May 29 2007
Whipped! Rejected WiiPlay games
Some of these are awful. Terrible. And that’s what makes them so good. Check out this fan production of some rejected ideas for WiiPlay games, with good 3D animations to boot!
Archive for May, 2007
May 29 2007
Was Twilight Princess wooden? It is now!
I consider myself pretty crafty. I’m pretty patient with any kind of artwork I do, be it model-making, drawings, digital art, or full-blown paintings. I’ll be honest - I see a lot of art show up on Nintendo blogs and think, “Yeah, that’s pretty good…but I could do better.” But there are times when I’ll see a piece that completely floors me in amazement.
Enter this unbelievable, hand-carving of Link from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. It’s on a Polish auction site for 142.50 PLN. That’s a mere $50.05 USD (plus shipping from Poland, ha!). When you’ve done similar projects, you can really appreciate the insane amount of work that must have gone into not only carving this beauty in high detail but to then hand-paint it with the same devotion. Wow.
May 29 2007
Japanese Mario postage stamps available to buy
Back in the spring of last year, the Japanese Postal Service issued a set of Super Mario Bros. postage stamps, which were sold until May 31, 2006. The entire set was available to purchase in a collector’s packaging, with ten stamps in total featuring Mario, the Princess, Koopa, and more. The binder includes a special listing of every Mario game ever made on any Nintendo system in history, as well as a picture of Mario and Peach at the end of the Super Mario Bros. game.
 
A collector who bought a ton of these sets sold about 50 to the NCSX online shop, who is now offering them up for sale. The individual stamps are valued at 80 yen a piece (roughly $0.66 USD), though the collector’s set of ten will run you up about $105.00 USD. If you can afford that, it’s a great collector’s item - stamps are commonly collected. Head on over to check it out and purchase one (if there are any left)!
May 29 2007
Nintendo Short Cuts Entries Thus Far
While I’m sitting in my special effects class, I did some YouTube searching and came across the 2nd entry in Nintendo’s Short Cuts film contest. This newest entry seems to be a tad better in the production value department than the first, but what do I know, it’s not like I make movies or anything…
Nintendo Love (newest entry)
The Beginning of a Legend
The contest deadline is June 6th, so you better hurry if you want to submit a film! In other news, I probably should skip the whole sleep thing for the next week if I plan on getting my entry done in time.
May 29 2007
Capcom trademarks “Apollo Justice”
Capcom now holds the trademark to the name “Apollo Justice.” Officially, we don’t know what it’s for. But we on the internet are a little smarter than that.
Given that Gyakuten Saiban 4 does not star Phoenix Wright, it makes sense that its English release might not feature the famous name on the cover. Enter Odoroki Housuke, who takes the spotlight in the game and whose name does not yet have an English translation. Could it be Apollo Justice? The name carries another legendary significance, as does Phoenix Wright. Apollo was the Greek god of truth, order, harmony, and reason. As for Justice, well, that’s self-explanatory.
We’ll wait for an official announcement, but there’s really not much else Capcom could be trademarking a name like this for.
May 29 2007
The Nintendo 64 restoration project
Shamoozal has a wonderful article up on how to take that old Nintendo 64 and clean it up just like new. Years of playing and then even more years of leaving it around can result in dirt and dust buildup in the crevices of the console, dusty and non-functioning analog sticks on the controllers, and other problems you’d rather get rid of if you intend to keep it for a few more years (or gain a little bit more by selling it).
Not many people are as picky about keeping their game systems as perfect and spotless, but I’m sure most of you wouldn’t mind cleaning you N64 up a bit. Head on over to Shamoozal, even if you’re not experienced with the inner workings of the Nintendo 64. They’ll hold your hand through the process and you’ll have a shiny old system in no time!
May 29 2007
Madden ‘08 details - the Mii have come to play
Madden ‘07 for the Wii was met with some pretty decent reviews. Now that EA has shifted focus to Nintendo platforms, fans are in for a few treats with the Wii version of Madden ‘08. Check out the list below:
- Real-time ESPN ticker updates
- Online tournaments
- Worldwide quickplay multiplayer matches
- Promised roster updates not just for the 2008 season, but 2009 as well
- Mini-game party mode, with 22 mini-games
- Miis are used in minigames
If you don’t quite get it yet, we’re basically going to be seeing a LOT of online support in the next Madden game, which is quite the 180 from previous sports games on Nintendo platforms. In addition, it looks like Nintendo is finally letting developers incorporate Mii into their games. We recently heard that Miis might be used to determine static friend codes on the Wii. Could this indeed be the reason why both Mii access and online access for third party developers took such a long time?
May 29 2007
Mario Party 8 comes out today!
Who’s picking this up? Word is that while the game won’t blow you away, it’s a great addition to the Mario Party series, and a worthy first entry on the Wii. Official press release below:
DID YOU KNOW? NINTENDO’S MARIO PARTY 8 BRINGS THE CARNIVAL TO TOWN
May 29, 2007Nintendo is bringing the carnival to town, and this time the party is going to get players up and moving. Mario Party® 8 is the first Mario Party game for Wii™ from Nintendo, and the first in the series to incorporate motion controls.
In this carnival-themed excursion, players might use the Wii Remoteâ„¢ to punch the air to chip away at a statue, point it at the screen to shoot at targets or balance it like a tightrope walker’s pole. The amazing functions of the Wii Remote add a new level of hilarious competition. This new Mario Party installment includes new boards, characters, moves and minigames.
Since the original Mario Party debuted in 1999 on Nintendo® 64, the franchise has been a perpetual fan favorite, selling nearly 6.5 million in the United States alone. It’s the video game version of a board game, where each player takes a turn moving spaces. Then everyone competes in a fast-paced minigame at the end of the round. Its controls are fun and easy enough that every member of the family can join in. Mario Party 8 lets players get into the action like never before, and is a great follow-up for gamers and families who had fun competing in Wii Sportsâ„¢.
Mario Party 8, Rated E for Everyone, launches May 29. For more information about Mario Party 8, please visit www.MarioParty.com.
May 29 2007
Ear Age? Not quite, but it’s a new hearing game
Milestone, makers of Radio Allergy, is releasing a new type of training game in Japan. DS Chounoryoku aims to test your frequency hearing range and improve your hearing and listening ability. Distinguish between different types of sounds and words. Certain aurally pleasing musical selections are also included to help you relax.
 
Granted, we’ll probably never see this type of game in the U.S. for the DS unless Nintendo makes one of their own, but it shows these non-games have no limits. Could olfactory-based games be next? It might be closer than you think!
May 29 2007
Smash Bros. site updates with Mario’s Final Smash
As of right now, the site only features one character’s Final Smash: Mario’s. The “Mario Finale” is an intense fire storm that shoots out horizontally and expands vertically, so you’ll want to unleash all that built up anger a little higher off the ground for massive damage.
