Latest Articles - Page 17 of 48

Officially confirmed

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

Amazing.

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

Secret agent

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

If you know for sure, let us know

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

Brandon Cobb explains why retro gaming matters

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

It's good, too

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

Free for PC

The God of War series is arguably amongst the best-known franchises on PlayStation 3, and one recent release that has grabbed our attention is an 8-bit re-imagining of these titles' universe. It may seem like an unlikely project, but that's exactly what indie developer Holmade Games has produced. The indie developer decided that it...

On PC, and it's free

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

Insert coin

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

Anything but a nightmare

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

Less gritty but more fun?

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

Black beauty

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

Baby come back

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

The biggest retro hardware release in more ways than one

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

Mario + Retro = Hard

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

Book 'em

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

Where did it all go right?

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

NES music gets the treatment

For some gamers there's a particular pleasure to be found in listening to music from previous console generations. We're not referring to the midi-fest of the N64, but going all the way back to the original NES. Technological limitations meant that only certain sounds and compositions could be used, but clever design...

Even Mario gets it wrong sometimes

They say true love triumphs over any hardships. If that is the case, then we must really love Nintendo, for it's provided us with plenty of chances to test our devotion throughout the years. Here is a selection of moments where it all went topsy-turvy, even if our commitment never wavered: You Can't Play That:...