Grave Gamer News & Views — nintendo

Nintendo’s 125 Years Old!

No, your grasp on time and reality isn’t slipping away from you (well, it might if you’re going through a House of Leaves situation, but not in this instance).

While the Nintendo you know today may not have started its name in video gaming until 1983 when the original Family Computer, or Famicom, was released to Japanese households, the company itself actually began its legacy on September 23rd, 1889.

Nintendo, which is most often said to mean “leave luck to the heavens,” though that’s debatable, initially began as a playing card manufacturer.

Nintendo dabbled in a few other industries before landing on their breadwinner, however. We’re talking public taxis, a TV network, the food industry, toys, and even love hotels. Oh, yes, before Nintendo captured a generation of kids, it was providing short-term lodging for couples to make that aforementioned generation of kids.

By 1977, the company had released its first console – the Color TV-Game. (Soon after, a young fellow by the name Shigeru Miyamoto was hired aboard, beginning his storied career by creating casings for these one game Color TV things.) 1979 saw Nintendo give life to Game & Watch (inspired by a commuter playing with his calculator aboard a train). In 1981, Donkey Kong, designed by a Mr. Miyamoto, hit arcades, cementing Nintendo’s course in video gaming. Then ‘83 rolled around and the rest is, well, history.

Tekken + Pokemon = Pokkén? The Pokemon Company Announces Pokkén Tournament

Have you ever played Pokemon, lamented at the turn-based battles and thought to yourself, “Holy hell, why can’t this just be like Tekken?”

On the reverse spectrum, have you ever listlessly slogged through Tekken’s character select screen and groaned, “I just want to play as fictional, dog-fighting animals whose only attempt at language is shouting their own names!”

Well, good goddamn, do I have a game for you that you’ve always wanted but didn’t know how to ask for. Introducing Pokkén Tournament – a 3D arcade fighter set to the tune of Tekken’s gameplay but featuring Nintendo’s beloved Pocket Monsters.

The game is being developed by Namco Bandai Games with involvement from Soul Calibur producer Masaaki Hoshino and Tekken’s own eccentric producer Katsuhiro Harada. This is far from Namco’s first foray into Nintendo trenches – both Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS are being created by Namco Bandai teams, which is likely how they got this unusual gig (saké probably played a big part too).

Before you mod your fightstick with a custom Pikachu inlay, keep note that no North American release has been announced. Nor is there any info on Pokkén making it to home consoles. So far, the fighter is only slated for Japanese arcades in 2015.

Watch the official teaser hereabouts.

The Women of Gaming

by agentscarlet (a.k.a. Agent Melon)

Here’s Your First Look at The Legend of Zelda Wii U!

A good long time ago, rumors spilled onto the internet regarding an original Zelda title designed for the Wii U, headed up by Skyward Sword’s producer Eiji Aonuma. Word had it that Nintendo was constructing the biggest, most ambitious Zeldagame in the series’ 25 year history. It was set to feature dungeons so expansive, you could fit some of the...

Nintendo’s first truly original Zelda installment on the 3DS – not to dismiss the tremendous effort it took to make Ocarina look that gorgeous on such a painfully small screen – delves into the series’ past for inspiration. Yet calling A Link Between Worlds a “sequel” to 1995’s A Link to the Past only serves the definition in the most clinical sense.

The top-down perspective and setting are lifted from the SNES classic, but Between Worlds is very much its own game. It achieves a unique feel through its mechanics and thoughtful, unobtrusive use of three-dimensional gameplay. It’s a kinetic adventure where the familiar – what we’ve come to know as “Quintessential Zelda” through the years – is infused with small, progressive tweaks and an expanded suite of free-roam options, creating this refreshing cocktail of old school design and modern innovation.

Pardon my pun a thousand times over, but it’s the best of both worlds.