MetaFilter posts tagged with games and nintendo

Dodongo dislikes wasted blocks

BlackLeotardFront — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:04:27 -0800

In a revelation that, to some, is on the order of realizing there is (or isn't) a god, it turns out that all the dungeons in The Legend of Zelda were part of the same enormous map. This seems to have some sort of transcendental importance that I can't quite put my finger on. Actually, they are part of two non-overlapping maps, each measuring 16x8 rooms, as described in this breakdown of the storage method. No map has been made of the second quest, but you can see how they fit together from the maps on this page (i.e. the yin and yang of levels 7 and 8). Interestingly, Half-Life fits together remarkably well in this manner. It is whispered that A Link To The Past does this with its dungeons as well but as they are divided into floors it is more difficult to check. Smaller backup image in case MIT goes down. Content and extra links via Reddit.

The Expurgation of Maniac Mansion

Pope Guilty — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:27:26 -0800

Douglas Crockford, who oversaw the porting of Maniac Mansion to the NES, would like for you to know how the game changed in the porting process and why.

He'd rather have a buffalo take a diarrhea dump in his ear

Christ, what an asshole — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:55:04 -0800

(NSFW) The Angry Video Game Nerd (taking a cue from seanbaby's lead) has been producing video reviews of some of the most notoriously awful NES games, from Top Gun to Bible Games. (Can't miss: The Power Glove.) Not content to go after one system, he's upgraded his range to take on other colossal failures like the Atari Jaguar, Superman 64, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (the movie). His newest series of videos, You Know What's Bullshit?, takes on everyday nuances like DVD box sets. He may be vulgar and his vignettes silly, but damn straight he's got a point. Enjoy all his archived videos here, spanning five years of obscenity-laced love/hate for his greatest passions.

"It's a Secret to Everybody"

empath — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 19:26:00 -0800

"It's a secret to everybody" -- an unbelievably comprehensive blog post about the etymologies of the names of famous (and not-so-famous) video game characters.

Vintage Game Club plays Chrono Trigger

grobstein — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:53:20 -0800

Good morning, Crono! (Cf.) Starting this Friday, the Vintage Game Club will play through the RPG classic Chrono Trigger, a game beloved and praised but perhaps not well understood. The discussion is beginning here (little substance so far). (Chrono Trigger was published for SNES and Playstation, and is available in a new Nintendo DS port.) The Vintage Game Club is an online discussion group dedicated to playing through and understanding true classics of video games. It is a project of Professor Michael Abbott (great glossy-style profile) and Metafilter's own danb (and some other dudes). Chrono Trigger is the VGC's fifth game. You can find archived discussions for the first four on the forums:

Beyond Good and Evil (warning game has deceptive title)
Oddworld: Abe's Oddyssey
Deus Ex (these discussions are really interesting; see e.g.)
Grim Fandango

Modern video games covers as classic books

ColdChef — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 18:13:30 -0800

Modern video game covers reimagined as Classic Books.

Paper. Rock. Scissors.

Bageena — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 13:23:58 -0800

In 1986, most gamers who were lucky enough to own a new video game system at home were playing the original Nintendo. It's launch in 1985, a year before the Sega Master System was launched in the states, allowed it plenty of time become the most popular console in the market, and the game Super Mario Bros. quickly became the best-selling video game of all time (a title it continues to hold, having sold over 40 million copies to date). However, even though Nintendo commanded 95% of the North American video game market at the time and the CEO of Sega made little effort to promote and market it, some people still bought and gave the Sega Master System a chance. Perhaps it was the 3-D glasses or it's unique ability to read multiple media inputs... or perhaps that the original version of the system had a secret game built right into it (and it was unbeatable!). Although the system was an underdog, it underwent several redesigns and mascot changes, ranging from Alex Kidd to, finally, Sonic in the end. When the system was redesigned around 1990, Sega finally tried to market it aggressively, but it was too late. By 1992, sales were nearly non-existent in North America (although it should be noted the console was very popular in Europe and several other countries where Nintendo did not sell consoles). Which is all too bad, because there were many brilliant, brilliant games for the SMS. For those of us lucky enough to have owned a SMS, we can delight in the nostalgia brought about by the mere mention of games such as Zillion, Alex the Kid in Miracle World, Choplifter, Ys, After Burner, Altered Beast, Phantasy Star, Hang On/Safari Hunt, and Shinobi.

Super Obama World

KokuRyu — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:27:54 -0800

Super Obama World

Contextual YouTube advertisement for Wii

nthdegx — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 03:16:52 -0800

A novel youtube page promoting Nintendo's latest platform game. The page itself adds context as the video progresses.

Let's go Nintendo

dhammond — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 22:56:22 -0800

Everything you need to know about playing Nintendo.

Our 8-bit friends

Sailormom — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 22:34:13 -0800

Pants get in the way of disaster. Playing alone because then it ends when I say it ends. No one is there to pick you up. Don't be delicate; fuck me harder. Adam Mathes on video games "I want them to love me as much as I love them and they can't, so I have to fill in the blanks myself." Nestography via

Genocide of the Marios

JHarris — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 19:44:18 -0800

Remember Super Mario Frustration? Kaizo Mario World is another of those super-hard Mario level hacks, this one of Super Mario World. Someone played through its first level 134 times, with save states, recording all his deaths, then digitally composited them into one trip through the level. The result was Many-Worlds Mario. (For those interested, here's a video of a tool-assisted perfect run of much of the game. Here's the rest. Here's some more.)

Game Center CX

chunking express — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 12:56:50 -0800

"[Game Center CX] is comedic, dramatic, even a bit mental, but altogether it’s an unforgettable show about what sounds like a forgettable concept: a guy trying to beat old Nintendo games." A longer description of the show:

This is an unofficial, detailed, episode guide for this Japanese show.Game Center CX is a video game show airing on Fuji TV’s "721" satellite network (and if you’re wondering, the show’s name comes from Fuji’s callsign, JOCX). With a heavy emphasis on retro games, the show appeals mainly to the game otaku set, but can be easily enjoyed by anyone who’s into old games and game culture. In its first season, Game Center CX was more of an interview and history show, as host Shinya Arino (in a seafoam suit typical of Japan’s bubble-era workforce) visited legendary Japanese game companies and interviewed key creators. What turned out to be more entertaining were the chousen (challenge) segments, where Arino laid his unskilled hands at one of the companies’ classic games. By the next season, Game Center CX had made the challenges the centerpiece of each episode, turning the show into something more like the stereotypical Japanese variety/reality show: a little bit louder, intense and ball-bustingly cruel. And it worked. As the seasons went on, the show started to grow in popularity, becoming a "miracle hit" (if you believe the front of the DVD boxes) and climbing to the top of 721’s ratings. From a simple description, it’s easy to call GCCX something lame and dismissive like "Iron Chef with video games," but a viewing or two is all it takes to see it’s a lot more.

Get ready to octorock

BlackLeotardFront — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 19:09:42 -0800

The only interactive Zelda overworld map you'll ever need. (Flash)
unless you're doing the second quest. Found at the ever-useful vgmaps.com

miistation.com for your mii needs

gen — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 17:27:57 -0800

If you're lucky enough to own the Nintendo Wii and are of the left brain variety, have a look at MiiStation.com, where you can submit a photo and have an artist create your Mii - you know, Mr. Potato Head for the console generation. This is real people (in Japan!) sittin' in front of the tube (probably LCDs or plasmas, maybe even OLEDs?), lookin' at your photos and wavin' that Wii wand.

STOP DOCTOR MORBIS BEFORE ITS TO LATE FOR THE CHEETAHMEN.

blahblahblah — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 09:36:40 -0800

Combining incredible hubris with deep incompetence, Active Enterprises was probably the worst game company of all time. They released precisely two games in the early 1990s. The first was the insanely horrible Action 52, (retail price: $200), which was designed to take advantage of a "silent wave of anti, far-eastern [sic] made products," and featured an unwinnable contest. More amazing, however, was the sequel to the 52nd game in their Action 52 cartridge, Cheetahmen II. Never quite the breakout hit that Active intended, perhaps because it was crippled with bizarre bugs and middle school art, the world never got to see the second issue of the Cheetahmen comic book, nor the planned set of action figures, nor their Action Gamemaster console.

R-Beeeak!

BlackLeotardFront — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 13:33:11 -0800

Blaster Master ... Solid NES Gold. Those who remember the game do so with fondness. Though critically lauded on release, and later spawning several sequels, the game was never as big a hit as its its spiritual predecessors, Metroid and Legend of Zelda. Like Super Mario Bros. 2/Doki Doki Panic, Blaster Master was based on an obscure Japanese game, in this case Chōwakuseisenki Metafight although the differences in this case are limited to the story. Blaster Master was also the first (and only "canon") book in the Nintendo Worlds of Power series, in which various authors novelized third-party games using the pseudonym "F.X. Nine." Download the Blaster Master book here (MSWord zipped, "enhanced" by a fan). Lastly, some bonus links: one, two, and three (!)

Now you're playing with power.

BlackLeotardFront — Sat, 08 Apr 2006 13:12:23 -0800

Relive your roots at NESplayer.com. This site is a huge repository for all kinds of NES stuff - it has an extensive sprite gallery, a rather comprehensive list of all NES merchandise and accessories available through the years, NES ads from comics, shots and clips from Nintendo-based TV shows(no episodes- I know - but when was the last time you thought of Captain N or the Super Mario Bros. Super Show?). There are shrines, guides, interviews, this guy who paints NES scenes... in short too much to list here. Go now, be fruitless. It's Saturday.

Bob Ross Video Game

AloneOssifer — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 06:23:47 -0800

A video game "based on Bob Ross' creative, unique and easy to learn painting techniques and TV show properties" is coming to the next-generation Nintendo system.

Good enough to cease 'n' disist

Protocols of the Elders of Awesome — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 20:37:57 -0800

Mario Adventure - SMB3 hacked into an entirely new high-quality game

Who needs network television?

Protocols of the Elders of Awesome — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 16:12:13 -0800

GameLife Video Game Review Show Episode 1

xoc - SMW

Pretty_Generic — Sat, 13 Aug 2005 06:46:03 -0800

SMW - The complete soundtrack to Super Mario World, covered by one man using dozens of instruments. Roughly in game order, faithful to the originals, with some bizarre artistic license thrown around. A private hobby made public. Dedicated to Koji Kondo.

A Gamers' Manifesto

Tlogmer — Mon, 23 May 2005 11:34:34 -0800

A Gamers' Manifesto

Bare NESessities

nthdegx — Sun, 03 Apr 2005 08:54:02 -0800

I am 8 bit is a celebration of the pixelated graphics of 80s videogames, at LA's Gallery Nineteen Eighty Eight. A hundred artists have produced paintings, sculptures and designs inspired by the two-dimensional imagery of the pre-PlayStation era. The exhibition runs from April 19 until May 20. More information, including highlights from the gallery, appear at Game Informer. It remains to be seen if the other ninety-nine artists can match the quality of Sean Clarity's exceptional reworking of the cover to NES classic Excitebike.

MetaFilter posts tagged with games and nintendo

Dodongo dislikes wasted blocks

The Expurgation of Maniac Mansion

He'd rather have a buffalo take a diarrhea dump in his ear

"It's a Secret to Everybody"

Vintage Game Club plays Chrono Trigger

Modern video games covers as classic books

Paper. Rock. Scissors.

Super Obama World

Contextual YouTube advertisement for Wii

Let's go Nintendo

Our 8-bit friends

Genocide of the Marios

Game Center CX

Get ready to octorock

miistation.com for your mii needs

STOP DOCTOR MORBIS BEFORE ITS TO LATE FOR THE CHEETAHMEN.

R-Beeeak!

Now you're playing with power.

Bob Ross Video Game

Good enough to cease 'n' disist

Who needs network television?

xoc - SMW

A Gamers' Manifesto

Bare NESessities

more retro video games, online