We haven’t forgotten about our BotCon news — we’ve just been busy pulling together our next awesome convention special! Here’s a sneak peak at what’s coming down the pipe.

Sure you know about the Gradius series, but what do you know of Konami’s other shooter, Axelay?  This SNES shooter showcased some cool mode-7 effects, awesome stages, and had a catchy soundtrack.  Stages in the game were both side-scrolling and horizontal, and there were some kick-ass boss fights, such as the lava man shown on the cover.  You could select you weapons at the beginnng of each level, although some of them had limited ammo.  Some of the people who worked on this game left to form Treasure, which produced the cult classic Gunstar Heroes.  Not a whole lot else to say about this game, so check out the ROM, or pray that Konami brings it to Wii’s virtual console.

In 2003, Nintendo released Warioware Inc, a bizzare and unique pacakge unlike anything seen so far on the Game Boy Advance. It was a collection of ‘microgames’, short games that were to be completed in a few seconds. These games included jumping over a moving vehicle, dodging arrows, wiping the snot from a nose of an anime girl, and even excerpts from classic Nintendo games. There was nothing like it, and still isn’t. When the DS was announced, I suspected that there would be a version of Warioware which would take full advantage of the system’s capabilities, and sure enough, here it is.

Warioware touched makes use of the stylus and microphone for an all new and bizzare collection of minigames. You use the stylus to cut up food, unroll toilet paper, put out fires using a statue of a urinating child, and other bizzare activities. Each set of games is grouped according to thier main function. For instance, Jimmy’s games involve rubbing, while Mona’s involve quick cutting motions. You unlock more stuff throughout the game, including more minigames, and ‘toys’ which show off fun little things you can do with the DS. For those looking for something unique, you can’t go wrong with this. Also, check out Warioware twisted on GBA, and Warioware smooth moves comming soon to Wii.