It's true: Nintendo's execs and presenters have never even held the thing up on a stage, nor mentioned in one of their Nintendo Direct broadcasts. Once again, they just quietly mention it to the press and then release it to GameStop in low numbers. Honestly, anyone who doesn't recognize this thing is only for niche…

Yep.

'lotta drama over nothing.

I'm not actually suggesting that the backers wait until the project is released; even in my first example, it could simply be the artist committing to the project in whatever manner is convincing to the fans. I'm really thinking of cases like Stoklasa where the fans have specific demands and just want the artist to…

I respect Ebert, and find that he's become a thoughtful fellow particularly in his later years. I don't agree with him in many cases, including many of his classic, scathing David Lynch film reviews and other notable cases (he called Clockwork Orange a despicable proto-fascist fantasy or something like that). All in…

I played that on the computer with a mouse, so I can't really compare to the gamepad experience in this case. However, off the top of my head, managing upgrades was very quick and handy with the mouse, and I'd prefer not to toggle around to select this or that option using a d-pad.

I agree with you, and wouldn't think of this alternative as viable for most of what Kickstarter does. But I'd still see it as a wonderful way to "vote" for your favorite content creators to make X or Y, building a moneypot of donations that you'll disburse when they consent. I see so many artists out there who have…

Resident Evil: much faster aiming with gyro controls

Or try Four Swords Adventures on the Gamecube / GBA, and be blown away by what I might call my favorite multiplayer experience of all time. ; )

I refuse to manage equipment or inventory with anything other than a touch interface, a mouse, or an IR pointer. It's just damn archaic in this day and age to toggle through a complex menu using a stick or a d-pad. I love the way DS games have used the touchscreen to remove all that annoyance, and I'm sure the extra…

I think you're right, it must be a PSP shot on closer inspection. I just did a quick Google Image search for the opening scene and got that. I played it on the Wii myself, which was perfect for the flashlight movement.

Oh, there's always a trust model involved, that's certainly true. But I feel that the inverted relationship I described would work well for a number of fan-driven causes. Again, even if the backers are 40% jerks and never vote correctly, their funds would still be disbursed as soon as the others vote. But yeah, not…

I've been thinking that an alternative model to Kickstarter might be more appropriate to many projects... one that takes an inverted approach to the whole process.

It even changes colors on rotation!

Good god, how hard is it to flick your wrist for the rolling. DKCR was the best 2D platformer of this generation by a longshot, far ahead of both NSMBWii and Rayman. The former feels uninspired next to DKCR, and the latter just feels like a flash-based platformer in HD.

I played it on the PC and loved it. They also had 3D glasses (class red/blue) included for watching the ending sequence.

I should also add that they did this in Silent Hill: Shattered Memories during the opening sequence, with one button dedicated to the "Sheryl!" call. Combined with the flashlight, it gave off a great Luigi's Mansion vibe for a minute there.

I know, I'll miss that wonderful "Mario!" button. Charles Martinet also deserves credit for the most endearing Luigi voice-over work to date. His nervous humming to the soundtrack is just amazing.

Technically the opposite of "pro" would be "amateur." I don't get paid to play games, so I'm okay with that.

Nintendo tried to show the way with those wonderfully asymmetrical face buttons... but the world was not ready. Now they've given up on the idea evidently, which I consider a huge loss.