-
CultureTotal RecallThe Zelda Games The Whole World Hates
Over the past 25 years, not every single Legend of Zelda game has been made by Nintendo. Some were developed by Capcom, and are outstanding in their own right! And some were made by other people, and are supposed abominations At least, that’s what popular opinion will have you believe whenever the topic of the…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 23, 2011 -
New Video of Three Nintendo 3DS Launch Games In Action
The Nintendo Channel has released new video of three of the Nintendo 3DS‘s North American launch games, PilotWings Resort, Steel Diver and Nintendogs + Cats. Will any of them convince you to put in a pre-order? The 3DS will launch later this week in Japan, so we’ll soon have extended hands on coverage of some…
By Michael McWhertor Published February 22, 2011 -
Mario Kart Games, Ranked In Order Of Difficulty
Game designer Eitan Glinert (Slam Bolt Scrappers) told me over dinner last week that he’s really good at Mario Kart games, good enough that, a year ago believed he and his colleagues at Fire Hose Games could gold-medal all the races in all the console Mario Karts for charity in a 36-hour stretch. Unfortunately, Glinert…
By Stephen Totilo Published February 22, 2011 -
For The First Time, The Mario Bros. Will Miss A New Nintendo’s Birth
Forget its glasses-free 3D, the Nintendo 3DS is unlike any Nintendo video game before it because it will debut without Mario or Luigi. The previous nine major gaming machines from Nintendo — all of the big ones, from NES to Wii — had these guys. The Mario-shaped hole emerged today when Nintendo released its 3DS…
By Stephen Totilo Published February 22, 2011 -
The Games You Can Absolutely Buy the Day the 3DS Goes on Sale
Nintendo’s nebulous 3DS launch window includes months for the game company to fill their slate for the new portable. But what will U.S. gamers be able to pick up the day the 3D handheld goes on sale? This morning Nintendo finally dropped a list on us that includes all 16 games available on March 27.…
By Brian Crecente Published February 22, 2011 -
Nintendo-Powered Museum Closes Its Doors
I often get emails from readers, asking where they should go while visiting Japan. There are the obvious answers like Akihabara or Den-Den Town. But one place I usually recommend, a Nintendo-funded museum in Kyoto, is closing its doors. For the time being, at least. Dubbed Shigureden, it sits in Arashiyama, a quaint Kyoto village…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 22, 2011 -
Celebrate Zelda’s Birthday With This Stunning Painting
Japanese artist ag+ has commemorated the 25th anniversary of the release of the original Legend of Zelda in the best possible way: with one of the most amazing pieces of fan art you will ever see. If Nintendo had a chapel and (bear with me) that chapel had an ornately-painted ceiling, this would surely be…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 22, 2011 -
CultureTotal RecallRemembering Possibly The Worst Thing Zelda Ever Did
Nearly every single Legend of Zelda video game is revered, if not as an all-time classic, then at least as a pretty good/good/great game. The franchise’s one major departure onto TV screens? It was not good. Not at all While Mario was turned into a big Hollywood movie and Metroid was long rumoured to be…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 22, 2011 -
How The Great Gatsby Became A Long Lost NES Game
The Great Gatsby—the “NES” version, that is—started its strange life as a single screen shot, a pixelated recreation of Francis Cugat’s iconic cover art for F. Scott Fitzgerald’s great American novel. “It was just too funny,” says The Great Gatsby NES lead developer Charlie Hoey of that artwork “all NESified and blocky with PRESS START…
By Michael McWhertor Published February 21, 2011 -
The Mushroom Kingdom, Hyrule & Castlevania In Mini-Ecosystem Form
Pixel artist Jude Buffum mixes terrariums with the familiar flora and fauna of Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda and Castlevania, illustrating what’s required to keep a Hylian fairy and Piranha Plant alive at home. Buffum’s prints are available at his online shop and at next week’s Game Over IV show at Giant Robot…
By Michael McWhertor Published February 21, 2011 -
The Nintendo Download Is On Fire This Week
WiiWare really heats up in this week’s Nintendo Download with Cozy Fire, a fireplace simulator with six – count ’em – six different fireplaces to choose from. Yeah, it’s that kind of week. Perhaps Nintendo and dtp young entertainment are celebrating President’s Day by releasing Cozy Fireplace. After all, President’s Lincoln and Washington surely spent…
By Mike Fahey Published February 21, 2011 -
The 3DS, Torn To Pieces
Later this week, the glasses-free Nintendo 3DS goes on sale in Japan. A Chinese site already has its hands on the hot portable, and it’s ripped it into pieces. This dissection gives a closer look at the innards that power the 3DS, which boasts more powerful graphics than the previous generation of Nintendo handhelds. Of…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 21, 2011 -
Playing Games Is Easier Than Being A Pop Star
Citing fatigue, pop star Hikaru Utada is taking 2011 off. She’s not touring and not releasing any new albums. Instead, she’s doing what many do when they want to relax: she’s playing video games. In particular, she’s all about recently released dungeon crawler Mysterious Dungeon Shiren the Wanderer 5: Fortune Tower and the Dice of…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 21, 2011 -
CultureCan a Controller Be Programmed to Speed-Run Super Mario Bros.?
Long story short, this modder built a controller that, when plugged into a Nintendo Entertainment System, auto speedruns Super Mario Bros. in just a shade under 5 minutes. Naturally, commenters have shouted it down as a fake, but the Tool-Assisted Speedrun community is unanimous in calling the mod real. Modder pjgat09 provides a step-by-step, with…
By Owen Good Published February 20, 2011 -
How Samurai Warriors 3DS Plays While You’re Not Playing
With the Nintendo 3DS’s innovative new Street Pass feature, developers now have to figure out how their games will play when the players aren’t playing. In Samurai Warriors Chronicles, your 3DS will fight your battles for you. Street Pass is the Nintendo 3DS feature that allows your 3DS to communicate with other players’ systems while…
By Mike Fahey Published February 18, 2011 -
There’s Something Cool In The 3DS’ Box (Aside From The 3DS)
Included with every 3DS sold will be six cards. They may look like plain paper cards, but they’re actually “augmented reality” devices, which when detected by the 3DS’ camera come to life on the handheld’s top screen. We’ve shown you what the question block card looks like, but that’s just one card. There are five…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 18, 2011 -
Real Life Mario Kart Would Really Look Like This
There’s a new contender in the battle for real world Mario Kart action, Rémi Gaillard. Master video makers Freddie Wong and friends have taken their special effects laden know-how to the track, the most realistic looking Mario Kart-meets-real life video yet. Even if you’re creeped out by floating Freddie as a Lakitu—Aaaahhh!! Those realistic eyes!!—stick…
By Michael McWhertor Published February 17, 2011 -
Meet The Lovable Mumbling Supporting Cast Of Okamiden
While the story of Capcom’s upcoming DS adventure Okamiden is that of tiny wolf god Chibiterasu, it’s the characters the young deity meets that paint the picture of a Nippon worthy of being saved from rampaging demons. Let’s meet some! First up we have the dog Mushi and his human mother. Mushi was one of…
By Mike Fahey Published February 17, 2011 -
The Nintendo 3DS Has The Launch Line-Up Blues
On February 26, the Nintendo 3DS goes on sale in Japan. Folks want the hardware (bad), but do they want the games? The 3DS is a compelling piece of hardware. It has that what the French call I-don’t-know-what which will appeal to the masses. Players can see 3D with no glasses! Brilliant. And it has…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 17, 2011