Card-arcade hybrid headed to the DS

Sega is developing a Nintendo DS version of its trading-card-based strategy title Sangokushi Taisen, according to Japanese magazine G Pimo.

Though physical cards will not be used, the game will try to capture the feeling of moving cards around on the screen with the touch pen, and it seems the game will be played with the DS flipped on its side, a la Brain Age. New to the DS version will be an original story mode that lets the user play a campaign as one of the three factions--the Gi, Go, or Shoku. The Wi-Fi capabilities of the DS will also be used to support online matchups between players anywhere in Japan.

According to G Pimo, the DS game will be based on Sangokushi Taisen 2--the sequel hitting arcades in May--and include a bonus card that can be used in the arcades.

Sega's arcade game Sangokushi Taisen--not to be confused with Koei's Sangokushi--has been in Japanese arcades since March 2005. In this fantasy strategy game, players assemble decks of trading cards and bring them to the arcade. The cards actually act as a controller for the game; players place their cards on a horizontal screen on the console and move them around to give their armies orders.

The game has attracted about 500,000 registered users and sold more than 100 million trading cards.