Do You NintenKnow: January 2023

Below is a set of clues for games that have a notable US release date anniversary (5, 10, 15, etc.) in the current month. See if you can figure out the title before clicking the blurred image to find out if you were correct! Head down to the comments when you’re finished and reminisce about the personal memories that were dredged up. Remember that these are going by the release date in the United States. Have fun!

January 1988

Data East developed and published this NES title featuring an ex-circus strongman who breathes fire. Originally an arcade title from 1987, the NES version has some changes including taking two hits to die instead of one. The final boss is also no longer “The Wizard”, but (spoiler) a three-headed dragon. The hero would later appear in other games, such as Bad Dudes vs DragonNinja where he’s the boss of the first level.

Nintendo published this isometric racing game from Rare for the NES – one of Rare’s first successful games on the platform. Race around the track avoiding obstacles while also collecting upgrade items and weapons to disable other vehicles. Legendary composer David Wise is at the helm in what was one of his earliest works to excite your earholes.

January 1993

Take control of the “caped crusader” in this NES game developed by Konami that follows the 1992 film of the same name. This title released on multiple platforms including the SNES, Sega Genesis, and Tiger Electronics Handheld. All versions are beat-em-up’s, but the NES title includes two sidescrolling racing levels. Watch out for Catwoman and The Penguin as you make your way through the levels and use all the tools at your disposal.

January 1998

The N64 saw the release of this multidirectional shooter where the player controls a scientist trying to save the last human family. This game is a follow-up to a popular 1982 multidirectional shooter from the Arcades – and later, the Atari. Midway was originally going to publish the game in 1997, but it was eventually picked up by Crave Entertainment. This game isn’t about the 1982 film starring Jeff Bridges where he becomes transported inside “The Grid”, but the name of that movie is also in the title of the game.

January 2003

Vicarious Visions developed this platformer for the GBA starring the former Sony-exclusive character who was seen outside Nintendo headquarters with a megaphone. This game is the second GBA installment and eighth overall for the series. Help the hero save Coco and Crunch from Doctor N. Tropy. All the usual series staples are here like Wumpa fruits and crates. A fun tidbit: this game uses the Vicarious Visions Tony Hawk GBA engine.

This GameCube fighting game features characters from a popular cartoon – let’s call it “Bob and Larry” – where a cat and mouse engage in all sorts of hijinks. This is the only “Bob and Larry” game to receive a T rating from the ESRB. While the PS2 version was released in all regions, the Xbox and GameCube versions were only released in North America. Knock each other silly with weapons in twelve destructible stages including a kitchen, a castle, a haunted house, and…Hell??

This “director’s cut” of the 2000 Sega Dreamcast sky pirate RPG classic (published by Sega, themselves) found its way to the GameCube in 2003. The PS2 was supposed to get the port as well, but that version was scrapped to focus on the GameCube release. The updated release had improvements like more detailed character models, reduced loading times, and new sidequests. Take to the sky as Vyse and unravel the mysteries of the floating islands.

January 2008

The Nintendo DS saw the release of this darker, more serious game in Intelligent Systems’ “other” strategy series. It’s the second game in the series for the DS and fourth overall using the same naming convention for the title – even though it references the previous generation of handheld hardware. Take control of new COs this time around in a post-apocalyptic world. The game was planned for release in Japan but was cancelled after several delays and was only made available in that country through Club Nintendo as a downloadable platinum status reward for the Nintendo 3DS. This series has seemingly always had rotten luck.

Nintendo published this scuba diving adventure game for the Wii. You can train dolphins to accompany you on the dives and perform certain behaviors. Identify species to have them populate an in-game aquarium. Eventually, you and Katherine Sunday (your guide in this adventure) attempt to track down the “White Mother” by finding four different types of whales present in the game. Is Free Willy one of them?

Suda51 debuted the wild world of Travis Touchdown on the Wii with this title. Travis wins a totally-not-a-lightsaber beam katana in an auction and unintentionally becomes an assassin attempting to move up the ranks. The game is a visual and sensual overload with over-the-top action, pro wrestling moves, and very mature themes. Strawberry on the shortcake!