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A Different Sort Of Card-Based Gaming
Flickr user Dr. Von Krakenstein finds a novel new use for Magic: The Gathering cards, using basic land to create this pixelated Link, along with a nifty Mario and a passable Companion Cube. Dr. Von Krakenstein’s alter-ego Jose Armallis fuses two geek passions into three card-based works of art. In a way it’s a metaphor…
By Mike Fahey Published October 18, 2010 -
Twelve Old Games, Fifteen Thousand Bucks
Let’s say you had a little over US$15,000. And let’s say you were in Tokyo. What would you do? Chris Kohler over at Wired.com recently put together a list of a dozen incredibly rare games on sale in Japan. There are only a couple hundred copies of some of these games, hence the insane prices…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 14, 2010 -
A Celebration Of Low-Resolution Game Heroes
Deciding to see how minimalist he could get before iconic video game characters became unrecognisable, artist Alexander Shen limited himself to a 5×5 pixel block. As you can see, even at such low resolution, you can still pick ’em. Street Fighter, Mario, Sonic, they all shine through (though at first glance I’ll admit I thought…
By Luke Plunkett Published October 14, 2010 -
Mario Kart? No, Mario Celebrates A Race
As seen during the Malaysian Grand Prix by はちま起稿
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 12, 2010 -
Now You Can Be The Third, Taller Mario Brother
Reader JC has a design up for voting on T-shirt site Threadless, and we think it’s one worth voting for. Unless you hate plumbers. And who hates plumbers? Anyone can be a plumber in this shirt, which makes us wish Threadless was a store that also specialised in caps and hallucinogenic mushrooms. In case you…
By Luke Plunkett Published October 8, 2010 -
Club Nintendo Of America Comes Through For Fans
The previously coveted Japanese folding fans—sensu, they call ’em in Japan—offered by Club Nintendo overseas are coming to North America, courtesy of Club Nintendo of America. How much will cost to experience this raw, manual cooling power? Just 300 coins for Club Nintendo members, a pittance for a fan that has Bloopers printed on it.…
By Michael McWhertor Published October 7, 2010 -
Mario Used To Attack Mario’s Son
New York Republican Gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino invokes a certain video game plumber in the latest flyer attack on his opponent, Democrat Andrew Cuomo, eldest son of former New York governor Mario Cuomo. See what he did there? We’re not here to drag Carl Paladino through the mud for his laundry list of faults. That’s…
By Mike Fahey Published October 4, 2010 -
Check Out Mario’s Sweet Birthday DSi XL
In celebration of the 25th anniversary of Super Mario Bros., Nintendo will next month release this rather fetching custom DSi XL console. Due out on October 28, it’ll sell for ¥18,000 (USD$215), comes in a lovely box, and is emblazoned with an even lovelier little graphic to commemorate the occasion. With the 3DS on the…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 29, 2010 -
An Atari Collection As Permanent Marker Art
Artist Hollis Brown Thornton is selling this amazingly detailed permanent marker drawing for $600 in his online store. If you’re a fan of “Atari” you should check out some of Brown’s other game-themed artwork, like Mario-inspired Clouds in the Sky at Sunset or, my favorite, Space Invaders moment “Closing Credits at the End of The…
By Brian Crecente Published September 24, 2010 -
Japanese Nintendo Pitchman Leaves Showbiz
Takashi Okamura starred in one of the greatest Japanese ads Nintendo Co., Ltd. has ever created. The ad appeared back in late 2005 and early 2006 as part of Nintendo’s “Hot Mario” campaign. It starred Osaka comedians Okamura as Mario and his comedy partner Hiroyuki Yabe as Luigi. While the vast majority of Japanese commercials…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 24, 2010 -
Hey Nintendo Is A Japanese Company, You Know
The Japanese game industry is dead. This week has been a flashback of last year’s Tokyo Game Show — complete with gloom and doom from Capcom’s Keiji Inafune. “I think Japanese gaming is dead,” Inafune told the New York Times. “When I say these things, I’m called a traitor. But I love Japan. I want…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 21, 2010 -
Mario’s 25th Anniversary Commercial Gets An (Unfortunate) Extended Cut
That delightful Japanese commercial celebrating Super Mario Bros’ 25th anniversary has received a surprise extended cut. Only thing is, there’s no new footage. Above is the old trailer. Short, and cute! Below is the updated version. Longer, and less cute. Wondering what’s being said? Basically, DON’T BLOW ON CARTRIDGES. EVEN DS ONES. IF THEY NEED…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 21, 2010 -
Is The Age Of Exclusives Over?
Not first party exclusives like Mario, Halo and God of War. Those will live on as long as there are console platform holders. Rather, is the age of big third-party exclusives finished? The last big third-party exclusive was Metal Gear Solid 4, and that was in 2008. Before the game’s release, a great deal of…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 20, 2010