Hare Hare Yukai… In Mario!?!

My hat goes off to the guy who made this, so well timed and everything.

NicoNico Link

Super Smash Bros. BAAAAAAW - A hellish Brawl leak update

Ok, here’s the deal. Brawl was leaked in Japan today. Alot, and I mean, ALOT of character announcements were leaked. As soon as I can nail down one reliable source, I’ll have a full update for you guys…which will probably be in the morning (my time, GMT -08:00, thank you). But I will safely say this:

SHOW YOUR MOVES! Capt. Falcon is back.

So, until the morning….please…don’t take everything you see on GameFAQs or /v/ seriously.

A Modest Video Game Update, of sorts…

Hey there, PD. I’m back from my hiatus! I kinda needed to take it to focus on settling into my new job with Sega of America….and unfortunately, the NDA I signed during my first day prevents me from talking about everything I’m working on or see around the office.

First off, for those far too broke and/or cheap, Dark-Alex (http://www.dark-alex.org) has released the PSP custom firmware version 3.80 M33. What does this mean for you? The ability to enjoy all the current features of the PSP while taking advantage of the ability to play homebrew “of a completely legal nature”. I’m not saying that I condone of playing illegally downloaded games….I’m just pointing out that the option is there should you so choose to walk down that path.

Super Smash Brothers Brawl (Wii) DELAYED: As if a million fan-boys screamed out in terror, then suddenly silenced. Thaaaaaat’s right kids. The hotly anticipated sequel in the Smash Bros. franchise has been delayed once again to March 9th in America on reasons of not enough polish on the game to make it the best it can be. Worry not! Game delays are a GOOD thing. No reason to quickly push out a game when it could be that much better!

Have a Nvidia Graphics Card? Have some cake. In a deal with Nvidia, Valve just recently started offering an extended Portal Demo (Portal: First Slice), as well as some other bits (Peggle Extreme, Half-Life 2 Deathmatch, etc), to PC gamers with a Nvidia graphics card. All you need is a high speed net connection,and a Nvidia graphics card. The link for the sweet deal can be found here: http://www.steampowered.com/nvidia/

And yes, Portal is THAT good.

That’s all for now. More coming soon…like some reviews….tasty reviews…..

Confirmed: Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii) will support Nintendo WiFi Connection

The latest update to the Smash Bros. Dojo blog (which is run by Masahiro Sakurai, Director of SSB:B) has finally uncovered news we have all been waiting for:

Brawl will have online support.

That’s right kids. You will now get the chance to kick your friend’s asses from across the globe. More news as I find it.

Review: Mario Strikers Charged (Wii)

Platform: Nintendo Wii

Genre: Sports

ESRB Rating: E 10+ for Mild Violence and the random tendency to want to rip your opponents throat out after a very cheap move.

For a while. I was thinking that Super Smash Bros. Brawl would be the reason to invite friends over for a solid night of gaming. Holy shit, was I wrong. After getting my hands on an advance copy of Mario Strikers Charged and throughly playing the crap outta it, I really can say I was wrong. Mario Strikers Charged is as solid of a game as the first one was on the Gamecube. Your movement in game is controlled by the nunchuck and “Beat the living hell out of your opponent” controls are assigned to the Wiimote with slide tackle on the D-Pad and tackle being assigned to the motion of the Wiimote. This makes for a very simple and easy cover up for hitting someone next to you. “Ooops. Sorry. I was just using tackle. My bad.” Gameplay is fast and furious with most matches in the tournament mode lasting only a mere 3 minutes, however, I was easily able to rack upwards of 10 goals in some of the easier matches and more than 60 tackles in a few games. Game also get very interesting with items that change the playing field, such as bananas, shells, and the team captain specific super items. Field hazards are also a factor. Thwomps, cows, tractors, fireballs, electricity, etc. I haven’t had a chance to play any online modes as the game has not yet been released to the public here in America. Which, brings me to a downfall of the game. Online play can only be played with people in the same region as you, unless you have their friend code. Otherwise, this is a strong title, which I recommend you pick up a copy on 7/31/07, invite some friends over, have a few (age appropriate) drinks, and enjoy.

Drew’s Recommendation: Go on, Get it. You know you want to. This is fun in it’s purest form.

Release Date Announced: Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Mario Galaxy

This morning at Nintendo’s E3 press conference, release dates for both Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Mario Galaxy were announced, as well as a Mario Kart Game for the Wii (with new wheel controller, to boot) and a new Wii Fitness game that features a new type of controller that will actually make sure you’re doing the exercises. Anyway, the release dates:

Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Nintendo Wii) - Release Date: December 3rd, 2007 (U.S.)

Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo Wii) - Release Date: November 12th, 2007 (U.S.)

Youtube Video of the Week

By nerds, for nerds! The Nintendo News Network is hilariously filmed and edited. The scrolling text on the bottom of the screen is equally charming as a pleasantly plump Link who waltzes into local Kokiri houses and makes quick work of all their pottery. Why, Link, why?! Is it because you don’t have a fairy?!

Enjoy!

-Kari

New U.S. Game Releases This Week (6/25/07)

Greetings Pink Domino! Drew here, back from my vacation….and suddenly wishing I had more vacation time. *sigh* I come back to find that both Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree and Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition have both been released. Not to mention that Ninja Gaiden Sigma and Pokemon Battle Revolution are also releasing this week. Well, I’ll be trying my best to get “reviews” up for these games this week as well as a preview for Dynasty Warriors: Gundam (ugh…such a retarded name. Why couldn’t they just have stuck with Gundam Musou?…so coool…). And by the by, Europe has much COOLER box art for Resident Evil 4 than the US does…I’m so jealous.

Big titles releasing this week are the previously mentioned Ninja Gaiden Sigma (PS3) and Pokemon Battle Revolution (Wii) as well as some other titles like The Darkness (PS3, Xbox360) and Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (PC). Full Release Calendar after the link!

~Edit~

I screwed up. Sorry about the confusion. Ninja Gaiden Sigma (PS3) doesn’t come out till July 3rd. I’m partially going off shipping schedules for my store. -_-;;;

Blast from the past.

I made a fantastic discovery the other day. We had been discussing them fondly in work, you see, and it led me to wonder what had happened to mine. I was sure I still had it. My NES and Super NES were both long gone, I knew, but surely I wouldn’t have gotten rid of this? A look on top of my wardrobe revealed the padded black case that had been a permanent fixture slung over my shoulder all those years ago. I took it down, blew an impressive amount of dust off the top (almost triggering off an asthma attack in the process) and, with some reverence, opened the case to reveal my prize.

My old, original Nintendo Game Boy.

Naturally, hand-held games consoles have advanced a staggering amount since the days of yore. Just look at the PSP – it’s a brilliant piece of technology. The first time I picked one up I was amazed at the quality of the graphics and sound, even more amazed at the quality of the video playback, and genuinely liked the look of the console itself. Very stylish. Throw in Wi-Fi as well and as I said, you’ve got a fantastic piece of technology in your hands. And it’s only going to get more advanced – there are rumours of a slimmer, lighter PSP coming out that is getting rid of its optical drive completely (something I’m sure all the people who’ve been buying UMD films will just love) in favour of flash memory and games downloads. Unfortunately though, as a games console, the PSP utterly fails. Why? Because essentially it’s a PS2 you can carry around, and PS2 games need analogue controls. Which the PSP doesn’t have. Can you imagine it with two analogue sticks incorporated into it? It would be impossible to hold and play comfortably, which I imagine is the reason why Sony left them out in the first place. And so PSP versions of games designed for the PS2 are utterly terrible to play, because they’re just not designed with the faithful D-Pad in mind. And this is why the DS Lite works. Yes it has a touch-screen interface and many of its games are designed around that, but it also has the core principle that made the original Game Boy so great - simple games that utilise simple controls.

I’m not sure what it is, but there’s something about my Game Boy that just feels right. It’s big, but the shape and size of it feel right in my hands. It’s heavy by today’s standards but it feels sturdy. The controls are in just the right places. Maybe it’s these things, or maybe it’s the other little endearing details as well: the rubbery, best-feeling start and select buttons ever; the monochrome screen that you have to tilt to find just the right angle to see it properly; the “stereo sound” logo above the screen that for some reason isn’t centred; the audible buzz from the batteries when you first turn it on; that classic little “ding” sound as the Nintendo logo drops down. But most of all, it has Tetris. The classic, Game Boy version of Tetris is probably in the top ten list of most hardcore gamers favourite games ever, and for good reason. Tetris defines what the Game Boy is all about: a simple concept, easy to control, terrific fun and fiendishly addictive. When I’d popped some fresh batteries into my GB and switched it on (to my delight, it still worked) I thought I’d have a quick go for nostalgia’s sake. Twenty minutes later I’m on level 8 with 86 lines, utterly absorbed. God knows how many hours I spent as a kid staring at that tiny screen, frantically rotating the blocks trying to score a four-line Tetris just so I could hear the crazy sound-effect you get when it happens. There are very few games that can claim to be as addictive as Tetris. Pokemon Red is one of them, which I also owned (and I made MewTwo my bitch, mwa ha ha).

So I’m sorry. As big a fan of technology as I am, when it comes to hand-held consoles I’m rooted firmly in the past. You can take your colour screens and next-gen visuals and your Wi-Fi multiplayer connectivity. I’ll take my old Game Boy and Tetris every time. Now, who’s got a link cable?

New DS Lite Colors ~

ALERT ALERT !!

 Nintendo Japan has just released two new colors for the DS Lite.

 Metallic Rose, which appears to be a shimmery dark pink  and Gloss Silver which is a …shiny silver.

No word on whether or not these will be seen in the States or UK (you know how they like to deprive us of colors T_T specifically blues).

These seem okay.  Personally I favor the glossy white or black to these.  Also why another pink?  Where’s my lime green DS guys?