It just occurred to us how perfect the multiplayer-only LOL would have been on DSiWare. As a 500 Nintendo Point download, four players could download the quirky application whenever they had five minutes to spare, and enjoy it immediately, for the cost of just one copy of Agetec's retail game. We just realized this because Vicarious Visions' Mixed Messages is pretty much just that.Well, it's a bit more directed and gamelike than LOL, but very similar nonetheless. Mixed Messages is a take on "telephone," in which players alternately type sentences and draw pictures based on them. One player writes a sentence, then another draws it, and then the next player writes a sentence based on that picture, and so on. The game saves sessions for the enjoyment of all afterward.VV has been playing with this idea for two years, but the program was too small for retail and required too much rewriteable memory for the DS. DSiWare to the rescue! Mixed Messages is slated for the DSiWare "launch window," which is basically anytime now!Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Bplus, developer of Plattchen and Niki - Rock 'n' Ball, both for WiiWare, has just announced its next game, which is weird in a different way from the last two: Vektor Tank, a tank combat game that channels the spirit of the early '90s into one delightfully awkward-looking game.Judging by this teaser video, Vektor Tank has it all: big ugly polygons, endless, flat expanses, and robots. According to Bplus, it's "a totally original genre-mix featuring action-packed shooting gameplay, exciting tactical tank combats in a destructible environment and of course lots of explosions."The Wii (not WiiWare) game features two-player co-op and one-to-four-player battles. Bplus is currently looking for a publisher, which means there's no release date yet.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Update: Nintendo got back to us and had the following to say: "Facial recognition works best when the camera can properly see your face." We tried to drill them for more, but that's all we could get. So, try to play in an area with a lot of light, we suppose. Have you tried to play WarioWare Snapped! yet? We have, and we couldn't get past the camera calibration tool. The game says that our skin tone too closely resembles the color of the background. Considering our skin is a light peach and the walls are completely white, we're wondering what the problem is. Also, trying to use the game against, say, a dark blue background has been no help either. Have any of you had trouble playing the game, or has it all been smooth sailing?We've put word in to Nintendo and will be sure to update you as soon as we receive a response.

Got DSi on the brain? Check out our in-depth unboxing feature that shows off the handheld's features, and be sure to stay up to date on DSi-related info through our Nintendo DSi tag. And if you want to try and win one, we're giving away 3 systems right here!Permalink | Email this | Comments

Since the Wii released in November of 2006, it's progressively become a more profitable venture for Nintendo. Not just because it has been constantly flying off retail shelves, but because Nintendo has managed to drastically cut down manufacturing costs during its life, Koya Tabata of Credit Suisse suspects. In fact, Tabata says costs are down a whopping 45%, which could mean Nintendo is banking much more than the previously reported $6.Of course, any talk of reduced manufacturing costs is inevitably going to lead to talk of a price cut, which Tabata says is a real possibility. Emerging markets could be the first to see a price cut, Tabata commented. With Sony hoping to take market share away from Wii with its $99 PS2, it might be the right time for Nintendo to trim some fat.[Via Eurogamer]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments