Retro News
December2016
News The Game Boy Was Nearly a Cheap, Short-Term Project
You can thank Satoru Okada for what it turned out to be
The Game Boy was a pivotal moment in Nintendo's history, establishing near-complete dominance over the portable gaming market that still persists to this day somewhat. Part of the appeal of the Game Boy was offering a largely console-esque game experience on the go, and its usually attributed...
Random Sega Almost Released A Parking Attendant Game Starring Donkey Kong
The man behind Zelda and Mario on the CD-i talks
Stephen Radosh might be more famous nowadays for creating the TV show Catchphrase - which remains incredibly popular in the UK - but he also has quite a history in the video game arena, too. Radosh kicked off his career decades ago working for a publisher which produced textbooks before helping to...
News Super Mario Bros. Movie Due to Receive an Ultimate Steelbook Blu-Ray Re-release
"This ain't no game, it's a live action thrill ride"
The Super Mario Bros. movie doesn't need any sort of introduction. Not only does it feature one of the worst post-credits scenes known to cinema, it was also considered the poster-child for why you shouldn't base your film off of a renowned video game franchise. UK retailer Zavvi has updated its...
Ninterview Learning Retro Secrets With A Former Nintendo Game Play Counselor
"We couldn't say 'kill', we had to say 'defeat'"
In the remainder of 2016 we'll re-share some of our favourite feature articles from the year. We're actually cheating with this one, as it was originally published way back on 20th January 2015; with the NES Mini hype of 2016, however, it nevertheless seemed worth sharing once again. In its day the...
News Retro-Bit Generations Portable And Super Retro Boy Handheld Coming To CES 2017
Super Retro Boy plays Game Boy, GBC and GBA carts
Two new retro-themed handhelds will be shown off at CES 2017, according to distributor Innex. The Retro-Bit Generations Portable is a handheld version of the existing Retro-Bit Generations system which launched this year. It's not known if it will come with the exact same 100 pre-installed games,...
Retro Check Out These Early Prototype Pictures of the Nintendo DS
The start of a new era
The Nintendo DS represented a bold new direction for Nintendo, kicking off an extremely lucrative period for the company's handheld line; this "third pillar" to Nintendo's strategy wasn't originally supposed to replace the Game Boy line, but it ended up doing so anyway. The original "Phat" model was rather hideous in...
Hardware Famicom Classic Mini Review
The NES Classic Mini's Eastern relation
With the NES Classic Mini currently proving to be quite hard to find at retail right now, chances are that the thought of sourcing its Japanese sibling may have crossed your mind. Released at the same time and boasting a design which imitates that of the system that started it all – 1983's "Family Computer",...
Video A Reminder That Christmas 1994 Wasn't Just About Donkey Kong Country
"That play the records on it?"
With Christmas almost here, many of you are no doubt wondering exactly what gaming goodies Saint Nick is going to leave under your tree. These days it's all 3DS, Wii U and perhaps PS4 and Xbox One, but back in 1994 there were only two real options: Nintendo and Sega. The guys over at iretrogamer.com have put together...
News Nintendo Shares Original Design Documents from The Legend of Zelda
It all started with some graph paper
The original Legend of Zelda blazed many trails for gaming, arguably setting the standard for what would eventually become the open-world genre. Seeing as how this is the 30th anniversary for the series as a whole, Nintendo has opted for a blast from the past and dug up some of the original design documents from...
News The First NES Advertisement Has Been Successfully Preserved
Chalk up another point for gaming historians
Despite the gaming industry's relatively young age, it's interesting that much of its history is subject ot permanent loss. As standards have changed over the years, many games, advertisements, prototypes, and so on, have been lost due to poor efforts to future proof them. A great example of this can be...
A classic in every way
It's been over twenty years now since the release of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, but it's interesting to look back at the state of the Zelda series around the time of its release. In many ways, A Link to the Past was the first true sequel to the original Legend of Zelda, after Zelda II: The Adventure of Link went...
Hardware Hyperkin SupaBoy S Review
It's back, but is it better?
The industry's passion for "new" retro hardware has been growing steadily over the past few years, and the launch of the NES Classic Mini finally signals Nintendo's entry into this niche yet vibrant sector of the market. Given the astonishing success of that venture it is almost inevitable that we'll see a SNES Classic...
News 20 Years Ago This Week, Gaming History Was Made On UK Television
The infamous Super Mario 64 GamesMaster challenge
We've had a lot of anniversaries recently, with Sonic and Metroid standing out as key examples. However, one event - which was in danger of going uncelebrated until we spotted this tweet - is a seminal moment in UK TV history, and it all revolved around a challenge on Super Mario 64. For those of...
News D-Day Comes For The Game Boy Color As It Finally Hosts Wolfenstein 3D
"Mein Leiben!"
Updating the age-old Game Boy with a speedier CPU and a rather substantially generous colour palette proved to be a shrewd move back in 1998, but even with this hardware upgrade, certain games - such as the iconic Wolfenstein 3D - would always seem out-of-reach. Yet that is exactly what Anders Granlund is pulling off as you can see...
Video Let's Learn More About The Super Game Boy
The Gaming Historian has you covered
Typical. You wait years for someone to do a decent, in-depth video guide to the Super Game Boy and two come along at once. A few weeks ago we reported on Pug Hoof Gaming's excellent three-part series on the popular peripheral, and now our old chum Norm "The Gaming Historian" is back with his increasingly...
News New NES game Dreamworld Pogie Finds Kickstarter Success
Let's hope the Oliver Twins don't go dizzy
Are you itching for something 'new' to play on your beloved NES? Then the Dreamworld Pogie Kickstarter might be the one for you. If you are British and of a certain age, you'll no doubt remember the Dizzy series of games by The Oliver Twins. While most of the Dizzy success story was on home computers,...
Video Happy Birthday Pit! - The 30th Anniversary of Kid Icarus
Another NES classic marks three decades
Mark your calendars, because on Monday, 19th December, another classic NES game has an anniversary. In 2016 there have been a long list of games that turned 30, including the likes of The Legend of Zelda, Dragon Quest and
Video Remembering The Soggy Awesomeness Of Mega Man 2's Bubble Man Stage
Water good level this is
Mega Man 2 has to rank as one of the best action platformers in the NES library, if not the entire genre. Regarded by many as the pinnacle of the 8-bit series, it's the only Mega Man release to make it onto the NES Classic Mini, which speaks volumes about its quality. Our friends over at iretrogamer.com cl
A minimalist trip down memory lane
We've seen lots of attractive coffee table art books aimed at retro gaming fans in recent times, which is no bad thing. Joining the ranks is a publication simply titled 8-Bit Art Book - by Ear Books - which pays homage to the visual quality of classic games spanning from 1975 to the early '90s. The author Stephan...
Random Someone Is Localising Final Fantasy IV Using Google Translate
"I want to hit it with my mother chocolate"
Modern gamers are quite fussy about how Japanese games - RPGs in particular - are localised. Back in the 16-bit era, translations were often hack-jobs riddled with errors, but more recently we've seen a rise in quality which is all down to the tireless efforts of localisation teams who seek to maintain the...
News The Soul Calibur Series Has Turned 20, And All We're Getting Is A Pachinko Machine
The soul still burns
Bandai Namco's weapon-based 3D fighter Soul Calibur (or "Soulcalibur", if you prefer) turns 20 today, but the publisher isn't giving us a new outing to celebrate - we're getting a Soul Calibur-themed Pachinko machine instead. Just what the doctor ordered, right? The series began not with a Soul Calibur title, but with Soul...
News There's Another Famicom Chiptune Cart Coming Next Year
8bit Music Power Final to contain 18 tracks
The idea of someone releasing a chiptune album on a Famicom cartridge might seem strange if it hadn't happened once already, but that doesn't make the impending launch of 8bit Music Power Final any less exciting or unique. Riki is the developer and Columbus Circle is the publisher, and the cart will hit...
News Former SNK Staffers Are Bringing A New Fighter To The SNES
Say hello to Unholy Night: The Darkness Hunter
A team of ex-SNK staffers are working on a one-on-one fighter for the SNES called Unholy Night: The Darkness Hunter. Yes, you read that right, the SNES. The project has passed under the radar somewhat, and only came to light thanks to a recent Facebook post regarding the game's playable debut at the...
News NES Classic Mini Demand "Greater Than We Anticipated," Admits Reggie Fils-Aime
"Every day there's more going into the retail channel"
The NES Classic Mini has been almost impossible to find since it launched a short time ago, with some North American retailers only getting two or three units per store. Nintendo has been trying to satisfy demand since then but stock is still
Random Baten Kaitos Speedrun Attempt Leads To Temporary Twitch Account Ban
Getting 100 percent ain't easy
Speedruns of classic games are commonplace on Twitch, with veteran players seeing them as an entertaining challenge as well as a way of popularising their favourite titles years or even decades after their original release. However, not all of these speedrun attempts go according to plan, and that's certainly the case...
News Footage Of Unreleased Akira Game Boy Title Hits The Web
Plus Heavy Weight Hockey on NES and Mall Rats on Mega Drive
Remember back in October when someone found four prototype copies of Akira for the Game Boy? Well that someone - Patrick Scott Patterson - has recently released gameplay video of one of the prototype Akira carts being played on the Super Game Boy. The game looks promising despite its...
Video Get The Most Out Of Your Game Boy With This Exhaustive Guide
The chaps at My Life in Gaming strike again
While the brand name has been put out to pasture these days, the Game Boy line of consoles is legendary with gamers of a certain age. From the bulky monochrome original to the super-sleek Game Boy Micro, this line of portables defined mobile gaming for an entire generation of players, offering amazing...
Random Kanye West's Potential Album Tracklist is All About the Wii
The album's tentative name is TurboGrafx-16
Now, there's a headline we never thought we'd write. Kanye West has always been known for attracting plenty of attention to himself with some pretty off the wall antics, and now a new report seems to indicate that his next album will have a distinctly video game-centric sound, with a tracklist that pulls a...
News Amazon US Likely To Have NES Classic Mini In Stock Again Soon
Christmas might be saved
The saga surrounding NES Classic Mini stock shortages continues as many have resorted to paying over the odds to scalpers on eBay to secure a unit before Christmas. However it appears from a recent tweet by Amazon US that lucky American customers might get another chance to buy one at MSRP: What we have learnt about these...
Rumour GameCube Virtual Console Coming To Nintendo Switch
Early games outlined
The Virtual Console has been one of Nintendo's real success stories of the past decade, giving players a platform on which they can rediscover old classics and play titles they might have missed first time around. While Nintendo hasn't given any solid details on what its plans are for the Virtual Console on the forthcoming...
News Konami Files Fresh Trademark For TurboGrafx In The United States
Could we be getting a TG-16 Classic Mini?
Gamers of a certain age will no doubt have a fondness for the TurboGrafx-16, the console which tried to fight Sega and Nintendo during the '90s and failed. Based on the NEC PC Engine - which launched in Japan in 1987 and challenged the Famicom for dominance in that part of the world - the TG-16 was home to...
News Retro Fighters is Releasing a NES to NES Classic Edition Controller Adapter
Supports two players and various retro options
The NES Mini / Classic Edition is a 'hot' item, as Nintendo admits, and we're running out of time as the big N attempts to meet demand for festive shoppers; it's looking like a long-shot, sadly, but hope remains. In any case, for those still enjoying the system early next year - or who decide to grab...
News Eiji Aonuma and Satoru Takizawa on the Fate of Wind Waker 2
It would've focused on land-based travel
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker was a controversial release for its time, though it seems that the passage of time has softened fan perception. The cel-shaded, cartoon style wasn't widely embraced, with many fans feeling betrayed after that promising Spaceworld demo. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess...
Hardware Review Retro-Bit x 8Bitdo RB8-64 Bluetooth Controller
Three pronged thriller?
8Bitdo's replica controllers have gained quite a reputation with retro gamers who are keen to get that authentic feel but also wish to benefit from modern conveniences such as the absence of annoying wires and the ability to recharge the internal battery. We've already seen excellent variants on the NES and SNES controllers,...
Random A Glimpse of the Days When a Super Mario 64 Tease Tormented Luigi Fans
"L is Real 2401"
Nowadays game secrets don't remain elusive for long, especially in new releases. The internet picks apart and analyses games to the most extreme degree, meaning that - most of the time - we're just a Google search away from answers on shortcuts, easter eggs and all manner of small but fun details. Older titles had the benefit of...
News Four Satellaview Kirby Mini-Games, Previously Thought to be Lost, Have Been Preserved
Kirby Pachislot Simulator
You might remember us bringing you the news early last month that four of the ten long lost "Kirby's Toy Box" Satellaview titles had surfaced and been successfully purchased at a Japanese auction. Thanks to the efforts of Frank Cifaldi and Mathew Callis enough money was raised by the community and the auction was won. All...
Video A Modern Take on the Virtual Boy is Still a Bit Ridiculous
But we love it
A short while ago we shared an episode of the The Ben Heck Show where he deconstructed and repaired a Virtual Boy; it was an interesting look into how the machine works. Now, as promised, a follow-up episode rebuilds it and tries to modernise the device, dispensing of the infamous 'stand' and redesigning it as a head mounted display...
News Toys 'R' Us Expecting Fresh NES Classic Mini Stock This Weekend
"They will sell very quickly"
Retail giant Toys 'R' Us has revealed that it will be getting more stock of the NES Classic Edition in its North American stores this Sunday. The console has been incredibly hard to find all over the globe, with demand far outstripping supply. Nintendo has stated previously that a steady flow of machines is expected...
Video Everything You Wanted To Know About The Super Game Boy, But Were Afraid To Ask
Don't matter if you're black or white
The Super Game Boy accessory might seem a little pointless to modern gamers who are used to playing retro titles in a wide range of ways on various systems, but back in the early '90s it was a wise investment for the typical Nintendo fan. On the surface, the selling point was simple - you can play your portable...
Video A Brief Interview with One of the Original Nintendo Power Line Counselors
They were simpler times
One of the most notable features of the days of the NES was the existence of the Nintendo Power Line. Seeing as it would be several years before the internet became usable to the world, obtaining information back in the day was mostly related to schoolyard discussions and advice from that one kid whose dad worked for...
News Metroid Developers Reflect on the Development Process of the Original Metroid
Samus was mistakenly named after a Brazilian soccer player
The Metroid series is one of those franchises that has a ravenous and loyal fanbase, but doesn't always have the best of luck. It's been in something of a slump lately, with the middling Metroid Prime: Federation Force being something of an anticlimactic comeback after 2010's Metroid: Other...
Video Learn How to Make a Tiny and Functional Game Boy for Your Keychain
And play The Witcher 3 on it, sure
We've often shared our admiration for the technical wizardry that's often applied to console mods and creations, as talented gamers see how far they can push readily available tools for unique results. Now there's what is possibly the smallest Game Boy in the world doing the rounds, and it works. A keynote from...
News Check Out This Officially Licensed Famicom Stationary Collection
Want a Famicom pen?
With the recent launch of the NES/Famicom Mini, Nintendo's debut home console has seen something of a pop culture resurgence. It's always been an iconic piece of tech, so it's no surprise that Nintendo hasn't been afraid to dip into its past a bit to tap into nostalgia every now and then. Of course, the new microconsole has been...
November2016
News Nintendo UK Promises More NES Classic Mini Stock Before Santa Arrives
Ho Ho Hope there's more than 10 this time
The NES Classic Mini has been a hot ticket this festive season, with demand far outstripping supply all over the world. If you're in the UK and still want to get one before Christmas, then you might want to keep your eye on the Official Nintendo UK store. More stock is promised in December according
Video The History Of Croc, The 3D Platformer Which Partly Influenced Super Mario 64
Green with envy
The link between defunct studio Argonaut Software and Nintendo is well known - the UK firm helped the Japanese giant enter the world of 3D gaming with the SNES blaster Star Fox. However, what's less well documented is the fact that Argonaut had a very early role to play in the development of Super Mario 64, a game which is considered...
Book Review Super Mario Adventures
A wonderfully bizarre tour of the Mushroom Kingdom
He's undoubtedly one of the most recognisable faces ever to grace the box art of a video game, but aside from his blue-collar occupation and a dislike for turtles, fans in the early '90s didn't know a whole lot about Super Mario himself. Beyond the pixels onscreen and information found buried within...
Hardware Classics SNK Neo Geo AES
The future is now (even more expensive)
The SNES and Mega Drive / Genesis may have dominated the console landscape in the early '90s, but they were by no means the most powerful machines of their era. That distinction goes to SNK's Neo Geo AES, often described as the "Rolls-Royce" of game consoles. It's a good analogy to make, as the machine was...
Random Here's a Theory on the Rather Short NES Mini Controller Cables
Only partially right, though
We suspect that many that own a Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition (Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System in Europe) will have fallen in love with it, but it has some flaws. One of these is the incredibly short controller cable; putting aside the retro 'realism' of wired controllers in this...
News An Intriguing Tale of How The Legend of Zelda's Iconic Opening Song Almost Never Happened
It could have been Ravel's Boléro
The main theme for The Legend of Zelda's opening crawl on NES is embedded in gaming and popular culture, reimagined and remixed countless times. Like many much-loved parts of gaming it has a slightly complicated history, which is nicely summarised in a recent official interview. Translated from a feature series...
Art This Guy Has An Insane Amount Of Original Western Mega Man Cover Artwork
Boxing clever
This promotional image for Game Players Magazine unites two of Greg Winters' cover subjects - he also did some covers for Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog While it can't always be said that western cover artwork is superior to that seen in Japan, it's important to remember that for many gamers growing up during the 8 and 16-bit eras, it was...
News eBay Feeds The Scalper Within You By Offering Guaranteed Profit On Your NES Classic Mini
Money in the bank?
The NES Classic Mini is one of this year's biggest gaming releases, and is currently very difficult to find in stores at its original price. Hover your mouse over eBay however and you'll notice that there are plenty of consoles up for grabs - but not at the official retail price. eBay scalpers have been
Video This Custom 'SNES Wiimote' Shakes Up Wii and Wii U Controls
Pointing to a retro appeal
The retro hardware modding community often does amazing things, blending modern gadgets with old gaming technology in clever ways. One individual who produces some neat ideas is Dorison Hugo, better known as 'lyberty5' on YouTube. A little while ago we shared his video showing how to create a tiny SNES Mini, and now he's...
News Sky Skipper Project Outlines Long Journey to See Surviving Unit at NoA's HQ
Serial number 00001
A while ago we told you about the Sky Skipper Project, which has the stated goal of recreating a unit of the little-known and rare Nintendo arcade cabinet, hosting a special event to unveil it while also documenting the game's intriguing history. Some scepticism met the project's announcement, questioning what made a recreation...
UPDATE: It's a mini console with emulation support
UPDATE: We've now got a video, taken from the Facebook page: And this new image: ORIGINAL STORY: A site for the "RetroEngine" has just gone live, claiming that this new product offers support for vintage gaming systems from the likes of Nintendo, Sega, Atari, Amstrad and Sony. At the time of...
Video Explaining The Hot Mess That Was The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Open the door, get on the floor, everybody walk the dinosaur
Our good chum The Gaming Historian is back, this time bringing us a detailed and insightful look at the train wreck that was 1993's The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Billed as Nintendo's first step into the world of Hollywood after dominating the gaming sector, it famously cost $48 million to...
Video Check Out Mario & Wario, The Japan-Only SNES Mouse Game
Lemmings meets Mario vs. Donkey Kong
There are always games that skip some regions, and sometimes large audiences miss out on some interesting concepts. The latest video from DidYouKnowGaming? shows another example of a neat retro game that, for various sensible reasons, was only released in Japan. It's Super Famicom title Mario & Wario -...
Video Get a Closer Look at the Virtual Boy in an Intriguing Teardown
The Ben Heck Show continues its fine work
Regular readers of these pages will be increasingly familiar with the work of The Ben Heck Show, which provides some interesting engineering-focused videos. It does this, often, with a focus on gaming systems, including teardowns and customisations of iconic consoles from various companies, including...
Hardware Retro-Bit Generations Review
A warped version of history
The NES Classic Mini is proving to be one of the must-have gaming items of 2016 with demand far outstripping supply and consoles selling online for way above the initial asking price. While Nintendo is clearly onto something of a winner here – despite the company's almost habitual desire to annoy buyers by not producing...
News Check Out This Fan Concept of an SNES Mini's Packaging
C'mon, Nintendo, just make a real one
The NES Mini only came out this past week, and seems to have drawn mostly positive reaction (barring the ridiculously short controller cord). This is a landmark moment for Nintendo, as it's never released a product quite like this before, and it begs the question of whether or not the company will continue to...
News eBay Reports an Average NES Mini Sale Price of Over $200
"Customers rely on eBay to offer a great selection", apparently
When Nintendo releases a must-have product, quite often a frustrating pattern emerges. There isn't enough stock, fans get annoyed, and scalpers try to charge well over the odds on eBay. It happened very early with the Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition (NA) / Nintendo...
News The Game Boy Color Is Finally Getting The Backlight Mod It Deserves
There's light at the end of the tunnel
Handhelds like the Game Boy may be as old as the hills these days but they're being supported by an active community of modders who are adding new features such as screen lights and prosound functionality. We've covered these mods extensively in the past and always wondered why the Game Boy Color never got as...
Feature Hands-On UK Fanzine HyperPlay's Third Issue
Fan-scene
If you're a regular reader of Nintendo Life then you'll already be aware of HyperPlay RPG, a UK-based fanzine devoted to covering retro RPGs and Nintendo titles. The fanzine has seen three issues so far, and we've just taken stock of the latest instalment (issue 2, but it's actually issue 3 if you include the "zero" release), complete...
News Famicom Mini Leads The Way In Japanese Charts, Leg Warmers May Be Next for a Big Comeback
Affordable '80s nostalgia beats everything
Nintendo, it seems, has been missing the trick for years. With clone systems everywhere, and SEGA giving rights to people working out of sheds to produce ROM-filled Mega Drive / Genesis systems (or so it seems based on their quality), Nintendo releases one and the world goes crazy. Naturally Nintendo has...
Video How Piracy And Clone Consoles Kickstarted Brazil's Love Affair With Gaming
"We'll talk to you guys about representing Nintendo in Brazil"
Brazil has been in the gaming news lately thanks to the fact that Tectoy is planning on releasing a new version of Sega's Mega Drive next year, but the country's fixation with gaming goes way back to the birth of the industry, and a excellent series of video features by Red Bull...
Random Fan Theory Explains the Consequence of King Bob-omb's Defeat
The baron of all blasting matter
How could anybody forget good ol' King Bob-omb? The rotund ruler is the first boss you ever encounter in Super Mario 64 and grants you the game's first star upon his defeat,but he's appeared in or been referenced to numerous times over the years in subsequent Nintendo games. Of course -- as the game's first challenge...
News The Famicom Mini Passed a Quarter of a Million Sales at Launch in Japan
Retro power
Though we normally wait for Media Create numbers when it comes to sales in Japan, some good news can't wait. The Famicom Mini - or Nintendo Classic Mini Family Computer - has enjoyed a strong launch in Japan; according to Famitsu it hit about 262,961 unit sales over its first weekend. Those are very encouraging numbers, especially in...
News A Japanese Hacker Has Cracked The Famicom Mini Already
Opens the door for NES Classic Mini homebrew, as well
The NES Classic Mini and its Japanese sibling the Famicom Mini both run Linux, and because of that Nintendo is duty-bound to share the source files for the hardware. As you might imagine, this has led to industrious hackers - always on the lookout for something to crack
News Back to Bits Series of Animated GIFs Lovingly Celebrates NES-Era Gaming
So many classics
With the recent arrival of the NES Mini and the continuing love for retro gaming in general, a project called Back to Bits has hit great timing for its launch. It's the work of a group of 40 talented artists, who have produces GIFs that commemorate classic Bit-era games, particularly in relation to the NES. The following is from...
Video Looking Back At Metal Slug, Everyone's Favourite Run And Gun Shooter
War has rarely been this much fun
Metal Slug is unique in the world of gaming as being a hardcore run-and-gun shooter which practically everyone has heard of. Despite the fact that it launched on the super-exclusive Neo Geo system in the mid '90s when the world was going giddy over 3D visuals, the first title in the franchise found a solid fanbase...
News New Sega Mega Drive Platformer Hits Kickstarter
Coming 2017, all being well
The Sega Mega Drive - or Genesis, if you're of the North American persuasion - may be a vintage system in the eyes of modern players but that doesn't mean it can't get new software. With that in mind, say hello to Tanglewood, a new action-platformer which is currently in development for Sega's legendary 16-bit console...
Poll Retro Delights and Stock Shortages - What Are Your Thoughts on the NES Mini Launch?
Old games, old fun, old problems
The Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition (Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System in Europe) arrived on 11th November, and it's certainly one of Nintendo's hottest releases of the year. It may seem strange that a micro-console loaded up with 30 NES games can be described that way, but it's...
News Nintendo of America Promises 'Steady Flow' of NES Classic Edition Units Through Holiday Period
"Working hard" to keep up with demand
It's a day for an exciting new Nintendo release, the NES Classic Edition - that means it's a happy occasion, but likely also a day for shortages and some consumer frustration. Scalpers are already gleefully cashing in, or trying to, and the race is on in North America, in particular, where pre-orders have been...
Hardware NES Classic Mini Review
The master, remastered
It's fair to say that the announcement of NES Classic Mini earlier this year came as something of a shock, despite the fact that the concept of reproduction consoles isn't a particularly new one. Nintendo's old rival Sega has been pumping out licenced Mega Drive and
News Limited Stock Brings Out the Inevitable NES Mini Scalpers
Here's a bold idea for Nintendo - meet demand
The Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition (NA) / Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System (PAL) is out today, which means there's plenty of retro gaming goodness ahead. Many in Europe will have been clinging on to pre-orders for months, with second waves of stock due to arrive...
Features NES Mini Classics - Galaga
Pew pew
With the upcoming release of the Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition (NA) / Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System (PAL), we're going to (eventually) provide short profiles of all 30 games included on the system. This time around we look at Galaga, and you can catch up with past entries in this series on our NES...
Video Mark NES Classic Mini Day With This Heartwarming Home Movie From The Past
Christmas means Nintendo
Today sees the arrival of the NES Classic Mini in North America and Europe, a modern-day reimagining of the classic 1985 system which truly kick-started Nintendo's dominance of the living room. As you excitedly rip open the packaging on your shiny new NES console, it's worth taking a vintage look back at how Nintendo really...
Random The Classic Controller Can Be Used to Reset the NES Mini
Also, the cord's a little longer
Though online reaction to the NES Mini has been extremely positive, there has been almost universal backlash to the cord length of the controllers that come with it. The cord is barely three feet long, roughly a third of the length of the original NES controller, though the ports on the front of the NES Mini do allow...
Reminder Set Your Alarm Clock To Snag A NES Classic Edition For The Holiday Season
Very limited quantities at Amazon US
We have to admit it, we're a tiny bit in love with the NES Classic Edition, and so far it seems to have been a smash hit for Nintendo with preorders filling up almost immediately. If you live in North America and missed out on a preorder (there weren't many), there is no need to despair. Amazon US says it has...
News Hyperkin Supaboy S Promises Multi-Region SNES Gaming On The Go
Bigger screen and support for PAL games
Long-time readers of the site will be aware that we covered Hyperkin's Supaboy a few years back, and came away impressed with its ability to play SNES and Super Famicom games on the road. The company is now revamping the system with the Supaboy S, which boasts a bigger screen, better stamina and the ability...
Video Unboxing the Famicom Mini
Japan still gets everything first, even if by one day
On 11th November people around the world finally get the joy of opening and enjoying their brand new NES Mini, or NES Classic Edition (or Nintendo Classic Mini as it's known in Europe). It's been a long wait, but for those of us in Japan you could say Christmas comes one day early as today, on...
News Check Out the Manuals for All the NES Classic Edition Games
Original scans and new e-manuals
One of the neat features of the Virtual Console on the Wii U is the inclusion of original manuals with the purchase of some games, giving gamers a glimpse at how manuals used to be. It's a nice way of catering to nostalgia, and considering that the NES Classic Edition is basically being sold for nostalgia, it comes...
Video We Compare the NES Mini Emulation With the Wii U Virtual Console
Yeah, it's obvious which one wins
Those that have splashed the cash on a number of NES titles on the Wii U Virtual Console may feel that although they're functional ROMs, they could be better. The Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition (NA) / Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System (PAL) should, however, have some...
Feature NES Mini Classics - Final Fantasy
A final fling that launched a dynasty
With the upcoming release of the Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition (NA) / Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System (PAL), we're going to (eventually) provide short profiles of all 30 games included on the system. This time around we look at Final Fantasy. The Mini NES is packed...
News Nanoloop Mono Turns Your Old Game Boy Into A Synthesiser
For all your old-school bleep and bloop needs
It is not news the Game Boy is the weapon of choice for many chiptune artists, nor that nanoloop is one of the most recognized names for software that makes the Game Boy "sing" to your desires. But now the company is taking things a step further and is releasing a cartridge that turns your old DMG model...
News Mondo Music Releasing Super Castlevania IV Vinyl Soundtrack Next Year
"What music they make!"
Pop culture reissue company Mondo has revealed that it is releasing a limited edition vinyl soundtrack for Konami's legendary SNES hit Super Castlevania IV next year. Mondo - which creates limited edition posters, vinyl soundtracks, collectibles and clothing "inspired by our favorite movies, TV shows, comics and more" - has...
Video Here's The GameCube Diddy Kong Racing Sequel We Never Got To Play
Climax's pitch never got the nod, sadly
Back in 2004, UK studio Climax was keen for work. The war between the PS2, Xbox and GameCube was in full swing and this presented opportunities for developers, assuming they had the right game. Like all game studios, Climax created speculative pitches for titles it wanted to work on. Around this time, the...
News There Are More NES Classic Mini Accessories On The Way
All your control needs catered for
The NES Classic Mini comes out this week, and appears to be getting just as much third-party accessory support as as full-blown Nintendo console. We've already seen Nyko and EMiO's range of contr
News Pirate Pop Plus Developer Would Love To Bring It To The Original Game Boy
"If I did it, [it] would be proper cartridges"
Pirate Pop Plus recently launched on the 3DS and Wii U eShops, and the game received a hearty recommendation from us. Produced by dadako, this bubble-popping action title uses Game Boy-style visuals and audio to create a unique "faux-retro" experience which has predictably enraptured players old enough...
News Four Lost Satellaview Kirby Games Have Been Recovered
Three to go
The Satellaview represented a fascinating chapter in Nintendo's long history. The peripheral allowed Japanese players to tune in to special satellite broadcasts that distributed various forms of unique and exclusive game content to their consoles. The problem is, many of the games that were part of the Satellaview have been lost due to...
Random Transformers Crossed With The Famicom Equals The Best T-Shirt Ever
YOU MUST NEVER FORGET MIND IN EXPECTATION AND THE LOVE OF THOSE DAYS!
As any child of the '80s will tell you, Transformers were amazing. We're not talking about Bay-formers here - we mean Generation One, the series that started it all. We mean toys which actually looked like real vehicles, and boasted just as much die-cast metal in their...
News Takashi Tezuka Wanted Super Mario Bros. 3 To Use An Overhead Perspective
"We just couldn't make it work"
To mark the arrival of the NES Classic Mini (and its Japanese sibling, the Famicom Mini) Nintendo has run a series of interviews on its site with key personnel who worked on the system. Two interviews - one with Shigeru Miyamoto and the other with
News Mega Cat Studios Aims To Create New Side-Scrolling Brawler For The Sega Genesis
"Metal, aliens and awesome"
The fact that the Sega Genesis (or Mega Drive, if you prefer) is no longer in production hasn't stopped companies from creating new games for it. Pier Solar was one of the first to kick things off, but since then we've had other studios getting in on t
Feature NES Mini Classics - Excitebike
Rev it up
With the upcoming release of the Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition (NA) / Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System (PAL), we're going to provide short profiles of all 30 games included on the system. This time around we look at Excitebike. The upcoming Mini NES has a decent selection of games, but in some...
Not your average Joe
It is not uncommon for a game's critical appeal to far outweigh its selling power. Throughout the history of gaming there have been many cult hits that now go for ridiculous prices on the second hand market, EarthBound and the original Shantae being a couple of notorious examples. However, few games can boast the extreme rarity...
Video Watch Us Go Hands-On with the NES Mini
It's not about the size, it's what you do with it
Now that the Mini NES is safely out of its packaging, we decided to go absolutely mad and actually play the console to see how it handles. After a few minor technical frustrations we finally got our mess of technology required to capture what this sucker spits out to behave. Make sure you check out...
Video See What Lurks Inside the Packaging of the NES Mini
Released from its cardboard prison
As far as miniaturised consoles go, the NES Classic Edition (or Nintendo Classic Mini as it's known in Europe) has to be one of the most adorable. We managed to get our hands on one of these bad boys early and put its packaging through its paces, albeit gently. Check out the video above where we take this sucker...
Poll Are You Excited About the Mini NES?
Perhaps hype is bigger than the diminutive system
It's been easy to get distracted in recent times, but one of Nintendo's most important Holiday releases is around the corner. We're not talking about Pokémon Sun and Moon, that's still to come, but rather the Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition (Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo...
News Nintendo Celebrates the NES Classic Edition by Going Retro With The 'Power Line'
Who you gonna call?
Remember the '80s? The Goonies, leg warmers, Duran Duran and most importantly the Power Line. Yes, back when there was no internet (not even dial-up!) Nintendo fans struggling with a particular game could contact the call line for handy tips and hints from "Nintendo Game Play Counselors" (imagine having that on your CV). Now with...
News Yoshio Sakamoto Recalls The Moment He Realised Satoru Iwata Was A Programming Genius
"Iwata-san basically made it in three days"
The celebrate the upcoming release of the NES Classic Mini (or Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition system, if you wish), Nintendo commissioned Japanese writer Akinori Sao with interviewing key staff involved with the console's history. One of his interview subjects is Yoshio Sakamoto,...
News Doubt Is Thrown On The Exact Story Behind The Creation Of Donkey Kong
Did Miyamoto have to compete with his co-workers?
Donkey Kong is arguably one of the most important games in Nintendo's history. Prior to its release the firm was struggling for attention with coin-op rivals like Taito and Namco, and it is often stated that it was a 'make or break' release for the Japanese company after a string of costly failures...
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