Nintendo's '8-bit Summer' Starts Next Week

In a recent Nintendo Direct press conference, Nintendo announced a summer promotion for 3DS owners that should make retro fans very happy. Dubbed the "Summer of 8-bit," the promotion will see Nintendo releasing retro Virtual Console titles on the 3DS eShop for each week in July. Here is the list of games and dates they've put out so far:

• The Legend of Zelda (NES) - July 5
• Kirby's Pinball Land (Game Boy) - July 12
• The Sword of Hope II (Game Boy) - July 12
• Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters (Game Boy) - July 19
• Tumblepop (Game Boy) - July 19
• Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (Game Boy) - July 19
• Sonic Blast (GameGear) - date TBA
• Sonic Labyrinth (GameGear) - date TBA  

Not too shabby of a list, and it's great to see not only NES games, but GameBoy and SEGA GameGear games as well on the list. For me personally, I'll be picking up Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters, Wario Land and both Sonic GameGear games.

Nintendo also released a trailer for the promotion, which you can check out below.

New York Comic Convention

 I had a great time at the New York Comic Convention this past week. I was really happy to spend some actual real world time with co-host Brian Letendre. Sorry we've been so absent in the blog section here. I hope to rectify that issue as soon as possible. Expect some upcoming posts about games and game related items. If you get a chance to head to NYC next year don't hesitate. There were tons of retro characters represented as well as the largest upright arcade machine in the world. The last time I saw it at the show I saw a huge line of people waiting to play giant Galaga. FANTASTIC.

Sonic Not as Fast as We Remember?

As I've been playing Sonic the Hedgehog this month for the SEGAmaniacal Summer Challenge, I've been thinking a lot about the franchise and how it's evolved over the years. Even moreso, I've been thinking about how pretty much every Sonic since the Dreamcast iteration has been criticized for the same thing--not being fast enough.

Go read reviews of any Sonic game over the past few years. Inevitably, you'll get to the part of the review where the writer laments how this new game doesn't stay true to the original concept of Sonic. The game isn't fast enough, Sonic doesn't run enough, there's too much stop-and-go gameplay, etc.

Many of the reviewers remember the original Sonic games as being one long footrace, where Sonic always runs at blinding speeds and the gameplay never slows down.

The thing is, that's not what the original Sonic games were at all. Sure, there are plenty of moments in the early Sonic games where you are racing through levels at insane speeds. But, there's also a great deal of times where you are at a dead stop, carefully planning your next move or jump, as you traverse lava pits, spiked bridges, and the like. I'd say it's probably a 6-40 split in terms of slow gameplay versus fast paced gameplay.

Thinking about this has made me want to play some of the more recent Sonic games that were panned critically, as I think a lot of reviewers were comparing them to the nostalgic view of Sonic they had, as opposed to what the actual games played like.

What do you think?

The SEGAmaniacal Summer Challenge Starts Tomorrow!

Dust off that old Genesis, because tomorrow kicks off the SEGAmaniacal Summer Challenge. Three months, three games, starting with the game that established SEGA's mascot for the 90's--Sonic the Hedgehog.

Over the next month, Jason and I will be checking in on the SI forums, as well as with a couple of podcast segments, so get playing!

GIANT PACMAN GAME!

I have not had a chance to fully explore this website, but the title "World's Biggest Pacman" pretty much sums it up. When you visit the site you are greated with THOUSANDS of gameboards. Click on one to begin. Each one is connect to another. You could munch power pellets all day! You can sync up with facebook and post your records. A really neat idea. If you're logged into facebook, you can even create your own levels.

One thing I want to explore more is the AI. The original pacman had great AI. Each ghost was different and various parts of the board yielded pros and cons. Also, when you head through a warp tube, ghosts slow down when following you. I'm not sure they even follow you in this version. To check it out, visit the link below! Enjoy!

http://worldsbiggestpacman.com/

Retro Gaming Yardsale Adventures

It's that time of year again. We're getting deep into spring, the weather is nice and we've got a tiny bit of cash in our pockets. So we'll be on the hunt for gaming consoles. GAMES GAMES GAMES at deep dish discounts. Parents unloading kids electronics and kids who want to buy their next system and will sell me electronics super cheap. What will our finds be? Who knows! We'll be breaking out some serious fleamarket and tag sale stories in the upcoming episodes. Deals we got and deals we lost.

The top consoles on my list this year will be a Coleco Vision, Commodore 64c, Atari 2600 - Video Game Console, Atari 5200 - Video Game Console (System), Nintendo Virtual Boy - Video Game Console and some random handhelds. I'll also need new games for my new GBA as well as other consoles sitting in my collection.

If you are out and about and see crazy finds. Even if you don't buy them, share you story in the comments, on the forum or snap a pict with your phone and shoot us an email.

Retro Mint Box Storing Erasers

I bought these mints a long time ago just to get this awesome tin. The Nintendo Store in NYC has all sorts of cool items like this! I now usr it to store my awesome erasers. It is a head turner.

Original Tron Film Out On Bluray April 5th

Oh man! I'm so excited to see they finally released the original Tron film on bluray. Last year when Tron Legacy came out I wanted to get the film prior to watching the sequel. Unfortunately it was impossible because Disney had done some testing and found that today's audience would be turned off by it. They actually had screenings where folks were laughing at the visuals. I have to tell you, the visuals are a bit better in Legacy, but it's still glowing folks running around inside a pretend computer.

I realize this is not a retro game, but it's based around the concepts of some of our favorite retro games of the past. It plays off of classic arcade game names and even has the awesome, "Flynn's Arcade" in the film. Super stuff. Get on it! Order one! I'm going to order mine soon and after I check out all the goodies I'll be posting a review.

Get Your SNES On

Today, one of my friends sent me a link to www.superfamicon.org. Do you have a SNES or three like I do? Well! whether you call it a SNES, Super Nintendo, Big N, Super Comboyto or スーパーファミコン, you will find a complete data base here. Go, read, be fruitful and enjoy. Just take it easy on your thumbs.

Sony Announces PlayStation Suite for Android Devices

Press Release

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCE) recently unveiled “PlayStation®Suite” (PS Suite), delivering the PlayStation® experience to Android™ based portable devices*1. Through this entirely new initiative, users will be able to enjoy PlayStation content on an open operating system for the first time in PlayStation history.

In the dramatically evolving and diversifying mobile market, the number of users who enjoy games casually on a variety of devices including mobile phones, smart-phones and tablet PCs, has been increasing significantly. By offering “PlayStation quality” content to this rapidly growing market, SCE will not only deliver the PlayStation experience to a wider base of users around the globe, but will also be able to offer game developers and publishers the potential to further expand their business opportunities to these devices.

In providing the PlayStation experience on Android based portable devices, SCE will commence a “PlayStation®Certified” license program for hardware manufacturers. Through this program, SCE will offer necessary support, including development support as well as logo licensing, to ensure the delivery of PlayStation quality experience across various devices.

On the software front, SCE plans to provide PS Suite content within this calendar year, starting with original PlayStation games*2 (PS one® classics) that will allow users to enjoy “PlayStation quality” gameplay on their Android based portable devices. SCE also plans to open PlayStation®Store where users will be able to download content in an easy to use environment, directly via the Android based portable devices. Moreover, SCE will provide a new game development environment in an effort to ensure new and compelling content is delivered on PS Suite, which will also offer opportunities for a wider base of developers and publishers to further expand their business on various portable devices.

Newly developed content for PS Suite can also be enjoyed on the next generation portable entertainment system (codename: NGP), which SCE announced today. Users who have never experienced PlayStation content can get a taste of the PlayStation experience through PS Suite and from there, they can enjoy the ultimate portable entertainment experience that is only possible on NGP.

SCE will vigorously enhance the entertainment world delivering the PlayStation experience to a wider base of users.

Get Your Retro-game On with the Wii and Original Game Controllers!

This awesome adapter allows you to hook up your N64, SNES or NES controllers to the Wii for that real retro game feel. Are you like me? You have a bunch of virtual console games on the Wii, but you want to feel like you're really playing the true system or you don't want to worry about batteries in your Wii mote while you try to beat Zelda all in one sitting? Well here is your answer. I may have to get this myself.

I found it here, but I'm sure there are other places on the net.