Bonk makes a comeback on Monday

According to Hudson's handy dandy Virtual Console page, the best of Bonk's three outings on the TurboGrafx-16 (Bonk's Revenge) will be available for purchase and download on Monday.

Bonk's Revenge was one of my favorite titles on the TG-16 back in the day. It was better than the original in practically every way--it bests Bonk's Adventure in graphics, audio and gameplay.

Rumor has it Bonk will be joined this week by Punch-Out!! (sans Mike Tyson) and the horrendous Genesis version of Virtua Fighter 2. Two out of three isn't bad, I guess...

Now Hudson just needs to release the previously unavailable (in the U.S.) Battle Lode Runner. Maybe next week?

1up discusses Mario's many makeovers (and more)

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last decade--or simply didn't grow up playing games on the NES--you've already heard how Nintendo took an obscure Famicom Disc System game called Doki Doki Panic! and transformed it into the game known and loved (in the U.S. at least) as Super Mario Bros. 2.

Well, that wasn't the first time a company swapped out a few graphics before bringing a Japanese game to the U.S., nor was it the last. One of the latest examples can be found in Nintendo's quirky rhythm-based DS game, Elite Beat Agents. The game began life in Japan as Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan and was massively overhauled--new characters, new storylines and new music--before being offered up to American gamers.

For more on that story, as well as many other games that were given a face lift (or more) before making the trip across the pond, make a visit 1up.com.

MTV jumps on the gay gaming bandwagon

I was happily surprised when I went to GayGamer.net yesterday and saw that some of the guys who run that great site have been featured in an article posted to MTV.com about "gay gamers taking a stand."

It's an interesting read, though the information has been tackled many times before. Still, this is one of the more mainstream iterations of the story, so hopefully it will leave more of an impression on the masses than the previous versions could muster.

If you'd like to read another take on this subject, take a look at the article I wrote for Gamasutra.com late last year.

Everlasting Love embraces the DS

I have to admit I know next to nothing about the homebrew community on the DS. I knew it existed, but considering the current state of emulation on and for Nintendo's portable system, I haven't paid it much attention.

Apparently I've missed out on a few gems--including a cute little game called Everlasting Love. Based on descriptions I've read elsewhere, the game seems to be an odd but compelling mix of platforming and rhythm-based action.

Players are tasked with moving a jittery, jumping monkey from the start of each level to its end. That's not as easy as it sounds, however, as the closer your monkey's jumps are to the beat of the music, the higher her jumps are. That can be a problem when spikes aren't far from her furry little head.

Two levels currently are available on line. I'm not exactly sure how you're supposed to get them to work, though I'm sure a little Google action will help if you're interested.

Capcom goes all out for Gamer's Day

Gamers have been hyped for some time about Capcom's Gamer's Day event that took place this past Thursday. Would new games be announced for the Wii or any other of the next-gen systems? Would we see more of the recently announced Resident Evil games? What about the portables--will they see some Capcom love?

The answer to all of those questions was "yes," of course. Especially interesting to me were the new looks we got at some games that were announced some time ago, such as Treasure Island Z. The game has reminded many a critic of PC point-and-click games of old (in a good way), with up-to-date graphics to boot. I really wasn't interested in this game when I first saw it a few weeks ago (or was it longer than that), but now it is creeping up my Wii wish list.

Other Wii releases showed promise, too. We got a more in-depth look at Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles as well as Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition. RE: UC especially intrigues me, with its destructible environments and amazing graphics. It'll be interesting to see if Wii owners embrace this one or give it a pass.

If you're interested in seeing all of these games and more in action--and reading hands-on impressions of them as well--go over to GoNintendo.com, where they have compiled a long list of links that will take you where you want to go.