Super Lattepunk World
Lattepunk
I was in Japan for a week, why was Nintendo being shitty the only thing I could think about?
Have I been busy reader! I went to Japan at such a simple time in life. Nothing happened while I was gone! Absolutely nothing! Grand Theft Auto 6 didn’t get delayed then drop a brand new trailer out of nowhere. American Pope didn’t get selected during the conclave. My job didn’t decide to go on strike while I was gone. NOTHING!
Since I had nothing on my mind while exploring Japan, Nintendo came to my mind. Why are they so shitty to their fans? From shutting down countless fan games to shutting down gaming tournaments, they just seem so hostile to their fans. To be fair, there is a difference between the Nintendo game developers and the Nintendo lawyers. Still! In the name of “protecting their intellectual property”, they go to some extremes.
Remember Nintendo suing these game developers because of game mechanics? Remember when they sued Bowser? Just recently they updated their terms and conditions allowing them to brick the hardware YOU BOUGHT if you don’t use it the way they’d like. It’s a shitty way to treat their fans.
So, why the fuck did I fly across the globe to see this:
Red Luigi
Cause of their lovely characters that have been in our lives for so long! Walking into Super Nintendo World put a sincere smile on my face. Immediately took me back to the feeling of having fun in the worlds that Nintendo creates. They managed to capture that perfectly, in the physical world, which is pretty impressive.
Even the rides capture the feeling. In the park they have a replica of Bowser’s castle. With a statue of the god himself:
As you wait in line, climbing down deeper into his castle, you’re greeted with a Mario visor. At the bottom awaits Karts that you’ve undoubtedly have raced in before. Take your seat, snap on an AR glass to your visor, and for like 2 minutes you’re transported to countless classic racetracks while tossing virtual turtle shells at the Koopa gang.
It’s not just all Mario though. A recent expansion added a new section to park:
This area captured Donkey Kong and its world perfectly. Bananas everywhere, ‘K’ ‘O’ ’N’ ‘G’ letters spread around, barrels all over the place. I even managed to find some characters slightly out of place.
The main attraction was, unfortunately, down. Which royally sucked cause how often does one go to Japan. But just as I was ready to walk out, it’s like Nintendo themselves decided to bless me and opened up the ride. Walking through the line I even spotted the character speaking straight Japanese to everyone in line:
When it came to the ride itself, Donkey Kong’s Mine Cart didn’t disappoint. Like the classic levels riding in the carts and exploding out of barrels, this ride captured all the thrills. You see the whole gang throughout the ride. Dixie Kong seeing you off as you start, Diddy and Donkey Kong riding in their own carts. All this while whipping around and avoiding the traps and enemies of the mine. I felt like I was going to lose my glasses on the ride. Dare I say, it was a blast!
The duality of a massive company. The creators doing their jobs, creating characters and worlds for their fans to enjoy. The lawyers doing their jobs, protecting those characters and worlds for their shareholders to enjoy.
i did read some things
Meet the Trio of Tech Startups Bringing Live Sports to Blind Fans | Tom Wiggins for WIRED
YouTube Looks to Creators (and Their Data) to Win in the AI Era | Mark Bergen for Bloomberg
The Tactics Elon Musk Uses to Manage His ‘Legion’ of Babies—and Their Mothers | Sarah Blesener for WSJ
The EPA cracked down on Tesla and SpaceX. Then Elon Musk and DOGE took over. | Justine Calma for The Verge
Nike Says Its Factory Workers Earn Nearly Double the Minimum Wage. At This Cambodian Factory, 1% Made That Much. | Rob Davis, Sarahbeth Maney for ProPublica
My Son Has a Rare Syndrome. So I Turned to the Internet. | Amanda Hess for NY Times
The Zuckerbergs Founded Two Bay Area Schools. Now They’re Closing. | By Heather Knight, Theodore Schleifer and Orlando Mayorquín for NY Times
The Age of Realtime Deepfake Fraud Is Here | Joseph Cox for 404 Media
Inside the spectacular rise and crash of India's largest EV company | Atul Dev for Rest of World
Your Favorite New Coworker Is an AI-Enhanced Operative From North Korea | Bobbie Johnson for WIRED
The fantasy of playing Final Fantasy | Joseph Earl Thomas for The Verge
It Was Just a Rumor on Facebook. Then a Militia Showed Up. | Eli Tan, Ulysses Ortega for NY Times
They Fell in Love Playing ‘Minecraft.’ Then the Game Became Their Wedding Venue | Margaux Blanchard for WIRED
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