Super Mario 1-1: A Hostile Coding Problem
The very first time I loaded the original Super Mario Brothers on the NES, I was transfixed… I couldn’t wait to explore this colorful, magical world and unlock all of […]
Wii Sports: Easy Access to a Deeper Experience
While the Nintendo Wii console certainly had many highlights, the one game that definitively determined its’ success was “Wii Sports”. The simplicity and accessibility of playing games like tennis, bowling, […]
Nintendo, Gaming, and Life: Designed for Community
While it might sound obvious in retrospect, one of the most critical design decisions Nintendo made when developing their home gaming console was including more than one controller port. Even […]
Nintendo Power Magazine: Portable Power
This might sound dumb, but one of the things I miss the most about the early Nintendo years was the “Nintendo Power” magazine… from cool tips and tricks to assist […]
The REAL Secret Behind the Konami Code
Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A… that simple series of inputs known as the “Konami Code” was a game-changer that I used many times to finally […]
Tetris: Beyond the Surface
Nintendo changed the gaming world forever with the release of their home consoles, but the “Game Boy” represented an entirely new frontier… a gaming handheld. To launch their most ambitious […]
Luigi’s Mansion: A Spirit of Fear
Luigi tends to play a supporting role in most of his brother Mario’s adventures, but the Luigi’s Mansion series of games shoved him directly into the spotlight… without his usual […]
Nintendo – Playing With Power?
In the early NES console years, gamers looked to Nintendo to replicate our experiences with games we played in the arcade… but because the 8-bit platform lacked the power to […]
Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out: An Adversity Advantage
Few games have been as frustrating but still addictive as Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out… and even after all these years, I still remember the exact techniques required to dodge Bald Bull’s […]
Bubble Bobble and “Prayer” Bubbles
One of my earliest gaming co-op experiences was “Bubble Bobble”, a game featuring a pair of little dragons whose only offensive weapon is… wait for it… blowing bubbles. To clear […]
Finding God in Video Games 