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Virtually Overlooked: Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters
IGN's Matt Casamassina couldn't stop hinting at a new Kid Icarus game before this year's E3. Even after Nintendo's presentation came and went, Kid Icarus-free, the rumors and Casamassina's insistence had us convinced that Nintendo was just going to spring it on us at any moment; an announcement would come over the loudspeaker on the show floor or something. In the absence of a new Wii Kid Icarus sequel, I'd be happy to play the other Kid Icarus sequel, Of Myths and Monsters, released on the Game Boy in 1991. As a bonus, it's guaranteed not to be a terrible 3D reimagining.
What is Art Style: Orbient? Watch and find out
The Nintendo Channel updated with fresh videos today, most important of which is a gameplay video showing off Nintendo's new WiiWare title, Art Style: Orbient. Our own JC noted that the title looked a lot like Orbital, a Bit Generations game for the GBA. Sure enough, it is! Head past the break for some gameplay footage of Nintendo's new game.
DS Daily: Remembering our old friend, the GBA
It's been awhile since we thought about our dearly departed friend, the GBA. It burst on the scene and gave us an amazing Castlevania game, then got itself redesigned to the awesome GBA SP you see above you, complete with brighter screen and awesome clamshell design. Then we got the ... GBA Micro.What fond memories do you have of your GBA? What was your favorite GBA game to play? What model did you have? Did you hold onto it after you upgraded to a DS?
Watch the Blip Festival documentary free for one week
One of the most surprising films in the sort of "Holy crap? What the heck?! This is cool!" vein to come out of SXSW film festival earlier this year was Blip Festival: Reformat The Planet. It's all about chiptune music and the performers, and is beautifully shot. It's hard to imagine Nintendo thinking people would be hacking into their Game Boys in order to create full-fledged concerts, concerts that would one day spark a feature documentary and an entire genre of music.For one week, you can watch the impressive documentary at Pitchfork.tv. It's even broken up into bite-sized chapters for you. Give it a looksee and you'll find yourself toe-tapping along to the addictive 8-bit music throughout the film. It's beaten Wizard Rock as our current favorite geek music of choice.[Thanks, Eliot]
Which Nintendo system favored third-party publishers the most?
You would think DS, no? That's exactly what we thought, as the handheld is home to more amazing third-party games than any other console in recent memory, but that is not the case. It turns out, the SNES was the best Nintendo console for third-party publishers. Who would've known?Keep in mind, though, that this is merely based on Aeropause's own evaluation and may not be representative of how much money publishers made on each system, or the quality of the titles they released on said platform. It's more or less based on an article in the latest Nintendo Power where the staff ranked their top 20 games for each Nintendo system.What do you all think? Which Nintendo system had the greatest batch of stellar third-party titles in your eyes? We're going to stick with DS. It seems like a no-brainer to us.
A trip to the dentist becomes a treat thanks to the DS
One dentist practice is pioneering a new, better way to handle folks stuck in the waiting room. As seen above, courtesy of flickr user tarabrown, the choice between magazines and some sweet handhelds is available to folks who find themselves waiting on their dentist. No word in the way of what games are available, but this is just an all-around great idea.Seriously, for how cheap a DS is (or an original GBA, for that matter), we imagine a practice could just snag a copy of Brain Age and Nintendogs and have their waiting room content and at ease while they, uh ... wait. Might help with those few who become pretty irate when forced to park it in the waiting room.According to Tara, the practice is run by one Dr. Jade Kim and located in Seattle, WA. You can check out the website right here. Apparently, the DS had Mario Kart DS in there. Awesome!
Top 5: Things We Won't See at E3
This week sees the commencement of E3, the Super Bowl for gamers. On Tuesday, Nintendo will announce all of its big plans for the rest of the year, sending fanboys and fangirls alike into a frenzy. And while others choose to give us predictions of what we will see, here is the much more important information: things that we won't be seeing. 5. The Game Boy Ultra - Around the time that the DS was first announced, Nintendo made a point to clarify that the new dual-screened portable was more of a "third pillar" than the next installment in the Game Boy line. But then the DS started printing money ... lots and lots of it. Regardless, in an effort to stay true to their word (as they always do), Nintendo will unveil the Game Boy Ultra. The sleek handheld will feature a small but crisp widescreen display showcasing wonderful GameCube-esque graphics. In fact, it will be backwards-compatible with all GameCube games, using the same 8cm discs as Nintendo's last-gen console. Also, similar to the PSP's remote play, the Game Boy Ultra will connect to the Wii and allow data transfers to an SD card. This will allow Virtual Console and select WiiWare games to be played on the go. And since Nintendo plans to keep DS owners in agony by not announcing New Super Mario Bros. 2, they will reveal that the Game Boy Ultra will ship packaged with a free copy of Super Mario Bros. Ultra. Survey Says: Not necessary; Contra 4 removes the need for any other portable game or system.
You can take it with you: Nintendo handheld retrospective
Tomorrow is the big day -- Nintendo's E3 2008 media briefing. Will there be a new DS? A new handheld altogether? A new array of DS Lite colors instead? Nearly anything is possible, and while we wait, bouncing up and down on our toes and struggling to remember to breathe through the excitement, it's a good time to look back at the history of Nintendo's handhelds. From the extensive Game & Watch collection to a few portables you may have forgotten, Nintendo has a rich and storied handheld history, and it's one we celebrate every day -- just not like this. Step forward into the past
Two Tribes reveals original title ReWind
If you're not familiar with Two Tribes, then you haven't ever played Toki Tori or Worms: Open Warfare 2. Aside from the game's recent release on WiiWare, it was also available on the Game Boy Color. They also did a game on the GBA called Three Tribes. But, we digress. This new title, which is nothing more than some concept art right now, promises "a unique gameplay experience" in an on-rail shooter. Two Tribes also says that the controls will be accessible, as "average players will be able to complete the game while seasoned players will be motivated to go for higher scores and completion rates." %Gallery-27164% [Thanks, psyborg!]
Gemei ups the PMP / gaming ante with the X760+
Finally we can toss out that old, boring Gemei X760 we've been fooling around with, and step up to some legitimate action. That's right, the X760+ is on the scene, and that + isn't just for show. The new iteration of the Chinese-made PMP / game playing device boasts 4GB of onboard storage, a 3-inch, WQVGA screen, a 400MHz CPU, FM tuner, and a TV output. The handheld is capable of playing MP3, WMA, APE, RM, MPEG, FLV, AVI, and VOB files (amongst others), but the main selling point here seems to be its built-in ability to emulate the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, as well as play "3D games." The price? 599 yuan (or about $87). Availability? Call an importer.[Thanks, Raz]
The DS Life: Out of habit
Though we try to keep our praise of public property vandalism to a minimum, there are some instances when we can't help but clap in our seats, humorless, like Orson Welles in Citizen Kane. This week's edition of The DS Life is one of those instances, our subject being a magnificent bit of street art spotted in Darmstadt, Germany and photographed by Joachim S. Müller. Say ten Hail Marys and bring yourself past the post break for the photo.
Accessorize your gamer with retro badges and a purse
Have a desire to wear your love for space invaders on your sleeve (or that moldy merit badge sash), or cram your eye shadow and lip gloss into a a zippered little purse? Fear no more, 'Stiqeteers, for you can have both. Handmade to boot! I Don't Like Mondays has some Emma Ferguson hand-stitched and embroidered retro designs, including these two gaming throwbacks and a Mac Bomb. Can a man carry a purse and maintain some dignity? It hardly seems fair, because women can wear merit badges without catcalls and cries of "NIce manbag!" Maybe we can cram it down into our tough-looking computer bags and carry pencils in it.[Thanks Colin!]
DS Daily: Favorite GBA games
We were thinking about all of those sealed GBA games up for grabs and we just wanted to buy them all. Then, we remembered we have no money and looked at our own sad little pile of GBA games for some kind of solace. None was to be had.What about your GBA games? Got a lot? Got a little? Our of all your GBA games, which is your favorite? Astro Boy: The Omega Factor? It's up there! Metroid Fusion? Definitely another good one! What are your favorite GBA games?
Sealed Game Boy games will make you break your piggy bank
Hey, you. Yeah, you reading this right now. Do you want River City Ransom EX sealed for $17? If you're ready to say anything but "yes," we kindly ask that you close your browser window, call your mother and apologize for being such a disappointment. If for some reason you're not keen on the game and still manage to have a working brain (or, you know, you already own it), there's plenty of other Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games on offer. It's a nice mixture of great first-party and third-party titles, if we may say so. You know, in case you wanted to bulk up your GBA collection.[Via Gamesniped]
Show and Tell: Don't throw that Game Boy away
Have an old Game Boy lying around? You could use it to pave your garden ... or, you could follow the example set here by reader Matt's incredible ladyfriend Katie and turn it into one of the coolest cases we've ever seen. A little denim, a little padding, a few pockets, plus some retro handheld goodness is all it took to make us totally jealous. We'd buy it. Someone get Katie an Etsy store, stat.%Gallery-25011% Show and Tell is all about your stuff, so long as it's Nintendo-related. We love to see your collections, your crafts, your frosted creations, your t-shirts and swag of all sorts. Just snap a few pictures, tell us what's up, and send it all to showmeit [at] dsfanboy [dot] com. We'll take care of the rest.
Nintendo of Canada puts sealed titles on auction in the name of charity
Collectors with deep pockets, take note: Nintendo of Canada is selling a great deal of sealed Nintendo titles. No, they're not broke, it's all in the name of charity! That makes us all warm and fuzzy inside.The total goodies available are: 70 NES games over 4 lots 169 SNES games over 13 lots 182 GameBoy games over 7 lots There isn't much time for you to get in on this, either. All of the auctions close on June 5th, so if you're interested, get to pouncing.[Via Joystiq]
Point: Uh, yeah, it totally will get redesigned
While we all think it would be totally rad if Nintendo issued either another redesigned DS model or a whole new handheld unit altogether, certain things must be considered first. Like, will it make Nintendo some money? Also, is there a demand? And, finally, is the DS as it is now outdated and no longer a viable option for the consumer?Let's look at the facts, folks: The original Game Boy released in 1989 and saw several revisions, including a color change in 1995, a smaller system in the Game Boy Pocket in 1996, the Game Boy Light in 1997 and the Game Boy Color in 1998 The Game Boy Advance released in 2001 and saw 2 revisions before it was officially retired, with the Game Boy Advance SP releasing in 2003 and the Game Boy Advance Micro releasing in 2005 The original DS was released in 2004 and since has received one revision, in the DS Lite, which released in 2006 But, this is not all that needs be considered. For one, the DS Lite is still selling incredibly well, and Nintendo might think to adopt the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" plan of attack on this one, choosing to sit back and let the thing sell as long as it possibly can. However, due to the lowering manufacturing costs and Nintendo's profit on each unit sold, a revision with newer features might be manufactured for the same, or a very similar, price. This would allow Nintendo to sell the new unit at a higher price than the DS Lite and make even more money on each handheld sold. There goes the answer to the first question.What about demand? Well, the demand for the existing DS Lite is there, but we'll be the first to tell you that, while we love the handheld , it's not perfect. Alterations in the best interest of the handheld may still be made, including generic improvements such as improving battery life and the like.If the people still love the DS Lite, we find little reason for them not to upgrade and froth at the mouth for something like a DS Liter.What about its use to the consumer? Does it still remain a great choice for the general consumer? Sure, but in technology years, the thing is like a Brontosauras with Jesus resting comfortably on top of it. What we're saying is, the thing is old. While its appeal may never go away thanks to the easy control scheme and mountains of amazing titles available for it, one cannot ignore the competition. As new features are released everyday for Sony's PSP system, the DS Lite is increasingly dwarfed by the technological wizardry capable with Sony's handheld. If Nintendo went with a new version of the DS, we'd like to see them implement some of the more standard technological features that exist in other handheld devices on the market.So will Nintendo release a revision to the DS? Sure, whether it's a new handheld entirely or a new DS, Nintendo would be crazy not to build on what they have with the DS Lite. Will we see it at E3 this year? This blogger thinks so, because, to be honest, what other megatons could they possibly drop on us? placeholdertext Back Not so fast there!
Neo Geo Pocket Color almost had Game Boy compatibility
A third-party project was underway during the Neo Geo Pocket Color's short (but beautiful) life to add Game Boy and Game Boy Color functionality to SNK's handheld. Ganksoft Entertainment began by working on a software emulator capable of running GB/GBC software on the NGPC. The project was cancelled before the emulator was finished, due to SNK's dramatic exit from the console market. The screenshot shows roughly what state the emulator was in. Of course, with no software, the hardware never came to fruition either.Would the system's history have been different if it could run its major competitor's games via an obscure, unlicensed peripheral? The Dreamcast says no. [Via Insert Credit]
Wal-Mart puts GBA stock on sale
For all of you folk who enjoy using that other game slot on your DS, take note: Wal-Mart is having a sale on select titles. Whether you go with the option of picking up 2 games for $20, or 3 games for $25, it's a fairly decent deal, if we may say so.To sweeten the deal even more, they're allowing you to choose from some compilation games, as well. Titles such as Risk, Battleship & Clue, and Centipede, Breakout & Warlords (!). So, if you're trying to bulk up your collection, you might want to head on over there and check out what titles they have on offer.Also of note is the retailer's sale on DS games, but we're not sure there's much in their stock worth noting, except for Sonic Rush.[Via Go Nintendo]
Amazing array of homebrew emulators released
Yesterday was a banner day for Wii homebrew. In addition to WiiPaint, a load of console emulators designed for Twilight Hacked Wiis were also unveiled, and DCEmu has rounded them up. They're all based on existing Gamecube-based emulators, but have been extended for the Wii to take advantage of features like the Classic Controller and the Wii's 480p output. Lopst's and RobertFC's ports of SNES9x even allow you to use the Wiimote! In case you always wondered what it would be like to have a really hard time playing an SNES game.In addition to an SNES emulator, new PC Engine/Turbografx-16, Genesis (with Sega CD!), and Game Boy (which installs into a channel) emulators are now available.
