OMG Nintendo.com

EA Japan snuck out info about their DS port of Populous in the form of the Japanese website, which is probably very informative if you speak Japanese. For those of you who don't, we had KouAidou translate it. Here's what we found out...

• Populous DS is definitely based on the original Populous and not the sequels.
• Game Modes include: Tutorial, Challenge Mode (50 missions to clear), Free Play (classic Populous), VS (play up to 4 other players, no word on whether it's online), and "Find the Warrior" mode (an insane series of minigames).
• The interface in the screenshots looks fairly similar to the classic screens, but built around the stylus instead of keyboard/mouse. You take actions on the bottom screen and see them play out on the top.
• Streets in Japan on 2/21/08, no word on US release (but seems likely).

Now, this is just the short version of things. If you want to read the long version in all of its fruity glory, jump behind the cut. There you'll see the full text of the website, translated exactly as it appears there.

Story

The legend tells that five Gods constructed the world from the void, and each used their power to give the world five different terrain contours.

Earth created the basis for everything; Water soothed it; Fire imbued it with energy; Wind gave it freedom; and Wood provided it with nourishment.

Fish, beasts, and finally, humans, were born on the world. All the creatures created by the Gods worked together peacefully, and the world entered an age of glory.

Until one day, the humans' succeess created darkness in their hearts, and from that darkness were born demons to oppose the Gods. The demons controlled the same five elements as the Gods, and they opposed the Gods in an attempt to take over the world.

A chaotic battle began between the Gods and the Demons, and humans began to live in fear, helpless as the awesome power raged around them. It would be a long-lasting age that would test their faith between the Gods and the Demons.

Basics

The 1990-1993 Real-Time Simulation Game Populous comes to the Nintendo DS. The player takes the role of a god, and rules the land to ensure the prosperity of those who worship them. As a god, you must also use various methods of divine intervention to block the progress of tribes that serve enemy gods, eventually culminating in the destruction of all enemy tribes in the final battle (Armageddon).

Your tribes on the field take action in real time, requiring you to make split-second decisions. The same stage differs each time you play it, with over 50 stages including. The DS version contains a minigame mode as well as network mode that allows for up to 4 players to play at once. (it doesn't mention if this is cooperative or competitive)

In order to ensure the prosperity of your worshipers, you must use the touchpen and buttons to create the land. In addition to ensuring your own worshippers' prosperity, you can use your divine intervention to cause natural disasters, and send powerful warriors out to attack and impede your enemies' progress.

Interface

The game occurs in real-time. Use the stylus and buttons to make your choices along with the rapidly occurring events. Stylus controls allow for left and right-handed interface.

Before each stage, the player can decide to control one of the five Gods of Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Wood. Which element you choose has its own miracle effects, so choosing which element will best oppose your demonic opponent is part of the player's strategy.

The belief that your worshipers have in you grants you your power. You can use that power to cause divine intervention such as earthquakes, tidal waves, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, and other natural disasters, create poisonous swamps to cause populations to fall ill, and create warriors to launch attacks against people.

Armageddon

When enemy and allied tribes enter the sampe place on the field, the final battle "Armageddon" will occur. Ensuring the power of your people before Armageddon is the key to winning the final battle. Depending on how happy you've made your people, you'll hear majestic BGMs like Beethoven's Ode to Joy while they're fighting.

Disaster Eggs

As the stage levels get higher, "Disaster Eggs" will appear during world creation. If the egg is destroyed by a tribe, a monster will appear that will cause various miracle effects. The egg will roll downwards, so if you strategically control the incline of the terrain, you can cause it to roll into enemy zones to cause serious damage.

Game Modes

Numerous Game Modes: Tutorial, which teaches you the basic controls; Challenge Mode which takes you across 50 different fields to challenge you one after another; Free Play which allows you to freely choose the settings on any map to enjoy yourself; VS which allows you to play against up to 4 players in Wireless Mode; Find the Warrior Mode which is a series of minigames in which you must try to find the warrior on the field.

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