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We find our dream job
Until about five minutes ago, we thought our dream job was writing about video games on the Internet. But that's before we knew about these guys, who, as part of their job for a TV show, bought as many Famicom games as they could. Between local game stores and the Internet, they got 1043 of the 1051 known games, including All Night Nippon Super Mario Bros., which was an edited version of Super Mario Bros. given away to listeners of a radio show. The total cost for this shopping spree? 1,350,261 yen ($11073.49). Enjoy the video after the break. We're going to go blow a bunch of money on the Virtual Console and pretend it's for work. [Via Insert Credit]
Virtually Overlooked: Boku Dracula-kun
Welcome to our weekly feature, Virtually Overlooked, wherein we talk about games that aren't on the Virtual Console yet, but should be. Call it a retro-speculative. Virtually Overlooked readers know that we love Konami, a lot-- Castlevania in particular. We've talked about three Konami games already in our feature's short history, one of which was a Castlevania. Surely you won't mind if we go back to the well? It'll be worth it. Don't worry, it's not another Castlevania 1 remake. Akumajou Special: Boku Dracula-kun for the Famicom is a Mega Man clone-- starring the monster such as whom mankind ill needs a savior.
Hardboiled detective title coming to the DS, but not the US
Celebrating the 20th anniversary of Tantei Jinguuji Saburou's (Detective Saburo Jinguji) debut on the Famicom Disk System, WorkJam plans to bring the adventure game series to the DS. Despite appearing on a multitude of consoles ranging from mobile phones to the PS2, the chain-smoking sleuth's bebop-jazz-filled murder mysteries haven't yet been localized for the US audience.Given the success of Phoenix Wright and Hotel Dusk in the states, both of them also being adventure titles, perhaps we'll finally see an English translation for this one? Come on Atlus, we can cross Touch Detective 2 off the possible-projects list and bring this gumshoe game over instead, right?Players investigate their cases through menu-based interrogations and actions, piecing together clues found at crime scenes while taking Saburo through Shinjuku's tough streets. Bring your magnifying glass and deerstalker hat past the post break for screenshots of the stylish DS title and a gameplay trailer from the series' GBA release, Detective Saburo Jinguji: The Woman With the White Shadow.
The most hardcore Mario yet
So, you found all the coins in New Super Mario Brothers? Easy. All the levels on Super Mario World? No problem. If you're after a real challenge, try Hard Relay Mario Brothers. This swirling maelstrom of spikes, jumps and spinning fireballs looks almost impossible to play through. You'll need to take advantage of minor glitches in the game to complete this emulator-only hack. You'll also need patience, skill and balls of steel if you want to make it to the end. Making use of emulator save states might also give you an edge.A lot of the jumps here involve lining Mario up exactly with the bottom of each block. If this done correctly, the game tries to push Mario through the block, enabling him to jump again. Around the 11.30 mark, more than 20 of these jumps are strung together - impressive stuff.
DS Daily: Toys and tie-ins
Yesterday, we showed you some bounty from NCSX: fun little doodads, "lifestyle items," apparel, furnishings, and such with video game connections. We already know you guys are fans of video games (or Nintendogs), so we know you're the target audience for this kind of stuff. We also know that you've got the drive to collect burned into you from a decade of catching 'em all and a few years under Nook's totalitarian regime.But we also know that games are really expensive, and sometimes if you don't have a job (or, in some cases, even if you have two jobs) you can barely afford to buy games, you just have to let the Um Jammer Lammy alarm clocks go unpurchased. Is your desk decorated with game-related toys? Do you have the Famicom-shaped version of everything you can have a Famicom-shaped version of? Or do you prefer to save your game money for games?
Complete World 1-1 without looking, get on TV
It got one guy on TV, at least, in Japan. Super Mario Bros. has completely become a spectator event, and deservedly so-- check out this guy's virtuoso performance of the first stage (of the Famicom Mini version of Super Mario Bros. played on a DS Lite). Sure, he wanders a bit, but that's only because he's playing it without looking.We're going to start training to perform this feat ourselves. And then we're going to practice our creepy vacant smile so we'll be ready for our big television debut. Check out the video after the break.
The Famicom Disk System's Minus World
Here's a bit of game history: when Super Mario Bros. was rereleased for the Japan-only Famicom Disk System, the "minus world" generated via a well-documented glitch changed along with the format. Instead of an infinite water level, players were treated to a whole suite of glitch-tastic levels, loaded with air-swimming and Princess Toadstool sprites floating in mid-air.This kind of classic minutiae is exactly what we want out of the Virtual Console. We'd seriously buy Super Mario Bros. again for a crack at this new minus world. Check out the video after the break!
Nintendogs beware: Ultimate Duck Hunting coming to Wii
Hang on! This isn't some modern Wii version of the NES classic, Duck Hunt. You see, this is Ultimate Duck Hunt-ing, which despite featuring ducks in the process of being hunted, is not to be confused with Nintendo's own and entirely dissimilar Duck Hunt. Right, so Ultimate Duck Hunting is a game in which the player presumably hunts ducks, possibly in the presence of an adorable dog that every so often gets in the way of your deadly rifle shotgun. Just so we're clear on that.Pro-G reports that Ultimate Duck Hunting will be the first foray into gaming for new publisher Detn8 (oh, as in detonate!). It's not entirely certain what has prompted the release of the game -- it's either based on a dubious attempt to cash in on a similar, popular brand (is it really?), or the misguided belief that there's an untapped desire among gamers to hunt ducks on their consoles. We'll find out which one it is when the game releases in the US this June and in Europe towards the end of the year.
GDC 07: Miyamoto keynote video
There are dozens of clips floating around from Shigeru Miyamoto's keynote yesterday, but IGN has streaming video of the entire event available for your anxious eyes. You won't find any megaton announcements or landmark revelations, but the presentation is full of insights on "the Nintendo Difference" from the company's preeminent game designer. What's Miyamoto's primary focus when developing a game? Why did it take 20 years before he could finally use his face creation software in a complete game? And whatever happened to Mario 128? If you have a free hour and a half, watch the keynote and find out.
Deal of the Day: A year of Famitsu for $390
Are you tired of waiting those agonizing minutes or hours for news to get from Famitsu's website to you? Would you rather wait days or weeks? How about at a great financial expense? If you answered "yes" to these questions, then this Amazon.com deal is for you: $390 for a year of Weekly Famitsu, delivered right to you. That comes out to $7.50 an issue, with (thankfully) free shipping!Actually, this deal is not so ridiculous. Well, maybe it is in the "$400 for a magazine" sense, or especially in the "$400 for a magazine you can't read" sense for some of us, but there's a lot of cool content that is not as time-sensitive as news-- screens, Famitsu's trademark "cross reviews", even ads that are usually pretty fun to look at. [Via CAG]
Japanese VC games in the US: Not entirely dismissed!
Game|Life's Chris Kohler conducted a short telephone interview with George Harrison, Nintendo of America's vice president of marketing, and he pulled out a small, offhand item that may be of some interest if it turns out to be anything: Nintendo is not totally against the idea of translating Japanese Virtual Console games for US release. This is by no means a confirmation, so don't convert your Famicom Mother cartridges into candy molds just yet. But we must admit that even a casual admission of the remote possibility of Japanese VC games has us dreaming of a future where imported and domestic Virtual Console games can live together in harmony, on our SD cards.Our ultimate dream of getting a translated (or not) US release of the PC Engine Super CD Rom version of Dracula X: Rondo of Blood is still amazingly unlikely, since we haven't seen any kind of support for old CD based games. But this note from Harrison just made it a tiny bit more likely, and that's enough to keep us going for another day. Plus, there's always the fact that if the poor little PSP can get it, anyone can.[Thanks, BPM!]
Cartridge takes a beating, keeps on ticking
Apparently an up-and-comer in the Japanese celebrity world, Haruna Anno has decided to test the toughness and durability of a couple SNES (Super Famicom) cartridges. All being Street FIghter II: The World Warrior, one was left to freeze in an icebox, another left to burn on a stove and the last was chucked down a flight of steps. The conclusion? Upon placing each game into the console and turning it on, they all worked and played fine! Amazing, especially in the case of the one subjected to fire, as it had to be filed down to actually fit into the console. So has this launched her further up the ranks of the Japanese celebrity list? We don't know, but now at least we know our cartridges might be safe if we accidentally flung them down a flight of stairs.
[E]mulate seven consoles in one homebrew application
Sorry for the lack of updates. Joystiq & engadget hit the scene at NYC's Wii launch party (coverage continues throughout the next few days). At the after-party at my place, we were horrified to see how pathetic the selection of Virtual Console games were (Where the heck is my Gunstar Heroes? When do Mario RPG and Super Metroid come out?). I'm glad to pay my hard-earned dollar on retro games, but damn it--I can't do that if they're not being offered right now!Interestingly, if I so chose to embrace the Dark Side, I could use [e]mulator, from homebrew developer "e". This application includes emulators for a wide variety of systems: Wonderswan, Lynx, PC Engine, Neo Geo Pocket, Game Gear, Game Boy, and Famicom (NES). If one is so inclined, they can visit the site, download the file, and use a program like WinRAR to extract the files. Don't worry, there's a very Engrish read-me that should theoretically walk you through the process.[Via PSP-Vault]
Business card holder: retro edition
During the Nintendo Press conference yesterday, I was seated next to the lovely Andrea Campton of Nintendo Gal. She quickly dazzled me with her retro and decidedly awesome business card holders, wielding one in each hand for spectacular and often deadly results. I've blurred out the details in the picture to save her from untold harassment and to discourage her from hunting me down and breaking my legs, but you should still be able to appreciate how these Famicom holders put a fun spin on business.I'm stealing one next time I see her.
8bit musicians announce world tour
Former cellmates Nullsleep and Bitshifter have announced plans to embark on a world tour, blasting their blend of bleeps, bloops, and blizzasts from Boston to Brussels and back again. If you're not an 8-bit believer yet, nothing will win you over except trying it out for yourself. To that end, here are links (1, 2, 3, 4) to some MP3s these torturers of Gameboys, Famicoms and other old-school video game consoles have kindly provided for downloading. If you like what you hear, check the tour page and maybe even drop a few dollars in the donation bucket to help make it happen.
