It sounds a little bit rhythm-action, a little bit dating sim (not the hentai kind of dating sim, of course). Players become a princess and have 30 days to master dance moves and woo one of six princes to be their partner, over the course of a branching, event-driven storyline before the dance portion begins.

There are 20 different outfits, 14 endings and 18 different musical styles like Waltz, Latin, Dance, Tango and Ballroom. Natsume knows its audience (e.g, me) — I'm generally not into "games for girls" per se, but multiple endings, tons of unlockables, romance and rhythm gameplay? Seriously, I'm so there.

Admit it, guys — this sounds kind of cool to you, too, right? Right?!

Dance Into a Prince's Heart With Natsume's Original IP Exclusively For DS

Burlingame, Calif., July 10, 2008 - Natsume, a worldwide developer and publisher of family-oriented video games, announced today a new original IP, Princess Debut, a rhythm and adventure game for girls. The game is coming to the Nintendo DS system this fall. Published and developed by Natsume, Princess Debut offers gamers the chance to step through a portal into a magical world where they become a princess. Girls will have to master their dance moves and woo one of the six charming princes in time for the big ball!

"What young girl doesn't dream of becoming a princess? Princess Debut transports girls into that magical fairytale world while introducing elements of dance and music," said Hiro Maekawa, President and CEO at Natsume. "Princess Debut is a fun rhythm and adventure game with some of the most beautiful and fluid dancing ever seen in a DS title."

In the game, players find themselves in a fantasy world where they have 30 days to get ready for the big ball; they'll have to master their dance moves and win over one of the six handsome princes to be their partner. They'll meet and woo the princes through the game's large, branching storyline and exciting event system. Once the player convinces a prince to be their dancing partner, it's time to go out on the dance floor! Players will use the Touch Screen to guide their character gracefully across the dance floor while matching their partner's rhythm. All of the dances in the game are taken from motion-captured professional dancers, so the game is just as impressive to watch as it is fun to play.

Princess Debut offers four modes of play including Story, Ballroom, Practice, and Movie. With 20 outfits to find, 14 unique endings to experience, and 18 different kinds of music and dance styles to choose from (including Waltz, Latin dance, Tango, Ballroom, and much more), there's no shortage of things to see and do!

Princess Debut will be available exclusively for the Nintendo DS this fall. For more information on Princess Debut, please visit www.natsume.com.

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The game will be coming out for the PS3, Xbox 360. Wii and the DS with each version having it's own distinct features but all will include a career mode and forty songs to play along with. Oddly, the console versions will not include vocals, but the DS version will. There is no official song list yet, so keep your eyes peeled for more announcements regarding that but I did see a few that were available on the demo which were Blitzkrieg Bop, Detroit Rock city, We're Not Gonna Take It and All The Small Things. There are eight playable characters and various locales ranging from garage to county fair to rock arena. Unfortunately, even though they showed off the drum kit at the presentation, they didn't provide any photos of it so keep an eye for that as well.

Is Rock Revolution going to be a Guitar Hero or Rock Band killer? Probably not, but it will be interesting to see how it actually does in the market. I'm afraid however, that this might be a case of too little too late.

"Patapon" has the look and the charm. The controls I used were solid. I'm curious to see if the game offers enough gameplay variety — enough rhythms for the player to apply, enough strategies for them to execute. If it does, then this game should come together nicely.

Over the years, good rhythm-based games have been consistently impressive to listen to and to control, but not often to look at. If "Patapon" comes together, it could be joining "Rez," Jungle Beat" and "Everyday Shooter" in some rare company: fun to hear, to play and to see.

Good thing I don't have a PSP, as I find games like this painfully addictive. Will Patapon hold up to expectations? I guess we'll find out soon enough.

Behold 'Patapon' — Hands-On With Near-Final Version Of Sony's Wild PSP Rhythm War Game [MTV Multiplayer]

That's it for this week's purchases, but my LA pals have our weekly Geek Night next Thursday, giving me a chance to finally check out the final version of Lair. I expect much bitching about the SIXAXIS. I'm off to cough my guts out, but before I depart, I have to ask; what are you playing this weekend?

A user by the name of facetheglue has uploaded some footage of the trial version of Ouendan! 2 which releases in Japan this week. I know everyone is looking forward to the eventuality of Elite Beat Agents 2, but for me, I shall remain happy with it's Japanese counterpart. However, if they do make an EBA 2, I think everyone will agree: More Rolling Stones and less Cher. Flynn De Marco