@TheDarkness: Yeah, he's not so good at it, but at least it's a story worth telling. Shame he couldn't remember it better.

Yeah, exactly...I'm sure it'll turn up online eventually, and then this whole silly promotion will be proven just as pointless as it really is. And it really IS pointless...different colors of Yoshi? Is that really necessary anyway?

@Tsuchinoko: Star Stacker? Man, I LOVE that game! Shame it'll probably be a few months until we get it...

@Koto: I'd rather have both...lucky Europeans.

@Luigifan141: It was only released in color in America, and black and white in Japan. So both regions are just getting our native versions. Good game, anyway...hope they follow through on that release promise.

And of course...Block Ball is mine. No way I'm going to complain about its absence and not buy it straight away, especially for only $2.99.

@Chicken_Brutus: That, and NP is notorious for being generous with their reviews. You, on the other hand, are well known for not holding back.

If I had more money, I'd have already bought this based on how much I enjoyed Shift Extend (PSN Mini release). Now I'm glad I didn't...such a terrible disapointment. Thanks for the heads-up, Mr. Reed.

@Tsuchinoko: Yeah, I know Dragon Warrior/Quest isn't LIKELY, but it COULD happen, technically. You shouldn't complain though, because you DID get the retail collection on Wii. I'd have been happy to buy that if it was released here, I assure you.

@LzTheBlehBird: Well, I look at it this way: Nintendo promised a service for which we exchange currency. They then proceeded to severely drop support for the service without any explanation, while we're still ready and waiting to exchange our currency for it. How do they NOT own us an explanation for broken promises?

@EddieEddieEddie: Dude, there aren't THOUSANDS of Gameboy games PERIOD, let alone jolly good ones.

@Mickeymac: Yeah, because it's not at all presumptuous to base your releases on the idea that everybody has a Wii AND a 3DS, right? I mean seriously, by all rights they SHOULD be treated as separate markets, regardless of how much overlap there is.

Regarding Kirby's Block Ball...as I understand it, the game was listed conspicuously on the eShop's "coming soon" page, leading people to believe it would release today. IF NoA actually followed their coming soon page to the letter, it would have. But they're jerkwads, so that didn't happen.

@GeminiSaint: YES! Mole Mania is an absolute MUST! I also love Kirby's Star Stacker (shame we never got the SNES version out West), and more classic Mega Man would be cool (though I'd be surprised if Capcom bothered at this rate).

@Tsuchinoko: Additional games not yet mentioned include Kirby's Dream Land 2, the Donkey Kong Land trilogy, the Final Fantasy Legends games (and FF Adventure), and Dragon Warrior I & II (since they don't seem interested in remaking them again or releasing the Wii collection out West...III also). And that's stuff I thought up without even looking at a list.

I can't believe they're giving old "I can't swim...I don't have the room key!" his own game. Crazy, just crazy. Yeah, he's a little-known character because he's from The Misadventures of Tron Bonne, not Mega Man Legends itself. That spin-off game is in and of itself lesser known, sadly (great game).

I wouldn't complain about paying an import fee for a newly made translation. It's all the import fees for games still in Japanese I hated.

@Bass_X0: You're right, people will still complain about no Wario Land...and not unfairly. Japan's all the way up to Wario Land 3 already, Europe's had 1 for well over a month, and America hasn't had ANY 3DS VC games in weeks. I don't see as it's fair to say Nintendo's got a good week for 3DS fans just because the Wii got something good.

@SuperTeeter64: No, you're not the only one. Goemon's Great Adventure is my all-time favorite third-party N64 game. Shame the series had relatively few GOOD titles (even in Japan), even fewer ever released here, and last I checked, there hasn't been a NEW Goemon game in years (last one on DS).

Wario Land 3 in Japan, and we don't even have 1 yet. Get with it, NOA!

Looks interesting...and I note with some interest that I don't see any indication online that it was ever previously released in Europe. Imports ahoy?

Also...seems weird they're going straight for the sequel. The first game, it seems, actually WAS released in Europe. I never understand how these people decide what to sell.

The first one was much better than any Mario Kart game (yeah, I said it), so this sounds awesome. Vyse! Win win win win win!

Seeing all the evidence that the Prototype game was actually DONE...yeah, they need to release it. I've been one of those who "liked" the page for months now. But more importantly...I also joined the devroom and became a servebot. Those numbers, I am told, might well mean more. So make sure to do that too, okay?

@tanookisuit: Me, too! Go figure, huh?

@Shugo: Yes, you should. Besides, if it's anything like NPC Pikmin 1 (and why wouldn't it be?), the controls are MUCH better on Wii anyway. It's worth it to upgrade.

One problem with those stats: All the people like me who by ourselves count for THREE "DS family" system sales, but only one Wii and 3DS sale apiece. Face it: DS sales numbers are inflated due to redesigns, which brings the ACTUAL sales percentage for NSMB much closer to the others than you claim.

Having been one of the more vocal protesters to the lack of this game's release three years ago, I am ecstatic to hear it's FINALLY coming! About censored time, Nintendo!

While it would still certainly be nice for this game to make its way to America, I'm starting to care a lot less about whether or not it actually does. Which is probably just as well, since it doesn't seem very likely at this rate.

I have to admit, Joshers744 pretty much articulated my opinion of the situation perfectly. Super Mario 3D Land is good, but samey and just not as exciting as previous Mario titles. I enjoyed both New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Super Mario Galaxy 2 more than 3D Land overall. Another Mario game (or worse, two) releasing this year would feel like major overload. Except for spin-offs, where I am looking forward to Mario Tennis Open and hoping that the 3DS Paper Mario finally releases ones of these days.

Hey, I didn't get a call from GameStop to tell me it was in! As a result, I forgot to even TRY to pick it up after work today. Guess I'll just have to check in tomorrow...

Every time I fill out a Club Nintendo survey that pertains to the eShop, they ask me what would result in my visiting the eShop again. Every time, I tell them more games I want to buy, especially VC, and depending on circumstances, I name specific titles (currently Of Myth and Monsters, Wario Land, and Kirby's Block Ball). So of course it's SO nice to see that they actually give a crap about what I have to say through their official channels.

It's obviously not as though I don't have other things to play. With a Wii, PS3, Vita, 3DS, and DSi (along with retro systems), that would be mental. But as a willing consumer who WANTS to give Nintendo my money for a specific product that by all rights SHOULD have been released TWO MONTHS AGO, I do have every right to be annoyed nonetheless. And no, I'm not SURPRISED the 3DS VC deteriorated into Wii-level crappiness so fast...just disappointed.

Though I didn't really touch on it before, yes, I am aware that a powerful system is used for more than JUST graphics. For example, let's use the Overlord series. In Overlord 1 & 2 on PS3/360, you can command up to 50 minions at once by game's end. In the Wii-exclusive title, however, the limit is much smaller...30? Not sure...never finished it. It didn't run very well with what it DID have, I know that much. Just one example that comes to mind for me, anyway.

So yeah, even power-wise that's NOT directly graphical, power is necessary to make multiplatform games. That would be why Assassin's Creed wasn't on Wii but ACIII is coming to Wii U. It's also why AC: Bloodlines on PSP SUCKS! Not enough power to replicate the experience.

So yeah, as a general rule, power is good, of course, and for several different reasons. From what I've seen thus far, I'm not really concerned about Wii U being underpowered...but that might just be because I'm still not sold on the system with its lack of exclusives.

I have to agree with WesCash on this one. I didn't used to care as much about power as I do now, and I have to blame my HDTV and Blu-Ray watching (on my PS3) for that. I have had multiple games on the Wii that are fun and look decent, but I just can't help but wish they were in HD...of course, it doesn't much help that my TV's crap for upconversion. And I'm a real Trophy fan, so having no such system in place on Wii doesn't help...figured I'd be honest about that.

All that said, there are still some Wii games awesome enough to make me play them regardless. Surprisingly, Chocobo Dungeon is one of them. Sure, it would've looked nicer (and had Trophies) on PS3, but it's still a great game and it's managed to keep my interest recently. The rest are mostly first-party.

The amount of work that had to have been put into this is just amazing, but they obviously had fun with it. As I zoomed in on my area, I actually started to recognize locations. That's not exactly easy to pull off in Dragon Quest graphics.

Now that's what NoA SHOULD be doing. But they're too dumb. sigh

@SkywardLink98: Not if Microsoft didn't actually emulate. All they had to do was reprogram the game to run natively on their hardware, which is certainly not a new concept. It also explains why the games run in HD with Achievements. Emulation usually can't tack on that kind of stuff.

@Flowerlark: Oh, I'd definitely recommend it. Chocobo Dungeon is my new favorite rogue-like game. And it's actually not too hard to get at a reasonable price if you can order online.

That...actually looks interesting. It's obviously designed so that it wouldn't require Trig degree or anything like that to play. It's really just about moving platforms to get through the level, so I don't see as it's much different from other puzzle/platformers.

@battLeToaD: Yeah, what ejamer said. As it just so happens, I've finally gotten around to playing Chocobo's Dungeon recently, and I love it. But Dragon's Crystal is lacking in a LOT of features that make Chocobo's Dungeon great. There's no towns, no shops, no way to upgrade equipment, no job system, no intriguing story, no moving diagonally, no in-depth descriptions of what stuff does in your inventory even when you DO have the name of it, dying is more harshly punished...and it's not cute like Chocobo.

If you're okay with that ENTIRE list, sure, give Dragon Crystal a go. Personally, it felt like an IMMENSE downgrade. A six is definitely an appropriate score for this game, whereas I'd give Chocobo Dungeon a nine (those damn one-hit death dungeons...).

I've gotten this pop-up three times already...Super Mario Bros., Metroid, and VVVVVV. A VERY nice feature to be sure, but hardly NEW news.

@NeonSh3llz: I was starting to think (as I read through the comments) that nobody got it but me...thanks!

I agree completely; the article clearly stated that it's difficult to logically prove whether or not a level can be completed. But that actually has nothing whatsoever to do with how hard it is to complete the level while playing the game. Video games are weird that way.

Also...I have those Super Mario World skills for certain, but much less so with Mario Bros. 3, just like she_gamer. I blame that fact on Super Mario World being far and away the superior game, thus demanding more of my play time.

@DarkKirby: I tend to think that what Inafune really wants is a cross-pollination of development ideals between regions, not just Japanese developers trying to emulate Western tastes directly. Nintendo has already proven that works well by giving Western developers partial control of some of their franchises (Retro Studios, anyone?), but still remaining at least somewhat involved in development. Capcom seems to let their Western devs just run with things, which is too extreme.

@Onett: Why, thank you!

I don't post on NLife as much as I used to, but I try to make sure I contribute to the conversation in a meaningful way when I do (though I do still post a simple rant on occasion). Although my knowledge is FAR from all-inclusive, I do very much like to try to keep up on gaming news, particularly where it involves Japanese development (because I'm in the American minority that still LIKES their stuff).

Also, you get instant bonus points for an EarthBound-related screen name.

@DarkKirby: While I do not dispute that manufacturing costs are a big hurdle, I don't know if they're really THE biggest. Localization isn't exactly cheap, especially for RPG's.

But the fact of the matter is that Japanese games will never sell in those huge numbers, because the titles you listed sell to mainstream gamers with stupidly limited tastes. Nothing anyone could ever do will change that.

@warioswoods: You have to remember that it's not JUST the developer's opinion that matters...the publisher often has even more control over a product. I get the impression that samey sequels became the norm at Capcom because Capcom pushed the developers in that direction, not because the developers were lacking in ideas. Every time an actual NEW Mega Man idea came up, it was run into the ground, with the unfortunate exception of Legends (if only it had been given the same chance). Mega Man Battle Network was a new and interesting game, but by the time you're on number SIX within the limited lifespan of the GBA and with relatively little innovation (particularly GOOD innovation) occurring within the franchise, it's just too much! Star Force only made it to three before they decided to can the whole idea, which was probably for the best. Sadly, they've gone too far in the opposite direction, practically killing the franchise off completely when there were actual promising games in development.

Yes, Nintendo pushes for sequels to popular franchises, but in most cases, they still give greater creative freedom to the developers, and they don't require the sequels get pushed out as quickly. Even an uninspired Nintendo game gets the dev time needed to make it good, if not great. AND they actually ENCOURAGE Miyamoto to create new things, whereas Inafune had to go against his employers' wishes and risk getting FIRED spending money to develop games that had already been turned down by Capcom (as mentioned in my previous link).

@DarkKirby; Congratulations, you just described the business models of NIS, Atlus, and XSeed! Three successful companies that bank ENTIRELY on niche games. If they can do it, why can't big corporations? Mostly because those companies don't make AS MUCH money as the big corporations, and of course maximizing profit is the only thing corporations ever care about. Why make decent money when you can rake in gobs of it? Sickening, really.

@warioswoods: That's hardly fair owing to the fact that Inafune has previously said that Capcom more or less forced him to keep churning out sequels. I got the impression he would have been happy to shelf the IP for a little while...except for making Legends 3, of course. THAT was the one game he actually WANTED to make. The one game the fans actually wanted to play. Go figure.

There's a LOT of good stuff missing from this list. When do we get Kirby's Block Ball, Wario Land, BOTH Kid Icarus games (3D classics and Gameboy)...and are we going to get Picross E at all? If Europe gets it and we miss out, I'ma be EXTREMELY annoyed.

The modern Boxxle. Had that game as a kid, and it was okay. Funny that the game's premise lives on all these years later. Surprising that Chicken got a game to review that doesn't completely suck, too.

I carry mine at work regularly, and I sometimes get some randoms in StreetPass, but mostly I just get one coworker over and over. Seems relatively few people think to try StreetPassing at a grocery store...

The mall, on the other hand, is an easy way to get StreetPasses, especially if you hang out around GameStop for a bit. And yes, fairs and the like are always going to be good opportunities. I got six StreetPasses at the Laurel Main Street Festival last year. Not bad at all considering it's a May event and few people had bought a 3DS yet. I'm looking forward to seeing how well I fair there this year.

Wow, I ALMOST loaded up the eShop to download this yesterday...glad I waited for the review! Enjoyable read as always, Mr. Reed.

@TTGlider: With the exception of unique play modes such as Duel mode from Mario Party 3, the series has always used AI to fill out the roster to four players. It can, from my experience, still be plenty of fun with two players and computers set to Easy, though. It basically makes it a competition between the two of you even though the AI is technically there, plus their terrible playing tends to be hilarious.

Yeah, I got both of the advanced piano books for my dad for Christmas, so...they've been available for a bit now. Nice of you to let everybody else know, though.

@Rated_R_Superstar: Mario Party 8 was released relatively early in the Wii's life cycle, back when Nintendo's first priority on Wii games was making sure that players could see all relevant information on any TV without needing to letterbox. Due to the nature of the game, this required using borders if played on a widescreen TV. Nintendo has since changed their stance on this, and as this trailer clearly shows, the game does play in widescreen.

I doubt the carpooling thing is the ONLY mode in the game...that just wouldn't make sense at all. More likely, it's just the main NEW mode of the game, leading them to want to show it off as the central focus of the trailer. In fact, confirmed...check out 1:50 here. Peach is clearly moving alone on foot there. What I do find odd is the apparent lack of coins.

YES! I can actually look forward to trying this game now! Only thing is...anybody know when/if the fool thing's actually releasing in America?

tvshowking has a point...but honestly, I figure I'll get the device for other games that support it (Kingdom Hearts 3D, for example) anyway, so it doesn't matter much to me. Granted, I'd still have much rather it had two circle pads built in to begin with, but...can't have it all, unfortunately.

@DiggerandIndy: Actually, they got that one FOUR YEARS ago. Talk about a long wait for the sequel!

I agree with madgear; the very idea that we, the paying customers, should be GRATEFUL for a company releasing product for us to buy is absolutely absurd. More like they should thank us for giving them money by releasing more things for us to give them money for.

A "certain" age, you say? Well, I'm 22, and I got every reference. That's right, the series is older than me and I STILL knew it all, so there!

Also...You imprisoned Ganon in...the enclosed instruction book! YouTube has it all for CDi crap.

Okay, so this isn't exactly for the interview, but it IS a question related to the game...when was it pushed back from a December release date? Seriously, I thought this morning that it would either release today or break the last known release schedule, because I hadn't heard that it had been pushed back.

It COULD get an import release...they've never said one way or another about that possibility for the 3DS VC. So yeah...here's hoping! Although since I've never played or even HEARD of it until now, I honestly won't be terribly disappointed if it doesn't.

I missed this article when it was posted, and flipped when I found a copy on the shelf at BJ's! I snapped it up, naturally. So happy it's finally available!

I like Pac-Man 2, but yeah, it's DEFINITELY not for everybody. It's also a poor title, as it's really closer to a sequel to Pac-Land than Pac-Man in the first place.

I hadn't seen that Dream Drop Distance trailer before, and it's SWEET! Hunchback of Notre Dame is in it, eh? Well, there's another Disney movie I'll need to see sometime...but Neku. Never would've seen that coming. Also, I caught a glimpse of a certain future Organization member (don't remember his normal-guy name) right near the end...interesting...