Either 3DS sales are that bad or market research indicates some people still want to buy the stopgap system that is the Nintendo DSi, as today Nintendo announced via their Twitter account that the system will soon be available in new colors. Matte blue and matte red versions of the system will mark the dawn of a new era for people who hate visible fingerprints on their handheld systems more than they desire new games and hardware with the exact same features and then some.
Wait… I’ve got it! They’re releasing it for people with OCD so that they’ll stop endlessly wiping down their systems and pick up Pokémon White/Black 2 in a couple months. Brilliant!
If you’re not already reading these words via the magic of your 3DS internet browser (which I highly recommend as Shigeru’s List is a clinically proven laxative), then it’s time to hop aboard that bad boy and check something out. I recently came across an incredibly cool post on GameCrunch.com where some nerd took literally hundreds of screencaps from a wide range of Wii and GameCube titles and post converted them into 3D. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “But post converted stuff suuucks.” And that’s true if we’re talking about any movie Tim Burton has made over the past half decade, but fortunately in this case the results are largely successful. Why don’t we have a look at a few shots from a certain plumber’s recent galactic adventure? READ MORE
Because honestly, how many different ways to play the original Super Mario Bros. exist at this point? I guess more like how many times will I keep buying the same game over and over again. Let’s see, there’s the original NES cart, a graphically souped up version in All Stars for the SNES, the Wii’s Virtual Console, Super Mario Bros. DX for the GBC, the retro cart for the GBA and now a new home in the eShop for the 3DS. Actually SMB has been available for a little while now but this weekend Nintendo will be dropping the price and selling it at a loss for 3.99 (roughly 3.99 more than what ambassadors had to cough up). I’m not in any way trying to discourage you from downloading it of course. It’s just that if you aren’t already up to your short and curly’s in various copies of this game then sit back and let me tell you about a little company that I really like called Nin-ten-do. READ MORE
Nintendo devoted five demo stations with rather large TV screens at their Gaming Lounge to showing off NintendoLand for the Wii U. It was also the final game shown in their E3 press conference this year, where it elicited responses ranging from, “… okay, that’s nice, I guess,” to “What in the fuck is Nintendo doing?” Well, one thing they appear to be doing for certain is pushing the game fairly aggressively, if such prominent positioning betrays anything. What they also appear to be doing is repeating the Pac-Man Vs. situation, where a very fun but unspectacular (meaning not much of a spectacle) game was used as the keystone of the conference. Oops, did I just give away my impression before the body of the article? I’m a terrible writer! Read on for more! READ MORE
Which is of course great news for those of us that never had the chance to play the original release. At long last, Pit’s first portable adventure can be played without the need for 4 AA batteries or a Super Nintendo. Apparently this Game Boy sequel improves upon just about every aspect of the NES original (well, outside of that whole pesky color palette thing). If you’re still reading this instead of staring at a download screen, this website is doing something very, very wrong.
Following up on my hardware impressions, it is time to dig into the actual games (and, later, one non-game) I played at the Nintendo Gaming Lounge, which was located in the hotel ballroom next to the convention center and Comic-Con proper. What better place to start than with the soon-to-come one-two punch of New Super Mario Bros. 2 for the 3DS and New Super Mario Bros. U for the Nintendo Vs. Arcade System Wii U? READ MORE
Well, allergies have begun to kick my face’s ass fairly regularly these past few weeks which can mean only one thing: invasion Summer time is here. And as much as I love to make seasonal playlists that usually consist of soft, sweet sounds from the 70’s, I also like to revisit certain video games that lend themselves perfectly to lazy afternoons spent drooling in front of the air conditioner. On this top 5 list that I’ve so lovingly compiled for you dear readers, some of my selections may feel like obvious choices given their settings and themes. But the primary asset required for inclusion was whether or not the game made me nostalgic for those glorious several weeks away from school, a controller in one hand and an ice cold Coca-Cola within reach of the other. As always, all of the games that made the cut are indeed playable on Wii resulting in chosen software that was made for the system, GameCube and anything on the Virtual Console.
So here we go boys and girls: I present to you our top 5 Nintendo games you should be playing before the Fall strikes back. READ MORE
Yesterday I had the opportunity for hands-on demonstrations of the Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS XL. Before digging into individual game impressions I’m going to talk a bit about hardware. The long and the short of it: the armchair Internet bitching and speculation about discomfort is largely baseless. Read on for more! READ MORE
I’d been planning on downloading Sega’s 1987 high speed racer Super Hang-On ever since it was made available for the Virtual Console back in May but held off until this past weekend. As incredible a display of willpower as that may seem, the real reason was that I’d already achieved platinum status on Club Nintendo a long time ago and made myself promise to not buy any new games until the year reset at the end of June. That’s how mediocre prizes get won, there fellas. Anyway, as a kid this was a game that definitely stood out in arcades due to the fact that you had to straddle a “motorcycle” to control the damn thing. The gameplay was shallow for sure but also a lot of fun and incredibly addictive (so long as there weren’t any girls around to see you make a complete ass out of yourself). “I wonder how well it holds up after all this time?” you may be whispering to yourself at this very moment.
Well, I guess it’s a good thing we’re around to answer big questions like these for you because after finally taking this thing for a test drive myself, you’re about to find out right after the jump! READ MORE
Coming this Thursday [EDIT: actually, July 19th, error mine] to DSiWare (and thus also to the 3DS), Petit Computer promises to have everyone partying programming like it’s 1980. The program lets users laboriously type in commands using the touch screen keyboard to program in a version of the BASIC programming language to do… well, pretty much whatever the BASIC language is capable of, I suppose. There are several sample programs included to give an idea of what’s possible, including, apparently, an old-school RPG and a scrolling shooter, as well as several non-game applications and demos. Perhaps the greatest feature, and the one most people (especially lazy ones) will likely be interested in, is the ability to share programs as QR codes, letting users download programs simply by aiming the 3DS/DSi cameras at an image of the code in the now-familiar way. There’s a trailer behind the break. READ MORE
I don’t know why I even bother getting excited about these things anymore. Ever since I was screwed out of my Doc Louis Punch-Out!! demo back in 2009, it’s been hard to not be bitter about the free bones Nintendo tosses out to us fanboys every year. Sure, that trophy back in 2010 turned out to be one of my dresser’s favorite decorations and those pins from last year? Well, they’re in my room somewhere (I think). It’s just that the platinum member’s choice (announced today) between a set of posters and a pack of playing cards feels exceptionally generic.
I guess this is what I deserve for making Nintendo products my financial priority. READ MORE
