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Shibuya, the Animated Version
Tokyo hotspot Shibuya means a lot of things to a lot of different people. To me, it means nice sneakers and a Starbucks with a hell of a view. To artist Andrew Wilson, it means Mario crossing the street. Shibuya [Andrew Wilson]
By Luke Plunkett Published January 15, 2012 -
CultureTotal Recall
My First Nintendo “Console”
I may have explained this a few times already, but growing up in Australia in the 1980s usually meant growing up without Nintendo. The NES was here, and people bought it, but it was never the sensation it was elsewhere. Most kids/adults played on computers or Sega machines. That didn’t stop me wanting one, though.…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 15, 2012 -
The Most Insane Battery Test I’ve Ever Seen
I’ve tested battery life. Usually, I play some, write down how long I play, take a break, and comeback. Not this dude. YouTube user Kurekureyon filmed himself playing the PS Vita and the Nintendo 3DS non-stop. Only occasionally does his hand leave the frame for what, I’m assuming, is bathroom breaks—or coming up for gasps…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 13, 2012 -
It’s Pinball Day on the Nintendo Download
This week’s Nintendo Download celebrates the silver ball with not one but two games to satiate gamers’ cravings for hitting metal spheres with paddles. First up we have 101 Pinball World, a quick and dirty little game that features 101 bite-sized pinball tables across four different worlds. It sounds like it’s perfect for a quick…
By Mike Fahey Published January 12, 2012 -
Little Mac Gets a Big Tribute in This Minecraft Stop-Motion Video
The same folks who made that amazing Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening animation in Mojang’s hit sandbox construction game have come back with yet another homage to an old-school classic. MinecraftA2Z managed to recreate Punch-Out‘s first bout—where series hero Mac trades blows with Glass Joe—by manipulating millions of blocks frame by frame, in the same…
By Evan Narcisse Published January 12, 2012 -
That Crazy Samurai Pokémon Game Slices Up a Release Date
Pokémon + Nobunaga’s Ambition has a release date: Mar. 17. The game is priced at ¥5,800 or US$75. The game features Pocket Monsters, medieval Japanese samurai, and a whole lotta I-don’t-know-what-to-say. It is a collaboration between Nintendo and Tecmo Koei. Watch the game’s trailer here and feel strange. 『ポケモン+ノブナガの野望』の発売日は3月17日を予定！ はえええええ [はちま機構]
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 12, 2012 -
Pictures of the Xbox Factory Jumpers
This week, a report surfaced that a group of 300 Xbox 360 factory workers threatened to commit suicide en masse over a labor dispute. The group took the rooftops, but was finally talked down. Here are the photos. The workers were employees of Foxconn, a company that manufacturers electronics for Sony, Nintendo, Apple, and many…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 12, 2012 -
Kid Icarus: Uprising Will Be Bundled with a Stupid Stand!
Who’s excited about Kid Icarus? I sure am. But this ridiculous stand that’s packaged with it? Nothankyou. According to Kid Icarus: Uprising designer Masahiro Sakurai, the game will come with this “Nintendo 3DS Stand”. The point, Sakurai tweeted, is to keep the 3DS steady during touch-pen play. But isn’t that what hands are for? Of…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 12, 2012 -
Who Is to Blame for Slave Labor-Made Game Consoles: Gamers or Game Companies?
Last month, when I got my hands on the PS Vita, the first thing I did was open the box. The second? Flipped over the device to see where it was made. China. It wasn’t always that way. Heck, it wasn’t even that way until fairly recently. For years, Sony made its consoles in Japan.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 11, 2012 -
Samus, You’re All Legs and Shiny Plastic
First shown at last month’s Comiket, this Metroid: Other M statue features heroine Samus in her Zero Suit. Here’s a better look, because this figure deserves one. The 1/8 scale PVC statue is expected to go on sale this June in Japan. Pricing will be announced at a later date. There was also another Samus…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 11, 2012 -
Just how Last-Minute was Nintendo’s Circle Pad Pro?
Nintendo’s Circle Pad Pro attachment for the 3DS seemed, when it was first revealed, to be something of a panic move, made in response to the handheld’s then-poor sales and the positive reception received by the competing PlayStation Vita (much of which centred around its two wonderful thumbsticks). But just how last-minute was the peripheral?…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 11, 2012 -
The Sexy and Sadistic Nintendo Art of NekoshowguN
You might not know Japanese illustrator NekoshowguN. But you damn well should. The young artist first made her splash as part of the Osaka art collective Digmeout. She’s done art for music games GuitarFreaks and DrumMania, but her highest profile work to date is lead character and weapon design for Goichi Suda‘s upcoming hack-and-slash Lollipop…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 10, 2012 -
Mario Creator Shigeru Miyamoto is Working on Something Brand New
Nintendo talisman Shigeru Miyamoto is a busy man! Not only does he help in an overseer’s role on many of Nintendo’s biggest games, but he’s also revealed he’s working on something new. Really new. While we already know he’s involved in the next Pikmin game and Luigi’s Mansion for the 3DS, Miyamoto recently told Associated…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 8, 2012 -
Nintendo Doesn’t Let WiiWare Self-Publishers Reveal Sales Figures
The independent publisher Icon Games Entertainment, a week ago, looked back on 2011 and counted up how many copies it had sold of games such as Bashi Blocks (pictured above) and Arcade Air Hockey. Icon’s Richard Hill-Whittall found that he’d sold 255,763 copies of games in all, a pleasant surprise given he figured they’d only…
By Owen Good Published January 5, 2012 -
This Week’s Nintendo Download is Colorful, If Nothing Else
Four games I’ve never heard of form a giant robot of borderline apathy in this week’s exciting episode of the Nintendo Download. Having done the Nintendo Download post for nearly five years now I’ve learned that sometimes Nintendo just has to throw some random crap out into the interwebs to make room for fresh new…
By Mike Fahey Published January 5, 2012 -
Bullet Bill Will Destroy This Man’s Kitchen
The aspiring baker at the wonderfully-named Bake With a Vengeance got just about the best Christmas present ever for someone who loves video games and who wants to bake stuff: a Bullet Bill blender. It was made by taking a black KitchenAid Pro mixer and getting some custom decals sent over. After that, the mixer’s…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 5, 2012