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CultureTotal Recall
The Strange, Sad Case of the North American Super Nintendo
This week is the, believe it or not, 20th anniversary of the release of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in North America. It’s a cause for celebration, of course, but also makes me wonder why Nintendo decided to bless America with its own “unique” version of the console. When Nintendo released the Famicom in Japan…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 25, 2011 -
I’m on the Right, Predicting Nintendo will Never make an iPhone Game
Watch me, Stephen Totilo, chatting with Times Techland‘s Evan Narcisse about the future fate of Nintendo. This is a half-hour chat done in video splitscreen, so you can watch me do my best to be a talking head. (I was sporting my telemarketer look; Evan was doing the Lobot.) I couldn’t get the embed to…
By Stephen Totilo Published August 24, 2011 -
Schoolgirl 3DS Portables You Can Fall in Love With
Love Plus, Konami’s love simulator, is getting a 3DS version. It’s new and called New Love Plus. New Love Plus means one thing: New 3DS bundles. Actually, it means three new things. Because like Konami did for the DSi XL, the Tokyo game company is releasing three 3DS bundles, one for each of the Love…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 24, 2011 -
Is Nintendo Working on a Redesigned 3DS?
Nintendo’s already slashed the 3DS’s price tag, but, according to new rumors, that’s not the only thing the Kyoto-based game maker is planning on slashing. According to French website 01Net, insiders said that Nintendo is prepping an entirely new 3DS model that “radically tones down” the handheld’s 3D, and it could even be an entirely…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 23, 2011 -
Report: Nintendo Holding Pre-Tokyo Game Show Event
Nintendo is holding a 3DS related event in Japan on September 13, days before TGS begins. Nintendo does not traditionally show at TGS, and Kotaku is following up with Nintendo for clarification. According to the Wall Street Journal, the event is called the Nintendo Conference and will be open to members of the industry, press,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 23, 2011 -
This Thursday Retro Game Master Takes On 53 Stations of the Tōkaidō
This week’s Retro Game Master challenge’s full title is actually Kanshaku tamanage Kantarō no Tōkaidō Gojūsan-tsugi. (That’s Firework Thrower Kantaro’s 53 Stations of the Tōkaidō in English.) But we’re just calling it 53 Stations of the Tōkaidō! For such a fancy name—one that’s referencing a famous set of ukiyo-e wood prints, no less—it’s actually quite…
By Joel Johnson Published August 22, 2011 -
Never Count Nintendo Out
If there are any universal rules or golden constants by which the game industry is governed, one of them is surely this: Never count Nintendo out. It is not an exaggeration to call the Kyoto firm the world leader in video game production. They have sold more video game hardware than anybody else (Nintendo dominates…
Chris Pruett | Robot Invader Published August 22, 2011 -
How to Play Your Xenoblade Import on a North American Wii
Xenoblade Chronicles is out in English right now, but Nintendo of America doesn’t seem keen to let North American’s play it, so they can’t. Not unless they import a copy from Europe and follow Joystiq’s guide for soft modding Nintendo’s Wii to play imports. Joystiq’s step-by-step guide takes Wii owners through installing the Wii Homebrew…
By Mike Fahey Published August 22, 2011 -
So Much Time, So Many Crappy-Sounding 3DS Games.
The Nintendo 3DS gets flack for not having a killer line up. And so far, it doesn’t. That flack is largely deserved, but it’s flack that will, over time, disappear. But until that happens, dig in Japanese 3DS owners. As 2ch pointed out, here are known release dates for titles between August and November: •…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 22, 2011 -
You Got Mario in My Jenga!
Jenga and endless Jenga clones are popular enough in Japan for Mario to get into the mix. Called Super Mario Balance Block, the game is a spin on Jenga and has players use a Mario pointer to push the blocks out—there are also question blocks and mushrooms. But, like with standard Jenga, knock over the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 22, 2011 -
How to Check Your 3DS Ambassadorship Status
I’ve never been named an ambassador. I was once, like the Philadelphia Eagles’ Hugh Douglas, a badassador, but that is altogether a different thing. Anyway, this free-games 3DS Ambassador program, rewarding suckers early adopters like yours truly, required North American customers to log into the Nintendo eShop before Aug. 11. I was curious whether in…
By Owen Good Published August 20, 2011 -
Star Fox 64 3D Aren’t in 3D, But They Are Foxy
Like that new Star Fox 64 3D footage? How about some new Star Fox 64 3D screens! Star Fox 64 was originally released on the Nintendo 64 in 1997. Star Fox 64 3D is a 3DS version of the title that was developed by Q-Games. It was released in Japan this past July, and it…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 19, 2011 -
Can You Handle the Boobs? The 3D? The Insanity?
When Half-Minute Hero designer Kenichiro Takaki set out to create a 3DS game, there was one thing he wanted to see. Make that two. Boobs. And that’s pretty much what you get with boobs-and-ninja game Senran Kagura! Here’s the game’s opening animation, and it’s pretty much what one would expect: boobs! Senran Kagura goes on…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 19, 2011 -
Why They Also Call Star Fox Tank Fox and Sub Fox
He’s not just for stars anymore. In Star Fox 64 and its upcoming 3D re-release on the 3DS, Fox McCloud proves himself worthy of the title Tank Fox. Sub Fox is just something Krystal likes to call him when they’re alone. You can contact Michael Fahey, the author of this post, at [email protected]. You can…
By Mike Fahey Published August 18, 2011 -
Happy Birthday Zelda, From Your Fans
It’s the 25th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda and to celebrate Nintendo is letting Gamescom fans create their own fan birthday cards for the franchise. Here are a few that graced the wall of Nintendo’s booth earlier this week. You can contact Brian Crecente, the author of this post, at [email protected]. You can also…
By Brian Crecente Published August 18, 2011 -
Shinobi 3DS Is Losing Beauty Contests to Metal Gear Solid 3DS
If you thought Metal Gear Solid 3DS looked ugly, get a load of what Sega and Griptonite are doing to Shinobi. Maybe they’ll look better in 3D? Wasn’t the 3DS supposed to be a powerful machine capable of pulling off console-quality graphics? Why are developers pumping out games that look like they’d be right at…
By Mike Fahey Published August 18, 2011 -
Metal Gear Solid 3DS Isn’t Winning Any Beauty Contests
Graphics aren’t everything. They are important, but the gameplay, and sometimes the story, are more important. That still doesn’t mean many gamers aren’t graphics snobs. They are. Take Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater 3DS. The game is a 3DS version of the 2004 PlayStation 2 title, which sounds impressive, but the latest batch of…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 18, 2011 -
This is Flight Control to the Nintendo Download
When the most exciting downloadable title in Nintendo’s weekly lineup is an air traffic control sim game, it’s either an excellent air traffic control sim game or a very slow week. Perhaps it’s a little of both? Firemint’s Flight Control finally brings the frantic route-tracing action of the hit iPhone game to the Wii, following…
By Mike Fahey Published August 18, 2011 -
Let’s Play Super Mario 3D Land & Mario Kart 7!
Sorry. By “let’s!”, I really mean, “watch me and Mike play them for a bit”. As you can see, Mario Kart is, well, Mario Kart! Super Mario 3D Land was a lot more fun, as it’s the only game I’ve yet to play on the 3DS that’s actually and genuinely improved (thanks to some clever…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 18, 2011