Lately, there seems to have been an understanding and acceptance that yesteryear's hardcore is today's casual. Classic games like Duck Hunt, the original Super Mario Bros., Sonic the Hedgehog and Space Invaders have all turned into ways that we can waste time in our cubicles. But for some gamers, the mid-'80s and early-'90s was the last time that they were considered hardcore. This is the central concept of Retro Game Challenge for the Nintendo DS. It's for every fan that fondly remembers the spirit of that era when gaming was first coming into its own and it is a masterpiece in its own right.

Retro Game Challenge has you take on the role of yourself, a gamer who is picked out by a crazy dude who downloaded himself into a Nintendo DS that sends you back into time to play with his younger self back to the origins of gaming. To prove yourself worthy, you have to play the games of yesteryear and complete his insane challenges. Some are easy, like "Beat this Level." Others are far more difficult, especially if you're like me and racing games in 16-bit were never your forte.

While the concept is cute, the real masterpiece here is the compilation of homage games they've put together. There is everything from an homage to Space Invaders to Metroid to Mario Bros. to Pole Position to Final Fantasy. This game actually put full versions of all these games, complete with manuals and fake company backstories, into a single cartridge. The challenges within these games are great, but it's the attention to detail that makes the gamer of yesteryear really marvel and laugh at this game. Everything from hidden stages and cheat codes to weird grammatical errors due to shoddy translation (You hitted 38 asteroids!) are present in these games and it's a joy to see them come back.

In addition to actually playing the games, you get to interact with the game master's younger self, which is actually pretty essential to completing this thing. See, this kid buys all the magazines related to games that you can read to find out what's coming next and the latest tips and tricks. For those who can't remember a time before the internet, gaming magazines used to be the only place you could find cheat codes and strategy for all your favorite games. Retro Game Challenge even made up staff members and editors that moved on from the job, creating a whole fictional history for the game magazine's staff. Really fantastic work.

The games themselves are representative of each of their eras. If you don't like 16 or 32-bit gaming, this probably isn't the game for you. The games begin very rough in terms of graphics and midi music, but progresses to a point where...well, it gets less rough. See, Retro Game Challenge isn't just a game or a compilation of games - it's a period piece that seeks to encapsulate the entire gaming history of a single period of time where cheat codes reigned supreme and achievements were something that you did simply for bragging rights, not for points or trophies.

This DS game is a breath of fresh air in a generation that's all about graphics and new innovation. If you're going to move forward, you have to take a look back at what makes gaming great. This is a rare chance for younger gamers (who probably weren't even around for the original SNES and only played the games on virtual console) to take a look back at the atmosphere and history that made gaming so much fun for us old fogies.

Don't mistake this for an educational game, though - definitely no typing or edutainment games here. It's all good, classic gaming fun. Most anybody will be able to pick up the game and have a great time, and hey - even if you're having trouble with it, there's always the special cheat codes that'll help you in every single game.