Retro News
February2015
Video Watch A Bunch Of Teenagers Use The Legendary Power Glove Accessory For The First Time Ever
“I can feel the energy flowing through my veins”
The Power Glove is an iconic NES controller accessory that was originally released in 1989. For Nintendo fans, it is a love and hate relationship, helping to establish Nintendo within pop culture, paving the way for future technology, but also becoming the butt of jokes. It was most prominently...
Review Mega Man Zero 2 (Wii U eShop / GBA)
Zero times two
Just one year after Mega Man Zero, Inti Creates released a sequel for the Game Boy Advance spin-off. That might sound a bit quick, but Mega Man Zero 2 is no mindless cash-in. It took the sturdy foundation set by its predecessor and built upon it in impressive ways, while also smoothing out the rough edges. On top of that it wove an...
Music Here's The Entire Gradius III Soundtrack In NES Style, Just Because
The remix you didn't know you needed
Gradius III was one of Konami's first releases for the SNES and took the popular shooter franchise into the 16-bit realm for the first time. As is the case with many Konami games, it featured an excellent soundtrack by Konami Kukeiha Club, the company's in-house music team. In its pure, untouched form it's a...
News One Of The Brains Behind Tetris Explains How Their Relationship With Nintendo Began
Russian creator also offers some sound advice
Tetris has been a staple of Nintendo gaming since it was released on the Game Boy in 1989. Since then, the tile-matching puzzle game has enjoyed unrivalled success courtesy of its timeless formula. Considered by many as the greatest game of all-time as a result of this, it is always interesting to hear...
News Rose Colored Gaming is Working on a New Line of Portables With Diverse Emulation Options
It's cool if you own the original games, naturally
Rose Colored Gaming is a fairly familiar name here on Nintendo Life, with the bespoke hardware and retro goods company producing a host of desirable - and pricey - gadgets in recent years. Often its work produces stylish cartridges and hardware mods, but its now taking a leap into its own range of...
News Weirdness: Animators Produce Bizarre Recreation of Pokemon Season One Opening
Watch if you love Pokémon. Or not, perhaps...
A group of 32 animators have remade the ever-famous opening to Pokemon's Season One (Indigo League), and it's definitely not what we'd typically expect of such a project. You'll notice two types of animation in the video, one being beautifully remastered scenes of the intro's original snippets, and the...
Weirdness A Budding Little Mac Beats Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! While Blindfolded
A knock out performance
You may remember late last year that Mike Tyson himself showed off his own skills at Punch-Out!! on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. While this was an entertaining moment, it served to prove that this classic NES boxing game is no pushover. You'll need to train hard to beat Iron Mike (or indeed Mr Dream!)...
Video Listen to a Drummer Nail the Mario Underground Theme
More than one way to beat World 1-2
Videogame covers are found in abundance on YouTube. You have covers with acoustic guitar, covers with Mario Paint, and even covers with just a guy singing mostly "Baah!" with the tones of an angel. One piece of the cover scene that doesn't seem to get as much attention is the drums, but we thankfully have artists...
News We'd Probably Buy This Fan-Made Resident Evil 2 Remake
Uses Unreal Engine 3
Just recently Capcom released a new HD version of Resident Evil - that's a HD port of a port, for the record - that annoyingly skipped Wii U. That first game is wheeled out regularly, yet its arguably superior sequel - surprisingly called Resident Evil 2 - isn't shown quite the same love. We're big fans of this one, and recall...
News Club Nintendo Goes Rewards Crazy With Final Update in North America
Over 100 games and physical rewards
Club Nintendo is now into its final stretch, with members in North America having until the end of March to claim coins and the end of June to redeem their balance. Nintendo of America had promised one final huge update of content, and now that the line-up is confirmed we can say that it's certainly delivered. On...
Weirdness There's an Awesome Super Mario Bros. World 1-1 Easter Egg in Dying Light
Stomping zombies
Dying Light, an open-world title in which you take on a lot of zombies, is a recent arrival on platforms such as the PS4 and Xbox One. The critical reception to Techland's game has been relatively mixed, but it's still one of 2015's first major releases; now, an awesome Easter Egg has been spotted to show that a current-day release...
January2015
Weirdness Super Bowl XLIX Analysis of 'Mega-Beast Mode' Recreates Marshawn Lynch as Mega Man
Running Man
Super Bowl XLIX is everywhere right now, as the US and a global audience ramps up for the showdown between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots. Improbably muscle-bound men wearing lots of gear will pummel each other over the course of many hours, and hundreds of millions will watch. There's a lot of coverage for the match, and...
Weirdness Legendary Composer Koji Kondo Drew Inspiration From '70s Rock Bands
Smoke on the water
It's always interesting to see the progression and evolution of music through history. Most genres start out small, but have far-reaching impact; with later entrants refining and perfecting the old sound until it is nearly flawless. As any musician could attest to, inspiration is a key factor to the formation of new music - it is...
Weirdness Meet The Man Who Plays Super Mario World With His Nose
A novel use for the humble recorder
Whenever we tried to play the recorder at school using our nose our teachers told us off. That early lesson in life didn't seem to get through to Japanese NicoNico user Wakou who can not only play music by blowing into a recorder through his nose, but also control Mario in Super Mario World. The secret to doing...
The greatest - but most obvious - mystery of our times
As a break from convention, we're going to give a behind-the-scenes glimpse into a conversation in Nintendo Life HQ between two grown men in their 30s. Player 1 - "Did you see that thread on Reddit about the Super Mario Bros. continue trick?" Player 2 - "Nope, what are you talking about?"...
Review Breath of Fire (Wii U eShop / SNES)
Dragon its heels behind the competition
The age of the 16-bit RPG is well-remembered, and many iconic titles from the time are still cherished by fans to this day. From Final Fantasy III to Chrono Trigger, the genre showed genuine growth through some shining examples of emotive storytelling mixed with addictive gameplay. Not one to miss out on all...
News This NES Arcade-Style Unit is a Thing of Beauty
Some games incompatible due to use Retron cartridge emulation tech
Hardware mods for retro systems are rather common, so those seeking a stylish or convenient option for playing their old NES games aren't short of options. Not many are quite as impressive as the Model G1 from Rabbit Engineering, though, which features arcade-style inputs, a...
News This Is What Happened When A Kid Pitched Super Mario Bros. 4 To Nintendo 25 Years Ago
Even Nintendo's rejection letters are awesome
Back in 1990, Nintendo fan Jason Venter had an idea. He loved Super Mario Bros. 3 and the excellence of that game inspired him to create a planning document for a sequel. That document was packed with the kind of ideas that could only come from the active imagination of an 11-year-old gaming addict -...
News The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Comic to be Reprinted This Year
A Nintendo Power treasure returns
The graphic novel re-telling of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past that originally graced the issues of Nintendo Power in 1992 will flip the hourglass and return in full-colour form this year via VIZ Media. Outside of Nintendo's magazine, the graphic novel was last compiled for sale in 1993. Nostalgic...
Video YouTube's Gaming Historian Takes Offense At One Element Of Mario's Game Boy Past
"Come on Nintendo. You're better than this"
Mario is one of the most recognisable characters in entertainment media, and has starred in a staggering number of games over the past few decades. The portly Italian plumber has also enjoyed a number of cameo roles throughout the years, and it's this element of the character's history that the latest...
News Ninja Gaiden NES Team Discusses Its Origins and Design Approach
Have a listen to composer Keiji Yamagishi's new music, too
Ninja Gaiden is one of the most challenging games on the NES, combining fast-paced action, a fantastic soundtrack and brutal difficulty to make players work hard for their success. In some respects it was also a trendsetter, with cutscenes and cinematic moments that were ahead of their time...
Weirdness Yoshi's Island is Rather Different When Recreated in First-Person
Those poor Shy Guys
Animators looking for projects to show off on YouTube have plenty of options, yet a common idea among Nintendo fans is to take the company's best known games and switch them up into first person. We've seen it done with Pokémon on multiple occasions, while some have gone to lengths to mod games or run them through Oculus Rift;...
Feature The Making of Wetrix and Its Route to Nintendo 64
How the Pickford Bros' creative little puzzler made a huge splash
Time hasn't been kind to the memory of the Nintendo 64. While it was extremely well received upon its release 18 years ago, and still holds a special place in the hearts of many gamers, it signalled a turning point in Nintendo's history. The company's controversial decision to opt for...
News Speedrunner Sets New World Record for Fastest Time in Super Mario World
1-up'd
The speedrunning community is an endlessly competitive scene. Hardcore speedrunners may spend hours practising for a pixel-perfect performance or combing through endless lines of code to find obscure glitches. Anything that'll help shave off a few precious seconds from the final time. Just recently a speedrunner named SethBling exploited...
Review Street Fighter 2010: The Final Fight (Wii U eShop / NES)
Planet Hopper 1990
Capcom's Street Fighter 2010: The Final Fight is an interesting game, arriving on the NES after the release of the first Street Fighter, but before its sequel hit arcades and caused an explosion of interest in one-on-one brawlers. The game's story was changed for the western release to at least try and justify the use of the name...
News Club Nintendo Rewards are Updated for January, Kicking Off Its Final Run
Mario! Wario! Metroid! Zelda! More due in February!
After today's surprise news of the discontinuation of Club Nintendo, the North American version has had its regular monthly update, but with a bit of a difference. Though coins can only be earned in the region until the end of March, redeeming those coins is possible until the end of June. After a...
News Nintendo Quest Kickstarter Sets NES Game Stretch Goal
For those who love their retro goodness with a side of meta
A couple weeks ago we told you about the Kickstarter campaign for Nintendo Quest, a chance to pre-order and support a documentary on trying to amass the entire NES library from brick and mortar stores. The campaign has been doing quite well, scoring more than $12,000 at the time of this...
Review Axelay (Wii U eShop / SNES)
Restoring some Life Force to the 2D shooter
When you run through the list of prolific Japanese software houses during the 8 and 16-bit eras, Konami's name is usually pretty close to the top. Like rivals Capcom and Namco, it benefited from the incredible global success of the Nintendo's NES and many of its classic franchises gained astonishing...
News Resident Evil 4 Was Almost A Very Different Experience
"Let's create a setting that doesn't revolve around science or reason"
Resident Evil 4 is often spoken of as the best entry in Capcom's iconic franchise, blending an over-the-shoulder camera, action and horror in one varied, entertaining experience. Often declared a classic, it's also the reference point when fans bemoan the conceivable falling-away...
Weirdness Stop-Motion Animator Successfully Makes the Power Glove Awesome, and Useful
He's got the power
The Power Glove remains an iconic part of Nintendo history, an accessory that was hugely visible in the NES era and beyond. It promised much with motion controls, and famously failed to deliver. Its visual and cultural appeal at the time can't be denied, however, and to this day we see accessories and mods that keep it alive. One...
Gallery Imagining What Banjo-Kazooie Might Look Like in HD
Bringing a Rare classic up to date
Rare's classic N64 game Banjo-Kazooie is a fan favourite with retro gamers for good reason; even by today's standards this early 3D game is still incredibly charming and fun to play. Still, 1998 is a long time ago, and there is always room for improvement. Enter UK based 3D artist Neil Goodman, who has tasked...
News Bidding Hits $100,000 on Uber-Rare NES Game, Stadium Events
Nintendo are welcome to bid on it if they want it!
We reported a few days ago that a user-rare copy of Stadium Events on the NES had been listed on eBay. While this isn't the most accomplished 8-bit game of all time, it is one of the rarest with a low production run - which was subsequently recalled as it was then rebranded. Only two sealed copies...
Retrospective The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap - A Decade On
Caps off to The Minish
Today marks an historic day. The tenth anniversary of The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. Perhaps one of the most unappreciated and overshadowed chapters in the long and lucrative series - selling just over 1 million units since its release - it's also one of the most unique, quirky and charming Zelda titles to have been...
News Get Ready For The Most Expensive Video Game Auction Of All Time
Factory sealed Stadium Events is now on eBay
Given the massive popularity of video gaming and its long and proud history, it's hardly surprising that many rare games are fetching incredible prices when them come up for sale online. However, Bandai's 1987 NES title Stadium Events makes pretty much everything else look like chump change. The title...
Review Dig Dug (Wii U eShop / NES)
A competent but unneeded version of a fun 80's classic
Originally hitting arcades in 1982, this NES conversion of Dig Dug followed a few years later (albeit only in Japan until arriving on the Wii's Virtual Console service in 2008). It's a classic Namco title that sees you digging your way around a single screen defeating (and sometimes fleeing)...
Review Mario Party Advance (Wii U eShop / GBA)
Party of One
Given the palm-rending popularity of the Mario Party series on Nintendo 64, it was only a matter of time before Nintendo brought the festivities to a handheld venue, and in 2005 Mario Party Advance arrived to fulfil the dreams of on-the-go party people everywhere. Developed by the busy bees at Hudson Soft - best known as the house of...
Review F-Zero: GP Legend (Wii U eShop / GBA)
Dare you to blink
The F-Zero series has often dished out a steep challenge to players, and in GP Legend the uninitiated will be given no quarter unless they dig in their heels and learn the ropes. Players will be expected to tame every brutal hairpin, memorize each risky shortcut and etch sweet boosting spots into their brain if they are to succeed...
News This Fan-Made Facelift Of The Original Paper Mario On The Nintendo 64 Looks Stunning
Five years in the making
For those of you who weren't particularly fond of more recent entries in the Paper Mario series, perhaps an unofficial re-textured version of the original game released on the Nintendo 64 in 2000 might be of interest. A game design student at Zurich University of the Arts, who goes by the handle Nelde, has been chipping...
Weirdness Meet The Studybox, The Famicom's Audio Edutainment System
Video games have often been twinned with education to create fun, interactive experiences which both entertain and enlighten, but one of the oldest examples has to be Fukutake Publishing's Studybox, a tape drive peripheral for the Famicom (the Japanese version of the NES) which ran tape-based games that featured actual recorded audio. Using audio...
Review Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario World - An All-Time Classic, Tweaked
A world in no need of change
Having Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario World exist alongside the original Super Mario World is like having two legit copies of the Mona Lisa hanging in the Louvre: each is fundamentally a masterpiece, and any attempt to compare the two is mostly going to come down to nitpicking about the way each is framed and whether...
News Donkey Kong Grabs a Place in List of Highest-Grossing Arcade Machines
Can you guess number one?
If you're under a certain age you may have never - and it pains us to say it - been to a proper arcade out in the wild. The few that remain are often a shadow of the good old days, and it's understandable; why pay over-the-odds to play a game for a few minutes when we can fire up powerful consoles at home? Of course home...
News Mario Bros. Coin-Op High Score World Record Is Smashed
Steven Kleisath bags 5,424,290 points on the 1983 classic
Before Mario became Super he starred in Donkey Kong and the 1983 arcade title Mario Bros., which would later be ported to the NES console. Like so many of Nintendo's classic arcade releases, Mario Bros. continues to attract high-level players who aim to bag the world's best score. The...
Weirdness Japanese Rock Legend Gackt Has Finally Beaten Mega Man 2
A victory months in the making
Back in July of last year (we're still not used to typing that yet) we told you about Japanese rocker Gackt's ongoing quest to beat the NES title Mega Man 2. In case you didn't know, Gackt — whose real name is Kamui Gakuto — was once part of the band Malice Mizer, but has since become one of Japan's most popular...
News Nintendo Quest, a Collector's NES Journey, to Launch a Fresh Kickstarter Campaign
The NES Club returns
Last year we interviewed Rob McCallum, the man behind the NES Club, about his planned documentary to follow "Jay Bartlett, as he tries to amass the entire NES library (NTSC retail games) in 30 days with no online purchases". Beyond the road trip vibe the film is aiming to highlight and explore retro gaming culture and Nintendo /...
Video Super Mario 64 Is Getting A Fan-Made HD Remake, And It Looks Gorgeous
And is totally unofficial, needless to say
Super Mario 64 is one of the finest video games ever made, but aside from a Nintendo DS remix, it has rather been forgotten by Nintendo. Thankfully, dedicated fans still love the title enough to bring it back from the dead, and four such individuals -- Aryoksini, mStuff, Callum Martin and Chadtronic -- are...
Video Teens Race and Talk Smack in Mario Kart 64
"Yo dawg I've got the golden mushroom"
YouTube has plenty of ways to entertain us, and one formula that's hugely successful is the React series in which different groups encounter games and are filmed as they get to grips with them. With Nintendo battling for attention against its big rivals, it can be fun to watch teens - particularly - getting to...
Video This Incredible Retro Gaming Collection Will Blow You Away
And it has a rare Sega item as its latest centrepiece
It's amazing what you discover when you're travelled across North America's vast expanse. Video producer, Sega fanatic and Nintendo Life contributor Tyler Esposito has uncovered a pretty special retro collection that contains items from Atari, Nintendo and Sega -- and is almost certain to attract...
Review Kuru Kuru Kururin (Wii U eShop / GBA)
Brill Brill Brilliant
Kururin's siblings have wandered off and got themselves lost, and now he must hop into his Helirin (a spinning blade with a cockpit stuck in the middle) to fly around a number of worlds to rescue them. There are tutorial levels available in Kuru Kuru Kururin, but the game is straightforward enough even if the gameplay is quite...
Oh, and Mario's favourite music is opera or new wave Euro-pop
Last year we reported on some humorous details from the official Nintendo Character Manual of 1993 - it was provided to companies and brand agents to ostensibly provide key facts around these characters. The main revelation on that occasion was that Yoshi's real name is T. Yoshisaur...
December2014
Feature Tales From The Frontline Of Game Boy Development
The Rise And Fall Of Crawfish Interactive
As the video game industry lurches from one generation to the next, the multitude of companies involved with producing software for the endless conveyor belt of platforms never remains static; just as studios are created to cater for the demands of new hardware, established firms are forced to close due to...
News The N64 Almost Got A Multiplayer-Focused Doom Sequel
Details regarding the cancelled Doom Absolution emerge
The N64 got an exclusive Doom title in 1997, but this wasn't the only game in the lineage that was planned for Nintendo's 64-bit system. The plan was to follow up with Doom Absolution, a 2-player competitive shooter developed to capitalise on the deathmatch craze triggered by Rare's excellent...
Guide How To Create A Custom Game Boy From Start To Finish
The glorious rebirth of a handheld gaming legend
In this unique one-off feature, esteemed Game Boy modder Joe Heaton — also known as Joeteach — takes us through an entire Game Boy custom job. Over the last couple of years, since getting hooked on the Game Boy modification scene and sharing my creations on Instagram, I have been asked a lot of...
Interview Nintendo Arcade Collector Shoots From the Hip With Rare Sheriff Cabinet
Now we're cooking with gas
Earlier this year we invited you to step into the Nintendo Arcade and meet London based Alex Crowley, who has amassed a legendary collection of classic Nintendo arcade cabinets. It's easy to forget that before it shot to prominence with the NES system, in particular, a core aspect of Nintendo's business was in arcade...
Review Duck Hunt (Wii U eShop / NES)
Old dog, same tricks
Despite Nintendo's refusal to acknowledge the Duck Hunt character in Super Smash Bros. until long after the 3DS version was released, we all knew that the duo – or trio – were in the game. What we didn't know at that time was that Duck Hunt was due to release on the Wii U's Virtual Console, and now it has. The question is...
Review Shadow of the Ninja (3DS eShop / NES)
Gaming pleasure and pain, oh look it's ninjas again
There's a great moment early on in Shadow of the Ninja where an armoured trooper stands atop a ledge occasionally shooting at you. You can't simply wait for the firing to stop before attacking as the gun doubles as a shield against your slashing blade. As you contemplate jumping between bullets to...
Review Mega Man Zero (Wii U eShop / GBA)
A side character gets a great spotlight
The Classic Mega Man Series was popular enough to warrant its own spin-off series, Mega Man X. That, in turn, proved strong enough for a spin-off series of its own, and in 2002 it arrived in the form of Mega Man Zero The Zero series spans four titles — all released exclusively for the Game Boy Advance —...
News Cancelled Game Boy Advance Title Is Back From The Dead A Decade After Its First Showing
Given away free as an added extra with new indie game
Back in 2003, developer Quantized Bit showed off Overstorm, an action platformer for the Game Boy Advance at a gaming convention. The title would not be seen again for more than a decade, as it was ultimately cancelled. However, the developer — which is still going strong and creating indie...
Video Learn About the Nintendo 64 in Stop-Motion Style
Seven fascinating facts
It's the season for being a little lazy, which can certainly include sitting around watching a lot of films, TV shows and online videos. For Nintendo fans, it's not hard to find enjoyable snapshots of entertainment to chill out with. Case in point is this short effort from hugely popular YouTube channel Vsauce3, which covers...
Review DK: King of Swing (Wii U eShop / GBA)
Shouldering the effort
Between 1999's Donkey Kong 64 and 2010's Donkey Kong Country Returns, Nintendo's great ape served a cool-off period of sorts when it came to straight-up platforming adventures. He had no huge releases to his name, but that didn't mean he was on the backburner entirely. The 2000s were a time to utilise Donkey Kong as a...
Video Watch How Sonic CD Made A Family's Christmas Back In 1993
Toot Toot Sonic Warrior!
As you may be aware, Sega fanboy and occasional Nintendo Life video contributor Tyler Esposito runs The Sega Channel, one of YouTube's best sources of original Sega video content. He has shared many videos taken during his youth, including this heart-warming clip of him and his late father extolling the vir
Review Pokémon Puzzle Challenge (3DS eShop / GBC)
Pokémon! Blocks! What more do you need?
The eShop is rife with puzzle games, and it’s understandable as to why; they’re fairly simple in design and can provide a huge amount of entertainment to an incredibly broad audience. Some of them can be a little bit monotonous or shameless clones of another game, but you’ll sometimes find something...
Feature Dreaming of a Nintendo Christmas - Damien McFerran
Damien McFerran talks festive play and mentions Sega a few times (sorry)
In the second part of our festive series, Damien McFerran talks about the gaming Christmas memories of his youth and why consoles like the SNES and Mega Drive have such a special place in his heart. As you may have gathered from the large volume of Sega-related content that...
News European Version Of Super Retro Trio Boasts Improved Compatibility With PAL Games
Available now from leading retailers
At the start of the year we reviewed the Retro-Bit Super Retro Trio, a remarkable machine which plays a wide range of retro formats. During our initial review, we spotted a few minor compatibility problems with PAL games — Super Mario Kart on the SNES in particular, which played fine but suffered from...
Review Lode Runner (Wii U eShop / NES)
Not quite endless runner
Broderbund's Lode Runner is a challenging puzzler that, unfortunately, hasn't aged particularly gracefully. Originally released in 1983 on computers like the Apple II and the Commodore 64, Lode Runner feels dated, even for an NES game. It's easy to see the reason Lode Runner was released on so many different platforms over...
Review S.C.A.T.: Special Cybernetic Attack Team (3DS eShop / NES)
Invading aliens, a fight for survival and all that jazz
It is the year 2029 and aliens are attacking the earth. Have they observed mankind’s violent nature and opted for a pre-emptive strike to protect themselves? Or do they just dislike the way the people of S.C.A.T.: Special Cybernetic Attack Team have taken to painting their buildings a shade...
Review Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire (Wii U eShop / GBA)
Not just a load of balls
Following on from the highly enjoyable Pokémon Pinball on the original Game Boy and Game Boy Color, Nintendo released a successor to coincide with the release of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. Now, with Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire firmly secured by many a 3DS owner, Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire
Video Today's Teens Simply Cannot Handle The Insane Challenge Of Mega Man
"EVERYTHING is hitting me!"
As seasoned gaming fans we all wonder exactly why Capcom is ignoring its legendary Mega Man franchise, but the latest video in the React series points to a possible answer: the games are just too damn hard for modern players. The video places a NES controller into the hands of a group of teens and points them in the...
Review Mighty Final Fight (Wii U eShop / NES)
Looks can be deceiving
At first glance, it would be easy to mistake Capcom's Mighty Final Fight as a cheap cash-in of a superior arcade beat 'em up, with its chibi-styled characters and its seemingly limited 8-bit presentation. But while Mighty Final Fight may appear simpler than other entries in the series — game history buffs would be interested...
Video What if... Smash Bros. Had Announcers From Other Fighting Games?
Flawless Victory!
We still haven't got enough of Smash Bros. yet, but playing the game relentlessly day after day has had us hankering for revisiting old fighting games. Then, a crazy thought entered our brains — what if the cheesy Smash Bros. announcer was replaced with those of other famous brawlers? The result of this incredibly strange train...
Review Around the World in 80 Days (DSiWare)
Have money, will travel
When pondering the subject of exploration, match-three puzzle titles might not be the first thing that springs to mind. Jules Verne's classic story of an 80 day adventure around the world is a difficult concept to adapt through gem-switching and colour combinations, but Joindots GmbH has gone and done exactly that. Around the...
News Composer Legend Hirokazu Tanaka Throws Down Killer Chiptune Set
Showing how it's done as Chip Tanaka
Hirokazu "Hip" Tanaka has a firm place in Nintendo's musical foundation. Most prolific in the '80s and earlly '90s, some of the more memorable songs in his repertoire include the themes to Metroid and Kid Icarus, "Song B" in Tetris and "Balloon Trip" from Balloon Fight, among many other
News AI Program Can Learn To Play Game Boy Games, Next Stop: The Subjugation Of Humanity
When is Judgment Day due, again?
Developer Daniel Shumway has created an AI program which is capable of learning how to play Game Boy and Game Boy Color games. Named Piglet — but previously developed under the moniker WideEyes — it's a machine-learning AI built with Lua and designed to interact with the Visual Boy Advance emulator. Inspired by...
Review Shadow of the Ninja (Wii U eShop / NES)
Go ninja, go ninja GO!
Ninjas really were a hot ticket back in the '90s. The Turtles were making TV and toy executives money hand over fist, and children became so caught up in the craze they had the sheer gall to drag their parents into the cinema to watch dreck like Surf Ninjas. Yep, it was a great time to be a kid. The trend bled into gaming and...
Video Did You Know Gaming Explores Cancelled Mario Games and Concepts
Shame about the volleyball / wrestling hybrid from Next Level Games...
Nintendo goes through a lot of concepts and projects that don't, in the end, become a full game. While that's normal, it can be fascinating to learn about some of the games or ideas that never made it to our systems, with a recent example being that Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker...
Review S.C.A.T.: Special Cybernetic Attack Team (Wii U eShop / NES)
I'm a scatman
Right, let's get this dealt with from the start; S.C.A.T is an awful name for a game — we won't go into why here, but it actually stands for Special Cybernetic Attack Team. Interestingly, the cart shipped in Europe as Action in New York. That's a much better title, although the game has as much to do with the Big Apple as mushy peas...