Super Mario Bros. Villain Auditions
Filed under: Latest News, Nintendo, Retro & Arcade, Video | Comments (0)
Ever thought about the “Bad Guys” in the Mario games?
Well I hadn’t until I saw this video of the Super Mario Bros. Villain Auditions!
And after seeing it you will to think to your self that Goombas are completely useless!
But saying this about the poor little Gombas i did find this video of a “Super Goombas!”
WarioWare?
Filed under: Latest News, Nintendo, Smash Bros. DOJO | Comments (0)
It looks like you can now play WarioWare games in Smash Bros. Brawl!
Just when I think they have put as much stuff into this game they can something like this comes along and shows me that Nintendo are the best when it comes to pulling rabbits out of hats!
In the WarioWare games, you must master a variety of micro games in 5 seconds, making them the fastest and shortest games ever. You might want to look into it in more detail.
In trying to recreate that atmosphere in Smash Bros. Brawl, we’ve created an outrageous stage: Stay dry, Dodge and Jump!
For each challenge you clear, there is, of course, a reward.
Mike Ballan @ 9:54 amCommon sense finally prevails
Filed under: Latest News, Nintendo, Sony | Comments (0)
Well common sense at least is alive and well in Holland.
Manhunt 2 will be released in Holland exaclty how Rockstar intended it to be, Dutch offcials have not stopped the title from being released or tried to censor the game in any way.
In a statement that underlines why we have a ratings system Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin said:
‘The current law is based on the principle that every adult is considered capable of deciding for himself which games he wants to play, unless it contains illegal material.’
Deciding on whether children should be allowed to play a game is currently ‘the joint responsibility of parents, the audiovisual industry and the government,’ he continued.
Mr Ballin has hit the nail on the head and is a breath of fresh air to problems associated with selling adult rated games to children, the sooner people realise you need to look at the industry as a whole and the provisions in place to stop children from buying adult material instead of blaming video games the better.
Daniel Roswell @ 7:11 pmChinese Hi Def player breaks through the $200 barrier
Filed under: Latest News, Merchandise, Video | Comments (0)For ages now there has been talk of Chinese tech firms bringing affordable High Definition to the masses, finally Venturer Electronics have delivered on that promise. In Q4 2007 there should be waves of these cut price players flooding the American market.
As the price tag subjects there is a catch, these players only output to 1080i and not a Sony PR approved 1080p however as the majority of HD TV sets currently in the wild are not 1080 native this should not prove to be too much of a problem, especially with the budget crowd who wont be hooking these up to top of the range TV sets anyway.
Whilst I am not a brand name snob per se these are the first true budget players and those wishing to fully experience HD should hold on, no doubt there will be plenty of competition in the early stages of next year, and that can only be a good thing for us consumers. For those who cant wait expect to see these at a Best Buy / Wal Mart near you soon.
Now all we need is to convince the Chinese that $200 is actually £100… something our American manufacturing cousins have not grasped yet….
Scource: Videobusiness.com
Darth Vader / Death Star Transformer
Filed under: Latest News, Merchandise | Comments (0)
Old George is not one to miss a trick, and it seems the most recent wave of Star Wars toys are shamelessly stealing taking a leaf from another well known toy range. That said it does look like one dam sweet ass toy with my only complaint being that I don’t have kids to justify such a purchase (read gf would kick my ass), which leads to a rather serious question, do Amazon.com ship to your UK work address?
To complement, they also have Chewbacca as the Millenium Falcon, which is a shame as you would really want a father and son pair in your collection. Luke… Luke… where for art tho Luke.
Richard Allen @ 1:30 pmGliding
Filed under: Latest News, Nintendo, Smash Bros. DOJO | Comments (0)
So today’s topic is gliding! And characters like Pit, Meta Knight and the Pokémon Trainer’s Charizard have wings don’t they! Well Rumor has it they can use those wings to sail through sky like gliders. But that can’t be true, can it?
Yes they can and this move I believe will make quite a difference to how the game is played!
To pull of this move you don’t have to hold down the jump button, though. At the peak of your midair jump, you can also rapidly tilt the Control Stick backward to forward to link the jump to a glide. Since its glider-style flight, you fly based on how you’re angled. You can control both your angle and your speed by pitching your “nose†up or down.
If you stall out in midair or get attacked, your flight will get cancelled.
Mike Ballan @ 10:04 amThe Victorian Wiimote?
Filed under: Latest News, Nintendo | Comments (0)
Worth1000 are running a Photoshop contest on there website to put an old-school gloss on today’s gadgets.
So I thought I would show all of you This Victorian Wiimote entry which is very clever!
Other products that have been used are: Sony PLAYSTATION®3, Victorian Secrets, FedEx, Suzuki gsx & Vintage iMac plus loads more so jump over to the site to see all the great Photoshop entries!
Mike Ballan @ 8:42 am
Master chief for sale!
Filed under: Latest News, Merchandise, Microsoft | Comments (0)Anyone with a bit of spare cash and a love for all things Halo might want to check out this eBay auction for a 7 foot statue of the Spartan Warrior. The current bid stands at $560 and has approximately 1 day left.
The seller has never opened it (except to take a few pictures!) and won it at an industry event, due to the size and shape of the item the seller is willing to deliver it to your door should you win, but be prepared to fork out for shipping too as this has not been worked out!
Happy eBaying!
Source Game Sniped
Daniel Roswell @ 12:06 amDigital Pinball
Filed under: Latest News, Merchandise, Retro & Arcade | Comments (0)In a move that will undoubtedly upset the purists somebody has gone and created a HDTV Pinball machine.
Check it out.

While i can’t help but marvel at its technical brilliance i wonder why anyone would bother to do this, the whole point of Pinball lies in its mechanical workings and the assistance of gravity, pinball has always had a tangible feel to it and this would remove that feel from the game.
I suppose you could argue this is Pinball for the digital era and the medium is no different to real world sports sims or racing game and a hint of nostalgia is clouding my judgment.
Either way the unit is available for viewing at the Palau de la Virreina in Barcelona, so anyone in Spain or planning a trip there should check it out
Source Boing Boing
Daniel Roswell @ 11:49 pmWhite PlayStation 2 anyone?
Filed under: Latest News, Sony | Comments (0)
Now we all are aware that the PS2 (yes its still around!) is having no trouble besting its big brother and also the Xbox 360 in sales every month! But Nintendo are still in the lead, so what have Sony decided to do?
Yup that’s right if you can’t beat them copy them! And that is what they are trying to do with the release of the white PS2!
So what do you get with this new coloured console I hear you say. Well with the console you also get a Wii-styled whitewashed controller, SingStar Pop, along with two mics!
And exactly how much would you expect to spend on this incredible bundle? $300? $200? No $150 US!
So does this mean there might be competition for the Wii this Christmas after all because I think this is a very good deal indeed! (Shame the PS3 can’t come up with something like this isn’t it!)
Mike Ballan @ 10:19 pmWiimote Prototype?
Filed under: Latest News, Nintendo | Comments (0)
Gizmodo.com has just reported on a Nintendo motion-sensing game pad prototype that Gyration made for Nintendo back in 2001.
And it looks like this was the bases for the Wii-mote, so who is the company? Well Gyration is a company that holds most of the best motion-sensing patents. So does this mean that the Wii has been in the making since 2001? If so I think that Nintendo have been playing a very clever game with the likes of Sony and Microsoft!

The story goes on to say that the original design was going to be more of a control pad with a breakaway handle, rather than the current Wii-mote and Nunchuk setup.
So yet again am I finding myself reassured in the fact that Nintendo have always had a game plan and this is a prime example why we should never doubt them!
Mike Ballan @ 9:05 pmVideo Games Liveâ„¢ : Philharmonia Orchestra give gamers the horn
Filed under: Events, Latest News | Comments (0)
For one night only the Philharmonia Orchestra will perfom some of the most memorable game tunes from Halo to Space Invaders. The full line up ensures there is something for everyone all crafted into a audio visual treat for the true connoisseur of all things gaming.
“Video Games Liveâ„¢ is not just a concert, but a musical, visual and interactive celebration of gaming that will enthral anyone who has ever played a video game. Whether it’s the power and passion of forthcoming Xbox 360 blockbuster Halo® 3, or nostalgia for the days of Pong and Space Invaders, Video Games Liveâ„¢ is sure to be a hit with gamers and non-gamers alike.”
Footage of past events:
Hollywood Bowl: www.videogameslive.com
San Jose: www.videogameslive.com
Bookings: www.southbankcentre.co.uk
Press release: www.mcvuk.com
Richard Allen @ 11:15 amGeometry Wars: Galaxies
Filed under: Latest News, Nintendo | Comments (0)
Geometry Wars: Galaxies is coming to the Nintendo Wii and DS!
So it has finally arrived to the Nintendo camp! But this is no port of the game that has been seen on the PS3 & X-Box 360 ohh no this is a new version of the game with a new campaign mode. This is a mission-based game where you will see your ship flying from solar system to solar system to fight the odd shaped things.
There will be new enemies, weapons, and game play types also and the best thing of all! Multiplayer yes that’s right multiplayer!

Also the Wii’s unique control system make the game play even better as quoted from wired.com:
“Geometry Wars Galaxies is way more fun on Wii than it was on the Xbox 360. I didn’t play that much of the 360 game, but the simple change — pointing with the Wiimote to aim your shots rather than use a second analog stick — made the whole thing so much more intuitive for me.”
So there you have it, the game has no official release date yet but is marked rumored to be out sometime in the fall 2007 (U.S i’m guessing!)
Mike Ballan @ 9:33 amPokémon Trainer: Special Moves
Filed under: Latest News, Smash Bros. DOJO | Comments Off
Today we have more details on the Pokémon Trainer: Special Moves!
We already know that he can change Pokémon with his down special move, but what do these Pokémon have in the way of special moves?
Well first up is:
Squirtle and His two special moves are:
- Waterfall (Squirtle splashes up the water torrent.)
- Withdraw (Is this the turtle’s so-called shell? It slides along the ground.)

Next we have: Ivysaur
He can use:
- Bullet Seed (It fires a rapid seed barrage straight up in the air!)
- Vine Whip (It grabs the edge with its whip!)

And last of all my favorite: Charizard
This guy is hard as he uses:
- Flamethrower (It does what it says on the tin!)
- Rock Smash (It smashes rocks with its head. Bam! A solid hit from this delivers a mighty blow!)

So all that is left to say is “Gotta Catch ‘em All!“
Mike Ballan @ 9:28 amMeet the Soldier
Filed under: Latest News, PC, Steam, Video | Comments (0)
Valve has released a video introduction to the Soldier in Team Fortress 2.
It’s an opportunity for anyone unfamiliar with Team Fortress to learn what to expect from TF2 when it’s released in the Orange Box in October.
Other titles included in the Orange Box are Half-Life 2, HL2: Episode One and Two, Portal and off course TF2check out the movie below.
Source Orange Box
Daniel Roswell @ 11:41 pmFludd for real!
Filed under: Latest News, Nintendo | Comments (0)Ok so this isn’t really worthy of an entry on to a gaming website, but i felt it did purely on the grounds somebody has gone out and made gaming fantasy a reality, to which we should worship him or something.
Check out a patent for what the designer is calling “Personal Propulsion Device” based around Mario’s FLUDD from Super Mario Sunshine.

Raymond Li, the inventor filled along with his designs this brief description of his “FLUDD”
Typically, flight packs include propulsion devices such as propellers, rotor blades, or rockets, which often require a highly flammable fuel in order to generate sufficient thrust for flight. In addition to having a reservoir of volatile fluid attached to the body of a pilot, the close proximity of the propeller, rotor blades, or rocket exhaust to the pilot further poses significant safety risks. … As an alternative to employing the combustion of volatile fluids to directly generate thrust, the high-pressurization of non-flammable fluids, such as water, has been proposed to create sufficient thrust in order to achieve flight.
But will it work? Only time will tell (and possibly a lot of money!)
Source Wired
Daniel Roswell @ 11:20 pmTomb Raider without cleavage… Will it sell?
Filed under: Latest News, Sony | Comments (0)
Naughty Dog seem to think so, and have taken the brave move of creating a new IP in the process, even with digial Harison Ford in a Indiana Jones outing round the corner. Regardless it does seem to take a pretty if somewhat Pitfall esque screenshot.
So if like me you had no idea about this title you may wish to checkout Joystiq’s interview at PAX for home related integration news and of course more pretty pictures.
(via www.joystiq.com)
Richard Allen @ 4:33 pmEA Sports: PS3 is Teh Lame?
Filed under: Latest News, Sony | Comments (0)All is not well with EA Sony relations, perhaps they missed the memmo informing them that the “next generation” is now..
In a recent interview with xbox evolved (so fanboys this is your escape clause) an EA dev states “The truth is the PS3’s tools and the way it works just sucks”, and goes on to detail how the current flight of EA Sports titles on the PS3 are ports of the 360 versions. This may well go some way to explain the differences in apparent quality seen in the likes of Madden. Is this because the 360 has far superior dev tools or simply because EA is a cash grabbing whore and knows the 360 has the most users at this current point? (Wii not counted) who knows, one thing is certain, whilst the Playstation faithful may have had no issues with the arguably more powerful Xbox receiving poor ports in the past they wont be happy now the boot is on the other foot.
(via xboxevolved.e-mpire.com)
Richard Allen @ 4:16 pmMario Galaxy story info revealed!
Filed under: Latest News, Nintendo | Comments (0)
Nintendo Power has revealed some story info on Nintendo’s new Mario game!
“Every hundred years a comet passes over the Mushroom Kingdom and rains down magical stars and stardust, and as Princess Peach and the citizens of the kingdom are celebrating the centennial event, Bowser and his legions attack. As Mario attempts to put a stop to Bowser’s shenanigans, but things go awry: the next thing he knows, he finds himself on a mysterious moon high above the Mushroom Kingdom.”
Sounds good well wait till you read this next bit then!
“The game will have 120 stars to retrieve and will feature 40 galaxies and six major regions. Gateway Galaxy provides a planet-hopping romp through space in which you’ll be chasing space rabbits (who are really stars), collect star chips, and fight a gargantuan Goomba to get a key and more. Star Dust Galaxy, you’ll use Beam Stars to maneuver amid space debris, journey across an old rocket, rescue toads and more. There are also multiple missions in a particular galaxy like in Egg Planet Galaxy. Cookie Factory Galaxy features plenty of moving platforms, bottomless pits and more. Power-ups include: Super Mushroom (it increases your health to max), Invincibility Star, Fire Flower, Bee Mario and Boo Mario suits.”
Now I personally can’t wait for this game to come out here and I think this could be one of the best Mario games ever made!
Mike Ballan @ 12:50 pmNintendo’s Eight Famous Franchises
Filed under: Latest News, Nintendo | Comments (1)
I came across this article today and thought it worth being talked about!
Nintendo’s Eight Famous Franchises? i hear you say well www.aussie-nintendo.com have compiled a list of well Nintendo’s Eight Famous Franchises to put it simply!
The aricle goes on to say that:
“Nintendo is one of the world’s greatest developers of video games, exclusively making content for their home consoles and handheld machines. They have a rich and diversified portfolio of varying genres in which to produce many different titles from, ranging from platformers, action/adventure and strategy games to racing, sport and RPG titles. Nintendo as a whole has sold more then 2 billion units of software and approaching 400 million hardware units. They cater to a wide audience, with philosophies strongly orientated about all access gaming. And they are headed in a vastly different direction to their competition.”
So here is the List starting at number 8!
#8 - Super Smash Bros.
#7 - Pokémon
#6 - Kirby
#5 - F-Zero
#4 - Metroid
#3 - Donkey Kong
#2 - The Legend of Zelda
#1 - Mario
So there you have it the eight most famous franchises form Nintendo!
Mike Ballan @ 12:30 pm