Monday, May 16th, a big wish comes true for many game fans: Chrono Trigger, the original time-bending, actions-have-consequences, multiple-endings, medieval, futuristic, Tolkienesque, steampunk, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink Super Nintendo RPG classic arrives on Wii via the Virtual Console service.

Eight bucks for one of the best games ever created. Not a bad deal. Click here for more information from the horse’s (chocobo’s?) mouth.

It’s been a long time since I bought a VC title, but this one’s a must-have for me. How about you?

We’ve entered a new era, and glasses-free 3D is now a very real option for modern gameplay. Nintendo’s 3DS launch lineup presents a wide range of approaches in utilizing the new feature, with varying results. Based on extensive time with much of the lineup, here are my entirely subjective pretend-awards for best uses of the third dimension: (more…)

One of the 3DS’s best surprises is its sense of humor. A lighthearted, playful atmosphere runs through all the built-in software, from Mii Plaza to the Music Player to all the AR games–but it reaches new heights in its Ace-Up-the-Sleeve, Face Raiders.

This is an odd one to review; if you’ve bought a 3DS, you already own the game. If you haven’t made the jump yet, then Face Raiders is a $250 game that comes with a 3DS attached. But this little gem is one of Nintendo’s most clever creations, and it deserves its own review. (more…)

Some Nintendo characters speak eloquently, some squawk, and several say nothing at all. The sounds have become as familiar as old friends: With each new game, you know Mario’s going to charm and annoy you. You know Luigi will make you laugh. You know Yoshi’s going to sound constipated when he flutter-jumps. Some characters bring smiles when they open their mouths, and others just make you wince. Here are my #1 favorite and least-favorite Nintendo voices: (more…)

There it sits on my coffee table: My Ol’ Fat Blue DS, its empty GBA port gaping like a Death Star hangar. I bought it five years ago, and I’m not ashamed to admit I bought it to play Nintendogs.

I always intended to buy a DS Lite…or DSi…or DSi XL if Fat Blue bit the dust. But the little marvel just keeps going and going. I’ve had no reason to upgrade. What an incredible little workhorse.

Ol’ Fat Blue rocks. If it could talk, it would sound like a crazed Old West prospector…and it would spit tuh-backy juice.

It’s followed me through ups and downs, unemployment, new job and new town. Its case still shines, its hinges are perfect and the buttons respond like new. Screen scuffs turn invisible when it’s powered on.

It’s got heft; You could brain a burglar with it. Ol’ Fat Blue thinks the Lite is a softy and the XL is a showoff. It calls the 3Ds a gimmick. “That’s what folks said about you,” I told it. It spit tuh-backy juice at me.

I imagine that, in the end, with its last blip of fading power, Ol’ Fat Blue will go out blissfully recalling sunny afternoons of Meteos. But, right now, it’s got an Unwound Future calling.

Anyone else out there still gaming on one of these characters?