Hirokazu 'Hip' Tanaka's first album is everything an EarthBound, Kid Icarus, or Metroid fan could want

I've been a fan of Hirokazu "Hip"--now apparently "Chip"--Tanaka ever since I discovered he was responsible for Kid Icarus' glorious soundtrack.

My admiration of and belief in his talents blossomed when I found out he also had a hand in crafting the music for classic Famicom and NES games like Balloon Fight, Wrecking Crew, Metroid, and the first two Mother (aka EarthBound) titles.

Tanaka now serves as the president of Creatures Inc., although that lofty position clearly hasn't caused him to turn his back on his first career.



His just-released (not to mention first-ever) album, Django, is the perfect case in point.

Its 13 tracks are everything a "Hip"--or "Chip"--Tanaka fan could want. My favorites: the chunky "Beaver" (listen to it and watch its video here), the jazzy, laid-back title tune, the ethereal "EMGR," and the blippy, breezy "Prizm."

Really, though, you can't go wrong with any of the game-inspired soundscapes offered up by Django. Speaking of which, you can listen to the whole album at chiptanaka.bandcamp.com.

See also: my '10 Most Influential Games' write-up about Kid Icarus

Dear Nintendo, please greenlight Switch sequels to these games

Now that the Switch is not only a reality but a runaway success, I can't help but daydream about all the games Nintendo could greenlight for it.

I say greenlight here rather than make, by the way, because I know Nintendo doesn't develop all of the games it publishes. The Kirby series, made by HAL Laboratory, is a good example. Game Freak's Pokémon series is another.

We already know new Kirby and Pokémon games are being prepped for Switch, of course, so no need to beg for them here. New Animal Crossing, Fire Emblem, Metroid, and Yoshi Switch game are in the works, too.

What more could a Nintendo fan and Switch owner want? Plenty. Personally, I'd like to see sequels to all the following games come to the hybrid console at some point in its lifetime.

Balloon Kid--Nintendo can be so weird sometimes. How else would you describe the company's decision to follow up 1985's classic Balloon Fight with 1990's great-but-should-have-been-even-greater Balloon Kid--and then never again return to the helium-supported series? Given that, I can't imagine Nintendo's prepping another Balloon Fight--or, better yet, another Balloon Kid--game for Switch, but I'd sure love it if that were the case.

Drill Dozer--Here's another surprise. I mean, I doubt this Game Freak-made platformer set the sales charts on fire in the months following its 2005 release (in Japan; it came out a year later in North America), but it's become a bit of a cult classic in the ensuing years. As such, I could see a good number of Switch owners welcoming a new Drill Dozer with open arms. The question is: does anyone want to make such a game? (Note: I'll accept a "no" answer if it's because Game Freak's busy producing another Pocket Card Jockey title.)



Endless Ocean--One of the great tragedies of the Wii era (in my personal opinion, of course) was that Endless Ocean didn't become even a tenth of the worldwide hit Wii Sports and Wii Fit became. Considering the console's casual-leaning ownership base, I really thought a game that tossed players into the ocean and then set them free to explore to their heart's content was a million-plus-seller in the making. Well, not only didn't Endless Ocean sell millions, but it sold so poorly Nintendo decided against paying developer Arika to produce a sequel for the Wii U. Here's hoping the company's bigwigs come to their senses and give the thumbs for Switch title.

F-Zero--Now that Nintendo seems interested in Metroid again, could it similarly revitalize its long-ignored F-Zero series? I have my doubts. Still, I can't help but hold out hope the Switch is home to the first F-Zero title since GP Legend and Climax hit the GameBoy Advance in 2003 and 2004.



Hotel Dusk--What's less likely than an F-Zero Switch game? A new Hotel Dusk for the hybrid system. That's mainly because CiNG--the developer behind that 2007 point-and-click adventure (read some of my thoughts on it here) and its 2010 sequel, Last Window--filed for bankruptcy seven years ago. Still, some of that company's former employees recently came together to make Chase: Cold Case Investigations ~Distant Memories~ for the 3DS. Although most who played that eShop title considered it a disappointment (myself included), I'd give its devs another shot if they could rope Rika Suzuki (Hotel Dusk's and Last Window's writer) into the project.

Ice Climber--I may very well be the only living soul who'd like to see Nintendo release an update to this masochistic Famicom and NES game. Sadly, I think an Ice Climber sequel would've fared best on the dual-screened DS (imagine it: pixel-based graphics, a jumping mechanism that doesn't make you want to yank out all your hair, and mountains that go on for days), but since that failed to happen, I'll ask for it to be made for Switch. To be honest, I'm not even sure how such a game would play out, although one thing's a must: Nana and Popo would have to be easier to control this time around.

Kid Icarus--I've wanted a "real" Kid Icarus sequel since I first played the original NES game as a kid. Uprising was nice and all (not that I've played it), but what I'm talking about here is a two-dimensional side-scroller that takes the 8-bit title's blueprint and expands upon it. Sure, a SNES sequel à la Super Metroid would've been perfect, but the same could be accomplished on the Switch, so that's what I'll wish for here. (For more on why I love Kid Icarus, read my "10 Most Influential Games" post devoted to it.)

Luigi's Mansion--Considering 2013's Dark Moon seemingly met with sales success all around the globe, I have to imagine Nintendo's already hard at work on a follow-up for Switch. If not, I hope they get on it soon, as I thoroughly enjoyed what I've played of the series' first two titles.

Mole Mania--Nintendo's failure to give this GameBoy classic a second chance is right up there with its failure to properly follow up Balloon Kid and Drill Dozer, in my humble opinion. Of course, the original release was met with disinterest around the globe, so I guess I can't criticize the hesitation too harshly. Still, Mole Mania's now widely considered an overlooked gem, so why not throw its many fans a bone by giving them a Switch sequel? Even an eShop-only effort would suffice, if you ask me.

Panel de Pon--For some dumb reason, the powers that be at Nintendo think the masses--outside of Japan, especially--would rather play Tetris Attack or Puzzle League than the syrupy sweet Panel de Pon. Is the assumption here that Westerners hate games that are slathered in pastels and star adorable fairies? If so, I respectfully disagree. I'll forgive the company its trespasses, however, if it offers up a new Panel de Pon for Switch that harkens back to the Super Famicom original.

BONUS ROUND: Tomato Adventure--Now that nearly everyone is burned out on the Mario & Luigi series, Nintendo should give developer AlphaDream a break and have it produce another Tomato Adventure. This time, though, they'd better release the game outside of Japan.

Shall We Do It? (Ever Oasis demo, Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters, Metroid II and Miitopia demo)

Sorry it's been so long (over a week!) since I last published a post. I can't even give you an explanation--or at least I can't give you a good one.

Of course, I was on the road for three days early in the week (my husband, cat and I made our way from Austin, Texas, to Madison, Wisconsin), but I've hardly run myself ragged in the last four or five.

Something I've managed to fit into my currently far-from-busy schedule: a bit of quality time with my trusty 3DS. Specifically, I've put a good number of minutes, if not hours, into the following demos and games:

Ever Oasis demo (3DS)--Of the four 3DS demos and games I'll discuss here, this is the one I've enjoyed the least. Which is a shame, as every aspect of the Ever Oasis demo is at least "nice."

I especially like the art style, although the character-switching gameplay is pretty appealing, too. The thing is, I didn't find the latter to be as appealing as I expected it to be before I started my way through the (disappointingly short) demo.

If I were forced to describe Ever Oasis' gameplay with a single word or phrase, I'd probably go with "by the numbers" as far as Secret of Mana-ish titles are concerned. Which is too bad, as I thought that component of the game would help set it apart from other action RPGs that've been released for the 3DS.

On a more positive note, I've read that after a slow start, Ever Oasis eventually hits its stride in impressive fashion, so my current plan is to find a way to pick up a copy of it by the end of the year.

Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters (GameBoy)--Although I've been a fan of the original Kid Icarus since it was first released in North America back in 1987 (I even included it in my "10 Most Influential Games" series of blog posts), I've long avoided this 1991 sequel.

Why? The main reason is that it never looked very appealing to me. Playing a Kid Icarus game in black and white just seemed wrong to me after basking in the beautifully colorful--and weird--landscapes of the NES title. Plus, Pit's sprite here has always looked a little off to me.

After a Twitter friend recently heaped praise on Of Myths and Monsters, though, I decided to finally give it a go. And you know what? I've had a blast with it so far. I can't say I prefer this GameBoy game's sprawling stages to the comparably straightforward ones found in the NES offering, but I'm enjoying them all the same. A similar comment could be made about Of Myths and Monsters' soundtrack, which is acceptable but never approaches the brilliance of the Hirokazu Tanaka tracks that fill the original.

Still, I'm loving this handheld Kid Icarus overall--to the point where I'm now hitting myself for giving it the cold shoulder for so long.

Metroid II (GameBoy)--Here's another portable sequel to a console classic I'm only now playing for the first time. Again, that fact boggles my mind as much as it probably does yours. After all, I was obsessed with both the original Metroid and Super Metroid for the SNES as a youngster (beating both multiple times, I should add).

Unlike Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters, I can't say I've avoided Metroid II because of what I considered to be below-par graphics. In fact, I've always thought Metroid II looked pretty awesome. Regardless, I dragged my feet on playing it until late last week.

So far, I think it's a better game than Of Myths and Monsters. Although Metroid II is a black-and-white affair, it still feels like a visual upgrade to its NES-based predecessor--something that can't be said of Kid Icarus' GameBoy follow-up. Also, I love the way Metroid II twists the gameplay of the first Metroid and Super Metroid just enough to make it feel unique. (I'm talking about this game's "track down and kill X number of Metroids" focus, of course.)

Despite the above, I'm not entirely convinced I'll stick with Metroid II until its end credits, but I'll certainly do my best to finish it.

Miitopia demo (3DS)--After reading a few impressions of the Japanese version of Miitopia, I fully expected to dislike this Tomodachi Life-esque RPG--to the point that I canceled my pre-order for the North American release. After putting nearly three hours into the demo that just hit my region's eShop, though, I'm back aboard the Miitopia hype train.

Chiefly responsible for that change of heart: the aspects I thought I'd hate--no real overworld to explore, battles that are mostly hands-off--don't bother me at all. Hell, I actually find these tweaks refreshing after playing a number of overly traditional RPGs in the last year or so. On top of that, Miitopia sports a surprisingly bold art style, a soundtrack that's more charming than it has any right to be and a gloriously subtle sense of humor. I've heard the full game isn't overly long, but that's OK with me--especially if it ends up being a short-but-sweet experience.

Have you played any of these games or demos? If so, share your thoughts on them in the comments section below.

See also: previous 'Shall We Do It?' posts

My 10 Most Influential Games: Kid Icarus (NES)

Although a number of its initial releases lured me and my older brother to the NES in the year following its North American release, none had a more powerful pull on us than the pair of Nintendo-made "Adventure Series" games known in the West as Metroid and Kid Icarus.

I was especially drawn to the latter title, which was made by Gunpei Yokoi, Satoru Okada and Yoshio Sakamoto, among others, and which first hit store shelves here in July of 1987. (Just a month before Metroid and The Legend of Zelda, in fact.)

There are all sorts of reasons for that, of course. A rather stupidly superficial one is that, right off the bat, I was a fan of Kid Icarus' magenta logo. (Hey, I've never been shy about my love of the color pink.)

Also catching my eye early on: the cover art's depiction of Pit. I was keenly interested in Greek mythology back when Kid Icarus was released, so a game that allowed me to play as an angel who has to traverse a world full of crumbling stone pillars, fantastic creatures and even goddesses--Medusa among them--quickly commanded my attention. (Speaking of the creatures that populate this game, you can see illustrations of all of them in the Hikari Shinwa: Parutena no Kagami GameBoy Advance instruction manual.)

And then there were the write-ups in Nintendo Power and elsewhere that showcased Kid Icarus' colorful locales. Purple bricks and stone, red-checkered floors, pink and green clouds--my younger self thought the game looked like a dream.

I know most folks today don't think Kid Icarus plays like a dream, but I thought it did back in the day. (Hell, I still kind of think it now.) After all, Pit controls pretty darn well, if you ask me. Specifically, he's easy to maneuver--except for when you find yourself on one of the icy ledges that pop up in a number of the game's levels--and he reacts quickly to commands. (I can't imagine anyone describing Kid Icarus as floaty or sluggish.)

Is that why I consider it to be influential? Not really. One aspect of Kid Icarus that did help shape my taste in video games, though, is its difficulty. Admittedly, it's sometimes (some may say often) "cheaply" difficult, but in general I think it just asks a lot of those who decide to play it. In some cases, that means perfectly timing jumps and arrow shots; in others, it means memorizing stage layouts (refer to this site if you need help) and enemy placements.

Regardless, Kid Icarus--along with its silver-box, "Adventure Series" sibling, Metroid--made me realize that while I like my games to be at least somewhat cute (or even simply colorful), I also like for them to be at least somewhat challenging.

Kid Icarus also prompted me to realize and embrace that I prefer action-platformers that dare to be a bit different to those that toe the line. Straightforward efforts that ape Super Mario Bros. are all well and good, but this game took that classic's basic components and built upon them tenfold. Rather than having stages scroll almost exclusively from left to right, Kid Icarus offers up ones that scroll up, down and all over the place. It even features maze-like dungeons that sprawl in all directions and need to be conquered at the end of each four-level world before you can move on to the next one.

Another of Kid Icarus' unique quirks that helped set the tone for my love of platform games that veer from the beaten path: the bow and quiver of unlimited arrows Pit uses to dispatch foes. For whatever reason, that's always struck me as far more interesting and thrilling than, say, Mega Man's "Mega Buster" or Simon Belmont's whip.

Unfortunately, despite all of the above, and despite the fact that Kid Icarus was chiefly responsible for shaping my taste in video games (oddball platformers, in particular), I've barely experienced it and its brilliant Hirokazu "Hip" Tanaka soundtrack in the last couple of decades.

Truth be told, that's mostly because I'm now slightly terrified of it. The last time I attempted to work my way through its technicolor worlds, I struggled to complete its third stage.

Still, I've never been one to shrink away from a challenge, so I'll do my best to boot up some version of the game in the coming days and weeks. Here's hoping this playthrough will be more successful than the quickly aborted ones of the not-so-recent past.

See also: previous 'My 10 Most Influential Games' posts about The 7th Guest, Balloon Kid, Bubble Bobble and Final Fantasy V

I've already spent $5 on Nintendo Badge Arcade; how about you?

Did I say $5? What I meant to say was $10.

What on earth prompted me to hand over $10 of real-world money to play the just-released 3DS application-cum-bottom-line-stuffer called Nintendo Badge Arcade?



I'll give you three reasons, with the first being the BOXBOY! badges Nintendo plopped onto its claw machine-esque app in early November, and the second and third being the Pikmin and Pushmo badges that followed closely behind.

Thankfully, I've since come to my senses and I haven't plunked any more of my hard-earned cash into Nintendo Badge Arcade for at least a couple of days now.



All bets are off, though, if Nintendo cruelly decides to tease me with some Ice Climber or Kid Icarus badges in the coming weeks.

Strangely, despite my unhealthy fascination with the Nintendo Badge Arcade and a good portion of its offerings so far, I've yet to do a whole lot with the spoils I've yanked from the app.

In fact, at the moment, I've simply got a handful of adorable Pikmin creatures traipsing along the top of my favorite 3DS icons. (Previously, I used my BOXBOY! badges to conjure up a slightly more creative scene, but I quickly replaced it because I found it too busy.)

How about you guys and gals? Have you put any time into Nintendo Badge Arcade? If so, which of its many digital pins have most attracted your attention?

Boy, do these game tunes bring back memories...

How's this for a silly, game-related tidbit that's likely to shock at least a few of you: back when I was a junior or senior in high school, I was completely obsessed with the Saturn version of Sega's Daytona USA.

I suggest that may surprise some of you because I'm hardly known for my love of racing games. In fact, the only examples of the genre I've ever given much attention here are F-Zero and Super Mario Kart, if memory serves. (Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.)

At any rate, I became more than a bit smitten with Daytona USA after picking it up on a whim during my days as a Saturn owner.

That game's slick, exhilarating gameplay obviously had a little something to do with my aforementioned infatuation, but there were other instigators, too--with its energetic, effervescent soundtrack being a particularly noteworthy case in point.



I bring up all of this because I've had one of Daytona USA's songs ("Sky High," listen to it by clicking on the video above) stuck in my head for the last few days.

Also, reminiscing about the Daytona USA period of my life--and the hold a number of its ditties had on me at that time--prompted me to think about some of the other "game tunes" from my youth that left similar marks on my memory.

For example, there's the "Map Theme" from Yoshi's Island:



I remember humming that one on the regular while I obsessively worked my way through the pastel-filled platformer that has since become one of my all-time favorite games.

Four GameBoy titles I'm surprised never saw the light of day in the Land of the Rising Sun

You may have heard--you know, at the bar down the street, in that dark alley outside your apartment, over on that cesspool of social interaction (I kid ... for the most part) known as Twitter--that I've got GameBoy on the brain at the moment.

OK, so it's really been on my brain for the last eight or 10 months.

Anyway, as a result of my, er, obsessive thoughts (for lack of a better word) on the subject, I've been discovering and re-discovering all sorts of "gems" that were released for Nintendo's first handheld, including the four discussed below--each of which I was surprised to learn were never released in the system's home country.

Balloon Kid--I know this one was released in Japan eventually, but that didn't happen until 10 years after it appeared elsewhere, and even then it was only released (for the GameBoy Color) as part of the Nintendo Power flash RAM cartridge system. Which is a shame, as the GBC version of Balloon Kid (called Balloon Fight GB in Japan) is top notch and its packaging surely would've featured some awesome art.

Buster Bros--I only recently discovered that this odd, Capcom-developed action game had received a GameBoy port (courtesy of Hudson Soft). Shortly after, I discovered--much to my dismay--that while it was released in Europe (as Pang) and North America (as Buster Brothers), it never made it to Japan. I find that kind of strange, especially since similar games like Tumblepop and Snow Bros. Jr. saw the light of day in that region.

Dig Dug--This may be the worst offender of the bunch, as the "New Dig Dug" mode included in this portable release is all sorts of awesome (as well as hair-pullingly frustrating at times, it has to be said). Also, a Japanese release of this game would've allowed me to compare and contrast its cover art with that of its North American counterpart (which I actually find to be more than acceptable).

Update: shortly after I published this post, someone brought it to my attention that both of the above-mentioned Dig Dug games were included in the 1996 Japan-only release, Namco Gallery Vol. 2, which you can read about here.

Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters--Full disclosure: I've barely spent any time with this one over the years, despite the fact that the original Kid Icarus is one of my all-time favorite NES games. Of course, the main reason for that is I've heard some terrible things about it. So, maybe it's a good thing Of Myths and Monsters never earned a spot on the shelves of its country of origin?

See also: 'You really need to try these three GameBoy titles, if you haven't already'

Is it crazy that the Tempura Wizard's inclusion in Kid Icarus: Uprising has caused me to completely change my opinion of the game?

More specifically, it's caused me to change my opinion of Kid Icarus: Uprising--which will hit store shelves in Japan tomorrow and throughout North America and Europe on Friday--from "no thanks" to "just take my money already, Nintendo."

If you have no idea who or what a Tempura Wizard is, check out the recent-ish Kid Icarus: Uprising trailer below. (The battered baddie first shows his craggy face at the 1:38 mark.)



Anyway, thanks to the rather surprising and hilarious inclusion of Mr. Tempura Wizard--as well as the positive word of mouth that's slowly making the rounds (here's a good example)--I'm now seriously considering picking up a copy of Kid Icarus: Uprising.

Are any of you thinking of doing the same in the coming days, weeks or months--either because of or in spite of the inclusion of the aforementioned Tempura Wizard?

Buy: Kid Icarus: Uprising

Hey, Nintendo of America: Where's my free copy of 3D Classics Kid Icarus?

The question in the header above popped into my head while reading these hands-on impressions of the Japanese version of 3D Classics: Kid Icarus over the weekend.

I know I probably sounded less than excited when I wrote about this 3D-enabled update of one of my all-time favorite Famicom and NES games early last month (in this post), but I have enough interest in it to want to give it a try, especially if it's free.



For some strange reason, though, Nintendo has yet to extend to North American 3DS owners the same offer--folks who register at least two of about 13 3DS games with Club Nintendo by a certain date receive a free copy of 3D Classics: Kid Icarus as a reward--it recently extended to Japanese and European 3DS owners.

Here's hoping the company's North American branch throws us a bone--or maybe I should say eggplant?--soon.

(Via siliconera.com)

Manual Stimulation: Hikari Shinwa Parutena no Kagami (GameBoy Advance)

Earlier today, I published a "Great Gaymathon" review of the game that's known to English-speaking audiences as Kid Icarus. (To Japanese-speaking audiences, it's known as Hikari Shinwa: Parutena no Kagami, or Light Myth: Palutena's Mirror.)

In that review, I mentioned that one of the main reasons I bought the GameBoy Advance version of this classic platformer is that I liked its packaging. Well, folded up within that packaging is the following, two-piece instruction manual, which is pretty attractive in its own right.

The front of the first page of said manual (as always, click on any of the images below to take a closer look at them) isn't the most exciting thing in the world, but I am quite fond of the illustrations--especially the one that shows what appears to be two of Angel Land's many gay couples--that accompany the story portion of the page.



The back side of the first page isn't much better, but it earns a few extra points for featuring a number of nice drawings of the game's protagonist, Pit, and the bosses he encounters during his journey. (My favorite is the rather portly Medusa, by the way.)



The second page of Hikari Shinwa: Parutena no Kagami's fold-out instruction manual is where it's at, if you ask me. True story: As a kid, I was obsessed with drawing many of the items and weapons showcased in the scan below, which is of the front of the manual's second page.

The Great Gaymathon Review #47: Hikari Shinwa Parutena no Kagami (GameBoy Advance)

Game: Hikari Shinwa: Parutena no Kagami

Genre: Platformer

Developer: Nintendo

Publisher: Nintendo

System: GameBoy Advance

Release date: 2004

In my humble opinion, anyone who wants to call himself (or herself) a masochist should be forced to play Hikari Shinwa: Parutena no Kagami, aka Kid Icarus, on a GameBoy Micro before being allowed to use that moniker, as I can't imagine there are many more painful experiences in life than playing this tough-as-nails adventurer-platformer-shooter on a teeny tiny screen. So, why did I buy it? I actually kind of like playing this challenging title, to tell you the truth--or at least I do when I play it on a console attached to a nice-sized TV. Another reason I bought it: I liked the packaging in general and the yellow cartridge in particular. Unless you're a huge fan of this game or of banana-colored GameBoy Advance carts, though, I'd highly recommend passing on this release and picking up, say, the Wii Virtual Console release instead. That way, you'll be better able to appreciate--and appropriately deal with--the perilous jumps of its unidirectional overworld stages and the similarly onerous travails (Eggplant Wizards, hello!) of its cavernous underworld ones, both of which feature fairly unique-to-the-platformer-genre elements like credit-card-accepting shops, life-restoring springs and chest-filled treasure chambers.

See also: Previous 'Great Gaymathon' posts

Whoa, 3D Classics: Kid Icarus looks ... weird

The first footage of 3D Classics: Kid Icarus has been released and, well, it's kind of weird. Before I share any more of my opinions on this future eShop title, though, maybe you should watch the footage in question:



So, what do you think? Personally, I'm not a fan of the new high-resolution backgrounds, which give the game a "high-quality ROM hack" sort of feel that doesn't sit all that well with me at the moment.

The good news, especially for grouches like me who aren't exactly enamored with the backdrops, is that it's likely the game will be given to many 3DS owners for free. That's already the case in Europe and Japan, actually--folks who live in those regions and register two 3DS games by a certain date get a free copy of 3D Classics: Kid Icarus plus earn a chance to win one of three special Mario-branded 3DS systems--and I have a feeling Nintendo of America will announce a similar promotion for our neck of the woods sooner rather than later.

(Via 3dsware.nintendolife.com)

Donkey Kong, Kid Icarus and Kirby? Oh my!

So, Nintendo unveiled a slew of games (and a system, too--the 3DS) during its E3 conference this morning, and you know what? The game that excited me the most was Kirby's Epic Yarn.

Sure, the name is a bit of an eye-roller (and you just know some oh-so-cool gamers are going to rename it Kirby's Epic Yawn), but who cares when the game looks like this:



(Click on this link to see the game in action.)

Unfortunately, the folks at Nintendo have yet to announce a release date--beyond "fall"--or a price for the title. Here's hoping it's released sooner rather than later and that it hits the streets with a $39.99 or even a $29.99 price tag.

Other titles that intrigued me: Donkey Kond Country Returns (coming to the Wii this holiday season--here's a trailer) and the new 3DS entries in the Animal Crossing, Kid Icarus, Mario Kart, Paper Mario, Pilotwings and Star Fox series.

Strangely, I was a bit disappointed by the actual 3DS system--I want two screens of the same size, dammit!--but I'm sure I'll get over that shortly.

What are your five favorite non-Mario Famicom/NES games?

That's the question someone posed yesterday on NeoGAF. After a healthy amount of hemming and hawing, I came up with the following answer:

Duck Tales--One of the best licensed games ever--and one of the best 2D platformers ever, too. Oh, and even after all these years I can still hum the Amazon level's theme song on cue. 'Nuff said.

Final Fantasy--The first RPG I played, and still one of my favorites. For some strange reason, I remember being obsessed with the coral sword--and being disappointed when I had to move on to a more powerful one. Yeah, I'm not sure what that has to do with this being one of my favorite Famicom/NES games either...

Kid Icarus--Do you ever wish you could go back in time? I do, especially when I think about this game.Why, you ask? Well, back then Medusa and her minions didn't kick my ass like they do now, that's why.

The Legend of Zelda--It's said that designer Shigeru Miyamoto drew inspiration for this game from his childhood experiences in and around Kyoto, where he explored caves, fields and woods. That's clearly evident the first time you play it. Thankfully, the sense of exploration and wonderment felt during that "virgin voyage" doesn't seem to fade with time.

Little Nemo: The Dream Master--If I was forced at gunpoint to name the Famicom/NES game with the best graphics, I'm pretty sure I'd shout, "Little Nemo!" This Capcom creation isn't just a looker, though--it also features catchy tunes and fiendishly challenging levels.

So, those are my favorite non-Mario Famicom/NES games. What are yours?