SNES ROMS

While it might seem like a pretty arbitrary question for an editorial, I think it’s valid because 1) Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is currently out now for the Virtual Console, and 2) Chrono Trigger, arguably Squaresoft’s (now Square Enix), greatest game ever (Final Fantasy IV and VI, notwithstanding) is coming soon to the DS on November 25th. Oh, and 3) I’ve actually been playing A Link to the Past lately and forgot how doggone good it is.

Now, I know the issue is debatable, especially when the SNES had so many boss games— Super Mario World, Actraiser, and (okay, I’ll admit it), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time— but there’s just something about Link to the Past and CT that elevates them beyond being just great SNES games. They’re in a category all on their own and easily qualify as occupants for best game ever territory.

But let’s count the many ways I love thee, shall we? Link to the Past was a revolutionary milestone at the time that took the concept of light and dark and made it into a feature long before Samus would start meddling with all that nonsense in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. Traveling back and forth through the light and dark realms, Link would find his precious Hyrule in a different state of turmoil whenever he would leap into the Dark World. My favorite moment of the game actually occurs early on when you first fall into the alternate universe and you come out a pink bunny, signifying that Link is good wherever he is, even in a world that’s supposed to bring out the worst in you.

What I really love about the game, though, is the fact that it’s so damn fun to play. Link has gone through some really interesting dungeons in the past (The water dungeon in particular if you’ve ever played The Ocarina of Time), but none were nearly as fun and, more importantly, as consistently fun, as they were in ALTTP. Every single one is short and easy to figure out if you just try out all your available options, which is something that wasn’t always true in some of the later games in the series (Again, I’m looking at you, water dungeon).

It was the kind of milestone of a game that makes you pay attention to Nintendo, more so than even Super Mario World. World was grand in its scope but wasn’t a masterpiece that made you feel like turning it off was like turning off a part of fun you could never attain again unless you turned it back on. I even want to play Link to the Past right now. Screw this editorial! Bah!

But then, there’s Chrono Trigger, a game that poses so many moral questions that it has about ten or twelve different endings just to answer them all. CT is like no other game you’ve ever played, even making its superb sequel, Chrono Cross look weak in comparison. I actually remember the first time I played CT and remember how blown away I was by the music. In my opinion, and in the opinions of many others, CT has the best music of any video game ever. Every song by Yasunori Mitsuda and legendary Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu is perfect, utterly perfect, and they match the heroic adventure that even with 16-bits still looks spellbinding, even today.

And the characters can’t be beat. Frog, Lucca, Magus(!), and the others each complete heart-breaking personal quests in the midst of the amazing main storyline. Seriously, no RPG has ever matched the splendor of CT, and no RPG probably ever will. We fanboys are hard to impress with new things, and no new thing has ever come close to being as good as CT, that’s just how good it is.

So, which one is better? Well, as surprising as this may be, I’m going to have to go with Link to the Past. While the Chrono storyline is comparable to none and has way more replay value, Link to the Past, just has more heart, more gumption to it. From its achievement music to the way the combat system just works on so many levels, Link to the Past is the greatest SNES game in history, and I’m sticking by it. Chrono Trigger fans, who wants some?

Nintendo has enjoyed nearly two decades of portable gaming success with the Game Boy line of devices, more recently printing money by way of the touchscreen-equipped Nintendo DS and DS Lite.

Sony has been able to achieve a good level of success with the PSP and PSP Slim. While devices like the Sega Game Gear and Neo Geo Pocket have come and gone, their full-sized home counterparts have also come and gone.

For all intents and purposes, the Microsoft Xbox 360 is still doing very well in the marketplace. People are still more than happy to enjoy games like Halo 3 and Rock Band on the Xbox 360, so it’s clear that Microsoft has a formidable game-playing following. Why is it, then, that Microsoft has yet to grace us with any sort of portable gaming ambitions? Where is the Xbox Portable?

We’ve Heard It All Before

As I’m sure you know, this is far from the first time that we’ve heard rumors about an Xbox 360 Portable. As the reports go, the development team that originally worked on creating the Xbox 360 split in two. One group worked on add-ons like the HD-DVD player, whereas the other group focused their attentions on the Xbox 360 Portable.

The former was able to see their product come to fruition, so what happened to the efforts of the latter team? Yes, we’ve seen concept pictures and mockups by fanboys, but there is nothing official coming out of Redmond that makes mention of a portable Xbox gaming console. You know they can do it. You know that they have the infrastructure and support to create a portable Xbox. But they haven’t and we don’t know why.

Windows Mobile and Zune Hardware

It seems that Microsoft is trying to be all things to all people. On one front, Microsoft is competing against the likes of Sony and Nintendo in the video game arena, pitting the Xbox 360 against the PlayStation 3 and the Wii. On another front, Microsoft has placed its Zune media player in the same market currently dominated by the iPod and iPhone.

In this way, Microsoft could be working to kill two birds with one stone. It wouldn’t be that much of a stretch to do some serious Zune games, in the same way that the App Store opened an official pipeline for iPhone gaming. Whether it be Tetris or Monkey Ball, you can game on the iPhone. Taking the jailbreak route, there are also NES and SNES emulators.

With a proper firmware (and possibly hardware) update, the Zune could handle some rudimentary games, perhaps getting distributed through Xbox Live Arcade. Simple games shouldn’t have any trouble running on a Zune. Combine Zune music and video playing with Xbox-powered gaming and you’ve got yourself a good alternative to the iPhone… without the phone part. That’s okay. There’s no Nintendo Phone or PSP Phone either.

What Form Factor Would Be Best for Xbox Portable?

At this point, it seems unlikely that we’ll be seeing an Xbox Portable any time soon. Even so, we can go ahead and pursue this pipedream, just for the sake our own imagination and curiosity. What form factor would be the most appropriate for an Xbox Portable?

Some combination of the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP would probably be the best, I think. You can map the standard Xbox controller on the bottom half, and then have a large widescreen display that flips up in a clamshell kind of way. In the center of the controller portion, you could have a touch-sensitive section that adjusts to the current situation, like the Motorola E8. I don’t think a touchscreen is needed, nor is a full QWERTY keyboard. This is a gaming machine, not a messenger.

Not that it matters. I don’t think Microsoft is going to grace us with an Xbox 360 Portable. Prove me wrong, Redmond. Prove me wrong.

the Australian Virtual Console has been updated. This week, Nintendo have concluded the third Hanabi Festival by releasing the SNES game DoReMi Fantasy: Milon’s DokiDoki Adventure, the NES game Spelunker, and the TurboGrafx titles Chase H.Q. and Ys Book I &amp II.

Released in 1996, DoReMi Fantasy: Milon’s DokiDoki Adventure is a sequel to Milon’s Secret Castle and was never released outside Japan. The game starts out by introducing players to the village of Piccolo. One day, a fairy named Aeris arrives to alert the villagers that all sound and music has disappeared from the forest. Before she can tell more however, the demon Amon suddenly appears and kidnaps her. Players must now assume the role of Milon, Aeris’ friend, and restore peace to his homeland. During your quest you have to utilise Milon’s bubble shooter to attack enemies, as well as fight bosses and recover five legendary instruments and stars. DoReMi Fantasy: Milon’s DokiDoki Adventure will set you back 900 points.

Check out this 3ft SNES Controller

Mario’s off on his biggest adventure ever, and this time he’s brought along a friend. Yoshi the dinosaur teams up with Mario to battle Bowser, who has kidnapped Princess Toadstool once again. Guide Mario and Yoshi through nine peril-filled worlds to the final showdown in Bowser’s castle. Use Mario’s new powers and Yoshi’s voracious monster-gobbling appetite as you explore 96 levels filled with dangerous new monsters and traps. Climb mountains and cross rivers, and descend into subterranean depths. Destroy the seven Koopa castles and find keys to gain entrance to hidden levels. Discover more warps and thrilling bonus worlds than ever before!

You can try Mario here, its FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you put a SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System) and a Xbox together, you can get something called a SEXN SNEX. The name sounds cool but we have no idea if anyone will buy this Lego mod.

Muhahahaha….I’m a SNEXXXXX…

The creator, Johnny, will combine more game systems into one in the future…

Sometime in the near future I will be working on an unnamed project that will use MY video game systems, namely a NES, SNES &amp N64. I also might add a Game Cube, PS2, Atari 2600, and/or PC.

We think these mods are not built for portability or vanity but are lego-made-well-protected-multi-system-gaming-center in its best.