Gamers On The Go #15 | Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins

World 8 Podcast host and proud member of KC SRK, AJ Hurst, returns to GOTG to talk about one of the true classics of the Game Boy: Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins.

Tune in to hear what SML2 has in common with Animal Crossing, how Wario became the face of Nintendo on handhelds, and listen to our random discussion of why handheld fighting games are terrible.

Mario goes mobile: Nintendo is making games for smartphones and tablets

image.jpg

In a surprise move, Nintendo plans to put games on mobile devices in a tie-up with Japanese mobile gaming giant DeNA.

The alliance, which involves the two companies holding stakes in each other, will focus on building apps for smart devices and setting up a worldwide membership service to launch this fall, the companies said Tuesday at a hastily arranged press conference in Tokyo.

Nintendo was keen to emphasize it is not abandoning consoles, with Nintendo President Satoru Iwata confirming that his company is working on a new dedicated console code-named NX, with details to come next year.

The new apps for the partnership will include iconic Nintendo characters but will not involve porting games developed for the Nintendo Wii U or 3Ds systems. Only new games will be created, the companies said.

However, all Nintendo intellectual property like its games and characters could be used in new game development by the alliance, which has yet to announce a game lineup and availability. The global online membership service will be open to mobile devices, as well as Nintendo consoles and PC platforms.

Iwata said he hopes the service will reach hundreds of millions of users. In one slideshow illustration shown by the companies, the new membership service was shown surrounded by and linked to tablets, smartphones, PCs, the 3DS, the Wii U and the NX device.

The move represents a path forward for Nintendo, which has struggled to find a way to embrace the lucrative mobile gaming market while preserving its heritage and presence in video game consoles, which it has produced for decades.

"We do not share this pessimistic view of the future for dedicated video game systems," Iwata said in reference to negativity related to the future of consoles. "We are challenging ourselves to redefine what 'Nintendo platform' means."

After years of hearing Nintendo express hesitation about mobile games, industry observers reacted with shock to the news.

"This is basically a bombshell, especially given that Nintendo hasn't been really fond of the smartphone gaming market," said Serkan Toto, a video game consultant based in Tokyo. "Nintendo is planning to go beyond consoles, which they have never done. They never even did anything on the PC before. So they just shook up the entire game world."

DeNA, which has built a large e-commerce, online auction and mobile gaming empire in Japan, has seen its profitability take hits in recent years, just as Nintendo seemed lost amid the mobile game surge, Toto said. The alliance of the struggling partners will make Nintendo the biggest shareholder in DeNA after Tomoko Namba, who founded the company in 1999.

"Mobile gaming is a hit-driven business, and we believe our alliance with Nintendo will significantly increase the possibility of creating hit titles with Nintendo's beloved IP," DeNA spokesman Tomoyuki Akiyama said via email when asked about the company's profit slide

For this and more go to pcworld.com

image.jpg

Screen shot posted on reddit.com

My 90's Childhood in a Nutshell: N64

I grew up in the 90’s. This means that scrunchies, jelly shoes , Barbies and furbies were just some of my favorite things. But when someone asks me what my favorite childhood toy was, it’s an easy answer. My Nintendo 64! I spent days, no..WEEKS of my life on that thing. I first got mine in 1997. That’s all I did after that. Barbies? Dolls? Tea sets? NO THANK YOU. All I needed was my N64.  So today I’m going to talk about some of the best games that came out for N64 in the 90’s. 

First off, my favorite all time game for any system, EVER. LucasArts 1996 , Shadows of the Empire. This was one of the first games released for N64 and it received great reviews. Who doesn’t like a Star Wars game where you can fly a snow speeder, as well as various other ships, have first person shootouts , and run ins with the galaxies scariest bounty hunters and villains?! Not only was the storyline great, but the music, and graphics steal the show. In fact I played this game so often ,that to this day I can still tell you the location of every NPC, health pack, and special item . Sad? Maybe…but that’s how much I loved this game.

image.jpg

Next up is Rare’s 1997 GoldenEye 007.  This game was exclusive for Nintendo 64 and is the third best selling game for the system. Impressively, it totally changed first person shooters for the time and created a new multiplayer experience. And while the single player storyline is pretty good, it’s pretty obvious that this game was loved for its multiplayer levels.  I remember playing this game with my cousins and friends for hours. GoldenEye to this day is one of my favorites and brings back great childhood memories. (I mean C’mon, you ran around and shot at each other for fun).

image.jpg

Last up is Nintendo’s 1996 Super Mario 64. This game was one of the original N64 launch titles. Mario 64 was a “game changer” for the gaming world. Known for its 3D game design and new camera angles, as well as an awesome Mario storyline, it is widely renowned as one of the most revolutionary games ever created. It had beautifully, colorful graphics for the time, with diverse levels and an endless amount of fun. Not only was it a new way of playing Mario, but it was addictive as hell! (trust me , I still have dreams about collecting those golden stars)

image.jpg

 

Posted by: Chloe @cleo622