Retro News

June2012

  • Review 7 Wonders II (DSiWare)

    A small wonder

    When it comes to clones, very few genres are more prime candidates than puzzlers. When Tetris hit back in the 80's it was quickly cloned and in fact, is still being cloned to this very day. 7 Wonders of the Ancient World took the match-three idea and attempted to inject a few new twists into the mix but somehow failed to take the...

  • News Fifth Mario Marathon Fundraiser Set for 22nd June

    All for the Child's Play Charity

    There are millions of gamers who enjoy playing Mario games, whether it's the NES classics or the latest titles on Wii and 3DS. The world-famous plumber is also the inspiration for Mario Marathon 5, a webcast taking place this Friday to raise money for the Child's Play charity. This event has enjoyed success in its...

  • Review Devil Band - Rock the Underworld (DSiWare)

    Ear piercing

    If musicians really can save the world — Bob Geldof and Bono would both like you to believe they can — then it's a shame they couldn't do it in a game more interesting than Devil Band - Rock the Underworld. CIRCLE's latest essentially takes Plants vs. Zombies, robs it of its charm and adds in a lot more tapping. You control a metal...

  • Review Tumble Pop (3DS eShop / GB)

    Tumble Pop and lock

    In the future, nests of hornets will be the least of pest control's worries. Tumble Pop is filled with strange beasts, from living skeletons to little grey aliens, manic clowns and Sweetums from The Muppets. In this arcade platformer, it's your job to clean them up with nothing more than a trusty – and presumably engine-powered...

  • News NES-Bit Magazine Volume 2 Hits the Stands

    Back to the past

    Fans of the humble Nintendo Entertainment System can learn more about their favourite machine with a new issue of NES-Bit, a fan magazine devoted to all things 8-bit. The second issue features a look back at the NES vs. Master System war, a guide to importing Famicom titles, a Castlevania series retrospective and much more. It's...

  • News Harmony of a Hunter Follow-Up Album Shoots for Perfect Run

    Available later this year

    Earlier in the year we told you about Harmony of a Hunter, a fan-produced double-album of music from the Metroid series. We also had an interview with director Darren Kerwin and assistant director Torbjørn 'Falcool' Brandrud, who said the project was devised to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the franchise, even if...

  • Review Donkey Kong Jr. (3DS eShop / NES)

    Defeat the villainous Mario!

    Donkey Kong Jr. was the inevitable sequel to the massively popular arcade smash Donkey Kong. Surprisingly — and rewardingly — it inverted the formula, casting Mario as the villain to be defeated, and Donkey Kong's diaper-clad son as the avenging hero. Is there any wonder Nintendo released this one just in time for...

  • Review The Last Blade (Wii Virtual Console / Neo Geo)

    Neo Geo fighting at its finest

    There are very few game consoles in existence that can compete with the diverse fighting game library of SNK's Neo Geo system. While some of the earlier efforts came up short of reaching the quality of Capcom's Street Fighter II series, many later efforts ended up being some of the best 2D fighting releases of the era...

  • Review Mega Man X2 (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)

    Still mega

    When Capcom created Mega Man X, it had clearly done something right. Many fans loved finally getting a refreshing take on the series, rather than what was essentially the same thing over and over, and it became quite popular. While the Classic Mega Man series went on a break for a few years, Capcom churned out a few more X games,...

  • Review 99Seconds (DSiWare)

    I got 99 problems but time ain't one

    Tiny time-waster games like 99seconds really aren't all that dissimilar from the arcade games of old that we now look on so fondly as champions of game design: simplistic ideas with an execution engaging enough to keep the flow of quarters flowing. Here, the concept is a form of extreme keep-away with a slow-down...

  • News Bowser and Bison Join Wreck-It Ralph in Therapy

    Bad boys

    Bowser will be making a return to cinema screens for the first time since that live action movie in Wreck-It Ralph, Disney's new computer generated film that's out later this year. Poor old Ralph has been stuck doing the same old job for 30 years: smashing up buildings in an Rampage-style arcade game. Bored of being the bad guy that nobody...

  • News ZombiU Is Really a Blast from the Past

    Did you know Zombi was Ubisoft's first game?

    ZombiU was one of the major Wii U announcements yesterday as part of Ubisoft's press conference, with a CG-filled trailer that showed plenty of zombie chaos. Our interesting fact of the day is that Ubisoft's first ever game release was called Zombi, which was an icon-driven adventure game released in...

  • Review Rayman (3DS eShop / GBC)

    Rayman, fighter of the Night Man

    In 1995, the platformer Rayman was released to great critical acclaim on the PlayStation. It was the first entry in a hugely successful franchise that also spawned an entirely separate sub-franchise along the way. Rayman had charm, class and above all a tremendous sense of fun. Five years later, the game was still...

  • Review Metal Slug 3 (Wii Virtual Console / Neo Geo)

    Heavy metal

    Due to the bevy of fighting games released for Neo Geo, it's always a refreshing sight to see a game of a different genre from the format re-released on Virtual Console. We've just about hit the jackpot this time — Metal Slug 3 can easily be considered one of the single best games the system ever got. The first and second games in the...

May2012

  • News Square Enix Launches Final Fantasy 25th Anniversary Website

    Time to work on your Japanese

    The original NES Final Fantasy was released on the Famicom in Japan in December 1987, which means that this year will be a landmark 25 year anniversary for the series. Release in the west was substantially delayed, but Square Enix is starting the celebrations in Japan with an anniversary website to show off the legacy...

  • Review Snakenoid Deluxe (DSiWare)

    In which the word "deluxe" is cheapened enormously

    Last year, we reviewed Snakenoid, a Snake/Arkanoid hybrid from Cinemax that answered our question of how one could possibly combine the gameplay from those two games. That answer was, "pretty disappointingly, thanks for asking." We felt it was a bit of a mess, at best, a complete waste of time and...

  • News Donkey Kong Champion Improves His World Record

    The doctor is in

    While some of us may consider ourselves useful when playing some old-school games, there are few that are legitimately world-beating retro gamers. Dr. Hank Chien is one of the elite, as he's the record holder for the original Donkey Kong arcade title, an honour that he currently holds despite constant competition from fellow retro...

  • Review Chronicles of Vampires: Awakening (DSiWare)

    Bloody good?

    It seems that popular culture's obsession with vampires may be entering its twilight years. If contemporary films, books and TV series focusing on gothic lore ever felt fresh and exciting, that effect has worn off and the bloodsuckers have come to feel a bit bland and tired. Still clinging onto the trend is the second in Teyon's hidden...

  • Feature Retro Console Launches - NES

    Sharing the power

    In recent weeks we’ve written about console launches such as Wii, 3DS and GameCube. This is all because we’re currently gearing up for the Wii U launch later this year, and E3 promises to build hype and excitement to astronomical levels. In the coming months most of us will learn all about Wii U online with various websites...

  • News Check Out These Kirby Drawings from Nintendo's Bosses

    Such care-free times

    It's easy to underestimate how long some of the current Nintendo senior figures have been working at the company: some of them have been there since the very beginning of NES, for example. Andriasang has unearthed a picture from a 1993 Nintendo Strategy book to make us, and the Nintendo legends in question, feel a bit old. The...

  • News Upcycle Nintendo Gear into Office Equipment

    Get down to business

    If your GameCube's given up the ghost or there's more nails in your Nintendo 64's coffin than hairs on your head, you might be thinking of recycling it. Etsy store GreenCüb goes one better and upcycles dead consoles and controllers into office equipment. Graeme Abraham turns GameCubes into desk organisers — cleverly the...

  • News Ocarina of Time Makes a Good Bedtime Story

    Cute baby included

    Sometimes video games deserve to be passed from one generation to the next, with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D being a perfect example that brings the Nintendo 64 classic to 3DS gamers. Kyle Hilliard and Ben Hanson from Game Informer have decided that age is no barrier to learning about this particular adventure; they've...

  • News Go On, Judge a Game By Its Cover

    Nobody says you shouldn't

    You might remember some of our previous coverage of Famicase, where artists create stickers for fictional Famicom games. A Game By Its Cover (AGBIC) takes this concept to the next stage, inviting developers to create games based on the stickers. The competition runs from 17th June until 18th August and is open to anyone...

  • Review Kirby's Dream Land 2 (3DS eShop / GB)

    Dreamy

    Dream Land's peaceful moniker is surely false advertising. There are constant problems with invasions and takeovers, the bad guys are apparently impossible to evict, based on how often they show up and the fact that some buffoon keeps dumping huge piles of those star blocks in everybody's way. It's an absolute nightmare. You wouldn't get that...

  • Review Curling Super Championship (DSiWare)

    Bowls on ice

    DSiWare has been home to some interesting concepts and ideas, developing a diverse library of different experiences of varying standards. Despite this, Curling Super Championship is one of the more unique entries, taking a relatively minor winter sport and turning it into a video game. While some may feel the need to dismiss it off...

  • Review Monster World IV (Wii Virtual Console / Mega Drive)

    Worth the wait

    Originally released in 1994, Monster World IV is the final game in the Wonder Boy series. It's a very well-liked game and another great entry in the franchise, but there was just one problem: it was never released outside Japan. Until now that is, because SEGA has finally given the rest of the world a chance to experience the game,...

  • Review Wonder Boy in Monster Land (Wii Virtual Console / Virtual Console Arcade)

    Boy wonder

    The Wonder Boy franchise is one of many treasured relics from SEGA's past. Dedicated fans have clamoured for a new entry in the platform series ever since the 1994 Mega Drive release of the sixth title, Monster World IV. For now, though, they'll have to make do with the splurge of digital download re-releases. This time, it's the arcade...

  • Review Sonic Labyrinth (3DS eShop / GG)

    Maze craze

    Failed game pitches from the 1990s: Madden without the ball. Mario without the jumping. Sonic without the speed. Except someone at SEGA must have thought the last one was a good idea, and gave Minato Giken the go-ahead to develop Sonic Labyrinth for Game Gear. As the story goes, Dr. Robotnik has tricked Sonic into wearing special shoes...

  • News Zelda Rock Album Available Now

    Suitably epic

    The Legend of Zelda is a franchise with immediately recognisable themes and soundtracks, which naturally prompts fans to produce their own arrangements and covers of the iconic music. In an interesting approach, one musician has opted to, in his words, produce a 'post-rock inspired rearrangement of Koji Kondo's music', giving it a new...

  • Review Paul's Shooting Adventure 2 (DSiWare)

    Looks like we're having twins

    Upon its western release in late 2010, Paul's Shooting Adventure was a pleasant surprise. It starred a flying baby named Paul, also known as The Ultimate Pacifier, who battled evil alien sea creatures because, hey, why not? It was a surprisingly fun game with colourful graphics and an upbeat soundtrack, not to mention...

  • News New Mega Man Book Arrives in Thailand

    Or Rockman, to be precise

    About a month ago we told you about the Mega Man Robot Master Field Guide from UDON Entertainment, which is packed with facts about the series and its characters. The blue bomber is famous in a lot of places, with a new book just released in Thailand to give fans in the region their own comprehensive tome on all things Mega...

  • News Buy Sonic Soundtracks For All Generations

    SEGA fans rejoice

    The Sonic the Hedgehog franchise may have lurched from genius to disaster, and back again, but like any series with two decades worth of games it has built up an impressive library of music. Many gamers fondly remember hearing the Green Hill Zone music for the first time, and the blue blur has given us plenty of classic chip tunes...

  • News Nintendo World Championships Finalist Looks Back

    The only female finalist

    Nintendo may be in a battle for supremacy in the gaming industry at the moment, but there was a time when, in North America at least, the company was truly on top. With NES and Game Boy flying off the shelves in 1990, this period of pop-culture dominance was perhaps best represented by the Nintendo World Championships 1990...

  • Review Game & Watch Gallery 2 (3DS eShop / GBC)

    Now in colour!

    After successfully remaking and re-releasing four Game & Watch games with Mario characters in Game & Watch Gallery, it was only a matter of time before Nintendo selected another bunch to redo. With around 50 different Game & Watch games originally released, there certainly isn't a small pool to pick from, but here we have...

  • News New Fan-Made Mega Man Games Emerge

    The Mega Man Revolution is here

    The Mega Man franchise has one of the most loyal fan-bases in the gaming industry, as shown by the Mega Man Legends 3 campaign reaching 100,000 followers recently. Will Capcom cave in and produce Mega Man Legends 3: Prototype Version for the 3DS eShop? It seems unlikely, but we can hope. With the 25th anniversary for...

  • News Felt Sew Good Sells Cushions of Your Favourite Consoles

    Soft sell

    An NES controller coffee table is all well and good, but we'd rather have something softer in our living room, wouldn't you? Online store Felt Sew Good just opened up and sells a range of cute cushions based on retro gaming consoles and controllers. NES, SNES, Game Boy and more are all represented in adorable form; there's even a Speak...

  • Review Super Hang-On (Wii Virtual Console / Virtual Console Arcade)

    Winning run

    Name a SEGA arcade racer from the 1980s. Now name one that isn't Out Run. Chances are you've come up with Super Hang-On (or maybe Power Drift if you're really trying), the motorbike racer that's the Pepsi to Out Run's Coke. The fact it's taken SEGA five years to bring Super Hang-On game to the Western Virtual Console is a big surprise,...

  • Review Cat Frenzy (DSiWare)

    Purr crazy

    “Little kittens are trapped in a well!” yowls Cat Frenzy's press release, invoking worrying thoughts of helpless baby felines in peril. Actually, this sliding block game is a bit more cheery in reality – the background implies they're actually in a house, for starters. Phew. Played with your handheld in sideways book-style, Cat...

  • News Let Animal Crossing be the Soundtrack to Your Day

    Music 24/7

    One thing that you may think about occasionally is that, unlike characters in video games, movies and TV shows, we don't have a music soundtrack following us through our daily lives. Animal Crossing on GameCube, meanwhile, followed the same clock as us and its characters had an active soundtrack for every hour of the day. Courtesy of a...

  • News Mario Bros. Battle Marathon to Raise Money for Charity

    Bro-off

    Mario marathons are nothing new, but this weekend sees an oft-overlooked entry in the franchise take centre stage — and all for charity. The Bro-Off puts Mario Bros. front and centre, with four world class players battling simultaneously to set a new world record. It all kicks off tomorrow at 12 midday Eastern (9am Pacific, 5pm UK, 6pm...

  • News Video Game Commercials That Celebrities May Want to Forget

    Before they were famous, of course

    Many of you probably know the drill with 'before they were famous' shows, where long-lost advertisements or TV appearances featuring well-known stars are put on display for our amusement. Video game historian Patrick Scott Patterson has compiled a collection of video game commercials featuring some celebrities in...

  • Review Amoebattle (DSiWare)

    There will be bloodstreams

    Intrinsic Games has brought some interesting titles to DSiWare so far, with topsy-turvy platformer Divergent Shift and arctic rescue puzzler Penguin Patrol both offering respectable and fun takes on their material. With Amoebattle, whose title is much more fun to read than it is to say out loud, Intrinsic Games looks to...

  • News GameCube is Ten Years Old Today in Europe

    Time for some celebratory cake

    We celebrated the ten year anniversary of the Nintendo GameCube last year, including a rather fond retrospective on the console with the coolest handle. That was the North American anniversary, but today the console turns ten in Europe. Although the GameCube wasn't Nintendo's greatest success in the home console...

April2012

  • News Fan Video Gives a Tease of Star Fox HD

    A bit better than Mode 7

    The Star Fox franchise hasn't had a great deal of love recently, the only recent glimmer of hope being Star Fox 64 3D, a remake of the highly regarded Nintendo 64 title. Will Wii U revive the franchise, or was the N64 remake a warmup for a new title on 3DS? Who knows, but we'll always have the power of nostalgia. YouTube...

  • Review Chuck E. Cheese's Arcade Room (DSiWare)

    Cheese Louise

    We're not sure why UFO Interactive bothered to get the Chuck E. Cheese license for this mirthless assortment of half-baked minigames, but we can conclusively say that it wasn't worth its time or the effort to do so. Chuck E. Cheese's Arcade Room is, in a word, awful. The first major issue is the stingy number of games available. We're...

  • News How Running to the Right is Heroic

    An epic montage

    For gamers of a certain age that grew up in the era of 2D pixel-based platformers and action titles, there are a lot of happy memories of one simple activity: running to the right. Yes, a lot of games did involve some backtracking in the other direction, but the main task was to keep moving right until you'd reached the goal or...

  • News Remixed Pilotwings Soundtrack Takes Flight

    Music to your ears?

    SNES classic Pilotwings had a pretty good soundtrack, and it sounds better now it's been remixed. Pilotwings: Take Flight is a seven track project from OCRemix-ers halc and group Insert Rupee, available for free download now. We'd recommend it on the strength of its track names alone — You Don't Talk About Flight Club and The...

  • Review Rush Rush Rally Racing (WiiWare)

    Blast from the 'Cast

    Undeserving of such a short lifespan, Dreamcast has continued to play home to the occasional independent development. One such game is Senile Team's Rush Rush Rally Racing (R4). Originally created as an entry for a Dreamcast programming contest back in 2009, the team adapted its work so that it was fit for release on WiiWare...

  • News Does Ocarina of Time Look Better with Link to the Past's Graphics?

    You decide

    Many of us know The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time's Hyrule like the back of our hands, but did you ever stop to consider what the Great Deku Tree might look like Link to the Past-style? Zelda Fan Game Central member MaJoRa has spent the past two years recreating Hyrule with sprites and tiles from Link's SNES adventure, wrapping up the...

  • News Play NES With a Coffee Table Controller

    Like a boss

    There are a number of tests that determine the degree of your NES mastery, such as beating Contra without using the Konami code, or speed running Super Mario Bros. without using any power-ups. Alternatively, you can beat Super Mario Bros. by using your coffee table as a controller: that'll take some real skill. Thanks to furniture maker...

  • Review We Sing Pop (Wii)

    Get by with a little help…

    Here at Nintendo Life we're used to reviewing a lot of franchise sequels, as developers and publishers quite rightly give gamers more of what they want. We're not talking Super Mario, however, but rather the We Sing series, a franchise of karaoke games exclusive to Wii. Unfortunately we aren't well-known for angelic...

  • News Mega Man Robot Master Field Guide Blasts into Stores

    So many Robot Masters

    The Mega Man series is loved by many not just because of its tight controls and blasting action, but possibly because it has such a diverse range of quirky characters and enemies. For those who follow every intricacy of the Mega Man universe, it's a big ask to keep up. Thankfully for those fans, and others who just love playing...

  • Review I Must Run! (DSiWare)

    Can I bolt?

    Held in prison for daring to protect his beloved from an attack, I Must Run!'s nameless protagonist is challenged to break out and run across the city in less than 24 hours for the ultimate prize: his wife's life. Apparently the escape itself poses no problem, as we cut straight to the chase. I Must Run! is a game of the same ilk as the...

  • News Konami Code Unlocks Extra Votes in the French Presidential Campaign

    Politics and gaming team up at last

    It may seem unlikely, but French Presidential candidate François Bayrou, who is undoubtedly an underdog in the upcoming election, has embedded the famous Konami code into his campaign website. As reported by The Telegraph, all you need to do is visit www.bayrou.fr and enter the famous code with your keyboard —...

  • News Angry Birds NES Cart Catapults Into View

    Perhaps Shigeru Miyamoto would like one

    Last week Shigeru Miyamoto shared his admiration for Angry Birds, even mischievously suggesting that it would be better on DS. Even better though, what if it had been on the NES? The idea is crazy and technically impossible, but perhaps that adds to the charm of the pictured NES cart produced by 72pins.com, a...

  • News Fan Collective Planning Metroid Music Release

    Free two-disc album already available

    Last year was packed full of Nintendo anniversaries, including 25 years since the original Metroid arrived on the NES. While Mario and The Legend of Zelda enjoyed celebrations and special anniversary game releases, Metroid was restricted to the appearance of Metroid Fusion on 3DS, and that was only for...

  • News Super Mario World Music Video Crams In a Marimba

    Everyone likes a marimba

    You're probably thinking you've heard every imaginable variation on every single Super Mario theme, jingle and ditty, but this Super Mario World overworld theme contains a marimba and a melodica. It's also pretty good. The list of instruments in Adam Mormolstein's video might even eclipse the number of levels in Mario's...

  • Review Super Street Fighter II (Wii Virtual Console / Mega Drive)

    Online, but off-base?

    It's taken five and a half years for an online Street Fighter game to reach Wii. In that time, Xbox 360 and PS3 owners have had five different SF online titles — six, if you count Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition. Heck, even 3DS has Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition. Wii owners, for their sins, get an online-enabled...

  • News Check Out This Fan-Made Portable GameCube

    It actually works, you know

    One thing that technically-minded gamers occasionally indulge in is creating unique versions of their favourite consoles. Thankfully for us these creations are often shared with the world on YouTube, and courtesy of CKmods we can take a look at a portable GameCube. The original GameCube console, famously, had its own...

  • Review Anne's Doll Studio: Tokyo Collection (DSiWare)

    Goodbye, Dolly

    If you were clamouring for a sequel to Anne's Doll Studio: Gothic Collection, it can only mean that you've never played it. Nevertheless, here we are, being punished for whatever hideous, unforgivable sins we must have committed in our past lives. Anne's Doll Studio: Tokyo Collection is that sequel, and while the previous instalment...

  • Review The Legend of Zelda (3DS eShop / NES)

    Rough around the edges, but an unforgettable adventure

    When The Legend of Zelda was released in 1986, it was at least as much an eye-opening experience for gamers as Super Mario Bros. had been. Whereas that game expanded and solidified the left-to-right nature of platformers for generations to come, The Legend of Zelda opened sprawling worlds before...

  • News Learn About Donn Nauert, Pro Gaming Pioneer

    A leader of gamers

    The video game industry has a very short history, significantly more so than other mediums such as film, yet many gaming figures that were popular in past times are now unknown. Take Donn Nauert, for example. In the first video of a planned series, video game historian Patrick Scott Patterson is compiling footage of prominent...

  • News 8-Bit + 6 String = NES Guitar

    Making beautiful music

    You can play a lot on an NES, but you know what you can't play on it? Stairway to Heaven. You could end all that injustice with an NES guitar. Get Lo-Fi (via This Is Why I'm Broke) makes and sells various configurations of the guitars — single coil pick-ups and rosewood or maple neck will set you back $155, while humbuckers...

  • Review Pandora's Tower (Wii)

    A difficult feast

    Wii owners who enjoy Japanese RPGs have been spoiled recently, especially those that live in Europe: Xenoblade Chronicles and The Last Story provide two very different flavours of Japanese gaming, and the trio of originally Japan-exclusive titles is complete with Pandora’s Tower. If you like challenging concepts, demons and...

  • News Sing Along to The History of Nintendo

    Start Friday right

    The talented folks at long-running webcomic Brawl in the Family have used their 400th strip to celebrate Nintendo's life and times in a catchy tune. From hanafuda cards to Wii U, it crams some good detail into its 3:42 running time and will no doubt get stuck in your head for a good few hours. It also scores bonus points for...

  • News Miyamoto Keen On New Zelda Based on Link to the Past

    So are we

    Last year, Shigeru Miyamoto talked about Link to the Past on 3DS, and he's been at it again on a recent press trip to Paris. Speaking to Edge, Miyamoto said he's still interested in bringing Link's 16-bit adventure to the 3D Classics range, but he has something else in mind: I think the answer would be the same if we're talking about just...

  • News How Many of These 375 NES Illustrations Can You Recognise?

    Quite a collection

    Like many of us, Campbell Whyte remembers the time when 8-bit graphics were magical, when pixels and tiny sprites evoked wonder and excitement. Unlike us, though, Whyte's also a skilled illustrator, and used his fond NES memories as the basis of the 8 Bit Dreams project. Whyte created an illustration a day for over a year, aiming...

  • News Fan Documentary Explores Ocarina of Time Development

    The story of a masterpiece

    The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on Nintendo 64 is a definitive game in Nintendo history, though opinions naturally vary on whether it should be regarded as one of the finest games ever produced. Regardless of where you stand on the subject, it undoubtedly revolutionised The Legend of Zelda as a series, bringing it...

  • Review Penguin Patrol (DSiWare)

    Snow major complaints; it's an ice game! Catch our drift?

    The charmingly simple story of Penguin Patrol revolves around a young Eskimo who witnesses a greedy walrus slugging along with a sack full of distressed penguins. The walrus is obviously looking forward to a nice big dinner, but it's up to you to prevent him from getting that far. You...

  • Review Inazuma Eleven 2 Firestorm (DS)

    Back of the net

    It’s time to save the world from aliens, but how? We could solve a lot of puzzles, blast enemies away with big guns, fly through space in an intergalactic warship or, alternatively, play football. In the universe of Inazuma Eleven 2 there isn’t a single problem that can’t be solved with a football – or soccer – match...

  • Review Carmen Sandiego Adventures in Math: The Island of Diamonds (WiiWare)

    Less Diamond, more rough

    Here it is, the thrilling conclusion to yet another series of episodic games that failed to impress from the get-go. That’s not to say that the Carmen Sandiego Adventures in Math series was a complete let-down, but a few crucial flaws detracted from the package as a whole and really held the entire series back. What...

  • News Square Enix Involved in NES Google Maps April Fool

    Officially confirmed

    When it comes to Nintendo-themed April Fools jokes, Google showed plenty of creativity with Google Maps 8-bit. Some of our readers with a solid grasp of NES classics observed that the music and overall theme of the fictional cartridge strongly resembled the original Dragon Quest: accessing the trial version online also involved...

  • News Google Maps 8-bit for NES

    Amazing.

    It's that time of year again folks, Google have put something together which should please every single Nintendo Life reader - Google Maps for NES. Google Maps is now available for 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment Systems (NES). Availability in Google Store is TBD but you can try it on your browser by going to and clicking "Quest"...

March2012

  • Review 90's Pool (DSiWare)

    It's pool! In the 90's!

    The Berlin Wall has recently fallen, Seinfeld is dominating television and Justin Bieber has just been born. Yes, it's the 1990s and, for some reason, we're playing pool. We'll leave the jokes about the title to you folks in the comments, as 90's Pool doesn't really leave us in much of a mood for fun. And for a video game,...

  • News Wait, There's a Spectrum Emulator in GoldenEye?

    Secret agent

    Of all the cheats and secrets tucked away in GoldenEye 007, we never suspected Rare's N64 classic harboured a fully functioning ZX Spectrum 48k emulator. Rare began a coding experiment to see if the N64 could support a Spectrum emulator, even embedding old-school Rare games Sabre Wulf, Jetpac and more in the code. Clearly the experiment...

  • News The Mystery of the Super Mario Bros. U.S. Release Date

    If you know for sure, let us know

    Occasionally, an enthusiastic researcher will embark on a quest to find information on obscure gaming facts, so it's surprising that one of the great unknowns in video game history is the U.S. release date for Super Mario Bros. on NES. Considering the fact that this is one of the most successful and iconic video...

  • Review Dr. Mario (3DS eShop / GB)

    The doctor’s out

    If there’s one thing the 3DS eShop has plenty of, it’s puzzle games. It’s a genre that's always been commonplace on Nintendo handhelds, with Tetris probably the best known example. It’s hardly surprising that Nintendo’s mascot extraordinaire, Mario, invaded Game Boy with his own puzzle title, Dr. Mario. Does it make us...

  • Review 1st Class Poker & BlackJack (DSiWare)

    Show ‘em what you got

    Nintendo download services aren’t lacking for casino-style titles, ensuring that you don’t need a pesky deck of cards if you want a game of chance. In the case of poker games, we should be grateful that it means gambling only with fake, electronic money — always a safer way to play. 1st Class Poker & BlackJack is...

  • Interview Super Fighter Team - Developing for SNES in 2012

    Brandon Cobb explains why retro gaming matters

    When we published a news article about a new SNES title on the way in 2013, Nightmare Busters, it attracted a great deal of interest. While many of us spend the majority of our game-time on current-day consoles, there still seems to be an appetite for retro titles and platforms. Few companies represent...

  • News New Retro Magazine "Pixel Nation" Launches

    It's good, too

    Anyone who loves retro gaming might want to get their chops around Pixel Nation, a new quarterly magazine dedicated to the world of old-school digital entertainment. The first issue of the 100-page, full colour periodical includes articles on topics dear to many Nintendo hearts: famed composer Koji Kondo takes the spotlight, and the...

  • Review Dragon Crystal (3DS eShop / GG)

    Manageable masochism

    For a system known for its incredible appetite for AA batteries, the Game Gear makes quite a strange home for the hardcore, permadeath-filled roguelike Dragon Crystal. With absolutely no save option or password system, the game must have caused some incredible bouts of rage when those last spurts of juice ran out. Dragon Crystal...

  • Review PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond (Wii)

    Pikachu's vacation

    While the main Pokémon games have rigidly stuck to their tried-and-true formula, the spin-offs have gone into some pretty interesting territory. Rather than focus on the life and tribulations of being a Pokémon trainer, PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond once again lets you step into the shoes of the franchise's lovable mascot Pikachu,...

  • News God of War NES Demake Released

    On PC, and it's free

    There are some things that immediately grab your attention, and we'd classify the following as one of those things: God of War NES version, free of charge. It may seem unlikely, but that's exactly what indie developer Holmade Games has produced. PlayStation 3 owners are likely to be familiar with the God of War series set in...

  • News New Film "100 Yen" Looks at Japan's Arcade History

    Insert coin

    A new documentary exploring Japan's still-thriving arcade scene is about to hit the 'net. 100 Yen: The Japanese Arcade Experience — a reference to the nationwide shortage of 100 Yen coins following the release of the original Space Invaders — investigates what's helped Japanese arcades stay alive, while those in the West have all-but...

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

    Need for speed

    While SEGA's Sonic the Hedgehog series pulled in monstrous sales on the Mega Drive/Genesis, many gamers aren't aware that Sonic also enjoyed a number of releases on the Master System and Game Gear. Sonic Triple Trouble is the follow-up to Sonic Chaos and while the game still suffered from the hardware limitations of the Game Gear's...

  • Review Successfully Learning Mathematics: Year 5 (DSiWare)

    The final test

    It’s the end of another Successfully Learning series, with mathematics reaching the end of its syllabus. Successfully Learning Mathematics: Year 5 is a logical continuation of its predecessors, with Freddy the Vampire appearing for one last time before hanging up his cape. By continuation we mean, of course, more of exactly the...

  • News New SNES Title's Pre-orders Sell Out

    Anything but a nightmare

    A few weeks ago we reported the surprising news that there's a new Super NES title on the way in 2013, defying the convention that developing retro games means publishing digitally on modern consoles or platforms. Nightmare Busters, from Super Fighter Team, will come on a brand new Super NES cartridge, while also including...

  • News Battlefield 3 and NES Sounds Are Finally Together

    Less gritty but more fun?

    At the recent BAFTA Video Game Awards, EA's Battlefield 3 was the recipient of the Audio Achievement prize, as this is a title renowned for its gritty sound effects and strong soundtrack. Not released for any Nintendo consoles, this may have passed some of us by. Despite these facts, one YouTube user has put together a...

  • Feature The Life and Times of SEGA's Game Gear

    Black beauty

    Ask any gamer of a certain age which handheld they grew up with and the overwhelming response will be "Game Boy". Long before the Pokémon explosion of the late 90s, Nintendo's portable dominated the competition — not even closest competitor SEGA could upset the balance with the release of its Game Gear in the early part of...

  • Review Pirates Assault (DSiWare)

    Stealing your money in more ways than one

    CIRCLE Entertainment has carved out a fanbase for itself with the DSiWare crowd, due in large part to the consistently excellent Castle Conqueror series. It's had a few misfires along the way — see The Seller — but, by and large, gamers have been able to count on CIRCLE's releases to feature a hefty...

  • Review Shinobi (3DS eShop / GG)

    On-the-go ninja, go ninja, go.

    The Shinobi series has been sneaking about the gaming world for over two decades, and the 1987 original arcade entry remains a classic to this day. The 1991 Game Gear instalment — also called Shinobi — has now infiltrated the 3DS eShop, and we're happy to say that it's aged better than we would have expected. You...

  • Feature Obscure Series That Should Return on Wii U

    Baby come back

    Whenever a new system is announced, cyberspace is filled with wish lists of games that ought to be released faster than you can say Miyamoto. Very little is known so far about games coming to Wii U, so speculation is rife even though some classic series have already been heavily hinted at (Pikmin 3) or should be an announcement away...

  • Hardware Review Hyperkin SupaBoy Portable SNES

    The biggest retro hardware release in more ways than one

    The lapse of hardware patents on retro platforms has resulted in an explosion of clone machines, most of which are produced cheaply in the Far East. These systems emulate the performance of consoles such as the NES, Super Nintendo and Genesis/Mega Drive, all of which are no longer covered by...

  • News Mathematics Proves That Mario Games Are Difficult

    Mario + Retro = Hard

    Many gamers, including those of us who consider ourselves to be accomplished gaming ninjas, find older Mario titles such as Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World difficult to finish. Thanks to scientific research, we no longer need to feel shame when the dreaded 'Game Over' screen appears. According to an analysis of the...

  • Review Samurai Shodown IV (Neo Geo)

    Another victoly

    It's only taken 18 months since Samurai Shodown III for the fourth instalment, Samurai Shodown IV, to reach Virtual Console in Europe. As part of something of a Neo Geo resurgence following King of Fighters '97, Sam Sho IV is another strong addition to VC's fighter library. SSIV takes the basic three strengths of slash from its pre

  • Review Zuma's Revenge (DSiWare)

    An expensive addiction

    We'll say one thing for PopCap — it sure knows how to transform simple tasks into madly addictive experiences. And from Peggle and Bookworm to Plants vs. Zombies, Nintendo fans have been able to enjoy excellent ports of some of its most popular games. Zuma's Revenge is the most recent PopCap title to make the jump to...

  • Out Now History of Nintendo: Volume 2 - Game & Watch

    Book 'em

    The second instalment in Pix'n Love Publishing's History of Nintendo book series is out today. The 200-page tome looks at the history of the Game & Watch, with reviews of every unit, over 1,500 pictures and exclusive documents too. If you've ever wanted to know more about Nintendo's 1980s portable games, this book should scratch that...

  • News Harvest Moon Creator Reflects on Hellish Development

    Where did it all go right?

    The very first Harvest Moon was a seminal moment in gaming history — at least, it was if you like farming games — but series creator Yasuhiro Wada recently spoke at GDC 2012 about how close he came to giving up on the game before release. Initially the game began as a cow-raising simulator, inspired by the ever-popular...

  • Review Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters (3DS eShop / GB)

    Heavenly

    When the original Kid Icarus hit the NES, many gamers weren't sure exactly what to think of it. For starters the game's protagonist was a cute little winged angel (at least we thought so) who ran around shooting tiny arrows at mythological enemies. Of course it didn't help matters that the game was released around the same time Nintendo's...

  • Review Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream (3DS eShop / NES)

    Dreamy

    With ten NES titles originally released on the 3DS for Ambassadors only, it wasn't much of a stretch to expect the first ten put up for sale to be the same games. But we've already received a title that actually wasn't part of the Ambassador batch, and Nintendo has picked one of the best possible games. Originally released in 1987,...

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