Latest Articles - Page 29 of 48

Nintendo's Mode-7 machine turns 20

For those who aren't aware, the Super Famicom console is celebrating its 20th birthday today. On this day in 1990, Nintendo released the much-anticipated follow-up to its immensely popular Famicom system onto the eager Japanese gaming world. The Super Famicom became an instant hit in Japan and a North American release, labelled the Super Nintendo Entertainment..

We look back at Nintendo's first misstep in the domestic gaming hardware arena

Given what we now know about add-on hardware for games consoles, the very concept of the Famicom Disk System seems hopelessly flawed. Since this Japan-only system hit the market in 1986 we’ve seen the equally ill-fated Sega Mega CD, Sega 32X and Nintendo 64DD all come...

Now this is technology

The GameBoy Advance belongs to a simpler time, when buttons were king. That's why it's so great to see a video of GBA title Rhythm Heaven played in a way we're fairly certain the developers never considered. The video below shows a simple circuit involving a laser pointer, a prosthetic finger and, of course, a Japanese sword. When the blade of the sword breaks the laser's..

From Kirby to 80's synthpop chip covers, this month's episode is all encompassing

Variety is the spice of life, and thanks to the insane variety of this 10th episode of our chip and game music podcast NLFM you'll be feeling that spice for hours after consumption. It's so spicy that we think we've got flavor for every mood, whether you're in the market for bathroom fisticuffs, looking to revisit the..

Stacking blocks good for you

Anyone who's played Tetris – i.e. everyone ever – can attest to its soothing qualities as they stack block after block aiming to create those lovely lines. Now a new study suggests that playing the game isn't just good for fun, it may help to reduce the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Scientific journal PLoS ONE suggests that playing Tetris can reduce..

Is it a-you?

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the release of Super Mario Bros. and the North American debut of the NES, we ran a competition to give away a free 500-point NES title for Virtual Console to each of twenty-five winners, the selection of the game being their choice. Almost a thousand users entered, so we'd like to congratulate the 25...

So emotional even the cake was in tiers

Nintendo's flagship New York store recently re-opened with a brand new Mario-themed design in honour of Super Mario Bros.'s 25th anniversary, and to celebrate it hosted a huge party with two very special guests. Reggie Fils-Aime and Shigeru Miyamoto made appearances at the event to meet fans, cut the cake and revel in the atmosphere only a plumber's birthday..

The hunter becomes the hunted

Following their release of the first Super Nintendo Addams Family game, Ocean Software’s programmer, James Higgins, gave an interview to Super Play magazine to promote the development of their second, Pugsley’s Scavenger Hunt. He highlighted the fact that the arcade platforming feel of this sequel was initially...

Choose your own survival horror

A popular release for the Playstation in 1999, Silent Hill saw players take control of Harry Mason – following a car accident, he awakens to find that his daughter, Cheryl, has disappeared. Naturally, Harry sets off to find her, but it soon becomes apparent that there's something strange about the surrounding town. This is also the set-up here, but as the name..

Fun portable Bondage

As an MI6 agent with a license to kill, James Bond has obvious video game potential. One option is the first person shooter, as seen with the Nintendo 64's Goldeneye 007, but that's not the only choice. Released not long after Rare's classic, the simply titled James Bond 007 is a very different game, but there's still a lot of enjoyment to be found. You view the action from a..

What the macabre sixties sitcom were they thinking?

Uncle Fester of the Addams Family has to save the world from aliens in this cheap cash in on a beloved franchise. So, why is Fester's Quest so terrible? The reasons go on and on. This will remind you to go enjoy a nice day outside, play a board game or clean your kitchen. Any activity you could...

Woooo-ooh!

Isn't it great when a licensed game turns out to be awesome? We are too often fooled into wasting money on sloppy attempts to bring our favourite characters into the video game world. After being burned countless times, usually during childhood when you don't know any better, you may begin to avoid licensed games altogether. Anyone that played DuckTales back in the NES days, however,..

It's the little things that count

Today, the virtual reality experience of the Wii is as immersive as Lawnmower Man director/writer Brett Leonard ever could have hoped, with Mario as real and in-person as an actual member of our family and special effects so vivid that we compulsively hold our breath during underwater levels. Okay, maybe things...

The Mushroom Kingdom was very different back then

We've only just recovered from the bombshell that Super Mario Bros. nearly had a shoot 'em up stage, but prepare for more shocks as original design documents show the path the plumber nearly took. Part of the History of Mario booklet contained in the Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary Edition, the documents reveal Mario's moveset was originally..

You tell us why you loved that 8-bit magic machine

To help celebrate the 25th anniversary of the NES's North American debut, we asked you to send in your favourite memories with that machine, and you delivered. We apologise to those whose letters we unfortunately were unable to find a place for, but whether you made it into the article or not, it's much appreciated. Though some outside of the..

The Legend of Addams

When anyone drops a mention of licensed games, it's generally appropriate to tune out. With very, very few exceptions, almost every single game based on a movie, TV series, comic or what-have-you is mediocre at best, and frequently completely terrible. There are exceptions – everybody knows about classics like DuckTales and GoldenEye 007. One series of titles that is not..

Morticia's marooned in a maniac mansion

Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, Manchester-based Ocean Software became synonymous with movie licensed games and established themselves as the go-to developer for Hollywood. They delivered their software on the home computers that were flourishing at the time and handled a huge list of movie licenses, with standout titles including Robocop, Batman:..

Learn our shocking pasts

To continue our celebration of 25 years of NES, the staff's gathered around the campfire to share their favourite memories of that little dream machine. Not everyone could make it to the party, unfortunately, but we're sure that those who couldn't had good reason to stay home. Join us now as we lay bare our souls to you and open up in a way that the staff of Nintendo Life..

Before fireballs came bullets

You might know enough about Super Mario Bros. to win our 25th anniversary competition, but did you know a shooting stage was planned for the game? A Famitsu interview with Shigeru Miyamoto reveals that using Mario's original controls, pressing Up would jump, with B to dash and A to fire bullets, before the team settled on fireballs. The game would have turned out very..