Issue 7: Saturday Morning Warp Zone

Find out what our channels were tuned to in this welcome message and table of contents for Issue 7.

By M. Noah Ward. Posted 07/19/2010 17:16 3 Comments     ShareThis

Super Mario Bros. Super Show! Still

Letter from the Editor…

Since the early ’90s, cartoons “inspired by video games!” and/or strategically created as marketing tie-ins have been playing on our televisions. While they are rarer today than they were in the past, and the cartoon-adapted-to-game model is much more prevalent, the cartoons we’ll be looking at this week are burned into our memories, particularly as Nintendo fans. Sure, Sega may have gotten into the medium a little with its Sonic cartoon, and there’s also been Capcom’s Mega Man cartoons, and that obscure Double Dragon show, but Nintendo was most prolific in its attempts to populate Saturday mornings and schoolday afternoons. The shows’ quality was sometimes middling, but our love of the source material made us tune in dutifully, always hoping to further immerse ourselves into our favorite hobby in any way possible.

In this issue, we look at some of the legendary, or notorious, classics in Nintendo-related video game cartoons, dream up new ways to explore the medium, and explore how it has affected games themselves.

Enjoy,
Noah


Issue 7: Saturday Morning Warp Zone

Round Table: You’re My Hero by Nintendojo Staff
Our favorite Nintendo cartoon character, for better or worse.

Setting the Standard: Pac-Man by Aaron Roberts
A profile on one of the most significant early game cartoons.

Excuuuuse Me, Nintendo! How to Make a Good Zelda Cartoon by Andy Hoover
Andy breaks down the ingredients for a good– instead of campy– cartoon take on the world of Hyrule.

Gotta Watch ‘Em All: The Appeal of Cartoon Pokémon by Matthew Tidman
Tidman explores what makes the Pokémon cartoon series so enduring, as compared to its notorious Nintendo-branded predecessors.

The Evolution of Game Cartoons by Aaron Roberts & M. Noah Ward
Check out a visual timeline of the hits and misses of video game cartoon history.

Everything I Needed to Know I Learned from Captain N by M. Noah Ward
There may have only been just over two dozen episodes, but, oh, the wisdom that they held.

You Got Your Cartoon in My Game by Robet Thompson
A look at games and cartoons from the other direction– which games based on cartoons are some of the best.

Hot Air: Cartooned by Aaron Roberts
All of kid-dom rejoiced in their masterful wonderfulness…

Checklist: How to Ruin Your Favorite Video Game with Cartoons by Matthew Tidman
Eh, hey you. C’mere. We gotta formula, see… a checklist, even.

Cel-shadelicious by James Stank
Check out a list of games that adopted cartoon aesthetics to great success.


Additional features in this issue…

Monday

  • Nightly News Roundup by M. Noah Ward

Tuesday

  • Poll: What’s Your Favorite Game Cartoon? by M. Noah Ward
  • Nightly News Roundup by Andrew Hsieh

Wednesday

  • Dojo-Show-Go! Episode 100 by M. Noah Ward
  • Nightly News Roundup by Greg Wampler

Thursday

  • Nightly News Roundup by Francisco Naranjo

Friday

  • Nightly News Roundup: Video Edition by Aaron Roberts

Coming Up Next Week…

Issue 8: Second Time’s the Charm
There are great series that started with great games– genre-defining, generation-defining, console-selling. And then, the sequel was made, and it exceeded all expectation. Being #2’s never been better.

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