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Howdy Howdy everyone and welcome to another edition of This Week in Nintendo History.  This is our weekly look back at the events that have shaped the history of Nintendo.  From game releases to company foundings to important birthdates; it’s all here.  This week sees the release of a couple high profile games starring Mario and Square’s return to developing games for Nintendo’s platforms.  Without another minute’s hesitation let’s see what happened this week.

First up this week is the release of Spitball Sparky for the Game & Watch.  This game, released on February 7^th, 1984 is one of only games games in the Game & Watch Super Color series which featured colored graphics on the screen as opposed to the traditional black and white the series was known for.  Spitball Sparky is a Breakout Clone.  In the game you, as Sparky, would shoot spitballs out of your mouth from the bottom of the screen in an attempt to break blocks located at the top of the screen.  This was one of the games playable in Game & Watch Gallery 3. 

February 9^th 2004 marked the return of Square, now known as Square Enix, to Nintendo platforms.  On that day Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles was released for the Nintendo GameCube.  This was the first Final Fantasy title to be released on a Nintendo platform since Final Fantasy VI on the SNES.  Square had created a second party company known as The Game Designers Studio to create Final Fantasy games for Nintendo and this was the first game released by them.  While Final Fantasy is known for it’s role playing aspects this game was a more action oriented game and was thought to be more accessible to a wider audience of players.  There were a number of aspects that made this game different from a traditional Final Fantasy game the first being how you navigate through the world.  In the game you used an Overworld map where you lead a caravan through different settlements that you could then explore and purchase equipment.  The other was the fact there was no transition to a battle screen, instead all combat was fought in real time much like an action game.  You also had the ability to create your character.  Also notable was that this was the first role playing game that would use connectivity between the GameCube and the Game Boy Advance with up to four people playing together using a Game Boy Advance as their personal screen.

February 10^th, 1997 saw the release of Mario Kart 64 for the Nintendo 64.  This was the sequel to the original Super Mario Kart on the SNES.  This game was the first in the franchise to feature true 3D graphics and analog control through the use of the analog stick on the N64 controller.  Mario Kart 64 featured eight playable characters, six of whom were playable in the previous game.  New to the series was both Donkey Kong and Wario replacing DK Jr and Koopa Troopa respectively.  The advent of 3D technology in home consoles allowed Mario Kart 64 to featured varied terrain and multiple elevations which wasn’t possible through Mode 7 on the SNES.  This release in the series was best known for its multiplayer, especially Battle Mode, which is still considered by many fans to be the best of the series to date.  Mario Kart 64 was first shown to the public in Japan on November 24, 1995.

Professor Layton and the Curious Village hit North American shores on February 10^th, 2008.   This was a puzzle game created by Level 5 and was released in Japan over a year before its North American debut.  In the game you play as a Layton and his assistant Luke as they attempt to solve the mystery of the Golden Apple in addition to other puzzles during their travel.  To do this you need to investigate different areas through the use of the touch screen and talk to villagers who will give you puzzles that you must solve.  During the game you’ll find or be given hint coins that can be used if you find certain puzzles difficult to solve.  Many of the puzzles can be found in a book that was a favorite of series producer Akihiro Hino and were adapted to be playable on the DS.  The game has achieved overwhelmingly positive reviews, some of which cite the mash up of adventure and puzzle to be excellent.  The game spawned a number of sequels and a soundtrack that was released in Japan.

Super Mario Bros. 3, released on February 12^th, 1990, was the fifth game to be released in the Super Mario series and the last to be featured on the Nintendo Entertainment System.  Princess Peach has been kidnapped, yet again, and it’s up to Mario and Luigi to rescue her.  This game is most notable for it being the first game in the series to use an Overworld map that gave players some control over the order the played the game in.  There were some levels that did not need to be played at all in order to complete the game.  Super Mario Bros. 3 was famously shown in the movie ‘The Wizard’ starring Fred Savage where the game was featured in the Nintendo World Video Game Championships, even showing off one of the games new secrets, the Warp Whistle which functioned much like the hidden Warp Pipes in the original Super Mario Bros.  There are new power ups that debuted in this game and have become some of the most popular suits in Mario’s history.  These were the Raccoon suit which temporarily gave Mario the ability to fly.  The Tanooki suit was similar to the Raccoon suit, but featured a full body costume that gave Mario flight and the ability to turn into a statue.  The Frog Suit allowed Mario to jump higher than normal and made swimming in underwater levels easier.  Kuribu’s shoe allowed Mario to walk across Piranha plants and is one of the suits many people want to see return in the future.  Super Mario Bros. 3 featured a multiplayer option where players could compete for the right to play the next level by facing off in the original Mario Bros. game where you were attempting to kill of creatures that entered the level through pipes.  Super Mario Bros. 3 has sold millions of copies worldwide, been re-released numerous times on different platforms and is considered by many to be the best game to date in the Mario franchise.

Our last release of the week is one of the most interesting titles to ever be released.  It has sold multiple millions of copies, not based on the game itself, but the fact that is comes bundled with a Wii Remote for $10 more than a normal retail game.  Wii Play hit store shelves on February 12^th, 2007 and features nine mini-games that can be played alone or with a friend.  These games range from a shooting gallery to cow racing and a ping pong game.  Most of the game are simple and very easy to pick up and play and show off different ways that the Wii Remote can be used.  Because of this the game came bundled with a Wii Remote and it’s because of that fact that many people say it’s sold as many copies as it has. 

So that’s it.  Another week of history is officially in the history books.  What did you think of the events that took place this week?  Do you know of anything coming up you’d like to see featured here?  Leave us a comment and let us know, or head on over to the forums to discuss what happened this week.