Latest Articles - Page 14 of 74

Is it a-you?

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the release of Super Mario Bros. and the North American debut of the NES, we ran a competition to give away a free 500-point NES title for Virtual Console to each of twenty-five winners, the selection of the game being their choice. Almost a thousand users entered, so we'd like to congratulate the 25...

Keeping the download service strong

As revealed at Comic-Con, New York this year, Capcom is planning on bringing some previously Japan-only Virtual Console titles to the West and, if all goes well, we will be tucking into some retro classics this Winter. Currently, there are six titles scheduled for release in North America and Europe, and from the most recent press release, here are some summaries..

Robot boxes, genetic manipulation, super-powered babies and men dunking balls

If your trick-or-treat bag didn't have a Nintendo Points Card by the end of the night, well, you might want to look into buying a couple packages of toilet paper and retracing your steps. Just sayin'. WiiWare: Robox (DreamBox Games, 1000 Points) — A gorgeous...

Emergency on planet earth

Back in the 16-bit wars, the SNES was unquestionably the comfortable winner when it came to RPGs. Sega’s Mega Drive (or Genesis, depending on where in the world you’re reading this) was completely and utterly outclassed in this area, despite the presence of brilliant titles such as Shining Force, LandStalker and Light Crusader. It’s one of those debates that really..

Three more classics, and one not-so classic

Japan's doing its usual job of getting games just before everybody does: three of the games they're getting this month have already been officially announced for release elsewhere and will be coming in the next few months. The fourth game they're getting is more of a Japanese thing, and won't be too sorely missed anywhere else. The four games Japan will..

Fishing, lasers, chicks, sleep and more

God bless the Nintendo download for bringing us another bounty of bizarre treats. If there isn't anything that tickles your fancy this week, we'd be very surprised. WiiWareReel Fishing Challenge II (Natsume, 500pts) – The follow-up to – you guessed it – Reel Fishing Challenge, this is a virtual recreation of the world's most popular participation sport..

Slam dunk or flagrant foul?

While many of the other consoles of the time were receiving a good variety of basketball offerings, the Neo Geo system was relegated to just one. Data East's Street Hoop passed over the traditional basketball experience in favour of a more playground-esque 3-on-3 style, complete with backboard shaking dunks and a wealth of influences from many of the other arcade hoops..

Nice and early this week

Europe comes through with a bumper crop of downloadable delights for release this Friday. Shall we see what they are? WiiWareMy Starry Night (Hudson, 500pts) – Known as My Planetarium in North America, this is essentially My Aquarium for stargazers, with around 20,000 stars, planets, asteroids and more for your observation, education and maybe even a little entertainment..

Happy holidays and mystic quests

The past two weeks have seen high profile downloadable releases in both shapely and spiny forms, so whilst this week lacks a true flagship title it does offer two new Nintendo-published titles and the scheduled Virtual Console download. WiiWareThruSpace (Nintendo, 800pts) – Formerly known as the far more descriptive ThruSpace: High Velocity 3D Puzzle, this is all..

Finally some more arcade classics

It took a while, but Capcom has finally revealed that, yes, it is also planning to release a bunch of its arcade titles on the Virtual Console outside Japan. We already discovered some of the titles a while ago, but it's now added one more game to the list. Listed on a small poster in Capcom's booth at the Comic-Con in New York are a total of six titles it plans to..

Two isn't always better than one

When approaching Jaleco’s Rival Turf! (known as Rushing Beat in Japan), it’s important to understand the context of its release. In the early days of the Super NES, Capcom duly ported over its illustrious arcade brawler Final Fight, which dazzled gamers with its arcade-quality visuals and sound. It was a tremendous achievement given the relative gulf that..

Three for DSiWare, one each on WiiWare and VC

In an unexpected turn of events, the press release for this week's European Nintendo Download turned up early, but who's complaining? Well, anyone hoping to grapple with Shantae: Risky's Revenge and Cave Story, but at least next week sees the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1, so there's a definite bright side. DSiWareDatamine (Enjoy Gaming,..

Neo Geo puzzler on the way

Neo Geo bubble-popping frenzy Magical Drop II has been available on Japanese Virtual Console for a while now, but it's just received a rating from Australian board the OFLC, indicating a PAL release is within sight. Of course, we're well accustomed to waiting months for rated games to make themselves available on the service, so in the meantime have a look at what you..

Shantae arrives!

No messing around this week, let's get straight to the good stuff. DSiWareShantae: Risky's Revenge (WayForward, 1200pts) – The genial genie finally returns in this highly anticipated release. The price point may seem steep, but WayForward assures us this one is packed with enough content to keep you going for ages. Our full review will be up later this week. Rummikub (Games..

October begins with Virtual Console and DSiWare

WiiWare's alternating weeks continue, but at least there's the Virtual Console to keep Wii owners happy – even better when the releases include classic arcade games! The DSi has a trio of actual games for a change with nary a lifestyle download in sight. Virtual ConsoleCommando (800pts Arcade, Capcom) – This is the first VCA release from Capcom..

Virtual Console still twitching

It's very rare to get any kind of heads-up for what's coming to Virtual Console, but this release schedule from Nintendo's Netherlands office contains a few surprising treats for the year ahead. N64 party game Mario Party 2 is set to launch in December, just in time for the party season, with Super Bonk for Super NES landing on Virtual Console in December too..

A simplified Final Fantasy experience

Back in 1992, role-playing games were still largely ignored outside of Japan, but Square tried to remedy this with the release of Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest. The game not only added a bit more action to the experience, it also greatly simplified the gameplay mechanics as well. While this certainly offered up a more user-friendly RPG experience for gamers who..

Three more for Japan next month

Japan is taking it a bit easy again next month with just three new releases. Two of them could have been predicted quite easily - Both were rated by the OFLC not too long ago and should thus also be heading to other regions. The last is yet another Japan-exclusive RPG which is very unlikely to see the light of day elsewhere. Japan's full list for October is as..

More Final Fantasy, robotic boxes, and more

After two Virtual Console-less weeks, the service returns with a bang with another title from Square Enix. It might not be one of the most fondly remembered games they've made, but the more the merrier! It's accompanied by a few interesting WiiWare and DSiWare titles. WiiWareRobox (1000pts, Dreambox Games) – This week's only WiiWare title. From what..