In a recent Nintendo Direct press conference, Nintendo announced a summer promotion for 3DS owners that should make retro fans very happy. Dubbed the "Summer of 8-bit," the promotion will see Nintendo releasing retro Virtual Console titles on the 3DS eShop for each week in July. Here is the list of games and dates they've put out so far:
- The Legend of Zelda (NES) - July 5
- Kirby's Pinball Land (Game Boy) - July 12
- The Sword of Hope II (Game Boy) - July 12
- Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters (Game Boy) - July 19
- Tumblepop (Game Boy) - July 19
- Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (Game Boy) - July 19
- Sonic Blast (GameGear) - date TBA
- Sonic Labyrinth (GameGear) - date TBA
Not too shabby of a list, and it's great to see not only NES games, but GameBoy and SEGA GameGear games as well on the list. For me personally, I'll be picking up
Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters,
Wario Land and both Sonic GameGear games.
Nintendo also released a trailer for the promotion, which you can check out below.
style designs Nintendo came out with in Japan back in the day. I loved the American version 
as well, but there's something really cool about these designs. The other really cool thing about early Nintendo in Japan is that they came out with all sorts of insane accessories. Later in the game, Nintendo actually created a "GBA Time Machine." I assume it was Nintendo and not a third party. It allows you to play your NES carts right on your GBA. Now, you can get a tiny card that supports micro SD slots to do the same thing via ROMs. But the fact that you can play your own carts and show off your coolness to all the other retro gaming nerds, makes me want one even more.
at my parents house. I had all the original games and the original hard case. When I opened up the box I saw that Tetris
was still in it. I thought I'd fire it up. Well it didn't fire up. I pulled at the cartridge and it didn't really want to come out. When I got it out I saw that it was coated in a blue patina. I had left the batteries in it. Not for very long either. Sadly when I opened up the unit, the cancer had spread throughout the circuit board and it was a lost cause. I still have it in case I need an extra body case etc... but I encourage all you retro gaming addicts to go to you closet, pull out your handhelds that you're not using and remove the batteries. NOW!
Brian and I are always seeking new games, game consoles and accessories. If you think you have something kicking around your parents attic or in your basement and would like to donate the item, please contact us. We do our best to provide our audience with a wide variety of content ranging from the early days of gaming up to ten years ago. We promise, your piece of antique technology will get the love and care it deserves.
