Tag: Weirdness - Page 7
Weirdness Robots Play Classic Nintendo Music and Sound Effects
The wonders of 8-bit games and the greatest low-cost PC in the world
Sometimes clever people take a creative idea and then lovingly wrap it in gaming nostalgia, often posting the results on YouTube. A fine thing it is too, as it all adds to gaming culture and, ultimately, the best examples can be hugely entertaining. YouTube user roboband produced...
Weirdness These "Anywhere Buttons" Look Daft Wherever You Are
Use these things in public, we dare you
Hey, 3DS gamers! Do you want to look particularly silly when playing your handheld device in public? Have you always looked at that pesky touchscreen and thought, darn, I wish I had an adhesive stick-on D-Pad for that non-button area? Then step right up, for the "Anywhere Buttons"! Order now, preferably...
Weirdness If You Always Wanted to See Kanto From Pokémon Red and Blue in Minecraft, Here You Go
Spare 10 minutes to reward hundreds of hours of effort
If we were to name a top ten, maybe even a top five, of the biggest franchises in the current gaming landscape, it's possible that both Minecraft and Pokemon would feature. Minecraft, and its ability to allow gamers to create their own worlds, has become a phenomenon, while the hype surrounding...
Weirdness Say Hello to the Cross Plane, a GamePad For Other Systems
Well, not quite
In recent years Nintendo has produced some innovative products with established technology, endured some sniggers and confused coverage, and then seen the idea mimicked and reproduced by others. The idea of touch screens in gaming was rather fresh when the DS was unveiled, and some mocked the waggle motion controls of the Wii —...
Weirdness This 1DS Spoof is Remarkably Well Done
Or the 1Dees, as ABC news would call it
The 2DS has, despite its obvious reasons for existence in the market this Holiday season, been open to plenty of incredulity and mockery online. That was its inevitable fate, as no amount of logic — or the fact it's not threatening anyone — will spare it some teasing on the web. We must doff our caps to...
Weirdness Football Manager Fans Can Now Show Off in Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Get your special t-shirt design here
The Football Manager franchise is like a dark secret for some gamers, an absorbing game that destroys social lives and relationships on an annual basis. There's little time for minor things such as meals and fresh air when you need to fine-tune the training regimen of your star striker. Although, of course,...
Weirdness ABC News Tells Us All About How the 2Dees Can Play 3Dees Games
Also the Wii 32GB model, which strangely looks like a Wii U, gets a $50 cut
This week Nintendo of America's Reggie Fils-Aime did what almost any Executive in his position would do, he stated that the Wii U name wasn't the issue with the system, but did point out other areas that clearly have held the console back to date. That said, it's also clear...
Weirdness Mann Writes Mario Opera
A plumber's lament
Many people would probably be happy in the sole knowledge that they wrote a Mario-themed opera for their grad school thesis, but it wasn’t quite enough for musician Jonathan Mann. He wanted to bring it to the stage, and made his dream come true with a show in New York City. Along with Princess Peach, Bowser, a Toad chorus and...
Weirdness Mario Bros. Parkour Action Is All The Rage
Christian Russell and Ronnie Shalvis show-off some skillz, erm, skills
At the weekend we brought you Nintendo of America's latest example of marketing for Luigi, with it's Parkour mockumentary in honour of "L-Man". Freerunning fun is naturally pretty popular on YouTube, and the relatively well-known Christian Russell and Ronnie Shalvis have starred...
Weirdness If You Always Wanted a Gold DuckTales NES Cartridge, Now's Your Chance
Sing or draw to win, it's up to you
DuckTales: Remastered is now gracing the Wii U eShop, giving the NES classic a HD makeover and the odd extra feature. Capcom isn't quite finished promoting the multi-platform release — mainly due to the fact it's yet to arrive on the Xbox 360 — so has launched a rather intriguing contest for eager collectors...
Weirdness The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is Beaten in Under 20 Minutes
Cosmo strikes in 19 minutes 15 seconds
A little while ago we told you about Cosmo Wright, a speedrunner that was recorded explaining, in detail, how to complete Ocarina of Time in 22 minutes. As he admitted himself it wasn't an impeccable run, possibly because he was trying to describe intricate maneuvers while executing them. That run was at a...
Weirdness Perhaps We All Need These LEGO Nintendo 64 Transformers in Our Lives
More than meets the eye
Sometimes life is tough. Some of us have work, school, work and school, bills to pay, credit card bills to panic over and a myriad of other concerns. At least we have video games to ease the load, but there's always room for improvement; how about combining video games with LEGO and Transformers? Yes, that'll do the trick...
Weirdness SEGA Employee Has a Bad Day, Says Bayonetta 1 & 2 Are Almost "Exactly the Same"
Probably not the official company line
Update: A SEGA of America employee has now reportedly taken to NeoGaf with a one-line statement back-tracking on the SEGA customer services rep reported below. The information provided is not accurate and we apologize for any confusion. Bayonetta 2 is an entirely new game. Of course, everyone already knew...
Weirdness These Gaist Crusher 3DS Add-Ons Aren't Particularly Stylish
Lumps of plastic to bolt onto the 3DS? Check...
Not so long ago we brought you the news that Treasure — best known for brilliant titles such as Sin & Punishment: Star Successor and Gunstar Heroes — is working with Capcom on Gaist Crusher for the 3DS. It's a title that'll aim to combine the in-game action with a broader branding effort,...
Weirdness This First-Person Sonic the Hedgehog Video is Rather Impressive
But would it be playable?
It's a favourite hobby of some gamers to fantasize over "what ifs"; maybe "what if Mario had worn green and been the easily frightened taller brother?" Or "what if Mega Man had been a middle aged man with a pistol, like on the box art?" Another may well be, what if Sonic the Hedgehog wasn't a 2D platformer, but a...
Video The Pokémon Tretta Lab Add-On Makes the Circle Pad Pro XL Look Streamlined
You can't get this monster in your pocket
A little while ago we told you about Pokémon Tretta Lab coming to the 3DS in Japan, an app accompanied by fairly bulky hardware to bring an arcade experience home. It arrives in the region on 10th August, with the app being free but the hardware costing 3,800 yen (approx. £25 / €30 / $38). This provides...
Weirdness Check Out This Brilliant Donkey Kong Stop-Motion Video
The mind boggles
Some YouTube videos dedicated to Nintendo games and franchises cross the boundary from happy enthusiast's amateur efforts to downright impressive, professional-level work. This stop-motion Donkey Kong video certainly fits in the latter category, with a lot of skill and hours no doubt needed to put it all together. We're not sure...
Weirdness Hackers Use NES Pad To Drive Car
All those hours on Rad Racer might come in handy after all
Security experts Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek have demonstrated a method which allows hackers to control a car using a laptop and NES joypad. The pair have created a system which enables them to connect to a car's electronic control unit (ECU) via the on-board diagnostics port and...
Weirdness Mike Tyson Was Rubbish at Punch-Out!!
"I couldn't even beat Glass f****** Joe"
While some games, particularly in the '80s and '90s, proudly showed off a celebrity likeness or name to sell copies, that doesn't mean that those famous people even liked those games. In the case of Mike Tyson, he was so hopeless at his own part of NES history that it seems irrelevant whether he actually...
Weirdness So Tyrion Lannister Got To Play Some Wii U At Comic-Con
Along with a host of other television stars
When you want to promote your latest console and its software, there's really no better way than to get a load of famous people to play it and take some photos of them. Nintendo adhered to this time-honoured strategy at this year's San Diego Comic-Con by gathering a bunch of TV stars on a yacht and forcing...
Weirdness This Donkey Kong Art Plays With Your Sense of Perception
The impossible level
While some fan culture based on Nintendo is relatively light-hearted, full of parody or off-the-cuff, there are examples where artistic skill is employed to be both serious and irreverent at once. We think this may be a rather good example of that. YouTube group AweMeChannel has produced a video inspired by the work of Maurits...
Weirdness Check Out This Mario-Style Tribute To Manchester United Legend Alex Ferguson
English soccer's most successful manager scores a 1-up
Sir Alex Ferguson recently called time on the most successful managerial career in English football ("soccer" to anyone in North America), having secured an incredible 49 trophies over almost four decades. How do you pay tribute to such a sporting legend, one of the finest managers the world...
Weirdness A Young Boy's Paper Game Boy Shows the Power of Imagination
Heart-warming and awesome
While many of us may be lucky enough to have all of the entertainment we want right at our fingertips, what do you do when you have to make your own fun? You could inadvertently dabble in 2D platform design, for one. Reddit user Juankestein has posted images of a paper "Game Boy" that he made when he was nine years old. As...
Weirdness Nintendo Trademark Suggests Seaman Revival is on the Cards
It's a fishy business
We've seen some peculiar Nintendo titles over the years on its systems, including some that have only been released in Japan, but two new trademarks filed by the big N suggest that the crazy could be on the comeback. Japanese blog esuteru.com has noticed that Nintendo has registered two peculiar trademarks — Mysterious Pet:...
Weirdness Formula One Champion Sebastian Vettel Channels His Inner Mario
His car doesn't look particularly safe
Mario is undoubtedly an icon, and it seems that plenty of people are willing to dress up as the mustachioed plumber — and sometimes his brother — for a bit of extra attention; let's not forget that we did just that recently. But still, when Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel dresses up as the...
Weirdness Zelda Answers Rejected on Jeopardy, Hearts are Broken
What a mean show
Jeopardy! is a popular quiz show in the U.S. Heck, there's even a Jeopardy! game for the Wii U, which is one in the eye for anyone that says there aren't enough games for the system; its iconic jingle and tense battles over thousands of dollars are typical game show fare. Yet Nintendo fans may object to a recent bit of pedantry...
Weirdness Picking an Original Pokémon Starter, Always a Tough Call
Pick me!
Pokémon is a gaming culture phenomenon, with legions of fans that can readily recite 'mon names and abilities without a pause for breath. For newcomers or those that haven't been there and seen it all, however, picking a starter 'mon can be a tough call. Sure, they're different types and have varying strengths and weaknesses, but how do...
Weirdness Level-5 Flies Straight With its Favourite Character Poll Wallpaper
Well played
A little while ago we shared the peculiar news that a load of online pranksters had voted for the Aero Porter plane as their 'favourite' Level-5 character. It was a poll to celebrate the company's 15th anniversary, and pleas for the vote to be taken seriously were clearly ignored — we feel confident saying that these were pranksters,...
Weirdness Bling is Redefined by These Zelda Songrings
One ocarina to rule them all
Owning Nintendo-related nick-nacks is, for some, part of the deal as a fan of the company and its games. They can be plushies, cushions, pins, bags and all-manner of things; some of these collectibles are worn, of course, whether they're t-shirts, hats or shoes. But what if you want to bling it up and show your Nintendo...
Weirdness UK Survey Determines What Makes an "Average UK Gamer"
Probably not accurate, but a quirky result
Those of us a little longer in the tooth probably remember those days in the '90s when gamers were crudely pigeon-holed as sweaty teenagers in darkened rooms or, as TV adverts tried to suggest, happy smiling teenagers in brightly lit rooms. Games have come a long way since then, of course, with technology...
Video The Mysteries of Evolution Are Solved, Pokémon is the Answer
The old B button trick
Occasionally we like to highlight humourous videos that riff on Nintendo history, particularly as it shows — above all else — that Nintendo is a strong part of pop culture. If people keep referencing Nintendo's games and systems, particularly of the retro variety, it all helps to keep the company's brand at the forefront...
Weirdness Zelda And Pokémon Revisited As 1930s Disney Cartoons
Golly, Pluto!
Ever wondered what The Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, Trine and Street Fighter would look like if they were magically transported back in time and drawn by the hand of Walt Disney himself? No? Well tough luck, because you're about to see them anyway. Red Little House — the team behind Fleish & Cherry in Crazy Hotel — have created...
Weirdness The Mystery of the Mega Man 2 Box Art Pistol is Explained
Capcom's Art Director blew it
Retro game covers can be fascinating, on occasion because of just how awful they can look. Often there's a charm on display that you just don't see in many modern-day, high budget cover designs that have clearly been produced by a rather expensive branding agency; back then, video games were also predominantly targeting...
Weirdness Level-5's Favourite Character Poll Doesn't Go to Plan
And the winner is...
As part of the celebrations for its 15 year anniversary, well-known Japanese developer Level-5 recently held an online poll to allow gamers to vote for their favourite characters from the company's lineup. With franchises such as Professor Layton and Inazuma Eleven in its portfolio, some would have expected the voting to be...
Weirdness The Roots Perform an Awesome Mario Rap on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon
Disses Luigi, rap battle should happen...
For those that don't know, The Roots are a critically acclaimed, Grammy winning band, that also serves as the house band on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Some of you may also be aware that Fallon has been doing a lot of post-E3 coverage, so games have been a prominent part of his show in the past week. That...
Weirdness If Only Monster Hunter Was Released on the Game Boy
On a scale of one to awesome, it'd be awesome
Monster Hunter is a huge deal in Japan, with the upcoming Monster Hunter 4 likely to cause retail mayhem, or perhaps crashes of the 3DS eShop servers. Despite the high quality of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate on Wii U and 3DS, however, it's not hit those heights in the West, relying on a loyal core following...
Weirdness The Wacky World of Nintendo at E3 2013
The Villager is a homicidal sociopath, apparently
With another E3 coming to an end, we've once again seen Nintendo produce some quirky moments. It must be one of the few multi-billion dollar corporations with executives willing to pose in somewhat bizarre setups, either in front of the obligatory over-sized props or, on occasion, playing a bit of...
Weirdness Someone Is Planning On Digging Up Atari's Buried E.T. Cartridges
Could this urban legend be true? We'll soon find out
Before Nintendo came along and revolutionised the video game industry with the NES, American company Atari was the undisputed king of the home gaming arena — right up to the point where low-quality software and catastrophic mismanagement resulted in a massive video game crash. One of the most...
Weirdness Pokémon Fusion Fan-Site Remixes Your Favourite 'Mon
We like the Hypbat
With Pokémon X & Y coming later this year, many fans of the franchise are no doubt enjoying every second of the buzz and hype. Part of that fun is learning about new evolutions or, when we're lucky, all new creatures, which makes fan-site Pokémon Fusion worth a look. It's the work of Alex Onsager, and he's currently working...
Weirdness Theories on the Inside of a Poké Ball
PETA would choose the "ideal environment theory"
Video games are often silly, fantastical things, which is one of the reasons that we love them. Still, that silliness can sometimes be fun for theoretical nonsense, such as the real estate value of Hyrule Castle. The same group that came up with that theory has now asked that all-important question...
Weirdness Just How Much Cash Do You Need To Buy The Legend Of Zelda's Hyrule Castle?
Around $113,807,400, apparently
Have you ever wished that you could live in Hyrule Castle? Does the thought of enjoying the scenic views of one of gaming's most iconic locations whilst enjoying a nice cold Lon Lon Milk appeal to you? If so, then you might want to start saving those pennies, because a recent infographic over at Movato Blog estimates...
Weirdness Own The Manual To ClayFighter Sculptor's Cut? You Could Be Sitting On A Grand
Super-rare game has an even rarer instruction booklet
We'll forgive you for not being aware of this — because we certainly weren't — but ClayFighter Sculptor's Cut was a Blockbuster-only rental in North America. The 2D fighting title is therefore pretty rare already, but it's near-impossible to find with a mint instruction manual, mainly because...
Weirdness Legend of Zelda's Triforce Gets Carved Into A Japanese Tombstone
A Link to the Afterlife
It's not uncommon for people to have poignant messages carved into their headstones when they eventually shake off their mortal coil, but you've got to go a long way to beat the legendary Triforce when it comes to tributes to the dead. According to Twitter user mahosyouzyo, when a relative passed away she was asked to create...
Weirdness Looks Like Link Is Versed In The Japanese Art Of Kyudo Archery
They sure know their Far Eastern archery skills in Hyrule
We sure get sent some unusual news tips here at Nintendo Life, but when Ben "Mikeyman64" Barger decided to tell us about a cool feature he'd found in Super Smash Bros. Melee, we knew we were onto something a little more out of the ordinary. According to our tipster, Link's bow-work in the...