Hiking trails are very common & easily accessible in Japan. As dense as the city areas are, the country is 70% mountains, with small villages spread out in between, so there's plenty of places to go! From my wife's folks place in the suburbs of Nagoya, we can get to a trailhead by car in less than 15 min. If I'm not…

Yeah. Sad reality is it would probably never happen, even if there was some kind of way to filter it (all stages would have to meet Nintendo censor requirements, etc.). But, it would be interesting! I looked at the note and my first thought was that my! those sprites could be re-purposed...

would be interesting:

Does anybody have the link to the original non-dub Japanese version?

Wrong series dude. Strider's a classic, shame on you!

Good call! Do you know if they (you?) have mixes sans lyrics?

Would love some classic arcade platforming Strider-cum-BCR gameplay. With Simon Viklund cranking out some killer remixes to boot... GRIN could have been champ of that.

Just to set the mood —

ha ha, just read this and the track "??" from Final Fantasy 6 came on. Well timed, I guess. Scored some further silliness to it.

1Q84 is a new Murakami masterpiece. Haven't personally read it, but my literati friends were calling it "favorite book of 2011". And from I gathered, the Orwell reference is very intentional - maybe take a look? Long though... Hardback release is nearly 1000 pages!

All such amazing music! +1 for SOM soundtrack - also very awesome in its own right. Had some good sessions as a youngster hooking up the SNES to my dad's stereo to blast out the Dark Lich fight at the end.

I agree mostly with this, but not all of it, but most of it. Just to be clear, I'm in the same camp as acutelyaware posted below: went into SS with high expectations, but have yet to make it to the latter half of the game.

Helloooooooooooo 2007!!!!

these screens don't but the preview on io9 does:

I think it's a great idea and perhaps one of the only ways to get a good next new IP from Miyamoto and collaborators.

Agreed. I finally saw the first commercial last night - from Taco Bell, no less - for their campaign in giving away PSP Vitas prior to launch. What the hell happened to Sony's pre-launch marketing blitz? Weak sauce, I tells ya.

Not sure if "BEEM" is the right answer, but it's a start. And the design is sick sick sick!

Very touching article, Owen. Very well composed, and perhaps a very common story, too.

True, but the boost can certainly be enough to help it become a sustainable platform.

Two words: Monster Hunter. It's the crack of handheld sales boosts in Japan.