Is the Wii U touch controller a naked attempt to try and compete with the iPad, and if so does it stand a chance to succeed? Sean and Vinnk go through a brief history of touch panels in consumer devices, from the Apple Newton to the Tiger Game.com, the Nintendo DS, and — of course — Apple”s iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad.

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Super Mario 3D Land was released for the 3DS yesterday. After months of lacklustre titles, this one looks to be the first original title for the system worthy of owning. I’ve put in a solid evening of gameplay and progressed through roughly half the game, and I’d like to share my first impressions.

Immediately the game is reminiscent of Nintendo era Super Mario Bros. games. While Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy all had a some of features reminiscent of older games, this game has many more. While other more recent games feel like they take place in their own new worlds, this game at times feels like you’re in a 3D version of Super Mario Bros. 3. The Tanooki suit makes a welcome return, as well the old classics like the fire flower and a new suit, the Boomerang Bro. suit, which while new is itself a throwback to characters from old games.

Keep reading for more thoughts.
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Women in gaming have made tremendous strides, both onscreen and off, behind the scenes, or playing the games. Fans of the Female Shepard in the Mass Effect series — male and female alike — encouraged BioWare to finally put her in their advertisements and materials just so that other gamers would know she exists. It’s 2011; are women still being overlooked in gaming? Sean talks to guest panelists Sindra and Megan about what it’s like to be such a minority in gaming culture, and discuss their favorite heroines from the aforementioned Shepard, to “Lady Hawke” from Dragon Age 2, Samus in Metroid, Alex Roivas in Eternal Darkness, and more! And Sean tries to avoid saying “that’s what she said” for almost an entire hour.

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If there is one video game icon who got to celebrate his birthday this year, it’s Link. Legenda of Zelda turned 25 this year, and not only do we get a 3DS remake of one of his greatest adventures (Ocarina of Time), a new Wii game (Skyward Sword), but we get a free version of Link’s first multiplayer outing, Four Swords. Originally an add-on to the Game Boy Advance remake of A Link In To The Past, Four Swords became a surprise hit among fans and critics alike. It is only available until February 20 of next year, so if you have a DSI, DSIXL, or 3DS, hurry up and download it.
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It’s difficult to admit, but we all wear them. Maybe it’s because something made an impression on us at a young age. Maybe it’s because we just can’t admit flaws in the things that we love. It often takes seeing something through someone else’s eyes to finally see the things you refuse to see for yourself. Vinnk and Sean examine the games and movies of the ’80s where they must admit, sometimes painfully, that their nostalgia goggles are firmly in place. Even so, are there specific games (or movies) that are actually immune to the march of time?

[Listen to the episode after the jump…!]

It’s been 15 years since the Nintendo 64 was released. Before that we knew it as the Nintendo Ultra 64. Before that, Project Reality. How does Nintendo’s last catridge-based system stack up? Vinnk and Sean take a look back across the turn of the millennium, and how the Nintendo 64 fulfilled some of its promises, but also how it lead both of them to discover the broader world of gaming: both domestically and overseas.

[Listen to the episode after the jump…!]

See more from Day 2 of Tokyo Game Show 2011

Day 2 of Toyo Game Show was just about as awesome as Day 1. I played a LOT of fighting games, including BlazBlue which I had just played for the first time. At a tournament. In public. With the editors of big magazines like Famitsu. Oh dear…

We don’t have a video up yet of that fateful event, but if you want to hear more just listen to the Famicom Dojo Podcast for details!

Also, this Angry Birds tshirt was given to us by two of the developers (whom we happened to randomly meet outside of the show). Check out the TwitPic! It’s for an expansion to the game that’s all Japan and Ninja-themed to help them break into the last market where their game is not completely dominating the sales charts. Will you buy it?