Retro Features
Feature Meet The Gamate, The Handheld Which Tried To Take On The Game Boy And Failed
We look at the history behind one of gaming's more obscure portables
When Nintendo launched the original Game Boy to a rapturous critical and commercial reception in 1989 it was almost a forgone conclusion that other companies would follow suit and concoct their own portable systems. Arch-rival Sega quickly pushed the Game Gear onto store shelves...
Playing God
Back when the Super Nintendo launched in Japan — where it was of course known as the Super Famicom — it was accompanied by some truly remarkable titles. As a young (and loyal) Sega Mega Drive owner at the time, for me personally it was torture to see the likes of Pilotwings, F-Zero and
Ninterview Stepping Into The Nintendo Arcade
Alex Crowley tells us about collecting cabinets and his love for DK
When gamers refer to and discuss retro gaming, we suspect that in most cases the conversation revolves around ageing consoles, cartridges and CDs; occasionally, the debate may even revert to libraries and choices on services such as Nintendo's Virtual Consoles. Yet an integral part...
Interview Kennedy Baruch on Filmmaking Inspired by Games
"The Legend of Zelda is basically the Holy Grail of gaming"
Over the past year we've shared two videos produced by Kennedy Baruch, the first of which was an award-winning short film titled ESCAPE!, a heart-wrenching tale of a young girl seeking escapism from bullying at school and abuse in a breaking home. Just recently Baruch confirmed that he's...
Feature Our Nintendo Moments of 2013 - Part Two
Tom, Dave and Lewis share their favourite 2013 memories
In the slightly delayed second part of this series, three more members of the Nintendo Life team share their favourite moments and memories from 2013. This time around we have features editor Tom Whitehead, US reviewer Dave Letcavage and news hound Lewis Childs. Tom Whitehead: 2013 has...
Feature Our Nintendo Moments of 2013 - Part One
Ron, Morgan and Lee share Nintendo memories
In the first of a festive two-part series, some of your humble Nintendo Life writers share their favourite Nintendo gaming memories of 2013. In this first part we have three of our U.S. reviewers and news hounds, Ron DelVillano, Morgan Sleeper and Lee Meyer. Ron DelVillano: One of the strangest...
Feature Why I Love Import Gaming
Import gaming addict Kerry Brunskill explains the appeal of overseas gaming
I’ve been fascinated by Japanese games for as long as I can remember, going right the way back to faux-Japanese Amiga games like Leander and Apidya II. There's something appealing about Japanese game design and art which can't quite be matched by western titles, and...
Soapbox Zelda's Magic Creates A Link Between Generations
Damien McFerran on how Nintendo's new 3DS Zelda has created a vital bond
More than two decades ago, an excitable 12 year-old boy huddled down in front of his Super Nintendo console armed with a copy of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Having witnessed the critical acclaim directed towards this new action RPG the youth expectantly flicked up...
Feature A Supersonic History of Sonic Cartoons
I’m waaaaiiiiting...
For anyone growing up in the early nineties, there was one gaming rivalry that dwarfed all others – Nintendo vs SEGA. While the feud gave us classic moments such as “Genesis does what Nintendon’t” and the infamous Genesis ‘blast processing’, this gaming cold war would split playgrounds and even families over who...
Feature Last Night A Hedgehog Saved My Life
Damien McFerran recalls his once ardent love for Sega's Sonic
This week sees the launch of Sonic Lost World on Wii U and 3DS. Two of the most anticipated Sonic games in years, these new instalments have been subject to the usual level of hype which seems to surround any new adventure starring Sega's popular mascot. I've been swept up in this...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Soapbox The 8-Bit Era Laid the Groundwork, but Modern Day Progress Shouldn't be Discounted
Tom feels that enjoying both retro and modern games is vital
This week we've published a few features to celebrate the Famicom's 30th Anniversary. It's an extraordinary landmark, particularly because so many games from the 8-bit machine are still treasured to this day, many of which are deserving because they're enormous fun. I think there's...
Round Table Let's Talk About the Famicom / NES
Oh, the memories
This week we've written some features and re-published some select reviews to celebrate the Famicom's 30th Anniversary, this particular landmark reflecting the Japanese release of the iconic original design. Naturally, not many of us in the Nintendo Life team have played that original system, but we have all indulged in the NES in...
Interview WayForward on Shantae's Past, Present and Future
Some "pretty big surprises" in store for Pirate's Curse this Fall
With the release of Shantae (originally a Game Boy Color title) this week we touched base with WayForward's Creative Director and founding member, Matt Bozon, and he kindly agreed to a quick-fire interview before he jetted off to Comic-Con. This is a series that, despite being just...
Feature The History Of The Famicom, The Console That Changed Nintendo's Fortunes
As Nintendo's iconic system turns 30, we chart the rise of a legend
Nintendo may be a company with a history that stretches back over a hundred years, but it has only enjoyed its current level of fame for the past thirty or so — and that’s largely thanks to a remarkable 8-bit console which launched in its native Japan three decades ago this...
Talking Point The Famicom Was the Beginning of the Modern Gaming Era
Solid building blocks
We recently shared the landmark news that the Famicom has celebrated its 30th Anniversary, having launched in Japan on 15th July 1983, over two years before the NES made its way West. The latter version is that best known and most commonly cited, yet it was the original model's release — Nintendo's first dalliance with a home...
Feature The Making Of Pilotwings 64
The N64 launch title which soared to new heights
In recent years Nintendo has made a habit of aligning itself with external studios in order to complete notable projects. We've seen fruitful unions with the likes of Sega (F-Zero GX), Capcom (The Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap) and more recently Team Ninja (Metroid: Other M), Next Level Games (
Feature When it Comes to Games, What's in a Name?
Quite a lot, if you're fussy like us
The latest major 3DS release to hit Europe is Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Bros., except in our review we took to calling it by its North American name, just plain-old Mario & Luigi: Dream Team. It arrives Stateside around a month after Europe, but the shorter title seems like a better fit; that "Bros."...
Feature Taking A Look Back At The Nintendo 64 Rumble Pak
The little peripheral that shook things up in a big way
Nintendo has always been a video game manufacturer renowned for innovation. From revitalising the video game console industry with the NES back in 1985 right through to opening it up to the mainstream with its Wii and DS systems in the mid-2000s, the Japanese company has continued to have a...
Feature A Virtual Tour of Pilotwings 64
Come fly with me
When it was released in 1996, Pilotwings 64 was praised for its incredible visuals and vast, open landscapes. Even now, the attention to detail is astonishing — as we pointed out in our recent Pilotwings 64 review so much so that we felt compelled to explore it. To save you the effort of having to dust off that old N64 and unlock...
Ninterview Behind The Scenes At Club Nintendo Magazine
We speak to former staffer Natalie Griffith
Those of you in the UK who are old enough to recall the days of the NES and original Game Boy will no doubt have fond memories of Club Nintendo magazine. It was essentially the "official" mouthpiece of Nintendo at the time, and was distributed via subscription. It contained details on forthcoming games, as...
Feature The Humble Origins of Animal Crossing
How an obscure little N64 title grew into a hit franchise for Nintendo
The hype and excitement for Animal Crossing: New Leaf across the web is reaching a critical level. Hitting North America on 9th June and Europe on 14th June, it begs the question whether some people might literally explode as a result of not being able to contain their...
Hardware Classics Nintendo Virtual Boy
Nintendo's nadir, or misunderstood masterpiece?
According to the history books, the Virtual Boy is Nintendo's biggest failure — both commercially and critically — in the hardware arena. Launched in 1995 to almost complete consumer apathy, it bypassed Europe entirely and was discontinued the following year. It is also thought to be the reason...
Feature A Brief History of Pokémon - Part One
Contracting Pokémania
In the mid-nineties, an epidemic spread across the world. First discovered in Japan, it soon spread across the pacific, consuming vast areas of America. We were powerless to stop it. No cure was to be found. Before long, it broke America's shores and hit Europe with similarly devastating effect. The worst affected were...
Review Banjo-Kazooie Symphony by The Blake Robinson Synthetic Orchestra
A Rare treat
Rare is a company that is fondly remembered by many Nintendo fans. While it had success on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System with the Donkey Kong Country series, it was during the years of the Nintendo 64 that the development studio truly came into its own. It produced hit after hit, arguably saving the 64-bit system from the...
Feature Celebrating Ten Years of The Wind Waker
A decade under the ocean
This week marked the 10th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker’s European release, a title that’s equally one of the most beloved and controversial titles in the entire Zelda franchise. Launched on the GameCube between 2002 and 2003 worldwide, The Wind Waker had a troubled launch, due largely to a backlash...
Feature Nintendo Battle - Game Watch: Super Mario Bros. 3 vs. Star Fox
The power's on the wrist
These days we take gaming portability for granted. We may kill time playing a bit of Angry Birds on our smartphones while waiting for the next bus to arrive or waiting for our dental appointment. Back in the early ’90s you could carry around a Game Boy or Atari Lynx, but neither was particularly pocket friendly. The clever...
Feature Nintendo Life's Staff Favourites - Super NES
Doubling the bits for Super power
We think it's safe to say that the past two generations of Nintendo home consoles — Wii and Wii U — haven't overly concerned themselves with raw graphical power; now its all about concepts and experiences. It wasn't always so, with Nintendo responding the the SEGA Mega Drive / Genesis — which enjoyed a spell...
Feature Ten SEGA Mega Drive / Genesis Games We Want on the Wii U Virtual Console
They skipped Wii VC, so now their time has come
Earlier this week we were rather pleased the share the news, based on a couple of sources, that Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse looks set to come to Wii U. It's unclear whether it'll be a straight-up re-release (on the Virtual Console) or a remastered port, but whatever the case it's a SEGA...
Ninterview Per Fhager On Combining Embroidery With Video Games
"Video gaming is an important medium that reflects our time"
Video games and art regularly collide with spectacular results, but the work of Swedish artist Per Fhager is one of the most surprising examples of this fusion of interactive entertainment and the world of visual crafts. Fhager's work has been displayed all over Europe, and manages to...
Feature Nintendo Life's Staff Favourites - NES
Let's begin at the beginning
One thing you may have noticed, if you're a regular visitor to Nintendo Life, is that we're more than happy to wear our retro-enthusiast, rose-tinted spectacles as often as possible. A merger with VC-Reviews in April 2009 is an important part of our history, and we often share entertaining blasts from the past and wax...
Hardware Classics NEC PC Engine
Emotion Engine
It's a common misconception that the Nintendo Super Famicom and Sega Mega Drive were close rivals in their native Japan. In reality, Sega was in fact third in the pecking order, and it was NEC's PC Engine which fought so bitterly with Nintendo for domination of the sales charts. A collaboration between hardware manufacturer NEC an
Clone alone
The medium of video gaming has arguably witnessed some of the most ridiculous story lines in the history of humankind. Let’s face it, if you went to a literary agent with the concept of a portly Italian plumber giving up hunting giant apes and travelling to a land filled with talking mushrooms to save a princess from the clutches of a...
Round Table Let's Talk About the F-Zero Franchise
Ready
With SNES classic F-Zero coming to the end of its spell as the 30 cent/30 pence Famicom Anniversary promotion on the Wii U eShop, some of us in the Nintendo Life team thought that it was the perfect time to talk about the franchise. With just four main releases — include the GBA title but discounting the arcade unit — it's not been...
Fire Emblem's old rival deserves a second chance
As you dig yourself into Fire Emblem: Awakening’s monstrously addictive campaign, spare a thought for some of the other turn-based strategy RPGs which haven’t been given the chance to impress an entirely fresh generation of players. Like Langrisser, for example. Chances are, unless you really know...
Feature The Wonderful World of Multiplayer Add-Ons
The lengths we go to
If you want to play a bit of multiplayer in most games nowadays, and you don't have a friend nearby, it's as easy as selecting a menu and waiting for strangers to appear as competition. Online multiplayer can perhaps be a bit more personal than that, of course, with the ability to meet up with friends and have a blast, as we did...
Hardware Classics Nintendo DS Lite
This is how you redesign a console
Let's be brutally honest here — the original DS design was ugly. Quite what Nintendo's designers were thinking when they came up with it we'll never know, but the dumpy, two-tone casing hardly got pulses racing, even back in 2004. It felt like a system that was rushed out of the door purely to meet a deadline,...
Hardware Classics Nintendo AV Famicom
Give the dog a bone
The Nintendo Entertainment System — or NES, for short — is arguably the console on which Nintendo's current lofty status was built. Launched in Japan as the Famicom, the 8-bit platform is home to an almost endless list of solid-gold classics, including Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Metroid,
Feature Nintendo Battle - Donkey Kong: Tabletop vs. Game & Watch
Are you ready?
During the arcade boom of the early 1980s, Donkey Kong was doing great business for Nintendo. To capitalise on this popularity, miniature versions of the arcade game were released. First, there was Coleco’s Donkey Kong tabletop, followed by Nintendo’s Game & Watch Multi Screen version. We decided to pit these ‘portable’...
Feature Video Game Characters Looking For Love
Looking for co-op partners
Last year we brought you a collection of dating profiles we happened to find online, which belonged to some of our favourite video game heroes! You wouldn't expect lightning to strike twice, but since it's Valentine's Day and miracles do happen, we thought we'd spend some more time combing through the darkest recesses of...
Hardware Classics Nintendo Game Boy
Monochrome masterpiece
The Nintendo DS may be the biggest selling handheld console of all time, but you could argue that this is only the case because of the vital groundwork laid down by the Game Boy. The original monochrome brick was pushed onto the market in 1989 in the wake of Nintendo's popular Game & Watch range, and would go on to sell...
Hardware Classics The Legend Of Zelda Game Boy Advance SP
The Triforce is strong in this one
Nintendo's Game Boy Advance is one of the company's most beloved handhelds. It had a hard act to follow, coming after the blockbuster successes of the original monochrome Game Boy and the Game Boy Color, but it managed to shift almost 90 million units globally. However, in typical Nintendo fashion, it took a major...
Talking Point The Legend of Zelda: Remakes of the Past
Majora's Mask 3D, anyone?
The recent announcement of The Wind Waker HD for Wii U was met with a great deal of excitement not just here on Nintendo Life, but across social networks and other websites. It's a title that has a passionate, loyal following, and the prospect of an enhanced version prompted plenty of conversations about just what...
We explain why this 2D classic needs another shot at glory
In the first of a new series of features, we take a look at a game that is badly in need of a remake on a Nintendo system. Princess Crown might sound like the kind of game you’d expect your little sister to play, but it’s actually the first release from the team that would eventually...
Hardware Classics Game & Watch JR-55 - Donkey Kong II
A multi-screen masterpiece
Before the Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance and even the Game Boy, portable gaming was all about Nintendo's Game & Watch series. The brainchild of Nintendo engineer Gunpei Yokoi - who apparently came up with the idea after seeing a Japanese businessman playing around with his pocket calculator during his journey to work -...
Feature Nintendo and Bond Through the Ages
A license to thrill
While film tie-ins are expected these days, few games can attest to having their origins found in novels, and fewer still can claim to have outgrown those origins and become a success in their own right. But that is exactly what the James Bond franchise has done. What initially began as a series of novels by Sir Ian Fleming,...
