It’s rare that the art world and the video game world collide; but when they do, it’s usually in some surprising ways. This installation, titled “Moving Mario,” was created by Keith Lam to simulate the experience of playing Super Mario Bros. using a more physical medium. Using a small controller, a “player” can move Mario through a short level by moving the whole TV from side to side. Of course, if he was trying to simulate the effect of the game, wouldn’t it be the background that would scroll instead of the television?

Via The Demos

People gripe a lot about shelling out cash for new Virtual Console versions of classic game. It’s not hard to understand why, considering many people probably owned these titles years ago and finding free (but illegal) ROMs for these same games can be found online quite easily. With all that in mind, it’s only natural gamers would feel a little cheated by a $5 price tag for the original Super Mario Bros. But is it really cheaper to scour garage sales and eBay for the used copies of your favorite titles rather than downloading them onto the Wii?

Well, JJ Hendricks, author of the Video Game Price Charts Blog set out to answer that question. He put together a detailed chart comparing the price of every single Virtual Console title to their cost on VideoGamePriceCharts.com on January 24th just to see which was cheaper. The results were…surprising:

Yep, that’s right. Seems it really is cheaper to just download the VC version rather then tracking down an actual cartridge; a lot cheaper, unless you’re looking for NES games. Of course some titles skew the final results quite drastically — TurboGrafx-16 games cost at least $20 each for the most part, as opposed to their $6 VC price tag. Besides which, the way I’ve always looked at it is the Virtual Console allows anyone a chance to relive an old classic and not just the guy who won the final eBay bid. Now, what’s say we get some Tetris Attack on there?

Via Vintage Computing and Gaming

Lately, we have heard only good things about Super Smash Brothers Brawl, but now a Japanese game developer who uses the alias “JC Barnett” has expressed concern for the new Nintendo Wii title. Surprisingly, I basically agree with his opinions of Super Smash Brothers Brawl and the Nintendo Wii. He believes that this game will confirm the fact that the Wii is not appealing to hard-core gamers and that future developers need to stick to casual games for the system. He also mentions that he believes that the Wii may not even be part of the current console war. I have believed that for a while, but it’s not a very popular opinion to have these days. I have always felt like the Wii had a different market than the Xbox 360 and PS3, but somehow people find that hard to believe. For whatever reason, fanboys tend to get all bent out of shape when you mention that the Wii is a “casual” system. I’m not sure why because it really is a casual gaming option.

Is the Wii the wrong system for a game such as Super Smash Brothers Brawl? I’d have to say with certainty that it probably would have been better on the Sony PS3 or Xbox 360. Considering it’s only on the Wii, it will probably sell really well though, at least for a while. I hope you fanboys out there don’t try to go off on me for this opinion. There’s nothing wrong with the Nintendo Wii, but it’s certainly just a different kind of system than what you get with the 360 and PS3.

Here’s what he had to say:

As a spurious prediction I’d say we may see a promising start with the usual drop-off over the next few months and sales figures that would make anyone proud but that are still lower than expected, a bit like Super Mario Galaxy. If Sumabura [Super Smash Bros. Brawl] doesn’t sell that well it would be proof positive that the Wii isn’t a hard-core friendly platform. I suspect already that it isn’t, but a title like this could prove it once and for all.

This also means the Wii is out of the “console war”. It has its own market distinctly different from its competitors, whom must fight amongst themselves for their own top spot. Both Microsoft and Sony are making wooing noises to the casual market but they’ll have a hard time stealing customers from the big N.

So any publisher looking to make money on the Wii must squarely look at casual and avoid hard-core at all costs.

Via VGM

Nine times out of ten, if someone is recreating a video game song somewhere, it’s going to be the them from the original Super Mario Bros. (well, if you don’t count the recent renditions of “Still Alive” from Portal, that is). For a change though, it looks like the second game in the series is getting a little love with this video of someone jamming on the drums to the theme from Super Mario Bros. 2. Sure the game was basically a re-skinned version of the Japanese platformer, Doki Doki Panic, but it still holds a special place in many a gamer’s heart, as does the instantly recognizable theme. Besides which, I never realized just how hard it could be to play those songs on the drums. If the actual music wasn’t playing over this video, I’d swear the guy was just some drummer from a crazy rock band.

Fellas, when you see an adult film actress performing in one of her movies, do you immediately think, Hmm, I wonder what games she plays? Yeah, me neither, but I guess the question popped into someone’s head, based on the video above. While most people traveled to the Adult Video Network Convention in Las Vegas recently to get autographs from their favorite porn stars, Mike Antebi of DPAD went to ask some of the actresses what their favorite games are. Most of them answered with classic titles that almost anyone has played before, like Pac-Man, Tetris, and Super Mario Bros. However there were a few that noted Halo, Guitar Hero, and Rock Band, so not all of them are out of the current gaming loop. So the next time one of these actresses just happens to magically appear on your TV or computer, just remember, Hey, she likes Super Mario Bros. I’ll be sure to let you know if a new genre of “gamer porn” emerges anytime soon.

Via DPAD

Today’s Smash Bros. Dojo update reveals a new arena with “The Mushroomy Kingdom.” The “y” is due to the fact that Mario’s literal stomping grounds have seen better days (*insert joke about soil erosion, global warming, and other environment concerns). This arena will scroll by, recreating World 1-1 from the original Super Mario Bros. game as the fighters battle. This will provide a number of obstacles and traps for you and your opponents to work around. Occasionally, the arena will load in the underground level of World 1-2. This game can not come soon enough.

Via Smash Bros. Dojo

Nintendo recently announced its DS and Wii line-up for the first half of 2008 and the respective months in which you can expect the games to hit stores. The gaming giant has promised consumers more than 80 DS and 65 Wii titles during the first half of the year, and 90% of these new games are third-party titles. Only 5 of the DS and 4 of the Wii titles are coming from Nintendo and I have posted the full list of upcoming titles below.

The following Nintendo titles are slated for the first half of the year, but have yet to have a release date or month announced: Mario Kart Wii is scheduled for a Spring release, and Wii Fit will be released sometime during Q2; Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers in Darkness for the DS during Q2.

The following third-party titles from LucasArts for both the DS and Wii are scheduled for a spring and summer release respectively: LEGO: Indiana Jones and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Wii Titles

January

• Endless Ocean (Nintendo)
• No More Heroes (Ubisoft)
• Samurai Warriors: Katana (KOEI)

February

• Baroque (Atlus USA)
• Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 (Ubisoft)
• Dream Pinball 3D (SouthPeak Games)
• Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore (Konami)
• London Taxi: Rush Hour (Destineer)
• MX vs. ATV Untamed (THQ)

March

• Alone in the Dark (Atari) —- UPDATE: Coming in May
• Destroy All Humans: Big Willy Unleashed (THQ)
• Ninja Reflex (EA)
• Nitro Bike (Ubisoft)
• Okami (Capcom)
• Super Smash Bros. Brawl
• Target: Terror (Konami)
• Worms: A Space Oddity (THQ)

April

• Pro Evolution Soccer (Konami)
• Wild Earth: African Safari (Majesco)

May

• King of Fighters: The Orochi Saga (SNK Playmore)
• Speed Racer (Warner Bros. Games)
• The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (Disney Interactive)
• THE DOG Island (Ubisoft)

June

• Catch of the Day (EA)
• Cooking Mama Cook Off 2 (Majesco)
• DeBlob (THQ)
• Rygar: The Battle of Argus (Tecmo)
• Wall-E (THQ)

DS titles are listed after the break.

Source: GamesInsudtry.biz

Read the full article

The following video is from the popular news show “Inside Edition” back in 1988 when Mario and Luigi were the talk of the video game town. Our Public Relations / Marketing Manager Daniel “BB” Perez discovered this awesome blast from the past. The story in the video describes how children play Super Mario Bros. to enter a fantasy world full of danger and excitement. According to the story, Nintendo sold 11 million units of the game in 3 years.

Some interesting aspects of Mario Bros. is also covered in this clip. One question raised in the story is “Are Mario and Luigi’s last name Mario?” The video is wrong by stating that they have no last name. In actuality, their last name is Mario. So the characters full names are Mario Mario and Luigi Mario. We also learn a little bit about who Mario and Luigi really are. They are the best in all of us.

Enjoy this video on Gaming Today’s Old-School Sunday. It’s been 20 years since this episode aired and Mario is still going strong.

Sega has released a whole batch of new screens for their upcoming game, Sega Superstars Tennis. It’s basically a tennis game crammed with a bunch of familiar faces from past Sega games. Apparently Sega is taking a cue from the Mario franchise and trying to whore out their characters to a bunch of sports titles. I won’t be surprised at all is baseball and soccer games get announced soon. Does this mean Sonic will be in a good game next year other than Smash Bros. Brawl? I doubt it. You can check out all the new screens for the game here.

Kirby is one of my all-time favorite characters from Nintendo. Call me crazy, but it’s always just fun to play as a little pink puffball that can swallow enemies and absorb their powers. And that’s why it is an unhappy moment for me when I discover that a recent issue of the UK mag, Official Nintendo Magazine, revealed that there currently is no Kirby game in development for the Wii. In a section titled, “Ask Nintendo,” one reader inquired about such a game and received this response:

There are no plans right now for a Kirby game on Wii but there are plenty of Kirby fans out there, so in the meantime look out for Kirby in the upcoming Super Smash Bros. Brawl which will be released in 2008.

Come on, Nintendo, this isn’t how it’s supposed to work. For over a decade you’ve been milking all your recurring franchises (Zelda, Mario, Metroid, etc.) for everything they’ve got, but you aren’t even thinking about showing Kirby some love? I mean, if you’re going to beat a dead horse, you have to make sure you beat the whole horse.

Via GoNintendo