So, when I was younger, I was a Diddy Kong Racing guy. When I finally purchased Mario Kart 64, I was underwhelmed. The track design for MK64 was certainly a little more involved, but I think that DKR had a very clever pickup system, where you could forgo using an item for building up a more powerful version of the item by collecting the same color balloon (Missiles --> homing missile --> ten missiles). Throw in a hovercraft, a plane, and the fact that you race a damn triceratops, and I have to say it was my most played N64 game. Yeah, I'll catch hell for my opinion, but it's how I grew up. Anyway, if you watched the opening linked above, you might have noticed something, which may have stirred some very faint memories in the back of your soul.

The child's laugh. Every since I played the game and suffered through that Rare logo with those children laughing, I heard that same laugh used again and again. And again. And again. Just tonight, I was watching the trailer for this awful looking movie Mirrors, and them BAM, right after the little kid's mirror image give a freaky look to the camera (horror movie'd), there was the laugh, for a split second. This has happened so often, and it seems as if it's used for horror, fantasy, children's, commercials, etc etc etc. It's a laugh that makes sense in any context!

So I went and looked it up, and sure enough, after one cursory google search, I found this website, which chronicles another person's exact same discovery. They even included the full mp3 of the creepy kids laugh. They have only a few of the instances of the laugh in popular culture, but now that you've heard it here, though, start listening for it yourself. It's like that damn Wilhelm Scream.

The Diddy Laugh. Good job, creepy children.

[Wii]

SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1

A seemingly solid set of games that aren't already available in a ton of other places.

Kidz Sports: Crazy Golf

I'm disappointed. Only one 'z.' If it's anything like the other Kidz Sports titles, then it's a port of a PS2 game from 2004!

Order Up!

If you press A, then you yell "order up," and if you shake the Wiimote at all, then you accidentally spill all the food.

[DS]

Final Fantasy IV

Proper remake of that one we knew as "Final Fantasy II" here.

Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns

Roguelike sequel to quirky Japanese game.

Nancy Drew: The Mystery of the Clue Bender Society

I'd like her to solve the mystery of my Clue Bender Society, if you know what I mean. (There is a secret clue-bending society of some kind in my backyard, and my dog won't stop barking at it.)

New International Track & Field

I bet this game is played by tapping on the touch screen a whole bunch. Like, a lot. Like, more-than-Elite-Beat-Agents a lot.

[Both]

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

Protip: Chinese mummies exist, and are actually Jet Li.

Ok, this is like the tiniest bit of news, but honestly it's incredible in a stupid way. So, Nintendo is releasing a Wii side-scroller, Wario Land: Shake It!, which, for all intents and purposes, looks awesome. The Wario Land series has always been fun and challenging, featuring innovative level design and a slick art style. This entry into the series looks to be no different. Now, while in America the game's name is a bold demand punctuated by an explosive exclamation point, for no reason at all, the Australian name of the game will be Wario Land: The Shake Dimension. This kind of sounds like a bad advertising campaign for Wendy's. So what's with that, Australia? What the hell is with that?

Remember E3? Trying to forget it? Well, you are in luck. The VC and Wii Ware saw updates today that should help alleviate the pain.

Firstly, Wii Ware gives us Pirates: The Key of Dreams (1,000 Wii points), which looks and plays much like a horizontal shooter, only pirate themed. Which makes everything better, of course. And hey, instead of the normal pointer-finger thing you see on the screen, it's a hook. I love that type of dedication to the craft. It's also multiplayer up to four players! It doesn't get any better than that.

Unless you like even more horizontal shooters, that is.
Mr. Face say read more »

Just like the good old times, huh?

We (Brandon, Travis, Kevin, Kevyn, Chris, Cory, Ryan, and myself) all got together and talked ourselves off of the ledge that was the Nintendo press conference, were cautiously optimistic about Pikmin 3, were doubly so for Castlevania: Judgment, and got boners for Battlestar: Galactica. Do you like magic? Then come with us on a whimsical journey of words. Or don't, really. We'll survive.
Mr. Face say read more »

I give up. You're on your own, Sega.

Gyrostarr has the distinction of being a game I purchased specifically to review, so it was looked upon with scrutinizing eyes from the very beginning. Had it been a woman it would have developed an eating disorder early on. I believe, however, that it'd opt for binge eating as opposed to hardcore anorexia. A game like Gyrostarr likes to bite off more than it can chew. Then the large bits of bone it tried to choke down don't digest well and you end up with some good food that doesn't settle. My initial notes were actually quite positive. I was surprised by this little game from developer High Voltage Software (makers of upcoming title 'The Conduit'). But just two weeks later my initial glee is replaced by a solemn indifference.
Mr. Face say read more »

It is a day Nintendorks have long dreamed of: On July 17, Nintendo announced that sales of the Wii have passed Microsoft's Xbox 360 in North America, becoming the region's clear market leader. In the month of June, Nintendo sold 666,700 Wiis, taking the system's total sales to about 10.9 million. For reference, the 360's total North American sales, including their year headstart, are around 10.3 million, including their comparatively paltry 219,800. Sony, for their part, are doing better, with a PS3 sales bump thanks to Metal Gear Solid 4, and continuing strong PSP sales, but both are still in a third and second place behind their competitiors. (Full NPD numbers available after the jump.)

However, this number only underscores Nintendo's E3 presentation, or rather, what Nintendo had to become to get to this point. In order to regain their position as the market leader, they've all but abandoned the sorts of games that have kept them afloat all these years. The Nintendo of 2006, showing things like Twilight Princess, Metroid Prime 3, Elite Beat Agents, and Yoshi's Island 2, is all but gone. Hope you're getting used to the Nintendo of 2008.
Mr. Face say read more »

After watching this video wherein a sad Newsboy/Beardman game designer hawks the nostalgia inspired Tecmo Bowl for the Nintendo DS, I realized that in this era of EA/Madden NFL sports domination, off-brand football games are depressing. While the original Tecmo Bowl for the NES didn't officially have the name licenses from the NFL for the teams, they were able to create a game that aped the teams and players to a successful level of similitude. Heck, the SNES version, which was given NFL licensing, allowed for the greatest sports superhero of his time, Tecmo Bo.

In this updated version, though, they've stripped out that (admittedly thin) layer of realism and made it more arcade-ey. I don't really care much about whether or not the Baltimore Bulldozers do well. Honestly, while I think that in-game-Cleveland made a bold move by naming their team the "T-Rexes," it all feels like watching arena football. Nobody cares much. The designer makes a comment about how he can relive his glory days of youth by using the in-game team editor to play as his high school team, which is about as sad a thought as a human being can hold in their heart. A grown man, wearing a newsboy hat, painstakingly recreating the team he played on when he was in high school on a handheld video game system. He dropped a fun hint that you can customize each player's skin tone, which is good for all of you neo-nazi, DS owner, football fans.

The meat of the game looks like Tecmo Bowl, which I suppose is good, with players running around like little idiots, so I guess if you are a staunch Tecmo Bowl fan, that's all that matters. I just kind of wanted to make fun of this dude. I mean, come on guy, you have a Tecmo-branded foam finger. Were you born ready to hate yourself that much, or did you learn it somehow? Was it right about the time that you "gave your shoulder to sports?" Tecmo Bowl, as is said in the video through a sad smile, will come out this fall 2008. Cue the animated in-game high five, boys.

It seems that ever since we got our hands on Super Smash Bros. every company out there has realized that nostalgia is a powerful selling point. I'd like to think that powerful movies like 'Schindler's List' are more about historical value than nostalgia, but I'm not so sure anymore. Nostalgia is the big thing right now and it has been for many years. As it currently stands, I'm thinking this decade will not be known for anything it accomplished but for what we took the time to remember. We even got so nostalgic over Desert Storm that we had to do that again.

Now Jenga is coming at us with a two-fer. Remember Jenga? "Yes," you will say. Already in the back of your mind you're thinking of how to feed your nostalgic craving of Jenga. Remember Donkey Kong? "Of course," you'll calmly reply. Deep within the ravaging of your mind you are already upset that as you read this you are not playing Donkey Kong right this moment. Remember nostalgia? Wait, scratch that. You'll probably break.

I'm obviously no professional journalist because it never should have taken me three paragraphs to get to the point, but it's too late to turn back now. There is a Donkey Kong themed version of Jenga to be released in the "third quarter of 2008". I don't know why they have such a flimsy release for a product just over the horizon, but you can still pre-order if it you trust them. Plus it looks pretty darn cool and I want one.