Gamertell

FROM APPLETELL - There have been may great apps released for the iPhone/iPod touch, but, Zelda geek that I am, this is the first I had to buy and download the very moment I learned about it. Smule has just announced Ocarina, the first and only app that transforms the iPhone into an expressive musical wind instrument…
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Now, this is just funny. GameDaily has a very funny - and possibly painful - list of the very worst Nintendo games of all time. Sure, the company makes some of the greatest games (arguably of all time), and it pumps out classics every year, true to form. But they’ve certainly had their share of stinkers, too - alongside titles like Super Mario 64 and Zelda: Twilight Princess, there are also duds like Teleroboxer (on the Virtual Boy - remember that one?), this year’s broken Donkey Kong Barrel Blast, and first generation shlock like Vollyball on the NES.

Take a look at Ninty’s sordid past on the site, and let us know if you think of any omissions - surely, there are a few. Perhaps, a little Mario’s Time Machine or the entire power glove debacle might make nice additions to the list.

Read [GameDaily]

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Who says Nintendo has forgotten its hardcore fans? According to an item at GameDaily, top-dog designer Shigeru Miyamoto is working closely with teams on new titles in the Mario and Zelda franchises, and a new Pikmin game is also in the works.

From the post:

“Making these ‘traditional’ games is what I am best at. Because games of that nature take upwards of two or three years to make, we always have to keep the teams working on those projects going. At any given time, the team could be five to ten people, or it could be 50-plus. People are always switching in and out of those teams”

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The most recent issue of ThinkGeek catalog has been delivered and, as usual, it features several gamer goodies. Here’s a list of the more (and less) notable game-related goodies in the June 2008 ThinkGeek catalog.

On the more notable side there’s a programmable keyboard with mini OLEDs, Mario Kart slot cars, Halo 3 replicas and Zelda plush…

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First video game manga fans were able to read Devil May Cry and Kingdom Hearts thanks to Tokyopop, and now Viz Media has stepped up to the plate to bring Zelda manga to the masses. Viz announced on April 10, 2008 that it will be translating and publishing the manga series The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The two volume series was originally written by Akira Himekawa, the pen name for Honda A and Nagano S’s two woman partnership, and released as Zelda no Densetsu: Toki no Ocarina. The first volume will be released in October, 2008 and each volume will cost $7.99.

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Cnet’s Don Reisinger posed a very heated question to gamers of the world today on the Digital home: “What’s the best videogame series of all time?“. He lists a few of the bigger (and safer) franchises - Halo, Mario, GTA, Metal Gear, Final Fantasy, Zelda, etc. before positing a couple of more obscure series like Lunar and Shenmue. Then, he wisely turned to the masses, opening up the comments section to the

discussion of the greatest series ever to hit the gaming world.

The results were relatively unsurprising. The above mentioned standbys got the largest number of shout-outs, along with the Command & Conquer, Civilization, Mega Man, Half-Life, Madden, Splinter Cell, Fall Out, and Smash Brothers series. It seems as if the bases are fairly well covered, but I’d like to open the floor yet again - what are your favorite series?

Read [Cnet Blogs]

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Over this past weekend, starting from Friday at 5 PM CST and commencing on Sunday at 5 PM CST, a group of friends took on four Zelda titles in a row in an epic feat to raise money for Penny Arcade’s Child’s Play charity. The four buddies planned on taking on the recent Zelda canon: Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess in a 48-hour contiguous challenge that began as a ploy to garner $20 for pizza and ended up raising over $1150 for the fund (which benefits sick children in hospitals by providing “toys, games, books and cash”). While the players didn’t quite meet their virtual goal - they were thwarted by a buggy copy of Majora’s Mask and never got to Twilight Princess - they received well over the projected $1000 and countless numbers of supportive emails and fan art submissions.

The event was streamed over live video and liveblogged, with many of the most entertaining fan submissions (including some great limericks) getting special attention. Cameron posted the final blog at 5:21 PM, announcing the results. From the blog:

“... this weekend wasn’t about us, the e-mails, or even the sweet limericks. Instead, it was about how a love for something as simple as a couple of video games can pull together the masses and raise over $1150 to help a bunch of kids through a kickass charity such as Child’s Play.“

What an inspiration - this is a perfect antidote to all the mainstream media “gamers are violent misanthropes” rhetoric that gets thrown around. My compliments and congratulations to the good folks who participated and proved that gamers can make a difference.

Read [Cameron Banga] Via [Kotaku] Also Read [Child’s Play]

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Nintendo has officially confirmed the rumors regarding the Wii Zapper’s debut, as the peripheral will launch on November 19, 2007, for an MSRP of $19.99. Link’s Crossbow training, a simple Twilight Princess-themed shooting game, will be packed in with the Zapper.

The game sounds relatively simple but, given the price, could be a fun freebie. From the press release: 

“Link’s Crossbow Training drops players into a world in the style of The Legend of Zelda(R): Twilight Princess. Players assume the identity of hero Link, who progresses through a series of tests to perfect his crossbow marksmanship. Start with stationary bull’s-eyes and graduate to moving targets before defending Link against all kinds of enemies.”

The Zapper will be compatible with upcoming Wii titles Medal of Honor Heroes, Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles and Ghost Squad.

Nintendo is really stressing the arcade light gun experience in order to keep all those casual gamers happy. Actually, having the first title essentially replicate boy-scout archery is probably a smart move. We don’t want Jack Thompson to begin talking about “murder simulation” on the Wii again.

Read [Destructoid] Also Read [1up]

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There have been strange reports of Nintendo filing interesting trademarks lately.

One of the trademarks Nintendo is registering is actually a renewal for Miyamoto’s game Pikmin, which was hinted at several years ago. Perhaps they’re almost ready for the third installment of those cute little flower people. One could only guess that it may be coming to the Wii console if Nintendo is renewing the trademark.

The trademark Nintendo Magic is rumored to be a…

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Nintendo Europe has just announced the release of Zelda spin-off Freshly Picked: Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland, set for September 14, 2007. The game is a quirky RPG starring the most infamous man-fairy from the Legend of Zelda series, and promises “innovative touch screen controls” along with modified Zelda style gameplay.

Though no US release has been announced, and it’s completely unclear exactly who the target demographic is for this game, it actually sounds quite fun from a gameplay perspective. The controls are almost entirely stylus based and the game is built around…

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