Warp Zoned Presents
All Articles: Super Mario 64
The NPD Group shares list of best-selling games on PS4, Xbox One, and Vita… also the Saturn, PS1, N64, GBC, and Dreamcast
The NPD Group has never been too keen on sharing their historical lists of best-selling games, but that might be changing. Using data from the analyst firm’s vast archive, Mat Piscatella recently tried to pull back the curtain a little bit by sharing the list of best-selling games on several legacy consoles (the Saturn, the original PlayStation, the Nintendo 64, the Game Boy Color, and the Dreamcast) and a nearly defunct handheld (the Vita). He also examined the best-selling games through September 2018 on two modern consoles (the PS4 and Xbox One) and published a list of the top-selling titles for each year from 1995 to 2017.
It’s a very interesting collection of information, and the lists provide our best window yet into what games were considered popular in the United States in the 1990s and into today. (more…)
Posted in News, PS4, Retro, Vita, Xbox One
Tagged Crash Bandicoot, Grand Theft Auto V, NPD, Super Mario 64, Uncharted: Golden Abyss
The Video Game Canon: Super Mario 64
Dig deeper into the Video Game Canon with an exploration of all the ways Nintendo tried to teach the world about 3D games with Super Mario 64. Here’s a teaser…
For Mario’s first foray into “The Third Dimension,” Nintendo wanted to ensure that everything was perfect. In fact, the Nintendo 64, its unique three-pronged controller, and the controller’s analog stick designed to better simulate 3D movement were all created with the needs of Super Mario 64 in mind.
Nintendo had good reason to be worried about getting all of the details just right, as most video gamers had never even seen a 3D platformer before Super Mario 64. Aside from a few experimental titles from the late 80s and early 90s, 3D movement was only found in a handful of titles on the market at the time, the most famous of which was probably EA’s Fade To Black. Naughty Dog’s Crash Bandicoot, which included pseudo-3D movement, beat Super Mario 64 to store shelves by about five weeks, but a majority of the game took place on a 2D plane.
So Nintendo used Super Mario 64 as an opportunity to introduce players to what was, in their mind, an entirely new genre. Shigeru Miyamoto’s exacting attention to detail helped mold every part of the game. The first interaction players had with the game was the appearance of an actual cameraman (Lakitu the Cloud), and instructions on how to control the camera’s angle with the diamond-shaped set of C-Buttons on the right side of the Nintendo 64 controller.
Actually, let me back up… the very first thing most players experienced after booting up Super Mario 64 was the interactive Mario face on the Title Screen. Miyamoto saw fit to even offer players a primer on polygons as the squares, rectangles, and rhombi that made up Mario’s face could be grabbed and manipulated in dozens of different ways. In a way, “It’s-a me, Mario! Hello!” was a coded message that encouraged players to jump right into this new 3D world.
Visit VideoGameCanon.com to continue reading this article and to explore the complete Top 1000.
Posted in DS, Features, Retro, Top Story, Video Game Canon, Wii, Wii U
Tagged Super Mario 64
Nintendo Download: Super Mario 64 DS, a trio of Street Fighter games, Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice demo, more
Welcome to this week’s Nintendo eShop update, where Wii U owners can now download the handheld remake of Mario’s first foray into the 3D space, Super Mario 64 DS. I’ve never thought about it before, but the Virtual Console can get weird sometimes.
Speaking of weird, 3DS owners will be able to download a Demo Version of Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice beginning today. The game, which will be available exclusively through the 3DS eShop on September 8, features a section from the game’s first courtroom clash between Phoenix Wright and his new adversary, Royal Priestess Rayfa.
Capcom is tripling down on the 3DS eShop with a trio of Street Fighter games that were originally released for the Super NES back in the go-go 90s.
First up is Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting, the first update to the original Street Fighter II. Capcom exponentially increased the speed of the game and fans were finally able to play as M. Bison and the other bosses. Next, we’ve got Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers, the final update to Street Fighter II on the Super NES, and the game that added Cammy to the franchise. Finally, the Super NES adaptation of the second game in the “Alpha” prequel series, Street Fighter Alpha 2, comes to the Virtual Console this week.
More information on all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged Super Mario 64
Nintendo Download: Super Mario 64 + Yoshi’s Island DS on Wii U, Story of Seasons, more
Nintendo 64 and DS games have been added to the Wii U eShop… and it’s about time!
Announced yesterday as part of Nintendo’s latest Nintendo Direct presentation, Super Mario 64 and Yoshi’s Island DS are both now available to download on the Wii U. And if you’re going to start offering games from a new platform on the Virtual Console, it’s definitely a good idea to start with a pair of critically-acclaimed titles such as these.
More N64 and DS games will follow in the future with WarioWare: Touched! penciled in for April 9 and Donkey Kong 64 for April 16.
But if you’re looking for new releases on the 3DS available this week, there’s a few of those too. First up is Story of Seasons, the next official game in the Harvest Moon series from Marvelous. If you’re wondering about the name change, it’s because the separation of developer Marvelous and former publisher Natsume. Natsume owns the “Harvest Moon” trademark and they weren’t willing to sell it to the developer or new publisher XSEED. Also available is BoxBoy!, a black-and-white puzzle platformer from the creators of the Kirby franchise.
More information on all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged Story of Seasons, Super Mario 64
Nintendo DS Lite price drops to $99.99; Mario games “go red”
The Nintendo DS Lite is getting a price cut down to $99.99, making it ridiculously affordable. If there are any people left on this planet without a DS – aside from Jack Tretton – they should seriously consider this the best time to hop in with both feet. All five of the people without a DS already, that is.
On top of that, Nintendo will also be changing the packaging of six of the Mario games that “represent some of the best-selling fan-favorite Nintendo DS games of all time.” The games will now come in red packaging, making them easy to identify. Those six games are:
- Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story
- Mario Kart DS
- Mario Party DS
- Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!
- New Super Mario Bros.
- Super Mario 64 DS
No word on whether or not the red packaging will also come with a price drop as well. As for me, well, I’ve got a DS… and a DS Lite… and a DSi… errr, and a 3DS. But if there was any way I could get this beauty for $99.99, I would do it in a heartbeat.