Nintendo may catch lots of flack for bringing gaming to the casual market, but their methods have certainly not fallen on death ears.  While the DS was far from the first touch-screen device, it was one of the first mass-market commercial ones.  It has since been followed up by Apple’s iPhone and a slew of other touch phones.  Now, Microsoft is getting in on the party.

Microsoft recently previewed some of the tech for their Windows 7 OS (one can hardly wait for Windows X OS) and the big hoopla seemed to be over the addition of multi-touch capability.  If that sounds familiar, it’s because it’s essentially the same tech in the iPhone.  Not only that, many of the demos shown (rotating and resizing photos, zooming in on maps) are ripped directly from the iPhone’s interface.  So, great, Microsoft rips off Apple again, right?  What does it have to do with gaming?  Plenty.

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Ever wondered what some folks did before video games?  Before they had a DS or a Wii to draw all those pretty graphics for them?  Well, they drew their own.  It seems some folks simply can’t give up that old lifestyle, though, as they’ve taken to creating their own hand drawn video games.  In this case, you get a pretty fun animation of Mario drawn on the fly.

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The Globe and Mail has an interesting column up by Chad Sapieha about the timelessness, or lack thereof, of video games.  Basically, his argument is that video games, unlike film and literature, are not timeless.  That a game played today will not echo with the same resonance ten years down the line.  He has a point.

The problem with such arguments is that many tend to dismiss any game past a generation old.  In other words, if it hasn’t been released in the past five years many will argue the title is irrelevant and, more absurd, no longer fun.  Seriously?  Why do people believe this?

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Ever wanted a Nintendo DS with a hot pink top, but a black bottom? Sure, who hasn’t? Now, thanks to Colorware you can have just that. Or, basically, any other horrid combination you can imagine.

Colorware is offering an online custom paint application for the DS. Using it you can color just about any part of the DS whatever you want, including the stylus. They even offer the option to send your current DS in or to buy one from them. The prices, however, will set you back a bit. A fairly basic color scheme will run you $129. (more…)

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In The Great Games column we look back at titles that have defined video games over the years and earned a special place in the history of the medium.

It is easy to forget in the shadow of its younger brothers just how revolutionary Super Smash Bros. was at the time of its release. It wasn’t that the gameplay was so unique (though it was in many respects), nor was it the graphics were mind blowing (though, again, they were pretty sharp). No, the revolutionary thing about Super Smash Bros. was that the game existed period.

Prior to Super Smash Bros., the idea of Nintendo characters crossing over into each other’s games was fairly unheard of. Yes, there were the occasional cameos here and there, but for the most part the worlds stayed separate. That all changed with Super Smash Bros., however, and it was perhaps no better showcased than in the television commercial that ran at the time. (more…)

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First some Wiis can’t read the discs and now this? What else can Brawl fans hope for?

According to some, it’s impossible to get online and play a match during the evening. It seems people are getting disconnected and are receiving endless error messages. Well hopefully Nintendo remedies this problem soon. Maybe next time they’ll take the time to fully test a product. If nothing else, just keep trying to get online.

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As the first generation to not remember a time when Nintendo was a household word, those in college today apparently spend a great time of making Nintendo art of their campus surroundings. Today’s image, for example, covered bricks at the College of New Jersey in chalk to create the above image of Mario and Bowser facing off. Even more fun, additional images show Link, Kirby, Mega Man and Princess Peach. Click on the image for a full sized version.

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You’re not alone. In fact, Nintendo has set up a special support page for people with this problem. This has, no doubt, angered many Super Smash Bros. fans who have waited for the game after delays set back the release date, only to find out their Wii won’t even play it.

Since the game is a dual layered DVD with a lot of memory stored on it, some Wii’s are having trouble reading the disc. According to Nintendo, “A very small percentage of Wii consoles may have trouble consistently reading data off this large capacity disc if there is some contamination on the lens of the disc drive. Nintendo has specialized cleaning equipment that can resolve this problem.” (more…)

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Want to play Super Smash Bros. Brawl online, but have no friends? Not really the sociable type to go out and make friends? Well, the Internet has a solution for your anti-social behavior, again!

MapWii is a neat little Google Maps mashup site that plots Wii owners around the world. The neat part is that you can sort by games they own and players can enter their Wii friend codes. Sure, it isn’t quite as elegant as Xbox Live, but it’s better than nothing. (more…)

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That headline is perhaps misleading in that it’s a gross over simplification of the issue at hand. That issue being that a game is currently being developed in Europe centered on the Holocaust. In it, you play a young French boy who escapes the horrors of Nazi occupation during World War II by retreating into a fantasy world. Does that premise sound familiar to you Pan’s Labyrinth fans?

Nintendo officials have stated the game will not see a US release. The game, titled Imagination Is the Only Escape, is being developed by a single independent artist and distributed by British company Alten8. It appears to be an artistic attempt to deal with the horrors of the Holocaust in a game that might educate young people. (more…)

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