they can choose one of these classes – Wit, Priest or Seer. But, if their STR = INT, then players can choose either one of these 6 classes. Transfer Mirrors can be used only once and can be expressed and traded.

For more, please visit http://wl.igg.com/news/newscontent.php?aid=1578.

As one of three PVP systems in Angels Online (http://ao.igg.com), the Holy Battlefield, from the newest expansion, offers players even more PK fun. Players can PK freely here and capture materials just like in the Outpost Battlefield and the Totem Battle systems. Today, the Angels Online team is talking about Holy Battlefield in m ore detail.

When the new expansion “The Lost Atlantis” was released, Holy Battlefield became available to all players. Different from the Totem Battle, it is held on an appointed map and all participants are randomly divided into two groups. That means players from different factions can fight shoulder to shoulder. Not only guilds but also newbie players who haven’t joined any guild can take part in this event. The Angels Online team will be holding the Holy Battlefield four times each week.

Sign-up
During the 15 minutes before the event starts, players must go find the NPC Battle Angel in the four cities and then be teleported to the Sign-up Office. They can sign up to take part in the event from the Holy Battlefield Clerk. The Clerk will randomly divide all participants into the two armies and teleport them to their relative Rebirth Preparation Area.

About the Battle
The system announcement will announce the start of battle. Players from different armies can then freely PK. Remember, it is better for players to make a complete battle plan while they are enjoying the PK. Only the army who captures the most crystals can win the battle.

About Points
1. Kill an enemy: Each player can earn points by killing enemies.

2. Destroy a City Gate: City Gates are the main fortification on the battlefield. Players should work together to destroy the opponent army’s City Gates and earn the corresponding points.

3. Destroy a Statue: Each army possesses 25 Statues. If these statues can be destroyed, then there are a lot of points to be earned.

Also, in order to earn more points, production players can increase their army’s defense by building City Gates and Statues. Crystals will be captured if these defensive structures are destroyed. So each production player in the battlefield should try collecting materials and building defensive structures. The Holy Battlefield means fun for everyone!

In Holy Battlefield, players from the winning army can obtain abundant exp as reward. Don’t worry! Players can still obtain exp according to their point totals, even if they are not a winner.

For more information about the Holy Battlefield visit: http://ao.igg.com/act/glory/.