Those were the days

Did you know that back in the day the folks at NEC released a drawing tablet peripheral--called the Illust Booster--and a printer peripheral--called the Print Booster--for the PC Engine (the Japanese version of the TurboGrafx-16)?

I sure as hell didn't--until I came across the following "PC Engine World" promo video.



I'm not sure which depresses me more: that North American gamers never got to experience the wonders of the Illust and Print Boosters or that they never got to experience the wonders of the Famicom Disk System and the Famicom Modem.

(Via tinycartridge.com)

I can relate

The following "quasi-self-portrait"--titled "1985"--produced by Los Angeles-based artist Mike Mitchell has me feeling a bit nostalgic today.

If you like Mitchell's style--and, honestly, how could you not?--be sure to check out his deviantart gallery, his Etsy shop and his tumbleblog.

Oh, and if you're also feeling a smidge nostalgic today, check out these Super Mario Bros. 25th Anniversary wallpapers and this Super Mario Bros. 25th Anniversary interview (between Shigesato Itoi and Shigeru Miyamoto).

(Via superpunch.blogspot.com, by way of gonintendo.com)

Ghost Trick's North American box art is kind of kinky, too

Earlier this year, I suggested (in this post) that the Japanese box art for Capcom's Ghost Trick--the DS adventure game developed by Ace Attorney creator Shu Takumi--was "kind of kinky."

Well, it seems the art (below) that will appear on the cover of the North American version of the game--which will hit store shelves on Nov. 2--will retain some of that kinkiness.

OK, so maybe "kinky" isn't the best word. There's definitely something a bit, er, queer about that bum-in-the-air pose, though, don't you think?

Pre-order: Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

Calling all Donkey Kong Country fans

Although I was a big fan of the 16-bit Donkey Kong Country titles, the soon-to-be-released Wii sequel--called, imaginatively enough, Donkey Kong Country Returns--has yet to intrigue me. (Aside from the following screenshot, I mean.)



That said, I imagine many Wii owners--North American and otherwise--are salivating over this Retro Studios-developed platformer, which will hit store shelves in the States on Nov. 21. (It has yet to receive a release date in other territories.)

Those gamers should get quite a kick out of this recently released teaser trailer, which shines the spotlight on one of the series' returning "animal buddies," Rambi.

Pre-order: Donkey Kong Country Returns

Sorry, (Explorer and) Safari fans

I recently realized that this site looks a bit wonky when viewed via Internet Explorer and Safari. Sorry about that.

My advice: Access it through Chrome or Firefox instead--especially if you want a wonk-free blogging experience.

Now, where'd I put that darn PSP ...

Attention American PSP owners (yes, all 350 of you): Atlus' ClaDun: This is an RPG (formerly known as Classic Dungeon) is now available on PSN.

Granted, I have yet to hand over my hard-earned $19.99 for the game--but that's only because neither my PSP nor any of my other systems are on line at the moment.



As soon as that changes, I'll buy and download ClaDun and, after putting the game through its paces, share my impressions with all of you. In the meantime, check out Diehard GameFan's in-depth review of this roguelike RPG.

See also: 'Finally, another reason to pull out my PSP'

So, will this one hit WiiWare, too?

First, an admission: As much I loved that the folks at Square Enix ported the previously mobile-only Final Fantasy IV: The After (Years) to Nintendo's WiiWare service last year, I was let down by the final product.

As such, I'm not so sure I should be asking them to port the similarly mobile-only spin-off, Final Fantasy Legends: Hikari to Yami no Senshi (aka Final Fantasy Legends: Warriors of Light and Darkness), to the Wii as well. (The prologue of this multi-chapter title hit the Final Fantasy Mobile portal in Japan earlier this month. Here's a teaser trailer for it.)

I can't help but hope for it, though, because I think I'd be more likely to give the sprite-filled Final Fantasy Legends: Warriors of Light and Darkness a fair shake due to the fact that it isn't tied to an already existing Final Fantasy game (as was the case with The After Years).

See also: 'I'm a sucker with a capital s'

'Think you can solve the puzzling puzzles?'

The marketing folks at Nintendo of America have been hitting it out of the proverbial park as of late when it comes to producing TV ads.

Case(s) in point: This recent Metroid: Other M ad and this Dragon Quest IX ad. Oh, and this Professor Layton and the Unwound Future ad:



Speaking of the latest entry in the Professor Layton series, I'm starting to regret my decision to pass on the just-released North American version of the game in favor of the European version. Oh, well, October 22 isn't that far away, right?

Buy: Professor Layton and the Unwound Future

Raise your hand if you, too, forgot about the release of the PlayStation Move

While scanning NeoGAF this morning, I came across a thread about the PlayStation Move pack-in (and, let's be honest here, Wii Sports rip-off) Sports Champions.

Being the curious sort that I am, I clicked on said thread--and received quite a shock when I realized that the game was released late last week. (On Friday, to be more specific.) Honestly, I thought the game and peripheral were going to launch alongside Microsoft's Kinect this November.

Did anyone else completely forget about the release of the PlayStation Move? Conversely, did any of you pick up the peripheral-previously-called-Gem?

Buy: PlayStation Move Starter Bundle