Nintendo DS Lite

During this winter and Christmas break I got my self a Nintendo DS Lite, the pink one... quite gorgeous... I love every bit of it...

Though Sony PS2 will still be my main game console, it is nice to have this Nintendo DS Lite and play the games during for a while during lunch break, or while waiting for bus and taxi or someone else to pick you up and even better, enjoy it a lot while doing the "big business" in the toilet if you know what I mean...

I'm not gonna elaborate much about this Nintendo DS Lite as probably to most people and gamers this thing is already an old stuff but rather I would like to share about the games that I love the most on this device.

Having a new gadget means learning new experience... Apparently this DS Lite of mine (hereinafter will be referred as "Pinky") were bundled with R4 card and obviously it is using the R4 OS and GUI.

I am currently using the Version 1.12b downloaded from http://www.r4i-sdhc.com/ and it seems that they have the latest Version of 1.13b now. I should download and try it later...

Well, it was last week when I had all the trouble to learn and get used to all this R4 stuff in Nintendo DS and by now I think I understand it quite well - not perfect - there is always room for improvement, but at least better than before.

I have to give lots of credit and thanks to my friend Billy Wong (aka Ryu Hayabusya) who have helped me a lot and sharing his knowledge.

Some of my favorite games so far;

- My Japanese Coach
- Final Fantasy Tactics A2 - Grimoire of the Rift
- FIFA 2010
- Bubble Bobble Revolution (from the classic Bubble Bobble games)
- Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Rings Of Fate

As for today I would like to highlight this fantastic education type of game...

"My Japanese Coach" produced by Sensory Sweep and Ubisoft is one hell of a education game. Basically it helps you to learn some Japanese language and it is pretty good for beginners like me.

At the earliest part of the game, it will ask you to answer some 50 questions about simple basic/simple Japanese words and sentences to determine you level before proceeding with the rest of the game - or rather the fun education process...

I did the test and at the end the "Coach" said I can go directly to Beginner's Lesson Level 7 - wow...

The last time I spent time on it, I manage to completed some test about "Days" in Japanese... you know the simple Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and so on... have to pass the test from a "Whack them all" kind of game....

Getsuyobi - Monday
Kayoubi - Tuesday
Suiyobi - Wednesday
Mokuyoubi - Thursday
Kin’youbi - Friday
Doyoubi - Saturday
Nichiyoubi - Sunday
Hi - Day
Kyou - Today
Ashita - Tomorrow

And now I will continue my lesson on the basic "Kana" stuff...

Here are some screen shot of my Pinky and this "My Japanese Coach" education game.







Lesson's on "Kana" start now...


The learning system also includes speaking and writing... this Pinky have the capabilities to do simple voice recording and playback.



The writing practice is done by using the touch screen...


Well, obviously I still have a lot to learn and to go through on this basic Japanese lesson but from what I can gathered now this is indeed a very nice attractive education game especially if you have the interest to learn some Japanese.

Though I don't think this is enough to make you speak Japanese fluently like those anime characters you saw on DVD but at least if you really put some serious effort on it and even goes to the extra miles - like doing some notes for reference on paper or on Microsoft Word - I believe you will get some benefits and having fun along the way.

Learning has never been more enjoyable than this....