Yoshis-Island
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Yoshi's Island Zone is one of two Sonic: Lost World DLC stages, out now
Sonic: Lost World will receive two pieces of downloadable content on Wii U, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata announced during today's Nintendo Direct livestream. The DLC stages will be based on Nintendo properties, the first being a level pulling inspiration and elements from Yoshi's New Island, Nintendo's 3DS entry in the series due out in spring 2014. Called Yoshi's Island Zone, the first piece of DLC is available now for free, and has Sonic "speeding through areas filled with pipes, coins, Shy Guys and Piranha Plants." A brief look at the level can be found in the archived Nintendo Direct presentation.
Yoshi's New Island arriving in spring 2014 [Update: Trailer added]
Nintendo announced that Yoshi's New Island will launch in spring 2014 for 3DS during today's Nintendo Direct livestream. What's more, the series' original creator Takashi Tezuka is working on the project. Yoshi's New Island was first announced in June and was originally expected to launch this holiday season. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata also announced a new Wii U action game known as Hyrule Warriors during the stream.
New Yoshi's Island game coming to 3DS
A new Yoshi's Island sequel, with the familiar baby-Mario-on-Yoshi, egg-throwing gameplay, is due on 3DS. Footage of the 2.5D game was shown just now on Nintendo Direct. That's pretty much all we know now!
Top 5: Infections
After visiting friends and relatives this Thanksgiving, I was left with something special inside. Was it fond memories? Was it a deeper connection with those who I love? Was it several containers of leftovers? Sure, I received a fair share of those, but the most significant thing I received this Thanksgiving was the flu. I should have known. At least five different folks I saw over the course of the day claimed to be recovering from some form of the dreaded virus. Sure enough, by Friday evening I was sweating and freezing at once, aching all over, and debating on which end to point at the toilet (too much?). Whenever I get sick, I tend to feel very isolated. While everyone else was out enjoying their four-day weekend, I was tethered to the bed. But it didn't take long for me to realize that I'm certainly not alone. Everyone gets sick sooner or later, and no one is truly immune. In fact, even our video game counterparts have their fair share of sicknesses that affect their goals. And thankfully, just like said counterparts, the infections are usually brief. Here's our Top 5 sicknesses to avoid. NEXT >> #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; } The Top 5 is a weekly feature that provides us with a forum to share our opinions on various aspects of the video game culture, and provides you with a forum to tell us how wrong we are. To further voice your opinions, submit a vote in the Wii Fanboy Poll, and take part in the daily discussions of Wii Warm Up.
It's-a Mario World: Yoshi Spinoffs
Remember last night when we broke into spontaneous discussion about Yoshi during our weekly Game Night assembly? Oh, that's right, you weren't there for some lame reason, opting instead to race computer-controlled players in a sad, lonely session of Mario Kart's single player Grand Prix. For shame. Just know that you missed a hell of a time, and although Yoshi was only mentioned in passing (i.e. the word "Yoshi" was typed once or twice), you still should have been there to see it happen. Maybe next Thursday, then?But isn't it high time we payed tribute to Mario's egg-dispensing, always-hungry dinosaur steed? Yoshi has been around since the prevalence of big, bulky cartridges, and while he has not always played a large role in Mario's adventures, his lovable character has spawned a handful of spinoff titles that exist almost entirely without Mario's help (well, sort of--only one of the Yoshi games have "Mario" in the title). Our new gallery spotlights Yoshi then & now, detailing all of his starring roles in between. Now saddle up, unfurl your tongue and gobble down everything in sight. It's-a Mario World is a weekly feature in which the ubiquity of Nintendo's flagship character is celebrated. Check back here every Friday to find out what strange and wonderful thing has got us tipping our caps. For additional Mario jollies, sing along here or express your U.S. nationalism by experiencing this strange flash game which finds president-elect Barack Obama and Super Mario World inextricably combined. Wow.
Amazon's Gold Box is full of DS treasures [update 5]
Hey, guess what? You can buy Super Smash Bros. Brawl on Amazon today (and today only) for $25.99! What a minute -- why are we posting about a Brawl deal on DS Fanboy, of all places? Because, friends, that's just the tip of the iceberg. Amazon is offering up nine Nintendo deals today, which (if our guesses are correct) includes five DS games. Since all of the said games are published by Nintendo you might own most of them already, but if not, they're games that are definitely worth getting for cheap. So, all you stingy folks that are able to order from Amazon.com should check past the break to see what Gold Box sales are in store for you today.
Another exhaustive list of Japan's best-sellers of 2007
Remember that haaauuuuge list of Japan's 500 highest-selling games of 2007? Well, sorry, but you'll have to forget them all. Yep, every last one of 'em. That's because we now have a new list which is also claiming to feature the 500 best-selling games of 2007 in Japan. This one has been compiled by Enterbrain (the original was from rival data-gatherers Media Create), and it's ever so slightly different. The good news is that, despite the origins of each list being different, the overriding message is still the same, and that message is: DS rules all yaaay. Both lists agree that Wii Sports was top dog, but the top DS games have been jumbled about. Now, for example, it is the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Explorers games that are top of the DS pile, while Mario Party DS drops to second. The changes are subtle, but definitely exist. Hit the break to see the top ten DS games!
Nintendo dominates list of most annoying game characters
Nintendo might well have created some of the most enduring characters of all time, but it's more than capable of concocting annoying ones. At least, that's the message we drew from Cracked.com's list of video game characters that inspire rage -- of the fifteen personalities listed, around half appear in Nintendo games.While we wouldn't normally post about such lists, there's very little room for complaining about many of these choices. Time and again, Slippy's utter ineptitude has seen us launching spittle-flecked rants at our screens, Waluigi possesses a voice akin to nails on a blackboard (though this blogger will admit to finding him useful in Mario Kart DS), and Tingle is annoying for reasons that should need no explaining whatsoever.The only unfair inclusions we can see? The Dog from Duck Hunt, and Animal Crossing: Wild World's Mr. Resetti, whose bluster we actually find entertaining. Not that we're cheats.[Via Digg]
Dojo update: Fight above Corneria all over again
That shot of the Great Fox can mean only one thing. Well, two things, actually. Firstly, it means that the dojo is back, and that our mornings have some purpose once more. Secondly, it means that Brawl will include yet more Super Smash Bros. Melee stages, to accompany the return of Hyrule Temple.Corneria, Yoshi's Island, Onett, Brinstar, and Rainbow Ride are the returning stages, with Corneria comfortably our favorite of the revived bunch. It's also worth nothing that Brawl's total number of confirmed stages is now 25, with (we'd estimate) another dozen or so dojo updates left to add to that total. And, in the unlikely situation you ever get bored of those, you can always make your own.%Gallery-10206%%Gallery-6869%
Yoshi's Island for a Baby Mario-sized price
Artoon is in the news right now for the Mistwalker-assisting work of founder (and Sonic the Hedgehog character designer) Naoto Oshima. But before Oshima was designing blocky, vacant-eyed adventurers, he served as producer on a fairly high-profile Nintendo project: Yoshi's Island DS. In case you have yet to see how the creator of Blinx: The Time Sweeper handled the sequel to one of the most beloved Mario games ever, Amazon is giving you the chance to check out the game for a painless $15. The critics got a kick out of it, at least. And if you're going to buy one game about taking care of babies, it may as well be this one and not ... one of the others. But be quick about it: this deal expires at the end of the day.
'Personal Transport Dinosaur' doesn't do traffic jams
Who could have possibly called this one? While many have spent the last decade or two fretting over the environmental impact of carbon emissions from cars, the real answer to our transport/pollution woes were to be found in a 1990 videogame all along!The fact that the solution also consumes and then rapidly converts our foes into eggs ... well damn, that's just the icing on the sweetest of cakes.[Via GoNintendo]
Yoshi's Island flooded
These DS systems have been filled with water! And not because they fell out of someone's pocket into the toilet-- they're designed to be full of water. As you savvy readers have already figured out based on the still Yoshi's Island DS art on the top screens, and the two solid buttons (and possibly even the Japanese text), these aren't DS Lites at all, but water toys.You know, the kind in which you push the button and it shoots a little current of air into the water, guiding a ball into a goal? Yeah, those. We remember liking these kinds of things a lot, more for the whoosh that shakes the soft plastic button a bit when the air current gets going than for the actual game. Can't get that from the cell phone version!
Some Yoshi antics
If you've been holding off on picking up Yoshi's Island DS because you've never played the original and had no idea what to expect from the game or, in changing the roster up a little bit felt the game would be altered for the worse, then we suggest you watch the embedded video, available after the break, and see some of the action in-game.
Yoshi's Island ad, now with more tongue
We've been all abuzz when it comes to Nintendo's ads lately, but this new commercial for Yoshi's Island DS falls a little flat. Sure, it's cute, and it communicates the game well. Of course, we love the tongue, and the addition of the pink DS Lite is nice -- since pink is typically associated with girls (and, of course, real men who aren't afraid to wear it), there's a subtle messages that this game is girl-approved. Since we suggested it in lieu of a few others recently, we're all sorts of down with that impression. But all is not rainbows and coin-filled bricks in Nintendo land, despite the new ad's positive qualities. Here's our beef: when it comes to the US market for this title, where are the ads like this one? When the two are watched side by side, is it any wonder that Americans seem more likely to push the DS aside as a kiddy system? Today's ad seems aimed at a younger audience, while the UK ad is more polished and adult -- and includes the same game (though others as well). It's hard to move beyond a stereotype and pick up a new audience when you promote the very image for which you're already famous. Gamers know that where there is Yoshi, there is typically goodness, so there's no need to sell to us ... but what about everyone else? Where's our saucy blonde to prove that happy-funtime-Yoshi action is good for everyone? Sure, there have been (and will be) plenty of DS ads that don't seem quite so kid-centric. But these are in the same pre-holiday advertising window, so we thought it might be interesting to compare them -- particularly since the same game is in each. Which do you think is most effective? Will today's ad manage to sell the game to a new audience, or do you think an ad aimed at a different market would be better? Do you think the American ad is actually as effective or moreso than the UK DS spot? Tell us what you think!
Metareview - Yoshi's Island DS
The original Yoshi's Island has attained G.O.A.T.* status. True, not everyone agrees that it's the single-greatest 2D platformer ever, but SNES's Yoshi's Island certainly ranks among the best. Now, more than a decade later, Nintendo has finally published a true sequel (we don't count N64's Yoshi's Story). But with Artoon (responsible for GBA's ill-received Yoshi Topsy Turvy) sharing development duties, there's been some doubt about Yoshi's Island DS's ability to escape the shadow of its heralded predecessor. GameSpot (91/100) - "It's hard to top a masterpiece, but that's just what Nintendo and Artoon have done with Yoshi's Island DS." IGN (80/100) - "Perhaps the designers stuck too close to the established design in this new game, since it really ruins a lot of the surprises if you've already played through the original ... [Yoshi's Island DS] runs into the problem of not doing enough to make it its own game." EGM (68/100) - "I'd never choose this over the sublime original." Current overall average: 83/100 (6 reviews) *Greatest Of All-Time
Yoshi's Island site open for clicking
The official minisite for Yoshi's Island DS is up, and it is so very clickable! Make sure you slide your mouse pointer around, as there's music hidden in one of the flowers. Under "see more" by the DS, there's a very simple introduction to the game and the characters that's quite charming. The bad news: the site content, while cute, is pretty thin for now, but they promise more is coming, so keep an eye out. The game hits stores November 13.
Changes for Yoshi's Island
If you were hoping to lash friends with Yoshi's tongue, looks like today might not be your lucky day. Yoshi's Island DS (formerly Yoshi's Island 2) seems to have lost its WiFi features; at least, the icon is no longer on the boxart. But it does seem that many of the elements that made the first foray into Yoshi's Island so fun will be resident in this sequel as well. Throw in a little touchscreen functionality and you've got the recipe for a new classic, WiFi or no. Check after the jump for two brand new screens.
Yoshi's Island 2 preview
Several gamers are claiming that Yoshi's Island is indeed one of the best 2D platformers... of all time. Then there seems to be a general understanding that things were falling apart with Yoshi's Story and that this little DS game could pull the series out of its so called slump and put it back on the map. It seems highly possible since Nintendo is introducing Wi-Fi and new baby characters of our all time favorites. Gameworld Networks has put together a preview filled with all the info we know about Yoshi's Island 2 and they are really hyped about it. [Via Go Nintendo]
