Nice Package! (Mr. Driller: Drill Land, GameCube)

Considering every aspect of Namco's long-running Mr. Driller game series is utterly adorable, it astounds me it took me so many years to jump aboard.

In fact, I didn't buy my first Mr. Driller title--that would be the PlayStation port of the very first one--until late in 2011. A year later, the Mr. Driller floodgates opened and I bought the DS entry, Drill Spirits, as well as the WonderSwan iteration of the original.

Today, I own so many Mr. Driller games they're coming out of my ears. OK, that's obviously overstating things a tad, but the point stands. I have a lot of Mr. Driller cartridges and discs at the moment. Without question, the one that's most dear to me is the one displayed in the photo below.

Why am I so smitten with Mr. Driller: Drill Land, you ask? Well, to begin with, it's a GameCube title. That alone is enough to make me swoon these days. (I'm a tiny bit obsessed with Nintendo's last "traditional" console right now. Which of course means you should expect me to publish a slew of posts about it in the coming weeks and months.)

Another reason is Drill Land's gorgeous packaging. Seriously, take a gander at the front of the game's outer sleeve (above) and try to tell me it doesn't make you tear up a smidge.

Naturally, the back of Mr. Driller: Drill Land's outer sleeve is looker, too--though I doubt anyone would argue it looks better than its flip side. That said, I quite like the 1970s-esque "swoosh" that flows down the reverse's right edge.

Drill Land's outer sleeve also sports a lovely little illustration near the base of its side flap. A small detail, yes, but a nice one all the same.

That same illustration pops up on the game's shockingly teeny disc, which can be seen in the previous snapshot. The use of orange here is rather nice, don't you think?

I don't know that I'd go so far as to suggest that inside Mr. Driller: Drill Land's instruction manual is where all the magic is, but I'd definitely say some magic is present within its many pages.

The spread showcased above is a good example, as is the one below.

Admittedly, Drill Land's manual suffers from a lot of the same ailments that hold back most such booklets produced after, say, the PlayStation era. Which is to say it features too much text and too little art. Still, I'm not going to toss it into the trash anytime soon. So I guess I'll just leave things at: "it could bet so much better."

As for the actual game that's on offer here, well, it's not a whole lot different from what's included in other entries in this series. Mr. Driller: Drill Land does present that tried-and-true gameplay in a somewhat unique way, though, and that is to be applauded. (Basically, players can pick from five distinct drilling games, each of which are styled as theme-park rides.)

Have any of you played Drill Land--and any other Mr. Driller title, for that matter? If so, please share your thoughts about them in the following comments section.

About that GameBoy-centric podcast I recorded ages ago with Jeremy Parish...

I don't know if you've heard, but a podcast I recorded with Jeremy Parish, of 1UP.com and USgamer fame, made its way onto the Internet yesterday.

We actually got on the horn, as the old saying goes, and recorded the 'cast this time last year. Why is it only now seeing the light of day? Here's the explanation Parish shared in a related usgamer.net article:

"I've sat on this audio conversation all this time for a few reasons—chief among them being that I wasn't sure I really wanted to commit to another podcast project. And as much work as I'm putting into detailing the GameBoy's history, building yet another retrospective layer seems a bit like overkill."

You may have noticed that he described this as being part of a larger project. That's because it was--originally.



Parish approached me about a year-and-a-half ago to see if I'd be up for combining forces to create an on-going podcast that would complement his Game Boy World site and books. I agreed on the spot, of course.

It actually took us a good number of months to coordinate the recording session that produced the podcast that can be listened to here. (It covers the system's Japanese launch as well as its first four games--Alleyway, Baseball, Super Mario Land and Yakuman.) I want to say it was about six months, but it doesn't really matter in the end, does it?

Speaking of the end, despite what Parish himself said in the USgamer write-up mentioned above, it's possible he and I will reconvene to chat about Nintendo's first handheld system--and its underrated catalog of games--in future Retronauts Micro episodes.

In the meantime, give this "almost lost" pilot a listen. If you enjoy it, please let me know in the comments section below or on Twitter. Even better: pass it along to others who you think may get a kick out of it.

See also: every blog post I've published about the GameBoy

Happy 20th anniversary, Super Mario 64

I almost can't believe Super Mario 64 made its way onto Japanese store shelves 20 years ago today.

I say almost because, well, it some ways it totally feels like it's been two decades since I first played this classic platformer.

It helps, I'm sure, that the above-mentioned experience took place during my freshman year in college. No matter how young I may (think I) look or feel, that was some time ago, and I know it.

That said, my memories of my initial Super Mario 64 playthrough are as clear as yesterday. My parents gave me a Nintendo 64 system and a copy of this game as a birthday gift. I hooked up the former as soon as I returned to my dorm room, after which my best friend and I put Super Mario 64 through its paces while it snowed like the dickens outside.

To say we were in awe of what we saw and heard and felt that night would be a massive understatement. Sure, Mario's first three-dimensional adventure was far from gorgeous--even then--thanks to the bevy of blurry textures on display, but its polygonal characters and environments still caused my pal and I to slobber like rabid dogs.



Far more thrilling to either of us than this game's graphics, though, were its controls. Using an analog stick to make Mario tiptoe, walk, run, jump and slide around each stage wasn't just a revelation, it was a blast. It was so much fun, in fact, that we didn't pull ourselves away from it until early the next morning.

In the ensuing days, weeks and even months, I spent more time than I probably should admit simply running and jumping and prompting Mario to yell "yahoo!" I also heard so much of its glorious soundtrack that to this day I regularly hum its boppy "main theme."

Admittedly, I haven't played much of Super Mario 64 in the last decade or so, despite my fond memories of it. As such, I can't really say if it's aged at all well. I suspect it hasn't, but even if that's the case, it aptly served its purpose back when it was the best thing since sliced bread, and that's more than enough for me.

How about you? Do nostalgic thoughts of this Nintendo 64 launch title cause you to feel all warm and fuzzy inside? Also, have you checked in with it in the last few years to see if the game is as great as you remember it to be?

Regardless, please share your own anniversary-fueled Super Mario 64 memories in the comments section that follows.

Help me remain strong as I wait for the Vita version of VA-11 Hall-A to be released

I've been curious about Sukeban Games' VA-11 Hall-A, which the developer describes as a "cyberpunk bartender action" title, since I first became aware of it some time ago.

Considering publisher Ysbryd Games' finally made it available to the world yesterday, you might assume I'm currently feeling ecstatic. Unfortunately, you'd be wrong.

That's not because I've reconsidered my stance on this lovely looking visual novel, mind you. Rather, it's because only the Linux, Mac and PC versions of VA-11 Hall-A are able to be purchased at the moment.



The Vita iteration, the one I've been dreaming of playing since this deliciously retro title was unveiled, is nowhere to be seen.

Apparently it'll see the light of day later this year, if the word on the street is to believed, so in the meantime I've either got to sit tight until VA-11 Hall-A Vita hits both virtual and physical store shelves, or I've got to bite the bullet and buy the Mac release for a not-inconsiderable $14.99.

While I decide which path to take, check out the game's final trailer (above). Or, if you've already played some form of VA-11 Hall-A, share your thoughts on it in the comments section below.

Maybe this is the kick in the pants I needed to finally play Falcom's Gurumin

I wish I could tell you why I've yet to play--or even buy a copy of--Falcom's Gurumin.

I can't even claim ignorance, as I've known of this adorable action-adventure game's existence for years now.

On top of that, I've heard nothing but good things about Gurumin's gameplay, which appears to be one part The Legend of Zelda and one part Mega Man Legends.

Although I could bite the bullet and buy the PSP port of the game--both Japanese and North American copies are pretty cheap these days, especially used ones--I have a feeling I'll pass on that option and instead plop down $14.99 on the just-announced Gurumin 3D.



What on earth is Gurumin 3D, you ask? Why, it's a 3DS port of the game that'll hit the North American eShop sometime next month. (It'll hit the European 3DS eShop later this summer.)

Yes, that means Gurumin 3D is a digital-only title. No, I'm not thrilled about that. Yes, I'd prefer to purchase and own a physical version of the game.

Despite the above, I'm pretty sure Gurumin 3D will soon take up space on one of my North American 3DS systems, as it's far more likely I'll actually play it than the above-mentioned PSP release.

Here's a trailer for the game, for those of you who are curious. Once you've watched it, let me know what you think. Also let me know--in the comments section below, naturally--if you intend to buy this title or if you've already played some other iteration of it.