The View Ahead: DS in '08

The year 2008 is on deck and pinky swears to add another banner to the DS's rafters. I've taken a sneak peek at the menu and it's making my pie hole water in anticipation. Here's what's going to be weighing down my plate at the buffet: all guaranteed BUYS! Don't wait for the reviews or even the previews; preorder today!

Advance Wars: Days of Ruin

Can. Not. Wait. A darker style this round for Advance Wars. Some are complaining but I'm open to new art as long as the gameplay stays relatively the same. New units and officers please. Apparently the Dual Strike powers are gone and replaced with a new system. That may or may not be a downer but it's definitely not a deal breaker. This game is a must. Should be dropping into your hot little hands sometime in early January.

Nanostray 2

Follow up to Nanostray obviously. The original was a great rail shooter at a good price. I'm more than willing to give this a shot sight unseen.

Professor Layton and the Curious Village

I'll have to wipe the drool from my mouth before I can write about this title. First in a trilogy of Professor Layton carts, the Curious Village also serves as the North American debut of this franchise. The game is an adverturer that requires the user to solve puzzles to move forward. Players can download new puzzles from Nintendo's Wi-Fi service to keep the game fresh. Can't wait.

Super Dodge Ball Brawlers

Remember Super Dodge Ball on the NES and GBA? Well it's back; in DS form. This should be a pixel painted blast. The game will support 8 players.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game

I've been dying for a new Ghostbusters games since my C64 games. Guess I can wait a little longer.

Bob Ross: The Joy of Painting

Do you want to put some little trees there by the pond? Let's put some nice clouds over here. Great, great. Even if this ends up being pure junk I'd still buy it as long as Bob is on the cover.

Indiana Jones (Title TBA)

Two Indy titles expected this year. Lego Indiana Jones and an offering from LucasArts. It's mainly the latter I'm interested in right now. I'm hoping it ends up being like the old school adventure games that LucasArts used to put out like Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis.

Codename: Panzers

Sequel to Panzer Tactics. More missions, more units, more officers, more wasted days and nights.

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney 4

In a stunning turn of events Apollo Justice takes over from Phoenix Wright. I will buy this but to be fair I wouldn't have added it to this list as something I was especially looking forward to. That said, I didn't want to be buried in complaints from the fanboys.

F-Zero

I've no information on this. I'm adding it to this list as something I'd like to see. This is the fourth year of DS and seems a bit late in the game without an F-Zero title. Come on.

Wii Connectivity

From what I read Nintendo has only scratched the surface of Wii-DS connectivity. Can't wait to see what they've cooked up. Some of the rumors are pretty out there like the new GBA/DS download service and official DS flashcard. The service will be set up in parallel to the Wii Virtual Console. If that's true I'm going to have to wrap my head in plastic bags to make sure it doesn't explode. What we will see for sure is a raft of games that allow you to transfer content between the Wii and DS. Animal Crossing Wii is scheduled sometime in the next four quarters and I can't wait to see if my DS characters will be able to immigrate to my Wii town.

All in all, 2008 can't start soon enough. Start saving your pocket change because you're going to need it.