David Hinkle first got his start in the gaming industry as a reviewer for a small time website in early 2004. After getting tired of little pay and a lack of recognition for his hard work, David sought employment elsewhere, eventually landing a job with Weblogs Inc. in March of 2006.
In October of 2006, David left his day job to blog full-time. He is still trying to convince friends and family that he actually has a job and doesn't just sit around the house all day in his underwear.
David can be reached through his email at david [@] joystiq [.] com or stalked at twitter.com/davehinkle
This week's Virtual Console update offers two delectable titles -- Solomon'sKey is a very unique action/puzzler hybrid, whereas The Combatribes features a wonderfully bad story and the demon clowns of Coney Island. Life doesn't get much better than this, folks!
The Combatribes (SNES, 1 - 2 players, 800 Wii Points)
Every week, we like to check out what's new on the Virtual Console. We offer these videos as a sort of taste to help you decide whether or not you would want the game in question. We also toss in our own two cents because we're pushy jerks like that.
Apparently, Jon Heder has been spending his downtime with Nintendo's Flipnote Studio. The video above shows the actor knows how to do a thing or two with Nintendo's software, though you'll find his doodlings are severely lacking in Ligers. Still, it's a neat video for some very neat -- and very free -- software for your DSi.
Head past the break for the full list of this week's Nintendo Channel content.
This week's Virtual Console update is delicious on two different fronts. For one, it's delicious in that we wish we could have some of those jelly beans the Blob in A Boy and His Blob is snacking on -- well, except for the ketchup ones. Even we don't like those!
Secondly, it's delicious because ... uh, we may not have thought that far ahead, But, hey, Super Mario Kart! Have you been adequately distracted from our mental lapse? Check out the video above!
Super Mario Kart (SNES, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points)
Every week, we like to check out what's new on the Virtual Console. We offer these videos as a sort of taste to help you decide whether or not you would want the game in question. We also toss in our own two cents because we're pushy jerks like that.
We usually don't heap praise on Nintendo Week, Nintendo's promotional video that coincides with the Nintendo Channel update each week. It's usually just a bunch of PR junk, but this week's video has something we never thought we'd see: a man tossing a fully-cooked turkey out of a second-story window, down to the eager, waiting arms of a wizard. It's just so oddly pleasant, we couldn't pass it up as the highlight for this week's post. The holidays really are a magical time of year!
Head past the break for the full list of this week's Nintendo Channel updates.
You know, living rooms (or parlors, for you weirdos out there) are damn boring -- it goes double for outdoor patios. Luckily, System Flaw is attempting to address your home and its surroundings' severe deficiency in fun as one of the first DSi-only games. Utilizing the handheld's built-in camera, it populates your real-world locale with virtual enemies to shoot down in a kind of first-person shmup. It's an interesting concept, as you can see for yourself in the video past the break.
Gamers certainly aren't strangers to memorabilia, doubly so for figurines, but this Professor Layton statue from NCSX has one thing going for it those others don't: you can actually afford it. We're used to seeing those high-dollar Samus statues and Capcom's ridiculously-priced (and ridiculously nice!) Street Fighter series, so when we caught wind of this $30 Professor Layton companion, we knew we had to post it up. So ... yeah, that's what this is.
What? You were expecting more? OK, here's a riddle: What's 120 words, loves you and thinks you're the sexiest person on the planet? Head past the break for the answer!
Nintendo must've had some luck with its Great Lakes and Wii Sports Resort tours recently, as the company has announced the Nintendo Mall Experience tour. Starting next week through December 20, The Big N will be stopping at shopping centers across the country to get some of its Wii and DS titles in the faces of holiday shoppers.
Update: The entry period has come to a close. Keep an eye on your email's inbox to see if you won!
Namco's just unleashed its first two Dragon Ball games after wrestling the license back away from Atari and we're looking to gift one of you Super Saiyan wannabes with the above prize pack. The gotta-have-it item is obviously the Instant Anime Character Costume, which features an orange t-shirt, blue wristbands, hair gel and completely ridiculous Namco employee pose cover art. Oh, if only our legal department would let us keep it!
Leave a comment telling us who your favorite character from the Dragon Ball series is (full list here)
You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec)
Limit 1 entry per person per day
This entry period ends at 11:59AM ET on Tuesday, November 24
At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo for Wii ($50 ARV), Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans for DS ($30 ARV) and an Instant Anime Character Costume ($20 ARV)
Wow, guys, you really like your Super Smash Bros. Brawl, eh? Nintendo Channel data reveals the fighter has spun around in Wii disc drives for a collective 100 million hours and then some. On average, each gamer has put just over 73 total hours in.
To put some perspective on the figure, some of Nintendo's most notable titles haven't even come close to approaching 100 million hours played. Mario Kart Wii has only been played for 46 million hours, while Super Mario Galaxy has managed a mere 34 million hours in total. Wii Sports, however, remains the obvious top game played, netting a total play time of 105 million hours.
This week, the Virtual Console dumptruck has unloaded two new games onto Wii consoles. One is a fighting game with a superior version already on the service, while the other is a pretty good Factor 5 joint for the SNES. If you fancy yourself an Indy fan (not that kinda Indy), then you'll definitely want to check out the video above.
Actually, you should probably just watch it anyway. You know, just to be safe.
Every week, we like to check out what's new on the Virtual Console. We offer these videos as a sort of taste to help you decide whether or not you would want the game in question. We also toss in our own two cents because we're pushy jerks like that.
There aren't many new videos to watch in this week's Nintendo Channel update that you haven't already seen online, but Ubisoft does give us a quick look at creating "Barabbid Obama" -- or just "R'Obama," in the streetz -- in Rabbids Go Home, the obvious highlight in this week's post. Oh, and we do learn one very important fact: Rabbids enjoy wearing thong underwear. What? Hey, even Rabbids need to feel sexy sometimes.
As much as we'd like to think Mario is an accredited doctor with the papers to back it up (that University of Phoenix diploma above might as well be toilet paper), the dude is just a plumber in a white lab coat. Unlike most practitioners, he's willing to throw pills at any problem and can only really deal with two issues: the chills and fever. Nothing makes this more evident than the video made by College Humor user Brentalfloss, which adds lyrics to the Dr. Mario theme ... and some kinda disturbing imagery, too. Check it out at your own risk!
Remember that awesome ad starring Wario from back in the ought eight? Well, Capcom's taken a page straight out of The Big N's playbook and offered up an interactive Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles trailer over at GameTrailers. The trailer doesn't shake things up like Wario did, but it does make a comparable mess. If you've got children in the computer room or folks who cringe at that one scene in The Shining (you know, that one), then you may want to escort them out of the room before clicking through.
You might expect Dawn of Heroes, a tactical, turn-based RPG from Wicked Studios and Majesco, to be super serious. It seems games in this genre seldom stray into the territory of slapstick and humorous banter, but here's Dawn of Heroes, doing just that -- and doing it well!
Almost every post on Joystiq about Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage has been met with cries for a new SSX game, but this launch trailer for Ubisoft's upcoming game actually does a good job of mimicking the EA series' over-the-top X-TREME thrills. Sure, there's manufactured virtual pals to laugh at and stereotypical caricatures of foreigners from countries you never bothered to learn about in there, but the warm, nougety center of snowboarding goodness seems warm and inviting enough.
Also, what's with that logo? Why is Shaun White's hair the dot on the "i?" If we were him, we'd try to steer as far away from being associated with that other red-headed dude as possible. We'd also be too rich to blog for you people.
