Holiday Games Gift Guide – 3DS/DS December 22, 2012

The Holidays are coming pretty soon and I know that many of you may very well be opening up brand new gifts including a wide range of consoles and handhelds for the first time. However, with a new console or handheld comes the responsiblity to find some of the best games to get for it. The hope is to bring you a list of currently in print brand new games which are either some of the best for the platform or the best deals on the platform that you can easily pick up at the store for a reasonable price, pop it into your new gaming system and enjoy every second of it! So, in the time leading up to Christmas, I’m going to be posting a series of articles for each platform and handheld system currently on the market and tell you what are some of the must-have games for new console owners!

I’m going to include games here for both the Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS, as both platforms are still in print and seeing new games. Also, don’t forget that the Nintendo 3DS is fully backwards compatible with all Nintendo DS games, making it practically two platforms in one.

Okay, so lets start off by listing some games that are out for the DS, and can be played on any model DS or 3DS.

Pokémon Black 2/White 2 – The only official sequel to a Pokémon game of any generation, this game is a direct sequel to the fifth generation Pokémon Black and White games. While the game has just been released, with the heavy sales that have been going on for these games this holiday season, I have seen prices for it as low as $34.99 US each, making it cheaper than a copy of Pokémon SoulSilver. If you prefer to play the original Pokémon Black and White games before playing the sequels, you can also find Pokémon Black or Pokémon White for $34.99 US each.

The World Ends with You – A sleeper hit from Square Enix at its release, The World Ends With You has gained a cult status on the handheld. It has a fantastic art style I appreciated a lot and a unique storyline. Since the release of the iOS version a few months ago, the game has been reprinted on its original platform, the DS. While there hasn’t yet been an announcement of a sequel some of the characters from the game do make an appearance in a game further down this list. If you can find yourself a new copy, I’ve seen prices for it as low as $19.99 US, but given its popularity you may have to pay as high as $34.99 US.

Okay, now lets talk about some 3DS exclusives. These will only work on a Nintendo 3DS or 3DS XL.

Mario Kart 7 – If you own a 3DS, you must own this game. It is simply the best game I have played on the platform. A continuation of the fantastic Mario Kart series the game has some of the best 3D effects on the system, fantastic controls, and some of the best race tracks (new and old) that I have seen on any Mario Kart game. You can also play the game locally with a friend or online and race worldwide. Mario Kart 7 is 3DS exclusive and can be bought for $39.99 US.

Resident Evil Revelations – Many critics found themselves disappointed by Resident Evil 6 for the consoles, but a lot of people found a lot to love in Revelations. This was no series of minigames or rail shooting sequences, this featured the full gameplay features of a console Resident Evil game, and it all came on a handheld device in 3D. Didn’t like the control scheme? It took advantage of the Circle Pad Pro accessory just in case you needed to have an extra thumbstick. Resident Evil Revelations is currently $19.99 US for the Nintendo 3DS.

Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance – The first game to continue the Kingdom Hearts storyline since the release of Kingdom Hearts II back in 2005, Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance easily recaptures all the magic of the original Kingdom Hearts games, and looks stunning on the 3D screen. All the original game’s gameplay is intact, and entirely new features are availble, as well as new Disney worlds to explore. You can probably find the game new for $39.99 US.

Hope you’re enjoying the list!  More will be coming all weekend!

Holiday Games Gift Guide – Wii U December 21, 2012

The Holidays are coming pretty soon and I know that many of you may very well be opening up brand new gifts including a wide range of consoles and handhelds for the first time. However, with a new console or handheld comes the responsiblity to find some of the best games to get for it. The hope is to bring you a list of currently in print brand new games which are either some of the best for the platform or the best deals on the platform that you can easily pick up at the store for a reasonable price, pop it into your new gaming system and enjoy every second of it! So, in the time leading up to Christmas, I’m going to be posting a series of articles for each platform and handheld system currently on the market and tell you what are some of the must-have games for new console owners!

So lets talk about the Wii U. Given the fact that the system has only been out for a little over a month, it doesn’t have as big a gaming library as the other consoles do but it does have an amazing launch lineup with a wide spectrum of good games. If you just got a Wii U, here’s some great games to get for it!

ZombiU – This is without a doubt the third party killer app for the Wii U. I know it had a mixed reception from the critics, but to me it felt like the issues critics had with it were unfounded. It has a pretty steep learning curve, but this is a survival game, not an action game. The developers tried something new and I thought it worked. I also thought the game’s atmosphere was great, not that many games that can capture a great atmosphere like that. You can find it it for $59.99.

New Super Mario Bros U – This is the Mario launch title for the Wii U. A continuation of the highly popular “New” Super Mario Bros series, this game is a throwback to the classic Super Mario Bros platformers of the 2D era. This game is also great to play with friends. If you have some WiiMotes around, you can play levels together with four friends. If you were a fan of any of the New games or fondly look back at games like Super Mario World, give this game a look. It’s $59.99 US.

Nintendo Land – To me, Nintendo Land is just as important to showcase all the capabilities of the Wii U as Wii Sports was to showcase all the capabilities of the Wii was. There’s also games for all your favorite Nintendo icons. Zelda, Mario, Metroid all have their own park rides, and they’re joined by Pikmin, Donkey Kong, and Animal Crossing. Nintendo Land is included free with all Wii U 32GB Deluxe Editions. It is $59.99 US normally. Trust me, get the Deluxe Edition Wii U, its only a $50 premium over the 8GB model and that alone will cover the cost of Nintendo Land, saving you ten dollars and give you a Wii U with a higher memory capacity.

Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition – If you’ve got yourself a Wii U, don’t get the Batman: Arkham City Game of the Year Edition, this is the true Arkham City Game of the Year Edition. Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition comes with ALL the previously released downloadable content for Arkham City, but retools all of its gameplay to take full advantage of the Wii U’s controller. In my opinion, out of all the multiplatform games that was released for the Wii U, this game takes advantage of the Wii U’s controller better than any other multiplatform game did. When you’re done, you’ll never know how you could play the game without it. The game also features exclusive armored suits for Batman and Catwoman, as well as access to the new B-A-T feature during gameplay, making Batman and Catwoman ever more devistating during battle. You can probably find the game for $59.99 US normally, but I’ve seen some stores selling it for $49.99 US for the holidays.

Hope you’ve been enjoying this holiday game guide! More articles will be coming all weekend! Got a lot more platforms coming up!

Holiday Games Gift Guide – Wii December 20, 2012

The Holidays are coming pretty soon and I know that many of you may very well be opening up brand new gifts including a wide range of consoles and handhelds for the first time.  However, with a new console or handheld comes the responsiblity to find some of the best games to get for it.  The hope is to bring you a list of currently in print brand new games which are either some of the best for the platform or the best deals on the platform that you can easily pick up at the store for a reasonable price, pop it into your new gaming system and enjoy every second of it!  So, in the time leading up to Christmas, I’m going to be posting a series of articles for each platform and handheld system currently on the market and tell you what are some of the must-have games for new console owners!

Whether you picked up a Nintendo Wii or a Nintendo Wii U, you’re going to find some amazing games for the Wii out there, all of which are compatible with the Wii U with the latest firmware update.

Wii Sports/Wii Sports Resort – This combo game which features both Wii Sports and its sequel Wii Sports Resort on one disc is included only with brand new Nintendo Wii consoles.  Wii Sports took full advantage of all of the Wii’s capabilities and the decision to pack it with all new Wiis was probably one of the best decisions that Nintendo ever made, as it got a lot of people to buy the Wii at launch.  A sequel was released some time later, which took advantage of the Wii’s MotionPlus accessory and got it to be heavily adopted by current Wii owners, so much so that the MotionPlus is now standard in all new Wiimotes and used in many Wii U games as well.  You can only get this game collection bundled for free with all new Nintendo Wii systems, which currently cost $129.99 US.  Separate, Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort are $19.99 US each.

Super Mario Galaxy – Probably one of the most addictive Mario games I have played in years.  A truly innovative game which harkens back to how innovative Super Mario 64 was back when the Nintendo 64 launched.  Now, Mario travels the entire galaxy, collecting stars, navigating planets and saving the Princess.  Seriously there is no shortage of content in this game.  With 120 stars to find in it, countless worlds to visit and galaxies to travel to, this game will take you a while to find every single secret nook and cranny, even if you have already defeated Bowser.  Since it was recently re-released with the Nintendo Selects line, you can get Super Mario Galaxy for $19.99 US.

Metroid: Other M – I know this game got a really bad rap when it was released but I enjoyed it quite a lot.  It had a gameplay style that harkened back to the original Metroid games.  By turning the Wiimote sideways, it felt like I was playing an NES game all over again, and when I pointed the Wiimote at the screen, it felt like I was playing Metroid Prime again.  In the franchise storyline, it follows Super Metroid (Metroid 3), and establishes the backstory mentioned in Metroid Fusion.  The graphics on it are some of the best for the Wii and while the storyline may be controversial it has some of the best cinematics I’ve seen.  If you just want to enjoy the story with some popcorn, it has an entire DVD style FMV theater option, which I wish more games had.  You can also get it really cheap, as I’ve seen prices for this game for as low as $10 US.

Super Smash Bros Melee – As I’ve mentioned in an article a long time ago, I simply cannot allow anyone to buy a Wii without picking up this game.  This has been considered by many to be the must have game for the Wii.  Featuring every single one of the characters that Nintendo made famous, it has the biggest roster of any Super Smash Bros game and, for the first time in the series, an entire single player campaign.  You can probably find the game for $29.99 US.

Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess – When you get yourself a Nintendo console, you expect it to have three staples, Mario, Metroid and of course, Zelda.  It’s hard to imagine that a game that was a launch title for the system would still be in print this far down the road, but, as The Angry Video Game Nerd put it, it kicks so much ass.  Like Super Mario Galaxy, Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess was re-released with the Nintendo Selects line and can probably be purchased for $19.99 US.

And if you’re already a Wii owner and end up getting yourself a Wii U this holiday, don’t forget, all your Wii’s purchased data and save games will transfer to the Wii U.

More platforms are still to come and because of that, even more guides are coming!

Holiday Games Gift Guide – Multiplatform December 20, 2012

The Holidays are coming pretty soon and I know that many of you may very well be opening up brand new gifts including a wide range of consoles and handhelds for the first time.  However, with a new console or handheld comes the responsiblity to find some of the best games to get for it.  The hope is to bring you a list of currently in print brand new games which are either some of the best for the platform or the best deals on the platform that you can easily pick up at the store for a reasonable price, pop it into your new gaming system and enjoy every second of it!  So, in the time leading up to Christmas, I’m going to be posting a series of articles for each platform and handheld system currently on the market and tell you what are some of the must-have games for new console owners!

Now we’re going to talk about some great deals on multiplatform games.  Now, it would be really easy to just draw up a list of all the new games that are out on multiple platforms and include new games like Far Cry 3, Borderlands 2, and Assassin’s Creed 3, but those games are brand new and are still going for full retail price.  While buying games like those are a no-brainer, here’s some games that are already out at lower prices and offer something extra special.  Get them now while you can and hopefully they’ll be on your platform!

Dead Island Game of the Year Edition –  Probably one of the most controversal games at release you owe it to yourself to pick up one of the most unique zombie games I’ve seen in recent time.  No longer are you fighting through a postapocalyptic urban landscape, you’re fighting your way through an open world sunny tropical resort paradise.  The best part about this is that all of the game’s DLC is included with this edition of the game, making it a really worthwhile purchase for those of you hoping to save some money.  You can currently get this game for the PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 for $29.99 US.

Zone of the Enders HD Collection –  Zone of the Enders is a franchise we haven’t seen in quite some time.  Released originally for the Playstation 2, the first game mostly saw sales as it included the first playable demo of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty.  The ZOE HD Collection includes both the original game and sequel, The Second Runner, along with brand new HD support and animated intro cinematic.  It also includes the currently exclusive demo for Metal Gear Rising Revengeance on the disc, giving you a first playable look at that highly anticipated game two months before it sees a release.  You can get Zone of the Enders HD Collection for $39.99 US on the Playstation 3 or Xbox 360.

Batman: Arkham City Game of the Year Edition – When Batman: Arkham City came out in 2011 it was not only the best superhero game ever made, it was easily considered one of the best multiplatform hits of that year.  Over a year later, over thirty dollars worth of downloadable content has been released for Arkham City, including extra character costumes for Batman and Catwoman, extra challenge maps, and an entirely separate downloadable content expansion pack.  Since all the DLC is included with the GOTY edition, this makes it a much better deal.  You can get the Arkham City Game of the Year Edition for the Playstation 3 or Xbox 360 for $49.99 US.

Metal Gear Solid HD Collection – The Metal Gear Solid HD Collection includes Metal Gear Solid 2, Metal Gear Solid 3, and Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker.  The game’s original graphics remain intact, but the framerate is amazingly high.  For me though, the most important feature was finally you can play MGS2 and MGS3 in anamorphic widescreen, something I have wanted to do since I got my first HDTV back in 2005.  The game even allows you to transfer save games from either the Vita version of Metal Gear Solid HD Collection to the PS3 or the PSP version of Peace Walker.  You can probably find this game for $29.99 US on the Playstation 3, Xbox 360 or Playstation Vita.  Please note though, the Playstation Vita version does not include Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker.

Mass Effect Collection – This one is pretty much a no brainer.  The Mass Effect series has long been a staple of this generation.  It was a science-fiction universe presented in a realistic way.  It was a role-playing game but with a real-time battle system.  You could play it as an RPG or play it as a shooter.  The decisions you made impacted the entire universe and changed the story.  Originally released as an exclusive Xbox 360 game, their popularity grew and grew and each sequel saw a release on multiple platforms.  Now, Mass Effect 1, 2 and 3 are being bundled together and released for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC.  In fact this will mark the first time the original Mass Effect game saw a release on the Playstation 3.  You can pick up the Mass Effect Collection for $59.99 US.

Silent Hill HD Collection – There has been a lot of controversy about this HD Collection’s release since it came out.  Featuring Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 3, which were considered by many to be the best two games of the series, it may not have the framerate or polish as the original versions of the games do, but unlike the original versions of the games you can actually buy this collection brand new for a reasonable price.  Silent Hill HD Collection is out for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 and you can probably find it for $29.99 US.

Saints Row the Third: The Full Package – I was a huge fan of the original Saints Row when it came out, and loved Saints Row 2 just as much.  With games like Grand Theft Auto leaving a high bar to climb when it came to open-world action games, the Saints Row series solved all the problems I felt Grand Theft Auto had, and added in a completely absurd tone which kept me playing.  Saints Row The Third continues this tradition with a completely zany story, an entirely new driving system, and weapons I can’t even repeat here for modesty’s sake.  Now, with The Full Package, you get ALL the DLC included with the game with no extra charge.  Given the fact that it is currently only a ten-dollar premium over the normal edition of the game, and the costs of all that DLC, that makes The Full Package a great deal.  With the recent bankruptcy filing by THQ, there’s no word just how long this game is going to be on the shelves for.  You can get Saints Row The Third: The Full Package for $49.99 US on the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3.

Wow, that’s a lot of games across a lot of platforms!  And don’t worry, we’re not even close to being done.  Even more games are coming!

Holiday Games Gift Guide – Playstation 3 December 20, 2012

The Holidays are coming pretty soon and I know that many of you may very well be opening up brand new gifts including a wide range of consoles and handhelds for the first time.  However, with a new console or handheld comes the responsiblity to find some of the best games to get for it.  The hope is to bring you a list of currently in print brand new games which are either some of the best for the platform or the best deals on the platform that you can easily pick up at the store for a reasonable price, pop it into your new gaming system and enjoy every second of it!  So, in the time leading up to Christmas, I’m going to be posting a series of articles for each platform and handheld system currently on the market and tell you what are some of the must-have games for new console owners!

First off, we’re going to take a look at the Playstation 3 exclusives!

Ico/Shadow of the Colossus Collection – Since these games were originally developed and appeared on the Playstation 2, this collection is technically not a Playstation 3 exclusive, but trust me, you have never seen these staples of console gaming quite like this in glorious HD.  They were based on the improved PAL versions of the games, but still feature all the secrets of the original Playstation 2 versions.  Not only that but the HD Collection version includes enhanced graphical effects, higher resolution textures, and some exclusive behind the scenes documentaries about the making of the games,.  Without a doubt this is the definitive version of these games.  MSRP on the Ico/Shadow of the Colossus Collection is currently around $19.99 US.

The inFamous Collection – When inFamous was released, it redefined what made for a superhero video game and allowed the player to make the decisions for themselves what they would do if they had super powers in a realistic urban setting.  Would they become a hero or would they become infamous?  The inFamous Collection contains both inFamous 1 and inFamous 2, as well as the entire expansion campaign for inFamous 2 which was released as downloadable content.  The fact that the downloadable content campaign is included with the collection is a fantastic deal, as it alone goes for ten dollars.  You can probably find The inFamous Collection in stores for $29.99 US.

The Resistance Collection – When the Playstation 3 launched, it had one must-have exclusive game on day 1, and that was the game Resistance: Fall of Man.  Since then, the game has spawned two sequels, an online social game, and two handheld spin offs.  The Resistance Collection includes all three Resistance games which were released for the Playstation 3 (Resistance: Fall of Man, Resistance 2 and Resistance 3) and bonus content for Resistance 2 and Resistance 3.  The Resistance Collection currently goes for $39.99 US.

The God of War Saga – There has probably been no bigger first-party exclusive franchise for Sony since the Playstation 2 era than the God of War series.  It redefined what made for an action platformer, and unapologetically brought the Greek mythology it was based on to light.  The God of War Saga is a compilation of all five, yeah I wrote that right, all five God of War games together, retooled and improved for the Playstation 3 along with access to the God of War Ascension Multiplayer Beta.  One little warning, don’t confuse this with the God of War Collection or God of War Origins Collection which only feature two of the five total games the Saga version does and doesn’t offer Ascension beta access.  The God of War Saga is $39.99 US.

Don’t worry, we’re not just stopping at the best games for the Playstation 3.  You can expect more Holiday Gift Guides to come!  Happy Holidays!

Do We All Live in the Pokémon World? December 5, 2012

With the release of Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 to the Nintendo DS last month, the Pokémon ‘Bridged Series, the AWESOME regular review series by the dude formerly known as That Dude in the Suede (now known simply as Suede), or the Pokémon Rusty series on dorkly.com, everyone is talking about Pokémon again!

Since the original games were released, many new Pokémon games have shipped over the years to commercial success. While the platforms they have appeared on have been updated with Nintendo’s hardware, they are still some of the biggest selling games in Nintendo’s library. It has become clear that Pokémon, with its wide appeal across tons of different mediums ranging from animated movies, playing cards, books and a TV show is one of the most successful gaming properties in the world.

But what is it that has made this series so popular and helped it to endure for so long? That’s what we’re here to find out! Maniac is coming at you with a brand new essay exclusive to gamexcess.net, where he breaks down everything he knows about the Pokémon game world and tries to figure out why its been such an enduring franchise for over ten years.

However, this essay was just too big to fit here, we had to dedicate an entire webpage to it. So please enjoy our newest site essay:

Do We All Live in the Pokémon World?

How to Transfer all Your Data from the Nintendo Wii to the Wii U November 19, 2012

So, you want to put all the save data, purchased games, Miis, and purchase history from your original Wii Console into your new Wii U? Good news, you can! Here’s how you do it!

Things you’ll need:

• Your original Wii Console.
• Your new Wii U Console.
• One (1) SD or SDHC memory card with at least 512MB free space.
• At least one WiiMote. MotionPlus capability not needed.
• Wireless Network connected to the Internet.

I recommend:

• Have your Wii and Wii U properly installed on two different TVs in your house.
• Have at least two WiiMotes. One should be synced to the Wii and one synced to the Wii U.  Normal WiiMotes are fine.  MotionPlus is not required or needed.

Preparation:

1. Both the Wii and Wii U must be properly hooked up to televisions and connected to a Wireless Network with access to the Internet. If you don’t know how to hook up the Wii click this link and watch this video. If you don’t know how to install a Wii U please watch this.  Make sure that both consoles are properly connected to your WiFi network and have internet access.
2. Update the internal firmware in your Wii and Wii U. This is a requirement for the transfer process to work for the Wii and a requirement for backwards compatibility with the Wii U. New firmware was released the day of the Wii U launch, and it is highly likely even if you just picked up a Wii U you probably don’t have it yet.  If you don’t know if you have the latest firmware already the Wii U will install its latest firmware automatically the first time you start it.  The Wii will notify you to update its firmware if needed when logging in to the Wii Shop Channel.

Okay, now that we have everything ready let’s get started.

1. On your Wii, go to the Wii Shop Channel and download the Wii to Wii U Transfer Channel in the Wii Channel menu. Price is 0 Wii Points. The program takes up around 70 or so blocks of Wii memory.  Purchase and download it.
2. Sync a WiiMote to the Wii U and access the Wii Menu.  This will bring up a very similar interface to the Wii.  Use your WiiMote to navigate to the Wii to Wii U Transfer Channel and select Download.  This may take you automatically to the Wii Shop Channel to download the transfer tool, which is 0 Wii Points.  Purchase and download it to your Wii U.
3. Run the Wii to Wii U transfer program on your Wii U.  When prompted insert the SD or SDHC memory card into the Wii U.  The SD slot is behind the front panel of the Wii U.  There is a small door that can be pried open from the top on the Wii U’s front panel below the disc drive.  Open it and insert the memory card when prompted by the transfer tool.  Follow all the prompts and DO NOT remove the card until the Wii U tells you that it is okay.
4. When prompted, remove the SD or SDHC memory card from the Wii U.

Okay, we’re set with the Wii U for the moment, leave it running but take the memory card to where the Wii is.

1. Run the Wii to Wii U transfer tool on the Wii. Follow the prompts exactly and when prompted, insert the SAME memory card you had just had in the Wii U into your Wii.  Like the Wii U, the Wii has its SD Card slot in its front panel just below the disc drive. Open the protective door from the top to expose the slot.
2. Once the card has been inserted, continue to follow the prompts until the transfer process begins.
3. Have a coke. Do not worry about your data, the Pikmin inside your Wii will move all of it into the memory card for you.  That’s no joke, watch the transfer progress screen.  It’s really entertaining.
4. When the final Pikmin have taken all of your data into their rocket ship (and picked up the last guy they forgot about) the Wii will prompt you to remove the SD card from the Wii. Remove the SD card. After you do so, the Wii should restart.

You can turn the Wii off now, we’re not going to need to use it again.  Take the memory card back to the Wii U.

1. Insert the same SD or SDHC card you just had in the Wii (the one with all the Pikmin in it) back into the Wii U. Follow the prompts.
2. Have another coke. The Pikmin will get out of their rocket shop and start unpacking all your data for you. Be aware it will take longer to unpack your data than it did to pack it up. That is because the Wii U is automatically redownloading all the compatible games and channels you had on your Wii at the time of transfer.
3. When the Pikmin have finished their work your Wii U will now have all the downloaded channels, Virtual Console games, save games and Wii Shop Channel balance your Wii did. Some channels such as the Internet Channel, Nintendo Channel, or Check Me Out Channel can’t be transferred, so don’t worry when you don’t see them.
4. The Wii U will empty the data it stored in your memory card. Eject it when prompted.

You’re done. Enjoy your Wii U!

If you’re having any problems during the process, here’s a troubleshooting tip.

If for any reason during the transfer the program is unable to connect to the Internet and you know there is nothing wrong with your Wii or Wii U Internet settings, simply hit retry. The issue could be Nintendo was simply overloaded with transfer requests.

Warning:

• This is ONE WAY. You cannot transfer your data back to your Wii.
• Once you transferred your original Wii data to the SD or SDHC card, do NOT lose it. Once the data is put on it, it is effectively your Wii. Take caution when bringing it from the Wii to the Wii U. Take a look at the kid gloves I used with mine.

Mario Weekend – Classic Mario Commercials November 17, 2012

From the late 90s to the early 00s, there was a very special phase that video game marketing was going through when it came to TV commercials.  Here was a fringe market being brought to a wide audience by a traditional media, and while they had no problem playing by the rules of traditional media, video games made sure to set themselves aside from everything else on the market.  In my opinion, NOBODY was better at this than Nintendo, and because of that there are a ton of great commercials out there that have been done for Nintendo games that as far as I’m concerned should be permanently archived.

Here are some of the best Mario related commercials that I could find from across the web.  Some of these have previously made my Top Ten Video Game Commercial video, but not all of them, and with it being Mario Weekend I felt now was a perfect opportunity to have all the game commercials I loved from Nintendo on display.  These are in chronological order.

Super Mario Land

I remember this commercial was one of the reasons that made me beg my parents for a Game Boy and this game for Christmas!  I just thought it was a great homage to classic B&W adventure serials, and given the B&W screen of the game boy it fit perfectly.  It was also nice to see a digital Mario interacting with the real world, which trust me looked extremely ground breaking at the time.

Super Mario RPG

Major points for originality here.  What other medium is going to have an awesome old man telling you what’s going on?

Paper Mario (N64)

I loved the sense of humor the marketing guys had with this one.  Since the characters are flat in the game, all the characters are depicted as paper cut outs interacting in the real world.  What is the most destructive thing you could imagine happening to paper?  Being stuck in a shredder of course!

Super Smash Bros

Do I really need to say anything about this one?  I think it just speaks for itself.

Sanity: Aiken’s Artifact, Downloadable Content Ten Years Early October 15, 2012

Back in Summer 2000 I was asked by GameSpy to be a part of a multiplayer beta test for a brand new game that was coming out later that year.  It was a third person 3D RPG for the PC which starred the famous rapper Ice T.  The game was called Sanity: Aiken’s Artifact and it was developed by Monolith Productions, which had previously worked on games like Shogo, and published by Fox Interactive, which was at the time branching out from simply publishing games that were based on 20th Century Fox properties.

The revolutionary aspect of Sanity: Aiken’s Artifact was that each of the powers and abilities that you used in the game was represented by playing cards that you would find in the game’s world.  This was just as the world was becoming accustomed to customizable card games like Magic: The Gathering, and it was integrated perfectly with the game’s style.  Pick up a card (which in the game were called talents), and all of a sudden you would be able to use that card’s abilities for real in the game.  The interface was similar to Diablo 2’s and it worked really well in a 3D game engine.  You could just simply drag your best cards into the lower menu and select which one you wanted to attack with in real-time.  You could also bring your card collection into multiplayer, and use them to battle online.

What was so revolutionary about the game was that the game wasn’t designed to just be limited to the 80 cards that was included in the retail package.  You could add more.  Monolith and Fox promised that a ton more cards would be coming, and they started by offering two different sets of unique cards which you could purchase in a bundle from Real.com (no that is not a typo, it was really being sold on the RealPlayer site) and would be fully compatible with the game’s official demo or the full retail version of the game.  The concept of downloadable content, free or paid, would not even be talked about until years later, and this game was doing it in the year 2000.  When the game released, a special mini CD-ROM was included with copies that were preordered online from EBgames, which included several more unique cards, and an issue of PC Gamer had a few more.  Only one card was ever released online for free, on their official website some time after release.

The problem was that the game somehow just didn’t stand out.  It had review scores ranging in the mid to high 80s, which was fantastic, but none of the reviewers really talked about the new features that the downloadable card system brought to the table.  In the end the game was quickly forgotten soon after its release.  Monolith and Fox Interactive had found a huge hit with their No One Lives Forever series, the first of which was released shortly after Sanity, and once that game was on track for release at the end of that year, they devoted most of their resources and advertizing focus to NOLF and away from Sanity. That meant that the extra cards that were promised never got released.

Unfortunately, Monolith never revisited the series.  After No One Lives Forever’s release, Monolith started working on Aliens Vs Predator 2 and its expansion, and when the next generation came about, they found hits with F.E.A.R. and Condemned: Criminal Origins.  Nowadays, no one even remembers the game, so its hard to find archived information about it.  It’s sad that we never got to learn just what Monolith or Fox had in mind for the Sanity series, or just what extra cards may have been coming.  I haven’t found a single site online which collected the game’s extra cards, however I did think ahead to store all the cards that I did obtain (which I think were all of them) on a floppy disk.  I haven’t had a floppy drive installed in my PC since Microsoft released Service Pack 1 for Vista.

Nowadays a game is pretty much expected to see post-release content in some form, be it patches, maps, levels, or new skins.  People like to say that paid downloadable content came to the mainstream with games like Halo 2 for the Xbox or Oblivion for the Xbox 360, but I would argue that it all started with a little game made for the PC where you could control a super powered Ice T and collect cards.  It really was a fun game, and I wish more people had played it.