The WonderSwan takes flight
[12.03.98] » Bandai releases new screenshots of key games for their upcoming portable, and GIA brings you a closer look to see what the system's all about.
Bandai's WonderSwan | |
Back at the Tokyo Game Show in October, one of the more curious gadgets unveiled was Bandai's "WonderSwan," a black and white portable that hopes to usurp the Game Boy's popularity. Bandai has just recently revealed some screenshots of games set to be released on the portable, and while the chances of the WonderSwan making it to North American shores seem slim, the GIA is bringing you a brief look at the device and a few of its games. (We just love you that much.)
The WonderSwan is partially designed by the late Gunpei Yokoi, the man who originally created Nintendo's immensely successful Game Boy. The multicolored system is incredibly small -- it weighs only 110 grams compared to the Game Boy Color's 190. Even at that small size, the WonderSwan has a resolution of 224x144 on a 2.49 inch screen, with eight shades of black and white. The 16-bit CPU runs at 3.072 MHz, the sound chip is capable of 4 channel stereo sound, and the hardware supports headphones, a link cable, and the possibility of a PC connection. Cartridges can hold up to 16 megabits of data.
Best of all for puzzle games, the system can be held vertically or horizontally. Bandai plans on releasing the WonderSwan in March 1999 for 4,800 yen (about $39 US). Here's the puzzle and RPG titles we know of so far, with screenshots available below:
Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeons - Square has given rights for Bandai to port the CMD series to the WonderSwan. Priced at 2,800 yen and with 16Mb of data, you can hook up two WonderSwans to play with a friend.
SD Gundam Emotional Jam - 16Mb large, with a price set at 3,800 yen, Bandai's simulation RPG has five of your robots battling against five enemies. You can also hook up and fight against a friend's party.
Gun Pey - Gun Pei is a puzzle game named after the late Gunpei Yokoi. The screen is shifted vertically for this 8Mb title, and for 1980 yen you can pick it up when the system launches.
Puyo Puyo IV - Puyo Puyo is a popular puzzle game licensed by Sega to Compile for the WonderSwan. Yup, you can link it up to a friend's system for some extra fun.
Puzzle Bobble (no screen shots) - San Denko is sure to hit it big with a version of Taito's Bust A Move puzzle series.
(Screenshots are posted in order of game listings.)
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