Retro News

July2013

  • Review Fashion Tycoon (DSiWare)

    Fashion disaster

    If there's one thing that Fashion Tycoon truly achieves, it's the way in which it makes you appreciate just how hard retail workers have it at times. Much like in real life, demanding customers, stock shortages and a lack of staff are just some of the problems you find yourself up against in this game — it's a nightmarish...

  • News This GoldenEye 007 Wristwatch Is For Your Eyes Only

    Fit for Commander Bond himself

    N64 classic GoldenEye 007 is responsible for stealing away countless hours of our time here at the Nintendo Life office — we still crack out the dusty old console from time to time to indulge in a spot of remote mine-related tomfoolery. Bearing that in mind, you can imagine how pleased we were to see that some...

  • News Nintendo Comments On EarthBound's Inflated Pricing

    "Different games will be offered at different prices"

    As you're probably aware, EarthBound hit the Wii U Virtual Console last week. This SNES classic was one of the most-requested titles during the Wii era, and many believed it would never see the light of day in the west. Thankfully Nintendo surprised us all, and not only that, they produced a...

  • News Masahiro Sakurai Did Consider Smash Bros. For Previous Handhelds

    "We purely didn’t have the opportunity"

    The upcoming 3DS release of Super Smash Bros. has — despite its HD brethren being lined up for Wii U — been attracting plenty of attention. Not only does it mean that the latest entry in the hugely attractive franchise will be available to owners of both of Nintendo's current gaming systems, but it'll be...

  • Review Spelunker (3DS eShop / NES)

    Go back to your cave and stay there

    Ask a few western gamers about Spelunker and it's likely that barely any of them will have heard of the game, despite it being originally developed by an American company. Ask Japanese gamers, though, and it's a completely different story — the game is very well known to them and is joked about online all the...

  • Soapbox The 8-Bit Era Laid the Groundwork, but Modern Day Progress Shouldn't be Discounted

    Tom feels that enjoying both retro and modern games is vital

    This week we've published a few features to celebrate the Famicom's 30th Anniversary. It's an extraordinary landmark, particularly because so many games from the 8-bit machine are still treasured to this day, many of which are deserving because they're enormous fun. I think there's...

  • Round Table Let's Talk About the Famicom / NES

    Oh, the memories

    This week we've written some features and re-published some select reviews to celebrate the Famicom's 30th Anniversary, this particular landmark reflecting the Japanese release of the iconic original design. Naturally, not many of us in the Nintendo Life team have played that original system, but we have all indulged in the NES in...

  • Weirdness A Young Boy's Paper Game Boy Shows the Power of Imagination

    Heart-warming and awesome

    While many of us may be lucky enough to have all of the entertainment we want right at our fingertips, what do you do when you have to make your own fun? You could inadvertently dabble in 2D platform design, for one. Reddit user Juankestein has posted images of a paper "Game Boy" that he made when he was nine years old. As...

  • Interview WayForward on Shantae's Past, Present and Future

    Some "pretty big surprises" in store for Pirate's Curse this Fall

    With the release of Shantae (originally a Game Boy Color title) this week we touched base with WayForward's Creative Director and founding member, Matt Bozon, and he kindly agreed to a quick-fire interview before he jetted off to Comic-Con. This is a series that, despite being just...

  • Review EarthBound (Wii U eShop / SNES)

    An RPG experience unlike any other

    EarthBound landed on the SNES in 1995 with a dull thud. While the game didn't exactly light up the sales charts in North America and failed to make it to Europe, it has certainly gone on to become one of the most sought-after games in the second-hand market, selling for upwards of $80 as nothing more than a loose...

  • Review Donkey Kong (Wii U eShop / NES)

    Klassic Kong

    This month marks the 30th anniversary of the initial Japanese launch of the Nintendo Family Computer, more popularly known around the world as the Famicom. Among the landmark console’s launch titles was Donkey Kong, a port of the arcade hit that began Nintendo’s launch into video game history. Now, just in time for the anniversary...

  • Feature The History Of The Famicom, The Console That Changed Nintendo's Fortunes

    As Nintendo's iconic system turns 30, we chart the rise of a legend

    Nintendo may be a company with a history that stretches back over a hundred years, but it has only enjoyed its current level of fame for the past thirty or so — and that’s largely thanks to a remarkable 8-bit console which launched in its native Japan three decades ago this...

  • Talking Point The Famicom Was the Beginning of the Modern Gaming Era

    Solid building blocks

    We recently shared the landmark news that the Famicom has celebrated its 30th Anniversary, having launched in Japan on 15th July 1983, over two years before the NES made its way West. The latter version is that best known and most commonly cited, yet it was the original model's release — Nintendo's first dalliance with a home...

  • Review Rhythm Core Alpha 2 (DSiWare)

    Bring life back to music

    Musicians both aspiring and experienced have had copious opportunities to break out into song with their DSi thanks to a cornucopia of software suites, including 2010's Rhythm Core Alpha that brought an emphasis on live performances to the table. Developer SoftEgg's sequel Rhythm Core Alpha 2 is the most advanced one yet to...

  • News Smash Bros. Melee EVO Tournament Broke Viewer Records

    130,000 were watching

    While the EVO tournament is always a popular event, the issues surrounding the inclusion of Super Smash Bros. Melee grabbed a lot of headlines. The Nintendo legal team denied permission for the game to be live streamed, and then Nintendo of America rapidly retracted that decision, so that the brawler's contest could go ahead...

  • News Capcom To Reveal More Info On Mega Man's 25th Anniversary At Comic-Con 2013

    Is a new game on the way?

    Capcom is rolling like a tank at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, and will showcase a wide range of its forthcoming titles — including Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies and DuckTales Remastered. However, it's the tantalising promise of fresh information regarding Mega Man's 25th Anniversary that caught our...

  • Review Lost Treasures of Alexandria (DSiWare)

    The perfect match?

    Lost Treasures Of Alexandria's release on the DSi Shop comes as something of a surprise. That's because it's the first game in a short while to break the trend of poor Match-3 games to which the service has been cruelly subjected. In fact, this latest game rectifies many of the issues that plagued publisher MSL's other recent...

  • News The Famicom Turns 30 Years Old

    The system that started it all

    At the time of writing it may still be 14th July in many countries, but it's 15th July in Japan — that means that the Famicom has now turned 30 years old in its homeland. It would eventually make its way to the West, redesigned, as the iconic NES. Of course, Nintendo had been a Playing Card company in its earliest...

  • Feature The Making Of Pilotwings 64

    The N64 launch title which soared to new heights

    In recent years Nintendo has made a habit of aligning itself with external studios in order to complete notable projects. We've seen fruitful unions with the likes of Sega (F-Zero GX), Capcom (The Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap) and more recently Team Ninja (Metroid: Other M), Next Level Games (

  • Feature When it Comes to Games, What's in a Name?

    Quite a lot, if you're fussy like us

    The latest major 3DS release to hit Europe is Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Bros., except in our review we took to calling it by its North American name, just plain-old Mario & Luigi: Dream Team. It arrives Stateside around a month after Europe, but the shorter title seems like a better fit; that "Bros."...

  • Weirdness Picking an Original Pokémon Starter, Always a Tough Call

    Pick me!

    Pokémon is a gaming culture phenomenon, with legions of fans that can readily recite 'mon names and abilities without a pause for breath. For newcomers or those that haven't been there and seen it all, however, picking a starter 'mon can be a tough call. Sure, they're different types and have varying strengths and weaknesses, but how do...

  • Review Super Mario Bros. 2 (3DS eShop / NES)

    Sweet dreams are made of these

    By now we all know the story of Super Mario Bros. 2: concerns about the Japanese sequel to the original Super Mario Bros. kept it from release in North America and Europe. Different reasons have been given over time, from the game being too difficult to it simply not demonstrating enough creativity to keep gamers...

  • Review Metroid (Wii U eShop / NES)

    By Zebes, it’s Metroid on the Wii U

    The NES section of the Wii U's Virtual Console expands by another notch with the addition of Metroid, regarded by many as one of the best entries that amazing series has to offer. The great news is that it's every bit as wonderful as you remember; the bad news is that it's no more interested in holding your hand...

  • Feature Taking A Look Back At The Nintendo 64 Rumble Pak

    The little peripheral that shook things up in a big way

    Nintendo has always been a video game manufacturer renowned for innovation. From revitalising the video game console industry with the NES back in 1985 right through to opening it up to the mainstream with its Wii and DS systems in the mid-2000s, the Japanese company has continued to have a...

  • News Nintendo Initially Requested a Shutdown of the Whole Smash Bros. EVO Event, Before Backtracking

    It wasn't just the stream

    We know that Nintendo, in recent months, has been attempting to assert greater control over its image and any representation of its IPs. It started claiming the advert money from monetized videos featuring its properties on YouTube, before subsequently backing down in some cases; it wouldn't be surprising if this was due to...

  • News 8-Bit Titles Nuts & Milk And Mach Rider Hitting Japanese 3DS eShop Next Week

    500 Yen a pop

    Nintendo has confirmed that two new 8-bit titles are coming to the Japanese 3DS eShop next week. The excellently-titled Nuts & Milk was in fact the first third-party game for the Famicom, and launched way back in 1984. It's a curious puzzle / platfomer hybrid which involves linking up Milk with his girlfriend whilst avoiding the...

  • Review Sonic Drift 2 (3DS eShop / GG)

    Super Sonic Racing

    Quite a few video game mascots got swept up in the kart racing craze of the 90's, and the world's fastest hedgehog was no exception. Sonic and racing have always seemed like a good fit, and after the success of Super Mario Kart in 1992, SEGA gave the Blue Blur some well-deserved time on the track with Sonic Drift for the Game...

  • News The Power Of Glove Charts The History Of Nintendo's Most Questionable Controller

    More power to your glove

    Before the Wii revolutionised motion-controlled gaming, there was the Power Glove. Developed by Abrams Gentile Entertainment, this unique controller would find fame in Hollywood movie The Wizard, but in reality was something of a critical and commercial bomb — it was awkward to use and, according to its creators, was...

  • News Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Helped Miyamoto Bond With His Daughter

    More proof that video games bring families together

    As seasoned gamers, we're all aware that the medium of interactive entertainment — often decried by critics as an insular and lonely pastime — actually has very social qualities. People share their own experiences with other players, and when you get a group of people around a television set...

  • Review G-LOC: Air Battle (3DS eShop / GG)

    Crash and burn

    Around its initial release in the early '90s, Sega launched G-LOC: Air Battle in several different forms, including an arcade cabinet, a Mega Drive port, and eventually crash-landing it on the portable Game Gear console. The series has been mostly absent since then, finally popping back up on the 3DS’s Virtual Console service. Some...

  • News Nintendo Will Allow Super Smash Bros. Melee Stream From EVO 2013

    Tournament now returning to regularly scheduled programming

    Mere hours ago it was revealed by Shoryuken that Nintendo was, for some unknown, likely inane reason or another, blocking a stream of 2001 Gamecube title Super Smash Bros. Melee from the EVO 2013 fighting game tournament in Las Vegas this month. Well, scratch that: After a flurry of...

  • News Nintendo Denies Permission For a Live Stream of Super Smash Bros. Melee At EVO 2013

    *UPDATE* Stream is back on

    UPDATE: In a strangely prompt turn of events, it looks like Nintendo has reversed its decision to block the stream. What an eventful evening. ORIGINAL STORY BELOW Back in January this year, we reported that Super Smash Bros. Melee was a firm favourite to be the eighth title at EV

  • Feature A Virtual Tour of Pilotwings 64

    Come fly with me

    When it was released in 1996, Pilotwings 64 was praised for its incredible visuals and vast, open landscapes. Even now, the attention to detail is astonishing — as we pointed out in our recent Pilotwings 64 review so much so that we felt compelled to explore it. To save you the effort of having to dust off that old N64 and unlock...

  • News An Epic Mega Man Art Book is Coming to North America

    It only has 432 pages...

    As we all know by now, Capcom has been sanctioning various celebratory products for Mega Man's 25th Anniversary. It may have been saving the best non-game product for late in the day, however, as Udon Entertainment has given more details on the brand new official series art book — MM25: Mega Man & Mega Man X Official...

  • News WaterMelon Hiring Pixel Artists For New SNES and Mega Drive / Genesis Titles

    What's old is new

    WaterMelon is a name likely to be well-known among retro gamers that want that elusive thing; a retro game that's brand new. If that sounds peculiar, it perhaps shouldn't, as this is a company that seeks out and hires specialists in the field. Wii U owners will see the studio in action, eventually, with the crowdfunded HD remake of...

  • Review Vampire: Master of Darkness (3DS eShop / GG)

    Out for the count

    Given its gothic setting, focus on melee combat and inclusion of Dracula as the final boss, it’s little wonder that Vampire: Master of Darkness was compared to the famous Castlevania series when it launched on the Master System and Game Gear back in the early ‘90s. Developed by SIMS — which at the time was a second-party Sega...

  • Review Pilotwings (Wii U eShop / SNES)

    Empty skies

    Most readers here will remember the launch titles of the 3DS quite well, and as such they're probably familiar with the existence of Pilotwings Resort. While we certainly enjoyed the title there was a great deal of talk about it essentially feeling like a retail tech demo, more of a proof of concept for the new hardware than a game in...

  • Review Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike (GameCube)

    Three's a crowd

    Factor 5 struck gold when it released the sublime Star Wars: Rogue Squadron for the Nintendo 64 way back in 1998/1999. Then, in 2001/2002, the development studio topped this already impressive feat with the astounding Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader. So when it announced that it had a third Rogue Squadron game in the works...

  • Review Crystal Warriors (3DS eShop / GG)

    Curiously characterless

    One of the Game Gear's earliest RPG titles, Crystal Warriors tries to cherry-pick the best elements of genre classics like Fire Emblem and Shining Force while throwing its own element-driven combat system into the mix, along with the ability to tame monsters and use them in battle. Despite these attempts to do something fresh...

  • News UK Store GAME Pulls Mention Of SNES Emulator From Ouya Sales Page

    Super GNES no longer featured in advertising

    Android-based micro-console Ouya is now available in both the US and Europe, and brings with it the ability to play specially-adapted smartphone and tablet games on your TV. It also comes with support for various emulators which allow you to play retro titles on the system — so long as you source the...

  • News The North American SNES Almost Shipped With Super FX Built-In

    Idea was scrapped to keep costs down, says Jez San

    The polygon-pushing power of the Super FX chip might seem humble in modern terms, but back in the early '90s it was a seriously potent piece of kit and allowed the SNES to produce games like Star Fox, Stunt Race FX and Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. The chip — which was conceived by British...

  • Ninterview Behind The Scenes At Club Nintendo Magazine

    We speak to former staffer Natalie Griffith

    Those of you in the UK who are old enough to recall the days of the NES and original Game Boy will no doubt have fond memories of Club Nintendo magazine. It was essentially the "official" mouthpiece of Nintendo at the time, and was distributed via subscription. It contained details on forthcoming games, as...

  • Review Vegas Stakes (Wii U eShop / SNES)

    Jackpot winner or total craps?

    Nothing says “SNES classic” like a high-stakes trip to a menagerie of Las Vegas casinos. You’re invited to bust open the bank account for a night of potentially irresponsible entertainment as you hop from game to gambling game with your crew of potentially irresponsible friends. Even if a 1993 rendition of...

  • Video The Mysteries of Evolution Are Solved, Pokémon is the Answer

    The old B button trick

    Occasionally we like to highlight humourous videos that riff on Nintendo history, particularly as it shows — above all else — that Nintendo is a strong part of pop culture. If people keep referencing Nintendo's games and systems, particularly of the retro variety, it all helps to keep the company's brand at the forefront...

  • Weirdness Zelda And Pokémon Revisited As 1930s Disney Cartoons

    Golly, Pluto!

    Ever wondered what The Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, Trine and Street Fighter would look like if they were magically transported back in time and drawn by the hand of Walt Disney himself? No? Well tough luck, because you're about to see them anyway. Red Little House — the team behind Fleish & Cherry in Crazy Hotel — have created...

  • Review Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (3DS eShop / GG)

    Saving your Tails

    A year after the runaway success of Sonic the Hedgehog in 1991, SEGA followed up with a sequel that introduced Miles 'Tails' Prower and the iconic Casino Night Zone to the gaming world. This, however, is not that sequel. Rather than leaving its Master System and Game Gear-owning fans with a simple, downsized port of Sonic the...

June2013

  • Review Defenders of Oasis (3DS eShop / GG)

    Water way to go

    Given the staggering popularity of the RPG genre, it’s amazing that so few titles have broken free of the seemingly obligatory European fantasy setting. Most notable entries tend to feature swords, knights, dragons and all the usual medieval trappings, and as a result some old-school role-playing titles are genuinely difficult to...

  • Weirdness The Mystery of the Mega Man 2 Box Art Pistol is Explained

    Capcom's Art Director blew it

    Retro game covers can be fascinating, on occasion because of just how awful they can look. Often there's a charm on display that you just don't see in many modern-day, high budget cover designs that have clearly been produced by a rather expensive branding agency; back then, video games were also predominantly targeting...

  • Review Tails Adventure (3DS eShop / GG)

    Foxtales

    Miles 'Tails' Prower has come a long way since his debut as a silent, second-player-controlled sidekick in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, becoming one of SEGA's most beloved mascots and appearing in dozens of games over the past twenty years. It's a bit surprising then that he's only had headlining roles in two titles, both on the Game Gear: the...

  • Review Jewel Quest 5 - The Sleepless Star (DSiWare)

    Jewel Identity

    We often complain about the lack of innovation in today's games industry. Publishers and developers tend to take the safe and easy route, making games that stick closely to a tried-and-tested template with the odd tweak here and there. While there's nothing wrong with making a sequel to a popular game, it's not unreasonable for us...

  • Review Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader (GameCube)

    A force to be reckoned with

    In many ways, Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader is the definitive Star Wars game. That's not to say that it's the best game that's ever been based on the franchise, but rather, it's the best at capturing the pure essence and magic of it. Developed by Factor 5 in collaboration with LucasArts, it's a technical...

  • Review Wrecking Crew (Wii U eShop / NES)

    It's wrecking time!

    Mario's claim to fame has often been jumping; a simple skill, but unfailingly entertaining. It can be tough to remember a time when he traded high-flying acrobatics for a hammer and an insatiable appetite for destruction, but that's exactly the case in Wrecking Crew. Smashing things to bits is the straightforward goal, but...

  • News Spruced Up Version Of The Chaos Engine Could Be Coming To Consoles

    Bitmap Brothers' classic shooter is getting a new lease of life

    Fans of 16-bit gaming will no doubt be jumping for joy at the news that The Chaos Engine is getting a revival of sorts. Published by Mastertronic and overseen by original developer Mike Montgomery, the new version will be launching on PC, Mac and Linux this August — but we could see...

  • Review Mario Bros. (Wii U eShop / NES)

    Definitely not super

    If you've ever been curious about Mario and Luigi's actual credibility as plumbers, you'll want to look all the way back to 1983's Mario Bros., the game which established pipe-cleaning as their true vocation and served as something of a bridge between arcade sensation Donkey Kong and early platforming masterpiece Super Mario...

  • News Capcom Teases More Mega Virtual Console Releases

    You got a new re-make, Virtual Console Nostalgia!

    Capcom loves Mega Man. It does, really, giving the Blue Bomber excessive Anniversary merchandise and official soundtrack releases to satisfy plenty of monied collectors. The company doesn't love the character enough to develop a new game, it seems, but those are the breaks. What Capcom's also doing...

  • Review Shining Force: The Sword of Hajya (3DS eShop / GG)

    Shine on, you crazy portable diamond

    The Shining Force series may have retreated from the west of late, but back in the early 1990s it was incredibly popular in both the US and Europe, managing to attract a large audience while Nintendo's rival Fire Emblem franchise remained Japan-exclusive. As well as scoring critically-acclaimed entries on the...

  • Review Mega Man 6 (3DS eShop / NES)

    Mega Man's NES swan song

    In 1993, the SNES was already out and Capcom was about to release Mega Man X, but they just couldn't let themselves to say goodbye to the NES and made one last 8-bit Mega Man game for the beloved system. Mega Man 6 was released so late into the system's life that Capcom decided to not even publish the game in Europe — this...

  • News Shigeru Miyamoto Wishes Nintendo Had "Done More" With Zelda II

    Still one of a kind in the franchise

    The Legend of Zelda is a franchise that has typically come in two stylistic flavours — top-down 2D/2.5D or fully 3D worlds. The latter began with Ocarina of Time while the former was common on older systems and notably on handhelds, with the DS entries shifting the top-down camera angle slightly. With that in...

  • Review Dr Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (3DS eShop / GG)

    Emphasis on the “mean”

    Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine is somewhat of an anomaly. It's a Puyo Puyo puzzle game that takes place in the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog - a short lived but wildly popular television series from the mid-90s - universe, but the blue blur is completely absent. Instead, the only hero here is you, a presumably...

  • Review Columns (3DS eShop / GG)

    Supporting a good time

    Way back in the days when video games in general were often referred to as 'Nintendo' games, a little gem called Tetris was packaged-in with the Game Boy, and it helped catapult the handheld to dominating heights. A couple of years later SEGA released the Game Gear, and in what can only be seen as an attempt to capitalize on...

  • Weirdness If Only Monster Hunter Was Released on the Game Boy

    On a scale of one to awesome, it'd be awesome

    Monster Hunter is a huge deal in Japan, with the upcoming Monster Hunter 4 likely to cause retail mayhem, or perhaps crashes of the 3DS eShop servers. Despite the high quality of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate on Wii U and 3DS, however, it's not hit those heights in the West, relying on a loyal core following...

  • Review Bakuretsu Muteki Bangaioh (Nintendo 64)

    Insanity redefined

    Bakuretsu Muteki Bangaioh (which translates as Explosive, Invincible Bangaioh — you might know it as Bangai-O) is a relatively obscure Japanese exclusive for Nintendo 64 that holds a rather interesting history. Released in 1999 and developed by Treasure — the same team that produced the Sin & Punishment games — it is...

  • Review Sengoku 3 (Wii Virtual Console / Neo Geo)

    Third time's the charm

    While SNK was far more well known for its one-on-one fighting games, it did toss out a few beat 'em ups along the way. Some of the attempts were better than others: Sengoku 3 is one such example. It basically takes many of the solid gameplay perks of the first two games and amps things up considerably. Toss in a fresh coat of...

  • Review Sonic the Hedgehog (3DS eShop / GG)

    Put a ring on it

    As one of gaming's most iconic mammals, Sonic the Hedgehog needs no introduction; he's graced consoles, comic books, crossovers and clothing lines in his double-decade career, and this is where it all began. Well, nearly — Sonic the Hedgehog on the Game Gear isn't a port of the Mega Drive / Genesis classic, but rather of the 8-bit...

  • Review Jewel Quest 4 Heritage (DSiWare)

    Losing its shine

    It seems like the Match-3 genre never stops growing, with some new form of the popular puzzle games appearing what feels like every other week. It's a genre that has seen hundreds upon hundreds of releases, and there's little sign of it slowing down. If anything, it's baffling that so many of these games are still being made. Very...

  • Review Spelunker (Wii U eShop / NES)

    Deeper underground

    Ask a few western gamers about Spelunker and it's likely that barely any of them will have heard of the game, despite it being originally developed by an American company. Ask Japanese gamers, though, and it's a completely different story — the game is very well known to them and is joked about online all the time, though not...

  • Review Mega Man 4 (Wii U eShop / NES)

    The Blue Bomber jumps onto the GamePad

    In 1991 the world got a fourth entry in what had quickly shaped up to be one of the NES's most popular series. This game was Mega Man 4, and expectations were high. After all, the first game laid down a solid — if static — template that resonated very well with gamers, the second game refined the formula...

  • Review Yoshi (Wii U eShop / NES)

    Not very eggciting

    With so many tile-matching games available on so many different gaming platforms, it’s surprising to see that, despite the Wii U launching six months ago, there have yet to be any released on the new console. Nintendo has finally decided to fill that empty gap with the Virtual Console release of Yoshi, an NES era puzzler...

  • Review Mega Man 3 (Wii U eShop / NES)

    The Blue Bomber jumps onto the GamePad

    It's fitting that Mega Man 3 introduces our hero's antagonistic, cocksure older brother Proto Man, as the game itself seems to eternally duke it out with its own brother Mega Man 2 for the coveted title of Best in Series. But wherever you may fall on the question, there's no doubt that this third installment in...

  • Review Mega Man 2 (Wii U eShop / NES)

    The Blue Bomber jumps onto the GamePad

    In 1987, Capcom released the original Mega Man. It was well-received by both gamers and critics, but it was not much of a financial success. Over the course of the next year, however, Mega Man 2 was developed as a labour of love by Keiji Inafune and his team, alongside other projects that were expected to be...

  • News A Hat In Time Developer Claims Donkey Kong 64 Was Instrumental In Killing Off Collection Platformers

    Believes modern platformers should strike a balance

    Wind-Waker lookalike A Hat In Time is currently being developed by Gears for Breakfast after it smashed through its Kickstarter goal. It's a cell-shaded homage to the classic N64 plaformers and though it's currently only down for a PC and Mac release, the developer has expressed its desire to...

  • News New Collection of Video Game Books Gets The Go-Ahead After Smashing Kickstarter Goal

    Earthbound and Super Mario Bros. 2 both feature

    A new set of books based on video games is set to be published after the team behind it smashed through their goal on a recent Kickstarter campaign. The series - known as Boss Fight Books - will feature five books based on historic and groundbreaking video games - two of which are on a Nintendo...

  • Feature The Humble Origins of Animal Crossing

    How an obscure little N64 title grew into a hit franchise for Nintendo

    The hype and excitement for Animal Crossing: New Leaf across the web is reaching a critical level. Hitting North America on 9th June and Europe on 14th June, it begs the question whether some people might literally explode as a result of not being able to contain their...

  • Video You'll Wish You Could Play Tetris As Well As This

    Thor Aackerlund is a Tetris master

    Like the talented and popular sporty kid you used to hate at school, Thor Aackerlund has been annoying the hell out of Nintendo fans for decades, thanks largely to his superhuman gaming skills — skills which won him the coveted Nintendo World Championship back in 1990. Turns out Aackerlund hasn't allowed his...

  • News Don't Look Now, But There Could Be A New Shaq Fu Game Inbound

    Be very afraid

    Those of you old enough to recall the 16-bit era will no doubt remember a fighting game for the SNES by the name of Shaq Fu. It took the famous basketball star Shaquille O'Neal and placed him in a fantasy world when he had to use his intense B-Ball skills to defeat the malevolent Sett-Ra. Despite being created by the respected French...

  • News Link's Awakening Turns 20 Years Old

    First portable Zelda was a dream come true

    Two decades ago, on 6th June 1993, Japanese gamers were the first to explore the mysteries of Koholint Island in what is still considered by some to be among the top Zelda games in the series — all on the now-humble Game Boy, no less. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening was originally intended as a...

  • Review Ghosts 'n Goblins (Wii U eShop / NES)

    Lots of pain for little gain

    From Software's Demon's Souls and Dark Souls titles have been hailed as two of the most engaging games of this current hardware generation, praised by critics and gamers alike for their intense difficulty and complete lack of hand-holding. Set against other modern titles — which seem to fall over themselves to make the...

  • Weirdness Capcom Selling a Rush Tissue Pouch in Japan for Mega Man Anniversary

    Just what the fans want...

    While this year has been a celebration of the Mega Man franchise's 25th Anniversary, Capcom's mainly been offering soundtracks, USB pen drives, laptop skins and other non-gaming products. We've also seen the release of the classic NES titles on the 3DS Virtual Console, with some doubling up on the Wii U Virtual Console for...

  • Review Kirby's Dream Course (Wii U eShop / SNES)

    Augusta this 'ain't

    Kirby, being a lovable if slightly non-descript pink ball, can lend his hands — or flappy arms, whatever — to lots of things. Being shaped like a ball and all, he's indulged in pinball, for example, and when participating in his named spin-offs generally performs as the ball, rather than going all Mario and playing the sports...

  • Video A History Of Nintendo Controllers in Less Than 30 Seconds

    The N64's is still the strangest...

    Nintendo has often played the role of innovator with its control schemes, particularly in more recent times. When not innovating it's been satisfied with simply producing the best controllers of their kind — in the NES and Super NES variants — with the Nintendo 64 starting a trend for curious designs and fresh...

  • Weirdness Someone Is Planning On Digging Up Atari's Buried E.T. Cartridges

    Could this urban legend be true? We'll soon find out

    Before Nintendo came along and revolutionised the video game industry with the NES, American company Atari was the undisputed king of the home gaming arena — right up to the point where low-quality software and catastrophic mismanagement resulted in a massive video game crash. One of the most...

  • Review Mega Man X (Wii U eShop / SNES)

    Marks the spot

    By the time Mega Man X was released for the SNES, gamers and critics were already expressing concern about the classic series feeling stale. Mega Man had become formulaic and predictable, and while the NES games were still a lot of fun, there was no denying that they didn't evolve much from title to title. Mega Man X felt like a firm...

  • Review Star Wars Episode I: Battle for Naboo (Nintendo 64)

    Tour de Force

    While it wasn't quite the workhorse that Rare was during the Nintendo 64 era, Factor 5 developed a handful of third-party games that arguably matched Nintendo's own efforts in terms of technical quality. The studio had a knack for getting underneath the hood of the system and exploiting its raw power to create fascinating visual...

May2013

  • News Happy 15th Birthday, Banjo-Kazooie!

    Guh-huh!

    It’s hard to believe now, but before 31st May, 1998, no one believed that a bear in yellow shorts and a bird in a backpack could ever make an effective team. A spunky little Twycross-based company called Rare, however, set out to prove the world wrong, and did so with quite admirable results. Today marks the 15th anniversary of the North...

  • Hardware Classics Nintendo Virtual Boy

    Nintendo's nadir, or misunderstood masterpiece?

    According to the history books, the Virtual Boy is Nintendo's biggest failure — both commercially and critically — in the hardware arena. Launched in 1995 to almost complete consumer apathy, it bypassed Europe entirely and was discontinued the following year. It is also thought to be the reason...

  • News Donkey Kong 64 Required Expansion Pak to Prevent Game-Breaking Bug

    Game would crash when using the N64's standard setup

    When Donkey Kong 64 released all the way back in 1999, it was the first Nintendo 64 game to require the system’s 8MB Expansion Pak add-on in order to work. Advertising at the time suggested that the game was just so big that it couldn't possibly work without it. However, Chris Marlow, one of the...

  • Feature A Brief History of Pokémon - Part One

    Contracting Pokémania

    In the mid-nineties, an epidemic spread across the world. First discovered in Japan, it soon spread across the pacific, consuming vast areas of America. We were powerless to stop it. No cure was to be found. Before long, it broke America's shores and hit Europe with similarly devastating effect. The worst affected were...

  • News Super Mario Bros. Movie Sequel On the Way, as a Webcomic

    You know you want it

    Earlier today we shared John Leguizamo's thoughts on the Super Mario Bros. live-action movie, as a special screening celebrated the movie's 20th Anniversary. It divides critics, but does enjoy a cult-status and loyal following. Scripted by Steven Applebaum and Ryan Hoss, with the story by Parker Bennett, a new webcomic will...

  • Review Kirby's Dream Land 3 (Wii U eShop / SNES)

    Third time's the charming

    Kirby’s Dream Land 3 is the epitome of a lovable gaming experience. Carefree and popping with irresistible charm, this SNES platformer builds off the two previous Game Boy entries in the series and fulfills the potential they introduced. That doesn’t mean the core mechanics have suddenly become nuanced or up to par with...

  • Weirdness Pokémon Fusion Fan-Site Remixes Your Favourite 'Mon

    We like the Hypbat

    With Pokémon X & Y coming later this year, many fans of the franchise are no doubt enjoying every second of the buzz and hype. Part of that fun is learning about new evolutions or, when we're lucky, all new creatures, which makes fan-site Pokémon Fusion worth a look. It's the work of Alex Onsager, and he's currently working...

  • Review Kirby Super Star (Wii U eShop / SNES)

    Dedede-lightful

    Kirby Super Star is a smorgasbord of creativity, as if the developers at HAL Laboratory had a game jam for two weeks straight and came out on the other side with a beautifully disheveled collection of Kirby’s best. Nine sub-games, ranging from one-button tests of reflex to multi-hour adventures, are stuffed onto the SNES with no...

  • News John Leguizamo: We Were Pioneers With The Super Mario Bros. Movie

    The actor who played Luigi gives his 20th anniversary speech

    As you may or may not be aware, the Super Mario Bros. live-action movie is now two decades old. Attacked by critics and gamers alike when it originally hit cinemas, the film has nonetheless gained a cult following in the past twenty years. LA's Nuart Theatre played host to a special...

  • Review The King of Fighters '99 (Wii / Neo Geo)

    Different, but still impressive

    The King of Fighters is a series that's long been a staple of the Neo Geo platform. But with a few new twists and added bells and whistles, the developers have kicked things up a notch. While not as revered as its predecessor, considered by many to be the pinnacle of the series, King of Fighters '99 still adds enough...

  • Review Banjo-Kazooie Symphony by The Blake Robinson Synthetic Orchestra

    A Rare treat

    Rare is a company that is fondly remembered by many Nintendo fans. While it had success on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System with the Donkey Kong Country series, it was during the years of the Nintendo 64 that the development studio truly came into its own. It produced hit after hit, arguably saving the 64-bit system from the...

  • News This Custom Twin Famicom Is The Stuff Hardware Dreams Are Made Of

    Remember when console designs actually mattered?

    We hate to keep going on about it, but Microsoft revealed the Xbox One to the world this week. We're obviously biased, but we happen to think it looks a little underwhelming in purely physical terms — Nintendo Life Operations Director Darren Calvert said it best when he described the console as...

  • Review Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts (Wii U eShop / SNES)

    Bring fresh underwear

    There’s a school of thought which argues that modern gamers have it too easy, and that this generation of players has grown soft thanks to the fact that developers are all too happy to provide helpful tutorials and short-cuts intended to reduce frustration. You only need to spend a few painful minutes in the company of Super...

  • Review Mega Man 5 (3DS eShop / NES)

    Super fighting robot

    Capcom has been very fast with releasing the original Mega Man series on 3DS Virtual Console, and now we're already up to the fifth entry. As you might expect, Mega Man 5 is quite similar to the four games before it; eight new Robot Masters have appeared, and it's up to Mega Man to stop them and their leader, who appears to be...

  • News New Mega Man Graphic Novel Lands in North America on 22nd May

    Order now for a pre-order discount

    If you like Mega Man and if you also like comics/graphic novels, then chances are you know about the Archie publications on the franchise. The graphic novel releases combine multiple comics into one juicy bundle, with the story-lines covering enough lore and background to the many games to satisfy the most ardent...

  • News Mega Man 5 Soundtrack Rocks Onto Capcom Store

    Tsk, it only has 57 tracks

    If you're a Mega Man fan that simply has to buy every re-release that graces Nintendo Virtual Console platforms, chances are you may have just recently downloaded Mega Man 5 onto your 3DS. Coincidentally — or not, we suspect — Capcom has updated its gradual release of the Blue Bomber's soundtracks with the fifth entry...

  • Review Super Metroid (Wii U eShop / SNES)

    Superior Metroid

    It’s undeniable that 1994 was an extremely memorable year of videogame releases. Sonic 3, Earthworm Jim, Doom II, and the original Donkey Kong Country were just a few of the critically acclaimed games that had us chatting profusely on the playground. However, there was one game in particular that terrified and mesmerized us so...

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