By Daily Mail Reporter
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Google proved it has a sense of humour with an early April Fool?s Day joke that puts the fun back into map reading.
The technology giant released its latest feat ? a version of Google Maps for the ?long neglected? Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).
The game features old school pixelated graphics, synonymous with the original games consoles.
Back to the future: Google proved it has a sense of humour with an early April Fool?s Day joke that puts the fun back into map reading
Nintendo: In a promotional video Google employees introduced Google Maps Quest, a retro 8-bit version of its mapping tool built for the ?long neglected? Nintendo Entertainment System, advising users to ?blow on the cartridge to fix bugs
Tatsuo Nomura, a Google software engineer, wrote in a post on Google's official Maps blog: ?With Google Maps 8-bit, you can do all the things you already do on regular Google Maps.
?Search for famous landmarks and sites around the world. Take an epic journey with 8-bit Street View. Get detailed directions to avoid dangerous paths, and battle your way through a world of powerful monsters and mystic treasures.?
As he points out, it will be the first NES cartridge to be released in almost 18 years, with a Game Boy version already in the pipeline.
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And the fun isn?t only for console owners ? clicking on a ?Quest? button in the right-hand corner of the Maps homepage will transform even the dullest of landscapes into a fanciful, brightly coloured scene.
In a promotional video Google employees introduced Google Maps Quest, a retro 8-bit version of its mapping tool built for the ?long neglected? Nintendo Entertainment System, advising users to ?blow on the cartridge to fix bugs?.
Old school: The pixelated graphics are reminiscent of original games consoles
Comical: It will be the first NES cartridge to be released in almost 18 years, with a Game Boy version already in the pipeline
The quirky video is complete 8-bit dragon-warrior music and jerky graphics.
Google has had a long history of April Fool's gags.
In 2007, the company announced TiSP, the Toilet Internet Service Provider, ?a self-installed, ad-supported online service that will be offered entirely free to any consumer with a WiFi-capable PC and a toilet connected to a local municipal sewage system?.
United Kingdom, Nintendo style: The British Isles are still recognisable, despite being heavily pixilated, while close-ups of Buckingham Palace have a similarly retro style
Not so common: Google has gone to great trouble to affect its usual Street View shots, this being a view of the British Houses Of Parliament in London
Last year, the search giant released ?Gmail Motion?, which allowed users to use hand signals to perform tasks in Gmail. And when users searched for ?Helvetica?, Google returned results in Comic Sans.
There could be more still to come, with April Fool?s just one day away. Until then, Nomura urges: ?Please be mindful of dragons while playing. We wish you a safe and happy quest.?
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