Retro News

March2014

  • Hardware Classics SNK Neo Geo Pocket Color

    I'm not boy

    As the '90s drew to a close Nintendo's massively popular Game Boy handheld — which was almost a decade old and had already seen away more powerful rivals like the Atari Lynx and Sega Game Gear — was about to face a fresh wave of competition. The Bandai WonderSwan was perhaps the most interesting challenger — on paper, at least —...

  • Review Devil World (3DS eShop / NES)

    Absolutely Diabolical

    Very few developers can boast the introduction of as many unique and refreshing gameplay concepts as game-crafting master Shigeru Miyamoto. Nintendo’s iconic developer has reinvented and reinvigorated countless genres, breathing new life into stale and tired gameplay tropes and carving a name for himself as one of the...

  • Review Quake II (Nintendo 64)

    Worth the "Stroggle"?

    When it comes to first-person shooter games on the Nintendo 64, there’s one title which stands out above all the rest: GoldenEye 007. During the late 1990s, Rare’s Bond-themed masterpiece provided gamers with countless hours of single- and multiplayer fun, and because of this it is still fondly remembered by many to this...

  • Review Adventure Island II (3DS eShop / NES)

    "Just you wait, Master Higgins!"

    The original Adventure Island — though a fun little platformer in its own right — is most fondly remembered today for being a strikingly comprehensive clone of SEGA's Wonder Boy, as a result of developer Escape licensing the property (minus SEGA's character designs) to Hudson Soft for an NES port. Adventure...

  • Review Ice Hockey (Wii U eShop / NES)

    Not that cool any more

    Nintendo released a number of sports titles in the NES era, a reflection of a simpler time when having a fancy home console was enough of a novelty that a game simply called Ice Hockey would seem like an awesome prospect. You like Ice Hockey? You've got Nintendo? Get Ice Hockey, which is Ice Hockey on your Nintendo! That...

  • News The Videogame History Museum's GDC Nintendo Exhibit Was Full of Retro Delights

    The Virtual Boy even appeared

    GDC (Game Developers Conference 2014) has drawn to a close, and it brought us some snippets of Nintendo news, mainly focused on the download market. Nintendo showed off various games on the way to the eShop, promised there were plenty more, and showed off Mario vs. Donkey Kong running on the Nintendo Web Framework. The...

  • Weirdness Square Enix Reproduces Deadly Final Fantasy XIV Boss in 16-Bit Style

    We'd play a Super NES version any day

    Final Fantasy XIV, an MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) for the franchise, has had a troubled history. The first version was such a disappointment that Square Enix eventually dropped it, reproducing the game and changing up the development team that eventually released the far-improved A...

  • News How One Man Is Giving Sonic Fans The Game They Want To Play

    And he wants to do the same with Stunt Race FX next

    Let's be honest here, Sonic's recent outings haven't been all that hot. Sonic Lost World on 3DS and Wii U was a crushing disappointment when you consider the level of hype it received, and most of the character's recent 3D outings have failed to recapture the brilliance of his early adventures...

  • News Nintendo 64 Support Teased For A Future Hyperkin RetroN Console

    Company teases an E3 reveal

    The Hyperkin RetroN 5 is shaping up to be the most impressive "clone" system ever created; it has support for NES, Famicom, Genesis, Mega Drive, SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance all in one box — but it would appear that Hyperkin is already thinking about how it can improve on this platform. Speaking...

  • News Furrtek Software Engineering Revives The Game Boy Scene With Medieval Puzzler Airaki

    25 years on, and still going strong

    If you thought the best days of the Game Boy had been and gone, you’re probably right. Still, that hasn’t stopped retro-hacker and developer Furrtek Software Engineering (basically, a guy with a computer) from attempting to resurrect the gaming scene on what is arguably the most beloved Nintendo handheld of...

  • Review Galaga (3DS eShop / NES)

    Space: The Original Frontier

    There are a few reasons so many early video games took place in space. While the most obvious one is budgetary — a flat black background being quite literally the easiest possible background to render, thereby making "space" a pretty natural choice of setting — there's a psychological reason as well: space is a...

  • News Super Mario Kart Record Holder Sami Cetin Gives Some Tips and Hits the Track in Mario Kart 8

    Niece and world champion Leyla Hasso takes him on

    For the vast majority of Wii U owners, we suspect the 30th May release of Mario Kart 8 is a major event on their gaming calendars. It's a franchise that has consistently delivered success for Nintendo, with the most recent iterations uniting experienced gamers and enthusiastic newcomers in some...

  • News Super Metroid is 20 Years Old Today

    One of the all time greats

    Super Metroid is 20 years old today, having been released in Japan on 19th March 1994. It's a title that would go on to be one of a number of iconic, memorable experiences on the 16-bit machine, and is still revered to this day. Alternatively called Metroid 3, this title — like others in the series that would follow —...

  • News Super Mario Kart Action Replay Code Discovered Which Grants Access To CPU Weapons

    Payback time

    Super Mario Kart veterans will be aware that the CPU-controlled racers in the SNES classic don't always play fair — they've got access to exclusive weapons which aren't available to the player. We've lost count of the number of times we've seen Bowser reach for that deadly fireball and wish that we could get some of those amazing...

  • Weirdness This Super Mario 64 Fan Remake is Fairly Impressive

    It's HD Mario, which was a novelty once!

    Fans just can't get enough of retro Nintendo games, often recording themselves on speed-runs or producing animations, short films and music albums dedicated to various classics of years gone by. Some go a step further and decide to do their own remakes of the classics, no doubt hoping that their humble...

  • Video Nintendo Minute Gets a Little Random While Wishing You a Happy St. Patrick's Day

    Getting into the 'spirit', it seems

    We regularly post the Nintendo Minute videos here on Nintendo Life — not always, but when they're interesting, entertaining or both. Today's video opens up a new category: 'quirky'. It's 17th March, which means it's St. Patrick's Day, in honour of the patron saint of Ireland. As many will know it's not just...

  • News Twitch Claims Victory in Pokémon Crystal

    Adventure in Hoenn Begins Next Week

    TwitchPlaysPokémon has spawned a massive following and fanbase. An insane amount of artwork and history have been created by thousands of dedicated fans of the series. Now, with two games under its belt, the internet phenomenon will begin its journey in Hoenn next week. The stream defeated the Elite Four and...

  • Ninterview The NES Club and an Epic Collector's Quest

    Take a ride on the ultimate 8-bit road trip

    A major ongoing strength for Nintendo is its cultural heritage, a history in the games industry that makes the brand immediately recognisable to so many. Younger gamers may be familiar with the DS, Wii, 3DS and gradually the Wii U, but we're approaching 30 years of major home console and gaming handheld...

  • Weirdness This Footage Of The Famicom Disk Writer Kiosk Is A Bit Awesome

    Bored of a game? Turn it into another one...

    For gamers in the West the NES came in one basic form. There were alternative models with a tray or a top-loader, but it was a cartridge based system that fired up those famous carts over its whole generation. Some retro fans reading this are more than likely aware of the Famicom Disk System, however,...

  • Review Renegade (Wii U eShop / NES)

    GET LOST, PUNK!

    What's the expiration date for nostalgia? Is there a certain amount of time that has to pass before we start looking fondly back at the old, often inferior, games of our youth? It's undeniable that some games have aged gracefully and are still just as good today as they were at their initial launch, but that's far from a steadfast...

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

    One play a day...

    It feels as if Dr. Mario has been a near constant presence — in some form — over recent years, but the oddity is that the Wii U Virtual Console release of the NES version is the début for that iteration over the most recent system generations. We've had fresh DSiWare and WiiWare releases, with the latter perhaps halting a...

  • News Super Smash Bros. Melee Confirmed for Evo 2014

    Re-joins after a dramatic 2013 appearance

    Keen fighting game fans may already have Evo 2014 in their diaries, taking place at Las Vegas Hotel & Casino between 11-13th July and all set to be streamed online to thousands of eager fans. Those that followed last year's events may also recall the controversy and happy ending over its Super Smash...

  • News The Analogue Nt Is A NES Fashioned From Aircraft Grade Aluminium, And We Want It So Badly

    From the same guys that did the wooden Neo Geo MVS

    Remember the wooden Neo Geo MVS console we showed you a while back? Well, the company behind that truly elite piece of gaming hardware — Analogue Interactive — is back with something a little more Nintendo-themed: The Analogue Nt. Essentially a NES in a sleek aluminum casing, this system will...

  • Weirdness Engineer Uses Four Monitors to Display Whole Super Mario Bros. Levels

    It's a me, Mario!

    It's always fun when people use their skills to display a beloved video game character in an interesting way. Twitter user Morikuma_Works, who works as an engineer in Japan, has done just that with his four computer monitor display of Super Mario Bros. World 1-1. He also posted a picture of World 1-2, warp zone and all. Quite...

  • Hardware Classics Bandai WonderSwan

    What the creator of the Game Boy did next

    Although Nintendo's lofty standing in the games industry cannot be attributed solely to a single person, it's fair to say that without the talents of Gunpei Yokoi the Kyoto firm wouldn't be where it is today. Yokoi was employed by Nintendo in 1965 and his inventions — such as the Ultra Hand and Lover...

  • Video It's OK To Talk About This Awesome 16-Bit Version Of Fight Club

    This is your life, and it's ending one minute at a time

    YouTube channel Cinefix is devoted to putting a retro gaming spin on famous Hollywood movies, and previous efforts have included Inception, The Hunger Games and The Dark Knight. The most recent offering adds pixels to David Fincher's 1999 cult classic Fight Club, with

  • Review Super Mario Bros. Deluxe (3DS eShop / GBC)

    Super Small Screen Bros.

    Especially in recent years, we've seen Super Mario Bros. re-released a ton, but back in 1999 it had been a number of years since the last release, Super Mario All-Stars. As such, Nintendo decided to port the original game to Game Boy Color and add some interesting new features at the same time. Naturally, at its core, this...

  • Matters of Import Prepare To Die In Fire Emblem: Thracia 776

    This Super Famicom swansong takes no prisoners

    Fire Emblem is a strange series; much loved and well known, yet still a relative outsider when compared to the likes of Kirby or even Star Fox. Released first as a Nintendo Power exclusive deluxe pack in 1999 and then again in more standard SNES packaging in 2000, Thracia 776 has the d

  • Feature Games That Almost Were - A Look At Cancelled N64 Titles

    Everything not saved will be lost

    The end of the millennium was a turbulent time for Nintendo – the N64 hadn’t quite turned out to be the SNES Mk.II success it’d hoped the hardware would be, the 64DD add-on got off to a cautious launch in Japan and in 2001 both the N64 and the Game Boy Color would be completely replaced with younger and more...

  • News Latest Mega Man 2.5D Beta Adds New Single Player and Co-Op Stages

    The Blue Bomber owes much to fans

    Last year we directed your attention to the Mega Man 2.5D fan project, yet another game dedicated to the Capcom mascot in the absence of official alternatives. Its rather smart twist is in the name, as it plays with perspective and camera angles to give the traditional 2D play more depth. It also brought Mega Man...

  • Matters Of Import Wonder Project J2 Brings Masterful 2D To The N64

    Making cute robots girls cry

    The N64 never did get much 2D love when it was around, but games like Wonder Project J2 — as well as Treasure’s Bangai-O — show that other developers were missing a trick by ignoring the untapped potential of this side of Nintendo’s hardware. First published by Enix in 1996, Josette’s adventures on Blueland...

  • News Twitch Begins New Journey in Pokémon Crystal

    Our adventure continues in Johto, in colour!

    Twitch Plays Pokémon has become an icon of the internet community and truly displays possibilities that arise when thousands of individuals work together to accomplish a goal. On Saturday, the group finished Pokémon Red, after sixteen straight days of training, sadness, and excitement. Now, with a...

  • Review Renegade (3DS eShop / NES)

    Crime doesn't pay

    The company known as Technos might be best known for creating Double Dragon and River City Ransom, but before coming up with either of its two big hits, it made a number of lesser known titles — of which perhaps Renegade is the most well-known. Renegade is actually the first game in the Kunio-kun series, which River City Ransom...

  • News TwitchPlaysPokémon Conquers Pokémon Red

    It’s all over…..for now

    TwitchPlaysPokémon has done the unthinkable. The livestream of Pokémon Red, in which the stream’s chat controls the movements of the trainer Red, has officially beaten the Elite Four and its rival Blue to become the Pokémon League Champion. Approximately 16d 7h 45min and 30sec after the adventure began, the stream...

  • Ninterview Aaron "NintendoTwizer" Norton and the Ultimate Retro Collection

    "The history of video games is awesome"

    Even when Nintendo is in a quiet phase between Nintendo Direct broadcasts, or there's a wait for the next hot retail or download game, fans of the company are never short of conversation points. The big N's legacy and history give it a powerful impact in gaming culture, and the keenest of gamers do amazing...

  • Review Hidden Expedition Titanic (DSiWare)

    The fun is also hidden

    Thanks to the blockbuster movie of the '90s, the sinking of the Titanic seems to be less a tragic historical event and more a part of story-telling culture. Whether that bothers you is up to you, but Hidden Expedition Titanic merely pretends to include a story around the ill-fated ship, throwing some nonsense around a fairly...

February2014

January2014

Retro Features

Forum Topics

Game & Watch 1989

Game & Watch 1989

0 replies |

A Rhythm Heaven Topic (because the series is pretty much dead)
The GameBoy Advance Thread

The GameBoy Advance Thread

200 replies |

The resurgence of Gamecube

The resurgence of Gamecube

11 replies |

What was your first game? ...again
The N64 Thread

The N64 Thread

301 replies |

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