As if no-one guessed already – Sony has officially announced plans to release 3D enabled games for its Move motion-sensing controller.
At the Tokyo Game Show, the Japanese consumer electronics giant revealed to the mass media plans to introduce 3D games to its PlayStation Move, while announcing 3D Blu-ray movie support for its PS3 console with a firmware update, which according to reports will be released on 21 September.
Opinions are divided, with others saying that 3D technology is both still in its infancy and an unattractive proposition to most consumers – a situation not expected to change for three years – and others claiming that it makes good business sense as a way for Sony to tout it’s OWN 3D TV sets. There’s also a belief that the Nintendo’s 3DS hand-held gaming device may steal Sony’s thunder, as its technology does not require special glasses. But Sony’s spokesman has refuted all anti-3D opinions, stating that the company is trying to promote the technology in content and that the 3D titles fall in same price bracket as their 2D variants. What do you think?
A Twitter user going by the user name of ‘nocchisan’, who apparently is or was an employee at Japanese Videogaming company Key Factory, tweeted that Key Factory is gearing up to launch 3DS peripherals to coincide with the Japanese launch of the hand-held on 20 November 2010.
However, shortly after the tweet was posted, the Twitter account disappeared completely from the service, taking the tweet along with it.
The tweet Read the rest of this entry »
Recently I’ve been addicted to a little Flash Game I discovered while searching the net, and I thought I’d share it. The game is called Super Mario Bros. Crossover, and it’s a non-profit Fan Game that aims to answer the very question I asked in the title: What would the first Super Mario Bros. game have been like if OTHER Nintendo characters had been the star?
SMB Crossover takes the original Super Mario Bros. game and twists it up a little. As well as Mario, you can play every level with other famous Nintendo characters like Mega Man, Samus (from Metroid), Link, Simon (from Castlevania) and many more, each of which offers a unique play style. According to the developer, SMB Crossover “exists as a tribute to classic video games and celebrates the games and characters that many of us grew up playing. It gives attention to our gaming roots and serves as a reminder that games do not have to be complicated to be fun. It is not intended to inhibit the copyright holders of the original games it is based on in any way.”
The game faithfully recreates the original Super Mario Bros. completely and accurately, with only small changes here and there to adapt for the new characters’ styles. However, larger changes are also available in the form of unlockable cheats, which become available when you complete the game once; and options such as removing the timer. The game also has a difficulty select at the start, and there’s five difficulty levels – Medium, which faithfully recreates the original game; Super Easy and Easy, which slow down the action and give fewer and easier enemies, for those new to Mario games; Hard, which gives the same harder challenge you’d get after completing the original Super Mario Bros. once (otherwise known as the Star Levels); and Extreme which gives the hardest challenge of all. There’s lots of options too, and there’s even unlockable cheats if you complete the game once. The best thing about SMB Crossover though is that it’s constantly updated, and the developer is keen to hear people’s ideas, some of which may actually end up into future versions of the game.
SMB Crossover in my opinion wins a thumbs-up from me simply because it’s a novel idea that has actually turned out to work amazingly well; and the nostalgia value and the nods to gaming history just make it a treat for retroheads; while the challenge of playing Mario with someone like Mega Man has enough humour value to entertain any Nintendo fan. I implore everyone to try this game at least once!
Play the latest version: http://supermariobroscrossover.com/