N +

Whilst doing my early morning check of the happenings in the world (aka "Twittering"), and checking up on any exciting news that may have happened overnight (aka "checking my Game Trailers RSS"), I noticed that Google are paying tribute to Tetris' 25 year anniversary.

I know that, as Tetris was the game that came bundled with the GameBoy, it was one of the first Nintendo games I actually owned, and sure have a lot of fond memories of that tiny cartridge. It's easy to see why its appeal has lasted all these years, and it's probably up there in my top 10 games list.

Let's all take a few moments to remember this fantastic game, and pay tribute to its greatness.

What? It's not April Fool's? The folks over at Midway must have missed that memo. Surely, this has to be a joke.

Maybe not. A batch of screenshots for the upcoming Wii exclusive Cruis'n has been released on the Internet. Here's one ... cover your eyes!



You can check out the rest of the batch after the jump. I can't imagine why you'd want to... There's also some screenshots from the arcade versions... I actually think they're better.

_{via NeoGAF}

EDIT: As N+ users Melvin Garcia and drlaunch pointed out, the first screenshot I posted was not actually from Cruis'n, but from Gran Turismo 2. That pic was the in the GAF thread with the others (albeit a couple posts down), so I just assumed it was part the Cruis'n batch. I've removed it from this post, and I aplogize for the confusion. Thanks for keeping me straight guys!

Read more...

True this, everyone really loves Sonic, it's no secret. Even Shigeru Miyomoto has told that he likes sonic! that he is one of his favorite Mario clones. HAHA, well that was at a time when the market was Nintendo VS Sega. Anyway, Sega and Nintendo have shared a very fortuitous relationship these years, a very loving one at that. Nintendo knew that they needed 3rd party support, and NCL President Satoru Iwata persued that path and won. Sega itself has said that Nintendo is the kind of company that understands were they come from, and what their direction is. Sega and Nintendo, even to us 80's gamers who took sides then know this as the truth. These two companies have more in common than Gerberas and Daisys (Google those flowers if you must). Sonic truely belongs on Nintendo systems. While he may be going to X360 and BS3PS3 the previews are already comming back that, our Wii exclusive title is worlds ahead, and worlds thrown-back with our company of choice.

But the history of Sega and Nintendo is not our topic of today, not entirely. I am sure one day a blog will be written about this very subject with more in depth detail, and quotes as opposed to mental references. The question we have posed for you today is...Why is Sonic handing out Japans first Wii console? haha, its true! follow the link to IGN's story and read about how incredibly well the ginormous launch went.

N+Edit: I have also provided a link to a really good article from Yahoo News, I never really hold them credible for any thing like this but the article seems pretty unbiased and is without any views that hold no merit. I give kudos to This Yahoo News Story. I also got this fun picture of the Wii remote guy who was waiting in line.

- Captain Seagull

If you had to recommend just one game from each of Nintendo’s consoles that you have had experience with, what would you choose? Here’s your chance to sell the games that have defined your Nintendo gaming experience, and maybe give an insight into your gaming pedigree…

NES

This is the console that I have had least experience of (but not if you count the Virtual Boy, which wasn’t released in the UK – although when I find a cheap one on eBay it will be mine, I tell you!). My friend had one, and I did spend time playing on his, mainly on Probotecter (which I believe was called Contra everywhere else). 2 player co-op on that game was awesome. Although I think I’ll go for Super Mario Bros. 3 as the game of choice for the NES. In my eyes it’s the second best Mario platformer released.

Gameboy

Ah, my first Nintendo console, and one of the best. For me there is only one game that can get my vote, and that is Tetris. It was the first game I had for the Gameboy, and the one I played the most. A close second would be Pokemon Blue (live long, Squirtle Turtle).

SNES

For me this is Nintendo’s finest console, and the choice gets tricky as there are so many to choose from. Super Mario World (the best Mario platformer) has to be up there, along with Super Bomberman, F-Zero, Stunt Race FX, Starwing/fox, Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Street Fighter II Turbo, and Sensible Soccer. My chosen game, however, is Super Mario Kart. I’ve got so many fond memories of this game, and it’s one of the best race games out there.

N64

Again there are a few great games for this console, but for me it’s between three. It’s so tough, but I’m going to go for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time over Goldeneye and Perfect Dark. The latter were great on multiplayer, but for its sheer epic story and amazing gameplay, I’ve gone for Zelda.

Gameboy Advance

Again a Pokemon title will be up there (Pokemon Sapphire for me), and I enjoyed playing Warioware, but I’ve gone for Fire Emblem. I love turn based strategy games, and the story and RPG elements make this my choice over Advance Wars.

Gamecube

Although a good console, I don’t actually play that many games on the Cube any more. I only have three that I play regularly, and they are Mario Power Tennis, Fire Emblem, Path of Radiance, and Resident Evil 4, which gets my vote. It really is a great game – the control system is excellent, and the story is involving. It’s full of action, suspense, and Dr Salvador. EDIT: I completely forgot Beyond Good and Evil - a great game, but still doesn't beat Resi4

DS

Is it too early to pick just one game? If I had to right now it would be between Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, or Mariokart DS, but I’ll wait a while before making this choice…

It's a tough choice, and I'm pretty sure I've missed out a fair few games, so what are your thoughts on the matter? Do you agree with me? What choices would you make?

Feel free to post comments below, or better still, join in the discussion in the forum!

WHAT
NINTENDO MEANS

The word ‘Nintendo’ literally translates as ‘leave luck to heaven’. But to millions of people across the world, the name stands for much more. For over 100 years, Nintendo has become synonymous with pushing the boundaries of innovation and entertainment.

In the late 1800s Nintendo was founded as a small playing card company that successfully introduced ‘Hanafuda’ cards to Japan; and the company quickly grew as the demand for the cards increased. Almost a century later, in the 1980s, emerging computer technology enabled Nintendo to bring the concept of ‘play’ into a whole new era: video games.

Since then, Nintendo has continued to evolve new and better ways to play: from the introduction of immersive 3D graphics with the Nintendo 64 system to the ‘go-anywhere’ gaming offered by the hugely successful Game Boy and, more recently, Nintendo DS.

Now in its third century, Nintendo takes a further step into the future with the release of its latest home console system, Wii. Wii re-writes the video game rulebook with a motion-sensitive control system that removes the barrier between the player and the game – making complex controls a thing of the past.