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REVIEW
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon

If you’ve played Super Smash Brothers Brawl and wondered just who the hell this Marth guy was, you weren’t alone. Marth was the lead protagonist in the Famicom title, Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Ken, which hadn’t previously been released this side of the Pacific until the recent release of its remake, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon for the Nintendo DS.

As fate and genealogy would have it, Marth is the prince of the kingdom of Altea, which at the start of his adventure had come under attack from the evil forces of Dolhr. Soon thereafter, he realizes his duty to Altea is to lead its forces in battle and reclaim the glory of his kingdom. Though his rag-tag group of followers is initially small, throughout his adventure, he meets new friends and foes, and even meets a few who are both. The growth of his army in the story complements the game-play; new character types are slowly introduced, giving players time to become acclimated to the strengths, weaknesses, and particular quirks of them at a comfortable paces.

Shadow Dragon, like other games in the franchise, is a turn-based strategy role-playing adventure. In many ways, it’s comparable to the much-acclaimed Advance Wars series in that they both feature grid-based battlefields and rich stories. I personally prefer the knights, mages, dragons, and general fantasy setting to the mechanical warfare of Advance Wars, so for me Fire Emblem wins in that department.

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Posted in DS, Famicom, Reviews | 1 Comment »

Club Nintendo Members Get Cool Stuff

If you happen to live in Japan and are a member of Club Nintendo, you could get yourself one of these! It’s a Super Famicom controller that plugs into a Wii Remote so gamers can play Super Famicom games on the Virtual Console in style.

Oh how we wish this was coming to Canada. But fear not: play-asia.com will be selling them pretty soon. I happen to like the Classic Controller, so I probably won’t be getting this. On the other hand, Shaun will have probably bought four by the time you read this.

Posted in Famicom, Super Nintendo, Virtual Console, Wii | 3 Comments »

Nintendo To Release 25th Anniversary Edition NES

The Nintendo Entertainment System is the console that revitalized home gaming in the 80s. Get ready to own it again.

As cool as the Virtual Console is, there’s no denying that for all its super emulation, component output, and steady flow of downloadable games, nothing can come close to the feel of the original systems. In particular, I’m talking about the NES.

But there’s good news if you’re among the many who’d love to own a mint condition NES again (or for the first time). For the system’s 25th anniversary (which is July 15, 2008), the Big N will be releasing a “Limited Collector’s Edition” replica of the Nintendo Entertainment System. The console will come with two controllers but as of yet there’s no word on which games will be included.

While part of the reason for the release of this 25th Anniversary console is to commemorate a giant in the gaming world, one can’t help but wonder if Nintendo’s hidden agenda is to help combat the rise in popularity of cheaply-made NES clones.

In its heyday, the Nintendo Entertainment System sold well over 61 million systems worldwide. Unfortunately due to inherent problems with the console’s design, not many of them could withstand repeated use of the front-loading, supposed “zero insertion force” cartridge mechanism. This resulted in undesired wear on the pin connectors: a problem that many tried to solve by blowing on the cartridge contacts.

Nintendo is addressing this problem in the Limited Collector’s Edition by eliminating the press-down part of the cartridge insertion. While this may deter some hardcore old-school gamers, Nintendo’s North American President Reggie Fils-Aime has his own spin on it:

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Posted in Famicom, Humour, News, Nintendo | 3 Comments »