Amazing Game Boy commercial from Hong Kong
Starring Mario, Raphael, and some kind of pink ninja. There’s also a Master System commercial!
BUY Nintendo 3DS and 3DS XL consoles, upcoming releases
Pokémon and their handhelds, over the years
They won’t hit until October, but Pokémon X and Y are now available to preorder at Amazon:
While the release list for this year still has a lot of holes, 2013 is already looking so good for 3DS.
The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia
I almost forgot that this will be shipping out in a week! Unfortunately the more expensive limited edition has been sold out for some time now, but you can still put in a half-price preorder ($19.42) for the standard hardcover.
BUY Hyrule Historia, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD
I’ve already seen a number of people who prefer the cel-shaded graphics of the GameCube edition (or the gorgeous visuals on a Dolphin setup), but I’m just as excited about the other additions in this enhanced Wii U port:
- Gameplay tweaks
- Off-TV GamePad play support
- Miiverse compatibility
And if we’re all good boys and girls, maybe Nintendo will throw in some new content, too?
BUY The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia
Nintendo combining hardware teams
Starting next month, Nintendo will combine its console (130 engineers) and handheld (150 engineers) teams into one group that will work together, share their knowledge, and optimize their development processes, according to a Nikkei report.
The company aims to bolster connectivity between its portable and home systems, as well as improve online features. Nintendo also looks to speed up its hardware development cycle to match those of tablets and smartphones — so it’s possible we could see even faster console updates (or new console releases) as a result of this change!
BUY Nintendo 3DS and 3DS XL consoles, upcoming releases
IMAGE VIA Robert Jonasson
The Fire Emblem 3DS bundle will cost $200
That seems a little steep considering this is just a standard 3DS, and the Mario Kart 7 3DS XL bundle has the same price (albeit for an older game). Also, in the press release it sent out today, Nintendo of America makes no mention of this package including a prepaid ¥1,000/$11 eShop card like the Japanese edition.
What it does include is the limited edition blue 3DS with a 4GB SD card and a digital copy of Fire Emblem: Awakening. As with the game, it ships on February 4.
Something I neglected to mention before, by the way: the North American release will feature dual-language support, so you can listen to Japanese voice acting if you prefer.
PREORDER Fire Emblem: Awakening, other upcoming games
Pokémon X and Y hits 3DS this October
The mainline Pokémon series will make its debut on 3DS with three new starter creatures (Fennekin, Froakie, and Chespin), as well as new but unspecified features meant to take advantage of the system’s capabilities. This trailer also mentions that “the more you battle together [with your Pokémon], the stronger your bond will become.
BUY Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity, Pokemon B/W 2
Fuckin finally. A truly different looking, and different feeling Pokémon game after 18 fuckin years of rehashing basically the same graphics and battle screens and everything. Even the new starters are a little bit better than the last 2 or 3 games’. Awesome!
Need this: Planners from Itoi’s company
This is going to be the year, right? This is going to be the year when you finally get your shit together, when you get your life organized and make a mark on this world. This is your breakout year.
All you need are some GTD tools to make it happen, you tell yourself. And it just so happens that Hobonichi, the Japanese company headed by Mother/Earthbound series creator Shigesato Itoi produces a popular planner, and it’s now available in English.
The Hobonichi Planners are like a combination schedule book, diary, notebook, and scrapbook, and they are filled with eclectic quotes and “fun items of interest about Japan and countries around the world.” And come December 31, you can pop the book on your shelf, and pick up the next year’s planner, creating a multi-volume chronicle of your life.
The planners run for around $29, but the fancy leather covers cost $168 — that’s how they get ya. Shipping will set you back another $14 to $17, too. There are also fancy limited edition covers on the Japanese site, and some of them even let you slip in a custom design like the official Mother 3 cover.
Lindsay Nelson, who helped translate the English edition, has put up some handy instructions for the ordering process.
BUY Mother 3, Earthbound
You can be 8-bit Link, The Terminator, and even a Game Boy in Animal Crossing: New Leaf
I love these cutouts that players can make in New Leaf, then share with others via QR codes. Credit for these impressive boards goes to Tobidasu Animal Crossing, driver, @tbdstmt, @madoah, Ferret Room, @miki800, and ales2012.
PREORDER Animal Crossing: New Leaf, more upcoming games
“Optimal 3DS playing position” by Jackson Wright
This was me about 20 years ago, except I was playing Mega Man: Dr. Wily’s Revenge on a Game Boy. The 3DS game that’s kept this boy preoccupied in his Mario pajamas is Paper Mario: Sticker Star.
You can see the optimal DS playing position and more great photos of portable gamers in our Handholding series.
BUY Paper Mario: Sticker Star
