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'Famicom Detective Club' hits the US for the first time in May
Visual novel and mystery fans will finally get a crack at a Japanese classic when 'Famicom Mystery Club' comes to the US in May.
Square's unreleased Aliens game for Famicom Disk System uncovered
Man, what is it about the Aliens franchise that makes its video game adaptations so easily cancelable? Long, long before Obsidian's Aliens RPG ended up on the cutting room floor, Square had its own unreleased entry into the franchise: A 1987 side-scrolling action game for the Famicom Disk System (the disk-loading NES attachment which never quite made it stateside). A ROM for the canned title recently appeared online; you can check out some footage from an emulated version of the game over at 1UP. It actually doesn't look too terrible -- though back in 1987, we really only had room in our hearts for one unstoppable, alien-obliterating heroine, and that room was totally already spoken for.
Virtually Overlooked: Excitebike variants
Jerry "Tycho Brahe" Holkins and Mike "John Gabriel" Krahulik took the stage at the final round of the PAX 2008 Omegathon and introduced the climactic final game, which would decide which of two Omeganauts would win a trip to the Tokyo Game Show, cash, and a collection of customized, PAX-logo-emblazoned consoles. Last year, two Omeganauts vied for the prize in a round of Halo 3, which had yet to be released in stores. Everyone in attendance anticipated a similar surprise for this year's final round. The two competitors were introduced, and then the cartoonists/hosts unveiled the secret game that would be the arena for the final battle.It was Vs. Excitebike. After some Famicom Disk System fiddling, the flashing Vs. Excitebike logo appeared on the giant projector screen. The crowd exploded.We'd totally pay five bucks for that. Or even six.
Virtually Overlooked: All Night Nippon Super Mario Bros.
Weird limited releases like All-Night Nippon Super Mario Bros. are exactly the kind of thing we imagined when Nintendo revealed the Virtual Console, and of course none of it has appeared. Since it's financially trivial and requires no real commitment of any kind to dump a game on the Virtual Console, there doesn't seem to be any reason not to put obscure games of historical or novelty interest on the service, and yet Nintendo and other companies have yet to jump at the opportunity beyond the occasional rare game like The Dynastic Hero. Never mind Nintendo of America, who seems hesitant to make any game available lest someone buy and enjoy it.
Random imports to appear on Australian VC
The OFLC has rated two new games that are headed to the Australian Virtual Console in the near future, and they're spectacularly weird! Spectacularly weird in that both games were never released outside of Japan, and neither game is currently available or slated to be available on the Japanese VC.First is Do Re Mi Fantasy: Milon no Dokidoki Daibouken (Milon's Big Heart-Pounding Adventure), the Super NES sequel to Milon's Secret Castle, which seems to receive rave reviews from those who have played it. Also it's really adorable. Hudson rarely puts anything on the VC that isn't a Turbografx-16 game, and out of nowhere they decided to put up a Super Famicom platformer? Second is Smash Ping Pong, a Famicom Disk System port of Konami's Ping Pong in which the paddles move automatically, and the player is required to time shots and choose shot type. On a system that made its name with a realistically-controlled sports game, it seems odd to dig this one up.[Via Vooks]
An update from a different dojo
No, this isn't about Smash Bros. In fact, Famicom Dojo probably won't be about Smash Bros. for a good few years. Famicom Dojo is a new show from Powet.tv and 4 Color Rebellion about our favorite subject: old Nintendo games. Combining clever comedy with in-depth coverage of old Japanese game hardware, specifically the Famicom and its Disk System.Surprisingly, not all of the comedy comes from the appearance of the Famicom. Other people think it's a little silly-looking, right? Maybe we're just jealous because its player 2 microphone makes the system vastly superior to the compromised hardware we received in the US.
Japanese VC Castlevania is the Famicom Disk System version
This probably doesn't affect any readers here (although, if you're a Japan-local Wii Fanboy, let us know!) but we discovered something interesting while drooling at the Japanese Virtual Console page.Proving their absolute and irrational devotion to historical accuracy, the version of Castlevania going up on the VC this month will not be the same cartridge version that's already been released in the US and Europe. Instead, Japan is getting the original version, which was released for the Famicom Disk System in 1986. The differences include a save state feature and a name entry screen with music unheard in the US version! Which, unfortunately, we can't find. The idea that there's Castlevania music out there that we haven't heard makes us kind of uncomfortable.
