Do You NintenKnow: February 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!

February 1988

Konami developed and published this NES version of a famous “run-and-gun” arcade game featuring Bill and Lance who looked suspiciously like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone on the US box art. Blast your way through the levels by yourself or with a friend for some hectic co-op shooting action. The Konami Code could be very helpful in this game. Interestingly, the arcade and computer versions were called Gryzor in Europe while the NES version was called Probotector in the PAL regions.

February 1993

Another Konami game, this one for the SNES that starred a famous cartoon rabbit (probably not the one you’re thinking of). It was based on the animated TV series of the same name and had cameos from other characters like Dizzy Devil. Make your way through six levels in this platformer with various themes such as a Western movie or Acme Looniversity. There are also minigames between the stages to earn extra lives with my personal favorite being “Furrball’s Championship Squash”.

February 1998

The N64 saw the release of this racing game published by Atlus. Take control of characters such as Slash, Jam, and Nancy while you “shred” through nine courses. Usually, this racing activity can only take place on the slopes, but the courses here include a desert and an amusement park. The player can also make use of various items like the Mario Kart series. Think the opposite of “Ski Adults”.

Nintendo published this Saffire-developed GameBoy (yes, the original GameBoy!) title based on the popular British spy series. Characters from many films make an appearance such as Oddjob and Jaws. Take control of the debonair Englishman and use plenty of weapons and gadgets to complete 11 levels. Fight with your fists or karate attacks from a top-down perspective. Shaken? Stirred? More like SMACKED!

February 2003

Ubi Soft published this tactical shooter for the GameCube featuring the name of a popular author. This title, unlike this author’s other game series Rainbow Six, isn’t based on the any of his books. Select six special forces soldiers from various classes to complete the missions. Surviving soldiers gain a Combat Point after each mission to upgrade their skills. The popularity of this initial game spawned many various expansions and sequels over the years.

February 2008

Level-5 brought this puzzler to the DS that was chock full of brain teasers. In this debut title, help the main character and his apprentice Luke investigate the village of St. Mystere to unravel the secrets around the Golden Apple. There are many different types of puzzles to solve such as logic puzzles, sliding puzzles, etc. – all of which make liberal use of the touchscreen. The presentation and animation of the game is very good, but Luke’s voice is very bad.

Capcom developed and published this DS title, which is actually the fourth title in their popular courtroom visual novel series. Take control of a new main character as the leading man of the previous games has been stripped of his attorney’s badge. Work with the former main character’s adopted daughter Trucy on four cases as you cross-examine the bejeezus out of some witnesses. Objection!

The Wii saw the release of this spin-off title from the classic Enix RPG series. The Wii Remote and nunchuck become a sword and shield in this on-rails title portrayed from the first-person perspective. Fill your special attack gauge by mowing down slimes and other enemies to unleash a “master stroke”. Like the core series, the player gains experience points by defeating enemies to increase their stats. Flail to your hearts content as you control the direction of each sword slash with the Wii Remote.

February 2013

This Intelligent Systems 3DS title was the 13th installment in its famous tactical RPG series but may have been its most important up to that point. The series had seen declining sales, so this was designed as potentially the last game in the series. Many changes were made to increase accessibility such as the option to disable permadeath. There were also copious amounts of waifus to woo and babies to make – which you could actually recruit and turn into your own death dealers. The game was a critical and commercial success, spring boarding the series to new heights. Why didn’t the characters have feet though?

February 2018

The Switch saw another spin-off title from that same Enix series from above, but with a Minecraft-style flavor. Head back to Alefgard, the world of the original game in the core series and try to bring it back to prosperity. Construct rooms in your camp from various blocks with the help of blueprints to build up the level of your base. Fight enemies to get materials, but don’t forget to eat!