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The King Nintendo Fanboy’s Collectors Journal 2/7/2012

Justin Berube — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:00:36 +0000

Many people know that I’m a big Nintendo Fanboy and that I collect Nintendo games, goods, memorabilia, and more. If it says Nintendo on it, and it’s official, I want it. That’s what the Nintendo Collectors Journal is all about. From this point on I’ll be documenting all the exciting Nintendo items I gather on my travels. I come across things both new and old so be sure to check back to see what I’ve come across.

Previous Collectors Journal

The Nintendo Collectors Journal is back and I hope everyone enjoys it! If anyone has questions about these items be sure to ask.

Want to see when I add new items to my Nintendo collection? Follow me on Twitter @KingNintendoFan or Like Me on Facebook for updates on the next Nintendo Collectors Journal. Be sure to give me tips on where to get some sweet Nintendo swag as well!

Geeked Out: Olly Moss Re-imagines Super Mario

Catherine Cai — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 05:00:48 +0000

Whether or not you know Olly Moss by name, you’re probably familiar with his work. He’s the guy behind the Victorian silhouette paper cuts of video game classics and the simplistic, yet gritty orange tinged design of Resistance 3‘s logo.

His latest work is fan art for the classic Super Mario, which re-imagines a darker version of the original story. Princess Peach’s face is hidden in shadow as Bowser, in ultra sinister fashion, hangs over her. The posters come in both black and white with red letter, or red with black and white lettering.

Personally, I think the red makes the scene (and my childhood) more ominous than I’m comfortable with.

Source Olly Moss via /gamer

Club Nintendo Adds Three New Rewards

Justin Berube — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:00:32 +0000

Three new rewards have been added to the North American Club Nintendo site. For starters, two new digital games are now available replacing last month’s games. Club Nintendo fans can now choose to download Mario Party 2 (N64) on their Nintendo Wii console for 150 Coins, and 3DS fans can download the DSiWare title Art Academy First Semester for 150 Coins. Both of these digital games will be available to purchase until February 29th, 2012.

And finally a new physical reward has been added. For 250 Coins club members can pick up a 3DS Game Card Case. This case can hold up to 18 3DS or DS game cards and comes with four double sided covers! These covers include themes such as Mario and Zelda, so you know this will likely be a sought after reward!

For more information be sure to check out the official Club Nintendo site at http://club.nintendo.com.

Want to stay up to date on the latest Nintendo news, information, editorials, and more? Follow me on Twitter @KingNintendoFan or Like Me on Facebook. Be sure to let me know what you think about the new Club Nintendo Rewards!

Five O’Clock Fan Art: Super Mario Bros

Dylan Duarte — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 00:00:31 +0000

The RipTen review of Super Mario 3D Land is up, courtesy of Justin Berube. Mario fan art never ceases to amaze me. Though Dave Oshry grows tired of it and yells at me, I’m an adult now, Dave! I can do whatever I want!

Five O’Clock Fan Art is perfect for wrapping up the work day. You don’t want to think anymore, you just want to look at awesome things. And there’s nothing more awesome than a well crafted piece of videogame fan art. If you don’t agree, what the hell are you doing at a gaming blog?

LabrenzInk is on the Stairway to Heaven.

RipTen Review: Super Mario 3D Land

Justin Berube — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 06:22:48 +0000

When the 3DS launched back in March, many fans like me were upset due to the lack of a Mario title. Well, the wait is now over and Mario is finally here in full 3D.

Super Mario 3D Land is a 3D platformer that manages to combine the gameplay of New Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, and Super Mario Galaxy into one great title.

The story is very basic for a Mario Title. Outside of Princess Peach’s castle is a Tree full of Super Leaves (for turning Mario into Tanooki Mario). One night, a big storm blows the Super Leaves off and they scatter throughout the Mushroom Kingdom. That morning, as Peach is checking out the damage, Bowser swoops on in and captures her. Now it’s up to Mario to save her once again! Time to start jumping on things.

Super Mario 3D Land borrows from the New Super Mario Bros. games in that each level is timed and must be completed by finding and hopping on a flagpole (and has three hidden Star Coins to find)

The power-ups in Super Mario 3D Land are very reminiscent of Super Mario Bros. 3. For instance, the Tanooki Suit is back after a long hiatus. Additionally, many of the enemies, stages, environments, and more are right out of Super Mario Bros. 3 and the game has a very nostalgic look and feel for that reason.

There are influences from Super Mario Galaxy as well as some of the gameplay elements are borrowed directly from the hit Wii titles.

While Super Mario 3D Land borrows elements from various other Mario games it has a playstyle all its own (one that I thought up of over 10 years ago). As mentioned before it’s very linear, like New Super Mario Bros., but because the game is in 3D, it allows for further exploration in the depth of the stages.

Some stages will feel more like a 2D platformer with the ability to choose the exact plane of movement, while others are more open to full 3D world exploration (while still maintaining the simple goal of getting to the end of a level by jumping on le flagpole). Each stage is also no longer than three minutes, which is great for a portable game.

From the overworld map there are now new Mystery Boxes, and of course Toad Houses are also back. Toad Houses, when visited, will give players a random Power Up. The Mystery Boxes put Mario in a small box and give the player a short time limit to defeat all the enemies on the screen. These challenges can also yield the player more Star Coins outside of those hidden in the normal levels. These are important because some levels require that the player has a certain number of Star Coins to proceed, so just forgetting about getting them isn’t an option. This is a good thing though as most of the challenge in the game comes from getting all the Star Coins and completing the level.

Mario also has many of his moves from the 3D Mario Games. He can Run, Jump, do a twisting backflp, duck, walljump, ground pound, standard backflip, longjump, and a dive roll. One of the only problems I have with Mario’s move arsenal is that diving into enemies doesn’t hurt them. While this is typically not an issue, fans may remember that in Super Mario 64, doing a similar attack would hurt some enemies.

As previously mentioned, Super Mario 3D Land is also full of power up suits and abilities. The classic Fire Power is back giving Mario the ability to shoot fireballs at enemies at a distance. The much talked about Tanooki Suit also makes its return. Being Tanooki Mario allows the player to flutter around for slow falling, making platforming much more manageable. Additionally, Mario can attack enemies at close range with the Tanooki tail. The Boomerang Suit makes its Super Mario debut, allowing the player to throw a boomerang at moderate distances. The boomerang can pick up coins as well, making it useful for nabbing many Star Coins in dangerous spots. The final suit is the Stone Tanooki Suit. This suit, only available after the first eight worlds are cleared, has the same abilities as the standard Tanooki Suit, but it allows Mario to turn into a stone statue that is invulnerable to enemy attacks.

The suits are a ton of fun, but I have a small problem here. Why are there two Tanooki suits when the standard one functions more like the Raccoon suit from Super Mario Bros. 3? Why did Nintendo feel that getting rid of another classic suit with similar abilities was necessary? I’ll likely never know and you’ll likely never care.

Super Mario 3D Land Events Coming to Austin and San Diego This Week

Justin Berube — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 13:42:31 +0000

Last week Nintendo announced that there would be a Super Mario 3D Land event in Times Square. Now it has been revealed that two more similar events will be happening for those that don’t live anywhere near New York! Nintendo claims that Tanooki ears and Tails will be handed out at each event. Other info is scarce but I’m sure there will be some playable demos or something. For dates, times, and locations look below!

San Diego, CA
Date: November 4th, 2011
Time: 12:30 p.m – 1:00 p.m
Where: Westfield Horton Plaza (near Broadway Circle entrance)
324 Horton Plaza, San Diego, CA 92101

Austin, TX
Date: November 7th, 2011
Time: 12:30 p.m – 1:00 p.m
Where: Republic Square Park (adjacent to North Congress Ave.)
422 Guadalupe St., Austin, TX 78701

If you do attend be sure to let me know about it through Facebook or Twitter. My info is below!

Five O’Clock Fan Art: A Very Mario Halloween

Dave Oshry — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:36 +0000

In case you’ve been living under a pumpkin, you’re probably aware that today is Halloween! In celebration of this spooky celebration of sugary snacks, we bring you some very Mario Halloween fan art.

BOO!

Super Mario 3D Land To Take Over Times Square

Justin Berube — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 01:02:26 +0000

On November 12th, 2011 starting at 10:00 A.M. Nintendo is planning to have Super Mario 3D Land take over Times Square! Anyone that visits Times Square on that date will have the opportunity to play a demo of the upcoming Super Mario 3D Land for the 3DS which releases in North America on November 13th, 2011. Those that attend the event will also be treated to the following:

A performance by a large number of Nintendo characters at the beginning of the event!
Free giveaways including a set of Tanooki ears and tails! (While supplies last).
Mushroom Kingdom Pizza Truck that will give out free slices to the first 1,000 people at the event that Tweet the #SuperMario3D hashtag.
The ability to buy the game a day early at Toys “R” Us in Times Square!

Sadly it appears as though I won’t be making an appearance, but my followers know that I would die for a set of Tanooki gear!

Blue Wii Bundle Headed To Europe

Justin Berube — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 22:35:30 +0000

A new blue Wii will be coming out in Europe bundled with Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Unfortunately this blue Wii will be the new European version of the Wii that can not play GameCube titles. This bundle is due out in Europe on November 18th, 2011.

As of right now there is no word on a release outside of Europe.

GameStop Reveals Super Mario 3D Land Pre-Order Bonus

Justin Berube — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 22:02:49 +0000

GameStop.com has just revealed that there will be a pre-order bonus for Super Mario 3D Land. The bonus, which will be available online and in stores, is a Tanooki Mario Keychain. No pictures are currently available of the keychain. I can’t wait to get one though!

Source

Five O’Clock Fan Art: Surf’s Up Mario

Dylan Duarte — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 00:00:59 +0000

I post a lot of Mario fan art, simply because I am the Minister of Fan Art and a lot of that fan art is of Mario. Some of it isn’t so great. Some of it is. Some of it, like the above, make you rethink how awesome a certain game can be.

You can find more of the artist’s work over at Cool Surface.

Five O’Clock Fan Art: Mario in Psychonauts

Dylan Duarte — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 00:00:29 +0000

With all the crap that Mario has been through over the years, what with Bowser and Wario and Peach being a total tease, going spelunking through the contents of his mind doesn’t sound very fun.

Today’s artist is Sebastian Von Buchwald.

Super Mario Bros Meets Portal in Indie Title ‘Mari0′

Sam Naylor — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 19:34:36 +0000

What would happen if you stuffed Super Mario Bros and Portal into one indie game? Well, Mari0, obviously.

Mari0 is a free game in development now (release date: don’t ask) which blends the two games. “The primary maps will have a story and some portaly puzzles,” say Stabyourself, an indie developer made up of Maurice Guégan and Sašo Smolej.

The game will include all the SMB levels, including the Lost Levels, and you can even edit them on the fly. There’s even simultaneous multiplayer.

The gameplay looks like it really blends the two games well:

It’s not often I see a mash-up game like this and think it looks good, but the video above really shows how well the two games go. Too often these sorts of things are a silly little diversion for ten minutes but this one looks great. Let us know what you think in the comments.

Five O’Clock Fan Art: Fat Mario and T-Rex Yoshi

Dylan Duarte — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:00:42 +0000

There’s a lot of Super Mario fan art out there, which isn’t surprising given how iconic of a character he is. What’s strange is that most Mario fan art seems to portray him as fat and incompetent, which makes me wonder how many people actually like the character.

Mike Mitchell is a damn fine artist.

Five O’Clock Fan Art: Mario Meets TMNT

Dylan Duarte — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 00:00:47 +0000

It never really hits you that Mario is a mass murderer until he takes out some loved ones. That’s exactly what happened when he came across the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and, as you can see, Splinter isn’t always so tough and stoic.

FullPlateMail is a hell of an artist, but damn you for making one of my fears come true.

Five O’Clock Fan Art: Mushroom Kingdom Propaganda

Dylan Duarte — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 00:00:14 +0000

Oh, propaganda. Why is something that’s so inherently evil also so much damn fun? I hope these propaganda posters find there way into the next Mario game.

These posters can be found and purchased at Fro Design along with a bunch of other brilliant images.

Club Nintendo Year End Gifts Announced (North America)

Justin Berube — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 14:20:14 +0000

Nintendo of America has just revealed the Club Nintendo year end gifts for Gold and Platinum Elite Status members. Platinum members will be able to get the Mario & Friends Pin Badge Collection, while Gold Members will have the ability to pick up the yearly Club Nintendo Calendar.

These gifts are free and I suggest that members that have earned the appropriate status log in now to claim their gifts!

Five O’Clock Fan Art: Ronin of the Mushroom Kingdom

Dylan Duarte — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 00:00:21 +0000

Never before have I wanted to play a Mario game while watching a bunch of Kurosawa films, but that’s exactly what this piece of fan art is doing to me. Best piece of art I’ve seen in a long, long time.

Well done, jpzilla.

What Would It Be Like If The Wii U Had Achievements?

Chris Carlson — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 11:00:34 +0000

Nintendo has already said much about their next console at E3 this year. They’ve mentioned the controller, the features and the games… but what about achievements? What would happen if the Wii U obtained achievements, what would they look and be like? We’re here to show you.

WiiChevo’s - (We-cheev-ohs)

Yup that’s right. The unofficial name for my Wii U achievement presentation. I could have just went with Wii Achievements, or Wii Trophies but that’s too easy. I’m going to take it a step further. I started with a name, but now I’m going to show you what it would be like if the Wii U had achievements. Could you imagine playing the next Zelda and when you reach a point in the game you see this?

Yes I'm still on that joke.

Similar to the 360′s achievement system, you see a pop up message with the name of the WiiChevo and stars. Yes stars. Every time you think of Nintendo you think of one character. Mario, and Mario has a ridiculous, stupid amount of stars everywhere. So why not implement a star system? Each WiiChevo is tied to a number of stars, the maximum being 3 stars. As you progress through each Wii U game you can obtain a total of 50 stars per game, similar to how 360 has a maximum of 1000G per game. You’re probably thinking, “Why does this matter? Who’s going to see this?”. So, I present you with this. The Wii U…. err Mii U Gamer Card thingy.

Wii U, Mii U, Pee U, Card Thingy

This would be the card you could share with your friends online, Nintendo forums etc. You have your “Wii U Picture” in the top left, followed by the number of total stars you’ve earned across all Nintendo games. On the far right is your last 4 played games. Below that is a quote you can set to describe yourself, and at the bottom of course is your Wii U Tag, or whatever Nintendo plans to call it. Now, of course one thing you do when browsing your collection of Achievements/Trophies is look at the nice little thumbnail picture it brings with each one. Since this entire article is about Wii U having achievements, I think it’s time I share a few that I’ve came up with myself.

What do you think? Could Nintendo really pull off some kind of achievement system for the Wii U? More importantly would it make you play games just for WiiChevo’s?

Face it, people love these things. It’s an addiction. Gamers will buy the shittiest game on the planet just so they can complete it in a few hours to get 1000G. If you’re the type of person who hates Achievements or Trophies, it’s possible you won’t have to worry with Nintendo, I’m just speculating, conceptualizing and having some fun. Just don’t expect Microsoft or Sony to give up on these things so easily.

Meanwhile, feel free to make up your own WiiCheveo’s and share them in the comment section.

Five O’Clock Fan Art: Donkey Kong

Dylan Duarte — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Just when I think I’m sick of realistic depictions of Mario, I see another realistic depiction that blows my socks off. And then that scantily-clad Princess blows them off even further.

The signature on the image points to this Czech website, but I have no idea what I’m looking at.