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Battle Kid: Fortress of Peril, a new Nintendo Entertainment System title, is almost ready for all those who didn't get a next-gen system for the holidays. BK:FoP, designed by Sivak Games, will be available on an NES cartridge through website RetroZone sometime this month. The website also sells tools to make original NES games.

Battle Kid reminds us of Mega Man mixed with more Mega Man -- minus the suit. A lack of preview build or five-month lead to develop a 3,000 word feature for Joystiq magazine (also available in French) has prevented us from getting a real feel for what the game is about. Check out a video of the 8-bit gameplay after the break and prepare to rock your NES like it's 1988.

[Thanks, Levi]

Update: Turns out the message was sent as a reminder. So, here's another reminder. You'd best pick that title up before the offer expires. If you need help deciding, we've got you covered.

Back in September, Nintendo began offering the Wii Internet Channel free of charge. To make nice with those who had already paid 500 points for the channel, Nintendo promised a free NES Virtual Console download. Today, we noticed the familiar blue glow emanating from the Wii, signifying something new. Imagine our surprise when we discovered a message from Nintendo saying the free NES download offer was now active.

So, if you're a US gamer and you purchased the Internet Channel before it was made free, you're now entitled to a free 500 point NES download. For the record, we chose Kirby's Adventure.

We're always happy to see gaming encroaching on the rest of the world, a sign that it's becoming more culturally accepted and mainstream, but this example is so nerdy, it might actually be a step in the other direction. What you see on the right there is the classic NES Mario sprite, recreated in specifically-engineered bacteria by the nanobiology laboratories at the University of Osaka, Japan.

We love the idea of gaming's leading man being transformed this way, we can't help but think how great it would have been if Team Osaka could have achieved the same effect with fungus. ... You know, because the Mushroom Kin --- oh, never mind.

[Thanks, Modern Epicurian]

We've got a duo of high-profile titles to check out here on VC in Brief this week. Come for the shooting stuff, stay for the Pig Chutes.

• Blaster Master (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points)
• Earthworm Jim 2 (Sega Genesis, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)

Doom's main character always seemed to be lacking that little extra something. Sure, he had a BFG 9000 and could battle demons with the best of 'em, but did he have a gun arm? How about a body covered by totally sweet blue metal armor? Didn't think so. And that makes all the difference in the Mega Man mod for Doom 2, created by Mike Hill of the UK. "I've been modding for Doom ever since I first got a hold of the PC version ... some may find it hard to believe that the Doom modding scene is still live and kicking after all these years," Hill told Joystiq.

The 22-year-old built the mod (still in alpha) as an homage to "the time when I feel Mega Man was in full fruition: on the NES," harnessing not just 8-bit sprites for characters but for entire levels. Mike Hill's hope is that someday the mod will contain "all the levels and weapons from Mega Man 1–6 (and maybe even 9)," though, as of right now, he's still got a long way to go. "Right now the gameplay is a bit slow paced and unbalanced, and the maps are extremely difficult to navigate ... expect a more stable release some time next year." He promises more levels and more weapons in 2010, but we're hoping the power of Joystiq BioMass™ can spur Mike on to get us more Mega Man deathmatch asap. Go forth and comment, BioMass!

Update: We've added a video of the mod in action just after the break.

Though the latest edition of Iwata Asks is technically focused on New Super Mario Bros. Wii, the first few pages of the interview go off on a tangent about the overall-clad plumber's roots which you might find interesting. For instance, did you know that Miyamoto's original plan for Donkey Kong was a video game based on Popeye? It's true -- it was only after he was denied the rights to put the muscly-armed sailor man in a video game that he created the most prolific video game character of all time.

Of course, just like a timid middle school student, Mario was forced to go through some awkward formative phases. Miyamoto revealed that in the original design for Donkey Kong, Mario -- who, at the time, was referred to as "Mr. Video" -- was unable to jump. Man, we feel like we just gazed into some kind of creepy alternate universe.

"It is me, Mr. Video. I'm going to slowly walk over there, all the while praying that I don't encounter any ground-based enemies."

This week's Virtual Console update is delicious on two different fronts. For one, it's delicious in that we wish we could have some of those jelly beans the Blob in A Boy and His Blob is snacking on -- well, except for the ketchup ones. Even we don't like those!

Secondly, it's delicious because ... uh, we may not have thought that far ahead, But, hey, Super Mario Kart! Have you been adequately distracted from our mental lapse? Check out the video above!

• Super Mario Kart (SNES, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
• A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points)

Man, is this National Awesome Half-Life 2 Mod Weekend, or what?

Machinima.com user (and assumed Source engine guru) m0rtanius recently made a 3D adaptation of the first level of Castlevania, which you can view in the video after the jump. Before you pass judgment on this mod, we suggest you view this clip from Castlevania 64.

We've come a long way, baby.

[Via GoNintendo]

Video games and Lego go together like peanut butter and chocolate. We've seen wonderfully bricky homages to Donkey Kong and cuddly little Pokemon, an ingenious way to make your own Zapper and even recreations of other Nintendo consoles -- and now, a full NES set courtesy of MOCpages.

Not only does it come with two controllers and a Lego cartridge, but the builder even went so far as to create a TV and mock gameplay. But, that's not even the kicker: the thing even has a working cartridge slot and power and reset buttons! Head on over to MOCpages to check it out.

[Via Gizmodo]

Some of you are, as of today, five dollars richer, with that five dollars earmarked for the NES Virtual Console game of your choice. You probably have all the Marios and Zeldas you want (and River City Ransom), so we thought we would help you figure out what to do with that windfall.

We've picked ten games that you may not have purchased yet. We didn't try to get obscure or anything, because there are only 83 NES games available! So this is basically a list of games we like that we think you're not so likely to have purchased, And there are no imports, because those cost 600 Wii Points.

Good news for the people who were unfortunate enough to get the Wii Internet Channel between July 1, 2007 and September 1 of this year. Yes, you may have gotten taken for 5 bucks, but with today's Wii update, Nintendo of America is giving that money back to you in the form of a free NES game from the Virtual Console. You'll see the message when you turn your Wii on, as with all updates.

Don't take too long pretending to face a tough decision, because this offer will expire at the end of the year. Just buy River City Ransom and enjoy it! If you've already got River City Ransom, we've heard good things about that "Castlevania" series.

Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, Start. It's a powerful string of commands capable of garnering its invoker thirty lives, a gaggle of power-ups or other potent in-game bonuses. However, a technomancer from ProtoDojo.com has figured out a way to give the Konami Code practical applications in real life -- it can now be used to unlock one gigabyte of LOLCat JPEGs, German techno covers of Billy Ocean songs or, well, smut.

This little slice of realized magic is possible due to a 1GB flash drive embedded into a hollowed-out NES controller. Entering the Konami Code into the controller unlocks it, allowing you to browse its contents on your compy. To see how this technological feat was made possible, watch the video after the jump. After that, start pondering what this guy could put into a Power Glove. Perhaps -- dare we say it -- a two gigabyte flash drive?

[Via The Tanooki]

It's a light load this week for Nintendo aficionados. With only a trio of new downloads available, this week's offerings pale in comparison to the robust lineup of last week, but, alas, we must soldier on. Despite a lack of quantity this week, quality is here, as Nintendo and Square Enix have finally made good on their promise to bring Final Fantasy to the Virtual Console.

See the full release details after the break.

Eager to show its disconnected patrons that their Wiis can do more than Wii Sports -- you don't even have to eject the disc! -- Nintendo has appointed pretty much anyone in Europe savvy enough to visit Wii's Connection Settings menu an "Ambassador." Here's how the "Connection Ambassador Promotion" works: Beginning in October (as seen in Japan), if you help another Wii owner establish an online connection, you and your incompetent friend will both receive five Nintendo bucks (500 Wii Points). (Presumably, when connecting for the first time, there will be an option to credit an Ambassador.)

And if you extend your services to the maximum of twenty previously offline console owners? You're looking at a 10,000-point payout ($100 worth of old games you probably have tucked away in cart form, plus all those WiiWare options) -- not bad, eh?

But wait! There's a more tempting perk to this promotion. As Ambassador, once you connect ten users, you'll achieve "gold status" and be free to download all first-party NES titles on Virtual Console. Oh, but it gets far better: Hit your twenty connections and -- you guessed it -- you've attained "platinum status," essentially granting you the keys to Nintendo's Virtual Console catalog. That's right, all first- and third-party NES, SNES and N64 games -- for free.

Quick! Google map the twenty nearest old folks homes and get ambassadoring!

When Contra 4 came out, we had the distinct displeasure of realizing not enough things in life had Contra in it. Thankfully, through the magic of internet technology, we can now check one thing off that list: Duck Hunt. YouTube user daneboe managed to combine the shoot-em-all gameplay of Contra with the duck genocide that is Duck Hunt, creating an entirely new experience. We do think that snickering dog should've gotten a taste of Bill Rizer's brand of justice, but hey, something's gotta be left for the sequel, right?

Head past the break to check out the video.

[Via Infendo]