So, we only just posted a MicroLink to Chris Kohler's initial impressions of Game Center CX, which is the spoof-styled DS game based on the cult Japanese 'play through classic games' TV show - and now Kohler has outlined the mini-games and challenges in more detail over at Wired News.

As he explains: "Not only have the designers managed to come up with a clever assortment of retro-games-that-weren't, they've wrapped them all in an addictive umbrella game. You can load up and play in any game you like at any time, but there's always a certain challenge that you have to complete before you can move on and get more games." Titles include Galaga clone Cosmic Gate, platform action-er Karakuri Ninja Huggleman, and Dragon Quest spoof Guadia Quest.

What fascinates me about the game is that it's so 'meta' about the whole experience of playing games - as Kohler explains in his first impressions article: "Each game, of course, has secrets. You can enter in secret codes for powerups, or find Super Warp Gates on certain levels. To find these, you'll have to flip through back issues of Game Fan Magazine (no, not that Game Fan), which also contain previews of upcoming games, fictional Top Ten lists, and editorials from the fictional staff."

If you want to know more about the TV show it's based on, Ray Barnholt wrote to GSW a few months back linking to his own insanely detailed guide to Game Center CX, which is now in its 8th season, and he's just been updating with info/grabs from the shows from the new season - the newest includes Western platformer Flashback, which Arino crunches through in 16 hours straight, ouch. Awesome work. Now who's going to localize this for the West, since it's pretty unplayable if you don't know Japanese?