DSiWare's New Initiative

And it only took, what, eight months? Fantastic.

I suppose that's kind of understandable, too, given how the majority of DS owners aren't necessarily DSi owners. But that rationality is only for third-party developers, who will undoubtedly have a harder time selling a game on a Nintendo system than Nintendo themselves, and they've seen little to convince them of supporting it. It follows that the first-party company has to assist in paving the way for third-party games attain a successful position on the platform, and when they're busy putting out stuff like a Mario Clock, there won't be much initiative for them. Though, to their credit, they've published the supposedly fun and creative ArtStyle games.

But the situation is (hopefully) looking up. There are actually games to look forward to! When I first saw DSiWare, I was hoping it would turn into the more handheld-friendly iteration of WiiWare, which itself is coming into its own at this point in time.* It may very well become that, but it sure is moving at a glacial pace. The games I'm talking about here definitely won't help the service find its complete identity, but even the most minimal assistance is welcome.

Shantae has lain dormant for far too long since the original Game Boy Color game seven-and-a-half years ago. Developer Wayforward, who recently handled Contra 4 and the criminally underappreciated A Boy and His Blob remake for Wii, had the template to make a sequel to the original for years, but they had no luck finding a publisher. Capcom, who published the first game, wanted nothing to do with the second game after it tanked at retail. But now they've finally found a publisher: themselves.

With digital distribution on DSiWare, Shantae: Risky's Revenge thankfully doesn't need to have a publisher. Though the game, the first in an episodic series of three, was originally scheduled to release this fall, it's been delayed until Q1 2010.

Speaking of Capcom, they decided to announced a tie-in to their flying shooter Dark Void, developed by Airtight Games (whose staff previously worked on Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge). But it's not the kind of game you'd expect to be a tie-in; it's called Dark Void Zero, and it's made in the style of the NES game. Very interesting. I'd say it's far more interesting than the console iteration at the moment. It releases in January on DSiWare, coinciding with the release of the game. Capcom Unity did mention that it will be available for PC and other mobile platforms in February, however.

Have you ever tried to look for a legitimately good reason to buy a system you probably don't need to own? That's what a lot of gamers have been thinking about with the DSi, gamers who probably already own a DS Lite. While I wouldn't suggest buying a console for only a few games, DSiWare will thankfully have something of worth from third parties. Hopefully this is a sign of future things to come.

*Uh, assuming Cave Story and Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth hit the service in the very near future.