Easy to do? Hardly. Even for digital downloads, there's still probably a bunch of licensing issues to go through before they can put a game up for sale, especially for that "under-appreciated" category you mentioned. Couple that with the glacial release schedule we've seen in Nintendo's download services so far, and it's a fat chance we'd ever get another chance to try stuff like, say, Draglade, to name a fairly obscure one.

Even if they did decide to offer DS games for download, we'd probably get a few good first-party titles and then watch the service sputter out. Same old pattern.

@Duney
Fair enough if that's your stance. Still, there's a whole lap of this course that you just skip whenever you do this. Isn't that kind of a waste? That's the part that bugs me the most.

And for anybody who didn't hear me say it the first time: we in the gaming community have a word for those who line up and run off of cliffs. Have some dignity. Don't be a lemming.

I'm gonna want that Sonic Adventure soundtrack. Wonder if they'll ever release the Sonic Unleashed soundtrack. That one's one of my all-time favorite game soundtracks.

I just got VVVVVV. It's so hard it's ridiculous; only that surprisingly awesome soundtrack keeps me playing when the going gets tough. At its best though, it really makes me rethink the way I would play a good platformer. Can't get enough of the music: I'm listening to it right now.

Kid Icarus is sure to get some more playtime. That game just keeps on giving.

Lastly, I'll be playing through Sonic Unleashed on Wii again. No, really!

I've heard of this game. I wonder if it's as surreal as Jason Rohrer's other projects.

I gotta admit, those transformation sequences are a little slicker than MK7, where the propellers and gliders just sorta pop out of your current kart.

Blockbuster, what's that?

On the one hand, I didn't have much of an issue with the controls. In fact, I played through the whole game and didn't take out that plastic stand even once.

On the other hand, telling players they're "playing it wrong" or that they "don't get it" is still terrible form.

The dialog makes me laugh and cringe alternately. "Pit stain"? Ack.

I couldn't stop laughing. What kind of god of death talks like that?

Good thing I picked up R-Type already. The rest I don't really care for.

Sometimes, one player gets so far ahead of the racers behind them that they can get a decisive lead while the players behind them hassle each other. Without the blue shell, they could fall asleep at the wheel and still finish first. With the blue shell, they have to keep driving like a pro just in case one of them comes and gives the other players a chance to catch up, maintaining a tense race.

At other times, two racers will be neck-and-neck, using any items they get to make each other uncomfortable and doing whatever it takes to avoid being drafted. Without the blue shell, players in this position would sweat over every move and place an even greater value on emerging victorious from the race. When a blue shell comes during the final lap when players are in this situation, though, they know who's going to win at that point: the one in second. The tension is gone as soon as they hear the blue shell, and it stays gone for the rest of the race. More than simply the element of chance, it's the sense that the rest of what occurs during the race doesn't matter that makes me hate the blue shell sometimes. It's not always this way, as I said, but when it is, I don't even get mad anymore, I just get indifferent. And you might say that's even worse.

Tsk! James called them "guys".

@Knuckles
I think I had that explained to me once, but I forget...

Gotcha Force? Not ringing any bells.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand the RUNNER theme is stuck in my head. What were we just talking about?

Yow, that was fast! Good thing, too. I've calmed down since hearing this was a DS game, but I'm still a little impatient to hear what makes this game worth any interest.

Right now I'm about as miffed about this announcement as a lot of other people around here. Of course, when I learn further details about this sort of Pokémon game, I usually get interested anyway.

This is something else, though. This time, the details better be good. They had better blow my mind. And they better not involve Wi-fi at all, because unlike the 3DS, the DS still cannot access Wi-fi in most places. And they better not require me to walk around with the game in sleep mode, because then I can't use StreetPass. Like a 3DS game could. And they had better not come up with any other features that would work better on 3DS, because the first Black and White versions were full of them already and gaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAH, what is this!?

I just assumed that Black and White were just too far into development to be released on 3DS at the time it was announced. What's the excuse now? How do they plan to justify this? And why should anyone look down on complaining about this? I don't even care that we know next to nothing about this game yet! All I ask is the ability to play Pokémon over Wi-fi if there is a sign nearby that says "Free Wi-fi"! The 3DS would finally make it possible! This is heinous! Okay. I need to sit down.

I had my fill Game Gear games on the Gamecube. Pass.

The more I think about this game now that I've beaten it, the more it frustrates me. Is it still a good game? Definitely. Is it good enough to cap off Sonic's first 20 years? Not even close. I don't know what the console version is like (looks a whole lot better than this based on the trailers), but if this is supposed to be a special occasion, couldn't the handheld release be somewhat less... objectively inferior?

I want to like it, but in my heart I realize all this game adequately celebrates is 20 years of being outclassed by Mario. There, I said it.

@Debageldond

Game Freak and HAL Laboratory are considered "second parties" or more accurately, subsidiaries, of Nintendo. Their games, like Pokémon and Kirby, are pretty much considered first-party games for the sake of this discussion, I think.

Third-parties have brought a lot of fresh ideas to Nintendo systems when they know how to take advantage of their unique features. Fifth Cell is a good example. Drawn to Life and Scribblenauts had innovative concepts well-suited to the Nintendo DS. I don't remember hearing them complaining about the performance of the hardware.

The Wii U seems to have a good amount of first-party support, which is a good sign. Yet I look at the previews for games that have been planned and half of them are M-Rated shooters and whatnot. Either I'm being too conservative here... or developers are.

TOO MANY CHARACTERS.

Is there actually gonna be a world based on The World Ends With You? When am I gonna find a copy of that game...?

Can't wait to try the Fantasia segment!

@Tech101
Okay, I feel a bit better about that. Now when the heck am I gonna have time to fit in another RPG...?

Well sure, Pit's on cookie cards now. But he's never been on bubblegum cards, has he? How could he have mattered if he was never on bubblegum cards?

I'm surprised this site hasn't reviewed this. I definitely want to buy it at some point though. As soon as I have some time to actually play it.

Wait, soundtrack CD!? No longer available...? Man, that's a bummer after hearing that song from it on NLFM.

I really like the idea. Any possibility to make your own multiplayer modes? That would be another step in the right direction.

Must we be so fixated on Rare as it used to be? A lot of their staff have come and gone since the dawn of Donkey Kong Country.

In my case, I haven't played any of their recent games, so I'm not one to comment on their quality. One thing I can say just from what I've heart about Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts is that they still have a knack for good self-referential humor. I've played several games that suggest that's not as easy as Rare makes it look.

The graphical enhancements are long, long overdue. Other than that, I'd like to have more cooperative elements available. I'm surrounded by people with pokémon with better IVs, and EVs, and Egg moves, and a bunch of nice moves and helpful statistics inherited through a convoluted eugenics program that... uh. Let's just say I get beaten in more ways I care to keep track of. I know if it's an RPG, it's gonna have grinding, but I feel like I'm wasting my time here. There's plenty to like for anyone who's really serious about it, but for anyone else, there ought to be a reduction to the general ruthlessness of multiplayer.

Up to this point I never really noticed that you can't spell "barfly" without "barf". How could I miss that? It's so appropriate!

Oh right, BIT.TRIP event across the pond. Sounds cool! Not that I can go. But I bet it's cool!

Getting that case! The one I got for DS game cards has been nothing but useful, and it cost more than twice as many coins.

I honestly hope it doesn't end up treading the same ground as the New Super Mario Bros. games. I loved New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and I still do, but the next 2D Mario needs to really up the ante now that it's got competition like Donkey Kong Country Returns, Kirby's Return to Dreamland, and Rayman Origins to compete with.

Heck no! If I get another demo the size of the RE one, I'll need another SD card. At some point, it would be just like having a bunch of game cards, but I'd have to label them myself.

No love for the flute, huh? A lot of Zelda songs would sound nice on it. Oh well, guess I'll keep trying to play by ear.

I think "Pushmo" is actually a portmanteau of "push" and "sumo", after Mallo's outfit and animations. Pullblox makes a little more sense, but it sounds a bit more awkward when used to refer to a single puzzle.

Just got through "This is easy." That was a work of twisted genius. Good job, Chicken!

They had a good run. Sadly, it seems like they've been running out of steam for a while now, anyway.

I may be missing out on first place, but it's better than missing out on an entire third of a course. I'm not gonna stop playing the game the way it's supposed to be played just because of a bunch of slackers who need Lakitu's help to get through a course. After all, we gamers have a name for those who line up and dive off of cliffs, don't we? So if your VR points mean that much to you, you can have 'em. Lemmings.

I wouldn't be surprised if these demos came out in Europe soon. If it takes more than a month I could understand the complaining.

I didn't expect the other Kirbys to solve all the switch puzzles for me, but it seems reasonable enough to expect them to help me move a block that's too heavy to move on my own. Instead, they keep jumping around and pushing me into the lava. They're good meat shields, but other than that you can't count on them for anything. It would be a lot easier to ignore the problem if the game wasn't four times harder than most Kirby games I've played.

Microvalue is a terrible, horrible name for a publisher. Apparently, it's appropriate enough, though.

I can't believe I didn't get a SpotPass notification about this! That "Ambassador Certificate" I downloaded is an achievement in worthlessness.

What kinda sicko would wipe themselves with a Game Boy Color? Desecration.

They're actually releasing NightSky? I'll believe that when I see it.

If a guy with wings is going to face a threat named "Dark Pit", I doubt it would be too hard to guess who would win.

@grumblebuzzz

So far, the only person I ever hear "yammering" the word "TRILL" around here is Mr_Moore3506.

@Dark_TeeJay

Argh, why didn't they do that stuff earlier? That mark the circle pad leaves drives me nuts!

@mariofanatic128 "when there one in your comment"

You're typing kinda fast yourself, aren't you?

That cake looks awesome!

That game looks boring...

Yeah, but does Bowser breakdance in this one?

Wow, 59 years old, huh? He looks practically the same in every picture I see of him.