Created by Konami for the Nintendo DS, Love Plus⁺ quickly gained popularity in Japan and hit an all time high when a college guy actually married his virtual partner. Sad, I know, but it did push the game into the limelight. So, a year later, we haven’t been hearing much of the game (maybe outside of Japan) – until now.

In an effort to revive its declining tourism industry, the little town of Atami has “partnered up” with Love Plus⁺. This town used to be the destination of choice for honeymooners and couples looking for a romantic getaway. Located in the eastern part of Shizuoka, Japan, Atami is known for its hot springs. Thanks to decreasing marriage statistics and increasing outside-of-the-country travel statistics, not too many couples head over to Atami anymore.

Enter the new breed of couples – one human, one virtual. Atami launched a campaign targeting male players (are there any female players? I wonder…) of Love Plus⁺. Believe it or not, the town has received LOTS of Love Plus⁺ guests.

It’s quite strange, actually. Young men go to the town and check into a hotel as if they had a real partner with them. Some would even go as far as to pay for two people. (Apparently, in Japan, the norm is to pay per person and not per room.) The business owners, naturally, indulge their customers. After all, these not-so-ordinary guests are breathing a bit of life back into their businesses. Here, take a look at a video report of what’s going on in there.

So guys, can’t find a date? Maybe you ought to consider taking these guys’ lead.

(I can’t help but add this question: How come I haven’t really heard of gals engaging in this sort of thing? Any ideas why?)

Nintendo has not yet revealed the 3DS‘ full specs, but here’s what we do know. The touchscreen, on the lower panel, offers more precision than the DS’ touchscreen, and although there’s a “telescoping stylus” that comes with it, extending to four inches in size, players at E3 are being encouraged to use their fingers. The touchscreen has a 320×250 pixel resolution.

Up top is where the real magic happens, with a larger, 3.53-inch widescreen display. This display is where 3D imagery is shown, and as I noted before, Nintendo is most proud of the fact that its 3D gaming doesn’t require special glasses. It offers a 800×240 pixel resolution, which is a significant bump from the DS.

Early word from the show floor is that the 3D effect is fairly dazzling, though it only works for players looking straight-on at the 3D screen. Those watching from the sides will see only the distorted dual images. But reports indicate that the imagery is sharp and responsive. A slider on the right side of the screen allows you to adjust the depth of the 3D effect from high, all the way down to standard 2D.

The overall look and feel of the device is very close in size and weight to the DS, but Nintendo is quick to note that this design is not final. (Which, based on the way they refined the Wiimote right up until its launch, just means that the design here is close, but it will be tweaked before release.) The 3DS will have two cameras on its rear side, allowing users to take pictures in true stereoscopic 3D. There’s also a camera on the front side, just like the DSi. All three cameras are set to 640×480 pixel resolution.

Additional stats: 3DS game cards will hold 2 GB of data; WiFi operates in the 2.4 Ghz band, supporting IEEE 802.11 with enhanced security; just like the Wii, the 3DS will be configured to receive data via the Internet while in sleep mode; and in a welcome improvement over the DS, there’s a new “slide pad” that’s basically a jazzed-up D-pad-style joystick. Everything I’m hearing from E3 is that the slide pad is smooth and responsive.

The rest of the 3DS’ specs are similar to its predecessor, with the usual face buttons, microphone, and both a motion and gyro sensor. It has stereo speakers on either side of the 3D screen, and runs on a lithium ion battery. Unsurprisingly, the 3DS will play DS games (but won’t up-convert them to 3D), which is recharged via a cradle charger.

Until recently, the two major players in the handheld gaming wars have been Nintendo and PlayStation. The N has a strong history when it comes to handhelds, going back to the bestselling handheld gaming device of all time, the GameBoy. Sony has had significant success with the PlayStation Portable, an overall more powerful machine than any handheld device before it.

In the last few years, the race has heated up, as Nintendo has upgraded its wildly popular Nintendo DS in increments (DS Lite, DSi, and the forthcoming DSi XL), while Sony recently released the PSP Go, a new version of the PSP meant to do away with the unpopular UMD media format in favor of downloadable content. And then there’s Apple, which scored an unexpected and unforeseen slam dunk with the iPhone/iPod Touch, a convergence appliance that turned out to be an incredibly fun and versatile gaming platform. (To date, there are nearly 1,000 gaming apps available to download from iTunes.)

But now, things are about to get really interesting.

First up, Nintendo is hard at work on the successor to the DS, and thanks to one crafty journalist who gleaned everything he could about the DS2 from game developers at the recent Game Developer’s Conference, it looks like the next-gen DS is going to feature two higher-res screens that unfold with barely any seam in between, so that the two can be used separately, or as one big screen. This year’s E3 conference is speculated to be the DS2′s official unveiling, where Nintendo will boast that its new handheld has the same horsepower as the GameCube.

Apple is about to change the game again with the release of the iPad. Okay, so that might be a bit of hyperbole — I can already hear the critics crying foul, dubbing the iPad an oversized iPod Touch. It’s not an entirely unfair description, but consider this: the iPhone/iTouch is comparable in

size to the DS and PSP, with a screen size of 3.5″ and a resolution of 480×320 pixels. The iPad dwarfs this with a 9.7″ screen, displaying at 1024×768 resolution. Does size matter? I think it will when Apple has what is by far the biggest self-contained handheld gaming device on the market. Plus, of all of the new gaming devices, the iPad will be first out of the gate.

As for Sony, rumors have been circulating for years — with very little solid evidence — that a next-gen PSP is in the works, complete with a high-def touchscreen. Sony is playing its cards close to the vest on this topic, though.

But wait, there’s a newcomer to consider. Microsoft is getting ready to join the mobile gaming world thanks to the impending release of its new Windows Phone 7 mobile OS, which can work directly with an Xbox Live user’s profile. Full Xbox Live games will be playable on WinPhone7, with unlockable Achievements, user avatars, and more, all of which behave much as they do on the game console.

The war over mobile gaming is raging, and it’s about to get more interesting than ever. Where do your loyalties lie?

For Twitter fanatics, here is another great proposal by Sean Bonner to Tara Brown. Take a look at the screenshot to see for yourself. I don’t know about you guys but this is awfully cute, isn’t it?

Here’s another one on Twitter. The proposal:

The reply:

Ahuh – and who said that only men give proposals?

Last, but not the least, is the proposal to Kathleen Fent. This one took all of 15 minutes to get a yes, but get a yes it did!

And who said geeks were boring? Eat your words, people. These geeks have proven that proposing marriage the good old fashioned way doesn’t come close to what they can come up with with a little help from their friends (Twitter, Nintendo DS, and whatever other gadget or technology you prefer.)

For example, the quirky Retro Game Challenge (also known as Game Center CX) is going to get a US release courtesy of the guys at XSEED. A great interview on Game Center CX and its localization reveals a whole lot about game localizations and also discusses some of the quirky features of the new game.

But this coming March, this is going to be remedied with the release of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. Rockstar Games has pegged March 17 as the release of the DS version of its megapopular franchise. Europe will get to experience the game a few days after, on March 20.

Rockstar is trying to get a Mature rating for the game and the company has already acknowledged that the content cannot be changed to court a more family-friendly rating. And with activities like drug peddling, carjacking and violence, I wouldn’t expect them to find a succesful way of doing it.

This year, look out for the brilliant Professor Layton And The Curious Village for something a bit special. It’s an adventure game with a huge puzzle element – that will have your brain working for weeks trying to complete all of the many challenges.

Other particularly good games for the festive season this year include Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia – an actioner that will keep you busy. Alternatively, if you like your games in the shooter genre, then go for Bangai-O Spirits – a very Japanese, weird, but very addictive title.

Whether male or female, your loved one is sure to get a kick out of Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise. Much like the original Xbox 360 game, this is a title that really is suitable for all and filled with the wonderfully gaudy, sweet-stuffed animals.

If you want to nurture the animals and look after a virtual garden on your handheld, then don’t miss this title. Finally, if you’re after a racer, look no further than TrackMania on the DS. It’s the best thing since Mario Kart and in some respects it’s more fun – at times the action seems even faster.

Overall, the DS has a great range of games this Christmas and is sure to have something for everyone. It really is a console for all and I’m impressed year after year by what Nintendo and all third party publishers are offering.

I’m a Super Mario Bros. fan, always have and always will be. It’s been a favorite game for over a decade now. I remember the first time I played it on a Nintendo set, I’d play it for hours and hours.

Now during Black Friday, November 28, Nintendo is releasing a special red version of their Nintendo DS Lite pocket console game. This merchandise will quickly fly off the shelves not only because of its bright red color, but because of that cute Mario logo on top of it. Aside from the Mario edition, Nintendo will also release an Ice Blue system that comes packed with Brain Age 2. Both limited editions will sell for $150. Just about the same price as the regular designed consoles. For the collector, this will be a steal though as Nintendo will sell these in limited quantities only. So grab one now.

Finally, some news on the oft-delayed Jagged Alliance project for the Nintendo DS.

Empire Interactive has acquired the publishing rights to the turn-based strategy game. No release dates had been given along with the announcement but at this point, I am happy that there is proof the game is not stalled anymore.

Jagged Alliance is one of the gems of classic PC gaming. It is considered as one of the best games ever made and bringing the world of Jagged Alliance to a new generation of gamers is something that should be wholly supported. Here’s hoping that the DS brings more vintage games to its system in the future.

It’s been months since I’ve last touched my Nintendo DS. There has just been too much work for me as well as the novelty of having a Nintendo Wii and Playstation 3 to focus on another platform. Besides, I got too bored played Puzzle Quest that I needed a break from the DS.

I had some free time a couple of weeks so I took the DS out of storage and decided to look for new games on the net (yes, I have one of THOSE nifty game cart devices) and was pleasantly surprised to find a lot of really good games available for the DS. The big number of high quality games really reinforces my belief that the DS is THE better portable. The innovative gameplay mechanics of using a stylus never feels old or gimmicky and almost all of the popular game genres are well represented in the DS game library.

I excitedly installed Square’s innovative RPG The World Ends With You, the cool puzzle game Professor Layton and The Curious Village, and Phoenix Wright. I also got the two Harvest Moon games for my wife (one of the biggest Harvest Moon fans I know), and for my kid a slew of kid-friendly games (Cars, Over The Hedge, Finding Nemo). Actually, looking at that collection of games, I just realized one thing — a Nintendo DS is a true family game device.

If you’re a Pokemon fan, own a DS, and still haven’t gotten your hands on the newest ones, then this should be the perfect opportunity to do so. Sure, the game is more of the same, but it’s the best iteration so far. Plus, being American/European has great advantages like being able to trade Pokemons named Pikachu for rare or legendary Japanese ones (they get them simply for the sake of different letters).

Now you know readers, if you own Ruby or Diamond, farm those Pikachus and do thorough searches in the trade channel.

It would appear that SNK is designing several dating/rape games for the Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii which are geared toward fans of the lolicon fetish. For those not familiar with the lolicon or moe trends sweeping Japan, they involve sexualizing children.

Using the interactive technology of the DS (such as the touchscreen) or the Wii (the Wiimote), players can lift the skirts of middle schoolers up for a peek at their goods, forcibly strip them of their clothing, grope their various parts or even go so far as to fingerbang them via the DS’s touch-pen.

Here’s a look at the storyline behind one of these groundbreaking video games:

According to stories spotted on DegenkiOnline and UK Resistance, the well known King of Fighter publisher SNK will be releasing DOKIDOKI MAJOSAIBAN or Exciting Witch Trial on the Wii and DS. The object of these games is to strip and grope young women in order to detect which ones are witches or human.

And Japan just dropped a good 200 notches on the Respect-o-Meter.

Source: Destructoid