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How To Make A Fan Game And Not Get Your Ass Sued
Making a fan game – like this, or this – can be a tricky thing. Is it a tribute, or is it stealing? We like to think it’s the former, but lawyers often think the latter. Over on Gamasutra, attorney Mona Ibrahim has provided a handy guide on how to go about making a fan…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 7, 2009 -
Metroid is Also the Name of a Band, Apparently
When you think of “Metroid,” this band hopes you’ll think of them, and not just cannon-armed space pirate hunters. “Metroid” bills itself as an indie/electro/pop band “somewhere at the intersection of rock and the score to your favorite video game.” You can pick up that T-shirt (if you dig barfing robots) and some free mp3s…
By Owen Good Published December 6, 2009 -
Mario Theme: One-Hand Me, Good Sir!
Here’s a virtuoso piano performance of the Super Mario Bros. theme – using one hand. If I’d remembered anything from my piano lessons beyond playing Old MacDonald on the black keys, I could probably describe how difficult this is. A commenter asks “Was that one hand for left AND right hand, or was it just…
By Owen Good Published December 5, 2009 -
Nintendo’s 1955 Cameo In The New York Times
As seen on NeoGAF.
By Luke Plunkett Published December 5, 2009 -
Here’s Where The Idea For Spirit Tracks Came From
See this book? It’s called せんろはつづく. Or “Senro wa tsuzuku” (“The Tracks Go On And On”). It’s a children’s book by husband and wife team Fumiko Takeshita and Mamoru Suzuki. And it’s the inspiration behind Spirit Tracks. In one of his regular “Iwata Asks” columns, the Nintendo president sat down with Zelda mastermind Eiji Aonuma…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 4, 2009 -
Wii Hits British Sales Milestones
The Nintendo Wii has carved two big notches on its belt today, passing not only the six million-sold barrier, but also becoming the fastest console in British history to do so. The Wii went on sale in the UK in December 2006, so we’re looking at an average of 2 million per year. Not bad.…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 3, 2009 -
Mario? There’s An App For That
For a limited time (ie until lawyers take it down), you can get an app for the iPhone that lets you walk around pretending you’re stuck in a Mario game. It’s called iRwego (un hunh hunh), and is $1 (the $1.19 listed above is for the Australian store). My extensive hands-on impressions follow. Click to…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 3, 2009 -
What Aardman Can Do With Flipnote Studio
Wallace & Gromit creators and animation experts Aardman Studios take on Nintendo’s Flipnote Studio for the DSi, and the results are nothing short of a fine advertisement for the DSi. Apparently no one at Aardman got the memo that using the phrase “All I want for the holidays” in conjunction with a handheld gaming device…
By Mike Fahey Published December 2, 2009 -
This Is What New Super Mario Bros. Wii In 1080p Looks Like
New Super Mario Bros. Wii looks sharp, but slow, when run on the Dolphin emulator, a piece of software that has offered a similar high-definition look at Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. While the YouTube HD video runs at a snail’s pace, the creator of the above video says the Wii game…
By Michael McWhertor Published December 2, 2009 -
Glory Of Heracles Gloriously Dated
The long-running Japanese Heracles series makes its North American debut next month, when Nintendo unleashes Glory of Heracles for the Nintendo DS. The Heracles series started in 1987 with the release of Tōjin Makyō-den Heracles no Eikō for the Famicom, which was loosely based on the Greek myth the Twelve Labors of Heracles. Since then…
By Mike Fahey Published December 2, 2009 -
Why Nintendo Doesn’t Remake Zelda Games And How New Zelda Will Be Different
While some players might think it would be fantastic if Nintendo remade older Zelda titles like Nintendo 64 title, Ocarina of Time. Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma doesn’t think remakes are so easy. “Whenever we have to think about the remake,” Aonuma told IGN, “we have to also think about the background, especially what kind of…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 2, 2009 -
Report: Nintendo Scaling Back Wii Production
According to a report from Nikkei, Nintendo has begun the process of reducing the number of Wiis being manufactured. The report says that two Japanese companies – Mitsumi and Hosiden – are facing massive losses in revenue this year due to the “declining fortunes” of the Wii and a “drop-off in orders from Nintendo to…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 1, 2009 -
Changing Video Game Cases Go For The Green
Xbox 360 owners who have recently invested in holiday season hits like Modern Warfare 2, Assassin’s Creed II, Brutal Legend or Left 4 Dead 2 may have noticed a change in their game cases. Meet the Eco-box, gamer. The lighter, thinner cases from manufacturer Viva Group are becoming the new Xbox 360 game case standard.…
By Michael McWhertor Published December 1, 2009 -
Nintendo Sold Over 1.5 Million Wiis, DSs Last Week
November will be a big month for Nintendo when all is said and done, based on the more than 1.5 million consoles and handhelds it sold in the United States last week. That 1.5 million breaks down to more than 550,000 Wii consoles and more than 1 million Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi portables, according…
By Michael McWhertor Published November 30, 2009 -
Testing Out DSi XL’s “Multiplayer” Aspect
When the DSi LL launched, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata pointed out that the portable’s larger 4.2″ LCD screens meant that it was easier to watch others play. “Nintendo DSi XL realizes beautiful game screens even for those who look at them from an angle,” Iwata said earlier. “You do not have to peek closely into…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 30, 2009 -
The Nintendo Download: Can’t Read My Foto Face
EA takes advantage of the DSi camera in Foto Face; Guybrush Threepwood continues his quest; and more Sudoku, all in this week’s expansive installment of the Nintendo Download. Despite adding a grand total of ten new titles across Nintendo’s three downloadable game platforms, this week’s update is relatively tame. The only real big-name title is…
By Mike Fahey Published November 30, 2009 -
Nintendo: Wii Sales Up 85% Since Price Cut
You may think that Wii sales are on the way down, down, down, but don’t tell that to Nintendo! No, according to internal numbers, since the console dropped to $199 things have never better. Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of sales and marketing, Cammie Dunaway, says that since the Wii was knocked down from…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 30, 2009 -
Nokia Busted Promoting Nintendo Emulators In Advertisement
Hey, Nokia: just because your own experiment with handheld gaming went pear-shaped doesn’t mean you can go advertising other people’s games on your phones. Nintendo are currently investigating a commercial for Nokia’s N900 smartphone, which reportedly showed the phone happily playing a bunch of retro emulated games for the NES, SNES Game Boy and Spectrum,…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 30, 2009 -
Your Black Friday Reference Guide To Game Shopping
It’s Black Friday and many of you are probably already in the shopping trenches, elbow-deep in hysterical deal-hunters and holiday shoppers. Over the week we’ve compiled a number of platform specific reference guides for you to use to help decide which games to buy and which to avoid when shopping for gaming friends and family…
By Brian Crecente Published November 27, 2009