Nintendo
The other games Nintendo made this holiday
Wired has a nice little piece on lower profile holiday Nintendo games, including the unsung Kirby’s Return to Dreamland: While the aforementioned games are more than mere serviceable diversions, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land is an unsung contemporary classic. It’s both deep enough to qualify as a game for true gamers and inviting enough so as not to alienate the untested, whether ...
Ten games that made 3DS worth owning in 2011
Happy holidays, everyone! What a jolly season it’s turned out to be for a certain little handheld that got off to a rocky start, but finally found its stride. I hope Nintendo keeps the momentum rolling in 2012, but’for now’fans can find plenty of quality gaming exclusive to 3DS. The last few weeks alone saw a new Mario, a new Mario Kart and two amazing eShop games that beat the pants off mos...
More thoughts about Mario Kart 7
Two weeks in, my enjoyment of Mario Kart 7 shows no sign of fading. The online races work so well, this title alone could keep my 3DS in action for the system’s lifespan, just as online racing in Mario Kart Wii kept that console humming through many software droughts. Some random thoughts about the game have cropped up since the review:
Ambassadors, your GBA games have arrived!
The release began yesterday in Australia and Japan, and continued this morning in Europe and North America; the ten free GBA games for 3DS Ambassadors are now available! If you bought a 3DS and connected to the eShop before the system price drop on August 12 of 2011, the following games are yours as a thank you from Nintendo: Yoshi’s Island, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, Metroid Fusio...
The truth about Miyamoto’s employment: Keeping seniority but making indie games
The revelation last week that Miyamoto was demoting himself to focus on smaller games was only half true. By now, most of you know the demotion part was “sarcasm lost in translation,” Nintendo says. But all indications suggest Miyamoto indeed wants to focus, if not work alongside, smaller and younger development teams within Nintendo, instead of the upper-level oversight roles he̵...
What’s your favorite new gameplay element in Mario Kart 7? Mine buys kart parts
Don’t you love diving into a new Mario Kart game? You get the fun of discovery, the return of old friends, the annoyance of that one guy online picking SNES Rainbow Road every single time… In this generally terrific game, I’ve discovered additions I like more than I thought I would (Lucky 7) and some not so much (Super Leaf). The return of Gold Coins, however–and their new ...
Review: Don’t pass up Pushmo!
Nintendo’s software winning streak continues with Pushmo, another brilliant eShop title. In this odd, ingenious puzzle/platformer, you play a roly-poly little guy named Mallo on a mission to save children who’ve gotten trapped on Pushmo climbing walls, created by a loveable old carpenter who’s made it his life’s mission to build incredibly dangerous playground equipment. Th...
Breaking: Miyamoto steps down from his position at Nintendo, will focus on smaller games
Miyamoto. The man needs no introduction. He has been a mainstay in the industry almost since it’s inception, and today it has been revealed that he is stepping down from his position as Senior Managing Director and General Manager of Nintendo’s Entertainment Analysis and Development Division. In an interview with Wired’s Chris Kohler, Miyamoto stated will be passing the torch to ...
Review: Mario Kart 7 delivers incredible gameplay, the best Rainbow Road ever and one aggravating omission
Before playing Mario Kart 7 for the first time, keep your expectations realistic. This game doesn’t blow away Mario Kart DS or Mario Kart Wii, but instead stands confidently beside them as another great, vastly entertaining installment. It looks and sounds amazing, plays perfectly, and pulls some terrific tricks out of its sleeve, but in the end it’s 100% good old Mario Kart. It brings...
Wayward Nintendo fan buys Wii for first time, falls head over heels again
The following letter comes Infendo reader Verno, who until last week, hadn’t owned a Nintendo console since the Nintendo Entertainment System in the ’80s. He never left games’opting instead to play Xbox, PlayStation, and Sega hardware in that time. But man does he like Nintendo again. Not only that, his letter is a nice reminder of why most of us like Nintendo as much as we do. We just...
Mario Kart 7 is more Texan than you think!
It’s official: Retro Studios in Austin, Texas is one of the coolest places to work on the planet. Right after Retro had finished Donkey Kong Country Returns, Nintendo enlisted them for the next chapter of Mario Kart. Their involvement reached much deeper than merely designing a DKCR-based track: Retro ended up designing half the tracks and handling the character animation, among other creati...
Some love for the blue shell
Ah, the blue shell’gaming’s most infamous power-up. It makes grown men cry. It gives the worst player in the room a fighting chance. It punishes the skilled. And it’s pretty darn funny. On the eve of Mario Kart 7 Weekend, I’d like to stand up for the poor, misunderstood blue spiky thing (no, not you, Sonic) and show some appreciation for the weapon everyone hates unless they happ...