What?!? Most Surprising Nintendo Plot Twists

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This might be the first episode for which Scott just didn’t even try to prepare content.


Simeon has really knocked it out of the park and collected a list of the best surprising story turns in Nintendo history. These are the moments that made you stop and say ‘wow’ as you watched it unfold in front of you on the screen. Nintendo doesn’t often focus on story, but when they do, they write some exciting moments.

Shot by Alex Campbell

“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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How a TBC Show is Made (Ep. #400!)

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TMI, or good to know?


Wow, we made it to another landmark episode! We’ve been uploading daily videos related to Nintendo fandom for 400 solid episodes. On this momentous day, Scott and Simeon are going to take you behind the curtain and provide a peak at what it looks like to put together a single episode of the show. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be a YouTuber, this should give you an idea. From the content preparation, equipment set-up, filming, editing, and everything in between, take a look at what goes into each episode.

Shot by Alex Campbell

“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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The Latest Switch Rumors (Dock Power!)

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You just never know what to believe these days, but we might as well get excited about every little rumor while we can!


As the release of the Switch draws ever nearer, leaks and rumors are picking up more speed (and credibility). We’ve been learning a lot about Nintendo’s new console, what kind of ports the system has, as well as how the dock itself helps enhance gameplay while using the system at home. Certain developers are also starting to pipe up and say what games they may or may not have running on Switch development kits. Everything is just rumors at this point as we lead up to the January 12th full unveil of the Nintendo Switch, but these are some tasty pieces of gossip to tide us over!

Shot by Alex Campbell

“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX Review

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After being released in 1993, and re-released in color in 1998, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX is now available on the 3DS Virtual Console. It is developed and published by Nintendo.

Unlike most of the other Legend of Zelda games, Link’s Awakening does not involve you finding or rescuing Princess Zelda. Instead, Link’s ship has crashed on an island after a storm. It’s up to Link to find the eight instruments of the sirens to wake the Wind Fish so he can escape the island. Little does he know, the island holds a secret…

Puzzle solving in the dungeon.
Puzzle solving in the dungeon.

If you’ve played any 2D Legend of Zelda game you know exactly how this plays. If not, it’s pretty basic. You start off in a main overworld and must find your sword. With sword in hand, you make your way to the various dungeons collecting the different instruments. In these dungeons you also collect a large variety of tools to help you along your journey, such as Roc’s Feather which allows you to jump, or the Power Bracelet which helps you move large rocks and pots. The dungeons are filled with puzzles and enemies with each one containing at least one mini-boss and one main boss. There are two main collectibles in Link’s Awakening, Pieces of Heart and Secret Seashells. The pieces of heart increase your overall health for every four you find and every time you collect a Secret Seashell it simply says, “If you find enough of them, something good is bound to happen.”

The DX version of the game includes and extra ‘Color Dungeon’, which if completed instead of rewarding Link with and instrument or Heart Container, gives him a choice between a Blue tunic (Cuts all damage Link takes in half) or a Red Tunic (Doubles all damage Link deals out). These tunics are extremely helpful.

It's out old pal, Boo!
It’s our old pal, Boo!

There are lots of references to other Nintendo games such as Kirby, a Yoshi doll, and a large variety of Mario’s enemies which are seen in wonderfully-done platforming sections.

The graphics are that of almost any Gameboy Color game. I found that this game’s visuals in particular still look simply fantastic and drew me in as much as the newer games.

If you enjoy Zelda games, or even adventure games at all, you owe it to yourself to play this game. The mystery of the story kept me wanting to play more to see everything unfold and captured me more than any other 2D Zelda. I can’t recommend this game enough.

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening gets 5 opening chests out of 5.

(Link’s Awakening is available for $5.99 on the 3DS eShop and took me a little over 15 hours to complete.)

Game Theme Hum-Down #3

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This is probably our last time trying this game. We did way better our past two attempts!


We thought we were better at this game. It’s where you hum the tune to a Nintendo or 3rd-party game and try to get your buddy to guess the game. Well, we didn’t do so hot this time around but it might be even more entertaining to our viewers this way!

Shot by Alex Campbell

“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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Is Ridley Too Big For Smash?

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He might have been too big for Brawl but HE’S NOT TOO BIG ANYMORE!


Since before Brawl was out, there has been a fierce war raging between the proponents and the critics of Ridley’s addition to the Super Smash Bros. series. Sakurai has tipped his hat to the Metroid fans in a few different ways, including him as a boss opponent. But we’re not satisfied. We want to play Ridley as a part of the roster, and we won’t be told that he is too big!

Shot by Alex Campbell

“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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What’s Better: Digital or Physical Games?

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Yep, if anything is a first-world problem, it’s this one. But at least we have the freedom and the blessing to have to debate such a topic!


Full shelves, or full hard drives? Physical boxes, or digital convenience? We gamers are forced to make this tough decision with just about every new game we purchase. There are pros and cons to buying your games at retail as well as through Nintendo’s eShop, so we’re here to cover the entire topic and make sense of the decision for you. A lot of it will still come down to preference, but at least we can examine the whole issue!

Shot by Alex Campbell

“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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Gamer Gift Guide: ThinkGeek 2016

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Opening up a P.O. box before this episode would have been a great little piece of foresight.


Christmas 2016 is nigh upon us and many gamers are scrambling to fill out their wish lists with the right goods. Simultaneously, parents are scratching their heads wondering what to get their gamer children for the Holidays. We’ve got you covered and you can take care of this shopping trip completely online! Thanks to ThinkGeek, it can be your one-stop shop for some of the best Nintendo merch out there.

NES Backpack

Hylian Shield Mug

8 Bit Tie

Retro Fighters 2-in-1 Gamepad

Zelda Journal

Super Mario Adventures Graphic Novel

Zelda Watch

Block Lamp

Mario Monopoly

Hylian Crest Infinity Scarf

Super Famicom

Shot by Alex Campbell

“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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New Zelda: Breath of the Wild Footage

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We think Kass will be playing an instrumental part in finding the game’s shrines!


At the Game Awards, Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Aimé took the stage and introduced a brand new look at the upcoming Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for Wii U and Nintendo Switch. We couldn’t be more excited about this game, so getting the all-new trailer AND Let’s Play video from the Treehouse was a big treat. We’re here to pick apart the footage and bring you our favorite discoveries!

Shot by Alex Campbell

“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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Why the NES Classic Edition is Pure Genius

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I’ve been playing a lot of NES Classic Edition around the Holidays, and it’s a big hit. I think Nintendo hit it out of the park for multiple reasons, and I’m going to go in depth on each one!

Brand Top of Mind (in Absence of Switch)

Nintendo wouldn’t be kidding anyone if they told us that they didn’t want the Nintendo Switch to be released this holiday season. The November weekend before Thanksgiving is their favorite day to launch their biggest hardware and software, year over year. Yet they couldn’t quite make it in time for the 2016 Holidays, so the Switch will be releasing on their second-favorite slot: March. That left kind of a gaping hole in November, so Nintendo brilliantly filled it with the NES Classic Edition.

What’s going to be on every Christmas list? What is going to get brought out at family gatherings? The NES, or even simply, “the Nintendo.”

The brand might not have the benefit of the buzz through their new console this winter, but everyone’s going to be repeating their name thanks to their throwback console.

Nostalgia is Big Right Now

Who knew that 2016 would be such a perfect year to be a ’90s kid? Everything that was old is new again, and gaming, film, and TV industries have all wizened up and they’re repackaging our memories of old and selling them to us all over again. Nintendo is no different. Their stable of IPs is in the top 5 strongest in the world, among the likes of Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars (or should I say, Disney, Disney, and Disney).

The NES Classic Edition was a very calculated move. Down to the packaging on the box and each and every commercial, the marketing has been a complete throwback. There’s not a young-to-middle-aged adult alive who wouldn’t want to pick up the perfect replica of that controller. Nintendo didn’t wait too long for this and they didn’t do it too soon – the timing is just right.

It’s Not Just 3rd Parties

Nintendo has been working on this console rerelease for quite awhile. Want to know how I know? Because of all the licensing deals that went into it! They could have scraped together 25 or 30 first-party IPs and shipped it out, but instead they held meetings and struck deals with other companies, allowing third-parties to get in on the action. In my experience, Contra has been one of the most recognizable names on the system (albeit in the game Super C), so it’s a good thing that Nintendo branched out and expanded the library through its partners. The Big N doesn’t get to keep 100% of the profits anymore, but I think it was well worth it. I’m just surprised news of the mini-console didn’t leak with other companies being brought into the circle.

It Has Spot-On Emulation

I didn’t realize just how bad the NES emulation was on Wii U until I saw it in contrast to the NES Classic Edition.

Trust me, if you haven’t seen the difference in emulation quality, you will be appalled. Nintendo didn’t do so hot with NES games on Wii U, but we really couldn’t ask for better than the Classic Edition. With the three different display options and the boost in brightness and clarity over Wii U, it just can’t be beaten.

It’s Literally a Stocking-Stuffer

This thing is so small. I know that the first image Nintendo released of this console, it showed the mini-NES sitting in a model’s hand. Still, my mind didn’t quite grasp the size. It wasn’t until I opened up the tiny box and held the even-tinier console replica that I understood just how small it is! It’s absolutely fun-sized. And I think it could actually fit in kids’ stockings this Christmas. This thing has the potential to be the #1 impulse-buy of 2016, if Nintendo could only just produce enough to fill up store’s end-caps.

Also, the price is perfect. You see that the thing is $60, you see that 30 games are included, you do a little quick math in your head and you exclaim “That’s only $2 per game!” That’s literally every consumer’s thought process. Everyone feels like they are getting a steal of a deal. If there were only 25 games included or if the console was $70, the story would be completely different. Nintendo hit the bulls-eye on this one.

I’m really happy about this product. I’m a huge NES fan and I’ve actually been wanting Nintendo to reproduce the system for many years. I never had the idea of it being miniature and coming with packed-in games, but they absolutely made the right choice with that design. There’s no bulky consoles or rows of cartridges taking up shelf-space, just this little joy of a system. I hope all the TBC fans who want one are able to find a console of their own! Nintendo really needs to stop playing so conservative with their supplies and just make more of these things. But Foxconn is probably busy making Switch parts, and I won’t complain about that.

NES Mario Games on a DDR Dance Pad

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Next thing you know we’ll be stomping on actual Gamecube controllers.


There’s really nothing too weird for Simeon and Scott to attempt, so long as it pertains to Nintendo gaming. The Crew is taking it to a new level by attempting to beat classic Super Mario Bros stages using only a Gamecube Dance Dance Revolution dance pad. This challenge was suggested by viewer Glen – thanks for the idea! It’s a blast.

Shot by Alex Campbell

“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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Which Metroid Prime Game is Best?

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The winner is… Metroid Prime HUNTERS! For the best Metroid Prime game on the original DS.


The Metroid Prime trilogy of games that started on Gamecube and ended up Wii are just a phenomenal set of games. It’s hard to pick which one is the best, but that’s exactly what we set out to do in this episode. Whether you remember one particularly fondly or you have a hard time making up your mind, Simeon and Scott introduce some strong arguments for each game and any of them are viable to win! Watch first and then let us know if you agree or disagree in the comments – we want to hear from YOU!

Shot by Alex Campbell

“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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What We Want: Animal Crossing Mobile

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Well Simeon certainly isn’t in the #AC4LIFE club, now is he?!


Animal Crossing is heading to iPhone and Android before March of 2017, so we better hurry up and get our last minute requests into Nintendo so they can direct the shape of the game! Hah, just kidding. But it would be really nice to see the features that we discuss make it into the final DeNA game. Also, will there be a new Animal Crossing Switch game to accompany the launch of Nintendo’s new hardware? Time will tell!

Shot by Alex Campbell

“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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Hilarious Nintendo Knock-Offs

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This is probably the most PG-13 we will ever get. Unless you count Simeon repeatedly using the word “fob” for which you’ll want to check out “NES Mario Games on a DDR Dance Pad”!


They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery… so, Nintendo should be feeling quite flattered at this point! Or at the very least, it’s clear that the Wii had a lot of admirers. Simeon and Scott have compiled pictures of all the worst offenders; companies that took Nintendo’s ideas and completely ripped them off. Yes, patents were stepped over in the effort to make a quick buck off of Nintendo’s recognizable properties. The business behind these decisions might be despicable, but the results sure are hilarious!

Shot by Alex Campbell

“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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Nintendo Voice Chat Podcast

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This podcast occasionally contains too much water…


There are a lot of Nintendo podcasts for fans to listen to, but there is one that rises above the rest and sets itself apart from the competition. That one podcast is Nintendo Voice Chat, a podcast made by IGN and hosted by Jose Otero, Peer Schneider, and Brian Altano. Those three hosts make sure we have a great time every Friday, as well as provide insightful looks into the industry. This podcast is pure Nintendo fan gold, so don’t pass it up. Give it a try! And if you’re just not a podcast listener, they’re really great for taking with you on your commute to work, or for mundane tasks like doing the laundry or the dishes. You’ll be hooked on podcasts and hooked on NVC. Thanks for the great podcast, IGN!

Shot by Alex Campbell

“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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November’s Nintendo Experience

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Recently, we had a blog post from Crew member Matt talking about the timelessness of the classics; some games age to perfection. Good games that can produce the same joy a decade after they are released are more rare than you would think. It seems that certain “good” games lack the timeless quality that make them enjoyable to play years later or are far surpassed by the games that succeeded them. In honor of the NES Classic edition, we’ll be remembering a few of them in this month’s “Nintendo Experience”.

The next “Experience” inductee is Super Mario Bros. It may not be a favorite of mine, but no one can deny its impact on video games since its release. It showed us what a video game could be. The controls were revolutionary (though now dated. Sorry), and changed the way we saw physics in games. It had so many levels with each presenting a unique challenge to the player. Thankfully, though its influence is undeniable, better things came afterward to replace it.

Some backgrounds were different from others to show time of day. Oooooooh! Aaaaaaaah!

 

Next up, I’ll be inducting Super Mario Bros. 3 into the Experience. It’s a game that changed everything about Mario, the platforming genre, and video games in general. For years it was the best-selling non-pack-in video game of all-time. The different worlds, the new power-ups, all of the copious secrets; these are just a few of the elements that work together to make this a classic.

It could also hold the key to the Mario timeline. If you pay attention to the stage play motif (such as the curtain rising/falling and Mario exiting the stage at the end of each… stage), it can be seen that the game is just one big production. This could mean that Mario isn’t a plumber, but a character with differing roles depending on the production. This would be akin to many of the great golden era cinema comics, like Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, and the Three Stooges, who, while playing the same “character”, would be in vastly different contexts with no fluid storyline. That would explain the sporadic variety of Mario’s activities; he’s just an actor put into different scenarios without an overarching narrative. I digress.

On top of the power-ups and items, Super Mario Bros. 3 has incredible level design. For example, some of Pipe Land’s stages are completely vertical, and when you reach the stage’s sides, they wrap around, as if Mario were circling the inside of the warp pipe. Such a simple idea, yet the possibilities it creates are mind-blowing. Each stage is memorable because it presents a new puzzle and a new challenge. Of course, none of this would matter if the creators had not nailed the most important aspect of game design: control. Whereas the controls of the original, though revolutionary, have not aged very well, Mario 3’s controls are perfectly implemented, and have aged like a nice wheel of brie.

Lastly for this month, Kirby’s Adventure makes the cut.

The intro showed you how to draw Kirby!... If you ever got confused...
The intro showed you how to draw Kirby!… If you ever got confused…

 

If there was one word to describe this game (and also Kirby’s appetite) it would have to be “massive”. There were so many worlds and levels to explore, copious secrets scattered everywhere, boss battles that all required a different strategy, and of course, tons of special abilities. In contrast to his first quest, just about any baddie you inhale will give you an ability that had its own strength and weakness. These powers ranged from the silliness of Hi-Jump and Splash, to the super cool Sword and Back-Drop, to the devastation of the Tornado and UFO, and you wanted to try out each one to see where it would be useful (or just because it looked cool).

Kirby showing off his edgy punk rock Needle hairstyle!

 

Obviously, the developers have expanded his powers over the years, but this is where Kirby as we now know him got his trademark copy ability.

If you’re a Nintendo fan and haven’t enjoyed these (at least recently), what are you doing?!? Pick them up and play them now!

nintendo-experience

Heads-Up, Nintendo Edition! #2

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If one round Heads Up wasn’t enough for you, well then sit back, relax, and enjoy. We’ve got more sticky-note Nintendo mania for you right here.


Heads-Up is the hilarious game where one person puts a character on their head and, not knowing what it says, has to ask yes or no questions about the character to guess their identity. Well, we’ve grabbed some sticky notes and a few pens, because that’s all you need to home-grow your own version of the party game and play it with friends. As always, our version of the game is completely Nintendo-focused with only Nintendo characters to guess from. Here we go!

Shot by Alex Campbell

“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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Nintendo’s Most Generous Offers

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On Thanksgiving day, what could be more appropriate than recounting the generosity of Nintendo for which we are so thankful?


In the USA, today is the wonderful Holiday of Thanksgiving! So in a reflective episode, we take the time to think back on the times that Nintendo has been the most generous. Sure, we understand that they are a business and they have to make money in order to stay afloat and continue to provide us with great experiences… Yet! This video contains some great examples of Nintendo going out of their way to make customers feel valued and important, and for those we are very thankful.

Shot by Alex Campbell

“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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The Disastrous 24 Hour Wii Live Stream

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We set out to stream Wii games for 24 hours. What unfolded was not how it was planned.

As many of us know, November 19th was the 10th anniversary of the Nintendo Wii. A console beloved by all, Simeon and I hold a particular set of fond memories very near and dear to our hearts. We celebrate Wii day, an annual event that takes place on the date which the console originally premiered, and the festivities include a) waiting in line and b) playing Wii. A lot of Wii.

Simeon and I have done this for the last nine years, but this year being the tenth was meant to be extremely special. We arranged our schedules in a way such that we were cleared of all responsibilities for a 24 hour period, and we could do a Wii-exclusive livestream for 24 hours! We had never done something so ambitious with Two Button Crew or played video games for as long.

We set it all up. We scheduled the games out minute-for-minute. We got extra sleep leading up to the stream We bought energy drinks and frozen pizzas. We designed thumbnail images for 24 different stream segments. We were ready to go!

Well, the event started right on time with Wii Party. Our good friend (and Simeon-clone) Joel came over for a visit and joined us. The next game on the schedule was Just Dance 3 which was only there to please our wives and include them in the fun, but they were otherwise engaged so we just had to put up with the humiliation for 30 minutes.

If you watch the Just Dance footage, you can see a segment where I pick up my cat and dance with her.

We also watched the Metroid Other M movie complete with funny banter and commentary. Joel was still around for 3 hours of Super Smash Bros. Brawl goodness, where we constantly complained about the Wii Remote connection issue.

11:00pm was my cue to hit the sack for a few hours while Simeon tried to beat Skyward Sword. He got pretty close, and had the most viewers of the whole stream! As soon as I came back from my nap to play some Boom Blox and Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom, the stream viewers went to sleep. I can’t blame them though! It was getting super late at night.

Good buddy brother-in-law Ryan came over and we got a few more games in… Then…

That was when disaster struck.

Simeon and I were getting further than we EVER had in Wii Play Tanks and that’s when our power went out. Everything electronic in our house blinked out in the same moment, then we heard this huge CRASH outside like a gunshot. Our stream abruptly ended (you can see it in the Wii Play video) and our event was unexpectedly shut down. Simeon and I sat there, Wii remotes and nunchucks in hand, blinking at the black TV screen in front of us. What were we supposed to do?

We couldn’t go to sleep because the power could come back on at any time and the stream would have to continue. We were only 12 hours into our 24 hour allotted time. We checked the news to see what was going on.

Here’s WHY the power shut down:

Some drunk (or high) bozo was driving his car, smashed into 3 other vehicles and then careened off the road into an electrical box. His terrible decision to get behind the wheel could have killed someone, but instead it turned the power off for 750 Avista customers in the vicinity. Right in the middle of our stream. The news kept approximating the time for repairs to be done, but the estimate just kept getting pushed out further and further as Simeon and I waited up to see what happened.

Here’s what we ended up doing:

Pokemon. Lots and lots of Pokemon cards.
There were a million things we could have done to work on Two Button Crew with our downtime, but it was all inaccessible on the internet so we resorted to multiple rounds of Pokemon cards and also a few games of Boss Monster.
To be fair, we had a great time. It’s been years since we just got to hang out for half a day with no agenda and just have fun. It’s just completely insane that this whole debacle  happened on the Wii’s 10th anniversary!

We tried our best to communicate with our audience via Twitter and YouTube comments, but surely some of you were left wondering what happened to us. Now you know! We hope you all found your own special ways to celebrate Wii Day!

What are the Most Competitive Nintendo Games?

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What do you get when you put two competitive bros in a room with a Nintendo console? You get a SHOWDOWN, that’s what you get!


There are the obvious competitive Nintendo game like the fighters and the racing games, but there are also some great ones that you might not have thought of. Scott and Simeon have collected a list of the best games that you can go deep in, develop your skills, and duke it out with your buddies. If you want good, lasting bang for your buck – go with any of these games for Nintendo platforms.

Shot by Alex Campbell

“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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