Scan courtesy vintagecomputing.com

The poster looks silly, but actually Kickle Cubicle is a pretty fun game. It’s a puzzler along the lines of Adventures of Lolo.

Scan spotted at VintageComputing.com.

During the golden age of video arcade games, arcades were blowing up and reaching all new levels of popularity in the states. However, in the mid 1980s the fad suddenly came to a halt with the production of home computers and home video game consoles which assured players that they would never need to leave the house or burn quarters to play their favorite games.

Hologram Time Traveler arcade cabinet

I remember playing Hologram Time Traveler once in a nearby arcade when I was a kid. While unique in presentation, I didn’t find it that interesting. I think most people in the area agreed with me, as it was pretty much neglected by patrons for Smash TV and Street Fighter II.

Thus begins one of the best discussions I have read on what makes Metroid and Super Metroid so good.

And then, something curious happens. A bomb placed haphazardly at the bottom of a vertical shaft explodes… and takes with it a chunk of the floor. This surprises me, because while I know certain floor and wall tiles are vulnerable to explosions, those had always been set apart with cracks. This section of floor, on the other hand, didn’t look any different from the rest of Norfair — an extrusion of what appeared to be purple bubbles of different diameters. Curious, I let the floor regenerate and bomb it again. And again it boils away beneath my bombs. So, I start rolling around to see what else I can destroy. A few more floor tiles evaporate, but ultimately this leads to nothing. Still, I’ve made an important discovery. I run to a nearby room and start bombing everywhere: on the floor, in the air, against the walls. And here’s where it all pays off, because a bomb placed at head height against a nearby wall as my spherical hero is lifted into the air by explosive force shatters a block. I bounce into it, Samus still tucked into a ball, and roll until I can go no further. Another bomb clears this latest obstruction, and another, and another, and suddenly I’ve uncovered an entirely new room. I’ve cracked the mystery of Zebes.

Bombing in Norfair

Satoru Iwata, President, Nintendo Co. Ltd.

Coinciding with the recent release of New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Iwata sits down with the creator of Mario, Shigeru Miyamoto to talk about the mustachioed hero and the design choices that went in to NSMBW.

Shigeru Miyamoto, Senior Managing Director, Nintendo Co. Ltd.; General Manager, EAD

Iwata In this interview, we’re going to talk about New Super Mario Bros. Wii, but rather than diving straight into a discussion of the new title, I’d like to begin by talking about Mario’s roots. There will of course be a lot of readers who know all about this, but I think there are also people who are completely in the dark about how Mario began.

Miyamoto Yes, you’re right.

Iwata Shall we begin by talking about the period of Mario’s initial conception, when he was known as “Jumpman”?

Miyamoto Sure. Now, this is something I’ve been asked about in hundreds of interviews, so I’ll make it quick! (laughs)

Be sure to check out the rest of the interview!

A Land of Adventure

The cross battle menu was an interesting solution.

Puzzle elements in the dungeons are a nice distraction from level grinding.

Square-Enix is going all-out for the remake, to be titled Estpolis: The Lands Cursed by the Gods. New artwork, 3D polygonal engine (similar to Final Fantasy IV‘s DS remake), and I believe there will be some voice acting in the game as well, if the website content is any indication.

Maxim has been redesigned, and I'm sure the other characters have as well.

3D polygonal goodness

The character illustrations are nicely done.

The website lists the release date as February 25th, 2010, for ¥5,980 (currently about $68 US).

Simple and eye-catching.

One example of Nintendo of Japan’s marketing for New Super Mario Bros. Wii uses the first level of Super Mario Bros. 3 to evoke a feeling of nostalgia and good times in the viewer. The stylized, but simple, design of the first level in the game, plus Mario with the Raccoon tail, explicitly states that NSMBW will be just as enjoyable and memorable as the Famicom classic.

Spotted at Andriasang.com.

Much better than a Mario hat.

For many years Nintendo of Japan has had a customer rewards program called Club Nintendo. As you buy Nintendo products you earn points that can be redeemed for premium items direct from Nintendo. If you earn over a certain amount of points in one year, you are awarded different status levels, with Platinum being the highest at a 400 point threshold.

This year’s Platinum reward is a reissue of Nintendo’s first Game & Watch hand-held, Ball. Gold status members aren’t left out in the cold – they have earned a pretty spiffy 2010 calendar. These rewards only apply to Japanese customers, as Nintendo’s North American and European branches have their own rewards program. Speaking of which, did you order the Mario cap or the Punch Out!! minigame?

Spotted on RetroThing.

OSV: How were you discovered by Konami? And how was it working for them? I believe you were employed by Konami for 2 years, correct?

Yamashita: So, I was about to graduate from my college and was looking for a job. There was a consultation office of employment opportunities, so I went there. I initially was looking to do hardware designing for musical instruments, but they could not find any of those for females. Then the officer recommended Konami saying “Their music department is looking for someone to work.” I must admit that I did not really know what Konami was, but I gave a shot because it was a music job after all. Konami’s entrance exam was really difficult. If I remember correctly, I think there was like up to the 4th exam. I finally got the job after passing all those tough exams. I was placed into the acoustic effect research lab, and that was when I met the Famicom for the first time. I tried a number of games there. The first project I was assigned to was Akumajou Dracula on Famicom Disk System, or Castlevania in the west. That was also the first composing experience for me.

Nothing says 'Hyper-Speed Shoot-Out in Space' than an old dude with a banjo.

Despite the unbelievably strange box art, Phalanx is a good looking shmup. In 2001 it was ported to the GBA (with much better box art).

Yeah, don't make fun of the banjo! (SNES)

Zoom, Inc. is working on a remake for Japanese Wii players. Hopefully it will be released elsewhere, since so-called “Wii-makes” are apparently the rage right now. Check out some screenshots of the remake.

Spotted at Infendo.com.