Month: December 2009
What makes retro games so special?
The last thing I need is more new games to play. Despite this, publishers continue to tempt me with upwards of 50 new games a month. These people are so prolific, in fact, it’s rare for my backlog of “games to play” to number fewer than a dozen at any given time. More if you count games missed in the last several years. And yet here I am, downloading Donkey Kong Country on Wii’a ...
Best Zelda of the decade: Spirit Tracks is in the running
It may have been undersold, but Spirit Tracks is a real deal Zelda. After spending several hours with it tonight’and determined to finish it’it’s quickly become one of my favorite Zeldas of the decade, right up there with Wind Waker and Minish Cap. The controls are tight. The story feels right. The phantom puzzles are fresh. And the music is a delight. This really is a special Zelda’not grou...
Nintendo first tried to conquer American shores in 1955?
Some eagle-eyed gamer at NeoGAF seems to have found the first ever mention of Nintendo in the United States, by way of a “Patent Notice” section of the October 8, 1955 edition of the New York Times. “Among the notices of trademark applications published this week is one from Nintendo Playing Card Company, Ltd., Kyoto City, Japan,” the blurb reads, adding that Nintendo repre...
New Game Get hops on the train with Zelda Spirit Tracks
Two releases this week have me salivating: Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks and Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. Kinda cool to see the original Rayman released for DSiWare today and with Street Fighter Alpha 2 there must only be about five or six more Street Fighter iterations left to go to collect ’em all. Anything you’re getting today or putting on your gift wish list?
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks I LOVE TRAINS! CHOO CHOO! WHO NEEDS A FAIRY ANYMORE EITHER!!!
So is anyone going to be picking this up today? If you have it or plan to get it, let us know what you think about it in the comments.
Game giveaway: Tell us your favorite Mario moment, win New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Wanna win a free copy of New Super Mario Bros. Wii, courtesy of Infendo? Share your favorite, most interesting, or funniest Mario story in the comments of this post (one per reader), and you’ll be entered in the drawing. The winner, as selected by the staff, will be announced Friday, Dec. 11, just in time for Christmas, based on how much we like the entry. May the best comment win!
Controversies stall would-be kart racers
Transportation isn’t a problem in the Mushroom Kingdom. Much of its citizenry is capable of self-propelled flight, while others can transform into flying raccoons or spurt wings from their caps. Rumor has it there are even flutists who can travel vast distances simply by whistling a ditty. Despite an abundance of alternatives, however, virtually everyone within the kingdom’s limits dri...
Super Mario Sisters nearly happened
While sifting through some filings at the United States Patent and Trademark Office as I am wont to do on a Saturday night, I stumbled upon a trademark filing made by Nintendo for “Super Mario Sisters.” After holding the trademark for just under two years, Nintendo let it expire in 1991 along with the hopes and dreams of countless fans of The Great Giana Sisters. Although the trademar...
Super Popeye Bros?
Whilst reading the latest in the (frankly awesome) Iwata asks series I discovered something about the conception of Mario that I didn’t know, nor would have suspected in a million years: But for a forgotten issue, Donkey Kong arcade would have been a Popeye game and Mario would never have been conceived.
Simplicity rules
Webcomic master Rosscott is a well known friend to Infendo and Infendo Radio. He’s also got a great wit and an eye for humor in the video game world. But today he really nailed it with his guest strip over at Dueling Analogs. Hat tip, Rosscott! More of Rosscott’s work is available over at The System. I suggest you check it out. Now.
EA to reduce yearly game output by 40%
How does the saying go? Quality not quantity. That’s it. Amid declining revenues, Electronic Arts today said it will scale back the number of games it releases every year, from 50 to 40 next year, in an effort to focus on high concentrate titles. “Thirty wouldn’t shock me at some point in the future,” CEO John Riccitiello told Reuters, adding that his company will release m...
No more dungeons? Zelda producer talks upcoming Wii game
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVx085_oPQ0[/youtube] See that video up there? It’s an interview with Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma, in which he partly talks about the still unnamed Zelda game for Wii. Two things you need to know: 1) The game features 1-to-1 controls. That is to say, “the movement of your arms are precisely reflected in the gameplay whereby Link is wielding his sw...