nathansmart.com

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140216838575
[BROKEN]

If you go to the above link, you’ll see that I’m selling my Shigeru Miyamoto signed Super Famicom. For those that don’t know, I went to New York back in 2005 to meet Miyamoto-san, the creator of Mario, Donkey Kong, Zelda, etc. I brought my Super Famicom (the Japanese Super Nintendo) for him to sign because I didn’t just want some generic postcard with an autograph. I believe the Super Nintendo to be the best video game system of all time and who better to christen it but the best game designer of all time…

I’ve been reading the comments on websites that have linked to the auction and it’s pretty clear that a lot of people don’t understand why I’m selling it. Well, I’ll clear it up for them:

I have way too much stuff in my life but I don’t have enough room for it. When I have to assess the the usefulness of the stuff I have, this Super Famicom is at the bottom of the list. I never play it; I never even look at it. It just gets put with the rest of the boxes of crap I have to move into a new useless closet every time we change apartments. You could say that the item’s historical value alone is worth the ownership and I would agree with that. But, owning things isn’t one of my priorities right now and so the value is different for me, just as it is for every other person in the world.

I’ve decided to keep the video game stuff that I play most, which is everything from the current generation. I have some old video game systems that I may keep around but I doubt it. If I really, really want to play Mario Paint, I can just download an emulator and the ROM. I don’t need to play it on my HD TV. I really don’t even keep current games anymore except for stuff like Rock Band that is fun for parties. I mostly just use GameFly and if something is worth having for multiple plays then I keep it.

That’s really the main reason I’m selling it. I’m sure if I waited I could get more money but who cares? I’m not trying to retire. It’s not like if I wait 10 years I’m going to get a million dollars or something. And is that really the point? I’m not greedy. I don’t need the money.

Basically, the whole point of having this thing was that I got to meet one of my heroes and selling this piece of gaming history isn’t going to change that experience at all. The pictures speak for themselves…

I just got this email from GameFly (copied with their emphasis, not mine):

Dear Nathan,

Our records indicate that you recently rented your first Xbox 360 game from GameFly.

As you know, the Xbox 360 is a high-end gaming console that uses state-of-the-art technology. As stated in the user’s manual, it is important that the console not be moved in any way while a disc is in the tray. The following movements, among others, may cause damage to the console and/or result in scratches to the disk:

1. Moving the console from the horizontal to the vertical position and vice versa
2. Picking the console up
3. Shifting the console in any way while a disc is in the tray

If you have further questions regarding usage of the Xbox 360 console, please contact Microsoft at 1-800-4MY-XBOX.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

GameFly Customer Service
Email: support@gamefly.com

I’m sure this has been talked about on the video game blogs (years ago even) but I love the wording in it.

As you know, the Xbox 360 is a high-end gaming console that uses state-of-the-art technology.

So, rather than blame faulty design choices - a tray being the worst (really, a tray? how about a turbo button as well) - we have “high-end gaming” and “state-of-the-art technology” to blame for the scratching of the discs.

How about you don’t make your consoles look like a children’s PC and get with the program Microsoft? I think we’re past “eject tray” technology and onto “suck in the disc with magic air” technology. This isn’t amateur hour Bill. It’s next-gen time.

I just got a new shirt. I made it on zazzle.com and it’s super fresh.

Props goes to Fryguy64 at Nintendo Database for the drawing.

Everyone check out that site for an almost complete (Nintendo keeps going of course!) site on Nintendo related games and history.

Looks like Nintendo wins design-wise:

REVOLUTION

XBOX360

PS3

Okay, so I decided that I would go out and buy a used PS2 (slim) and get Katamari Damacy since I’ve been singing it’s praises to everyone and I haven’t even played it. I was right in doing so.

This game is so amazing. If you haven’t played it, you need to immediately. It’s so satisfying when you finally get big enough to pick up that object you saw 8 minutes ago when you started. It’s also equally as cool to see a tiny little building that only 10 minutes ago you were standing at the doorstep to.

If you don’t understand what I’m talking about, go to the site and check it out. It’s a great little game and it gets in your freakin’ head! The whole drive to work was spent staring at the guardrails and thinking about rolling them up in a ball.

Now, I just have to restrain myself from buying all the other games I’ve deprived myself of by only owning a cube…

Taken from n-sider:
The main theme to consider here is the sheer degree of courage needed on the developer’s part. Imagine coming into the office, having a large checkbook provided by the higher-ups, and telling your team you want to make a game about escaping from a castle with a little girl and boy. One might not realize how much pure courage is needed to not only fly in the face of accepted tradition, but to also follow it through until the final line of code is written. Particular themes like “game as art”, “emotional reality”, “communication through empathetic body language”, “abstract story”, and “minimalist design” are completely abnormal ideas in the industry today. They are simple, albeit somewhat abstract concepts that do not necessarily require experience to understand. Yet today you will see some developers cower by supposedly “upping the ante” with their titles. The truth is that it takes very little courage to back 95 percent of the concepts released today.

For an entertainment industry to be accepted as a suitable artistic medium, it must first be supported by genuine artists who are willing to take risks. Artists who will no doubt explore the boundaries of the medium in the hope of uncovering those untold wonders that lay waiting for us all. Without such visionaries and risk-takers, the modern video game will be hard-pressed to mature.

This quote is speaking of ICO for the Playstation 2 but the implications for the industry are profound.

The article talks about the complexity of games and really the point, from the view of a website dedicated to gaming on Nintendo systems, is that Nintendo is bolding trying to take gaming to the next level. While Nintendo is definitely in this to make money, it’s nice to see a company so instistent(sp?) on making art that it will risk losing money to see it happen.

Nice.

Alter Ego

This game is so cool. It’s based on an old DOS game of the same name. You start from birth and pick choices based on scenarios that they give you. It’s not exactly perfect but it is fun to take your own person all the way until death.

Check it out.

PS. [SPOILER]just make sure to avoid all strangers when you are a little child. You will be kidnapped, tortured and then killed.[/SPOILER]