Review: Paper Mario Sticker Star

 Review, Video Games  No Responses »
Dec 262012
 

To this day, I still love my Nintendo 64. Numerous games from its amazing library stand out, but one that really captured my attention was Paper Mario. The cute and clever RPG brought me hours of fun, and I’m not ashamed to say I played through the game six times. Other games in the series followed, but I never had the chance to play another…until now. Recently, Nintendo released Paper Mario: Sticker Star for the 3DS. Could this game fill me with the same sense of enjoyment and childhood wonder as the original?

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Oreo Celebrates New Super Mario Bros. 2 Launch

 Food, News, Tribute, Video Games  No Responses »
Aug 192012
 

Who doesn’t love Oreo cookies? In celebration of their 100 year anniversary, Oreo has been releasing a cool Oreo themed picture each day since June 25th (Gay Pride, which sparked predictable controversy), which commemorates a particular event in history. They’re called “Daily Twists.” Today’s “Daily Twist” happens to be a golden Mario one for the release of New Super Mario Bros. 2, which of course has a golden coins theme.

You can see all the “Daily Twists” here.

Some of my favorite ones include July 15th (Twitter’s six year anniversary), July 19th (The Dark Knight Rises in theaters the next day), July 23rd (the Tour de France ends), August 5th (Mars rover lands), and August 12th (Shark Week begins).

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E3 2012: Nintendo Conference Recap

 Commentary, Recap, Video Games  No Responses »
Jun 152012
 

And last of the Big Three conferences is Nintendo’s.  With the new Wii U console looming, Nintendo had a much larger task this E3.  Rather than coasting, which is what Microsoft and Sony seemed to do, Nintendo had to sell the Wii U to the audience.  Nintendo started off pretty strong with this.  They aired a pre-E3 presentation, which illustrated the Wii U’s numerous features.  Many of the features listed were pretty cool, and were set to literally appeal to every audience: casuals, core gamers, you name it.  However, once we get to their conference, things start to go downhill.

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7 Successful Video Games That Seemed Like Flops

 Analysis, Video Games  No Responses »
Jun 142012
 

Let’s be honest here – videogame companies can sometimes play us for chumps. They want that initial $60 we offer up after rushed production, cut corners, and overblown advertising. Even the most fail-proof games can be horrifying disasters.

But at the same time the most bizarre game concepts, designs, and stories have turned out to be some of the best games in gaming history, despite the strange ideas behind them. So here’s my list (completely subjective of course) of the top 7 Would-Be-Flops Successful Videogames. Why? Because sometimes you gotta try a crazy idea to get results!

7) Kingdom Hearts

Why it seemed like a flop:  Freaking Disney? What self-respecting adult is going to play a game loaded to the brim with Disney characters and cutesy designs and probably some less than mature themes? More so, it tries to market itself to players of JRPGS, a generally older crowd, while keeping the Disney feature front and center, obviously for younger kids.

Why it works:  Nostalgia is a more powerful tool than most give it credit for. I mean, sure, we all SAY we’re too old for Disney but we’re never too old. Fighting against your favorite Final Fantasy characters is great, but fighting alongside Donald and Goofy? Going to the worlds of your favorite characters from all the movies? Defeating the Boogey Man, Ursula, and Captain Hook? EPIC EPIC EPIC!!!

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Objection! – E3 Predictions, Guesses, and Crazy Theories

 Commentary, Video Games  No Responses »
May 242012
 

Laevatein: Hey everyone, Laevatein here!

Kaushik: Kaushik here.

Laevatein: And today, we thought we’d debate about what could happen in E3! Now Kaushik, to start, is there anything you really want to see at E3?

 

Kaushik: Well, for starters, I’m really looking forward to details on the Wii U. There’s a lot to learn, and a lot ot sell me on. Hopefully nintendo can knock this one out of the park for me… Though I’m not certain they will. Besides that, there’s the handhelds, 3DS and Vita. I’m expecting some more from them since they’re still relatively new to the scene.

Laevatein: Yeah, this year’s E3 seems to be make or break for the Wii U. Though I think as long as they can show they have strong third party support, it’ll be golden. I’m sure they won’t fail on first party games, what with Mario, Zelda, the new Super Smash Bros., Retro Studios, and Monolith Soft. However, considering how Nintendo’s conferences went in the past, I don’t believe we’ll see pricing. Though I don’t think they’ll show too much more of the 3DS, since that already seems to be established. Less so with the Vita.

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