Being a gamer in these times is a great thing and we have it easy. No longer do we have to deal with the annoying problems that past generations had to suffer while playing our favorite games. We'd play levels for hours. Not because the game was extremely challenging but because you were just unlucky enough to be standing near the ledge while dodging a bullet and dying in a pit in... Mega Man, more like mega lame.

But those days are over and it’s good to be us. Or is it? Even with all the fancy technology being used to develop and run our favorite games we often times still encounter things that are just downright annoying. So with the help of our community we selected some annoying moments from our beloved source of infatuation.[nextpage]

Nice move, too bad you can't see

Most people have been scoffing at the DSi XL because of its bulky size, hence eliminating any sense of portability for the Nintendo handheld. A fellow blogger here on The Kartel recently highlighted the reasons not to get a DSi XL here. However as Nintendo products are concerned, there's always going to be certain people that just have to get everything. Remember the Game Boy Micro? People bought that system because of its sleek portability despite sacrifices with the screen size. The DSi XL is no different. There's definitely something cool about this handheld, and I for one love it.

Here's five reasons why I love the DSi XL.[nextpage]

1.) DS games are easier to play

The DSi XL is big, yeah we know. But that's because the screen is actually 93% bigger than the original DSi. Not only will

The new Nintendo DSi XL is slated for release on March 28, but it can't take the place of my current hardware. My DS isn't just some interchangable gizmo to be discarded for a newer model with bigger assets -- it is a steadfast and dependable travel companion. I am used to it. I know its contours and how it likes to be touched. These are the reasons I will not be abandoning my trusty DSi for the upcoming DSi XL.[nextpage]

1. The texture isn’t the same

The DSi had a lustrous brushed matte exterior. It was stainless, it was easy to clean up, and best of all, it resisted smudges and fingerprints. I hate when my shiny new doodad gets covered in fingerprints, it ruins the experience. Overall this miracle material was more revolutionary to handheld gaming than Billy Mayes to infomercials

The first 3D Zelda and the game that pratically invented 3D action games also happens to hold an average score of 97.66% on Game Rankings and 99% on Metacritic topping both of their charts for all-time best video games and making it almost unquestionably the single game that has received the most positive reviews across all the gaming media.  Is it possible that it could ever live up to such recognition?  Well, I guess that really is up to the individual playing the game and what they expect from it.

Concerning myself, I will say this game is rock solid.  It has one of those good mixes going on.  The game is fairly straight forward and slightly formulaic (collect new tools, defeat 8 dungeons, rescue a few princesses), but there's also a lot of room for exploration. 

If you already beaten New Super Mario Brothers for Wii, you are already craving for more. With no signs of a sequel coming on the horizon, one fan has gone as far as hacking together his own levels. Only known as NSMBWHacks, one fan has managed to remake an entire Super Mario DS level on the Wii and was kind enough to share it with all other Nintendo junkies and the world.  The video displays both the Wii and the Ds versions of the Mario games with the exact same level layout, enemies and power ups.  The Wii level at the top of the screen was directly from the older DS version of the game that he managed to recreate.  How did this user accomplish such a task? Well gamers are crafty little buggers, often times more so than the developers.  PC gamers have been doing

Often times in the videogame development process the creators reuse old content or take short cuts for various reason.  These reasons can range from tight schedules to lack of creativity.  Whatever the reason maybe the new Mario game for the Wii unfortunately falls victim to such development short cuts.  One could say reusing old formulas is normal for Nintendo, as the old saying goes, if it isn’t broke don't fix it, that’s fair.  The developers have worked their absolute hardest to deliver the goods with as much originality as possible for any new game and their products are always well worth your hard work cash.  Or are they?  Check out the following videos first.[nextpage]

Wii

DS

Easy to tell them apart.  Hardcore

We all love the Ghostbusters, and Slimer too! When Ghostbusters the Videogame was announced for Wii, PS3, and 360 - hype began building up as Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd were helping out with the game script. Not to mention, all 4 of the original Ghostbusters lended their voices and likeness' to the game, making things much more appealing to the true fans.

One fan, known as " irrelevanttomfoolery" over at www.gbfans.com has gone above and beyond, and he has created the very first Wii Proton Pack!

"Straight from Egon's lab, after months of Beta testing I bring to you the first ever fully fictional Wii-Proton Pack to be used in conjunction with the Nintentdo Wii version of the Ghostbusters Video game. The cyclotron features four blue LEDs allowing you to know which

Sometimes you just wake up in the morning bored out of your mind. You look around for things to do. You think to yourself, "I could go out and get some errands done or I could go hangout with some friends," but more than often than not, if you are like me, you see all the video games sitting beside your television and decide that playing those would be a good cure for your utter boredom. But there are times when you just get extremely bored with your "new" games and get a little reminscient. Yes, what about all those old NES/SNES cartridges and PlayStation discs laying around. Boy, it sure would be fun to break out those old games again. Which ones are worth replaying though? What are the games in all our collections that we can't get enough of? Well, here is the top ten on a lot of gamers'

So you consider yourself a videogame aficionado and love all geeky aspects of the culture.  Your room or house looks similar to Steve Carrell’s apartment in the 40 Year Old Virgin and you can’t wait until the next Comic-Con to come around just so you could pick up all the goofy toys and trinkets you just can’t find on Wal-Mart shelves.  If you thought you couldn’t be any more of a geek, well be prepared to add another notch to your geeky utility belt.  Courtesy of the folks over at Nintendopapercrafts.com and various other contributors, you can now make your own paper crafts of your favorite Nintendo characters and consoles like Link, Mario, the Wii and some of the wacky folks that inhabit the towns in Animal Crossing.  This is a cheap and super