My copy of Xenoblade Chronicles has been 'despatched'

Oh, suuuuuuuurrrrrrre. I was all ready to make fun of the folks at The Hut/SendIt/Zavvi for telling me my copy of Xenoblade Chronicles had been "despatched"--and then I discovered (via dictionary.com) that "despatch" is an acceptable alternative to "dispatch." Harrumph.

Whatever. All that really matters is that this open-world RPG, which will be released throughout Europe on Friday, is on its way across the ocean to our doorstep. How long it takes to arrive on said doorstep, of course, is anyone's guess. I'm expecting it to take a few weeks, but I won't be at all surprised if it takes longer.



Regardless of when my copy of this Monolith Soft-developed game shows up, you can rest assured I'll take and post a few Glamour Shots-esque photos of its packaging shortly after I rip it open.

See also: 'I just pre-ordered Xenoblade (or, who needs Nintendo of America when you've got The Hut?)'

Let's Play: 'Which Box Art is Better?' (Bubble Bobble edition)

Most of the "Which Box Art is Better?" posts I've published over the years have focused on current or upcoming titles. Today's is going to focus on a classic: Bubble Bobble.

Fukio Mitsuji's single-screened platformer has been ported to a number of home systems since it first made a splash in arcades around in the world in 1986. Among the systems to receive said ports: The Sega Mark III (aka the Master System), the Game Gear, the FM Towns and the Famicom Disk System. (It was released in cartridge form for the NES).

For some strange reason, the game was re-titled Final Bubble Bobble when it was released for the Sega Mark III. Here's that version's box art:

Every other home version of the game retained the original title. Only the Famicom Disk System's cover, however, made use of the original concept art (as seen in the cover art below).

The NES version's packaging (below), for instance, featured art that was less precious and more cartoonish than its Japanese counterpart.

The art that graced the cover of the Game Gear port of this popular quarter muncher was created using a similar style.

As unique as the illustrations above are, they pale in comparison to the imagery that was created for the cover of the FM Towns iteration of the game.

Which do I prefer? I hate to say it's a tie, but that's what it is for me--with my two top picks being the FM Towns and the Sega Mark III box arts. Anyway, that's just my opinion on the matter. What's yours?

See also: Previous 'Which Box Art is Better?' posts

Surprise, surprise: Nintendo slipped Twinkle Star Sprites onto the Virtual Console late last week

Unfortunately for many of us, the company only slipped the game onto the Japanese Virtual Console.

Does this mean ADK's shooter-slash-puzzler, which began life as a Neo Geo title before being ported to the Saturn and Dreamcast, will soon be slipped onto the Virtual Console in other regions, too? I sure hope so.



If the possibility of playing Twinkle Star Sprites on your Wii doesn't excite you, may I suggest acquainting yourself with the video above, which shows off a good portion of the game's Dreamcast port?

Any Puzzle Bobble fans out there?

I ask because I'm itching to jump into this Bubble Bobble spin-off (called Bust-a-Move in North America), but I'm not sure where to start.

I know what some of you are thinking: Start with the first one! Don't worry, I will. But I'd also like to know which of the series' 26 iterations are considered by fans to be the best.

I'm especially interested in versions that were released for the Dreamcast and the original PlayStation, by the way, although I'm willing to consider those released for other systems (even handhelds), too.

Nintendo's investors are idiots

I'm guessing you've heard by now that various analysts, experts and even investors are calling on Nintendo to make games for Facebook as well as for smartphones (Apple's iPhone, in particular). If not, you may want to read the article, "Mario Pressured to Jump to IPhone as Nintendo Wii, 3DS Slump," which caused quite a ruckus after it was published on bloomberg.com yesterday.

Personally, I can't think of anything worse--for investors or gamers--than Nintendo abandoning its heretofore-properous hardware business in favor of producing cheap Facebook and iPad/iPhone games. For instance, I'm not sure how the company would make more money by selling, say, an iPhone version of Super Mario Bros. for $.99 or even $5 a copy than it could by selling a Wii U version of Super Mario Bros. for $50 a copy.

I could see Nintendo having similar financial problems if it only took part of the above-mentioned investors' advice and made Facebook and/or iPhone games while also making 3DS and Wii U games. After all, surely a $.99 Super Mario Bros. game made for iPhone would negatively impact the sales of a similar Super Mario Bros. game made for Wii U, especially since the latter would sell for many times the price of the former?

Would you like to see any of these characters star 

in his or her own Facebook or iPhone game?

The only way I could see Nintendo benefitting from such a move would be if it produced and published only new IPs, or if it produced and published a mixture of new IPs and simplistic spin-offs of its existing IPs, for Facebook and/or smartphones.

That's just my opinion, of course--and I didn't exactly graduate with a degree in business or economics. Anyway, what do all of you think about these cries for Nintendo to enter the Facebook and smartphone spaces? Should the company follow that advice, or ignore it?