Great games blog

We all know that emulation download sites are disease-riddled virtual cathouses, designed to inject your unassuming computer with any number of viruses, spywares and trojan horses — that’s why we can’t help but be intrigued by this recently unveiled USB adapter for SNES game cartridges, which was lovingly crafted by modder matthias_h.

The adapter looks incredibly easy to use — plug in a game cart, then boot or copy the SMC file found therein. Just like that, you’re playing your favorite SNES titles — and without contracting incurable cases of e-syphilis from “russian porn sites.” Check out the video demo after the jump!

[Via Engadget]

Continue reading USB SNES cartridge adapter will keep your PC clean

USB SNES cartridge adapter will keep your PC clean originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 21 Jun 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nintendo E3 2009 checklist:

• Mario? *check*
• Zelda? *check*
• Metroid? *check*

Are we missing something? Head past the break to find out!

Continue reading E3 2009 highlights: The Nintendo roundup

E3 2009 highlights: The Nintendo roundup originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nintendo president Satoru Iwata mentioned in a recent interview that the company had a new handheld all set to go in the last three years, but ultimately decided to scrap the plan. Speaking with CNBC, Iwata declined to give any further details about the product, but did say that the most important thing for Nintendo when releasing new hardware is to maintain “momentum.” Iwata implies that the new handheld would not have accomplished that goal.

History lesson time: Many moons ago Nintendo discussed the “three pillar strategy” for its hardware. It was to be the console (Gamecube, then Wii) and the two handhelds (Game Boy and DS). With the runaway success of the DS, and now the DSi, it seems the third pillar became vestigial. Perhaps one day we’ll see what this mysteriously scuttled handheld was meant to be.

Nintendo canceled new handheld in last three years originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 07 Jun 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Listen — not every game at E3 is a winner. The Joystiq heavyweights get to go play all the big games and interview all of the developer hotshots, and that’s the stuff you love reading about. But some of us are down in the trenches, doing all of the demos that no one else wants to do, checking out all the games whose names are read around the schedule planning table, and answered only with the silence of bloggers who have better games to play.

That’s not to say that Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympics is a bad game — its audience will probably enjoy it. Just like the previous Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, it offers multiple Olympic sports-based minigames featuring popular Nintendo and Sega characters, controlled by various Wii and DS motions. People who like buying that kind of thing (parents wandering a videogame store looking for wholesome family entertainment) will probably enjoy it. But even though most of the Joystiq staff passed on this demo (and your faithful blogger bravely attended it), it was one of the more surreal things we’ve seen this week. Our strange experiences, let us show you them.

Continue reading Mario, meet Sonic (at the Winter Olympics)

Mario, meet Sonic (at the Winter Olympics) originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 04 Jun 2009 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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According to EA’s Joe Booth, plans for the Nintendo Wii are “long-term” at EA, as the company tries to strike a good balance of titles for the popular platform in 2009. In an interview with the Official Nintendo Magazine, the senior producer for Electronic Arts’ Nintendo group said the company wants to “take some risks” with Nintendo’s home console.

“The industry has woken up to the Wii,” Booth told the mag. In his own estimation, Booth — who is overseeing Need for Speed Nitro for Wii — feels the Wii has a lot of “new energy,” which drives his group’s passion. Perhaps Nintendo’s energy stems from sailing high above the competition in hardware sales.

Electronic Arts has a slew of Wii exclusive software planned for 2009, including EA Sports Active and Dead Space: Extraction, along with special Wii versions of its annual sports franchises.

[Via Edge]

EA wants to ‘take some risks’ on Wii originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 21 May 2009 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As promised, today’s episode of Pokémon Sunday brought the now not-so-surprising reveal of Pokémon Heart Gold and Soul Silver. While the actual revelation wasn’t particularly mind-blowing, the episode did feature a few seconds of gameplay (posted after the break) that will likely whet the appetites of many a pocket-sized monster fanatic.

The gameplay itself isn’t that interesting — the protagonist merely walks in circles a few times — though we do get a good sense of the Pearl and Diamond-esque art style the remakes will adopt. Also, if this clip is any indication, it looks like your starter pokémon will follow your character around in a Pokémon Yellow-esque fashion. We feel so sorry for Pokémon detractors. If you guys had hearts, that news would make them feel pretty warm.

Continue reading First footage of Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver revealed

First footage of Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver revealed originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 10 May 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Your mom’s cool, right? Of course she is. So this Mother’s Day, don’t give her that awful birdhouse you made for her in shop class (seriously man, just buy a level already). Why not go ahead and spring for this brand new lime green DS bundle, complete with adorable case and Personal Trainer: Cooking, available on May 3?

How much is it, you ask? Oh, we didn’t know you could put a price on your mother’s love. … Also, we don’t know how much it is. Sorry, we’ll find out.

[Via Engadget]

Your mom wants a new lime green DS bundle originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 24 Apr 2009 16:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There’s plenty of essential sightseeing spots and activities any tourist must partake in during a visit to Japan, such as hitting up the local jumbo-sized arcades, dropping by the beautiful Sensoji Temple, and falling in love with a washed-up actor in a luxurious hotel. However, according to travel site TripAdvisor.com’s Top 20 most popular Japanese tourist destinations in 2008, the third-hottest locale for visitors was Tokyo’s Pokémon Center store.

It seems a little silly that a retail outlet dedicated to Poké-merch was so outrageously popular amongst Japan-bound travelers last year. Then again, where else are you supposed to heal your sick or injured pokémon — the veterinary hospital? Don’t be ridiculous.

[Via Kotaku]

Pokemon Center is a hot Japanese tourist destination originally appeared on Joystiq Nintendo on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We don’t know if it’s their love of dual cameras or their hatred for GBA slots, but people in the UK can’t get enough of the DSi. The console has become the fourth-fastest selling in their history, even beating out the original DS and DS Lite, according to GfK-ChartTrack. Only the PSP, PS3 and Wii have done better.

GfK-ChartTrack spokesman Chris Poole says the company also noted a bump in DS software sales, especially impressive when you consider that there aren’t any DSi-specific games on shelves.

DSi blows up UK sales charts originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 06 Apr 2009 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A GoNintendo reader by the name of Maxemillian_X recently snapped a picture of an upcoming release list from an Amsterdam-based gaming retailer which reveals two interesting pieces of Wii news. The first (and somewhat more reasonable) item is a supposed July 10 release date for the Wii Sports Resort and Wii MotionPlus bundle, as well as the standalone MotionPlus peripheral.

The second eye catching release date on the list is for Wii Fit Plus, which is apparently due out November 19, giving us plenty of time to find out what the hell it is. Given the pictured release list’s dubious origins (we don’t know what store it came from), we’re taking it with a healthy dose of trepidation. Still, a summer release for Wii Sports Resort and a follow up to Nintendo’s exergaming cash cow don’t seem beyond the realm of possibilities.

Rumor: Release list dates Wii Sports Resort with MotionPlus, reveals Wii Fit Plus originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 04 Apr 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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