Kuru Kuru Kururin and Kururin Paradise - two excellent GBA games you’ve probably never heard of!

A few weeks ago I decided to seek out some of the more obscure releases for the GameBoy Advance (regular readers will know I’m a huge fan of the GBA!), a lot of them were unplayable due to the Japanese text but I did come across two titles which are perfectly understandable and playable and truly have that ‘just one more go’ quality about them.

They are Kuru Kuru Kururin (released in Japan and Europe) and the Japan only release Kururin Paradise.  The object of these games sounds simple, guide a blue and yellow baton around a series of increasingly intricate and twisty courses in the fastest time possible, however this is not as easy as it sounds as the baton is revolving the whole time so you must time your progression through the course perfectly to avoid hitting the sides, do this too many times and it’s game over! The courses on both games look fantastic and are well designed to provide a real challenge.

Both titles are great fun and as previously mentioned highly addictive! Absolutely recommended for GBA gamers looking for something a bit different, I’m totally hooked!

Nokia N-Gage - a good idea but was ultimately a failure

Back in 2003 mobile phone giant Nokia decided it wanted a slice of the mobile gaming pie and launched the Nokia N-Gage (pictured right), a curious looking Symbian OS based mobile phone which could also play good quality games supplied on small MMC cards, this in principle sounds great as the device had a proper d-pad for controlling the games and the games themselves were actually rather good offering some big names titles such as Sonic, Fifa and Call of Duty to name but a few, however there a number of reasons why this device ultimately did not bring Nokia the hoped for success.  Firstly to use the device to make and receive phone call you have to hold the side of the device to your ear which not only makes you look and feel completely ridiculous but will leave you open to ridicule from your fellow passengers if using on public transport, secondly to change the game card for another you had to remove the back cover, remove the game card, insert a new one then put the cover back on - a very time consuming exercise.

They did attempt to remedy these issues later with the release a year later of the Nokia N-Gage QD (pictured left) which allowed for changing of game cards on the fly thanks to a slot in the bottom of the phone eliminating the need to remove the back cover, also to make and receive calls it could now be held flat to your ear.  The QD was also smaller than the original device and I really like the design of it too!  In fact I actually own one which I tracked down a while ago on eBay with an MMC card full of games, and I still give it a go every now and again.

Ultimately though not enough units were sold and after an initially impressive line up of titles these soon dried up and now it’s nothing more than something sought by collectors.  But kudos to Nokia for trying something different!

Evercade Evolution Magazine - an excellent read!

For those of you who own the excellent multi-cartridge based retro handheld system the Evercade or it’s console partner, the Evercade VS this will be of interest to you - there is a magazine to support the systems produced by the Evercade Fans Group on Facebook and it’s a high-quality, well produced publication.  Each issue focuses on a detailed review of one of the Evercade game cartridges along with news, features to appeal to the Evercade gamer.

There have so far been three issues with more to come, all are available digitally for free at https://evercade.info/evercade-evolution-magazine/ and a printed version of each issue is now available for around £6 on Amazon, well worth the money.  If you own either of the two Evercade systems this is a must read.

Densha de Go - a niche train driving game that’s more fun that you might think!

Many years ago when I owned a Sony PSP I tracked down on eBay from a seller in Hong Kong a copy of the massively popular (in Japan anyway) train driving game, Densha de Go!, and that was where my love for the game began.  Because the PSP is region free it played perfectly and handily for me English instructions were provided giving details of all the controls too.  The basic objective of the game is to drive a suburban train on various different lines around Tokyo, however you must stick to the advertised speed limits, sound your horn and dim your lights (Japanese politeness) for passing trains, make sure you keep to time and most importantly time your braking on arrival at a station to stop at the correct point, the PSP version looked great and I had an absolute blast playing it. The series was released on many different machines including Nintendo 64, Nintendo DS and WonderSwan to name but a few.

After I sold my PSP and the game I thought my Densha playing days were over, then last year a Switch version was released in Japan which I managed to purchase thanks to Play Asia and I’m very glad I did as it’s every bit as good as the PSP version I enjoyed! You begin the game with just two trains and two lines but more can be unlocked through the Mission mode which carries various objectives which have to be completed, if you achieve a decent enough ranking you unlock more trains and lines to drive on, a freeplay mode is also available where, as with the PSP version you have to stick to the speed limit, sound your horn, dim your lights, keep to time and time your braking perfectly at stations.

The game being in Japanese is not a major issue and it’s pretty self-explanatory although an excellent English translation guide is available at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1up2i8Iyv-_imCq7S_UTIUItQTdcaJhLc3AFpvdv361M/edit

As you can see from the screenshot at the top of this post the game looks great and is a lot more fun and entertaining than you’d think a train driving game would be, it’s a strangely Zen-like and calming experience and one I’m glad I discovered all those years ago!

For added realism a dedicated Switch controller for the game is available in Japan, I hope at some point to get hold of this as it would definitely add to the fun!

Wave Race 64 (N64) Review

Many years ago when I owned an N64 undoubtedly one of my favourite games was Wave Race 64 and thanks to my Powkiddy X18s handheld and the excellent Mupen N64 emulator it still is! Let me just start by saying I absolutely LOVE this game! And over the next couple of paragraphs I shall attempt to explain why…..

Firstly, the graphics - these are fantastic with some really clever effects, from the water which gets increasingly rough and choppy the further you get into the game to the Drake Lake course (my favourite course) which begins shrouded in mist which gradually burns away as your three lap race progresses, it’s just stunning stuff.  The jet-skis look amazing as to the people steering them.

Next audio and controls, the music is just brilliant, fits each course perfectly and is really catchy! Also you’re treated to occasionally verbal notes in the game such as ‘OK’, ‘Everybody’s behind you!’, and should you finish first in a race - ‘BANZAI!’   The controls are perfect too and really easy to master, one button to accelerate, one to brake and the analogue stick to control your jet-ski around the red and yellow buoys all of which have to be passed around to either the left or the right, miss too many and it’s game over!

The normal difficulty level on the game is a very good starting point and is actually quite easy, it’s possible to finish each course in at least 1st or 2nd place thus earning you a place on the podium, the other difficulty levels however present a more considerable challenge so the game eases you in gently!

I cannot recommend this game highly enough, it was brilliant on the N64 then and it’s still brilliant now! It’s totally worth buying a second-hand N64 (or a Powkiddy X18s handheld) just to play this game, it really is that good!

A GameCube Wave Race game was later released, Blue Storm which is reasonably playable on the Dolphin Emulator but early next year I plan on tracking down a second-hand GameCube on eBay with a copy of the game and when I do I shall be reviewing that as well!   For now Wave Race 64 will keep me entertained nicely!  TRJ RATING : 5/5

My highly personal Top 5 Nintendo machines

Since I was a boy I’ve been a loyal Nintendo fan having owned pretty much every machine there is at some point (even a Virtual Boy for a time!) so I thought it’d be rather fun to do a Top 5 of my favourite Nintendo machines of all-time, I must stress this is a Top 5 highly personal to me and you may not agree with my choices and Nintendo have made many superb machines but these are my Top 5 favourites…..

Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) - This machine will always hold a special place in my heart as it’s the first Nintendo console I ever owned, in my opinion still one of the best looking and best designed machines they ever made and the controller looks and feels great and is really comfortable to use for long periods.  

Some of the most classic and iconic games ever were released on the SNES such as Super Mario World and Super Metroid.  Also many superb games were released by other software companies such as Rare’s Donkey Kong Country, which amazed many people at the time with it’s graphics and is still highly playable to this day.  Nintendo also devised the SuperFX chip which was embedded in a couple of cartridges and offered improved graphics, this was included in Stunt Race FX (still one of my favourite racers ever) and StarFox.

I don’t own a SNES console any more but I still enjoy the games on my Anbernic RG351M handheld which runs them perfectly.

A truly classic console with an outstanding library of titles.

GameBoy Advance SP - I’ve always loved Nintendo’s handhelds and this is probably my absolute favourite, I just love the compact, pocketable clamshell design, it’s perfect for on-the-go gaming!  I own the red and silver Mario SP and I absolutely love it!  The SP boasted a huge library of great titles (F-Zero, Sonic Advance, Super Mario Advance, Metroid Fusion and Zero Mission to name a few) which I still enjoy today thanks to this wonderful machine!

Game & Watch - The forerunner to the original GameBoy this series of handheld single games are still massively popular with collectors today, to begin with single screen machines were released, then Nintendo developed dual-screen units and that’s when they really took off, some brilliant titles were available including Donkey Kong (the first to feature the now familiar and much used d-pad) and Zelda, other versions were made available including TableTop, Panorama and Crystal Screen.

Within the last two years to mark milestone anniversaries of Mario and Zelda, two new Game & Watches have been released, Super Mario Bros. & The Legend of Zelda (just released this month), a review of both is coming soon so stay tuned!

To prove their popularity with collectors many of the rarer machines in excellent/mint conditions go for quite high prices on eBay.  If you want to know more about this series check out the two Game & Watch books/collector’s guides I reviewed in a previous post.

Nintendo Switch - I made my mind up after about 30 seconds of the promo video that I was going to get this machine and I’ve never regretted it since, this truly was a game-changer by Nintendo - a machine that could be played in a dock through a home TV but could also be taken out and played as a handheld.  The joy-con controllers look and feel great and despite having one of the weakest launch line-ups of titles in gaming history it’s more than made up for it since and now boasts a library of games to rival any console and a flourishing Indie game scene too.

A handheld-only Switch Lite was later released and an improved version with an OLED screen has just been released this month as well.  

An excellent and truly revolutionary machine.

Nintendo 3DS - And finally in this Top 5 countdown is the 3DS, like the Switch this was a game-changer at the time due to it’s ability to play games in 3D without the need for glasses (this could be disabled though a slider on the machine), the original 3DS was released in a variety of striking colours and offered some of the best handheld titles ever seen, many of which are still highly playable today.  It offered some of the best Pokemon titles ever seen (Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire, Sun/Moon, X/Y, Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon) and many other really superb games.

A 3DS XL was later released offering a larger screen.

I own as part of my collection the very distinctive yellow 3DS XL Pikachu edition and it’s still one of my most played handhelds, a great little machine.

So there you go my Top 5 favourite Nintendo machines ever, as I said this is my personal choice and I do have many other Nintendo machines I love (N64, Wii, GameCube, DS) but these are my absolute favourites, what are your favourite Nintendo machines and why? Feel free to let me know in the comments!

Sega fan? Got an iOS or Android device? You’ll love this!

Sega have been responsible for creating some of the best games to ever grace the MegaDrive but what you may not know is that many of them are available as free downloads under the ‘Sega Forever’ banner for iOS and Android devices!  They are ad-supported however these can be removed with an inexpensive and optional in-app purchase, also if you own a mobile controller such as the Backbone One or the Razer Kishi they can be used too.

Many excellent titles are available including Sonic 2, the superb Crazy Taxi, Virtual Tennis Challenge and Dynamite Heady to name but a few, simple search for ‘Sega Classics’ on the AppStore or Google Play Store and enjoy!