Culture
Video games in 2008: It’s great to be a gamer
The game industry is, undeniably, already well on its way into a new era. It is, like a certain presidential candidate, change we can believe in. It is both an exciting time (as a player) and an uncertain time (as a developer). But it is also a highly lucrative time, as is usually the case when truly disruptive trends begin to come to a head (see also, iPod). Hardware and software sales continue t...
Wii Oscars appearance
I could have missed them during a bathroom break or something, but from what I could tell only one video game console maker paid to have had their console played on stage at the Oscars last night. On a serious note, I have no idea whether or not Nintendo paid the Academy of Arts and Sciences to include a Wii Sports schtick in the show last night. The Wii is extremely popular so it is equally plaus...
Lack of glitz underscores low anticpation for Nintendo games
Remind me again why Nintendo gets overlooked by the gaming press (assuming you think they do) despite their surge in popularity? Is it a lack of glitz (HD visuals), the kid-friendly visual art, motion-sensing alienation, a lack of mature games, actual legitimacy, or something else altogether? No Mario Kart sequel mention in the above 10 most anticipated games of 2008 list is a shame. Additionally,...
Limited Edition DS Lite (read: just one) is the new hotness
In my boring life outside video games, I prefer simplicity over bell and whistles. Actually, even with video games I’m pretty simplistic. My Guitar Hero III Gibson has one sticker adorning its white veneer (the evil bunny rabbit, if you must know), and I’ve never been one to put stickers on my consoles, my laptops or my DS Lite. I dislike the current trend in laptops where the screens ...
Video games more rewarding for men than women
Researchers at Stanford University School Of Medicine have shown that the part of the brain that generates rewarding feelings is more activated in men than women during video-game play. Just something to think about on Valentine’s Day!
Why do Wii games review so poorly?
Next Generation continues its love affair with line graphs and analytics today with a “review” of why Wii games — which sell sell yet review poorly — are such an enigma. Maybe Wii games have lower review scores because we, as an industry, still don’t know what makes a good Wii game. This isn’t proof mind you ”“ we probably won’t know for a long time, if ev...
Super Dodge Dodge Ball DS gets launch date, box art
Some of my earliest Nintendo memories involve Super Dodge Ball for the NES. My friend Donny and I would battle the CPU player for long afternoons on end and cap it all off with a rousing victory over the USSR. When I heard this title was getting an overhaul and a bit of the ol’ portability late last year, I was swooned with nostalgia (not “swooned” as in deceased, like old Final ...
Tecmo Bowl decides fate of Super Bowl teams
Madden who? Madden what? The real football game, as any child of the 80’s and 90’s can tell you, is Tecmo Super Bowl. So, while EA fuddles around with its fledgling Madden title to determine who’ll win this Sunday’s Super Bowl, the ArmchairGM used the classic NES football title (with ROM-updated rosters) to put the New England Patiorts and the New York Giants to the test Ul...
Opinion: Death to blockbuster AAA video game titles!
It doesn’t take much of a search of the Infendo archives to discover where I stand on big, bloated blockbuster titles like Halo 3 or Metal Gear Solid 4. To summarize, I think they’re pretty much the worst thing to happen to gaming since the Virtual Boy.
Should the original Nintendo Seal of Quality return?
Today Gamasutra asked a bunch of analysts if Nintendo should revisit the 1980s, when the Nintendo Seal of Quality actually meant something, and then apply that mindset to the Wii. Apparently, there’s a dearth of low-quality, sub par efforts on the Wii right now, and it’s officially time to completely forget the DS’s early track record and again start declaring to the hilltops tha...
Wii fan art by four-year-old
The Infendo inbox received a very endearing e-mail today from artist James Kochalka of American Elf. “My four-year-old, Eli, has drawn some pretty cool fan art for his favorite Wii games and posted them on his art blog, Monster Attack. Dewy’s Adventure, Super Mario Galaxy, and Zack & Wiki are the ones he’s done drawings of.” For Eli’s full doodles of Dewy, Mario, ...
The Wii’s Success: It’s time for developers to put up or shut up
OPINION — It’s officially time for 3d party developers to put up or shut up. The act of complaining about developing games for a Nintendo console and turning a profit against the big bad Ninty and its cadre of 1rst party behemoths has officially been exposed as the pathetic, cry baby act that it is.