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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 -
Pokemon Black And White Rampage Continues In Japan
On September 18, Pokemon: Black and White went on sale in Japan. Even in October, the game continues to barrel through the sales charts. Hot cakes, folks, hot cakes! In the past four weeks, the game has sold over 4 million copies in The Land of the Rising Sun. This is the fastest-selling Pocket Monster…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 14, 2010 -
Gamers In Disguise
As seen on pixiv via Tiny Cartridge
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 13, 2010 -
This Wii Remote Is Made By LEGO, Not Nintendo
If you’re sick to death of Nintendo and its subtle, stylish colours for Wii Remotes, you could always pick up one of these official LEGO controllers. Due out later this week from Power A and selling for $40, it’s, well, exactly as advertised: it’s a LEGO-branded Wii Remote controller. Sadly, it’s not a complete kit,…
By Luke Plunkett Published October 13, 2010 -
Old Favorites Return In GoldenEye 007
They can swap out Bonds and update the plot as much as they want, as long as Jaws, Oddjob, and Dr. No are available in GoldenEye: 007’s multiplayer I’m a happy camper. Daniel Craig is my favorite James Bond, but GoldenEye was always about Pierce Brosnan, so I’m a little uneasy about the swap. The…
By Mike Fahey Published October 12, 2010 -
The Original Secret Pokémon Returns
Pokémon and Nintendo celebrate the 10th anniversary of Pokémon Gold and Silver by releasing the original secret Pokémon into the wild for a limited time. Here’s what you need to do to score Mew. Game Freak programmer Shigeki Morimoto secretly programmed Mew into the Red and Blue versions of Pokémon prior to the release of…
By Mike Fahey Published October 12, 2010 -
Sonic’s Design Has Been Changed For Nintendo Fans
This is sure to bring out either chuckles or frowns from anyone old enough to remember the console wars of the 1990s: the design of Sonic’s recent titles has been altered to appeal to Nintendo fans. Sonic Team’s Takashi Iizuka tells IGN: “From a general game design perspective, in recent years we’ve been able to…
By Luke Plunkett Published October 12, 2010 -
Turmoil In The Land Where Your Consoles Are Made
This year, a rash of suicides at the factories of manufacturing giant Foxconn has focused attention on working conditions. Improvements were apparently made, but a recent report suggests otherwise. Foxconn assembles the Xbox 360, the PS3, the Nintendo Wii and the iPhone, among many other electronic devices. A recent report features interviews with over 1,700…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 12, 2010 -
Make Your Own Wii Hard Drive With This
It’s always fun seeing random Chinese hardware manufacturers with a sense of humour. Case in point: this hard drive case, shaped to look just like a Nintendo Wii. One of the Wii’s biggest drawbacks has long been its lack of internal storage space, so this would be a cute purchase for anyone who felt like…
By Luke Plunkett Published October 12, 2010 -
Super Mario Bros. Makes Its Creator Embarrassed
Super Mario Bros. was originally released in 1985. Televisions were different then — blurry and fuzzy-like. Thus, seeing the game on a HDTV makes Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto feel slightly embarrassed. “When I see this [Super Mario Bros.] so clearly, it’s a little embarrassing,” Miyamoto tells Earthbound designer Shigesato Itoi. “Back then, with tube televisions,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 12, 2010 -
Does Japan Think The Nintendo 3DS Is Over-Priced?
The forthcoming Nintendo 3DS will cost ¥25,000. That’s US$305! That’s… a lot of cabbage. The handheld does not yet have a price point outside of Japan. But what does The Land of the Rising Sun think? Website GetNews.jp has the results of a poll that asked over 1,000 folks whether they think the Nintendo 3DS…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 12, 2010 -
The Making of an Epic Yarn Kirby Room
Last month game journalists gathered to check out Nintendo’s upcoming game Kirby’s Epic Yarn. This is the room in which they played. This timelapse gives you a sense of everything that went into creating this fantastic setting. Who was behind it? You guessed it: I Am 8-Bit
By Brian Crecente Published October 11, 2010 -
Let’s Sell Kirby’s Epic Yarn With A Cross-Dressing Comedian
Japanese comedy duo “Hannya” are appearing in a series of TV ads for Kirby’s Epic Yarn. That’s comedian Satoshi Kanada dressed as the “girlfriend”. In the ad, Kanda gets mad because her boyfriend says things like that the in-game flowers are pretty. And in the second ad, Kanada is a Japanese salaryman, while his comedic…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 11, 2010 -
Report: Why Does The Nintendo Famicom Have The Color Red?
When Nintendo launched the Nintendo Entertainment System in the West, the console was gray and black. Its Japanese originator, the Famicom, was not. The Famicom’s colors (white, gold and red) have become iconic in Japan. The red isn’t a simply a dark red, but an azuki red. According to a report on IT Media, former…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 11, 2010 -
Europe Gets Red Wii Bundle
It’s not just the Super Mario Bros. 25th anniversary game Europe is getting; the Old World may be in line to receive the new Red Wii as well, albeit with some changes made to the bundle. This box art surfaced over the weekend, and shows what looks to be the official packaging for a European…
By Luke Plunkett Published October 11, 2010 -
Patent Application Hints At Vitality Sensor’s Games
A patent application filed by Nintendo mentions a Wii Vitality Sensor game in which players control the flight of a cartoon character with a combination of Wii remote gestures and – wait for it – breathing. In the patent filing, found by SIliconera, it appears the Vitality Sensor will measure something called your “relax fluid,”…
By Owen Good Published October 10, 2010 -
All Of NBA Jam’s Secret Characters (So Far) — And Their Ratings
Who’s a better dunker, Obama or Clinton? Can Tim Kitzrow, Mr. Boom-Shakalaka, throw down on Mike D from the Beastie Boys? And was it really necessary to give all of the Republicans an 8-out-of-10 rating in “steal”? There are seven secret teams that are unlockable in NBA Jam on the Wii through codes entered either…
By Owen Good Published October 10, 2010 -
ReviewsReview: NBA Jam
The greatest names from the twilight of the coin-op days demanded your money like you were late with the rent. NBA Jam, the landlord of the arcade, is back, and wants to know if you got paid last week. NBA Jam is EA Sports’ Wii reboot of the cabinet and cartridge classic ubiquitous to the…
By Owen Good Published October 9, 2010 -
Nintendo: We Can’t Blame Piracy For Poor Game Sales
Nintendo, more than any other publisher on Earth, goes after pirates with its teeth out and its guns blazing. So it’s funny to hear company president Satoru Iwata say it’s not an excuse for poor game sales. “I do not think we should attribute bad software sales solely to piracy”, he said during a Q&A…
By Luke Plunkett Published October 9, 2010