Fantastic 2002, Japan-only sequel to Kuru Kuru Kururin, developed by Eighting and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance.
Tag Archives: Nintendo
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, GameCube
Nintendo‘s 2002 release of their tenth Legend of Zelda game (if you count Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages as two games, which I do) was a real leap, in terms of graphical presentation.
Continue reading The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, GameCube
Kuru Kuru Kururin, Game Boy Advance
Kuru Kuru Kururin is a weirdly-named but wonderful (and original) Game Boy Advance game, developed by Eighting and first published by Nintendo in 2001.
The idea is that you have to control a spinning stick, and take it around a series of increasingly twisting and torturous courses, without touching the sides, or hitting other hazards. And do it against a time limit. It’s one of those games with a simple premise, but offers quite a tough and interesting challenge.
Drill Dozer, Game Boy Advance
Drill Dozer is a fun, side-scrolling “drill ’em up” where you take control of a small tank with a drill on the front, which allows you to dig your way through the landscape and bump off your enemies. You can upgrade the drill as you play, which then requires the learning of new control techniques – using a kind of gear type system. It’s all quite clever and original.
Boktai: The Sun Is in Your Hand, Game Boy Advance
Produced by Hideo Kojima (of Metal Gear fame) and released by Konami in 2003, Boktai: The Sun Is in Your Hand is a clever little action game that uses actual sunlight (as detected by a sensor on the game cartridge) to charge up a solar weapon, to be used against undead and vampires in the game.
Continue reading Boktai: The Sun Is in Your Hand, Game Boy Advance
Chibi-Robo!, GameCube
Released in 2005 on the Nintendo GameCube in Japan, and 2006 everywhere else, Chibi-Robo! is a memorably cute third-person 3D exploration game in which you take control of a small, house-cleaning robot that must do chores for a nutty family in order to rise up the worldwide robo rankings.
Diddy Kong Racing, Nintendo 64
Rare’s excellent Diddy Kong Racing arguably eclipsed Mario Kart on the Nintendo 64.
Qix Adventure, Game Boy Color
Qix was always a great arcade game, but turning the idea into an adventure for the Game Boy Colour was a stroke of genius for Taito.
Lufia: The Ruins of Lore, Game Boy Advance
Taito’s Lufia series has enjoyed moderate success over a number of platforms and releases over the decades, but this Game Boy Advance release (out in 2002 in Japan, and 2003 in North America – it never got an official European release) is the best game in the series, in my opinion.
Pikmin 2, GameCube
Nintendo’s 2004 sequel is a brilliant update of the first Pikmin game, with split screen multiplayer, and challenging single-player story modes.