Canadian success waddles onto DS

By David Wylie

Canwest News Service

The march of Canada’s colourful penguins has continued all the way to the top of video game sales charts.

The journey to the release of Disney Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force for the Nintendo DS is a fairy tale success story.

In 2005, three Kelowna, B.C., residents decided to launch a virtual world in which penguins are used to represent community members. All were parents who wanted a safe place online where their kids could interact with others.

Word of Club Penguin spread quickly, gathering millions of users before the popular site caught the eye of Walt Disney Co.

Captivated by Club Penguin’s ability to attract and retain users, Disney bought the icy online paradise – designed for kids aged six to 14 – in 2007 for $350 million US.

Now, 18 months later, Club Penguin’s success continues to snowball with the newly released DS game, which is currently one of the best-selling North American titles for the hand-held console.

DS to put out Guitar Hero bundle

Via Wired’s website, news that Nintendo DS will be putting out a bundle with the hand held Guitar Hero game.

The bundle is expected to sell for about $180.

Dear Nintendo DS: It’s not you, it’s PSP

My wife teased me today, saying I finally crossed the border – from a dedicated Xbox fanboy into the Sony camp.

For those who don’t know, I make a sport out of trying to convince people the 360 is better than the PlayStation 3. I’m in recovery now though, and have conceded that if you’re looking for a Blueray DVD player, a PS3 is probably for you. Still, if you like good games, go with the Xbox.

It’s true, I admit it. I’ve been wanting a PlayStation Portable (PSP) for a while now. When I bought a Nintendo DS last fall, I put a lot of thought into whether I wanted a PSP or a DS. I finally settled on a DS because I wanted to play Super Mario Bros. and the new Zelda, which are both awesome and have gotten a lot of my time. Still, I’ve had unfaithful dreams about the PSP since buying the DS. And I finally had my chance today to pick up a mistress.

EB Games has a good sale on until June 22: trade in six games with a value of more than $8 and get a PSP core for $20. So I traded in a bunch of games – including New Super Mario Bros. and Zelda: the Phantom Hourglass (sorry, DS, it’s not you it’s me) – and got a sexy new black PSP with a beautiful screen and gorgeous body. I charged it tonight and checked on it a few times until finally the orange charge light went out, telling me it’s ready for action.

I haven’t had too much of a chance to really get into it, but the screen is truly amazing. Also, there is so much multimedia potential with this device – you can watch movies, play music and surf the web. Oh yeah, you can play games too. I bought God of War. When I played it for the first time I was flabbergasted. The graphics are much, much sharper than the DS.

The only trouble is that I have to shell out more cash to get a memory stick. I realized after hitting the first save point in God of War that I need one just to save my game; no hard drive… argh! Also, a protective case is a must. The screen is pretty, but scratches easily. And if I want to upload video or music, I need the proper cable. So the accessories add up.

Overall, though, I think me, the PSP and the DS can all hide under the covers tonight and play … if my wife doesn’t kick us all out.

(Disclaimer: The pic isn’t of my wife, but some girl that I found on Kotaku.com)