Month: March 2015

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15 Reasons Playing Nintendo Games On Your Phone Will Be Awesome

1. A Mario Endless Runner Actually Has Potential


A Mario endless runner is the first joke that came to mind when Nintendo announced their mobile intentions. But they’ve shown keen insight in NES Remix. Tiny barrages of breakneck platforming are always fun when designed carefully.

2. Nintendo Makes Amazing Puzzle Games


Outside of PopCap, no one makes amazingly addictive puzzle games quite like Nintendo. Why in the world would you play Candy Crush when you could have games similar to Dr. Mario, Tetris Attack or Picross at your fingertips?

3. Kirby’s Touch Controls Are Already Perfect


It’s easy to forget that Nintendo arrived at touch controls early with the DS. That’s a decade of refinement. Kirby and The Rainbow Curse on Wii U reminded us how inventive Nintendo can be with touch screen design.

4. More Pokémon Is Inevitable


There’s been some dabbling in mobile games with Camp Pokémon. Fingers crossed they’re gearing up for a major release. With classic Final Fantasy games already successful on the app store, we know the potential for a full Pokémon RPG is huge.

5. Advance Wars Could Finally Return


Tactics and strategy RPGs are another genre that fit well into mobile’s limitations. Everyone’s been eager to see a new Advance Wars title after a 7 year absence. This is the perfect occasion for Nintendo to launch a new assault.

6. Nintendo Makes Great Brain Teasers


Brain Age titles have sold over 30 million copies world wide. While the science behind these games remains sketchy, there’s no doubt Nintendo knows how to make these quick brain drills fast and fun. A refresh for the mobile age will kill.

7. Wario Ware Makes Great Use of New Hardware


Wario’s been Nintendo’s diplomatic emissary to test out new hardware. His mini-game collections are inspired bursts of creative design. With dual touch, multiple cameras, and gyroscopes, phones are ready made for Wario’s wicked ways.

8. Raising A Nintendog Would Be Adorable


How many poor Nintendogs have languished in neglect from the inconvenience of lugging around a 3DS? Imagine just whipping out your phone to pet your puppy. Or, Nintendo could even branch out to turtles, parakeets, and pigs.

9. Nintendo Makes Excellent Pinball Games


Pinball games work well on phones and Nintendo has a collection of cool pinball titles like Metroid Prime and Kirby’s Pinball Land. They usually involve an imaginative spin on a classic franchise, so more of these would be welcome.

10. Swipe to Swing in Mario Golf


Nintendo has a fine tradition of first class golf titles, and the addictive nature of the 3DS game’s multiplayer has us excited at the potential for a mobile version. We can already picture driving down the green with grandpa’s ghost.

11. Nintendo’s Got Rhythm


The mobile platform presents its own distinct challenges. Nintendo’s roster of rhythm music games like Rhythm Heaven and Elite Beat Agents make for a great fit with their polished, simple designs and vibrant art.

12. Punch-Out!! in Your Palms


Epic’s mobile hit Infinity Blade proves that the Punch-Out template works perfectly on phones. Their success has been undeniable, so it wouldn’t be a risky prospect for Nintendo to step into the ring with their famous franchise.

13. Nintendo Knows How to Use Tilt in Creative Ways


Nintendo’s been using gyros ever since R.O.B. the Robot back in 1985. Since then, it’s consistently implemented gyroscopes and their tilt functions in interesting ways, and you can be sure they’ll bring that design expertise to mobile too.

14. An Animal Crossing App Has Potential


Animal Crossing New Leaf had a street pass feature that let you visit the towns of people you encountered in real life. What if you could trade turnips and furniture with everyone in the vicinity of your phone, or all your Facebook friends?

15. Nintendo Invented the Mobile Gaming Market


The original Game Boy became a worldwide phenomenon, due in large part to Nintendo’s approach to crafting experiences tailored to the needs of gaming on the go. They know this territory better than anyone and should easily excel on phones as well.

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Half-Life 2 Remastered for Free on Steam

A comprehensive fan-made update for Half-Life 2, which makes sweeping changes to the 11-year-old game’s visuals, has gone live on Steam.

The 7 GB update adds in subtle visual effects that essentially restore the look of Valve’s seminal first-person shooter. Known simply as Half-Life 2: Update, the remaster is the product of three years’ development from a team of modders, with the project sanctioned and supported by Valve.

According to promotional materials, Half-Life 2: Update delivers "improvements to lighting, special effects, increased world detail, countless bug fixes, and an original Community Commentary mode." A new trailer can be found below, while a comparison video is embedded above.

Project lead Filip Victor said the remaster brings Half-Life 2 to the same standards as its episodic sequels, Half-Life 2: Episode 1, and Half-Life 2: Episode 2, "and just a little bit beyond."

He said: “While developing the update, I needed to make sure that no matter what I did, I was improving Half-Life 2’s world without changing its iconic style, tone, or gameplay."

“My goal is to create something that will draw new players to the Half-Life series, but not alienate long-time fans. Half-Life 2: Update shouldn’t be seen as a mod, but as a true update to what is already there."

Along with major improvements to the visuals, Half-Life 2 adds an optional Community Commentary mode, which contains more than 100 in-game audio nodes that, when activated in-game, discuss the original Half-Life 2’s development. These are voiced by some well-known YouTubers such as Caddicarus, Brutalmoose, Rice Pirate, ProJared, and Balrog the Master.

The Steam Store page for Half-Life 2: Update can be found here.

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Distractions responsible for nearly 6 in 10 teen-driving car accidents

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Distracted driving is a far more significant cause of teen-driving accidents than previously realized, according to new research.

Continue reading Distractions responsible for nearly 6 in 10 teen-driving car accidents

Distractions responsible for nearly 6 in 10 teen-driving car accidents originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Mar 2015 09:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DOT announces $10M fine for Graco car seat recall

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The Department of Transportation is fining Graco $10 million for delaying its recall of 6.1 million car seats last year. The safety campaign began because latches on some of the company’s products could be very difficult to unfasten, which could put children in danger.

Continue reading DOT announces $10M fine for Graco car seat recall

DOT announces $10M fine for Graco car seat recall originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 21 Mar 2015 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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