Nintendo Okie

Since its inception in 1986, the Zelda series has stood as one of Nintendo’s landmark series. The release of a new Zelda game creates a buzz like no other, and thanks to their relative scarcity, become a defining moment in the evolution of any console. This year we celebrated the 25th Anniversary of this legendary series, with Nintendo releasing three Zelda games in the space of 12 months – the Anniversary edition of Four Swords, a 3D remake of Ocarina of Time, and arguably the peak of the Wii’s games catalogue in the form of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. The release of Skyward Sword as a prequel brought back to the forefront of the gaming world one of the key features of the Zelda series, one that has been discussed and re-discussed countless times since the beginning of the series. That feature is of course, the timeline.

It has been argued for many years that there is an over-arcing timeline to the series, and with Nintendo confirming the existence of a master document recently, it is hard to ignore that the games of this series are all intertwined. The problem however lies with the chronological placement of these games, and perhaps most problematic of all, the placement of the pre-Ocarina of Time era games, where the games had a much more fluid and loose plot to them. The discussion of the Zelda timeline has therefore produced wildly different theories as to where games place, but now, after 25 years of intense debate, Nintendo are prepared to reveal the entire timeline in their new celebratory art book entitled Hyrule Historia. And we are pleased to be able to bring you that timeline now.

Before you read on, please be aware that there will be spoilers contained within the timeline – if you haven’t finished Ocarina of Time especially then you may want to reconsider looking at the timeline. Read more…

I had forgotten how awesome NFL Blitz was till I saw this video. Now I want to play Blitz again. You might feel the same way after watching this week’s Go Round. Not The League, not 99, just Blitz. Hot tip, everybody, when you are faking a punt don’t announce it by saying, “I’m gonna fake this punt.”

Mario Kart 7 hit stores today and we thought we’d find out what version of the game everyone in the Nintendo Okie community likes.  I’ll tell you now that I’m partial to Double Dash.  I liked the two racers per kart and it’s got some of my most favorite tracks of all time, including Baby Park, Daisy Cruiser and Wario Colisseum.  So, with that in mind, “What Mario Kart game is your favorite?”  Don’t forget to leave us a comment and let us know why.

Well, that’s pretty confusing headline isn’t it? Kid Icarus is already coming out. I’m not talking about the new Kid Icarus: Uprising set to come out early next year. I’m talking 3D Classics: Kid Icarus for the eShop. Nintendo of Europe has confirmed that is, in fact, the case. Members of Club Nintendo in Europe will get the game for free simply by registering two qualifying titles with Club Nintendo. The qualifying titles are:

Resident Evil™: Revelations
Mario Kart 7
Super Pokémon™ Rumble
SUPER MARIO 3D LAND
Tetris™
Star Fox 64 3D
Resident Evil™: The Mercenaries 3D
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
DEAD OR ALIVE® Dimensions
Steel Diver
nintendogs + cats
Pilotwings Resort
Super Street Fighter™ IV 3D Edition

So, Nintendo of America. When do we get confirmation of the same thing? Even if I have to give you $7 I’ll do it.

E3 2011 saw some of the biggest games in the industry get their first full unveiling, and since then, the world has been experiencing these games as their release approaches. Among others, PAX, GamesCom and the Tokyo Games Show have allowed Americans, Europeans and Japanese fans to get their hands on the very latest titles, and this weekend, it’s the UK’s turn. The UK’s very own Eurogamer Expo kicks off this Thursday, and I’ll be bringing you coverage of the latest and greatest games you will be playing this year and beyond!

This is the first time I’ve personally covered the Eurogamer Expo, so as it stands, I haven’t had a chance to completely nail down what coverage we will be offering you, but as it is the biggest show in the UK, expect the usual influx of trailers and screenshots, although be aware that you may have seen them before, as they could just be UK versions of the trailers. Nonetheless, I will be on the show floor on Thursday, the opening day of the show, and will be checking out some of the biggest games of the decade, which will be followed over the weekend by a series of hands-on previews from me. ‘What games are they?’ I hear you ask. Well let’s take a quick look at some of the big titles that Nintendo themselves are bringing to the show. Read more…

You know you want to be one of the lucky few that get early access to the Diablo III hack-n-slash, loot-grabby goodness, don’t you? Well, you’re in luck. Activision Blizzard announced today that they’re beginning to send out the invitations to those who will be participating in the closed beta of the upcoming dungeon crawling RPG.

The lucky folks chosen to participate will be able to play through part of Act I of the story as one of five character classes; barbarian, witch doctor, wizard, monk or demon hunter. You’ll be able to go through the game alone, or co-operatively with other adventurers while meeting some of the game’s non-playable characters and trying out the skill and crafting systems that will be available when the game goes to retail.

“This closed beta test is an important milestone for us as we enter the final stages of development on Diablo III,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “Our goal is to create the best action role-playing game experience to date, building on everything we’ve learned since the release of Diablo II and incorporating the powerful features of the new Battle.net® platform. We hope players enjoy participating in the beta test and we look forward to hearing their feedback.”

If you’re interested in getting into the beta there’s still time. You’ll need to go and create an account on Battle.net. The beta is only available in English

Well, we still don’t know yet.  It’s too early to tell at this moment, but Nintendo’s President Satoru Iwata gave some vague details about what the company is thinking about in terms of Wii U pricing. During a talk with CNBC this week he didn’t talk specifics, but he did say that he didn’t think Nintendo would be able to charge what they do for Wii across the board.

Right now Nintendo Wii software runs $50 for most titles while PS3 and 360 games that are HD quality cost more to develop so they have a bit of a premium when it comes to pricing.  Mr. Iwata did talk about this during that conversation.

“When you consider some of the most popular franchise—such as Call of Duty or Madden—the publishers can afford to affix a rather expensive price tag on that because the franchise has a premium value.  On the other hand,without an established franchise, they cannot afford to keep that expensive price tag. I believe there will be a wider price range.”

So, what will the games cost?   We’re still not going to know for a while, but I think based on his comments you’ll be able to expect a wide range of software pricing, which I think is a good thing.  It will really allow developers some freedom on what they charge based on the content of their games.

New Game Downloads Invite You to Walk Tall and Sleep Tight

Sometimes ordinary actions can lead you to extraordinary places. Case in point: this week’s lineup of new downloadable games for the Wii^™ and Nintendo DSi^™ systems. In GO Series Picdun, a dungeon-themed RPG for the Nintendo DSiWare^™ service, the simple act of walking can help you to solve scores of rich hidden-picture puzzles. InDreamwalker, your goal is just to get a good night’s sleep by overcoming a flurry of disruptive challenges. Browse hundreds of games available for instant download via the WiiWare^™ and Nintendo DSiWare services and discover just how easy it is to go from zero to maximum gaming fun. Read more…

Ah yes, its about that time again folks! I know I have been away for some time, but I am back baby! Of course it wouldn’t be much of a come back if I didn’t bring a little something to the table. That is why I have chosen to do another installment of ‘Mac’s First Hour’. For those who do not know what this little article is about, every week I take a game I have never played before and pop it in for 1 hour, and let you, the public, hear my thoughts on it. This week, I bought “Yugioh 5D’s World Championship 2011″, the newest installment for the Nintendo DS. I have always been a huge Yugioh fan, and every year I look forward to another game (AND the free cards!). As skeptic as I was about this game coming out, I did not let me fear of being let down get the best of me.

     One thing I was happy to see off the bat was the re-due of storytelling we experience as players in Yugioh 5D’s. All of our favorite characters from the popular TV Show are there, and even some new bad guys we have never heard of. For those who have not played the 2010 version of this game, Y5DWC (Yugioh 5D’s World Championship) 2011 directly relates to its predecessor. You can see some elements of the previous game in this one, and I was happy to see what my actions did in 2010, affected the beginning story of 2011. Good job Konami! More cut scenes and more talking is just fine with me, IF it has to do with what is current in the main plot. The overall feel and emotional connection you get from making decision in this game, is well worth the hours you will put into it. Read more…

If you purchased a Nintendo 3DS, you may be one of the few(million) people that have been waiting patiently for Nintendo to provide the system update this month, to gain access to the eShop and Internet Browser…
Well, Nintendo of Japan has just announced that the eShop and Internet Browser update will not be available/happen now until June 7.  What else is June 7? Yea, Nintendo’s E3 press conference.

Nintendo of America has confirmed the 3DS system update will happen on June 6, sometime in the evening.

If you purchased a 3DS day one(or since), were you looking forward to the eShop and Internet Browser update?  If so, how do you feel about this delay?

Source: Nintendo