The Advance Wars series was one of the best kept secrets of the Game Boy Advance. Its easy to learn yet hard to master gameplay made both GBA iterations hits among players, and the series’s first DS entry, Dual Strike, wasn’t bad either. However, did anyone else beside me feel that the game’s atmosphere was a bit too cheery and colorful for a game about war? I mean say what you will about Army of Two’s fist pounding, but for crying out loud, we’ve had people high-fiving, bragging with Internet slang, and cheering each other on as if they just won the super bowl rather than participated in something that results in the deaths of thousands. Thankfully the crew at Intelligent Systems shares my sentiment, and has completely changed the face of the Advance Wars series. While the game has been retooled from top to bottom, the turn-based strategy action has thankfully been left intact. While it may turn off some audiences, both longtime series fans and new players alike will eat this game up.
[Read the rest of this entry…]

YouTube Version

Video Netcast Version
Subscribe to Famicom Dojo on iTunes
Direct Link: Famicom Denshimail – Batteries (2009/03/23)

This week we talk about why the Famicom Disk System uses batteries, and whether or not it’s a viable solution for your gaming needs. Also — an “experiment”.

Show notes:
[Read the rest of this entry…]

Blip.TV Version

Direct Link: Season 2 Denshimail: Adapters

YouTube Version [HD]
Direct Link: Famicom Dojo: Denshimail – Adapters (2009/03/09)

Welcome to our first ever installment of Famicom Denshimail — the program where we answer your questions about Nintendo’s little system… and anything else that tickles our fancy!

For our first Denshimail installment, we answer your questions about power adapters and cross-system/voltage compatibility.

Show Notes
http://famicomdojo.tv/season2/denshimail/adapters

Send us a question by leaving a comment on our video, or shoot us an email to denshimail@famicomdojo.tv. If your question is just crazy or interesting enough, it might make it onto the show! At the very least, you will get a (hopefully) swift reply to your query.

Episode Links:

Watch the first Season of Famicom Dojo:

Famicom Dojo: Famicom and Disk System
Famicom Dojo: The Battery Backup
Famicom Dojo: Nintendo Has Moxie
Famicom Dojo: Cartridges and Pins
Famicom Dojo: Microphone Roundup
Famicom Dojo: Twin Famicoms

“Final Fantasy IV: The After” or “The After Years” as it will now be known, is coming to the Wii. What is this game? Final Fantasy IV: The After – Return to the Moon is a direct sequel to Final Fantasy IV, the greatest game ever made, which was previously available only to Japanese cell phone users. Many North American fans have been wanting to get this game, but unable to even imagine a mechanism by which we might get it, but Siloconera has done a bit of sleuthing and found an ESRB entry for the game stating it will be released on the Wii by Square Enix.

Not much else is known about the North American release of this game. Will it be it’s own title, a Wii Ware game or on the Virtual Console? Any of those could fit so far as I can figure, but I’m just extremely glad that we’ll actually be getting this game. The cell phone game was released in monthly installments, though it’s too early to tell if we will be getting this game all in one shot or in similar pieces.

A quick look at this game’s graphics show it to be nearly identical looking to it’s 1991 predecessor. The story follows the events of the original game by some 17 years with many character having aged, being descendants of original characters, or being secondary characters we’re getting more of a showcase on. For example we have characters like Palom and Porom all grown up, Cecil’s son, and even character’s like Luca, the daughter of King Giot.

[Read the rest of this entry…]

I review a butt ton of Nintendo themes candy, and give myself diabetes in the process.

It appears as though the possibility of a new Zelda game, or some new big Zelda news, may very well be on the horizon. On a sub-site for the Japanese company “Marvelous Entertainment”, most famously known for the Harvest Moon video game series, a single page has been launched featuring an odd yet obvious rendition of the iconic TriForce symbol in the form of a clock that seems to be counting down to a date a little over 6 days from now.

Whether this means that a new game is on the brink of being announced, or there is some other meaningful Zelda news to be released, is anyone’s guess. We’ll be sure to keep you all updated on this tidbit of news.

Blip.TV Version

YouTube Version
Direct Link: Famicom Dojo: Twin Famicoms (plus: Denshimail Promo)

Video Netcast Version
 Subscribe to iTunes POWETcast
Famicom Dojo – Episode 06 – Twin Famicoms
Famicom Dojo – Denshimail Promo

The Season 1 Finale is upon us! Were you ready? We warned you to be ready! 😮

In this episode, we bring to front and center the console that has been lurking in the background all season, the Sharp Twin Famicom!

Show Notes
http://famicomdojo.tv/season1/twin-famicoms/

[Read the rest of this entry…]

This title from Sammy (now owned by Sega) is one of the finest, yet most underrated titles on the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game contains 3 different styles of gameplay. There are side scrolling platforming segments in which players can switch between various weapons, light-gun shooting levels which are similar to Operation Wolf, and driving levels similar to Spy-Hunter. The story, told through cinemas explores genetic mutations, cloning, and secret conspiracies which take the game beyond the standard ‘save the princess’ storylines seen in other games of that period. This game is a sought after title for the Virtual Console. In fact Mark Bozon, editor of IGN’s Wii Page have been asking the company about the possibility of the game being available on the service. However, Sammy apparently doesn’t remember the game and is tracking down the licensing rights to it. That’s a shame too, as this is an excellent title that deserves a second life.