Pretty much everyone had been waiting on pins and needles for Nintendo to unveil its upcoming successor to the Wii. At yesterday’s press conference, they finally gave us our first good look at Project Cafe, dubbed the Wii U — another name that has left many of us scratching our heads. Unlike Sony, Nintendo remained silent about many of the specs surrounding the new console, choosing to simply post the details on their official site. However, what they did share seemed really impressive. A tablet controller with the ability to transfer content seamlessly from the the tablet to the screen, and a graphics engine that finally rivals that of other current generation consoles.
Nintendo, like Apple, knows exactly how to market their products to their core audience , no matter how much a gimick the product may be. Case and point, check out these commercials that are currently airing overseas. The system will be out in a little over a month, but rather than show how the product actually looks — I imagine it doesn’t look too impressive on a 2D screen — they’ve decided to simply hire the most popular boy band in the nation and have them react on film to what they’re seeing. So, how will that sell the system? Simple. If it’s good enough for them, it has to be good enough for you. Of course, it could very well be, but we won’t know until the system ships to North America later this year.
Back in June, I touched on Capcom’s Okamiden, the upcoming sequel to their modern-cult classic Okami. I’ve had the opportunity to spend some time with the title at the various trade shows I’ve attended and I have to admit it was a lot more fun than I had expected. Well, it would seem Capcom has finally settled on the North American release date of March 15th, 2011. I know that seems a ways off, but they’re looking to make up for that by offering several limited edition pre-order bonuses if you purchase the game through GameStop. the first 20,000 pre-orders will recieve a special stylus for their DS in the shape of a brush, and a custom screen cleaner that’ll feature art of the main characters. Capcom has also created a Facebook app that lets you try your hand at painting a goblin mask. The app will allow users to enter contests to win a Nintendo 3DS, a copy of the game and several other Okamiden-related prizes. Exciting, right?
I imagine the first thought that’s probably running through most people’s heads would be “what’s wrong with that NES controller?” Well, good call. This slick little iPhone 4 case is actually modeled after a Japanese Famicom controller, hence the red and gold color scheme. Personally, I liked it but I wouldn’t dare question Nintendo’s decision-making process to rebrand their product stateside — it was only the best selling console of that era. Still, this design should speak to you, and if the classic d-pad or button layout aren’t enough, the fact that it’s an import might sweeten the pot in terms of nerd-cred. You can order them through geekstuff4u.com, but you’ll want to note that these are imported and will probably cost you a bit.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Oct 19, 2010 in Videogames
Why is it that Wii’s accessories seem so much cooler than its actual games? Last week, I mentioned a nifty Lego Wiimote that recently went on sale over at ToysRUs. This week, we’re taking a look at Shinobii Technologies TT Champion Bat — a Wiimote fashioned after a real ping pong paddle. Suddenly, I find myself wanting to give one of these a try — even if I know I’ll be disappointed by the Wii itself. of course, there are those of us who still manage to find the Wii enjoyable, so I wouldn’t blame you guys for being excited about the prospect. So what’s so unique about this paddle? Well, aside from being compatible with Wii Motion Plus, it’ll feature “Xtra Motion Technology” that supposedly translates the torque, spin control and more. Oh, and it has a built-in rechargeable battery for added convenience. It sounds really promising, and for the $69.99 price tag, I really hope it delivers. While they’re not quite ready to ship, I imagine it’ll probably end up on Amazon at some point, so keep your eyes peeled. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Oct 14, 2010 in Videogames
BDA Gamer recently teamed up with Lego to produce a line of customizable Wiimotes for the ever-so popular Nintendo Wii. It’s a shame that these controllers are being released now as I imagine they probably would have sold far more during the launch craze a few years back. If it weren’t for the fact that my Wii collects more dust than a swiffer, I might have even considered picking up a pair of them myself. Of course, I’m sure there are still plenty of gamers out there who will want one, even if the only thing they’ll ever be playing on that console are titles developed by Nintendo themselves. If you’re in the market for one, you can order them through Toys’R’Us and you’ll receive a free Lego Halloween bucket as well.
Much like Eddie LeBron with his recent MegaMan film, a fan has taken it upon himself to create his own live-action adaption of one of their favorite video games having been failed repeatedly by Hollywood. This time, it’s none other than Nintendo’s kid-friendly Pokémon, entitled Pokémon Apokélypse. Natrually, you’d expect the film to share much of that same aesthetic, however this time, that’s not the case. Instead, we’re given a gritty — almost humorously so — realistic depiction of the original story complete with over-the-top villains, torture, violence, and more. Of course, I can only speculate on just how gritty the film is based on the trailer above, but I’m sure you’ll probably agree when I say that it was probably the last thing I would expect from a Pokémon film — fan-made or otherwise. For more information, including an interview with the film’s creators, click here.
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 21, 2010 in Videogames
This wonderfully creepy Mario sculpture was done by Jason Freeny who studied industrial design at Pratt Institute once upon a time. His website features a nice selection of shocking pop culture themed illustrations many of which deal with the inner workings of cute cartoon characters. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Aug 18, 2010 in Videogames
I have to admit that I’ve never taken the time to sit down and play Metroid. It’s not that I haven’t had opportunities over the years, but I’ve always wanted to start from the beginning in order to better understand the on-going plot. Fortunately, Nintendo has gone through the trouble of explaining history of the series for us with this interesting trailer for their upcoming title Metroid: Other M. While Samus Aran’s voice over might seem a bit stiff, she does a decent job of catching us up on the series. So far, I’m pretty excited about it. This latest game will feature a mixture of third and first person gameplay, and is currently set for release on August 31st. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jun 24, 2010 in Videogames
Back in 2006, Clover Studios developed one of the most innovative and beautiful titles to have ever graced to the Playstation 2 — Okami. The studio, who had been funded by Capcom Japan, had been riding off the success of their Viewtiful Joe franchise. While their previous games had featured similar cell-shaded graphics, Okami received crtical acclaim for its combination of beautifully rendered visuals and innovative gameplay. Unfortunately the game failed to sell and ended up being a contributing factor in the studio’s subsequent dissolution at the hands of Capcom’s board of directors the following year. As a result many fans who had enjoyed the game were left wondering if a sequel would ever be possible. Read more…
Right on the heels of releasing the new DSi XL, Nintendo made a surprising move: they made the product almost immediately obsolete by announcing the tentatively-named Nintendo 3DS, a portable game console with 3D capabilities– glassesless, no less. The possibilities for such a device are endless, but of course it’s always easier to bring out a new game in an established franchise to launch a console…so here are ten games that absolutely belong on the Nintendo 3DS. Read more…
Like some of you, I spent a good portion of the early 90’s trying to master Rainbow Road with Mario, Luigi and the gang. I spent most of that time falling off the track and starting over, but that really keep me coming back for more. Its nostalgic for me, but what I remember most about SuperMario Kart was how much I loved the music. I always imagined what it’d sound like performed live, and now it seems like I finally got my wish. Read more…
This beautiful Irodori Collection Stickers for DS Series will give your Nintendo the look of traditional Japanese prints. Irodori is a Japanese word for an assortment of colors and this collection of stickers features a dozen different style which are available for the DSi and the DSLite. To me the best part about this collection is that when you get tired of one look you can peel off the sticker without doing any damage. Here the rest of the collection: Read more…
Sometimes when you see a great demo it changes your very perception of a platform: And Rittai Kakushi E Attakoreda (Hidden 3D Image: There It Is!) has made me not only made me see the Nintendo DSi in a new light — but has me thinking that mobile games could displace console games. Now I may be looking at this demo the wrong way but the program seems to be using the sensors inside the DSi to adjust the display, which gives you the illusion of looking into a 3D diorama. Suddenly this makes the idea of 3D on mobile platforms much more exciting: Granted I’ve seen 3D shooters on the iPhone that react to the angle you hold the device at, but this game takes that concept to the next level. Read more…
Miyamoto is THE man who made Nintendo what it is today: He got his start with designing Donkey Kong and is also the genius behind Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda. Of course most casual videogame won’t know this, but that’s the joy of this t-shirt featuring a Shigeru Miyamoto gag if you’re a hardcore retro-gaming fan. I also love the Iron Chef reference as well…
This is a commercial for the latest Taiko no Tatsujin (太鼓の達人) videogame by Namco for the Wii. While one version of this game has came to America I’m still envious that the arcade version (shown in the commercial for a few seconds at the start) hasn’t come over here. Here’s an additional video which shows a bit more detail from the game — I love the fact that it comes with a drum peripheral: Read more…
This December Professor Layton will make the transition from beloved videogame to an anime film when Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva comes out. I sort of like this as I always found the quiz aspect of the DS game to get in the way of the characters. As part of a merchandising wave the manufacturer Dive has a pair “FuruFuru” figures which feature bobbing heads — one of the professor and one of Luke: Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 30, 2009 in Comic Books
You’d think that Sky Pirates of Neo Terra #1 would be terrible as it has every reason to fail: You’ve got a comic book based on a Nintendo DS game and then you add a Canadian trying to draw in a Japanese manga style. However the talented Camilla D’Errico is up to the task and does an amazing job: Her draftsmanship is deliciously detailed and her layouts are powerful. The coloring job by Simon Bork adds a nice vivid quality to the story by Josh Wagner. Looking at the first pages of this book reminds me a bit of the original Appleseed manga (アップルシ-ド) by Masamune Shirow, yet Camilla has her own unique look which is well worth checking out: Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 4, 2009 in Videogames
This is the 90 second gameplay trailer for the American launch of Mini Ninjas. I’ve got to say that I love the variety of scenes shown here — it’s very inventive how they’ve got everything from bobsledding to battles with bears.
This is a promotional video for the anime themed Nintendo DS game Spice and Wolf: The Wind that Spans the Sea which comes out on September 17th. This is the second title in the series, Spice and Wolf: Holo’s and My One Year came out earlier this summer. Here are some screen shots from the up and coming title: Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Aug 16, 2009 in Videogames
I loved this obsessive fan made video which is a montage of nothing but death scenes from old school video games set to the music of the Misfits! Part I above features the song Skulls while Part II below uses Night of the Living Dead as the soundtrack: Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Aug 6, 2009 in Videogames
Crude humor? Yes! Cartoon violence? Yes! I’ve been following Mini Ninjas for a while due to the japanophile angle — the game is being developed in England so I was very happy to see that they’ll be bring it to to the good old USA. I loved the concept from the minute I heard it, but these videos give a bit more backstory, and I like what I’m seeing even more! Read more…
As a retrogaming fanboy my eyes lit up when I glanced at this NES Controller Business Card Case. Normally I try to discourage my friends from mixing anything fannish with business — for example having a cartoon character on your tie is a great way to say “hello I’m a dork!” However in this case I’ll make an exception for this business card case because it’s clever enough and would open doors across multiple generations. Being a Japanese card holder there are two compartments: one to hold your cards, and another to store cards that folks give you.
