I'm going to miss playing games this way, too

Until the release of the DSi and DSi XL, Nintendo's portable systems were always region-free (i.e., they could play games from any country).

I've taken full advantage of that "feature" over the years by buying a slew of European and Japanese releases--like Compile's Guru Logi Champ (below)--for my trusty GameBoy Advance and DS systems.

Well, if this e-mail from Nintendo of Japan's customer-support staff--which suggests the 3DS will follow in the region-locked footsteps of the DSi and DSi XL--is to be believed, those days will soon be behind me (and you, if you tend to import games from other countries).

I'm sure the brass at Nintendo have their reasons for region-locking the 3DS, but I'm not so sure any of those reasons will keep me from giving them the stink eye whenever they release an awesome game in Europe or Japan and then refuse to bring it to the States.

See also: 'I'm going to miss playing games this way'

I'm going to miss playing games this way

All of this 3DS talk has me wondering: Are the days of playing games while holding (insert dual-screened system of choice) sideways--a la Brain Age, CrossworDS, Hotel Dusk: Room 215 and Rhythm Heaven--over?

Sure, the soon-to-be-released 3DS has two screens, just like its predecessor, but one of those screens is larger than the other. Plus, the larger one will be used (predominantly) to display 3D imagery--which reportedly won't be visible when the system is turned sideways.

All of the above has me thinking most 3DS games will be single-screen affairs--as in, most, if not all, of the action will take place on the larger, upper screen, while secondary information (maps, menus, etc.) will reside on the smaller, lower screen.

I'm sure that setup will be fine in most situations, but I can't help but feel a bit sad that the days of "book style" games may be behind us.

'Tour de Super Mario Bros.'

What do you get when you combine five Super Mario Bros. cartridges (preferably of the banana-yellow Famicom variety), a Fukuoka (Japan) library and a pile of North Korean propaganda from the 1980s? (Oh, and don't forget to throw some planes and trains into the mix, too.)

Why, you get "Tour de Super Mario Bros.," of course.

A few months ago, Sean over at famicomblog.blogspot.com posted the hilarious "Tour d' Excitebike," which included numerous photos of bright orange Excitebike carts as they paraded around Fukuoka. Earlier this week, he continued the series with the aforementioned "Tour de Super Mario Bros."

Whereas the previous tour included trips to Fukuoka Castle and Hakata Bay, this one includes stops at Kyudai Central Library and some nearby planes and trains.

Go here to see more of Sean's Famicom-focused tomfoolery. (Trust me, it's worth a visit just to see his photos of North Korean propaganda from the 1980s.)

See also: 'Tour d' Excitebike'

Mother + ukelele

I've had the Mother (EarthBound in the States) series on the brain lately--mainly because I've been eyeing up a boxed copy of the original Famicom game on eBay for the last week or two--so when gonintendo.com posted the following video a few days ago it immediately caught my attention.



If you like this gentleman's take on Keiichi Suzuki's/Hirokazu Tanaka's "Eight Melodies," be sure to check out his YouTube Channel--which includes ukelele covers of various Final Fantasy, Legend of Mana, The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Land tracks.

Yes, please

The one game that could get me to buy a 3DS this year (as opposed to next year--or whenever Nintendo releases the inevitable 3DSlite) is Paper Mario 3DS.

For anyone who is as crazy about this series as I am, here's a brief, silent trailer of said game:



That lava level looks *hot*, doesn't it? And I mean that figuratively, not literally.