Oh, if only it were six years ago. Right now millions of rabid Digimon fans would be gobbling up any and all bits of info about the upcoming Digimon World DS - well, at least this second-tier Pokemon franchisemanages to survive through its animated show and periodic game releases.
So what's a horde of 250 digital monsters to do when its fangs aren't as sharp as they once were? Bust out a game that focuses more on evolution than collecting.
Even as you venture out into the colorful, anime-influenced world, one of the five Digi-Farms will always be visible on one of the DS screens. It's there that your little monsters will evolve over time. Different species excel at different tasks, so finding the right farm for each group is key. Some may prefer lifting weights to leaping through a ring of fire, but regardless of their training methods, the stats will bump up. Plus, if you treat them nice, they're more likely to do what you ask and, in turn, become studlier, evolved Digimon.
Now, even though World wants you to beef up your monsters quite a bit, that doesn't mean the collecting aspect has been forgotten. For the first time, you'll be able to link up wirelessly and trade pets with friends anywhere in the world. Swapping the little guys around could even net you mutated hybrid Digimon that can't be found in the regular game - quite an incentive for someone looking to catch 'em all. Three-on-three versus battles can also cause rare items to drop, so stomping your friends' Digimon will be just as necessary as happily trading them.
