You can't have a proper discussion on the Mother series without bringing up the enthusiasm of its stateside fans; the two are entangled, strands wrapping around each other to make up the DNA of Starmen.net, the most devoted video game community online.
Since EarthBound's (Mother 2) SNES release in 1995, Nintendo of America has, for the most part, ignored the title and its cult following. Combating Nintendo's apathy towards bringing the rest of the games to the U.S., the Starmen.net crew pooled its resources and talents together to conceive the EarthBound Anthology, a 250-plus-page collection of fan-created work and a chronicle of Mother's history.
Starmen.net co-founder Reid Young sat down with us to talk about EarthBound and the anthology -- its production, ambitions, and success at catching the video game media's attention. Read on past the post break for the first in a two-part interview on Mother's past, present, and, hopefully, future.
Reader John wrote in to us and relayed a very sad story. While making his daily trek home from school, he was forced to pause his game of Cooking Mama and place his DS into the safety of his pocket as he crossed an intersection. Apparently, the DS fell out of said pocket and John neither heard nor felt it fall. In arriving back at the intersection the next day, he found his DS as above.
Of course, there's no better way for the universe to tell you it's time to upgrade to a DS Lite, but it looks like John has decided to stick with the Phat.
My PAX expo hall map showed a small Konami booth toward the back of the hall. Just small enough, I thought, for a couple of DS demo stations showing off a certain side-scrolling sequel. I was sure I'd come back a hero, having gotten my hands on Contra 4 for real, and bringing back hyperbolic froth based on real playtime rather than screenshots and video.
You can imagine our disappointment when we saw the actual Konami booth, then. That's it above, occupied by Derrick and Garrett from Mega64. ProTip: it's not Contra 4.
Okay, I'm exaggerating. That's not the whole Konami booth. There was another DDR machine behind it.
Though publishers aren't as big on featuring these silly poses anymore as they were during the DS's first two years, the perceptive gamers at The Platformers pointed out that we'll be receiving two new members to the outstretched-hand-boxart club next month: DK Jungle Climber and Fullmetal Alchemist: Trading Card Game.
Some say that the covers are meant to emphasize the touchscreen nature of the titles, but we're convinced that there's more to it. Perhaps the characters are reaching for something unseen -- a dropped banana, a tool vital to their current task, or the wrist of a fleeing love who's spurred their unwanted advances. Keep that last possibility in your mind as you look over a few more examples of outstretched-hand boxarts after the post break.
One lucky fan got his black DS Lite signed by Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune at the recent New York City event, and thanks to him, another "lucky" fan will be able to buy it. Not only did Inafune scribble on the device incomprehensibly, he drew an adorable rendition of one of the series' signature enemies, the Metool/Mettaur/Hard Hat/whatever they're calling the little guy these days.
The current bid is only $50, which is a steal for any DS Lite, much less one bearing the mark of one of the most influential figures in game history. The price will no doubt change as people like us publicize this.
The DS Life is a weekly feature in which we scour the known world for narrative images of Nintendo's handheld and handheld gamers. If you have a photo and a story to match it with, send both to thedslife at dsfanboy dot com.
This week's model, like all of us, has more to him than what can be seen in a single snapshot. He can be a young boy sitting idly on carpeted steps or a confident face on the street with mischief in his eyes, depending on the day. Join us past the post break, and see if you can recognize a bit of yourself in Noah's many faces.
No, it's not the awesomeBrain Age 2 bundle we would just about perform a Murder Death Kill for. But, still, it's the chance at a free game and DS Lite for the next four weeks, which is something we can get behind. Sadly, being employees excludes us. That and the fact that we don't live in Canada.
Anywho, each week some lucky John or Jane up north will be gifted a DS Lite and copy of Brain Age 2. This will be handled weekly, so you'll have to head back each week and re-enter the contest. Small price to pay for such a sweet freebie, if we may say so.
When it comes to housing your DS or DS Lite in protective coating, we like nothing more than to see homemade efforts that showcase the style and creativity of DS fans out there. And these latest crocheted cases are no exception.
Created by Etsy user PaintPaste, the 3 different cases on offer each go for $15. 2 of them have a nice little button to close the case, while the third incorporates a zipper. While we ourselves don't like the colors available, we do laud PaintPaste for creating some sweet DS cases, regardless of color scheme.
We've seen cases made from a variety of hilarious and useful objects, like duct tape, sushi mats, socks, and, well, pants. Even if you're not the crafty type, have you ever looked at something and thought, now that could make a good case? What would make a funny case? Share your ideas -- and cases you've seen!
For some, the current selection of game cases for the DS just doesn't meet their needs. Christina Cary, for example, wanted to pack away her bulky plastic boxes, but wasn't able to find a storage solution with enough slots to hold her carts. Even Penguin Unlimited's pouch, for all its cuteness, only holds 24 games -- a paltry amount for the serious collectors out there.
Christina ended up doing what any creative craftster would do -- make a case of her own with whatever she had lying around the house. She scrounged up fabric from a pair of pants, plastic from an old pencil case, and other materials to create a 36-cart caddy that rolls up like a rug and sticks shut with two squares of velcro.
Reader Andrea sent us pictures of her Pokemon DS Lite cozies, which are either knit or crocheted-- we can't tell the difference. They're big yarn knots in interesting shapes, in any case. She made a Pikachu and a Mew, both of which open up at the neck like Pez dispensers to allow access to the cozied DS inside.
Suffice it to say that, were we normal people and not, you know, DS Fanboy, we're pretty sure this would be the first time we felt the desire to hug a DS. But we feel that way every time we hear the words Contra 4.
They've got tails! There's just no resisting that. In fact, we can't stand to look at our stupid tailless cases anymore, and we think we're just going to toss them in the garbage.
Capcom announced that the new Mega Man series website has launched, and, well, it's a little bit small in scope. Mega Man Star Force's iteration of the Blue Bomber is front and center on every page, and almost all of the downloads and activities feature that guy, instead of a real Mega Man. Not that Star Force isn't great, but this is supposed to be a 20th Anniversary thing.
That said, there are some cute features on here, like a character-art matching game, downloadable book covers and a wallpaper generator that lets you arrange characters and choose your own background image. Take advantage of the fact that you have a regular hand instead of some kind of robot head, which should greatly benefit your computer use!
It's an old complaint -- Nintendo games are too "kiddie" and the systems don't feature enough mature fare. The problem is that all gamers tend to define mature games in a different way. For some, it's all about the violence and gore, while for others, deep, thoughtful gameplay is what makes a "mature" title, whatever the rating may be.
Ishaan Sahdev has an interesting little post up over at Games.net that delves into this, in which games like Super Paper Mario and Zelda titles are examined as examples of mature titles -- as are Hotel Dusk and Trace Memory for the DS. Maybe they seem like lighthearted fare, as in the case of Super Paper Mario, or feature a youthful protagonist, as with Trace Memory, but they offer a memorable gameplay experience that can pull gamers into another world. Maybe that's not something maturity has a lock on, but Sahdev is right when saying that it usually equates to an enjoyable game. Is that really the kind of mature that we need more examples of? We're not one to shun blood and gore, but a game doesn't have to be Halo to be as engrossing as Halo. Sometimes, all it takes is an Ace Attorney, quirky characters, and interesting dialogue ... blood not required.
In a town that is run by Tom Nook and his corrupt mafia, there is nowhere to turn for justice and peace. In this town, things are so bad that even the folks that just visit occasionally, such as Pascal here, aren't safe. See, a picture speaks a thousand words, and the words that the above picture presents are a combination of "fishes" and "feed 'em to da." The fish here, of course, being the ever-dangerous shark.
The DS Life is a weekly feature in which we scour the known world for narrative images of Nintendo's handheld and handheld gamers. If you have a photo and a story to match it with, send both to thedslife at dsfanboy dot com.
When the day seems dull, devoid of any excitement or entertainment, it's nice to have a portable world to escape to ...
Though publishers aren't as big on featuring these silly poses anymore as they were during the DS's first two years, the perceptive gamers at The Platformers pointed out that we'll be receiving two new members to the outstretched-hand-boxart club next month: 
It's an old complaint -- Nintendo games are too "kiddie" and the systems don't feature enough mature fare. The problem is that all gamers tend to define mature games in a different way. For some, it's all about the violence and gore, while for others, deep, thoughtful gameplay is what makes a "mature" title, whatever the rating may be.
