Joy Mech Fight has awesome robots

By Jenni Lada // 8.13.188.12.18

With Sukapon’s reveal as a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Assist Trophy, there is an opportunity for a whole legion of Nintendo fans to be introduced to one of Nintendo’s earliest fighters. Joy Mech Fight is a Famicom game that never left Japan, even though the language barriers are minimal. In a scenario that parallel’s Mega Man’s, one scientist is going to use robots to take over the world, and his former friend and good scientist is using a remaining one to save the day. And again, just like Mega Man, the nature of these robots are what make Joy Mech Fight so delightful.

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Kirby25: Kirby’s Adventure (NES, 1993), Part 2

By Graham Russell // 1.20.171.18.17

Kirby25 is a week-by-week video celebration of the Kirby series’ 25th anniversary. For more, check out the Kirby25 archive.

This week, we’re once again joined by Henry Skey (@Dollerz) as we finish our march through Kirby’s Adventure (NES)! Check out the full playthrough below, or skip to the third episode to get to the new stuff.

NES Video

Kirby25: Kirby’s Adventure (NES, 1993), Part 1

By Graham Russell // 1.12.171.12.17

Kirby25 is a week-by-week video celebration of the Kirby series’ 25th anniversary. For more, check out the Kirby25 archive.

This week, Henry Skey (@Dollerz) helps us start our journey into Kirby’s Adventure, the lone NES release in the franchise. This entry adds the trademark copy abilities and a host of surrounding comforts that would become a mainstay. Come back next week for the (thrilling?) conclusion!

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The Adventure of Valkyrie offers an interesting approach to advancement

By Jenni Lada // 11.2.1611.1.16

The Adventure of Valkyrie: The Legend of the Time Key is a The Legend of Zelda-like that had some issues that kept it from being as memorable as other action RPGs of the time. Namely, that the Valkyrie was always swarmed by enemies and received no guidance as to what you should or shouldn’t be doing. But, there was one thing it did do right. The Adventure of Valkyrie: The Legend of the Time Key went above and beyond when it came to character advancement.

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Adventures of Lolo 3 is the best sort of Sokoban

By Jenni Lada // 10.27.1610.27.16

Sokoban-style games, which involve solving puzzles by pushing blocks, boxes and any other items from one place to another, don’t need to be complicated, involved or even pretty to be good games. All they need to do is challenge players by making them to think critically and logically to proceed through an area. They can be simple and succeed. It’s rare that you get such a game that finds it can expand on that simple formula and do so in a way that sticks with you and doesn’t detract from that core mechanic. HAL Laboratory, the people you may know from all those Kirby games, did so with Adventures of Lolo…

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A beginner’s guide to the wide world of Kunio-kun

By Graham Russell // 9.26.161.18.17

Want to get into the Kunio-kun series? Great! With a new English release, River City: Tokyo Rumble, releasing this week for 3DS, it’s a great time. But… here’s the thing. It’s really basically four series. Read on and we’ll help you get started!

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The troubled history of Famicom Wars

By Graham Russell // 6.8.161.27.23

It’s weird to think of Advance Wars as some sort of series for importers. After all, we’ve seen the last four entries in the West, in some cases several years before they’re released in their original Japanese form. The last title, Days of Ruin, was released in the U.S. and Europe in 2008, after a breakneck localization process that saw completely different English names and conversations in the two regions. Japanese players could buy it… in October 2013. As a digital-only Club Nintendo reward. This is just the latest in the Famicom Wars franchise’s rocky, questionable release history, one sometimes affected by real-life conflict.

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Famicom Wars shows companies don’t need to mess with winning formulas

By Jenni Lada // 6.7.161.27.23

Nintendo and Intelligent Systems’ Wars series has always been one of the best turn-based strategic experiences you can enjoy on a Nintendo console or handheld. Here’s something that will blow your mind and appreciate the entries in the series that were localized even more. Famicom Wars, the very first installment, contains many of the same mechanics we enjoyed years later in Advance Wars. It’s a classic case of not messing with success.

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Devil World is so much more diabolical than Pac-Man

By Jenni Lada // 3.30.163.30.16

Shigeru Miyamoto is an amazing, wonderful, talented genius who appears to want to make people happy with all of his creations. Except Devil World, because Devil World is the most terrifying thing ever. If you haven’t heard of that, then hello fellow US citizens! This Pac-Man-like was only released in Japan and Europe, which means only people in those regions were able to play one of the most terrifying dot-collecting games in existence.