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Nintendo Power remembered
Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today to remember Nintendo Power. Not its passing, but its life. Nintendo Power will conclude 24 years of publication with a final issue this December. We've experienced the loss of many magazines over the years, but Nintendo Power's conclusion is different for many of us. Directly attached to childhood memories of so many, it was the publication of both the Nintendo Entertainment System and Super NES at the dawn of the console era, with children of the late 80s and early 90s eagerly awaiting the magazine's arrival every month.We've gathered some fond Nintendo Power memories from today's media after the break. Please feel free to share your happy memories too.
Super Mario Bros. demade in Atari 2600 style
An ambitious forum user at AtariAge has uploaded a playable Atari 2600 demake of World 1-1 from the original Super Mario Bros. The demo includes the entire level with warp pipes, yellow bonus blocks and flagpole.Developer Chris Spry, who posts as "Sprybug" on the site, hopes to add another 15 levels, up to World 4-4. He'd also like to add a Koopa Kid to the end of each world. It may not be canon, but we aren't complaining.
Kickstarter seeks funds for many Lego bricks to make Super Mario Bros. world 1-1
Kickstarter achieves its true potential today, as Zachary Pollock asks for $26,400 to buy Lego bricks to complete a model. It is an especially cool and extravagant model, however. Pollock plans to build the entirety of Super Mario Bros. world 1-1, a project that requires an estimated 780,000 1x1 bricks.In addition to creating a showpiece for Lego conventions, Comic-Con, and PAX, Pollock has lofty goals for the project. It will "test the waters for a foundation I would like to start that will work with children doing healing art projects using Lego bricks." Should the "epic Mario" sculpture be successfully Kickstarted, construction will take place in "building parties" in Portland, and will result in a totally huge, amazing thing.
Super Mario Bros. updated for 3DS eShop release in Japan
Japan's 3DS eShop will offer another of the NES "Ambassador" games for sale next week -- an act that also means an updated version of the app for those who downloaded it for free. Following last week's release of The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros. will be available on January 5. Those without 3DS diplomatic immunity will have to pay ¥500 ($6.44). The updated eShop versions of the Ambassador games add multiplayer, save state and sleep mode support and instruction manuals. So far, no NES games have been released on the eShop outside of Japan.
Bastion narrator takes a hilarious journey through other games
What happens when Bastion's ever-present contextual narrator lands in some of gaming's most famous titles? Pure hilarity, as seen in the Dorkly-crafted video above.
Super Mario Bros. Portal is totally a thing that is happening
You know how we've all seen Mario with a Portal gun before? Well, somebody is actually trying to make that into a game we can not only watch, but play! It's called Mari0 and is currently in development for OSX, Windows and Linux at two-man team Stab Yourself. Mari0 will sport not only the original Super Mario Bros. levels, but also all of the Lost levels -- plus in-game downloadable map packs, a level editor and simultaneous multiplayer for co-operative portal slinging. Seriously, read that sentence again and then click this link. Like many (if not all!) of you are, we're behind this project entirely. Let's just hope we can all snag it before Nintendo's lawyers shut it down.
Thank you Mario, but our new Converse are in another country
Converse already showed off two Mario-themed Chuck Taylor shoe designs, due in Japan next month. Before those have even hit stores, the shoe company revealed two more designs that put Super Mario Bros. level designs on your feet. One of the new designs is a wraparound of 1-1. Flip down the top of the high-top and you'll find a night scene, with Luigi picking up coins. The other design is Mario battling Bowser, with a hidden "Thank you Mario!" and princess on the second layer of canvas. The two designs are, like the other Mario shoes, Japan-only, and will be out in August. You'll either have to import, or just visualize your feet in these.
Mario propaganda posters for glorious Koopa Kingdom
The Koopas are fighting, why aren't you? Don't let Mario stomp all over the armies of the great and mighty Koopa. Join up today!
FPM: First-person Mario
More than a Mario Half-Life or Left 4 Dead mod, this is what happens when the original Super Mario Bros. goes full-on modern FPS.
LEGO art pays homage to some of gaming's best
You don't know flickr user Encaja en Camon, but rest assured that the account in question has some pretty awesome and simple LEGO adaptations of famous games and their characters. Above, you can check out Sonic's blocky noggin, while just past the break we've included a couple of our other favorites.
Spanish neighborhood receiving video game street names
If you happened to be visiting the new neighborhood of Arcosur, located in Zaragoza, Spain, this past weekend, you would have played witness to a truly ... unique sight. This past Saturday, one of the first streets in the still-under-construction suburb received a moniker: Avenida de Super Mario Bros., which, as the Spanish-speakers and context clue-users among you probably figured out, translates to Super Mario Bros. Avenue. Present at the unveiling was the titular plumber himself, as well as the neighborhood's new residents, who sported fake black mustaches in solidarity. The name was chosen by said residents in an online poll -- and it isn't the only gaming-themed name which won out. Future boulevards in the community will be named after Sonic the Hedgehog, Space Invaders and The Legend of Zelda. This is all very cool -- but we're still holding out hope for an Alleyway Alleyway. Is it too late for a write-in ballot? [Image credit: VicioJuegos]
Nintendo World Store 'reopens' Nov. 7 with a Mario celebration
The Nintendo World Store in New York City is open once again after a couple of weeks of remodeling. Next week, Nintendo will "officially" open the store in style, with a Mario party. Not a Mario Party, though, to be clear. On November 7, from 12-5 PM, Nintendo will host a party in honor of the 25th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. Attendees will be able to play various Mario games, record their Mario memories for posterity in a video station and eat some Mario-themed cake. Don't dismantle that Bullet Bill costume you built for this Halloween yet -- Nintendo is also encouraging fans to come in their finest Mario series costumes. Do keep in mind, when deciding what to wear, the thing we mentioned before about posterity.%Gallery-106484%
Developers celebrate Super Mario Bros.' 25th anniversary
In case the red consoles didn't sufficiently alert you, 2010 is the 25th anniversary of the release of Super Mario Bros. for Famicom and NES. To commemorate the occasion, Famitsu spoke to a group of prominent developers about the impact Shigeru Miyamoto's masterpiece had on them and the industry. "The reason I entered the industry," Capcom's Keiji Inafune said, "was because I encountered Mario and learned how interesting games can be. Thank you, Mr. Shigeru Miyamoto." Super Monkey Ball and Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi expressed a similar sentiment, saying "It's the game that made me enter the game industry." Bethesda's Todd Howard said that Super Mario Bros. was the beginning of "the genre where the hero always follows the correct path." Our favorite quote is from Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii. "Also, I can't say much," he said, "but there was also 'Kintamario.'" Yes, yes there was.
Bruvva, a Mario-themed Threadless shirt you should vote on
Jeremy Harnell isn't just a cool dude who reads a semi-cool site, he also came up with this nifty Threadless shirt. It's called "Bruvva" and is currently being voted on -- votes determine if it's ultimately produced as a shirt, you see, so if you have an account, head on over and do Jeremy a solid!
Iwata Asks about development of the NES
Indulging his inquiry habit, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata spoke with Masayuki Uemura, advisor to Nintendo's Research & Engineering Dept., and Hiroshi Imanishi, Ex-Director and GM, Corporate Communications Division, about their time working on the Famicom (NES) way back in 1981-82. The two veteran developers describe the impetus behind the decision to make the Famicom, the problems competing with Nintendo's own Game & Watch, and the lasting appeal of Super Mario Bros. Uemura shared how the Famicom came to use its (at the time) unusual 6502 processor. A friend at Ricoh cold-called him and asked for help getting the factory's efficiency up. While working on that, Uemura consulted with Ricoh about processors, and told their engineers about his desire to make a console that could run Donkey Kong. " When I think about it now, I think I was spot-on in asking 'Can we make Donkey Kong?' rather than 'Can we make a circuit like this?'," Uemura said. "It seems like the engineers at Ricoh were starving for the challenge of working on some new technology. Even more important to them was the idea that if they worked at it, they could take Donkey Kong home! (laughs)"
Red Wii with special Super Mario Bros. coming to Japan
After announcing the Super Mario Collection and special-edition DSi and DSi XL systems, Nintendo has continued the festivities with a red Super Mario Bros. Wii console. The new, Mario-colored Wii will include a matching Wii Remote Plus and Nunchuk -- and it will be preloaded with an exclusive altered version of the original Super Mario Bros. All we can tell from the single screenshot is that question-mark blocks now look like the number 25. This tantalizing collectible will be released in Japan on November 11, for ¥20,000 ($243). Meanwhile, Nintendo of America has yet to announce a single anniversary product.
Nintendo reveals Super Mario 25th Anniversary DSi XL [update: now pictured!]
At it' press conference in Japan this afternoon (well, in Japan it's the afternoon), Nintendo announced plans to release a Super Mario 25th Anniversary Edition DSi LL (DSi XL, as it's known in the West) to the Japanese public on October 28. Andriasang's liveblog of the goings-on also give it an ¥18000 ($215) price point. Unfortunately, like all other things regarding Super Mario's big two five, this is likely to stay grounded in Japan. Update: here it is, straight from Nintendo's site.
Mario-themed tifo display heats up Chicago Fire soccer game
Last Saturday, the Chicago Fire played a fairly disheartening game against the Seattle Sounders at home, though the proceedings were brightened significantly by a delightful, Mario-themed tifo display. We're not sure what Mario has to do with the two clubs, but -- oh, wait! Fireballs! Of course.
Miyamoto explains why it's 'easy' to make a Mario game
As part of Nintendo's ongoing celebration of Mario's 25th anniversary, the latest edition of Iwata Asks is a lengthy conversation between Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto and guest host Shigesato Itoi, creator of Earthbound. In the interview, Miyamoto suggested that making Mario games has been "easy," thanks to ever-evolving technology. "What's been easy about making the Mario games is that they could naturally change along with the progress of technology," Miyamoto observed. "For example, when you make live action SFX movies and as special effects technology advances, then you have new methods at your disposal." Adapting to new technologies has been key to Mario's longevity, Miyamoto explained. "In the same way, as technology advances, the Mario games change, too [...] And as technology changes, so does what you want to do. If it weren't for that, I don't think I could have stuck with it this far." Because the Mario franchise is meant to change with technology, there hasn't ever been a "roadmap" for the series. Instead, the impromptu schedule of Mario games has fueled its creative stamina. "The games turn out more fun that way than if you planned everything out on paper," Miyamoto added. Although Miyamoto has been working with Nintendo and the Mario series for the past 25 years, it seems the famed designer isn't ready to quit any time soon. When quizzed about his position 25 years from now (when he's 85!), Miyamoto admitted that "I'll probably be working on something." Of course, there's a caveat: "If I'm still alive then."
Super Mario Bros. played with eye movements
Waterloo Labs, a collective of insane National Instruments employees, developed an electrode system to measure eye movement, and then used that as a control method for Super Mario Bros. Look past the break to see it in action -- you'll also have to click, unless you're wearing one of these setups.
