Don’t you hate it when one simple design choice ruins an entire game?

As a 3DS Ambassador, I got 10 free Game Boy Advance games via download, including Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones. I haven’t played much Fire Emblem despite owning both Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn, but James, editor at Nintendo Life, asked me if I’d review it as my first Nintendo Life assignment. I agreed.

I’m not super into strategy RPGs, but I do love me some Shining Force and Final Fantasy Tactics, and I’d always wanted to really get into Fire Emblem. I liked the look of it and the “rock-paper-scissors” weapon balance was super fun. The writing was good and I loved the character designs. Things were looking good!

(Note: I originally published this article on Bits ‘n’ Bytes Gaming on February 8, 2011.)

One of my weird gaming quirks is that I am inexplicably drawn to interesting title screens. Like a moth to a flame, if you show me a cool title screen, I’m more than likely to play your game. That’s part of how I pick which “unknown” games to play on Virtual Console, since all you really get to see are the title screens!

One of the first games I downloaded for the Virtual Console was Neutopia for the Turbografx-16, and I selected it solely based on how amazing the title screen was. Awesome 16-bit graphics, hero in a heroic pose, colorful landscape, it had all I was looking for. I bought it without even knowing what kind of game it was, I just knew I wanted in.

(Note: I originally published this article on Bits ‘n’ Bytes Gaming on February 7, 2011)

Before the Wii was released to the public, one of the most talked-about features was the Virtual Console. Some people cried foul, claiming Nintendo was simply trying to milk more money out of people who had already bought some of those games several times before. I, however, saw a lot of potential in the service, not just for me to “digitize” my collection of old games or play some old gems I missed, but as a way for a new generation of gamers to experience key points in gaming history.

There are all kinds of people who have either been reintroduced to videogames due to the Wii, or are taking a step into the gaming world for the very first time. These people may think that The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is pretty great, but did they ever take notes on how to navigate through the Lost Woods? They might have really enjoyed Metroid Prime 3, but do they know the name Justin Bailey? While a lot of people may have picked up the Wii simply to play Wii Sports, there are plenty who were enticed by what it brought to the table as an entertainment device and began to genuinely like videogames, and will use the Virtual Console service as a way to explore the path that led to the games they are playing today.

I haven’t written much lately. Looking at this front page, I’ve hardly written anything of substance in the past month! Sorry about that. That’s just like me, saying I’m not going to stop writing and then doing exactly that. In my defense Christina and I have been very busy, she’s been sick and those Blogimations that no one watches are a LOT of work.

Rather than spend another day doing nothing and complaining that I don’t know what to write about, here’s a few quick thoughts on what I’ve been up to.

Last year, Christina and I were eagerly awaiting Disney Epic Mickey for Wii, which was being headed by legendary game designer Warren Spector. In several interviews, Warren expressed his fondness for classic Disney animation block Disney Afternoon, and would love to make a new game based on DuckTales if given the opportunity. The game never happened, but he wrote a new comic book series based on the property.

This was exciting for me, because as a child of the 80s, I LOVED Disney Afternoon and thought Warren Spector was a totally rad guy, and knowing that he had the desire to breathe new life into something I loved as a kid was an incredible feeling. The back page of one of the DuckTales issues was advertising a few of Boom! Studios’ upcoming releases, and one jumped out at me immediately: Chip ‘n’ Dale Rescue Rangers.

Rescue Rangers was my FAVORITE cartoon series as a kid. I could talk for hours about how much I loved it, how much fun the characters were, how the NES game is STILL AWESOME TO THIS DAY, and how disappointed I was that there was no merch at Disney World for me to spend money on.

I’m not going to, though. I’m going to talk about the comic instead.

(Note: I originally published this article on Bits ‘n’ Bytes Gaming on February 22, 2011.)

Todd Purple is one of the most interesting people you will ever have the pleasure to meet. He is a veritable repository of trivia for just about everything and maintains a love for just about everything retro, including videogames. He is also currently ranked fifth in the world in the 1980s arcade game Tapper.

Todd’s score has been verified by Twin Galaxies, the governing authority for videogame high scores and player rankings. They have several categories for a plethora of games and submitted scores need to either be video taped for verification or play sessions need to be witnessed by one of their referees.

I talked with Todd a bit about his love for retro gaming, what went into that record-setting run, and what his plans are for further high scores.

(Note: I originally published this article on Bits ‘n’ Bytes Gaming on February 29, 2011)

Hey everyone, Joe here, and I’ve got some totally rad stuff for you: information on Nintendo’s upcoming console, the Ultra 64!

The Ultra 64 is Nintendo’s follow-up to the hugely successful Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and from the early information I’ve come across, it’s going to be a real game-changer! If you need any more convincing, just think about this: Super Mario and Zelda in 3D. Oh yeah. The future is here, baby!

I don’t remember HOW, but the other night Christina and I were talking and discussion turned to Power Rangers. Then we found out that it’s on streaming Netflix. You can probably guess how we’ve been spending the past few days.

Marrying a fellow nerd is so awesome because whenever these waves of nostalgia assault the marina that is real life, I don’t get made fun of; instead, my wife joins in and oftentimes will even OUTNERD ME.

Did you know that when Christina was a kid, she dropped out of dance class because it was scheduled for the same time that Power Rangers was on TV?

Happy birthday Sega Dreamcast! One of the best video game consoles to ever be released turns 11 years old today! Woo!

The Dreamcast has had a very interesting life for a console, with a very short official lifespan but maintaining a very dedicated fanbase that has endured for over a decade. With Dreamcast titles scheduled to hit Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network in the near future, now is as good a time as any to relive the classics that we fell in love with on Sega’s hardware swan song.

I just saw this over on Kotaku and I thought it was really neat. The fine folks over at GameTrailers have tackled the decades-old myth, confirming once and for all that Mario can indeed jump over the flagpole in Super Mario Bros. for the NES. I remember attempting this many times as a kid, but never quite making it.

I heard my share of rumors of things hidden in Super Mario Bros. way back when, none of which ever panned out because little kids are liars and I should have known that none of the kids in my kindergarten class had relatives who worked at Nintendo. Live and learn, I suppose!