Bookmark these retro-riffic sites

Surprise, surprise--I spent a lot of time surfing the Interwebs last night. It wasn't a completely pointless experience, though, as I stumbled across a slew of great retro-gaming blogs and sites that I'm sure I'll be revisiting (and soon). Anyway, I thought I'd post them here in case any of you are looking to add a few new sites to your own web-surfing sessions.

* gameSniped.com--This site "strive[s] to showcase the most obscure and really rare items that eBay may offer." It also strives to "point out items that are going at a steal, and other stuff that’s just plain interesting." Truth be told, I should stay far away from this site--I went a bit crazy on eBay a few years ago and bought a PC-Engine CoreGrafx II, a Super CD-ROM attachment, a SuperGrafx and a ton of games in a matter of days--but I think I can control myself now.

* Magweasel.com--There are many reasons to read Kevin Gifford's blog, which focuses on "video games, Japan and assorted interesting things." The reason I'll be returning for seconds and thirds (and beyond): His "I (heart) The PC Engine" posts. I've rarely met a video game system I didn't like, but I have a soft spot in my heart for the good 'ol PC Engine (TurboGrafx-16 here in the States)--as you can probably tell from my eBay admission above :)

* Retro-Treasures.blogspot.com--Sadly, this blog, which bills itself as the "daily resource of retro gaming pleasure both for the collector and the nostalgic or historically inclined gamer," has been in "hibernation mode" since early May. The blog's owner hopes to be back in the swing of things sometime early next year, so I'll just check in from time to time until that day arrives.

Play this (free) game: Icycle

The guys and gals over at IndieGames.com owe me, oh, at least a hundred dollars. Why, you ask? Well, they're responsible for turning me on to DampGnat's fabulously fun flash game, Icycle.

I spent a good hour or so--an hour I should have spent working--playing the damn thing earlier today and I only stopped after dying about ten times (OK, it might have been more) on the fifth level.

I'll hold off on sending the IndieGames crew an invoice, though, since I enjoyed that hour more than I would have if I'd worked :)

Given that glowing recommendation, you're going to head over to DampGnat's site and give Icycle a try as soon as you have a second (or a minute, or an hour) to spare, right?

Hmmmmmmmm... I'm sensing some hesitation. Are you the kind of overly serious person who refuses to jump into a game without knowing anything about it? If so, take a gander at this trailer:



Now, keep in mind that unless you're some sort of gaming god (or goddess) you'll be seeing those rather humorous death scenes quite regularly.

If you're anything like me, though, they'll make you laugh out loud--and they certainly won't keep you from continuing your cryogenically preserved character's quest.

Who ya gonna call? Kaiju Busters!

I have a confession to make: I've never played Monster Hunter. Not on the PS2, not on the PSP and not (yet) on the Wii.

I think what I need is some sort of Monster Hunter lite--an entry-level version of the game that will show me the ropes, so to speak.

I doubt Capcom is planning to produce such a title anytime soon, but that's OK because it seems Namco Bandai (strangely enough) has beaten them to the punch with the upcoming DS release, Kaiju Busters.

I know, the name isn't all that impressive, but the game itself seems impressive indeed:



Sadly, I have a feeling Kaiju Busters is going to remain a Japan-only affair, if you know what I mean.

Oh, well, maybe I'll just pick up a copy of the original Monster Hunter (on the PS2) and work my way up from there...

Nintendo, press pushing Wii Fit Plus' 'pet support'

Wii Fit Plus is hitting store shelves across the U.S. this weekend, so you know what that means: Nintendo's PR people are hitting the streets to give that sucker one last push.

Their hard work seems to be paying off, at least in terms of publicity. Quite a few news outlets have published articles about the Wii Fit semi-sequel in the last few days, including Forbes.com.

The most interesting thing about these articles (to me, at least) is that many of them focus on the title's "pet support"--i.e., it allows players to create avatars of their dogs and cats and then use the Balance Board to weigh (and continue monitoring the weight of) their furry friends.

I probably won't be picking up Wii Fit Plus this weekend, but I can assure you that when I do I'll use it to track the weight of our cat, who could stand to lose a few pounds. Maybe I'll even post status updates (with pics!) from time to time :)

Nintendo's Art Academy titles: Mario Paint minus Mario?

I was a big fan of Mario Paint back in the days of the SNES. Of course, who wasn't? The title was (and still is) a fine example of Nintendo's ability to think outside of the gaming box.

The folks at Nintendo may be uninterested in bringing back that long-lost gem--it has yet to hit the Wii Virtual Console service--but that doesn't mean they're uninterested in bringing back some of the things that made Mario Paint so special.

Case in point: the company's recent Art Academy releases for its downloadable DSiWare service.

Nintendo's PR people promise the first title in the series, Art Academy: First Semester, for instance, will guide gamers "through the basics of using pencil and paints, which draw like the real things. With your own paintbrush set and color palette, you will learn texturing and blending techniques, along with how to depict light and shade."

Thankfully, you don't have to take their word for it--"zigg" over at NeoGAF recently posted his initial impressions of the title and seemed very, well, impressed.

"I've only done the first pencil-drawing lesson and there's already three thicknesses of pencil available (though the first lesson only had me use one) and also the ability to use them or the eraser on tip or side," he wrote recently. Here's the result of that first lesson (which I find rather impressive):

"I dunno if it'll make me an artist--I suspect there's something to be said for having the ability in the first place--but being an absolute novice, there's certainly some things to learn here," he added. "Regardless, it looks like the paint program is going to be rather good."

Read more of zigg's impressions of the title at the end of this NeoGAF thread.