Saturday, April 17, 2010

A new contender for 'cutest Mario power-up ever'

At the very least, it's on par with Kuribo's Shoe and the Tanooki Suit.


So, what does this power-up--which will debut in Super Mario Galaxy 2--do? No one outside of Nintendo knows for sure, but it seems likely it'll let players create clouds that can be used as platforms.

I'm tellin' ya, May 23rd can't come quickly enough.

Buy: Super Mario Galaxy 2

See also: 'I'm guessing this was a precursor to the propeller suit?'

Apparently the first Game & Watch titles were aimed at Japanese yuppies

At least, that was my first thought after watching this commercial from 1982:



Silly/sad fact of the day: I watched the first five seconds of this ad (Announcer: "Konpakuto?" Lady in pink: "No!") about 10 times before I wrote this post.

(Via inside-games.jp)

Friday, April 16, 2010

Free for a limited time: The First *Official* Gay Gamer NinSoft Store Buyer's Guide

Yes, I, the mighty "Gay Gamer," have agreed to take time away from my busy blogging, facebooking, Flickring and gaming schedule to write up this here "Buyer's Guide" for anyone and everyone who has a copy of WarioWare D.I.Y. but isn't sure which microgames to pick up at the NinSoft Store. (Because, you know, they're expensive--with price tags ranging from free on the low end to $0 on the high end.)

Anyway, here are my thoughts on what I consider to be the five best microgames currently on display at the NinSoft Store near you.

Mr. Wario says: "Get your butt to the NinSoft Store and buy
(i.e. download for free) these microgames!"

First, the "Big Name Games" (i.e., a series of microgames created and contributed by renowned developers):

Ikachan (by Cave Story creator Pixel, aka Daisuke Amaya)--Anyone who has played Cave Story shouldn't be surprised to hear that this game features charming, well-crafted graphics. That's not to suggest it's a purely superficial experience--in fact, I'd go as far as saying Ikachan is the deepest and most difficult of the "Big Name Games" that have hit the shelves of the NinSoft Store so far.

Line Slash (by Kirby and Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai)--This game makes me wish Sakurai would create (and share) more WarioWare microgames. For starters, the sprites are as magnificent as they are multifarious--what with the multitude of bombs and masks and peaches and whatnot. And then there's the gameplay, which, admittedly, is a bit disconcerting at first but quickly becomes delectable.

Metroid (by Yoshio Sakamoto)--In the mood for a Metroid-themed microgame? Series co-creator Yoshio Sakamoto is your man. Unfortunately, his creation is a bit on the monotonous side--all you're asked to do is shoot at a couple of wobbling Metroids. Still, it's miles better than the muck World of Goo co-creator Ron Carmel came up with (Suck Goo!).

Next, the store's "weekly games" (i.e., microgames made by regular Joes and Janes):

Finger Flex (by some gamer who goes by the name of OldRiver)--You know, I think this is the best microgame to hit the shelves of the NinSoft Store--and, yes, that means I think it's better than the three titles mentioned above. It's a bit of a "yin and yang" experience, to tell you the truth, with the adorable graphics contrasting wonderfully with the confounding (yet captivating) rock-paper-scissors gameplay.

Fright Light (by "ABBE")--This is the kind of microgame most WarioWare D.I.Y. users should shoot for, if you ask me. Its graphics are clean and classy, and its gameplay--which tasks players with tapping on ghostly creatures as they float in and out of a spotlight--is compelling. Oh, and I hate to beat a dead horse, but it's about 1,000 times better than the above-mentioned (and appropriately named) Suck Goo!

So, there you have it--the first *Official* Gay Gamer NinSoft Store Buyer's Guide. Should this edition sell in sufficient quantities, subsequent editions may find their way to virtual store shelves the world over (i.e., some random post on this blog).

If I weren't already married ...

... I'd seriously consider proposing to WarioWare D.I.Y.

Yep, I'm smitten. :)

It was love at first sight--er, play--really. I mean, as soon as I completed my first microgame (see below) I knew my heart belonged to this Goro Abe creation.


Now, I've only completed two of the game's tutorials so far (oh, and I've downloaded a bunch of the microgames that are "on display" at the NinSoft Store--more on those in a bit), so I've barely scratched the surface of what it has to offer, but I can already tell it's going to be a major time suck.

By the way, if any of you have this game and would like to swap microgames, send me your friend code. My friend code is 0775 6955 2080. I haven't added any microgames to my warehouse's storage crates yet, but I plan to do so soon.

Buy: WarioWare: D.I.Y.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Is there any chance I'll get to be this good at Ivy the Kiwi?

Hey, for once the question mark at the end of Ivy the Kiwi? worked for me instead of against me!

Anyway, back to the point at hand: Prope's upcoming DS/DSiWare/Wii/
WiiWare title, Ivy the Kiwi? Specifically, how much I'm going to suck at said game (assuming, of course, I actually buy it).

Why do I think I'm going to suck at it? Take a gander at the following:



Now, I'm guessing the person playing the game in the video above is one of its developers, but I'd be lying if I told you that made me feel better about my own prospects with this so-cute-I-could-puke platformer.

(Via siliconera.com)