Not too shabby at all. I think it's probably the best online service yet. Free, simple and easy to sort out. As soon as a game comes out that I want to play online, I'm in, though I may ju8st wait til I can get Mario Kart DS cheap.

Online gaming doesn't really seem to be my thing up til now, I tried Xbox Live and abruptly cancelled it not a month later, because the place was dripping arseholes and I don't find being called names every time you do anything remotely decent enjoyable. Halo 2 in particular was great for online multiplayer, but the amount of abuse being flung around was just fucking stupid.

One of the reasons I won't be getting an Xbox 360. The 'always online' concept does not attract me at all. Apparently the Revolution, Nintendo's next console, will be using a system very similar to the DS's, totally free, wireless and easy as pie. That is something I'm lookign forward to.

Yeah, I look forwards to the Revolution as well. While XBox and Playstation try to steal PC developers, and dumb down their games, Nintendo sticks to the sort of games they always made (meaning less FPS and the likes). In addition they keep a strong focus on innovation.

Greetings from Olav (Staff at StrategyCore.co.uk)

That's one trend I absolutely despise. Games being dumbed down or just not getting released, because the format is a console. I always feel particularly insulted, especially when the game wasn't exactly challenging to begin with. Call of Duty springs to mind. I had a go on the PC version, thought it was brilliant. Played the console version and I just thought "Where has the goodness gone?"

I think Nintendo are taking a different direction to Sony and MS, sticking with DVD instead of moving up to Blu-Ray or HDDVD, really departing from the usual controller style (that they invented in the first place) and generally relying a lot more on innovation and invention, instead of falling back upon regurgitation and refinement.

I think a lot of people are going to be put off, by the Revolution itself and it's controller, but I believe it's being much truer to the spirit of gaming than anything else.

Another Opera DS interview.

Greetings from Olav (Staff at StrategyCore.co.uk)

Nice. There is some talk of the DS game medium being used to store files (not sure how big the cartridges are, 16MB?) but I think there's already a 4GB storage device out there. That really opens up an avenue for downloading music, etc combined with Opera as a browser.

One thing I hate about all the latest interviews is that the answers are so bloody rehearsed. Either that or the interviewer's questions are shit.

"What do you think of Nintendo, who are currently pumping millions of dollars into your company?"

"We think they're great."

Well, what the fuck else is he going to say?

Yeah, downloading stuff to the DS would be neat. In the end we might use the DS for everything! Think they could add a mobile phone?

Seriously though, downloading MP3 and the likes to the DS would be neat with the right size memory card.

As for the interviews, I think they are very limited in what they can tell. That, and as you point out, stupid questions . Reminds me of the typical sports question: "What do you feel now?"... The dude just won the world championship! What does the idiots think he feels!?!

Greetings from Olav (Staff at StrategyCore.co.uk)

Speaking of download...

Greetings from Olav (Staff at StrategyCore.co.uk)

Looks like you'll get a few download stations over there after all FA. Check out this.

Greetings from Olav (Staff at StrategyCore.co.uk)

Blimey. Who'da thunk it. This is a pretty big step forward for Nintendo, usually they don't give much of a toss about us Europeans. It's a pretty nice way of publicising new games, too.

As for the 4GB storage media, that's not too bad at all. Price is a bit steep, but that will come down, I imagine. Wonder how long before a TV tuner comes out for it and you can watch telly and record your fave programmes on your DS?

I think I read somewhere that in Japan USB pen drives are currently at 8GB as standard and rising, so that 4GB storage media will probably come down in price fairly soon.

Of course, since most console/hand-held stuff is over-priced to start with it's only going to come down to what it should have been in the first place

Aren't the Asgard supposedly technologically superior?

The UK does get hit with a lot of fuck-you tax on stuff like that. PSPs sold for £105 in Japan. Over here, they were double that.

Yeah, it's good to see Nintendo focusing on us Europeans a little as well.

As for the media addin, I think it's safe to say it will come down in price. Take a look at this "HDD killer" . In a few years we'll probably be rid of the useless harddrives for anything but MASSIVE storage.

Greetings from Olav (Staff at StrategyCore.co.uk)

the Japs will be all over that, their technology always has to be the smallest it can be, hence the DS Lite. Very developed sense of aesthetics, those folk.

Here's hoping the Download Stands spread to the rest of Europe.

Spore and new Zelda coming

Greetings from Olav (Staff at StrategyCore.co.uk)

Zelda are always pretty good games. Surprised about Spore, though!

I know you like adventure games, Slaughter, so if you can find it for a decent price check out Another Code (also known as Trace Memory). It's a bit short, but it's a good game.