The Game Factory's Damien Sarrazin is spilling the beans on Nintendo. Apparently, Nintendo is looking to reach out to alternative retailers, as the company has pretty much done all it can with the traditional video game retail space, says Sarrazin.
"There is nothing more you can do in the usual places where you would expect to find videogame hardware and software." says Sarrazin. He goes on further to say "So, the only way they can expand their presence is to access alternative retailers - and in order to do that, they need to come up with the right offering." And Sarrazin's company believes they have the right offering in Zenses, a line-up of DS puzzle games targeted at female gamers.
Nintendo met The Game Factory recently at their media summit to see if Zenses was a title they'd be interested in. "We've created a game so that you can take a break from your daily routine and sort of take a mental vacation," he says. No word on if Nintendo was interested in the title, though.
So the DS has been on the receiving end of some great games from Nintendo's most popular franchises. We had the excellent Phantom Hourglass, the million-billion-selling New Super Mario Bros. and some solid installments in the Animal Crossing and StarFox franchises. But what's next?
Which one of Nintendo's franchises do you want to see hit the DS next? A new Punch-Out!!! game? Or what about the next installment in the Pikmin franchise? What would you like to see from Nintendo?
Well, not all of it. This is more about the highlights, the big news of the year. The kind of stuff that we should look back to and highlight as being memorable in 2007. It's been one hell of a year; a roller coaster ride of hits and misses. So, grab your admission ticket, buckle yourself in and join us for this look back at the news of 2007.
He created Mario, Donkey Kong, and Zelda. He has been indirectly responsible for using up thousands of hours of our lives. We sort of want him to be our Dad. Yes, Nintendo design guru and general gaming god Shigeru Miyamoto turned 55 years young today (hasn't he aged well?), so it felt only right that we took the time to wish Shiggy many happy returns.
Here's to a long and prosperous future, sir! One with lots of cake.
The combination of half-time shows, videogame medleys and marching nerds is nothing new, but this could be the best example we've seen yet. The footage above was shot at the UC Berkeley versus Washington State game earlier this month, and sees a rigorously drilled band belting out a string of songs from a glut of Nintendo favorites, including Zelda, Mario, and Pokemon. We only hope some of the crowd can appreciate the brilliance that's unfolding before them.
It's the formations that really make it for us, though. That bit with the flag at the end is an absolute win in our book.
Frequenters of the NSider forums are already aware that Nintendo has closed up shop indefinitely. All in the name of repairs, Nintendo says that Nintendo.com on the whole is receiving a huge overhaul and closing up the forum is just a byproduct of ensuring success with the update. So, until we hear word from Nintendo, might we suggest you folks try othersites for your Nintendo-related debate?
When we first received our package from Nintendo containing Brain Age 2, we were anxious to see how this game would distinguish itself from the original. Then, we realized we were insane and that Brain Age 2 would probably be the exact same thing as the first title, only with boxart of a different color.
Are you a fanatical collector of all things Nintendo? Do you need something prismatic to circulate air in your newborn's nursery? Or are you as much a Nintendo fanboy as we are, and just think something like this is TOTALLY SWEET?
According to the auction, the fan was produced in 1988 and is still in good working condition. The sale ends at 11:57 AM tomorrow morning, so be on the lookout for auction snipers. Currently sitting at $51.00 USD, it's a steal even by ordinary ceiling fan standards. And you can rest assured, with this colorful relic of Nintendo's bygone hegemony wafting cool air down upon you, no one will doubt your allegiance to the boys in Kyoto.
Slide Adventure Mag Kid was a game about which we knew nothing at all but the control method. That was enough-- it's a special stand/controller that attaches to your DS and reads movement as you slide the whole thing around. In this video, you can get a glimpse of not only the controller, but the actual game, which casts you as a segmented caterpillar-type creature exploring a house.
You're still going to have to wait for a jumping, bump-hitting, dive-taking peripheral before there's even a chance of that Crocodile Mile game you've always dreamed of.
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 gmail dot com.
Though the Game Boy brand's days are numbered, making way for Nintendo's dual-screened future and profit plans, at least one young gamer is doing his part to keep the old, gray brick's memory alive. Step past the post break for the full story and this week's edition of The DS Life.
Reader capnwang wrote in to tell us of a Pokemon tournament going on at select GameStop stores. Taking place this Saturday, July 21st, the tournament demands you bring your DS and team of Pokemon in-store for the chance to win a copy of Pokemon Battle Revolution. In calling our local GameStop, they aren't having a tournament there, but acknowledged that other stores are doing it.
Plan on running down there this weekend to rock your Pokemon?
If The Martian DS looks a little rough on the edges, it's because the title was originally created by a team of three for a 72-hour game development competition four years ago. The resulting project is actually quite impressive, considering, and we're happy to see that one of the original developers took the time to create a homebrew port of it for the DS.
Short but sweet, The Martian DS is a side-scrolling shooter in the vein of Alien Hominid. Players roam the city picking up weapons and power-ups while dodging constant gunfire from the local law enforcement. The game really suffers from the lack of a soundtrack, but the original character sprites, especially the donut-heaving boss, makes up for it.
There isn't much to these latest clips from The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, which makes our job of presenting them that much more difficult. Still, what little we do get to see has us intrigued, as Link hauls around some pieces of the triforce and chats with his annoying little fairy cohort. If you're as excited as we are for the game (we're going to assume you're more excited), then you want to see any and all things related to Phantom Hourglass, so head on over and watch the videos.
Just when you think we've established what the Nintendo DS is capable of graphics-wise, homebrew developer Phillip Bradbury comes along and smashes those preconceptions with a Videlectrix port for the ages. If you thought Population: Tire shook the scene with its innovative touchscreen controls, prepare to be brought to your knees by Secret Collect. Epic in every sense of the word, this remake is half Indiana Jones, half God of WarThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time:
"The greatest secrets man has ever known have been scattered all over the globe and its [sic] your job to find them."
Homestar Runner's Strong Bad stars in the game, represented by a magnificently detailed, red square. You'll navigate the agile hero through fifteen blocky mazes and collect yellow squares to advance to the next spine-tingling level. Picking up the blue power-ups (also squares) will boost your speed, keeping you ahead of the labyrinths' treacherous monsters -- so treacherous, they're invisible to the naked eye!
The original Flash version is also available online for those of you who either lack the tools to play homebrew games or don't have enough room on your hard drive for the 18KB download.
We can honestly say we haven't purchased this game because of all the controversy surrounding it, however now that news hits that those affected by the broken carts are receiving the promised replacements, we're feeling a bit more confident. And, even though SNK Playmore took longer than we would've initially thought to help those in need, we think if there are any more problems from here on out, we'd be covered.
Did any of you send in for a replacement cartridge? Receive it yet?
The Game Factory's Damien Sarrazin is spilling the beans on Nintendo. Apparently, Nintendo is looking to reach out to alternative retailers, as the company has pretty much done all it can with the traditional video game retail space, says Sarrazin.
