Do people exist somewhere that don't own this system? If the Japanese sales charts are to be believed, then there have been enough Nintendo DS systems sold so that every man, woman, child, and dog on the planet could have one of these. And a spare.
However, if you are DS-less and have a hankering to get onboard with the action, and you have some rudimentary photochopping skills, then try your hand at the Nintendo DS/DK contest at SmugMug. All you have to do is paste the little guy climbing to the top of pretty much anything, and then submit it. Keep in mind though, images must be under 12 mb in size (good gawd).
It's a pretty easy contest to enter, and the swag is well worth the time, so why not whip something up and get in? We made one in just a few seconds (hint, it's the image for this post) so you should trump our skillz easily and submit it to them.
Check out the rules on their site. Also, the comment on the first (and only) entry that's up so far is ... priceless. Ahh, the internets.
Supporters of game-based movies have had to suffer through a lot in recent months. Dead or Alive, Postal and the DVD release of Game Box 1.0 have all assaulted our senses and our sensibilities since the start of the year. Now, finally, a good game-based movie has come along and, unfortunately, it's only viewable in five theaters nationwide.
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters opens today in New York (two theaters), LA, Seattle and Austin, Texas. The movie's limited release extends to seven more cities next week and four more the week after on its way to eventual release in 25 total cities.
Reviews of the film continue to be overwhelmingly positive, with only one bad review among the 25 currently listed on Rotten Tomatoes (not quite 100% fresh anymore, but still close). If you want to encourage quality, non-fiction video game film-making and you're lucky enough to live in one of the above cities, vote with your wallets and buy tickets for the opening weekend. You'll be glad you did.
Is the Wii doomed to half-baked waggle games, or will developers harness the awesome power of apples gestures? For a game from Nintendo, Donkey Kong Bongo Blast doesn't give us a lot of hope, at least in video form. Watch the spastic drum-roll gesture to start Donkey Kong racing in addition to other control ... um ... schemes. (And we were sick of the drum roll after Rayman Rabbids, even with the reward of kicking a bunny or launching one off a train cart.)
Billy "Video Game Player of the Century" Mitchell has broken his silence, speaking out against the documentary The King of Kong, which casts the former Donkey Kong high score holder as the film's villain. "I guess they paint me as a son of a gun," reflects Mitchell, who hasn't seen the movie. He guesses right.
Mitchell and cohorts recently spoke to MTV about Seth Gordon's reality-based film. Gordon and crew whittled away more than 300 hours of footage to forge a playful drama detailing Donkey Konger Steve Wiebe's journey to the top of the record books -- all, of course, at the expense of Mitchell's image. And, according to former Twin Galaxies referee Robert Mruczek, The King of Kong is also "full of holes." For example, Mitchell and Wiebe had rubbed shoulders back in 2004 (before the documentary was filmed), during the Classic Gaming Expo -- they even played Donkey Kong! Whereas, the film implies that Mitchell has avoided almost all public interaction with Wiebe and has shied away from playing Donkey Kong in his rival's presence. More surprising is that Billy Mitchell wasn't even the Donkey King high score holder at the time shooting for the movie began. That honor had belonged to no-name Tim Sczerby, who is conspicuously absent from Gordon's film.
It's easy to confuse documentary filmmaking with fact-based accounts. But don't be fooled, these cost-effective movies can be just as contrived as VH1's next B-list reality gimmick. Unfortunately, the "actors" can end up being the victims. But maybe Mitchell should heed a friend's advice and cash in on his new reputation. America loves its villains ( ...and loves to pay to see 'em villainate).
Truth is stranger than fiction. And while it needs to be threaded by a capable hand, even Donkey Kong can be woven into a compelling canvas that examines the comically-profound idiosyncrasies that drive human competition. The King of Kong, director Seth Gordon's first feature, is a remarkable film that documents the little-seen niche of competitive gaming, as waged on '80s-era, coin-op arcade machines.
"That ape is very, very cunning, and he will do what he needs to, to stop you," warns a Funspot regular, squeezed into a t-shirt emblazoned with a geeky kung fu joke. The same could be said of Billy Mitchell, the film's antagonist, a blown-dry Machismo americanus and heir to the Rickey's World Famous [Hot] Sauce empire. Mitchell (above), whose 3-letter high score handle (typically one's initials) is U-S-A (notice the Liberty tie?), is stiff and threatening, at least to the mild-mannered circle he maintains a firm grip on. He regards his "Video Game Player of the [20th] Century" title as a symbol of patriotic heroism. Speaking of symbols, Mitchell's wife's cleavage is paraded on screen like a tangible manifestation of his ballooned ego, which is predictably deflated by Gordon's touching narrative of the first true challenger of the Donkey Kong high score; a score set by Mitchell more than two decades ago.
Idle hands are the Devil's playthings ... or they end up making some pretty neat crafts. In this case, Will D'Angelo of TheWiicast.com, made a pretty nifty homage to Donkey Kong with this clock. The timepiece combines images easily found using a Google search -- in this case Donkey Kong and Big Mario from Super Paper Mario -- with some basic materials from a craft store. D'Angelo says you need, with approximate costs:
The vintage sign kit, which includes a shallow frame and plywood backing ($1)
Tube of acrylic black paint ($1.75)
Replacement hands for clock kit ($3)
Clear matte spray ($5)
The most expensive part of the project is probably purchasing the glossy photo-quality paper to print out the images, which D'Angelo already had around. He was thinking his next attempt would be a Centipede style clock. Now that he's done it once he has a recommendation for other people attempting the same style clock, "I would suggest to make it easier to pick up one of those cheapy wallpaper rollers for the air bubbles so that you don't touch it with your hands." A nice gamer craft project with lots of image possibilities.
As noted earlier, a list published by UK newspaper The Independent reveals what many already assume; Nintendo's Mario is the best-selling franchise of all time. Coupled with the second best-selling franchise Pokémon (also a Nintendo property), the two series, which have sold a combined 348 million games worldwide, account for nearly 34% of the total sales of the top-twenty best-selling franchises; which include two additional Nintendo IPs ranked in the top ten, Donkey Kong and Zelda. So what's Nintendo's secret?
Cross-culture appeal, spin-offs (e.g., racers, sports titles, puzzlers), brand saturation (e.g., apparel, card games, TV shows), and E-ratings all appear part of a profitable formula built for the long haul.
Freaky Fonts has a collection of retro-gaming wallpaper images up on their site which prove that simplicity can still kick butt. These work really well because they aren't so busy that your icons get lost in the background, plus they look snazzy to boot. When's the last time you had an image from H.E.R.O. on your computer? What about Super Zaxxon? Dang, time to fire up MAME for some gaming.
Check out the whole set of eleven here, and decorate your desktop to your heart's content. Got a favorite video game desktop image? Tell us about it.
Joystiq attended Spike TV's 2006 Video Game Awards last week, and here's the video to prove it. We literally had to shove our way into our designated spot at the press line and jockey for position with other outlets like Hustler and The Greater Cuyahoga News-Press. Once we were set, we asked the hard-hitting questions that have been on gamers' minds for some time.
Some highlights:
Joe Rogan literally going insane on camera talking about virtual reality
Mark Ecko talking about Britney Spears' underwear allergy
Samuel L. Jackson not popping us in the face
One word of warning, the video isn't safe for work by a long shot. Joe Rogan uses some very colorful language near the end that has to be seen to be believed ... then again, maybe not. It is Joe Rogan after all. The 2006 Video Game Awards air tonight on Spike TV. Tune in if you want to see Sam Jackson drop some F-bombs, Stewie Griffin insult Sam, and Sarah Silverman insult every gamer in the world. The best thing about it is the Burning Crusade opening cinematic that premieres during the show. That and the skits about the motion-capture guy. Nothing is funnier than jokes about balls, right?
Alternatively, you could also go back and start beating Gears of War on insane. The night is yours!
Since Nintendo's Virtual Console service isn't live, we decided to do the next best thing: fire up a Flash version of Donkey Kong inside the PlayStation 3's web browser. Sites like everyvideogame.com require Java, so we had to settle for a Flash implementation. Even though the PS3 browser's Flash implementation churns though YouTube video like butter, it has some difficulty with most of the web games we tried. Take this version of Donkey Kong, where our poor Jumpman has managed to get himself stuck in the first ten seconds of gameplay. We'll wait for the VC version, thanks.
There are few certainties in life, but we're confidant that one of them is that the combination of LEGOs, CGI, stop motion animation, and Donkey Kong will always result in wonder and joy. BitFlicks is a newly formed repository of like-minded videos, released weekly, all following the same basic recipe, replacing Donkey Kong with Mario (not Jumpman, see), Space Invaders, or a funny conversation about the relative merits of the PlayStation 3 and the Wii.
We bet you're wondering exactly how these are made. Mr. BitFlicks isn't about to reveal the man behind the curtain, but he has thrown us this bone: they're "a mix of stop motion animation, LEGO and CGI. We start with an effect or an idea and then determine what approach will yield the best result, so the exact method used to create individual animations will differ." We understand, secret sauce and all that.
Over in Brooklyn, New York, there's a particular park that is situated beside the über-hipster area Williamsburg. The park, called McCarren Park, has seen some construction sprout up around it and some people ain't too pleased (you see, they want to remain low-key in their hipster ways).
So in response, some lovely man, Steve Ingkavet to be more specific, has created this photo based on the construction that looms. But really, all this does for us is beg the question: How awesome would it be to be taking your daily stroll through the park and see Donkey Kong about to lay down the law on Mario with a barrel full of punishment?
The antecedent to all those tips and tricks magazines can be found in this obscure LP from the 80s: Conquer the Video Craze: How to Beat the Hottest Games. In it, "Atari Champion finalist" Curtis Hoard reads off -- in a stultifyingly slow monotone -- the techniques he's used to earn him that honorific.
Sluggo at Dinosaur Gardens has not only found this retro artifact, but he's converted it into MP3 for our enjoyment edification. Learn strategies for: Centipede, Defender, Stargate, Dig Dug, Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, and Tempest. Wait, Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man?
What? A brand new Donkey Kong bongo game for the Nintendo Gamecube shows up, and Nintendo doesn't even bother to show it off on their show floor? We realize that the Gamecube is on its way out, but robbing us of the opportunity to play another DK bongo game is downright criminal. The new game features aerial racing, with DK and the crew tilting and turning in response to your brutal bongo bashing. It's no Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat 2 (Wii version, please), but we'll take it. From the official fact sheet:
"Donkey Kong and his pals have gotten their mitts on some high-powered Barrel Jets – incredible engines that boost when struck by a pilot. By beating on the DK Bongos controller, players can make their character swoop up, bank side to side and launch attacks on rivals."
Supporters of game-based movies have had to suffer through a lot in recent months. 
Is the Wii doomed to 
Freaky Fonts has a collection of retro-gaming wallpaper images up on their site which prove that simplicity can still kick butt. These work really well because they aren't so busy that your icons get lost in the background, plus they look snazzy to boot. When's the last time you had an image from H.E.R.O. on your computer? What about Super Zaxxon? Dang, time to fire up MAME for some gaming.
What? A brand new Donkey Kong bongo game for the Nintendo Gamecube shows up, and Nintendo doesn't even bother to show it off on their show floor? We realize that the Gamecube is on its way out, but robbing us of the opportunity to play another DK bongo game is downright criminal. The new game features aerial racing, with DK and the crew tilting and turning in response to your brutal bongo bashing. It's no Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat 2 (Wii version, please), but we'll take it. From the official fact sheet:
