After you take away the HD, what does this game actually have left?

Mario Kart 8 is on its way to Wii U, and there is a lot of hope on this game turning the console around. While I absolutely disagree with that line of thinking, my focus today is much smaller in scale, discussing why I am personally less excited for this game than some of you might be. Please understand... Read more...

Hear the good, the bad, and everything else from a person that has played more Smash Bros. than is probably healthy.

Yesterday’s Nintendo Direct focusing solely on the two upcoming Super Smash Bros. games was filled with a ton of incredible information. It’s clear these titles are going to be something special for Nintendo fans.

I’ve been playing Smash Bros. since the day the first one hit North America.... Read more...

Maybe it's not quite as sad as the blank screen in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, but it isn't much better.

There’s no easy way to say this. The use of the GamePad for Mario Kart 8 is generic, boring, and dumb. When we first saw Mario Kart 8 back at E3 2013, there was a big horn in the center of the GamePad. When you were Wario, it would emit a fart noise when pressed. Surely, we all thought, that’s not what the final use of the GamePad will be in Mario Kart 8, right? Well, not entirely, but it’s not much better.

Seriously? You think that is the reason it is not coming?

Every time I bring up the issue of Flipnote Studio 3D currently not being released in the west, I always seem to get the same complaint. ''Well, that is fine and good, but without SpotPass...'' Wait a moment, I am going to stop you there. For the people not in the know, services like Letter Box/Swapnote... Read more...

Collecting random stuff was fun once: Now it is ruining games I enjoy.

Old friend, we had some good times. You helped me spend more time in worlds I enjoyed. Back when I was wished the days of your game being played on my Nintendo console would never end. You were with me in the trading sequence of Link’s Awakening. You challenged me as I sought out who would need... Read more...

Even that new R.B.I. Baseball isn't coming to Wii U. That means the only new sports games on Nintendo systems have Mario in the title.

I carried a weird torch as a gamer 10 years ago. I was one of the few who was a serious sports gamer and only had a GameCube. That meant I had a whole lot of memory cards and rushed out to buy Madden and MVP Baseball on release day to game shop clerk's bewilderment ("Don't you mean the PS2 version...?").... Read more...

We revisit Sumo's Sultan to see how it holds up to hours upon hours of gaming.

I've always loved bean bags. As a young gamer they were a great way to get up close to the action on screen while maintaining maximum comfort with an unreasonably short controller cord. As I got older I ended up veering away from them as my primary gaming chair because of the advent of reliable wireless... Read more...

When exactly is Mario Kart coming out? Will Mario Golf ever come out on 3DS?

At the end of 2013, I laid out some self-admitted ridiculous predictions. It seemed natural to update those dumb predictions for each Nintendo Direct. So, let's take stock of what I was right on and readjust my predictions accordingly for the February 13 Nintendo Direct.

Here's what I predicted for the next few months:

Slashing projections and talking up changing business structures add up rough days ahead.

The idea of 9 million Wii Us being sold in the current fiscal year, which began back in April 2013 and ends March 31, 2014, was a joke back when Nintendo stuck by it after the Wii U didn't touch 500,000 units worldwide in the first half of the year. Well, it's no laughing matter for damn sure right now.

At least they didn't end it by ruining Mario again.

As a Nintendo fan who is often extremely critical of Nintendo, I had pretty low expectations for this monthly Direct (at least, they seem to be monthly now). I expected the big Nintendo Wii U Direct to come in January, I expected no more than one announcement, and I expected Mario Golf and Kirby to... Read more...

"Where are we gonna go next Luigi?"

The evolution of 3D Mario has been something that has been on a trend towards achieving a representation of a 2D side-scroller in a 3D setting. This has culminated in the 3D Land/World series of games. But what about the style of 3D Mario that Nintendo had started way back in 1996 with Super Mario 64?

Read this article for a major surprise announcement.

I'm eternally unable to finish writing anything unless I find it utterly perfect. This almost always results in long writing cycles and discarded works. I've decided to challenge myself, in an attempt to break these barriers. My intent is to write small essays (limit of 300 words) about topics I’m not inclined to write about. Hopefully this process does not cause so much mental anguish that I never attempt this again.

In celebration of Thanksgiving, Zack takes a look at all the stuff we should be thankful for this year in Nintendo.

Thanksgiving is a day Americans visit with their families and celebrate all the special things they are thankful for while stuffing their gullets with the suffering of turkeys across the nation. In honor of this national tradition, I thought I would share... Read more...

The Legend of Zelda has the best fans. And that's a fact!

At New York Comic Con 2013 I had the pleasure of going to The Legend of Zelda: Link Between Worlds panel. It was a fantastic experience to say the least. 

During the whole con I was pretty under the weather and was popping pills to keep me awake and alive. Luckily, I had two pills left when... Read more...

Can we still be surprised by games in the internet era? Actually, for that matter, do we need to be?

Remember when you were younger and every video game was a surprise? In the modern day, there's nothing quite like those feelings of discovery and wonderment when you picked out a game based on its box art and eventually came to cherish it as one of your favorites. How we share and collect information just doesn't allow for it any more. But would you really want things to go back to the old ways? Can you honestly say that ignorance is bliss?

They ruined you, Mario.

Well, let's not beat around the bush. Nintendo promised a Nintendo Direct today and we sure got one. There were plenty of okay announcements, a couple of great ones, one really awful one, and plenty in-between. Let's take the next few minutes to talk about what I personally deem to be the good, the bad, and the ugly of this presentation (there were other announcements besides these, but those belong in a special “indifferent” category):

It's time to talk about some serious stuff.  

As I looked through my Google Alerts for Pokémon over the past couple of weeks, I’ve stumbled upon quite a few interesting articles. Some of them discussed how the games were bringing together religious groups. Others discussed what it could teach players both young and old. Some articles even... Read more...

Release dates, a new Smash Bros. character, and a surprise or two. Not exactly going out on a limb here.

A new Nintendo Direct is coming in less than 24 hours, and the focus will be on 2014. Sounds exciting, huh? I think it does. But just what could be a part of the show tomorrow? (Note: I know the Direct says "previously announced Nintendo 3DS software." I stand by every prediction.)

Let's get the... Read more...

We're playing Super Mario 3D World and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. Our first impressions await.

As of now, I've played about an hour or two of Nintendo's premier holiday 2013 games on Wii U and 3DS. My feelings on both Super Mario 3D World and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds are way more positive than I ever would have expected when both were announced earlier this year. Without even... Read more...

We compare the Wii U's opening months to the 3DS, Wii, GameCube, Nintendo 64, and DS. 

The latest financial report from Nintendo regarding the Wii U isn't too uplifting. From the system's launch in late November 2012 to the end of September 2013, the Wii U moved 3.91 million consoles. In the past six months, only 460,000 consoles have sold. Even the Wii sold more over the past six months.