NinDB: The Unofficial Nintendo Archive

NinDB Blog

7th August 2010

I hear this 'web logging' thing is getting to become quite a fad. I also like to ramble incessently at anybody who will listen, so please check out the Blog.

If you don't have the attention span required to read my long ramblings, you could also follow NinDB on Twitter and Facebook. Now there are even more ways for me to neglect the site! Hoorah!

Couple of game updates

15th July 2010

Adventure game developer Cing filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, shortly before their final release: Last Window: Midnight Promise, the second game starring Kyle Hyde, the bitter ex-detective.

The chances of the game being released outside of Japan seemed unlikely, but Nintendo Europe confirmed that the game would be arriving in September under the title Last Window: The Secret of Cape West. I have updated the game page with that information.

I have also added the worldwide release dates for Metroid: Other M and the European release date for X-Scape, released under the inspiring name 3D Space Tank. Ahem.

A Little Bit of Kazumi Totaka

14th July 2010

It never fails to amaze that the entire internet now talks freely about Kazumi Totaka's Song, with Q-Games themselves getting in on the action to confirm that Totaka was composing the soundtrack to X-Scape, the sequel to his very first game.

And the song was very quickly tracked down, so it seemed as good a time as any to update the Kazumi Totaka's Song Guide. As well as information on X-Scape, I have also added some new screenshots, an MP3 of the Pikmin 2 appearance and generally tidied it all up a bit.

Bringing order to chaos

13th July 2010

Over the years, lists have come and gone, been compressed and moved about until many lists were gone altogether. But we can't be having that! So I've put some back:

I have also separated the WiiWare and DSiWare releases from the main Nintendo DS and Wii game lists respectively. They were taking up far too much space.

The Return of the NES Cameos

7th July 2010

The NES cameos have all been returned to their rightful homes on the site, and a few new ones (or at least new to NinDB) have also been added.

Newly added or updated cameos

Family BASIC, Dream Factory: Dokidoki Panic, Mother, Famicom Fairytales: Yuuyuuki, To The Earth, Barker Bill's Trick Shooting, Star Tropics II: Zoda's Revenge.

Returning cameos

Tennis, Pinball, Kid Icarus, Smash Ping Pong, Famicom Grand Prix: F-1 Race, Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!, Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally, Famicom Wars, Super Mario Bros. 3, Tetris, NES Play Action Football, Star Tropics, NES Open Tournament Golf, Kirby's Adventure.

More Wii cameos a-comin'!

3rd July 2010

I've spent the last few days working on the remainder of the Wii game pages, when I realised it had been a few days since the last update. So I figured I may as well put up some of the new cameo sections I've assembled for now. So check out Mario Kart Wii, Captain Rainbow, Wario Land: Shake It and Wii Music. I also got around to adding some cameo screenshots to Wii Sports Resort.

Bonus Update: The first cameo on the Nintendo 3DS has already been found in Mario Kart 3DS!

Happy Birthday NinDB!

28th June 2010

9 years ago, on the 28th June 2001, NinDB was launched on the free hosting service Tripod. On the day itself, the site was just a shell where I started adding Nintendo published game lists in my hunt for information on the obscure trophies in Super Smash Bros. Melee. In the days ahead, I found out there was an awful lot more to Nintendo than Mario, Zelda and Pokémon.

After just a couple of months, the site grew too big for Tripod, and the site moved to the Gamespy Planet Nintendo host, later Gamespy Classicgaming. Then in 2009 the now-merged IGN-Gamespy closed its free hosting service and NinDB (along with many others) were taken in by KonTek.net. The site was given a long-overdue facelift, but by that point the content on the site had fallen behind. Now, in 2010 and with a new Nintendo handheld on the horizon, NinDB is on its way back to being the most comprehensive resource for Nintendo fanboys on the web.

So, 9 years, 4 URLs, 5 layouts, and nearly 2 whole console generations later, I hope you will join me in wishing NinDB a happy birthday with many more to come!

More cameos added

27th June 2010

The cameos for WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase and Wii Room are online. With that, 2009 Wii games are all done for now and there's refreshingly little more to write for Wii. Just don't mention Brawl cameos!

WiiWare 2009 Releases

27th June 2010

I have been ploughing through the 2009 WiiWare releases and they are all now online. Check out Picturebook Games: Pop-Up Pursuit, Bonsai Barber, WarioWare D.I.Y. Showcase, Wii Room, Pokemon Rumble, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, Doc Louis's Punch-Out!!, Excitebike: World Rally, Grill Off With Ultra Hand and Eco Shooter: Plant 530. And with that, 2009 Wii releases are all online. I still have to add cameos to WarioWare D.I.Y. Showcase and Wii Room, but that won't take long.

These regular updates have had the effect of people emailing again, asking if I will be reinstating cameos, putting up cameo lists for standalone games, etc. All this is in the plans. In fact, I intend to do these things between finishing the Wii games and starting the DS games, so you won't have long to wait.

Yet more cameos and Wii pages

26th June 2010

More Wii games have been written up, including Sin & Punishment: Star Successor, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, PokePark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure and NHK Red-and-White Quiz Battle.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii also has some of those cameos we love so much.

Some more Wii updates

24th June 2010

Continuing my Wii efforts, I have written pages for Punch-Out!! (Wii) and Wii Sports Resort and added cameos for each of them. Wii Sports Resort has no screenshots yet, but only because I accidentally deleted the videos I took of them like a dope.

I have also added or written up Takt of Magic and Excite Bots: Trick Racing. More to come!

The Virtual Console game list has also been moved to its own page again, as it took up far too much room.

Big Updates

23rd June 2010

After a couple of years of neglect, and then a lot of time spent reorganising, I wouldn't be surprised if you feel my promise of big updates was somewhat empty. But fear not, for this promise is one I am keeping. Here comes the first big update. Can you feel it?

Everybody loves cameos and I have started putting some up for you, with fancypants screenshots and everything: Wii Sports, Wii Play, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and WarioWare: Smooth Moves now have cameos.

I am approaching the Wii using a classic pincer movement, as I have also been putting up information on upcoming releases. On top of the E3 announcements, I have also added information pages for Cosmic Walker, The Last Story and Line Attack Heroes.

And 2010 Wii releases have also been given game pages, so check out Reginleiv the Slasher, And Kensak, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Xenoblade, Aqua Living, Art Style: light trax and Art Style: ROTOZOA. Did I also mention Galaxy 2 cameos?

Obviously, reinstating older information/cameos and writing new content will be a big task, and I've made a start by fixing up all the series pages under Series Search to contain the latest releases plus cancelled games and cameos (the cameos aren't there yet - but it lets you, and me, know what cameos will be put up). On that note, if anyone spots anything missing on any series page (the ones down the left hand side) - for example a missing game or known cameo, then please let me know.

E3 2010 and some other changes

16th June 2010

First up, there have been a few more changes around NinDB. Mostly a bit of layout gubbins to tighten things up ready for me to reinstate some old, missing information. As part of these wide-sweeping changes, a few more NES games have some extra information in them. Check out Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., Balloon Fight, Ice Climber, Gyromite, Stack-Up and Super Mario Bros.

But onto the big, important news. Yesterday, Nintendo held their E3 2010 press conference, and it was without a doubt their strongest showing in many years. They revealed the Nintendo 3DS, utilising an autostereoscopic 3D effect on the top screen without the need for glasses, and alongside it they also announced a number of games for the system: Kid Icarus: Uprising led the charge, developed by Masahiro Sakurai of Super Smash Bros. fame.

Other titles announced for the 3DS include new games in the Animal Crossing, Mario Kart and Paper Mario series, Nintendogs + Cats, PilotWings Resort, remakes of Star Fox 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time with improved graphics, plus a new franchise called Steel Diver. The system also features strong third party support, with Super Street Fighter IV, Metal Gear Solid, Kingdom Hearts and Professor Layton titles on their way.

The Wii showing was equally strong, with The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Kirby's Epic Yarn and Mario Sports Mix all announced, and more details shown on Metroid: Other M, Wii Party and FlingSmash.

The Nintendo DS didn't get quite as much love, with only some footage of Golden Sun: Dark Dawn and Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem being noteworthy.

The show isn't over yet, and more information will continue to show over the next few days. In the meantime, I will be working to get NinDB up to date with information on the new game titles.