Review Metroid II: Return of Samus (3DS eShop / GB)
Exploring colourless lands
When Metroid was first released it was a unique game: with a lot of exploring to do across a giant map and with plenty of hidden items and paths, those willing to spend the time to find everything were well rewarded. The original title has aged fairly poorly though — the game lacks many things we take for granted...
News Super Street Fighter II with Online Coming Westward Too
Capcom confirms
Just a little while ago, we posted a story about Japan getting the Mega Drive version of Super Street Fighter II with added online multiplayer. As the west had not received the previous two online-enabled Virtual Console games (the arcade versions of Puyo Puyo and Puyo Puyo 2), and because of the fact that there haven't been any...
Review BurgerTime Deluxe (3DS eShop / GB)
A tasty treat
When people think of Data East's games, they tend to think of Joe & Mac and Karnov, but one title that's just as much of a classic but never seems to get mentioned that often is BurgerTime. Originally debuting in arcades and being ported to many platforms, it was an endlessly looping, fast-paced game with six levels that required...
News Japanese Virtual Console List: November 2011
A whopping seven new titles
Europe is now getting frightfully close to going five entire months without a Wii Virtual Console game, and North America also hasn't had anything in a while, but that isn't stopping Japan from trucking on. Although most of their previous months only had three or four games, this month has a whopping seven, one of the...
Review Catrap (3DS eShop / GB)
Definitely not a trap
Nintendo's been releasing 3DS Virtual Console games at a very nice pace so far. In just a few months, we've already had classics like Donkey Kong and Gargoyle's Quest. The newest release, Catrap, however, is probably the most obscure title yet. Originally released in Japan under the title Pitman, and based on a game earlier...
News Japanese Virtual Console List - October 2011
Four score
The amount of releases for Wii Virtual Console in the West has gotten woefully small as of late. Europe hasn't had a new title since early June, while the last handful of releases North America has gotten were all simply to catch up to Europe. The situation isn't so dire in Japan: they've been getting four or more new games per month for...
News Get Your Special Resident Evil Miis Now
Straight from Tokyo Games Show
Nintendo might have been a no-show at TGS this year, but there's still a neat little surprise for 3DS owners. Around the show floor, Capcom placed some special Resident Evil Revelations adverts, each bearing a QR code. Scan these with your 3DS and surprise — you get a special Mii with shiny gold trousers based on one...
Review Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge (3DS eShop / GB)
Slightly less than mega
Back when the Mega Man franchise started with the release of the original NES game, Capcom never thought it would do well — the first game was expected to bomb horribly, as almost nobody at the famous developer thought people would like it. Fast forward to today, and Mega Man has become one of their best-known franchises...
News Japanese Virtual Console List - September 2011
Japan keeps getting the goodies
The Wii Virtual Console might barely be getting any games in the West now — Europe hasn't had any new ones for almost three months — but that isn't stopping Japan from continuing at the same pace as always. This month Japanese Wii owners will get another four new titles to download. Atlus keeps supporting the...
Review Pac-Man (3DS eShop / GB)
Pac's back to steal your money
Everybody knows Pac-Man. The game's been ported to just about every platform under the sun, including the NES version on the Wii Virtual Console. It's now being released yet again on the 3DS Virtual Console, but is it worth another investment? Of course, there is absolutely nothing different about the gameplay in this...
News Nigoro Wants Your Input on a La-Mulana Soundtrack Release
You get to decide what it should have
If you've been keeping an eye on the La-Mulana blog, you should be aware that Nigoro is very much in touch with its fans. When the game was still in development, the team asked its fanbase about music, potential censoring and many other things. With a USK rating in tow and a final lotcheck all that remains, the...
Review Artillery: Knights vs. Orcs (DSiWare)
A misfire
Most of us have played one of them before: one of those free online Flash games where your goal is to hit something by firing a projectile, after deciding what angle and what speed the object should be thrown or shot at. Of course, you'll also be familiar with this concept if you've played any Worms game. Artillery: Knights vs. Orcs takes...
News Japanese Virtual Console List - August 2011
Three more classics
We've reached the start of a new month again, which means Nintendo of Japan has once again revealed its upcoming plans for the Wii Virtual Console. There are just three new games this August, with the Neo Geo still enjoying a good bit of a resurgence. All three games are pretty good, though there's no particular surprises this...
First Impressions Kirby: Mass Attack
Kirby rides again!
The DS is nearing the end of its life now; there are very few big games planned as everybody's making the move to the 3DS. Still, Nintendo's got another title coming out in the form of Kirby: Mass Attack, which takes the traditional Kirby platforming and gives it another unique twist. We had a chance to sit down with a still...
If you like difficult levels, it's for you
The game has still not been released in Europe and North America, but details of the upcoming DLC for La-Mulana have now been revealed. Downloading the 300 Nintendo Point package will unlock a boss rush mode, which comes with a timer so you can try to beat your best times on it. But any La-Mulana veterans...
First Impressions Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D
Snake returns to Nintendo
It's odd that, despite Hideo Kojima requesting Solid Snake to be put in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, there haven't exactly been many games from the Metal Gear series on Nintendo systems, and none since that crossover happened. Thankfully, Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D is due to change that later this year. An enhanced port...
First Impressions Rhythm Heaven (Wii)
Tapping never felt so good
At last week's Nintendo press event in the Netherlands, we played several games, but one which has oddly not seen much coverage around the web yet is the latest entry in the Rhythm Heaven series. Scheduled for release in Japan next week, the demo Nintendo had on offer was completely untouched by translators, and was thus...
Review Mario's Picross (3DS eShop / GB)
Fun with numbers
Picross has always been one of the weirder puzzle games at which Mario has tried his hand. It seems very boring to slowly create a picture using nothing but numbers, but once you get the hang of it the time simply flies by and you'll find yourself playing for hours on end. Mario's Picross was the first game in which Mario attempted...
Review Fortified Zone (3DS eShop / GB)
Link goes Commando
Jaleco seems to be good at making a game of just about any genre. We've seen fighters, sports games, a firefighting game and more, and this one can probably be best described as a mix of The Legend of Zelda and Commando, similarly to the original Metal Gear, in a way. Like many old games there's not much of a story. You play as...
First Impressions Resident Evil Revelations
A return to survival horror
Although Capcom originally coined the term "survival horror" to describe the first Resident Evil, one can't say that the franchise has been very much about that as of late. Resident Evil 4 and its sequel were far more heavily focused on action rather than suspense, with almost no scares to be found. Of course,...
News Japanese Virtual Console List - July 2011
Four more for the Wii
The 3DS Virtual Console is only getting its titles revealed every week, but the Wii Virtual Console is still sticking with the tried and true method of revealing the entire next month's plans at the end of the previous month. There's not really any big surprises this time, though there is one small one in the form of G-mode...
News Translated Episodes of Game Center CX to be Aired Online
The "Retro Game Master" finally goes English
If you're a retro gaming fan, you might be familiar with Shinya Arino. Part of a Japanese comedy duo called Yoiko, he began presenting a show called GameCenter CX in 2003, in which he attempts to complete one generally difficult retro game in each episode, as well as visiting a different arcade in Japan...
Review Donkey Kong (3DS eShop / GB)
It's on with the King of the Kongs
In 1994, Nintendo had a great idea; why not make a true sequel to the original Donkey Kong arcade game? The result is Donkey Kong for the Game Boy, originally known as Donkey Kong '94 during development. When you first start up the game you might feel like you've been ripped off, as it starts with the exact same...
Review Tennis (3DS eShop / GB)
8-bit balls
Remember Tennis on the NES? Well, it's back, and this time it's in portable format! The Game Boy version of Tennis is pretty much a remake of the NES game: it's got the same extremely basic setup, but it has been polished it up slightly. Just like with its predecessor, there's not really much on offer here aside from essentially playing...
