Eidos buys up fresh DS goodies for Europe from Majesco
Hook up with US publisher promises more booty
As business deals go, the headline news of the latest one between Eidos Interactive and Majesco Entertainment isn't very interesting: 'Eidos to Launch Eight New Majesco Titles in Europe and Australia by the summer with more than 15 other titles to follow'.
What's more exciting for DS owners are details of the DS games that Majesco has released in the US that haven't yet been released in Europe.
One slightly long-in-the-tooth example is futuristic shooter MechAssault: Phantom War, a game we first covered early last year. Foolishly we suggested it would out sometime in Autumn 2006. We were only 12 months out.
A totally different sort of game involved in this trans-Atlantic trade is Cake Mania, a game we proved as partial to as sticky buns and iced fingers, at least when we reviewed the mobile version.
The other two announced DS titles are new to us: The New York Times Crosswords and Nancy Drew: The Deadly Secret of Old World Park.
As its title suggests, The New York Times Crosswords features more than 1,000 real crossword puzzles, which you solve by writing in the answers with your stylus. Modes of play include Puzzle Me Quick for a fast word fix, Puzzle Week for extended play with progressive difficulty, and Challenge mode, which has adjustable time and difficulty settings. The game also includes co-operative and competitive two-player options.
Meanwhile, The Deadly Secret of Old World Park sees plucky teen sleuth Nancy Drew trying to solve the mystery of a missing billionaire. Sadly, unlike real life, he's not passed away thanks to the exertions of his new Playboy wife, nor fallen into the water off the back of his luxury yacht.
To solve the mystery you will have to wander around collecting clues, deciphering puzzles, following and interrogating suspects, and generally sneaking into places you shouldn't be in, unlocking touchscreen mini-games and conversations as you go.
The four games above should be released by the summer, with further fruits of the Eidos' Majesco hook-up due in the autumn.
