Nintendo has for a while now been actively encouraging amature game development on the Nintendo DS in Japan. Last year on Wii.com, Satoru Iwata mentioned some software creations that a small number of students had been working on within Nintendo HQ, and also how impressed he was by what the students had devised. Well, those software projects are now complete, and have been available for download via the national DS Download Stations since 12th March. They will continue to do so until early May.
Images of all four games can be seen here, some look pretty neat:
The four projects from students that attended the Nintendo Game Seminar 2008 game development course:
A Team: Fufu Kirarin
Use the DS microphone to blow a stars that have fallen to the ground back into the sky. Available from 12th-25th March.
B Team: Re: Koetist
The name combines "Koe" (Japanese for "voice") and "Artist." Playing as a voice artist, you recite dialogue lines, which are then modified and played back with unexpected videos. Available from 26th March 26 to 8th April.
C Team: Ugo Ugo Trinity
A new type of action game where you control things by moving your body around. Available from 9th-22nd April.
D Team: Kaosapiens
This name appears to be a combination of "Kao" (Japanese for face) and Homosapien. You play around with a creature that has no body. Available from 23rd April to 6th May.
No news on whether they will be made available here in the west, either on the Nintendo Channel or a DS Download Stations.
On another note, It's a shame Nintendo's HQ in Redmond does not have such a course also. They may not develop games there, but some minor work is done and they do have the facilitties.
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