Could the DS beat them all?

GameDailyBiz posted an interesting little (well, it's not so little, really) article today about the future of the Nintendo DS. Apparently, analysts at DFC Intelligence believe the Japanese giant's latest portable system could well become the biggest selling game system ever--even topping the mighty PlayStation 2, which has racked up a whopping 115 million sales since it was first released.

Along the same lines, DFC estimated the worldwide portable market will bring in more than $10 billion this year, putting portables well on their way to leading the market as a whole (currently consoles covet that position).

Before you DS fanboys send out the party invites, understand that the sleek little system has a ways to go (it's sold about 40 million systems to date) before pushing the PS2 from the top spot.

Touched for the very first time: NEC's PC-FX

If you want to know just how crazed I used to be about video games, all you need to know is that in the early 90s I desperately wanted a PC-FX.

NEC had already won me over with the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 and the SuperGrafx, and even though the company's 32-bit was quickly trumped by the Saturn, PlayStation and the N64, I wanted one anyway.

It never happened, of course. When it was first released in Japan it was far too expensive for me to pick up, and the only games that looked at all interesting were Battle Heat and the Tengai Makyou fighter, so I put it out of my mind.

Flash forward a few years, and I quickly became obsessed with the system again. I think it was when I first discovered emulation, and after finding emulators for practically every other system out there (including the Wonderswan, of all systems) I began looking for one that emulated the PC-FX.

Eventually I discovered that the folks who created the amazing Magic Engine emulator (for PC Engine, TurboGrafx-16 and SuperGrafx) were in the lab (or wherever they go to make sch things) working on an emulator for the PC-FX. It finally came out around Christmas, but considering the last few months of my life have been insanely crazy it took me until last night to remember it and download it for my playing pleasure.

And what a pleasure it is! Really, some of these games are too cool. Many don't stack up all that well to some of what's produced today (or those that were produced back in the early 90s, for that matter), but a few--Chip Chan Kick as well as the aforementioned Battle Heat and Tengai Makyou fighter--are worth at least a few minutes of your time.

The only one I've put a lot of time into as of yet is Chip Chan Kick, a Bubble Bobble clone that oh-so-cute and quite addictive. I'll be posting a review of it soon, along with a slew of other games for this system and others (such as the Saturn, the Genesis/Mega Drive and the Super Famicom/SNES).

Mana from heaven?

Saying Square's latest foray into the world of Mana (as in the classic SNES title, Secret of Mana) is heaven-sent may be a bit of a stretch at this point, especially considering the turn for the worse the series has taken over the past few years.

Thanks to a few glowing reports of the upcoming Heroes of Mana (for Nintendo DS), however, fans are hoping the series is back where it belongs, or at least is heading in the right direction.

Roli O. (nice name) over at Siliconera just posted his (her?) impressions of the game, and they are quite positive indeed. Among his closing comments are:

"Heroes of Mana is the one game that seeks to revive the Mana franchise and does it gracefully. With a new take on game play and making use of the DS’ capabilities, Heroes of Mana is sure to provide many of you with a great experience. Just be sure to venture into Heroes of Mana with an open mind and limited, if none, expectations."

Now Squeenix just needs to let us poor non-Japanese folk know when the game will be showing up on our shores. And while they're at it, maybe they can let slip the U.S. release date for Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings as well.

Past-Due Review: Photograph Boy (PC Engine)

If Hudson really wants to impress with their Virtual Console releases, they should localize this quirky, long-lost gem for English-speaking audiences.

Although NEC's PC Engine was home to many oddly endearing games during its wildly successful run (it gave Nintendo's Famicom a run for its money back in the day--a feat it unfortunately couldn't replicate in the U.S. with the TurboGrafx-16), few if any were wackier than Photograph Boy (also known as Gekisha Boy).

Players control a green-around-the-gills photographer who hits the streets looking for the perfect shots to take back to his gruff-looking newspaper editor. If that sounds like a piece of cake, wait until you give it a go.

As the lushly detailed environments scroll by, photographic opportunities--such as hovering UFOs, burning buildings, even flashers in trench coats--pop into view, ready for their close-up.

Using up a few rolls of film would be a snap (pun intended) if it weren't for all the dangers surrounding our intrepid photographer--balls, skateboards and other random projectiles pose a constant threat. Get hit and you lose valuable film--an important distinction because the more well-taken photos you turn in, the more points you receive from your boss and the more likely you are to advance to the next level.

Controls in Photograph Boy are about as tight as they can be--movement of your character and aiming your camera is handled with the d-pad, while the action buttons control your camera's shutter and your ability to jump. Unfortunately, the well-tuned controls don't make the game a walk in the park--it's more like a walk down a darkened alley in the bad part of town. Expect to repeat each level many times before you succeed--especially as the game progresses.

Considering the sights you'll see along the way, you'll likely enjoy every hair-pulling minute of it. At least I did.

More classics coming soon to the VC

We've known for some time that Excitebike, Duck Hunt and Super Metroid (among other NES and SNES) classics eventually will make their way to the Wii Virtual Console. What we didn't know was when.

Well, an article othat just appeared on Yahoo about the console wars includes a brief mention of those above-mentioned games, indicating they'll hit the Shop Channel sometime in the "next few months."

As happy as I am to see Super Metroid join the fold, what I really want is the original game in the series. Also, how about the original SNES version of Super Mario Kart, Nintendo? The N64 sequel is all well and good, but doesn't hold a candle to the original (if you ask me, and I know you did).