Coming to America after all: Xenoblade Chronicles

Oh, Nintendo of America. You are a conundrum, aren't you?

After suggesting again and again over the last few months that you had no plans to bring the much-ballyhooed Xenoblade Chronicles to the States, you rather non-chalantly send out a press release this morning revealing that the Monolith Soft-developed RPG will hit store shelves across the good ol' US of A this coming April.



Strangely, said press release also revealed that this open-world RPG will be sold, for $49.99, exclusively through GameStop stores and Nintendo's website. (Although GameStop's already taking pre-orders for the title, Nintendo won't be taking them until Dec. 19.)

So, how many of you are planning, as I am, to jump on the Xenoblade Chronicles bandwagon as soon as it hits the streets?

See also: Previous Xenoblade Chronicles posts

Manual Stimulation: Super Mario Bros. (Famicom)

I'd be hard pressed to call Super Mario Bros.' instruction manual disappointing, but I'd definitely call it a bit underwhelming considering the status the game has achieved since its release in 1985.

Still, I think it's nice enough to highlight in one of these "Manual Stimulation" posts--thanks in large part to its not-at-all-stingy use of illustrations and sprite art.

You may want to skip past the next few scans (as always, click on them for a closer look) if all you're interested in are the above-mentioned illustrations and sprites, by the way, as Nintendo's designers take their sweet time getting to them.







In fact, the first one that's at all worth mentioning doesn't appear until the manual's seventh page. Sure, it's a wonky drawing showing regular Mario and super Mario both standing still and jumping, but it's better than a bunch of text, don't you think?

I'm dreaming of a DSi-enhanced Christmas

Before anyone asks: No, I'm not dreaming of getting a DSi for Christmas. That would be a bit strange, don't you think? Especially since I've been pining for a 3DS for so long.

No, the headline above has to do with the trio of holiday-themed drawings artist and musician Billy Polard created using his DSi (and a copy of Nintendo's Art Academy).

My favorite of the bunch is Polard's depiction of Yukon Cornelius (from my all-time favorite Christmas movie, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"):



That said, his spot-on renditions of The Grinch (see it here) and Frosty the Snowman (here) are nothing to sneeze at.

Sadly, I've yet to "play" my own copy of Art Academy for even a few minutes. Maybe I'll finally do so over the holidays.

Three Famicom games I want to like, but can't

I'm sure this will sound a tad fanboy-ish, but it can't be helped (since, for me, it's the truth): I've rarely encountered a Nintendo-developed game that I didn't end up liking after spending some quality time with it.

Interestingly, most of the ones that haven't clicked with me were released during the Famicom's--or the Nintendo Entertainment System's, if that's how you roll--first year or two on the market.

Case in point: The three Nintendo-made carts below, each of which I've tried my darndest to enjoy but in the end just couldn't bring myself to do so.

1. Clu Clu Land (1984)

Why I want to like it: It's colorful. It's cute. Its box art is appealing. Uh, isn't that enough?

Why I can't: For some strange reason, Clu Clu Land's controls don't agree with me at all. I feel like I'm drunk whenever I play it--or that I've lost all sense of coordination, at the very least. Maybe my brain just isn't wired in a way that allows me to enjoy this superficially appealing game?

2. Tennis (1984)

Why I want to like it: I'm a huge fan of the sport. As such, a tennis game really has to suck for me to not like it.

Why I can't: Although I wouldn't say this is the worst tennis game ever made, it's pretty close to earning that title thanks to its slippery and severely limited controls. (Also, defeating computer-controlled opponents often is hair-pullingly difficult.)

3. Urban Champion (1984)

Why I want to like it: It's one of the earliest one-on-one fighting games to hit the home market. Also, it features some fairly unique and even innovative controls for an 8-bit brawler. Finally, I find the Japanese version's box art completely charming.

Why I can't: Despite all of the above, and despite how much I desperately want to enjoy it, Urban Champion has always bored me to tears--when it isn't making me want to chuck my controller through the TV screen.

See also: 'Three PC Engine games I want to like, but can't' and 'Three more PC Engine games that I want to like, but can't'

'The old hero' by Pakoto

I've long drooled over the paintings created by Spanish artist Pakoto, so whenever he produces a game-inspired one I do my best to spread the word about it.

Which game did Pakoto turn to while working on his latest masterpiece? It's pretty obvious, don't you think?

Pakoto produced "The Old Hero" for one of my new favorite blogs, by the way--that being fillupyourhearts.blogspot.com.

To see more examples of this talented artist's abilities, check out his blog at pakotoo.blogspot.com.