I got Chibi Robo on Wed., and I've already put about 4.5 hours into it.  This game is fun in an Animal Crossing meets Majora's Mask sort of way, but without the irritating features of either of those.  The game exudes an incredible amount of charm with endearing characters and scripted events that pop up when you least expect them.

Exploration is the name of the game and those who get the most out of the Zelda games when exploring every nook and cranny are in for a treat.  IGN's review suggests that the game becomes harder/more frustrating later on, but I haven't reached that point yet, so I can't comment on that.  What I do know is that this game is very fun, very addicting, and so far, very worth it.

Sounds like a definite future pick-up, which again, may do for the summer lull.  One universal complaint I've heard about the game is the constant need to recharge your batteries; is it as bad as all that?

Angela, it is annoying, but as the game progresses your battery life is extended.  It and the overall time limit forces you to balance your time and keeps you from accomplishing too much too early.  A lot of games hold you back from doing things not scripted too soon, such as invisible walls or holding back weapons or items, so I don't see it as anything new, just a different approach.

Great game by the way; I'm totally surprised by how much I've enjoyed it.  Does anyone know if Giftpia is something similar?  With such an empty release schedule, perhaps Nintendo will consider releasing it here too.

How does the recharging of the batteries work?

It's not that bad.  In the beginning when you have to recharge often, you're never all that far from an outlet, so it's no big deal.

I don't know how similiar Giftpia is in fun factor, but the quest (if you want to call it that) in Giftpia is very different.  You have to do odd jobs around town for people (similiar to Animal Crossing but with more purpose) to repay a huge debt you incurred.

Nintendo has already passed on bringing Giftpia to America (a recent NP article confirms that N dropped it for being too weird), so your only chance of seeing it in this country is through a third party, and I highly doubt that will happen.

1. Pick up your electrical cord.
2. Walk to power outlet.
3. Plug electrical cord into power outlet.

The batteries run down at different rates depending on what you're doing, so if you're standing still, it uses a lot less power than if you're moving, firing your blaster, using the copter, etc.  It's also possible to purchase a single-use emergency back-up battery that gives you a little extra juice should you run out, but it's expensive and you only want to use if you've got no other choice.

Nintendo is such a tease:  http://www.nintendo.com/gamemini?gameid … -0000-1268

Hopefully, Chibi-Robo sells enough that it convinces Nintendo or a 3rd party to give Giftpia a shot in the US... not that I'm expecting it to sell a lot.

Yeah, I question Nintendo's logic in selling this as a full price title.  It would do far better if it started at $29.99.  Of course, Chibi Robo is nothing compared to how poorly Odama is going to do at $49.99 next month.  ::Sigh::

How much 'game' is there in Odama, even taking the free mic into consideration, to justify any price over $29.99?  And since that game will not do well and the system is nearing the end of its lifecycle, it'll probably end up keeping that $49.99 price until it finally disappears.