Archive for 2006
Eragon DS trailer info and multiplatform interview
Based on the best-selling novel and upcoming (December 15) Eragon movie, this epic fantasy-adventure centers on a young farm boy named Eragon (not Aragorn from LOTR) whose destiny is revealed with the help of a dragon. Eragon, now a Dragon Rider, is swept into a world of magic and power, discovering that he alone has the power to save or destroy an Empire. Offering a completely different gaming experience from the console game, Eragon offers Nintendo DS gamers an action-filled combat-RPG with touch screen spell casting and unique dual screen attack mode. Gamers can also sharpen their magic and dragon riding skills in unlockable mini-games. Vivendi will release the game on November 14 in America and on November 24 in Europe.
If you want to find out more about the better looking multiplatform versions of Aragon, check out Gametrailers (Xbox 360, etc.) interview with lots of footage.
1 comment »The history of the Sony PlayStation
This is the story of how Sony started out after World War II and how it got into the gaming industry. Most notably it explains the missing links between Nintendo’s SNES, Sony’s PlayStation, and Philips’ CD-I.
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Game Openings - Link: Faces of Evil for the CD-I System
Nintendo struck a deal with the devil in 1993 that resulted in the release of one of the worst video games to ever use a Nintendo property . . . . that game was Link: Faces of Evil for the Philips CD-I.
The CD-I (a highly advanced system for it’s time) came to market in the US at the outrageous price of $700 (and we complain about the PS3’s price!). CD-I stands for Compact Disc Interactive and the medium was disc based, allowing for what was, at the time, high-quality video. Too bad they couldn’t get gameplay down . . . the system was a massive failure for more reasons than one.
Unfortunately, the company that developed the game (which was NOT Nintendo) got the rights to produce not one, but 3, Zelda games . . . after Nintendo cut a deal with Philips, breaking their agreement with Sony, who was developing a disc-based add-on for the Super Nintendo called the “Play Station” (hmm, sound familiar?). Obviously Nintendo was screwed over big-time (even though they made the first move) and Sony released the “Playstation” independently to massive success. The rest is history.
Below, you can view the intro for Link: Faces of Evil for the CD-I. Bear witness to some of the worst animation and by far the most annoying, ear-grating and eye-bleeding Link ever to be concieved. Nintendo wants you to forget about these games . . . . But the absolute misery must live on via the Internet! Now, lets all hold hands and cry together . . . .
View more footage, including “gameplay” (yes, quotation marks intended) below.
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Nintendo unleashes Happy Meals, official site launched with fun Mario game
Everyone remembers how excited they were to get a McDonald’s Happy Meal when they were kids, and Nintendo is once again joining in the fun with a new Nintendo-themed “active toy” Happy Meal & Mighty Kids Meals promotion.
Kids will get one of several Donkey Kong, Mario or Yoshi-themed toys in their Kids Meal, and they range from a flying disk, to a Yoshi who holds a ball in his mouth and it shoots up when a kid steps on the peddle, to a Mario-shaped ball (From Mario Pinball Land) that you can play catch with, and more.
But the most interesting part comes at the official site. Here you can play two Mario games, I urge everyone to try out Jammin’ With Mario at least once, it’s pretty fun and has you learning the Mario theme-song by typing the keys on the keyboard (or using the mouse, but typing’s funner). It gets pretty long and there are mulitple stages. The other game is a golf-game. They also have a screensaver, and coolest of all, lots of videos! (many I bet they got off youtube). The making of the Mario-themed Kids Meal commercial is particular cool and interesting to watch, the others deal with people playing the Mario theme on guitar and whatnot.
I don’t know about you but I plan on getting at least one Nintendo Happy Meal during the length of this promotion. Who can deny McNuggets along with a Mario-shaped Ball? Fun for all ages!
What kind of Pokemon are you? Asks Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
The Pokemon Mystery Dungeon website asks what kind of Pokemon are you? I’m a Charmander! The Nintendo game is based off the long-running series of Mysterious Dungeon games by Chunsoft, this multi-title release (Red Rescue Team for the GBA, Blue Rescue Team for the DS) is an adventure game with semi-turnbased exploration of dungeons featuring characters from the Pokemon universe.
It’s up to the Rescue Team to save Pokemon who’ve found themselves in trouble. While one of your goals is to figure out what exactly turned you into a Pokemon, you’ve also got to help Pokemon as part of the Rescue Team. You start off serving your duties with your original partner Pokemon at your side, but as you progress, over 380 Pokemon join the Rescue Force and become selectable. Release date: September 18 in the US & November 10 in Europe. If you pre-order in select US retailers (just ask) from September 12 you’ll get a free Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Rescuer’s Guide, featuring a game preview & other Pokemon tips/info.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team GBA Trailer
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team DS Trailer
Read Gamespot’s PREVIEW of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon.
A day in the life of Super Mario
Just an ordinary day in the Mushroom Kingdom for everybody’s favorite plumber Super Mario.
NES Review: The Legend of Zelda. The classic debut of Link the boy wonder
Nintendo has a few core series it relies on . . . . Franchises that gamers around the planet flock to with each release . . . These games are considered so good that they can nary do any wrong. The characters themselves so beloved, that almost anything with that character in it will sell . . . . For Nintendo, they’re “Big Three” are Mario, Metroid . . . . And Zelda.
The Legend of Zelda is easily one of the most popular video game franchises of all time. Everyone loves Zelda, and even people who aren’t gamers know what it is and there’s a good chance that even they played the first one way back in the day.
So I thought it’d be a good idea to go back in time and take a trip down memory lane . . . To play a game that shoved Nintendo into the stratosphere for gamers everywhere, and made them Nintendo fans for life.
Hitting the scene on the regular Nintendo (NES) in 1987, over 20 years ago, the game has continued to draw in new fans each time it is ported. With the Wii’s Virtual Console looming, and yet another Zelda release immenent (The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess), it was a perfect time to cover this great game.
So sit back, relax and dive into my detailed review below. Wax nostalgic or join in the adventure for the first time. And even if you don’t care, you may still want to check out the Zelda commercials. They are classic, and contained below for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!
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Tingle’s Freshly-Picked Rose-Colored Rupee Land released on Nintendo DS
Tingle’s Nintendo DS game got released today, September 2nd, in Japan. While most Westerners have a love-hate relationship with Tingle from the N64 & GameCube Legend of Zelda games, in Japan he’s quite popular. Thus his own RPG game titled “Tingle’s Freshly-Picked Rose-Colored Rupee Land” got released alongside the Black DS Lite there.
Read Tingle’s story and watch a subtitled video here:
Half Life 1 walkthrough completed in 45 minutes
As far as PC FPS games go this is one of the great classics. If you’ve played it back in 1998 or the Source re-release that came with Half-Life 2 in 2004, it’s still worth checking out not just for a multiplayer, but for nostalgia’s sake (speedrun notes). You are Gordon Freeman, a young research associate in the Anomalous Materials Laboratory. You have limited security clearance and no real idea of just how dangerous your job has become, until the morning you are sent alone into the Test Chamber to analyze a strange crystalline specimen. A routine analysis, they tell you. Until something goes wrong.
In this legendary FPS, players enlist the help of traumatized scientists and trigger-happy security guards to get through high-security zones, sneaking and fighting your way through ruined missile silos and Cold War cafeterias, through darkened airducts and subterranean railways. When you finally come in sight of the surface, you realize that the inhuman monsters aren’t your only enemies-for the government has sent in ruthless troops and stealthy assassins. Their orders seem to be that when it comes to the Black Mesa, nothing gets out alive… especially not you.
Konami’s Elebits Wii doll pre-order bonus
Gamestop (EB Games) are offering a pre-order only bonus for the Nintendo Wii game from Konami called Elebits. You get an Elebits plush doll for free, the doll is either blue or red and comes in a box hiding it’s color until it arrives to you. Offer good while supplies last. Game for $50.
Elebits is a revolutionary game of hide and seek as players search high and low for Elebits, mischievous little creatures that are the source of the world’s power. Use the unique functionality of the innovative Wii controller to push, pull, lift and throw anything in the environment as you attempt to track down these playful little creatures. As they capture Elebits, players will be able to further interact with the environment, using them to provide power to different implements that will help them in their search. You can even play with 1-4 players.
If you thought that description was confusing, check out a trailer that has me scratching my head wondering what the heck is going on?
