A sign of the apocalypse? My mom is obsessed with New Super Mario Bros.

My mom has had a DS for quite some time. She isn't much of a gamer, though--at least, not in the traditional sense. Until a few days ago, for example, her favorite games were Brain Age, CrossworDS and Tetris DS.

What happened a few days ago? Well, she picked up my copy of New Super Mario Bros. and gave it a go. She's been playing it ever since. (OK, she's taken time off to eat, sleep and play some Shanghai on her computer--but other than that she's been playing New Super Mario Bros.)

I've had to help her quite a bit--by telling her what the buttons and power-ups do, etc.--but I don't mind. I'm just glad she's moving, slowly but surely, beyond her "casual gamer" comfort zone.

See also: 'On the road again'

Coming soon: a sparkly (literally) new header!

Just a quick post to let all of you know that this blog will soon sport--thanks to my talented sister-in-law--a sparkly new banner/header.

Hopefully you'll like it. I know I do!

I've hit the jackpot

While digging around in the closet of my old bedroom (David, the hubs, and I are staying with my parents in McFarland, Wis., for the rest of the week), I was surprised to fing a slew of old video game systems: A Genesis, a SNES, a PlayStation, a Nintendo 64 and a GameGube. I knew the GameCube would be there waiting for my return, but I had completely forgotten about the others.

I also found a slew of old games, including a few PC Engine titles (the best of the bunch: a pristine copy of Final Match Tennis), a few SNES and Super Famicom titles (the Japanese versions of Final Fantasy V and VI will be making the return trip to Seattle) and a few PlayStation titles (nothing worth mentioning, unfortunately). Oh, and Paper Mario and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the Nintendo 64.

Although most of said systems and games will be staying in Wisconsin for the time being, a select few will be accompanying me back to Seattle: The aforementioned PC Engine and Super Famicom titles, the GameCube system--oh, and a bunch of old gaming magazines (early issues of Electronic Gaming Monthly and Nintendo Power, mostly).

See also: 'On the road again'

Is this where Masahiro Sakurai and company came up with the idea for Kirby's Epic Yarn?

Apparently the "Kirby made out of yarn" idea has been bouncing around in the brains of HAL Laboratory and Nintendo employees since the cute character's first console outing (Kirby's Adventure).



(Via NeoGAF)

Donkey Kong, Kid Icarus and Kirby? Oh my!

So, Nintendo unveiled a slew of games (and a system, too--the 3DS) during its E3 conference this morning, and you know what? The game that excited me the most was Kirby's Epic Yarn.

Sure, the name is a bit of an eye-roller (and you just know some oh-so-cool gamers are going to rename it Kirby's Epic Yawn), but who cares when the game looks like this:



(Click on this link to see the game in action.)

Unfortunately, the folks at Nintendo have yet to announce a release date--beyond "fall"--or a price for the title. Here's hoping it's released sooner rather than later and that it hits the streets with a $39.99 or even a $29.99 price tag.

Other titles that intrigued me: Donkey Kond Country Returns (coming to the Wii this holiday season--here's a trailer) and the new 3DS entries in the Animal Crossing, Kid Icarus, Mario Kart, Paper Mario, Pilotwings and Star Fox series.

Strangely, I was a bit disappointed by the actual 3DS system--I want two screens of the same size, dammit!--but I'm sure I'll get over that shortly.