Archive for the ‘Nintendo’ Category
GameBoy: Kirby’s Pinball Land
April 26th, 2009 by Luke C.
Do you like Kirby games but always wanted to know what would happen if you whacked the main character with a baseball bat? Well, nowadays I suppose you can actually experience that thanks to the Smash Bros. series, but back in the days of the original GameBoy your closest option was Kirby’s Pinball Land.
Kirby’s Pinball Land is essentially a Kirby game with pinball controls. You choose from one of three tables themed after a Kirby boss/level, then use your pinball flippers to launch Kirby at various traditional Kirby enemies. Maxim tomatoes and pep brews can keep Kirby from falling down the gutters.
This isn’t just a pinball game with a Kirby theme, however. Since it’s a video game, HAL Labs decided to do some things that aren’t easily possible with a physical pinball table. They eliminated the plunger, for instance – Kirby flies on to the table with his usual warp star, and if you lose a Kirby a new one pops in from a spring board in the gutter. Each table also has a boss you will eventually combat; defeat the bosses of all three tables and you’ll face King Dedede.
I like a lot of things about this game – it goes beyond what a real pinball table can do, it has a fun theme, it has variety. However, I’m not sure it’s actually a good game of pinball. It often felt like I didn’t have a huge amount of control over Kirby, and between that and things like the constant ricochets off moving scenery on the boards, my losses rarely felt like they were because I messed up.
All in all, I had fun with this game, but if you’re looking for a pure pinball experience you probably want to give this game a pass.
Watch A Nintendo DSi Tear Itself Apart
April 16th, 2009 by Sean
Thanks to the wonders of stop-motion, watch in awe as this Nintendo DSi proceeds to tear itself to pieces:
Man, being able to see Nintendo’s new hand-held game machine inside and out in just over 2 minutes – priceless.
Source: TechRestore
Posted in Handheld, Nintendo, Nintendo DS, Videos
Nintendo Wii: MotionPlus Support
April 15th, 2009 by Sean
Do you think that – like trophy support on the Sony PS3 – there is scope on the Wii for the new MotionPlus technology to be introduced for older games?
Don’t be so optimistic. Responding to speculation that developers would be doing just that, Nintendo have told GameDaily:
“The Wii MotionPlus accessory is only for games that are designed to make use of its abilities.”
Now, that’s not a “no, not ever, never” but it’s certainly not promising. It also seemed like a very negative tone.
So if you were quietly hoping Nintendo’s MotionPlus would improve, say, the putting in Wii Golf, you might be better off trying to enjoy them for what they are, not what they could be.
Source: GameDaily
Posted in Game Development, Nintendo, Wii
Wii 4.0 Firmware Update: SD Card Menu
April 9th, 2009 by Sean
This might be old news to a few modern classic gamers, but I just found this out moments ago when I fired up my Nintendo Wii.
Nintendo recently released a Wii firmware update that now solves the storage issue of the Wii by adding a new SD Card Menu that allows you to do the following:
- Store more—Add more Wii storage using SD Cards or the high capacity SDHC Card format (up to 32GB)
- Improved SD Card support—launch WiiWare titles, Virtual Console games, or channels directly from an SD/SDHC Card
- Let your Wii console move games and channels to an SD/SDHC Card with Auto Manage when system memory fills up
- Download titles from the Wii Shop Channel to Wii system memory or directly to an SD/SDHC Card
This is so awesome! I currently have a 2GB SD card for my Wii because until this firmware update, Wii’s only supported a max of 2GB.
I really like that you can now launch channels saved on SD Cards by temporarily utilizing the Wii System Memory.
If your system memory is full, you still have to delete stuff, but there’s now a streamlined, automated process to do that from this new SD Card Menu. It will even choose stuff for you, if you want.
As mentioned by Nintendo, the new Wii system update also adds support for SDHC cards up to 32 GB — that’s a ton of Virtual Console games folks.
Even though we now have support for huge SD cards, I won’t be running out and purchasing a 32GB SD card anytime soon since they are still around $100.00 USD, but this is still great news for Wii owners.
Posted in Nintendo, Virtual Console, Wii
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
March 26th, 2009 by Sean
The first trailer of The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks is now announced! It was presented by Iwata at GDC 2009:
Special thanks to my friend Luke who also writes on Modern Classic Gaming for the tip.
Apparently the game will be available later this year for the Nintendo DS, DS Lite and DSi. I so want this game.
Posted in Handheld, Nintendo, Nintendo DS, Trailers
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iGoogle Classic Gaming Themes
March 26th, 2009 by Sean
What happens when great art mixes with the Google homepage?
That’s right! Google is now introducing gaming themes for iGoogle. Very cool.
Now you can get themes from your favorite games like Super Mario, Street Fighter, and Galaga on your personalized Google home page. Then add your choice of news, email, weather, and more for a page that’s as useful as it is fun.
What are you waiting for? Go download some cool classic gaming themes for your Google home page.
Nintendo DS: Space Invaders Extreme
March 25th, 2009 by Luke C.
We all know Space Invaders, right? A bunch of monochromatic aliens form ranks and march slowly down the screen towards you while you fire a small peashooter upwards at them, hoping you can destroy the last one before it obliterates your shields and crushes you.
Space Invaders Extreme uses a greatly sped-up version of the same basic formula. The sound design, while still hearkening back to the original game’s bleeps and bloops, now incorporates all sound effects into a techno soundtrack. Each shot and explosion is now a beat in the music, helping the player get into a Zen state for blasting evil aliens. Playing with the volume on isn’t as vital in this game as it is in, say, Elite Beat Agents, but you’re definitely missing out if you mute your DS. Read the rest of this entry…
Posted in Handheld, Nintendo, Nintendo DS
Wii – Animal Crossing: City Folk DLC Hub
March 22nd, 2009 by Sean
North American Animal Crossing fans finally have a place to check for upcoming DLC updates to City Folk.
Nintendo has opened an DLC hub site outlining downloadable content and game updates specifically for the NTSC region. A similar site is already available to Japanese gamers.
Currently, the hub lists a special “shamrock hat” (available until March 24) delivered to town via a letter with the attached item with special Spring content coming soon.
Let’s hope that the update also means that North American City Folk will get as much cool content as their Japanese counterparts.
Source: Go Nintendo