Famicom 30th Anniversary

On July 15, 1983, Nintendo Co. Ltd launched the Family Computer in Japan. Thirty years later, the Family Computer is still remembered for its success, innovation, and above all else, fun games.

 Happy birthday Famicom!

-ray n. (@themistern)

FAN ART: Howard & Nester

The following is a two page FULL-COLOR comic I've drawn for Howard Phillips, former Nintendo of America employee and the President of the Nintendo Fun Club (which later went on to become Nintendo Power). It's my entry for a "Howard & Nester" comic contest he is sponsoring on Facebook. Enjoy.

Page 1 Page 2

You can also follow him (@GamemasterH) on Twitter.

EDIT: I didn't win, but still, enjoy the comic.




"Howard & Nester" © Howard Phillips, 2012

REVIEW: Nintendo 3DS Circle Pad Pro

Earlier today, after several months since its release, I finally picked up the Nintendo 3DS Circle Pad Pro at GameStop after a new shipment was sent out to stores nationwide. The original shipment was sold out quickly and second-hand units were being re-sold for a higher mark-up online until just recently. Currently, they are (to my knowledge) back in stock at select GameStop stores around the country and in Nintendo's online store for $20.

For anyone who doesn't own a Nintendo 3DS, you may ask what is a Circle Pad Pro?

Last year, this peripheral was released in Japan along with the release of Capcom's "Monster Hunter Tri-G" as an alternative method to control the game. The unit is essentially an add-on to the main unit, adding a second analog circle pad, extra rear trigger buttons, and a grip similar to console controllers. Upon its release, it's gotten mixed reactions, namely why Nintendo neglected to add a 2nd circle pad in the first place and whether the eventual revision of the 3DS will have the 2nd circle pad built in.

Despite it looking like a tumor on my 3DS, the Circle Pad Pro actually feels like I'm holding a "real" controller with the contoured grips and triggers. It's not as big as the pictures make it out to be nor is it heavy. But yeah, it does look unsightly and there's no other color for this thing other than black, so if you have a blue, red, pink or purple 3DS, then colors are going to clash. If that sort of thing bothers you, then I wouldn't recommend the CPP. Also, I wouldn't recommend carrying a 3DS with the CPP attached if you wear skinny jeans; it sticks out of pockets noticeably.

Aesthetics aside, the reason people bought this thing was for the games. I have three games available that are CPP-compatible. I'll list my thoughts on each game's controls with and without the CPP below:

Resident Evil: Revelations

The game controls fine on its own without the CPP, but the extra circle pad makes for a good camera control and makes shooting easier. Recommended with or without the CPP.


Metal Gear Solid 3D: Snake Eater

The game controls poorly without the CPP and while the CPP finally offers more option to control the game, it's still poor. Stick to the console version of MGS3.

Kid Icarus: Uprising

It only leaves the game accesible to left-handed folks. I'm not very coordinated with this style, but it does work. Recommended with the CPP if it works for you.


Final thought: It's something that Nintendo should have incorporated in their initial design, but it was also created after much badgering from third-party developers like Capcom, so it's something that can be either necessary or unnecessary, depending on how you look at it. There's not much use for this thing and Nintendo did say that a small minority of games will use it (neither of those are required to play with the CPP, only supported, and remember to check the back of the game's packaging for a compatibility seal), so the entire experience just feels optional.

Recommended? Not really, since the touch screen is used for input and camera control, a second circle pad blurs between the line of necessity and redundancy. It's cheap though, so it's not a bad investment if you're looking for an alternate style of play. Just don't buy it second-hand with ridiculous markup.


Have a fun weekend,



Image source: GameStop

Pushmo

Lately I've been playing a game on my 3DS called "Pushmo". Pushmo (or "Pullblox" if you're of the European persuasion) is a puzzle-platformer with a simple premise: push and pull blocks in order to climb to the top and reach the goal. With about 200 puzzles, it's one of those games where it's easy to pick up and play but difficult to master. Priced at $6.99 in the Nintendo eShop, Pushmo contains colorful graphics, 3D that is actually HELPFUL to gameplay and best of all, endless replay value.

As you play, you'll unlock "Pushmo Studio", a level editor that lets you create your own puzzles and share them with others via QR codes. Below are five puzzles I've created that you can try out. Don't worry, they're quite easy to solve:

Raphael (TMNT)


Doraemon (Doraemon)


Nukesaku Aida (Tsuide ni Tonchinkan)


Sonichu (Sonichu)


Yawning Squirtle (Sonichu)


If you have a copy of the game, feel free to tweet me your levels and I'll probably make a follow-up post with your levels.

I hope you all have a happy new year's eve--and try not to drink too much.



PS: The game itself is rated E for Everyone, but there's some online communities dedicated to making elaborate Pushmo puzzles and quite a few of them are NSFW. Browse at your own risk.

HIKU-OSU (Pushmo/Pullblox) © Nintendo. Developed by Intelligent Systems.

ZELDA 25

25 years ago, Nintendo released "Zelda no Densetsu: The Hyrule Fantasy" as a launch title for the Famicom Disk System in Japan. A year later, it was released internationally as "The Legend of Zelda" for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was groundbreaking with its sense of exploration, puzzles, scope and being the first NES game with battery backup; this meant that anyone can save a game onto the Game Pak rather than start over from the beginning or jot down a password.

This weekend, "The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword" is released for the Nintendo Wii and it still gives players the same (if not greater) sense of adventure as every other Zelda game before it.

Thank you Nintendo for a series of excellent video games.



PS: Before anyone asks, my favorite Zelda games are "A Link to the Past" and "Link's Awakening".

"THE LEGEND OF ZELDA" © 1986-2011 Nintendo Co. Ltd.

Donner Party

The above image is edited for obvious reasons.

Badderhacks.net, a ROM hacking website I have some history with, has created a new ROM hack that is surely a contender for the title of the definitive ROM hack. The BHDN community has released their team effort on April 20, known to the world as "Donner Party".

Donner Party is a ROM hack of Bandai's cult game "Monster Party" and instead of playing as a child and his gargoyle friend, you play as an inbred racist with a really huge organ who descended from a family of phallophages. He starts out by using his organ to murder black people solely because his sister had decided to shack up with a Pakistani man and not him. Tired of slaying the colored, he decides to get a sex-change operation and becomes a mermaid with a penchant for striped socks. But as she decides to start her life anew, BP spills oil into the Gulf Coast, making her angry enough to exact revenge on the corporation.

I am not making any of this shit up. See?



There's other crazy characters in Donner Party, like Wilford Brimley, Glen Quagmire, Tardy the Tiger, Suicide Mouse, Custer, Lady Gaga, Sonichu, and a small Ethiopian boy infected with AIDS, all in bizarre situations. It must be played to be believed.

Badderhacks.net has done the impossible and have made a group effort in thoroughly hacking a video game for the sole purpose of hilarious, yet borderline obscene fun. So please, thank them all and visit their site. I'm also working on a new comic for them and it should be done before this year is over.

You can find the patch for the hack here, and you'll need an NES emulator, a ROM of "Monster Party" and Lunar IPS patching utility to make it all work.

Oh, and you gotta be over 17 to play. It's definitely not for kids. Play at your own risk.

Nintendo 3DS

I got a 3DS at its launch date last Sunday. That being said, I spent a lot of time on it and I have a one thing to say about it:

It sucks dick.

The games suck, the 3D doesn't work and hurts my eyes, AR cards were bent when I got the package, and the piece of shit feels flimsy and dies every now and then from shit battery life as well as the black screen of date. It even broke after accidentally dropping it today, unlike Nintendo's other shit. Fucking piece of shit. I can't even return it, and breaking it is out of the question because I'm such a jew about my shit. Buying this thing was a mistake. Fucking Nintendo. Reggie, if you're reading this, I have one thing to say to you, sir:














Check your calendar.


April fools, everyone. I actually really love this thing. Except for the battery life, of course. :P

Bless,