Retro News
September2015
News Super Nintendo Classic Chrono Trigger Gets Digital Audio Support
Orchestral Time Traveler
In an alternate universe not entirely dissimilar to our own the Super Nintendo got a CD add-on made by Sony, much like the Mega Drive's Mega CD. This would bring full motion video and Redbook audio to the SNES games you know and love. In fact, some games would have been completely different in that universe. Secret of Mana...
News Updated Sega Mega Drive Arcade Ultimate Handheld Features Save State Support
Fixes the big issue with the original system
AtGames' Sega Mega Drive Arcade Ultimate Handheld was the dream machine for hardcore Sega fanboys. Not only did it allow you to play 16-bit classics on the move, it featured SD card support so you could load up even more games - although the rather shady nature of ROM distribution did cause some to frown...
Random Conduct Interviews in Retro Style With a Famicom Voice Recorder
Hopefully isn't 8-bit sound
A number of the UK-based Nintendo Life crew spent four days at EGX in Birmingham recently, an expo with all of the noise, fun and shenanigans you'd expect. Your humble writer wasn't to be found out in the wilds of the main hall, however, but conducting interviews with plenty of Indie developers; the burden of...
Video Learn The Full Story Behind the Power Glove Courtesy of the Gaming Historian
It deserved a better fate
"The Power Glove. It's so bad." It's a line of dialogue familiar to many retro Nintendo fans, delivered in a non-ironic way in The Wizard, a movie that isn't exactly critically acclaimed but is fondly regarded by some. The peripheral itself was hugely fascinating at the time yet, ultimately, failed to achieve significant...
Video Genesis Power Team Volume 2 Has A Distinctly Nintendo Feel To It
Lots of lovely imports, too
Long-time followers of this site will know the name Tyler Esposito - not only have we covered the excellent video content he has created in the past, he's actually contributed to Nintendo Life as well. Esposito's latest project is iretrogamer, a YouTube channel which he hopes can become a resource for all kinds of retro...
Spoilers... obviously
Speedrunning remains as one of the most fun yet niche areas of gaming, with highly skilled enthusiasts achieving amazing things in classic titles, mostly of the retro variety. They can be great to watch, though it's also pleasing to be shown how it works on occasion, too. The hugely popular A+Start channel has been running a...
News HyperPlay RPG Is A Glorious Throwback To The Pre-Internet Days Of Homemade Fanzines
We go hands-on with issue zero
If you're old enough to remember the days before the internet took over everything then you may recall the vibrant and active video game fanzine community. Before the web arrived the only way for non-professional writers to get their words in front of others was by making black-and-white photocopied magazines and...
Review StarTropics (Wii U eShop / NES)
Sun, sea, sand, and aliens
Winter is slowly creeping up on us, so it's as good a time as ever to explore warmer climates and take your mind off of the bad weather. For some NES-filtered beams of sunshine, why not step into the shoes of young Mike Jones, an American kid who's headed for an alphabetic island on the tropical adventure of a lifetime?...
News Super Famicom Exclusive The Amazing Spider-Man: Lethal Foes Gets Translated
Our 16-bit Spider Sense is tingling!
The Super Nintendo was home to several Spidey games, some better than others. Some of the best offerings came from LJN (yes, that LJN…), with Maximum Carnage and Separation Anxiety among the most notable. There was one however that never made it out of Japan, and as luck would have it, it's a rather good one...
Review Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Wii U eShop / GBA)
Prophesizing the amiiboom
Mario vs. Donkey Kong is interesting in that it's the only game in the Mario vs DK franchise (to date) that actually allows the player to control Mario; indeed this was originally planned to be a sequel to 1994's Donkey Kong on Game Boy, so arguably those two have more in common than the other games in the series. Mario vs...
News Sega Almost Licensed The Technology That Went Into The Virtual Boy
"I think we were right in turning it down"
Former Sega of America boss Tom Kalinske was in charge of the company during its glory years, and it was under his leadership that it was able to challenge the might of Nintendo during the early '90s. Full of interesting stories and anecdotes, Kalinske's story has been told in Blake J. Harris' excellent...
Review Tecmo Bowl (Wii U eShop / NES)
Move over Madden 16, Tecmo Bowl is back and stealing the NFL spotlight
1989 wasn't just an amazing year because that's when this writer was born. It's an also amazing year because that's when Tecmo Bowl received its home console release on the Nintendo Entertainment System. Boasting an impressive roster from the 1988 NFL season, players could now...
News Decade-Old Japanese Shigeru Miyamoto Interview Shows How Super Mario Bros. Helped Save the NES
Miyamoto-san also shared his love of Bluegrass music
In the past month a lot of focus has been on the 30th Anniversary for Super Mario, a major landmark joined by the release of Super Mario Maker on Wii U. There have been plenty of interviews and events, but it can be interesting to look back at previous anniversaries to see what was different or,...
Book Review The Unofficial Game & Watch Collector's Guide
LCD legacy
Game & Watch was Nintendo's first foray into the world of portable electronic gaming. These small, pocket-sized devices used LCD screens to create crude but surprisingly playable games, perfect for passing the time on the way to and from work (in fact, creator Gunpei Yokoi even stated that he was inspired to create the range after...
Weirdness Japanese Company Wants To Bring NES Games To Smartphones Via A Tiny Cartridge
Small device plugs into into your headphone socket
Modern gaming is becoming increasingly focused on digital distribution, with publishers making use of online stores such as the Wii U and 3DS eShops to deliver games directly to consumers without having to produce physical media. With rumours that Nintendo's next console could abandon physical...
News Donkey Kong Country Almost Had A Zelda-Like Key System
"Is this too Zelda(ish)?"
Retro fans will be pleased to know that Rare's Gregg Mayles has continued uploading behind-the-scenes info relating to Donkey Kong Country. After revealing that Shigeru Miyamoto was the one behind DK's tie, Mayles has offered up some more concept material, including a hand-written document which shows that at one point, the...
Feature The Short But Sweet Games Journalism Career Of Renegade Kid's Jools Watsham
"It honestly didn't feel like work"
Arguably one of the most recognisable faces on the Nintendo indie scene, Jools Watsham is the founder of Renegade Kid, a Texas-based studio which has a long and proud history of producing high-quality content for Nintendo systems. Titles like Xeodrifter, Mutant Mudds, Moon and
Feature The Wild And Wacky World Of WarioWare
Minigame madness
Being an arch-rival to the iconic red-and-blue plumber and hunting for treasure on the side all have their perks, but what better way to get rich quick than to develop video games? Ever since he dropped the yellow overalls and snagged the stylish biker gear, Wario's name was cemented as the immature, garlic-chomping greedy pig who...
Review Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (Wii U eShop / DS)
Emerging from the shadows
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon is a Nintendo DS remake of the first Fire Emblem game (originally released in 1990 for Famicom in Japan) that's now available to download in Virtual Console form for Wii U. The series staple of strategic turn-based gameplay along with the perma-death possibility for characters would form the...
Mario Memories How The Super Mario Bros. 2 Instruction Manual Influenced Me Artistically
Returning to Subcon after 25 years
In this series of articles celebrating the upcoming 30th Anniversary of Super Mario, various members of the Nintendo Life extended family will share their memories and thoughts on the iconic franchise. This time we have reviewer and guide extraordinaire Dave Letcavage. I'm not sure of my exact age at the time,...
Mario Memories Getting Creative With Mario Paint
"And then... We clicked on the coffee mug icon..."
In this series of articles celebrating the upcoming 30th Anniversary of Super Mario, various members of the Nintendo Life extended family will share their memories and thoughts on the iconic franchise. This time we have our wannabe hipster reviewer Jose Acosta. When I think of Mario Paint the...
Weirdness Mario Infiltrates Sonic's First Adventure In Somari The Adventurer
Hack the planet
Mario and Sonic may be on friendlier terms these days, but once upon a time they were bitter enemies, and the notion of them sharing a game was as unlikely as a Smiths reunion. Still, you can now rewind time and imagine just what it could have been like had Mario decided to hop, skip and jump out of the Mushroom Kingdom and...
Mario Memories The Incredible Impact of Super Mario 64
"I remember my mouth literally hanging open"
In this series of articles celebrating the upcoming 30th Anniversary of Super Mario, various members of the Nintendo Life extended family will share their memories and thoughts on the iconic franchise. This time we have our super vegan rocker reviewer Jonathan Bee. I remember very clearly going to...
Review Mario Golf (Wii U eShop / N64)
Serious Golf for Serious Plumbers
You could argue that the best part of many of the Mario sports titles is that they bring goofy, lighthearted aspects to those pastimes. Games like Super Mario Strikers and Mario Hoops: 3 on 3 all make dramatic changes to the sports they're portraying, capturing the attention of players who might not be interested in...
Video Watch Miyamoto And Tezuka Pick Apart The Iconic Opening Level Of Super Mario Bros.
World 1-1 walkthrough by the guys who made it happen
As you may well have seen, Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka recently visited the UK and were kind enough to spend some time not only with us, but also with our friends over at Eurogamer. While we decided to have a good old-fashioned music session with the two legends, Eurogamer spent its time...
Retro Float Back In Time With This Gallery Of Nostalgic NES Packaging
Cardboard cool
Old-school game packaging was pretty incredible. Sure, some 8-bit releases have terrible box art and were clearly designed in the space of a single evening, but there's a charm to their rough and ready nature - they hark back to a more primitive, innocent age. Engadget's Sean Buckley knows this all too well, and has kindly posted a...
News Quest Forge: By Order Of Kings Mixes Zelda And Secret Of Mana, But You'll Need A NES To Play It
A brand new old RPG
Homebrew developer Ludocity has just released a new RPG, but there's a catch - you'll have to take a trip up to the loft and dust off your old NES in order to play it. Quest Forge: By Order Of Kings is a top-down role-player which, according to the developer, combines elements of The Legend of Zelda and Secret of Mana. The game...
Mario Memories The Summer of Super Mario
"Super Mario 64 is the game that defined my love of the series"
In this series of articles celebrating the upcoming 30th Anniversary of Super Mario, various members of the Nintendo Life extended family will share their memories and thoughts on the iconic franchise. This time we have our dashing reviewer Steve Bowling. Back in June of 1996, there...
Mario Memories Mastering Super Mario World Across the Years
"We never got tired of Super Mario World, we only got better"
In this series of articles celebrating the upcoming 30th Anniversary of Super Mario, various members of the Nintendo Life extended family will share their memories and thoughts on the iconic franchise. This time we have our reviewer, contributor and all-round swell guy Ron DelVillano...
Mario Memories Super Mario Bros. 3, Still Bringing Families Together
You can't talk about childhood favourites without mentioning SMB3
In this series articles celebrating the upcoming 30th Anniversary of Super Mario, various members of the Nintendo Life extended family will share their memories and thoughts on the iconic franchise. This time we have our lovely reviewer Evan Chambers. We never had an NES when I was...
News Rare's Gregg Mayles Reveals It Was Miyamoto Who Suggested Donkey Kong Should Sport Neckwear
Rare staffer reveals the pre-history of Donkey Kong Country
Gregg Mayles is one of Rare's longest-serving employees and can list some of the firm's most famous titles on his impressive CV. He's currently hard at work on the studio's next offering, Sea of Thieves, but has taken the time to post some interesting info relating to the SNES classic...
Review VS. Excitebike (Wii U eShop / NES)
Enjoyable interlude
It's undoubtedly a good thing when Nintendo starts releasing older titles on the eShop that are otherwise fairly difficult to find or play. But does VS. Excitebike, originally only released on the Famicom Disk System in Japan in 1988, offer enough extra content compared to the original to justify a purchase? As the core of the...
Video Fan Recreates Stunning Build Of Ocarina Of Time’s Zora’s Domain In Unreal Engine 4
Water that makes your mouth water
Over the past few months, fans of Nintendo have done amazing jobs of creating HD builds of beloved Nintendo IP in stunning atmospheres within Unity 3D and Unreal Engine 4. We're often treated to seeing re-textured models of the likes of Mario and Link, prancing around in realistic HD environments that aren't so...
Mario History Super Mario 64 DS - 2004
3D Mario on the go
In this series of articles we'll write about one or more Mario game per day, each representing a different year as part of our Super Mario 30th Anniversary celebrations. If you'd have said that one day it would be possible to play Super Mario 64 on a handheld console back in 1996, you'd likely have been laughed out of the room...
Review Genghis Khan II: Clan of the Gray Wolf (Wii U eShop / SNES)
Who knew that Genghis Khan was so cool, calculating, and complex?
Genghis Khan II: Clan of the Gray Wolf was originally developed by Koei and released for the PC-8801, PC9801, and the MSX in 1992. The following year, Genghis Khan II saw releases for MS-DOS, Sega Genesis, Sega CD, PC Engine CD, NES, and SNES. Five more years later, and the game would...
Mario History Mario Kart: Double Dash!! - 2003
Seeing double
In this series of articles we'll write about one or more Mario game per day, each representing a different year as part of our Super Mario 30th Anniversary celebrations. Arriving two years after Mario Kart Super Circuit on the GBA, Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (emphasis not ours) is the fourth game in the Mario Kart series, or third...
Review Sin and Punishment (Wii U eShop / N64)
On the rails and off the hip
It's no secret that many Japanese titles never see the light of day overseas. Countless games have been unreleased for fear of lack of public interest and fear of bad. This was the initial reason Sin and Punishment, released in 2000, never surfaced on the Nintendo 64 outside of Japan. The hectic shoot'em up only made...
Review Wario: Master of Disguise (Wii U eShop / DS)
Master of Mediocrity
After WarioWare took off, it seemed like that was all everybody's favourite antihero was up to, save for a Wii instalment of the Wario Land series. In truth, there was also an attempt at a Wario platformer on the DS, though it is quite easy to see why not many seem to remember this outing. Developed by Suzak, the company...
August2015
Mario History Super Mario Sunshine - 2002
Trippin' on sunshine
In this series of articles we'll write about one or more Mario game per day, each representing a different year as part of our Super Mario 30th Anniversary celebrations. It was a bold move from Nintendo to launch the GameCube in 2001 without a Mario game. The tables were turned so that Mario's link to the launch was through...
Feature Handheld LCD Gaming Past And Present
For those times when an original Game Boy just isn’t retro-chic enough
Nintendo first hit the LCD game scene all the way back in 1980 with Ball, a simple but thoroughly playable affair at the time that may be familiar to fans of the Game Boy Camera or those brave souls who ventured onto the DSi shop. From these humble beginnings Nintendo's LCD...
Mario History Super Smash Bros. Melee - 2001
A new generation
In this series of articles we'll write about one or more Mario game per day, each representing a different year as part of our Super Mario 30th Anniversary celebrations. It wasn't so long ago that we were writing about the original Super Smash Bros. on Nintendo 64, a 1999 release that achieved success on the Nintendo 64 and...
Video Here's What Rare's Final GameCube Title Should Have Looked Like
Very early prototype for Kameo unearthed
As we all know, Rare was once a second-party Nintendo studio but was purchased by Microsoft over a decade ago. When the acquisition took place, the UK company was working on several GameCube projects, including Donkey Kong Racing and Kameo, the latter of which would eventually appear as a launch title for the...
Mario Memories Basking in the Glow of Super Mario Sunshine
"It introduced me to a passion I still hold to this very day"
In this series articles celebrating the upcoming 30th Anniversary of Super Mario, various members of the Nintendo Life extended family will share their memories and thoughts on the iconic franchise. This time we have Pokémon expert Andrew Karklins. When I was younger, my first home...
Mario History Mario Tennis - 2000
Two match points
In this series of articles we'll write about one or more Mario game every day for 30 days, each representing a different year as part of our Super Mario 30th Anniversary celebrations. Our original plan for our 2000 entry in this series was to write about Paper Mario, yet just recently we shared an editorial to celebrate its 15th...
Feature A Pokémon Retrospective: Generation 1 - 1996 To 1999
The start of something beautiful
As we build up to the 20th anniversary of Pokémon in February 2016 and look hotly ahead towards brand new things such as the green blob Pokémon, we're going to take you back on a monthly journey through each of the generations of Pokémon, starting with the first Generation. The build-up to launch: It all began...
Mario History Super Smash Bros. - 1999
The start of a long fight
In this series of articles we'll write about one Mario game every day for 30 days, each representing a different year as part of our Super Mario 30th Anniversary celebrations. In our final entry for Mario in the 20th Century we reach the beginnings of one of Nintendo's most vital franchises. While not strictly a 'Mario'...
Review G.G Series VECTOR (DSiWare)
Low magnitude
The last title in the G.G Series has come to pass at last, and it concludes the series in a rather anticlimactic and slightly disappointing manner. G.G Series VECTOR attempts to yet again take a crack at the falling block puzzler and it does so with mixed results. While there's an interesting original idea that's executed in a...
Review G.G Series ENERGY CHAIN (DSiWare)
Off the chain
The next title in the G.G series takes us back to the puzzler genre with yet another take on the tried and true block puzzler. Amazingly enough, this is pulled off with a surprising amount of success and is as enjoyable as it is original. If there's any complaint to be levelled against G.G Series ENERGY CHAIN, it's that the overall...
Colourtastic! Colourrific! Colourawesome!
In the words of the late Satoru Iwata - "Above all, video games are meant to just be one thing: Fun for everyone". Runbow embraces this philosophy and runs away with it. The result is a game that is simple in concept and execution, yet it radiates personality from every shade of its palette. In short, Runbow...
Mario History Mario Party - 1998
Let's get it started
In this series of articles we'll write about one Mario game every day for 30 days, each representing a different year as part of our Super Mario 30th Anniversary celebrations. We'll admit it, we're cheating a little with this entry. All entries in this series of articles have - until now - taken their release dates from the...
News MOTHER 2 Vinyl Soundtrack Heading West
North America bound
Back in March we reported on a Kickstarter campaign aimed at bringing the original arranged Mother soundtrack to vinyl for the first time in North America. The campaign smashed its target funding goal and the project is now well on its way to completion. In a surprise announcement made earlier today, it was revealed that Ship to...
Video How Star Wars: Rogue Squadron Dev Factor 5 Gave Sonic His Home Video Game Début
A tale that gets even more unlikely with each telling
Sonic may be one of the most famous video game characters on the face of the planet, but first appearance in a domestic video game is actually relatively unknown. Sonic's actual début occurred in the arcade racer Rad Mobile (later ported to the Sega Saturn under the title Gale Racer) where he...
Mario History Mario Kart 64 - 1997
A new kind of racing
In this series of articles we'll write about one Mario game every day for 30 days, each representing a different year as part of our Super Mario 30th Anniversary celebrations. In our last entry for this series we covered Super Mario 64, a title that utilised the capabilities of the Nintendo 64 to revolutionise Mario...
Review G.G Series SCORE ATTACKER (DSiWare)
The name says it all
The next title in the G.G series opts to return to the bullet hell genre with generally positive results. Due to the fact it makes little to no effort at creating its own identity, G.G Series SCORE ATTACKER is rather forgettable. That being said the controls are solid, the visuals and sound are suitably old-school, and the...
Mario History Super Mario 64 - 1996
A gaming revolution
In this series of articles we'll write about one Mario game every day for 30 days, each representing a different year as part of our Super Mario 30th Anniversary celebrations. The Nintendo 64 was a revolutionary system in multiple respects. Its unique controller introduced an analogue stick to Nintendo gamers, for one thing,...
Review G.G Series NYOKKI (DSiWare)
Snake charmer
The next title in the G.G series aims to remix a classic arcade game, and it mostly succeeds in achieving that goal. While there are some issues with the way that the main character responds to your controls, there really isn't much else to complain about. G.G Series NYOKKI is a good example of how to pull off a budget arcade game; it...
Mario History Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and Mario's Tennis - 1995
A new look and new beginnings
In this series of articles we'll write about one Mario game every day for 30 days, each representing a different year as part of our Super Mario 30th Anniversary celebrations. It's easy to forget, in this period of fresh Mario 'main' series platformers every 12 to 24 months, that the mid-'90s brought a notable gap...
Mario Memories A Portable Warp Pipe To Lost Adventures
Catching up on history
In this series of not-quite-daily articles celebrating the upcoming 30th Anniversary of Super Mario, various members of the Nintendo Life extended family will share their memories and thoughts on the iconic franchise. This time we have reviewer and contributor Conor McMahon. SEGA's dominance over the UK and Irish market meant...
Mario History Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 and Hotel Mario - 1994
Wait, this isn't Mario...
In this series of articles we'll write about one Mario game every day for 30 days, each representing a different year as part of our Super Mario 30th Anniversary celebrations. In this daily series most entries have been 'main' Mario titles across portables and home consoles, with just a couple of spin-offs and cameos...
Mario Memories Conquering the First Level in Super Mario Bros.
"I had a sense of fear about progressing further into the first level"
In this series of 30 daily articles celebrating the upcoming 30th Anniversary of Super Mario, various members of the Nintendo Life extended family will share their memories and thoughts on the iconic franchise. This time we have news writer, reviewer and Australian Correspondent...
Review G.G Series AIR PINBALL HOCKEY (DSiWare)
A missed opportunity
Thought the G.G Series was done, did you? Well it's not, and – after a brief hiatus – we're back to giving you our two cents as to which of these numerous mini games are worth your time. This time around, G.G Series AIR PINBALL HOCKEY is in the hotseat and it manages to provide a beautifully divisive experience that manages...
Mario History Super Mario All-Stars - 1993
Remastering NES classics
In this series of articles we'll write about one Mario game every day for 30 days, each representing a different year as part of our Super Mario 30th Anniversary celebrations. As part of the inevitable circle of life in gaming, we come to a compilation of remasters. In some respects Nintendo was a trailblazer, as...
News This iBookGuy Video Explaining How "Oldschool" Graphics Work Has Deservedly Gone Viral
Simple and detailed at once
In a reminder of how curiosity in retro gaming, programming and technology can combine to dramatic affect online, a video exploring 'How "oldschool" graphics worked' has gone viral this week. Published by The iBookGuy on 17th August, it's already amassed over one million views at the time of writing. It's a great watch,...
Mario History Super Mario Kart - 1992
The start of something beautiful
In this series of articles we'll write about one Mario game every day for 30 days, each representing a different year as part of our Super Mario 30th Anniversary celebrations. With the exception of our 1987 entry, this series of articles on Mario titles for each year since 1985 has been all about main-series...
Mario History Super Mario World - 1991
A new generation of Mario
In this series of articles we'll write about one Mario game every day for 30 days, each representing a different year as part of our Super Mario 30th Anniversary celebrations. In our 1990 entry we covered Super Mario Bros. 3, so rapidly moving onto Super Mario World is an indication of h
Mario History Super Mario Bros. 3 - 1990
Platforming wizardry
In this series of articles we'll write about one Mario game every day for 30 days, each representing a different year as part of our Super Mario 30th Anniversary celebrations. Though it landed in Japan in late 1988, it would be February 1990 before Super Mario Bros. 3 would grace the NES in North America - painfully, it...
Gallery This NES Console Mod Is The Ultimate Metroid Tribute
Worth hunting for
This year marks 29 years since Metroid was released in North America, and to celebrate the occasion fans are paying tribute to the NES classic in a wide range of ways. Modder Platinumfungi has collaborated with airbrush artist Noel McEwen to craft a one-of-a-kind NES console complete with a Samus sprite which lights up when the...
Ninterview Dave Higgins And The Quest For A Complete European Game Boy Library
Collecting at a rate of 1.064 games per day
Nintendo is responsible for some of the most iconic gaming systems of all time, but one of its most technically humble seems to be undergoing something of a resurgence at present. The monochrome Game Boy may not have the visual impact of the SNES or N64, but its portable nature arguably lends a more...
Mario History Super Mario Land - 1989
Portable platforming
In this series of articles we'll write about one Mario game every day for 30 days, each representing a different year as part of our Super Mario 30th Anniversary celebrations. It's a reflection of the technological times that it was 1989 before Nintendo produced a profitable portable - its grey and green screen was far from...
News This Mario Kart XXL Game Boy Advance Prototype Looks... Interesting
Best left on the cutting room floor
If any company is currently the leading light in prioritising enjoyable gameplay over pushing technology it's Nintendo. A look at the current and upcoming sleight of games re-affirms that clever ideas, established gameplay and colourful visuals are the priority - in most cases - above pushing boundaries. Of...
Mario History Super Mario Bros. 2 - 1988
Like a dream
In this series of articles we'll write about one Mario game every day for 30 days, each representing a different year as part of our Super Mario 30th Anniversary celebrations. In our 1986 entry of this series we covered Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, which forms the other half of this particular tale. Both that and what would...
Event Super Mario Kart SNES World Championships 2015 - 18th to 22nd August
Champion racers are back
The worldwide Mario Kart community is huge, especially since the success of Mario Kart 8; yet let's not forget that the older versions are still heavily competitive. Super Mario Kart has Official World Championships held annually in France every August run by the French Federation of SMK team ( Nintendo of France have been a...
Mario Memories Pre-Internet Timeline Confusion and the Joys of Computer Club
The first rule of Computer Club...
In this series of 30 daily articles celebrating the upcoming 30th Anniversary of Super Mario, various members of the Nintendo Life extended family will share their memories and thoughts on the iconic franchise. Next up is reviewer Jonathan Town. Looking back now, I realise that growing up in Wakefield (West...
Mario History Punch-Out!! and Famicom Grand Prix: F1 Race - 1987
The master of cameos
In this series of articles we'll write about one Mario game (or more!) every day for 30 days, each representing a different year as part of our Super Mario 30th Anniversary celebrations. 1987 was a rather quiet year for Mario. Nintendo was somewhat occupied with conquering the video game world and popularising a range of...
Review Onimusha Tactics (Wii U eShop / GBA)
The Oni put the feud in feudal Japan
Onimusha Tactics was originally released 12 years ago, in 2003, for the Game Boy Advance. Developed and produced by Capcom, the same company that made the Onimusha series on the PS2, Tactics's gameplay and individual story deviates from the originals but retains a similar plot (involving the Onimusha and battling...