First-person head-to-head 3D maze combat comes to Game Boy! I'm so, so sorry. Bionic Battler means well, but it sure does flop hard. With stiff and limited controls, choppy graphics, and some very weird and out-of-place music, this is a bizarre little game best left to the dustbin of history.

The first part of a look back at the NES hardware itself begins with the origins of its Japanese version, the Family Computer — Famicom for short. This episode adapted from the text of Good Nintentions 1985, with special thanks to Steven Lin.

A wonderfully charming and immensely playable little puzzle-action game from Natsume. Yes, even on a system loaded down with games like this, there's still breathing room to appreciate exemplary renditions of the genre. Definitely one worth tracking down. (Special thanks this episode: Armen Ashekian.)