My Favourite Mario Kart Courses from Each Game!

Super Mario Kart turned 25 yesterday! The now renowned and popular series paved the way for fun item-shooting racing games that we've all come to know and love. Allowing players the chance to race as one of their favourite Mario heroes or enemies, the game offered a bunch of truly fantastic tracks, as well as a multi-player Battle Mode. 

To celebrate the games anniversary, join me as I share my favourite course from each of the games so far. 

Super Mario Kart 

Rainbow Road 

There's no way I could do a list like this without mentioning Rainbow Road somewhere! The track that has no doubt made plenty of people utter profanities as they slipped to their doom, Rainbow Road provided a challenging final course in Super Mario Kart's Special Cup. Pretty simple in design, this multi-coloured road offered sharp bends, angry Thwomps, and holed-up pathways. The simplicity is deceiving, as when you're trying to traverse this with other players, there's no doubt at one point you'll find yourself being nudged off the side. 

Rainbow Road also included some truly memorable music, and has since seen several reiterations throughout the games 25-year history.

Game Boy 25th Anniversary: My Favourite Games

Happy 25th anniversary 

to the Nintendo Game Boy! 

25 years ago today, Nintendo's successful handheld console the 'Game Boy' was released in Europe. The first in the Game Boy line, it was created by Gunpei Yokoi and the staff behind the Game & Watch series. Although redesigned versions were released in 1996 (Game Boy Pocket) and 1998 (Game Boy Light), there is something so memorable about the original. 

Originally bundled with puzzle game Tetris upon release (smart move, Nintendo), the Game Boy went on to become one of the highest selling handheld consoles of all time, selling an impressive 118.69 million units worldwide along with its successor, the Game Boy Colour. 

For me, the Game Boy holds a lot of special memories. It was the first time I had been introduced to gaming after my parents picked one up on release. It can also be credited to getting me into the Legend of Zelda series after first watching my dad play through Link's Awakening (I completed it later on by myself when I was a little older).

Join me as I share a few of my favourite games that were released on the Game Boy. 

The Legend of Zelda: Kay's Awakening

It was my birthday on the 29th April, and one of my closest friends made me the funniest (and coolest!) of cards. 

He knows I love The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, so he mocked up this for me, complete with my birth year. 

So thanks Brad! I love it. 

Happy Atari National Pac-Man Day!

Thirty-three years ago today, Atari announced National Pac-Man Day, which coincided with the home console release of the Pac-Man arcade game. 

Wacca-Wacca-Wacca!

I picked up this little fella on a shopping trip with a friend last Saturday...

 

Music Monday: Sonic Spinball- Toxic Caves

8-Bit Girl hasn't had a Music Monday post for quite some time, so I have decided to bring it back!

Today's track is the Toxic Caves theme from Sonic Spinball. I recently played this with my friend Brad, who lent me his Sega Megadrive Collection on the Xbox 360 so I could get my retro Sonic on. This song is catchy!

I Picked Up Two New Games Today...

Club Nintendo closes in a few months, and it seems that finally, they have started adding some games to their Stars Catalogue. About time too! Whilst I have got a few goodies from there that I have been pleased with (my most recent being the Mario Kart 8 vehicles t-shirt, that you can see below), I always preferred the idea of a freebie game over a little bit of merchandise. 

A little big on me, but works well as a cosy PJ top!

Club Nintendo: The Rise, and Fall...and Rise Again

For the most part, Club Nintendo has its ups and downs. The occasional statue was available (although it took an age to even get close to the amount of points needed!), but the cleaning cloths, desktop wallpapers and stylus' didn't really cut it, at least for me anyway... 

8 Bit Christmas Ornaments!

Give your tree a retro look this Christmas with these fantastic 8 Bit ornaments from Adam Crockett.

Made from Hama beads, these ornaments are available in a range of styles, including the three shown below-lights, stars and baubles.

The full range can be found on his Etsy store. Check it out here! http://www.etsy.com/shop/adamcrockett

Ink Whiskey: Nintendo Themed Hip Flasks!

Gaming and drinking often go hand in hand, especially when a few friends are also involved too. Portland, Oregon based company Ink Whiskey combines the gaming and drinking with their specially designed hip flasks.

Currently available to pre-order via their Kickstarter campaign, these flasks look and feel exactly like a classic Nintendo cartridge, except they're not designed for playing-they will hold your whisky!

These concealable flasks can fit into a back pocket, and give the illusion that the owner is carrying around a retro games cartridge, rather than their sneakily concealed beverage of choice. Available to hold about 4oz/120ml, these flasks are made from durable plastic, are watertight and are available in feature five label designs that are based on classic Nes games.

Current labels available are: "Drunk Hunt", "Super Bar-Hop Bros.", "Castlevodka", "Metal Beer" and "The Legend of Drink".

Here's a few shots of the flasks:

I think these look absolutely brilliant, and no doubt they'll prove to be a talking point when taken out and about.

Ink Whiskey's Kickstarter campaign has 21 days to go. Support a great product whilst getting a flask of your own by pledging here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/inkwhiskey/ink-whiskey-concealable-entertainment-flask

Be sure to follow Ink Whiskey for further updates:
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Welcome to Boon Hill

There are plenty of indie games that are being promoted on Kickstarter-some look intriguing, some, I'm sad to say it, look awful. Thankfully, Boon Hill appears to fall into the former.

Created by small games studio 14 Hours Production under Matthew Ritter, Boon Hill is a graveyard simulator that gives you the experience of exploring a graveyard. As the developers explain, Boon Hill is a 'story of epitaphs, a tale of ghosts that haunt, a game with no goal.'

Bizarrely, a game that is dedicated to reading gravestones and getting glimpses of the deceased lives should not be this engaging, yet Boon Hill indeed looks promising. The 16-Bit graphics are also rather charming.

14 Hours Production recently achieved their Kickstarter goal, meaning that the game is now currently in production. Check out the video above to get a taster of things to come.

Check out the Kickstarter page for Boon Hill here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1607565961/welcome-to-boon-hill

Music Monday: Datadyne Central Infection (Perfect Dark)

Yes, Music Monday has returned! I'll be posting some excellent game music every Monday once again on 8-Bit Girl.

To kick things off, I've decided upon 'Datadyne Central Infection', from Perfect Dark. Originally released on the Nintendo 64 in 2000, Perfect Dark got the HD treatment for the Xbox 360 in 2010.

This track starts off slow, but gradually picks up the pace. In the game this is the perfect track for moments of quiet exploration followed immediately by an enemy encounter.

Have a listen below.

Gaming Birthday Gifts!

I turned 25 on the 29th April, and I got a whole bunch of excellent gifts. Here's the three gaming related goodies I received. 

My Tetris light! You can remove the blocks and re-arrange to create different looks!

An example of how it looks when you change the blocks around.

Portal Sentry Turret Figure

Valve hardcover comic collection!

Arcadie iPod Arcade Cabinet Review

I love gadgets, so I was thrilled that I was sent an Arcadie cabinet by the folks at Zeon Tech to review.

What is it?
The Arcadie cabinet is a small iPhone sized arcade cabinet, to turn your iPhone into a retro arcade machine. Made out of plastic, this little cabinet is actually rather sturdy, providing plenty of support and security for your iPhone via the rubber bumpers and clickable closing slot. 

The Arcadie Cabinet works with any of the supported apps. Simply search 'Arcadie' on the App store to download the free to play games. Currently, there are three to choose from; Ping (Pong), Blasteroids (Asteroids) and Alien Invaders (Space Invaders), with the promise of more titles on the way soon. I suggest giving all three a download!

Using it is pretty simple. The iPhone is slotted into the machine by clicking open the back-there's a port that your phone clicks into, much like a docking station. Close the back, and the cabinet will calibrate your phone to work accurately. This only takes a few moments. 

In the cabinet, the games work surprisingly well, although I did find the A and B buttons a little unresponsive at times. A few calibrations later and the problem seemed to sort itself out. It's also a joy playing some retro favourites on a replicated arcade machine. Also, no batteries are required, as it runs solely on the iPhone's power, which is a definite plus. 

For the retro fans, the Arcadie Cabinet is well worth picking up. Whilst there are only three compatible games available at the moment, more should be on the way soon. It's a fun little time-waster, with a great design and appeal. 

8-Bit Bow-tie!

Fancy giving yourself a bit of a retro makeover? Perhaps getting an accessory like this 8-Bit bow tie is the way forward first. 

Made by Nelson Sanchez of 'Clever Trevor's Accessories', this 8-Bit bow tie has been made from shiny acrylic plastic, and looks like it has been ripped straight from an old game. 

Check out the pictures below:

Find Clever Trevor's Accessories here:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CleverTrevorAccessories
Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/clevertrevor

Music Monday: Prelude (Final Fantasy VII)

Today's Music Monday song comes from Final Fantasy VII.

Composed by series regular Nobuo Uematsu, "Prelude" is a great track which is definitely worth a listen. Check it out below, and as usual, let me know what you think in the comments below!

Old School vs. New School

Old School vs. New School. Who should win? Well, regardless of whether you agree with who won (the invaders-retro games) or the protectors (modern day), this is a great video a friend linked me to earlier!

Give it a watch, and see how many gaming characters you recognise!

Check out this Pacman stool!

If I had a bigger flat and a bigger budget...I'd definitely fill it up with excellent things like this! Check out this Pacman stool combo that is currently being sold on Etsy by Deutscher Design. 

Available for $195.00/£127.55, this stool comes in either yellow, red, brown, black or silver. Personally, I think the traditional Pacman yellow is by far the best!

Zelda Cupcakes!

It's dangerous to go alone....eat this! 

Check out these cute and no doubt yummy Zelda cupcakes by Geek Sweets. The presentation, even down to the packaging, is lovely.

Music Monday: Tomb Raider Anniversary Theme

Today's Music Monday feature is dedicated to Tomb Raider Anniversary's main theme. The whole point of Music Monday is not only to feature great game tunes that I enjoy, but also to share those that hold fond memories with me, for whatever reason. This is one of them.  


I have been a long time Tomb Raider fan. Whilst I have never been that fantastic at the games, I highly enjoy watching others play through the series (I do try to get through them myself though...with a lot of frustration!). Lately, I have been watching my Fiance play through Tomb Raider Anniversary. 


This revamp of the original Tomb Raider theme, which brings back a lot of fond memories of watching my Dad play through the older games in the series. Check it out below, and I hope you enjoy it!

The Smiths and Super Mario Mash Up!

What do you get when you combine The Smiths with Super Mario Bros.? This! 


Created by user lazyitis (like the name by the way), this remix combines The Smiths This Charming Man with noises found in the Mario series. They plan to create a video for it sometime soon, look out for that one. 


You can listen to it below. What do you think? Let me know in the comments!