12.25.2005
Merry Christmas
I thought I would get a quick post in and say somethng nice to all those tens of tens of people that read our blog. Anyway Christmas is upon us and I am playing with my new toys. My lovely girlfriend got me Worms 4 for Xbox and Need For Speed Most Wanted for the Xbox360. She also got me some great stuff like Philly Eagles blanket, a Philly Eagles teddy bear( make fun of the bear and DIE!) and a Philly Eagles hoodie. Well there isn't much to say so I will post again later, plus Julie is almost done making her team on Worms 4. Peace.
12.19.2005
Sin & Redemption: Part 3
Sin and Redemption
First-Born Brilliance
Before Entertainment Analysis and Development (EAD) became Shigeru Miyamoto's playground and, as such, became Nintendo's flagship internal development house, all of your favorite NES games were made by a not-so-originally-named Nintendo Research and Development 1 (NR&D1). From Metroid to Kid Icarus to The Legend of Zelda, it was all thought up and executed there. But this small subsidiary didn't just program software; no, they also designed hardware. And in 1989, they released their masterpiece, headed up by our old friend Gunpei Yokoi: the Game Boy.
Featuring an 8-Bit processor and four shades of gray, it wasn't much to look at, but its smart design and killer applications (some would say that Metroid II: The Return of Samus is one of the best handheld games ever released) made it a hit among audiences the world over. Even in a small English independent gaming studio...
Jez San and the Argonauts
Part 3:
The Game Boy Gaijin
The Game Boy Gaijin
First-Born Brilliance
Before Entertainment Analysis and Development (EAD) became Shigeru Miyamoto's playground and, as such, became Nintendo's flagship internal development house, all of your favorite NES games were made by a not-so-originally-named Nintendo Research and Development 1 (NR&D1). From Metroid to Kid Icarus to The Legend of Zelda, it was all thought up and executed there. But this small subsidiary didn't just program software; no, they also designed hardware. And in 1989, they released their masterpiece, headed up by our old friend Gunpei Yokoi: the Game Boy.
Featuring an 8-Bit processor and four shades of gray, it wasn't much to look at, but its smart design and killer applications (some would say that Metroid II: The Return of Samus is one of the best handheld games ever released) made it a hit among audiences the world over. Even in a small English independent gaming studio...
Jez San and the Argonauts
12.14.2005
Sin & Redemption: Part 2
Sin & Redemption
By: Karl Castaneda
Part 2
NEStastic!
Early Days
While most people are aware that the NES/Famicom revolutionized gaming forever, they aren't aware that Nintendo was slow to gain momentum when the console was first released in its native Japan. The most famous of criticisms for the system was that it was unreliable; cart-reading errors and freezing were commonplace (Note: This is just another example of a Nintendo trait Sony would later copy). Of course, this was not up to the standard of the proud Hiroshi Yamauchi, so it wasn't too long before a product recall was ordered and the Famicom was re-shipped with a new motherboard. By the end of 1984, the Famicom was the best-selling console in Japan. And it made Hiroshi wonder...
Would this sell in other countries?
In a move that was equally ambitious and arrogant (Note: This ever-growing war of ambition and arrogance will be a recurring theme of Sin and Redemption), Nintendo showed a re-designed Famicom at the 1985 Computer Electronics Show. Now called the NES, Nintendo would go on to monopolize the industry that was still recovering from the video game crash of the early 80's.
By: Karl Castaneda
Part 2
NEStastic!
Early Days
While most people are aware that the NES/Famicom revolutionized gaming forever, they aren't aware that Nintendo was slow to gain momentum when the console was first released in its native Japan. The most famous of criticisms for the system was that it was unreliable; cart-reading errors and freezing were commonplace (Note: This is just another example of a Nintendo trait Sony would later copy). Of course, this was not up to the standard of the proud Hiroshi Yamauchi, so it wasn't too long before a product recall was ordered and the Famicom was re-shipped with a new motherboard. By the end of 1984, the Famicom was the best-selling console in Japan. And it made Hiroshi wonder...
Would this sell in other countries?
In a move that was equally ambitious and arrogant (Note: This ever-growing war of ambition and arrogance will be a recurring theme of Sin and Redemption), Nintendo showed a re-designed Famicom at the 1985 Computer Electronics Show. Now called the NES, Nintendo would go on to monopolize the industry that was still recovering from the video game crash of the early 80's.
12.12.2005
Sin & Redemption: Part 1
Sin & Redemption
Nintendo is a company very dear to my heart, as well as to the hearts of millions of gamers out there. And while we associate the name with the developer (and therefore the genius of Shigeru Miyamoto), many people choose not to look at the dark side of the corporation; the business side. And it’s with this in mind that we won’t be focusing so much on the fantastic level design of Super Mario Bros. 3, more on the strategically planned U.S. release of the FamiCom, of the great blunder of the N64 cart. The Sins of the Father in Hiroshi Yamauchi, and the Redemption of the Son in Satoru Iwata, for better or for worse, this is Nintendo.
Nintendo is a company very dear to my heart, as well as to the hearts of millions of gamers out there. And while we associate the name with the developer (and therefore the genius of Shigeru Miyamoto), many people choose not to look at the dark side of the corporation; the business side. And it’s with this in mind that we won’t be focusing so much on the fantastic level design of Super Mario Bros. 3, more on the strategically planned U.S. release of the FamiCom, of the great blunder of the N64 cart. The Sins of the Father in Hiroshi Yamauchi, and the Redemption of the Son in Satoru Iwata, for better or for worse, this is Nintendo.
12.09.2005
The Biggest Innovations Of The Game Industry
When we think of Innovations in the game industry we normally think of Nintendo. The reason we think Nintendo is because they have done stuff that helped push the industry forward. They created the first controller with a four way digital pad (NES), they created the first analog controller (Nintendo 64), introduced us to 32bit handheld gaming (GBA), and even let us shake our groove “thang” way before DDR revolutionized the arcade industry with the Nintendo Power Pad (NES). But what other innovations are there that seem to have escaped our minds? Here’s a small list I compiled of the things Nintendidn’t. That’s right I went there.
Dual Analog Sticks – Sony Playstation
Sure Nintendo invented the analog stick, but Sony perfected the idea by having two of them. Throughout the PSone’s lifecycle only a few games every truly used the second analog stick. Most of those games were first person shooters or Adventure games that used it to rotate a camera around much like the C-buttons on the N64 controller did for Mario64. But those games were far and few in between and it appeared for awhile that a second analog was nothing but a novelty item. Enter the PS2 and the Xbox. When both consoles emerged, a slew of new games ranging from RPGs to Platformers to FPSs, appeared and utilized both sticks for not only camera movement but for extra innovative control schemes.
Dual Analog Sticks – Sony Playstation
Sure Nintendo invented the analog stick, but Sony perfected the idea by having two of them. Throughout the PSone’s lifecycle only a few games every truly used the second analog stick. Most of those games were first person shooters or Adventure games that used it to rotate a camera around much like the C-buttons on the N64 controller did for Mario64. But those games were far and few in between and it appeared for awhile that a second analog was nothing but a novelty item. Enter the PS2 and the Xbox. When both consoles emerged, a slew of new games ranging from RPGs to Platformers to FPSs, appeared and utilized both sticks for not only camera movement but for extra innovative control schemes.
12.08.2005
Wise fwom your gwave
Many moons ago the company known as Acclaim filed for bankruptcy and was no more. Acclaim was infamous for games like Turok, Dave Mirra BMX, and a house old of really crappy games. Well it appears I am very late with breaking this news since gamespot announced their resurrection. But I actually discovered Acclaim "coming soon" website back in April of this year and I emailed them back in November to get the scope. Their response to my question reads as follows.
"Actually, we are new company that acquired the Acclaim trademarks and logo. We are planning to relaunch the brand shortly. We will provide you with a press release once we are ready. Thanks for contacting us. Best."
There you have it. After the gamespot article it would appear that they aren't going to become the same acclaim of old. the "new" Acclaim will be focusing on bringing over MMO's from the far east. For a moment I was hoping that when they said that they have Acclaim's trademarks that in turn would also mean their properties and games of the games minus the Turok license. I guess I was wrong.
"Actually, we are new company that acquired the Acclaim trademarks and logo. We are planning to relaunch the brand shortly. We will provide you with a press release once we are ready. Thanks for contacting us. Best."
There you have it. After the gamespot article it would appear that they aren't going to become the same acclaim of old. the "new" Acclaim will be focusing on bringing over MMO's from the far east. For a moment I was hoping that when they said that they have Acclaim's trademarks that in turn would also mean their properties and games of the games minus the Turok license. I guess I was wrong.
12.05.2005
Life As A Gamer Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
By Guest Writer Zach Miller
When I was sixteen, my friend Luke Nielson and I took a biology class at the University (UAA). Being homeschooled, we were allowed to take college courses for both high school and college credit. The class was a lecture/lab, and my dad had made me a deal: If I could pull off an A in both parts, he would buy me a Nintendo 64. I remember going into the final weeks of both classes with B’s over my head. I studied like mad but couldn’t muster the mental stamina necessary to recall all the different parts of a human heart. Happily, I found out that I could get extra credit in the lab by writing a paper regarding some aspect of my group’s dissected fetal pig which we had lovingly named “Babe” (“Babe vists the Bio lab” was written on its storage bag). I wrote about endothermy and dinosaurs, which came as no surprise to instructor, who gave me an A in the lab. The lecture final proved to be much more difficult, however, In order to pull off an A, I would need to scare an 89. I met my professor a week after the test to pick up my grade. I’d gotten an 88, and my heart sank. I noted that he had given me one extra credit point for drawing interesting pictures on the blackboard before each class and for my good questions. The next day, we went to Costco and bought an N64 Ocarina of Time bundle. I still play it to this day.
When I was sixteen, my friend Luke Nielson and I took a biology class at the University (UAA). Being homeschooled, we were allowed to take college courses for both high school and college credit. The class was a lecture/lab, and my dad had made me a deal: If I could pull off an A in both parts, he would buy me a Nintendo 64. I remember going into the final weeks of both classes with B’s over my head. I studied like mad but couldn’t muster the mental stamina necessary to recall all the different parts of a human heart. Happily, I found out that I could get extra credit in the lab by writing a paper regarding some aspect of my group’s dissected fetal pig which we had lovingly named “Babe” (“Babe vists the Bio lab” was written on its storage bag). I wrote about endothermy and dinosaurs, which came as no surprise to instructor, who gave me an A in the lab. The lecture final proved to be much more difficult, however, In order to pull off an A, I would need to scare an 89. I met my professor a week after the test to pick up my grade. I’d gotten an 88, and my heart sank. I noted that he had given me one extra credit point for drawing interesting pictures on the blackboard before each class and for my good questions. The next day, we went to Costco and bought an N64 Ocarina of Time bundle. I still play it to this day.
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