Retro News
October2013
Video Check Out WaterMelon's New SNES Title ProjectN
Going underground with the developers in Germany
Indie developer WaterMelon is perhaps most famous for its Mega Drive title Pier Solar, which is coming to the Wii U eShop next year. However, the small studio is also working on a brand-new SNES title, currently referred to as ProjectN. WaterMelon has been uploading some rather amusing — not to...
Review Zombie Blaster (DSiWare)
A grave disappointment
Throughout DSiWare's long and not always distinguished history, we've seen a lot of games come and go. From puzzlers to RPGs to interactive storybooks, we've spent the past several years wading through every single release, doing our best to separate the rare diamonds from the dirt. Zombie Blaster interested us simply because,...
Review Tales to Enjoy! The Ugly Duckling (DSiWare)
A load of quack
Another Tales to Enjoy game? Yep, we regret to inform you that it’s true. But this time it’s the most repulsive of all…The Ugly Duckling. If you haven’t been following along as of late, Tales to Enjoy is a series of games that uses the same exact interface and activities, but swaps out one fairly tale or fable for another...
Review Densha de Go! 64 (Nintendo 64)
Lost in "trainslation"
The massive surge in the number of simulation games over the past few years has been nothing short of baffling. Years ago, Microsoft Flight Simulator was essentially the sole attraction in this specialist genre, but now it seems virtually anything can and should be turned into a simulation. Road Works Simulator, Farming...
Review Final Fight 2 (Wii U eShop / SNES)
The Sophomore Slump
The SNES port of the original Final Fight may have successfully translated the gameplay from arcade to home console, but it was missing some key elements: the third character Guy, an entire level and — most important of all — the vital two-player co-op mode. Capcom sought to rectify these shortcomings in the SNES-exclusive...
Review Final Fight (Wii U eShop / SNES)
Because the world needs more wrestling mayors
Back in the late '80s and early '90s — when arcades were still the biggest draw for dedicated gamers — Capcom was the company to beat when it came to coin-op success. It produced a string of classics around this time, most of which saw conversions on the popular home consoles of the period. While...
Lost in space
Just when you thought that the DSiWare service had nothing left to offer except some word puzzles and interactive children’s books, along comes Astro. It's quite clear that this is intended to pay homage to the Atari classic Asteroids in its design and gameplay, but it falls short of recapturing what continues to make the original a...
News Yoshi's Cookie to Be Removed From European Wii Shop Channel
Oh how the cookie crumbles
Nintendo has updated the Wii Shop Channel with a new message stating that Yoshi's Cookie will be no longer available for sale as of 11th October. The surprise announcement doesn't provide any details as to why the NES game is being removed. It was originally developed by Bullet-Proof Software, with Nintendo acting as...
News News Site Claims That Zelda "Takes A Dim View Of Workers, People Of Colour And Women"
Best not mention GTA, then
You might assume that time spent in the mythical land of Hyrule is unlikely to cause anybody any undue distress, but according to some, that simply isn't the case. News and entertainment site Salon.com — which has a monthly unique readership of 15 million — has controversially branded The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of...
News Tommo Refuses to Follow SNK's Neo Geo X Termination Demand
Send in the lawyers
Yesterday we reported that SNK had retracted its license and demanded an end to the manufacturing and sale of the Neo Geo X, a portable version of the iconic '90s console. We rather thought that'd be the end of the matter, as the IP holder had issued a rather blunt demand — lesson learned, never underestimate the power of...
News Neo Geo X Handheld Shut Down By SNK
And just like that, it's gone
Not so long ago we reviewed the Neo Geo X and Mega Pack Volume 1, a potential low cost option for gamers to own a piece of portable hardware that could run games from the iconic system, ideal if a Wii Virtual Console or pricey Neo Geo system aren't handy. While it had its merits, our conclusion reflected some...
News Meet Molotov Man, Sensible Software's Unreleased Answer To Bomberman
Little-known SNES outing is detailed in new book celebrating the UK studio
Sensible Software is a company which is perhaps more famous in the UK than the rest of the world. Founded in 1986 by Jon "Jovial Jops" Hare and Chris "Cuddly Krix" Yates, it produced titles for 8 and 16-bit computers, many of which were ported to consoles such as the Sega...
Feature Nintendo Life Book Club - Mega Man II
Who needs a new game, huh?
Due to the huge success of our first entry in the Nintendo Life Book Club (our look at the novelization of Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, which you can read here), we have decided that it's a series worth continuing. Yes, it took us two solid years to reach that conclusion. Leave us alone. The point is that we're finally...
Review Milon's Secret Castle (3DS eShop / NES)
A secret best kept hidden
Hudson had many classics in its NES library - Adventure Island, Faxanadu and Bomberman are just a few of the great titles it gave us all back then. Milon's Secret Castle probably shouldn't be counted among those. As the title might reveal, you play as Milon, who has to make his way through a castle filled to the brim with...
News Microsoft Wants You To Know That Its Surface Tablet Can Play SNES Games
It's OUYA all over again
Emulation is a grey area at the best of times, but one thing that is a massive no-no is rival companies using the emulated titles of others to promote their own products. We've already seen the team behind the OUYA console attempt to use SNES emulators to sell their micro-console, and now Microsoft is getting in on the act...
September2013
Review Tales to Enjoy! Three Little Pigs (DSiWare)
A case of swine flu
If you’ve been hanging around the site during the past two weeks, chances are you’ve at least stumbled onto one Tales to Enjoy review. These games are compilations of activities targeted at kids who are just learning how to read, write, and develop basic problem solving skills. Each one uses an identical interface, but...
The error was spotted in Hiroshi Yamauchi's obituary
Writers and journalists, no matter the prestige of their publication, make mistakes. Facts are incorrect or the wording may be wrong, and corrections are made. The New York Times, in an admirable sense of perspective and maintaining standards, has corrected an error from an article published 25...
Review Letter Challenge (DSiWare)
Missing the mark
There isn’t really an interesting or unique way to introduce Letter Challenge, but that might be the point. There are plenty of word-based puzzle games available in the world, and so many of them already exist in one form or another on the Nintendo eShop, but that wasn’t enough to stop Enjoy Gaming from throwing another one...
Review Gradius (Wii U eShop / NES)
Just keeps shooting
To say that the original Gradius was influential on the evolution of the side-scrolling shoot 'em up would be a gross understatement. When it hit arcades in 1985 it was lauded for its amazing level designs and simple, yet wildly playable, power-up system. This NES release was one of the first home ports of the game and has become...
Review Tales to Enjoy! Puss In Boots (DSiWare)
Give it the boot
Tales to Enjoy! Puss in Boots is a compilation of activities and games geared towards the youngest audience, ages 3-6 years old. If you’ve taken notice of our review for Tales to Enjoy! Little Red Riding Hood, then you should know exactly what to expect here – exactly. The activities and interface are identical, but the...
News Online Multiplayer Comes To The Super Nintendo Thanks To SNESoIP
You can't stop progress
When the SNES was released in the early '90s, the concept of online play was very much in its infancy. PC gamers had dabbled with crudely beaming data over telephones in the '80s, and despite some notable attempts to replicate this on consoles — such as X-Band and Nintendo's own Satellaview service — there was never any...
News The Nebula of NES Games Is An Infographic Done Right
A galaxy of classics
Despite the best intentions of the designer, infographics can often be monumentally dull affairs. Thankfully that isn't true with Pop Chart Lab's The Nebula of NES Games, a visual representation of more than 700 Nintendo Entertainment System titles, all neatly arranged in a swirling formation. The spiral advances...
Review Breath of Fire II (Wii U eShop / SNES)
Understandably lacking in freshness
The Super NES was home to what are still considered by many to be a some of the finest RPG experiences ever produced. It's a predictable lineup of big names, and Breath of Fire II doesn't often get a mention. If it was overshadowed in the past it perhaps has an early opportunity to earn new fans on the young Wii U...
Weirdness Watch Nearly 1000 Mario Players All At Once
Super Mario Boy
For those that have played Super Meat Boy, which unfortunately never made it to a Nintendo system, a highlight can be the replay that follows every completed level — all of your attempts are shown at once. If you can imagine that with a Super Mario Bros. level, but with 974 players on display, then you can imagine what's coming...
News Former Nintendo Composer Dedicates Retro Remixes to Hiroshi Yamauchi
Super Mario Land and Metroid both given special new tracks
Earlier this week former Nintendo President Hiroshi Yamauchi passed away at 85 years of age. He'd led the company from 1949 to 2002, overseeing a revolution as Nintendo became the world's leading video game console manufacturer. By leading Nintendo to such success in the industry,...
Hardware This Custom Tron N64 Makes Us Want To Return To The Grid
Greetings, programs!
Zoki64 is famous for his hardware modifications, and his latest project is a real masterpiece. He's painted an N64 straight out of Tron, complete with elements which glow in the dark. You can see the system in the video below, accompanied by Daft Punk's excellent music for the recent sequel, Tron: Legacy.
Review Tales to Enjoy! Little Red Riding Hood (DSiWare)
You should probably stay out of the woods.
Tales to Enjoy! Little Red Riding Hood is a collection of activities and games designed to be accessible to young children, ages 3-6 year old. With eight modes in all – which consist of puzzles, games of memory, a digital colouring book, and of course a re-telling of the classic fairy tale – there’s...
Video Teenage Mutant Koopa Troopas is a Delightfully Bonkers Mashup
Spot the references
YouTube user James Farr is rapidly developing his reputation as a top-notch animator, while his wacky style has earned him some fans here at Nintendo Life. He's previously given us Super Mario Busters and The New Super Mario Busters 2, and returns with an all-new video — Teenage
News Surprise! Aonuma Doesn't Consider The CD-i Zelda Games To Be Canon, Either
Glad we're all on the same page
Many moons ago, when CD-ROM was still a new and exciting storage medium, several companies released CD-based systems in the hope of catching a ride on the interactive entertainment roller-coaster. One of those firms was Phillips, which created the CD-i (the "i" stands for "interactive", in case you were wondering)...
Review Tecmo Bowl (3DS eShop / NES)
Watch that 3DS hinge on the snap
Before video game football became just as complex as real-life football, there was Tecmo Bowl. There weren't hundreds of plays with varying formations or special spin moves to worry about, in fact you didn't actually have to know much about the game of football to enjoy and play it. It was this simplicity that made...
News Capcom Collaborates with Musicians on Mega Man Tribute Albums
A remix album and and all new rock tracks
This Mega Man anniversary year may have lacked a new title in the franchise — aside from a sanctioned PC fan-game — but has included plenty of memorabilia and soundtrack releases. Some examples have been rather good, such as neat little figurines, while others — such as this Rush tissue pouch in Japan...
Weirdness If Only The Dark Knight Was a Retro Game
"Wanna know how I got these scanlines?"
Just yesterday we shared the fact that there's a retro-styled Game of Thrones game, which draws inspiration from the TV show. To continue that theme we now have a video that recreates The Dark Knight as it would be in a retro game; this is a rather fun recreation of key events as they could work in a game of...
Review Pinball: Revenge of the 'Gator (3DS eShop / GB)
A snappy pinball title
HAL's Pinball: Revenge of the 'Gator is a game which really needs to be approached with context in mind; back when it launched in 1990, real pinball games were still popular in arcades and digital representations were only just starting to offer the same level of enjoyment. Naxat's seminal Crush series — which includes Alien...
Weirdness There's a Game of Thrones 8-Bit Game
Watch out, HBO
For those that aren't actually aware, Game of Thrones was around long before it arrived as a big-budget behemoth on TV; the original book was called A Game of Thrones and was book one in the series titled A Song of Ice and Fire, which is still going — hats off to you, George R. R. Martin. There's no doubt that the TV series has...
Weirdness Robots Play Classic Nintendo Music and Sound Effects
The wonders of 8-bit games and the greatest low-cost PC in the world
Sometimes clever people take a creative idea and then lovingly wrap it in gaming nostalgia, often posting the results on YouTube. A fine thing it is too, as it all adds to gaming culture and, ultimately, the best examples can be hugely entertaining. YouTube user roboband produced...
Review Zelda II: The Adventure Of Link - Unforgiving But Underappreciated
Zelda II, have you any tough dungeons? Yes sir, yes sir...
Back in the early days of several franchises, the second game in a series tended to be radically different from the first, as developers had not quite pinned down what they wanted the series to become. Take a look at Castlevania II or the Western Super Mario Bros. 2, for example. Zelda II:...
Review Super Mario Bros. (Wii U eShop / NES)
Forever running to the right
Mario. Say it loud and there's music playing. Say it soft, and it's almost like praying. Super Mario Bros. was, is, and will always be one of gaming's great masterpieces, and its availability on any additional format is a good thing. It's come to the Wii and 3DS Virtual Consoles before, and now jumps onto the Wii U...
Feature Great Nintendo 64 Multiplayer Games You May Not Have Played
All you need is a bunch of friends
When it comes to local multiplayer, the Nintendo 64 is undoubtedly one of the best systems around. With four controller ports built into the console, as well as a solid line-up of classic multiplayer games, it isn't surprising that the system is still being enjoyed by many people around the world – it is, after...
News James Pond Franchise to Return With Crowdfunding Campaign
The original's creator, Chris Sorrell, is on board
Gamers of a certain age may remember the original James Pond, which graced a number of platforms including the SEGA Mega Drive / Genesis; the sequel James Pond 2: Codename RoboCod has also been ported a lot, including a DS version in 2005. At its peak in the '90s the series was quite a hit in pop...
News Crowdfunding Campaign Launched for Licensed River City Ransom Sequel
No consoles confirmed as yet, however
Earlier in the summer we told you about a Canadian development studio that was planning to launch a crowdfunding campaign for a licensed sequel to the much loved NES brawler River City Ransom / Street Gangs. Known then as Combit Studios, the rebranded Conatus Creative has now launched its Kickstarter campaign...
Weirdness If You Always Wanted to See Kanto From Pokémon Red and Blue in Minecraft, Here You Go
Spare 10 minutes to reward hundreds of hours of effort
If we were to name a top ten, maybe even a top five, of the biggest franchises in the current gaming landscape, it's possible that both Minecraft and Pokemon would feature. Minecraft, and its ability to allow gamers to create their own worlds, has become a phenomenon, while the hype surrounding...
Review Jewel Adventures (DSiWare)
Woo-hoo, glitchy woman
Jewel Adventures is a puzzle game that’s partially familiar due to its match three gameplay, but freshened up by a few extra layers of depth. A sense of story, enemy battles, world (re)building and various gameplay goals are the glue that gives this puzzler a bit more substance than most like it. Much of it is only fluff –...
Interview Exploring The Centre for Computing History - Cambridge
Taking a trip down memory lane
One of Cambridge’s best kept secrets is The Centre for Computing History, a museum dedicated to preserving the history of home computers and video game consoles from all eras. Located on a quiet industrial estate only a few miles outside of the historic city centre in East Anglia, England, the museum is not one you...
Video This Documentary Tells the Tale of Final Fantasy's Origins
When Square was in a tough spot
The Final Fantasy franchise is one of the best known in the industry, and over the course of nearly three decades has evolved in numerous ways. It's also the source of one of the most interesting stories in gaming, as its very name is testament to its status as a last-ditch attempt at survival for Square, the company...
Review J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings - Volume I (Super Nintendo)
Middle Earth is doomed
Before Peter Jackson came along and turned The Lord of the Rings into one of the most popular cinematic experiences of all time, the video game licence to J.R.R. Tolkien's literary epic was held by the now-defunct Interplay. The company pumped out related games for the Commodore Amiga computer and PC CD-ROM — the latter of...
Video There's A Fan-Made Final Fantasy VI Movie In The Works
Makers of Final Fantasy: Terra "seeking permission" from Square Enix
We love a good fan-made movie here at Nintendo Life — although they often look a bit goofy or unintentionally amusing, they show just how passionate and creative gamers can be when they've got a HD video camera, a decent PC and a capable video editing program. Final Fantasy:...
Review Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers (Wii U eShop / SNES)
Work in progress or fighting masterpiece?
Street Fighter II hit arcades in 1991 but amazingly, by the time 1993 rolled around, players had already experienced three upgrades to the core game: Street Fighter II': Champion Edition, Street Fighter II' Turbo: Hyper Fighting and Super Stree
News Chiptune Artist Dj CUTMAN Releases Zelda: Link's Awakening Tribute Album
A link to the ghetto blast
Dj CUTMAN is a name you'll probably be familiar with if you follow the world of chiptune music, and he's just launched another album packed with retro-tinged tunes updated in a modern style. Taking inspiration from The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, MeowMeow & BowWow is a collaboration between Dj CUTMAN and fellow...
News Super Castlevania IV Is Whipping The Japanese Wii U Virtual Console Next Week
A 16-bit classic to get your teeth into
Japanese Wii U owners will be able to enjoy what is arguably Simon Belmont's best adventure next week as Super Castlevania IV (or Akumajō Dracula as it's known over there) hits the Virtual Console in that region. The first 16-bit outing for Konami's esteemed vampire-hunting series, Super Castlevania IV was...
Review Chrono Trigger Symphony: Volume 1 by The Blake Robinson Synthetic Orchestra
A timeless classic
Chrono Trigger is rightly remembered for being one of the best games to ever grace the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Even now, players around the world come back to it over and over again – no doubt partly thanks to both the recent Nintendo DS and iOS ports. But if there’s one element of Chrono Trigger that’s truly...
Video Street Fighter Fans, This 25th Anniversary Documentary Is For You
Get some snacks and a drink
As we've seen with Nintendo in recent years, plenty of major publishers are celebrating major anniversaries that go back to the 8 and 16-bit eras. Capcom is included in this, and has celebrated Mega Man by releasing a load of merchandise and by being upstaged by Keiji Inafune — the latter clearly wasn't part of any...
Review Street Fighter II' Turbo: Hyper Fighting (Wii U eShop / SNES)
The need for speed
Although many will accuse Capcom of flogging the Street Fighter license within an inch of its life, the company wasn't solely to blame for the production line of incremental updates which appeared after the release of the original Street Fighter II. Unscrupulous arcade owners would "hack" arcade boards to increase the speed of the...
Hardware Review N64 Hori Mini Pad
Better get this controller in a Hori
The original Nintendo 64 controller proved to be quite divisive as far as gamepads are concerned. With its peculiar three-pronged design – which was partly borne out of Nintendo’s fear that 3D gaming might not take off – camera buttons and novel Z-trigger, the controller was the perfect tool for fully...
August2013
Review The Legend of Zelda (Wii U eShop / NES)
A Link from the past
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 us, and allowed us to go wherever...
News Nintendo Has "Nothing To Announce" Regarding Mother 3 Localisation
Earthbound Wii U release won't pave the way for future ports
Earthbound coming to the Wii U Virtual Console was quite an event — fans had been asking for the game since the days of the original Wii. Given the tremendous exposure surrounding the launch of the game, you might assume that Nintendo would want to explore the possibly of bringing other...
Review Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (Wii U eShop / SNES)
The original, but sadly not the best
Street Fighter II: The World Warrior was nothing short of a phenomenon. If you're old enough to remember when the game hit the Super Nintendo two decades ago then you may recall it as all you ever thought of or spoke about for weeks on end. The gaming world seemed to gravitate around Capcom's seminal one-on-one...
Review Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos (3DS eShop / NES)
Go Ninja, Go Ninja GO!
Chances are that even if you don’t know much about Ninja Gaiden, you’re at the very least aware that it’s a series synonymous with high difficulty. When the original hit the NES back in 1989, we have to imagine it lead to the demise of many controllers – we vividly recall rage-quitting on at least an occasion or two...
Weirdness If You Always Wanted a Gold DuckTales NES Cartridge, Now's Your Chance
Sing or draw to win, it's up to you
DuckTales: Remastered is now gracing the Wii U eShop, giving the NES classic a HD makeover and the odd extra feature. Capcom isn't quite finished promoting the multi-platform release — mainly due to the fact it's yet to arrive on the Xbox 360 — so has launched a rather intriguing contest for eager collectors...
Interview Dan Hess on Composing the Pilotwings 64 Soundtrack
Hitting the high notes
Pilotwings 64 is fondly remembered for the impressive amount of freedom that it granted gamers back in the late 90s. 'Whether it was taking in the view while flying a hang glider or navigating your gyrocopter along a meandering and treacherous river, there was a memorable moment for everyone. Yet, despite all the vibrant...
Weirdness The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is Beaten in Under 20 Minutes
Cosmo strikes in 19 minutes 15 seconds
A little while ago we told you about Cosmo Wright, a speedrunner that was recorded explaining, in detail, how to complete Ocarina of Time in 22 minutes. As he admitted himself it wasn't an impeccable run, possibly because he was trying to describe intricate maneuvers while executing them. That run was at a...
News SEGA Genesis Shooter, Steel Empire, to Get the 3DS eShop Remake Treatment
Steampunk shooting
We may have reported this week that the publisher of Kokuga sees "difficult crossroads" for the shoot-em-'up genre in Japan, but that hasn't deterred others from flying into the market. One upcoming release is promising to bring back a side-scrolling shooter from the 16-bit era, as Japanese developers Starfish are preparing Steel...
Review Solomon's Key (3DS eShop / NES)
You'll need the wisdom of Solomon for this one
In Solomon's Key – an action / puzzler from Tecmo – you take command of a wizard named Dana as he searches for a magical formula that's said to banish all evil from the world. It began life in arcades back in 1986, finding its way to NES a year later, and now it's resurfaced on the 3DS Virtual...
Review Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV (Wii U eShop / SNES)
Depth incarnate
If there's one thing that you could pretty much be assured of when it came to a Koei game back in the day, it was getting a lot of depth to your gameplay experience. Not only were you generally treated to a very high production value visual experience, but the attention to detail and historical accuracy was always of high quality...
Review Summer Carnival '92 RECCA (3DS eShop / NES)
For shoot 'em up experts only
The release of this game on the 3DS eShop is a bit of a strange occurrence. Summer Carnival '92 Recca was, as you might guess from its odd name, created for a shoot 'em up game competition held in 1992, exclusively in Japan. It was only available from those competitions, so the supply was quite limited and, as a result,...
News Game Designers Reveal How Super Mario Bros. 3 Would Work As A Free-To-Play Mobile Title
It's not for the faint hearted...
Free-to-play mobile games have proven popular with casual gamers over recent years and there is seemingly no end of developers looking to create another addictive bird chucking or candy crushing title to harvest money from people's e-wallets. Many people have wondered if this free-to-play model can work for much...
Hardware Review Wireless Super Retro 64 Controller
Out of control
With digital download services on the rise and HD remakes becoming more of a regular occurrence, the retro gaming scene is bigger than ever. Restore points and improved visuals — not to mention the off-TV play function offered by the Wii U GamePad — have done a good job of making older titles more suited to our modern...
Review Star Soldier (3DS eShop / NES)
I got soul, but I'm not the best Star Soldier
We may as well stop playing games en masse right now, because we all suck. That may sound harsh, but this 3DS eShop release of Hudson Soft’s vertically scrolling NES shoot-em-‘up will either make or break you. Unfortunately, if you play Star Soldier on the smaller screen of an original 3DS, the tiny...
Weirdness Mike Tyson Plays Punch-Out!! And Takes on His Arch-Nemesis, Glass Joe
Did he beat Glass f****** Joe?
A little while ago we brought you some retro news of huge importance that shook the foundations of the NES — Mike Tyson was rubbish at Mike Tyson's Punch Out!!. Here's what he told a charming paparazzi journo that was following him around. "I couldn't even beat Glass f****** Joe. I couldn't beat Glass Joe, you know...
News Translated EarthBound 64 Interview Gives Insight Into Struggles of Development and Cancellation
Satoru Iwata, Shigesato Itoi and Shigeru Miyamoto pull no punches
Despite the loyal following generated by the first two games in the series, EarthBound 64 — or MOTHER 3 as it actually was — never saw the light of day. It didn't in that form, in any case, as MOTHER 3 eventually arrived on the Game Boy Advance in 2006, but only in Japan; the...
Weirdness It's a Nintendo 64 Controller Pillow, Which Looks Rather Comfortable
Retro resting
Most gamers will have a favourite spot from which they like to play games, whether it's a chair, bed or hanging upside down from the ceiling — that last one may just be for Batman fans. In any case some handicraft enthusiasts create their own gaming seats, with some impressive examples. One such gamer is DeviantArt user tavington,...
Review Donkey Kong (3DS eShop / NES)
It's on like Donkey Kong
This year marked the 30th anniversary of the initial Japanese launch of the Nintendo Family Computer, more popularly known around the world as the Famicom. Among the landmark console’s launch titles was Donkey Kong, a port of the arcade hit that began Nintendo’s launch into video game history. Now, in the year of the...
Review Turok 2: Seeds of Evil (Nintendo 64)
Oblivion is at hand
Acclaim Entertainment must have always had a good feeling about Turok: Dinosaur Hunter. Before the game was even released in 1997, the company announced that it was already working on a sequel. In hindsight of course, it’s easy to see why Turok: Dinosaur Hunter was such a massive success; it released at an ideal time in the...
Weirdness Perhaps We All Need These LEGO Nintendo 64 Transformers in Our Lives
More than meets the eye
Sometimes life is tough. Some of us have work, school, work and school, bills to pay, credit card bills to panic over and a myriad of other concerns. At least we have video games to ease the load, but there's always room for improvement; how about combining video games with LEGO and Transformers? Yes, that'll do the trick...
Review Galaga (Wii U eShop / NES)
That man is playing Galaga!
Galaga is old. It may well state 1988 on Galaga’s NES title screen, but that refers to its European and US release date, the Japanese Famicom conversion was released early in 1985 and they are all based on a port of Namco’s 1981 coin-op. This means that with any Wii U Virtual Console purchase you must consider if you...
News Killer Instinct's Music Gets the Cover it Deserves
Supreme Victory
We often share some of the best fan content that we find, whether they're short films portraying scenes from games, memorable pieces of art or top-notch music covers. The band On Being Human brings us the latter, and last year we shared a terrific Super Metroid rock cover that seemed like the perfect alternative soundtrack to the...
News Super Mario RPG Command System Inspired by a Laptop-Style "Children's Toy"
Each Mario & Luigi entry strives for evolution
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team has now been released across the world on the 3DS, the latest in the popular if somewhat niche series. It's not necessarily the biggest-selling series in Nintendo's library, but it feels like one of its most valuable; it incorporates familiar characters in a Universe of its...
News The Chrono Trigger Symphony: Volume 1 Arrives on 22nd August
Blake Robinson's Synthetic Orchestra returns
You may be quite familiar with the name Blake Robinson by now, especially if you're a fan of video game music. Using software and tools that he's meticulously developed, Robinson produces orchestrations of iconic video game soundtracks that, arguably, take the source music to another level. He's produced...
Video This Super Metroid Animation is Rather Impressive
Let's all dream of a full animated series...
So, things have gone a bit quiet with the Metroid franchise. Metroid: Other M divided fans on the Wii, 3DS ambassadors received a copy of Game Boy Advance title Metroid Fusion, and the IP made an appearance in Nintendo Land. None of those have quite satisfied fans in recent years, it's safe to assume...
News All 151 Kanto Pokémon Are Together, Each Drawn by a Different Artist
Twitter is Super Effective!
A few weeks ago artist Justin Chan took to Twitter to run Poké-Collab: Kanto, a bid to have 151 different artists each produce a representation of the first generation of Pokémon. Pictured below is the final result, which incorporates some pretty diverse illustrations, each with the artist's Twitter handle underneath...
To Smurf, or not to Smurf?
Recently we got a little down and smurfy with our review of The Smurfs 2 for the Wii U, and now, we’ve set our focus on the DS version which offers a completely different gameplay experience, despite sharing the same title. Where the former offered up uneventful platforming that should only appeal to novice players or...
Review River City Ransom (3DS eShop / NES)
BARF!
River City Ransom — or Street Gangs as it was known upon release in Europe — is arguably one of the most famous fighting titles for Nintendo's 8-bit NES console. Ported from the Japanese Famicom title Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari, the game combined the pugilistic focus of Double Dragon (which was created by the same company, Technōs...
Review Harvest Moon (Wii U eShop / SNES)
Barnstorming
Early wake ups, extensive hours, back-breaking labour and ever-vulnerable to unpredictable weather patterns – farming doesn't sound like the most tantalising profession on paper. Way back when, however, developer Natsume clearly caught a glimpse of the positive aspects of the job and was inspired to create one of gaming's most beloved...
News BBC Warns Of Online Gaming Addiction, Uses Image Of Someone Playing Offline Mario Kart
Nothing like a bit of fact-checking, right?
Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games — or MMORPGs — are pretty addictive. The allure of a constantly connected world populated by other players and challenges is often too much for some people to resist, leading to gaming sessions which last for days rather than just a few hours. According...
Ninterview Dan Clarke And Jake Smith Talk Project Dolphin, A Print-Based GameCube Tribute
"More games consoles need to be bright orange and have a handle"
By day, Dan Clarke and Jake Smith run JP74, a digital design agency based in the UK, but by night they're passionate gamers with a love of retro. Given their design background, it should come as no surprise to learn that the duo has successfully combined interactive entertainment with...
Review Turok: Dinosaur Hunter (Nintendo 64)
A game worthy of acclaim?
Turok: Dinosaur Hunter was a wise and lucky move for publisher Acclaim Entertainment. In the late '90s, the company was struggling financially and drastically needed to change its fortunes. Making good on its purchases of Valiant Comics in 1994 and development studio Iguana Entertainment in 1995, Acclaim used the rights it...
News Ocarina of Time Speedrunner Explains How To Beat the Game in 22 minutes
No mods, cheats or external tools
Speedrunning may be a fairly niche activity, the preserve of enthusiasts that exchange ideas on forums and at events, but it can be impressive for anyone to watch when talented gamers show off what they can achieve. It's especially impressive when speedruns are completed on the original software, without...
News Classic SNES RPG Breath Of Fire II Is Coming To The North American Wii U Virtual Console
A breath of fresh air
Capcom's classic 16-bit RPG Breath of Fire II is coming to the North American Wii U Virtual Console "in the coming months". The news was broken on Capcom Unity, along with confirmation that UDON Entertainment is publishing a Breath of Fire Complete Works art book next year. The series is undergoing something of a revival of...
July2013
Review Cute Witch! Runner (DSiWare)
Magical Nights
With last year's Dress to Play: Cute Witches!, developer Coder Child channeled both Cotton and cosplay into a unique mix of dress-up and side-scrolling flight, a solid concept that we felt was let down by poor execution on the fashion side of the equation. We found plenty to like about the airborne action, however, and that's the main...
Ninterview The Power Of Glove Filmmakers Adam Ward, Andrew Austin And Paula Kosowski
"At the time it looked like the coolest thing humankind had ever produced"
We recently reported on The Power of Glove, a documentary about one of the most notable Nintendo accessories of all time: The Power Glove. We got a chance to sit down and chat with the team behind the film — Adam Ward, Andrew Austin And Paula Kosowski — about their...
News SNES Platform Hero Plok Makes A Long-Overdue Return
Comic book series revealed - could a new game be next?
Those of you with keen memories will no doubt recall a SNES platform title by the name of Plok. Released in 1993 and created by Ste and John Pickford — The Pickford Brothers, to you and me — the title was something of a cult classic and fans have been asking for a new entry for years. It...
News Super Cute Mega Man Nanoblock Sets Emerge in Japan
No new game from Capcom again... again
Mega Man is still in his 25th Anniversary Year, and what delights he's received as promotional gifts in his honour. We've had themed USB drives, miniature statues, and even a Rush tissue box. And yet, as our imaginary real-life Blue Bomber opens present after present, the one thing he wants the most isn't...
Weirdness This First-Person Sonic the Hedgehog Video is Rather Impressive
But would it be playable?
It's a favourite hobby of some gamers to fantasize over "what ifs"; maybe "what if Mario had worn green and been the easily frightened taller brother?" Or "what if Mega Man had been a middle aged man with a pistol, like on the box art?" Another may well be, what if Sonic the Hedgehog wasn't a 2D platformer, but a...
Review Kid Icarus (Wii U eShop / NES)
A demonic angel
The popularity of Pit, even before his triumphant return in Kid Icarus: Uprising, was focused around nostalgia for his first two appearances on NES and Game Boy, with the home console original setting the tone with catchy music, quirky mythological enemies and lashings of creativity. This was impressive in the days of the early 8-bit...
Video Codemasters Co-Founder David Darling Talks Game Genie, Micro Machines And More
Industry veteran speaks exclusively to Nintendo Life
Codemasters is one of the UK's long-running video game studios and was founded by brothers David and Richard Darling way back in 1986. Although both have since parted company with the firm, they've left an incredible legacy which covers a variety of platforms, including the 8-bit Nintendo...
Weirdness Check Out This Brilliant Donkey Kong Stop-Motion Video
The mind boggles
Some YouTube videos dedicated to Nintendo games and franchises cross the boundary from happy enthusiast's amateur efforts to downright impressive, professional-level work. This stop-motion Donkey Kong video certainly fits in the latter category, with a lot of skill and hours no doubt needed to put it all together. We're not sure...
Weirdness Hackers Use NES Pad To Drive Car
All those hours on Rad Racer might come in handy after all
Security experts Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek have demonstrated a method which allows hackers to control a car using a laptop and NES joypad. The pair have created a system which enables them to connect to a car's electronic control unit (ECU) via the on-board diagnostics port and...
Weirdness Mike Tyson Was Rubbish at Punch-Out!!
"I couldn't even beat Glass f****** Joe"
While some games, particularly in the '80s and '90s, proudly showed off a celebrity likeness or name to sell copies, that doesn't mean that those famous people even liked those games. In the case of Mike Tyson, he was so hopeless at his own part of NES history that it seems irrelevant whether he actually...
Review Shantae (3DS eShop / GBC)
Whip ya hair
Just over 11 years since its original release in 2002, Shantae has finally made it onto the 3DS Virtual Console – and it's the first time that it's been available in Europe too. Despite the long wait, WayForward's tricky 2D platformer is sprinkled with enough genie-magic to keep it fresh and interesting for a modern audience. Shantae...
Weirdness This Donkey Kong Art Plays With Your Sense of Perception
The impossible level
While some fan culture based on Nintendo is relatively light-hearted, full of parody or off-the-cuff, there are examples where artistic skill is employed to be both serious and irreverent at once. We think this may be a rather good example of that. YouTube group AweMeChannel has produced a video inspired by the work of Maurits...
News EarthBound Translator Shares Insight Into Preparing a Cult Classic for the West
"It’s really a glass half full kind of game"
With EarthBound's arrival on the Wii U Virtual Console last week, many gamers can finally gain an insight into why the SNES title has accumulated such a vocal fan-base, despite its modest Western sales — it didn't even reach Europe — when it was originally released. It's a game lauded for its charm,...
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