Retro News
May2018
Review Stakes Winner (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
A horse with no name
Unlike most home versions of horse racing games, Stakes Winner doesn't weigh you down with horse breeding or gambling, which makes sense considering this is first and foremost an arcade game. Unsurprisingly, you play as a jockey, choosing your horse from a varied lot with three different skills (speed, strength and...
News Devolver Digital Is Releasing A New SNES Game, And It's For A Worthy Cause
Buy a game, prevent mental illness
Devolver Digital and Megacat Studios are teaming up to create a brand-new SNES game which aims to raise awareness of mental health issues within the game development industry. Fork Parker’s Crunch Out was announced at the Game Developer Conference today, and is available to preorder...
News NES Classic Edition Is Getting A Golden Re-Release In Japan With A New List Of Games
A Jump 50th Anniversary addition, no less
Hot on the heels of SNK announcing the Neo Geo Mini really is a thing, the miniature console that set that original bandwagon rolling is getting a re-release. Yes, the NES Classic Edition - or Nintendo Classic Mini: Family Computer as its known in the East - is getting a special re-release in Japan on...
News Nintendo Was "Kind Of Liberal" When It Came To Creating The Super Mario Cartoons
"There was no pushback"
Those of you who were alive during the late '80s and early '90s may well have fond memories of the Super Mario Bros. Super Show, a cartoon production which dominated kid's TV during the early days of the Sega and Nintendo console war. Eurogamer has been speaking to people associated not only with this and the other Super...
News The Man Behind The Wonder Boy: Dragon's Trap Remake Would Love To Tackle Zelda II
"It's a game that could have been better"
Lizardcube's remake of Sega's sublime Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap was one of the very early eShop highlights on Switch. The work of programmer Omar Cornut and artist Ben Fiquet, this reimagining of an 8-bit classic took the Master System version and gave it gorgeous HD visuals while tinkering behind the...
News The Virtual Console Isn't Coming To Switch, Nintendo Confirms
RIP
Nintendo thrilled Switch owners today with hard details about its new Switch Online service, which includes NES games that can be played for free and feature modern elements, such as online play and voice chat. We've known that retro games would form some part of the mooted online package for a while, but many were hopeful that the Virtual...
Rumour The SNK Neo Geo Mini Is A Tiny Arcade Cabinet With 40 Built-In Games
A retro treasure trove
Last month SNK confirmed it was working on a 'Neo Geo Classic Edition' to mark its 40th anniversary, but bar an image showing 'something' draped mysteriously beneath a cloth we were left to wonder what such a throwback machine could be. YouTuber Spawn Wave may have potentially lifted the lid on these hotly-anticipated project,...
News Mega Man 2 And X Are Getting Limited Edition Cartridges And We Want Them All
They'll work with your NES and SNES, too
With the Mega Man 30th anniversary now upon us, Capcom is pulling out all the stops to celebrate. Not only have we got Mega Man 11 coming alongside the two Legacy Collections, we've also got these limited edition cartridges for Mega Man 2 and Mega Man X. They even work on your old NTSC NES/SNES! Both...
News Zerodiv Will Be Bringing The 2D Scrolling Action Of Gunbird 2 To Switch
And it's due later this month
It was only back in December last year that we got to experience the high-octane action of the first Gunbird, recalibrated for flight on Nintendo Switch, and now we're getting its equally bombastic sequel. That's right, Zerodiv is at it again, with plans to bring Gunbird 2 to the Switch eShop later this month. The game...
April2018
Review Ghost Pilots (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Eject! Eject!
SNK may be famous for its fighting games, but in 1991 the Japanese firm decided that it wanted a piece of the 'shmup' pie that Capcom had been munching all to itself thanks its superb 194X series of WW2-themed shooters. Using a 4:3 ratio and replacing the more classic WW2 propeller planes with generic seaplanes, Ghost Pilots...
News Jin Fujisawa, The Director Of Dragon Quest IX, Leaves Square Enix
He's now working for a different, undisclosed firm
One of the Dragon Quest franchise's most influential developers has parted ways with the publisher. Jin Fujisawa, who worked on nine entries on the series (from Dragon Quest VII on PS1 to Dragon Quest X Online) has moved onto pastures new and is now working with a different company on an...
News The SNES Classic Edition Has Sold 5.28 Million Units Worldwide
Mini marvel
Nintendo has revealed that the SNES Classic Edition has sold an impressive 5.28 million units worldwide. The micro-console - which launched in September last year - comes pre-loaded with 21 SNES titles - including the previously unreleased Star Fox 2 - and is the sequel to the equally-successful NES Classic Edition. The NES
Feature The History And Evolution of Donkey Kong
37 years in the making
Few gaming characters have hung around as long as Donkey Kong, and over the years we at NL towers have garnered a healthy respect for the giant, tie-wearing ape. That's why we decided to throw together a short audio-visual retrospective to take a look at how DK managed to get where he is today. What's your favourite entry...
Review Sengoku 3 (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Third time's a charm
SNK’s first two Sengoku games put players in control of a sword-swinging hero, with the neat ability to switch to a different character during play should they wish. Coupled with a variety of enemies to bash they were not essential titles, but could still provide some decent fighting fun. The second game built on the first,...
Feature The Making Of Night Trap, The World's Most Famous Video Game Nasty
"I thought the whole witch hunt was ridiculous"
Nintendo of America's Howard Lincoln makes an example out of Night Trap during the 1993 Senate Hearings on Video Game Violence Ever since its inception, the video game industry and controversy have gone hand in hand. Custer’s Revenge, Death Race, Grand Theft Auto, Sam Fox’s Strip Poker… these...
Feature It's Time For Former Tetris Champion Steve Wozniak To Reclaim His Throne
The best there is, the best there Woz, and the best there ever will be
There’s been a lot of news as of late about some famous high scores and the shaky stories behind them. While we're on the topic, we thought it might be a good idea to take the headwinds and revisit another famous video game record, perhaps the most famous Nintendo-related...
Weirdness Watch In Horror As A Game Boy Gets Tortured In The Name Of Music
Warning: Some Game Boys were harmed in the making of this video
The humble Game Boy has long been used as a musical instrument by chiptune enthusiasts, but this latest audio "hack" really doesn't just take the biscuit - it steals the entire jar and gobbles them all down in one go. YouTuber LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER - who does loa
News SNK Is Releasing A "Neo Geo Classic Edition" To Mark Its 40th Anniversary
More competition for Nintendo's micro-consoles?
SNK has announced today that it will be jumping on the "Classic Edition" bandwagon with its own new system, which will come pre-loaded with beloved Neo Geo titles. For those who don't know, the Neo Geo was SNK's high-end home system from the '90s, which delivered arcade-quality gaming at eye-watering...
Review Gururin (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Hell is other people
Neo Geo fans never had to look far when feeling the need to get on some puzzle action in order to take a break from all the fighting, thanks to many an excellent offering from Taito and Data East. But even nowadays, Gururin remains the odd puzzler out. So why did Face’s 1994 offering leave no mark in MVS history? At its...
Video Here's What Happened To The Grinder, A Wii Horror Shooter Lost To Development Hell
Left for dead
Back in the mid to late '00s, some third-party developers were doing their best to put the under-powered Wii through its paces. The Conduit developer High Voltage Software was one of those studios, which doubled down on its console exclusivity with Left 4 Dead-esque horror shooter, The Grinder. It became one of the most...
News Alex Kidd And Gain Ground Join Sega's AGES Line-Up On Switch, Saturn And Dreamcast Games Coming
Janken!
Last week, Sega caused quite a stir when it announced it would be bringing a series of classic titles to Switch under the "AGES" banner. The first three confirmed titles are Sonic, Thunder Force IV and Phantasy Star. However, it hasn't taken long for Sega to reveal two more games in the range:
News AtGames Confirms It's Making The Mega Drive Mini, Then Deletes Tweet
The plot thickens...
Yesterday, it was revealed that Sega is bringing its own "classic edition" system to market in the form of the Mega Drive Mini. A micro-console pre-loaded with classic titles, the system was shown off during an event in Japan, instantly triggering speculation that AtGames - a US firm which has been making officially-licensed...
News Sega Announces AGES For Nintendo Switch, Mega Drive Mini Console
AtGames confirms it's making the mini console
During a live Twitch presentation in Tokyo this morning, Sega announced that a download-only selection of 15 titles under the name SEGA AGES will be making their way to Switch in the summer. These include company mascot platformer Sonic the Hedgehog, Thunder Force 4, Phantasy Star and more to be...
News Super Famicom Megami Tensei Spin-Off Last Bible III Gets Translated Into English
Now import friendlier
Jolly news for Megami Tensei fans today as Tom and DDSTrans have announced the release of a complete English translation patch for Super Famicom 1995 exclusive Last Bible III. This was the first entry in the series released on a home console, with the previous two games having graced the humble Game Boy Colour also...
Random Retro Games Collector Finds Drugs Smuggled Inside NES Cartridges
Contra-band
Imagine heading out to a market, picking up some copies of classic retro games to add to your growing collection, and accidentally coming home with a small stash of illegal drugs at the same time. It seems almost unimaginable, yet this was a recent reality for one unlucky gentleman. Retro game collector Julian Turner recently uploaded a...
Hardware Classics Unpacking The 32X, Sega's Most Catastrophic Console Failure
"It was like watching the death of the Hindenburg in slow motion"
How do you take half a decade’s worth of critical and commercial success and flush it down the toilet? Easy – you release a device like the Sega 32X. At the start of the 1990s Sega was arguably at the height of its powers; the dawn of the decade saw the western launch of the...
Feature The 26 Best Nintendo Game Boy Games Of All Time
Limited to four colours per cartridge
Every system has its gems, but the original Game Boy was something else. Despite some weak hardware compared to its rivals at the time, it managed to dominate the handheld market and last for years longer than it arguably had any right to, largely thanks to a certain yellow electric mouse. So today we're going...
News Treasure Teases Both Ikaruga And Nintendo Switch Fans
Will this GameCube classic ever come to Switch?
Hardly a day goes by at Nintendo Life Towers when we don't daydream about Ikagura one day appearing on Nintendo Switch. Smooth 60fps in both docked and portable mode? Check. Optional TATE mode for both modes? Double check. We do like to daydream around here, but looks like we might not be the only...
News The Debug Code Has Been Found For Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
It only took 13 years!
In the modern age of data mining, its not uncommon for nearly every game or patch’s secrets to be outed within weeks of release. Back before the internet was quite so prevalent, secrets in games remained just that for sometimes years before the knowledge would enter the public consciousness, and many games from that time no...
Feature Game Bar Space Station - Osaka's Gaming Paradise
Cocktails and controllers to cater for all tastes
While Tokyo may be the first stop on many gamers' lists due to its numerous arcades and the famous Akihabara area, other parts of Japan also have their own little pockets of gaming heaven for locals and tourists alike. Located in Amemura - just a few minutes walk from the Dotonbori river and...
News No, Sega Is Not Returning To The Home Console Arena
It's a lot less exciting than that
In a recent interview with Yahoo! Japan, Sega Games COO Kenji Matsubara got chins wagging by pointing out that the Japanese giant is considering releasing a new console in Japan - but it's not quite what you think, or what some other sites have reported, either. Matsubara is in fact talking about importing the...
Random Here's What Donkey Kong Country Would Have Looked Like With Classic Kong
Alternate timeline monkey business
When Rare was given the chance to work with one of Nintendo's most famous intellectual properties, it created one of the SNES' truly classic 2D platformers. However, Donkey Kong Country not only gave Kong a new lease of life; it gave him an entirely new look which has become the accepted template ever since. What,...
News Save Your Loose Change With SNK 40th Anniversary Collection On Switch
Coming this fall
We're getting a handsome helping of arcade classics later this year thanks to SNK, which is celebrating its 40th birthday with a bumper compendium of its most famous coin-op games. Here's some PR: To celebrate the 40th anniversary of legendary studio SNK, a variety of classic arcade games from SNK's golden age comes back together...
Awesome Hand-Drawn Guide To Contra Proves The Pen Is Mightier Than The Keyboard
Tips to live by
If you grew up in the 8 and 16-bit eras then you'll no doubt be familiar with the concept of writing down notes and drawing maps to help you beat tricky games. In the days before the internet and readily-available guidebooks, players had to make their own luck - and that usually involved putting pen to paper and creating your...
Hardware Review GameCube HDMI Adapter - GC Video Plug 'n Play 3.0
So long, component cable
You might think that when Nintendo started offering games from classic systems on its various Virtual Console platforms that interest in original hardware might fall away. However, over a decade later we're instead seeing a strong reassurance of new products supporting ageing original hardware, often aimed at getting the...
Review World Heroes 2 Jet (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Woo-oo-oo oo-oo-ooo
Unsurprisingly, World Heroes 2 Jet is a lot like the regular World Heroes 2. Utilising the same two-button setup (one punch, one kick; hold for a stronger attack), the same 14 playable characters return along with two newcomers: the clawed Jack and halberd-wielding Ryofu. There’s also been a speed bump and the addition of...
News Super Famicom Exclusives 'G.O.D.' And 'Ranma ½: Chougi Ranbu Hen' Translated to English
Double Easter treat from Dynamc-Designs
Dynamic Designs picked April first for a double Super Famicom games translation release, but no need to worry, this is no April's fool. Add one of the last great JRPGs plus one anime fan favourite brawler to the club of fan translated Super Famicom games. Originally released by Infinity/Imaginer in...
Review Aero Fighters 3 (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Another fun shmup for Switch
Having recently announced it will be adding Video System titles to its Arcade Archives series, it seems likely that HAMSTER will make the original Aero Fighters available on Switch at some point. Before then we have Aero Fighters 3, offering similar shooting action to the excellent (and already available) second title...
Random Nintendo's SNES-Era Troubleshooting Phone Line Still Works, Troubleshooting Still Given
Support through the decades
Nintendo is unusual in that it offers much better after sales service than most of its rivals and, in the past, has supported systems for many, many years after they stopped being sold in stores. When one fan recently found his SNES was unresponsive, he decided to see if the troubleshooting telephone line printed on the...
March2018
Random Super Mario World Kickstarter Aims To Bring The Lost Chapter To Switch
UPDATE: Campaign is cancelled
Update: Well, that didn't take long. Despite apparently having the permission of Nintendo to run this campaign, the team behind it has now cancelled the Kickstarter. Does this mean legal pressure was applied, or are they simply re-grouping with a different approach? If we hear anything, we'll update this...
News That Japanese "Dragon Quest Law" Is Actually An Urban Myth
The creators behind the franchise spill the beans
Those of you versed in video game history will be aware of a story relating to the astonishing popularity of Dragon Quest, one of Japan's most beloved RPGs. Back when the series was just starting out on the Famicom, kids and adults alike would bunk off school or work to buy it and spend an entire day...
Hardware Review The Hyperkin SupaBoy SFC Is A Portable SNES For Under £100
Third time lucky?
It's fair to say that the SupaBoy handheld is one of Hyperkin's most successful products; it initially hit the market in 2012 and has been revised once already in the form of the SupaBoy S. We're now on the third iteration of the same model, and we can imagine this fresh SKU will do the business just as well as its forerunners did...
Soapbox With Microsoft Playing Ball, It’s Finally Time For Banjo-Kazooie To Return To Nintendo
And we know just the studio that could pull it off...
Soapbox features enable our individual writers to voice their own opinions on hot topics, opinions that may not necessarily be the voice of the site. In today's article, editor Dom tackles a subject very close to his heart - his rabid love for a certain seminal platformer from Rare, and...
Video Don't Cry Over these Top Ten Worst Mario Games
Not every game can be a winner
With over 100 games under his proverbial belt, it'd be foolish to assume that every title Mario's appeared in is an absolute winner. Edutainment title for DOS, dodgy licensed CD-based games, it's madness to think there couldn't possibly be ten Mario games worth shoving in a list to mock and lose hope over. That's why...
Video Try to Remember these Top Ten Forgotten Mario Characters
Can't do Mushbert-er than these
Mario's had a lot of friends. So many in fact that you'd be pushed to remember every single one of them, and even then there's probably one or two you've just never even heard of. That's why we've teamed up with the excellent rabbidluigi so that we can collate the very finest of these Mario relics to put in front of...
News After The NES And SNES, Bitmap Books' Next Tome Tackles The Sega Master System
To be this good takes ages
UK publisher Bitmap Books has confirmed that its next "Visual Compendium" will switch focus to Nintendo's rival, Sega. Bitmap's last two compendiums focused on the NES and SNES, and showcased loads of lovely screenshots, artwork, features and exclusive interviews. The next book will highlight the talents of th
Review Real Bout Fatal Fury (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Keeping it real
The third Fatal Fury game may have been subtitled 'Road To The Final Victory' but the Legend of the Hungry Wolf was far from over. The first game to follow that third instalment (released in the same year, in fact) was Real Bout Fatal Fury, a game that feels in part like an upgraded Fatal Fury 3. Using the same three-plane fighting...
Video Ever Wondered Why Joysticks Are Always On The Left?
It's probably not why you think, either...
Like night following day and grass being green, joysticks being on the left-hand side of a controller has been a solid rule in gaming since what seems like forever. While you could argue that the recent shift to twin-stick pads may run counter to this perspective, the left-hand stick is always your primary...
Review Sengoku 2 (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Test your might
You fight of waves of attackers, warp somewhere to fight some more, then back again where of course you find yet more people trying to end your existence. Along with the nifty ability to switch between characters during play, Sengoku 2 offers similar gameplay to the first title, but some tweaks have been made to offer a more...
News Still Looking For A NES Classic Mini? Grab A Double Pack On The Nintendo UK Store Right Now
Less than £130 for both Classic Mini consoles
Are you still in the market for a NES Mini? The miniature throwback has become incredibly hard to find, unlike its SNES counterpart, but Nintendo has just put up a tidy little deal on its official store. Right now (if you're quick) you can head over to the Nintendo UK store and pick up the NES Mini...
Hardware Review Shika Arcades SOZU.S1 Isn't Just The Ultimate SNES Stick, It's A Work Of Art
Bamboo-zled
The humble video game controller is one of the most important elements of interactive entertainment; it is your interface to an immersive virtual world and any shortcomings it may have (Kinect, we're looking at you) impact massively on your overall enjoyment. It's equally true, however, that not all controllers are created equal, and as...
Deals Check Out These Retro-Bit Famicom And Super Famicom Cart Collections
Many games, one cart
We recently took a look at Retro-Bit's classic game collections sold in the US, classic NES and SNES games lovingly put onto reproduction carts with fancy packaging - a must-have for retro game collectors. It just came to our attention that Retro-Bit is selling a bunch of new retro classic game collections on Play-Asia which...
Review Magical Drop III (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Simple, frantic fun with balloons
The lineup of retro offerings on Switch may largely be comprised of fighting games and shmups, but other genres feature too, such as platformers, sports titles and - in the case of Magical Drop III - a highly enjoyable puzzle games. With the second game in the series already receiving the ACA Neo Geo treatment,...
News Zany Super Famicom Great Battle Series Gets Translated Into English
AGTP celebrates 19 years with five simultaneous translations
One of the longest-running franchises that sadly remains niche in the West is Banpresto's Compati Hero series. Based on super-deformed gashapon toys you can still collect from vending machines across Japan, it marked the first time several franchises crossed over to create an...
News This Faithful Fan-Made Brawler Is Mega Man Meets Smash Bros
Blue Bomber beatdown
Do you love yourself a bit of Mega Man? Can't wait until the release of the Mega Man Legacy Collection and Mega Man Legacy Collection 2? Well, how about a fan-made creation that takes the classic retro platforming of the Blue Bomber and transforms it into a multiplayer brawler, a la Smash Bros? Mega Man Arena - which you can...
Random You Can Now Play NES Games In 3D And In Virtual Reality
The 3DNES gets a VR makeover
Back in 2016, we covered the launch of 3DNES, an emulator that took the 2D data of an NES game and rebuilt it in the wonders of three dimensions. Well, the little bit of software is still going and has just received one of its most intriguing updates - support for VR! Yes, you'll now be able to experience the likes of...
News Hyperkin's New SupaBoy Has Superior Coloured Buttons And A 4:3 Screen Option
The best portable SNES just got better
The Hyperkin SupaBoy has already been revised once - resulting in 2016's SupaBoy S - but the company isn't done with the machine yet. The SupaBoy SFC is the latest variant and brings with it some notable upgrades. The most welcome is the ability to toggle between 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratio by holding down...
February2018
Hardware Review Hyperkin Supa Retron HD: Time To Dust Off Those SNES Carts
UPDATE: UK launch now confirmed for March
For a wide range of reasons, the public's interest in retro gaming has arguably never been higher. New players are being drawn into this fascinating corner of the industry to explore the origins of characters like Mario and Sonic, while veterans who still bear the scars of the '80s and '90s console wars are...
News The Internet Is Pouring Some Serious Salt On That PC Port Of Chrono Trigger
Why couldn't it just port the DS version?
Let's not beat around the bush, Chrono Trigger is one of the greatest RPGs of all time, so it's understandably one of those games treated with an almost palpable sense of reverence. So when Square Enix, seemingly out of nowhere, released a port on PC, fans old and new rejoiced. Until, that is, they realised...
News Oh Boy, Sonic The Hedgehog Was Almost Human
"The main character was a human boy"
Sonic the Hedgehog is one of gaming's most iconic characters, and ranks alongside Mario and Mickey Mouse when it comes to international recognition. However, Sonic designer Naoto Ohshima has revealed that the speedy chap was human like Mario in his original design pitch, rather than an animal. Speaking...
Random You Can Play Donkey Kong 3: The Great Counterattack Right Now
The Sharp X1 version is finally free
Back in the '80s and the '90s, Nintendo worked with third-party developer Hudson Soft to bring many of its NES and arcade titles to Japanese personal computers. Most of these ROMS have made their way to the West over the years, but one has remained locked away. That game is Donkey Kong 3: The Great Counterattack...
News Cult Super Famicom Title Majyuuou Is Making A Comeback
A second chance in Hell
Super Famicom cult classic Majyuuou - and possibly the finest Altered Beast clone you will ever get the chance to play - is getting a reprint this coming April, thanks to Columbus Circle. This 1995 KSS-developed horror platformer gathered quite a following thanks to its incredible pixel art, tight gameplay with...
Random There's Nothing Quite Like The Creator Of Sonic Doing An Impression Of Michael Jackson
"Jackson had made all of it with his mouth"
One of the most persistent anecdotes in the history of video gaming is Michael Jackson's connection with Sonic the Hedgehog 3. It's often been rumoured that he wrote the soundtrack for the game, having enjoyed a strong relationship with Sega during the early '90s. The story goes that when allegations...
Review Fatal Fury 3: Road To The Final Victory (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Similar, but a bit different fighting thrills
Nintendo Switch is not short of one-on-one fighting games, but here’s another ACA Neo Geo release anyway. Fatal Fury 3: Road To The Final Victory again provides the typical best of three rounds fighting action as you beat up a variety of people en route to an ending. Compared to previous instalment...
News Mega Man Composer Addresses Similarity Between Elec Man's Theme And Journey's "Faithfully"
Manami Matsumae breaks her silence on plagiarism claims
With the great news about Mega Man Legacy Collection 1 and 2 coming to Switch being announced recently, we've got another slice of Blue Bomber-related news - this time going all the way back to the first NES game. In the world of games, a lot of minuscule things get dug up,...
Feature Getting The Best Picture Out Of Your Nintendo 64: The RGB Edition
Soupy visuals, begone!
You'll have to forgive us, but we're a little obsessed with getting the best picture quality out of dusty old game hardware here at Nintendo Life. Those of you with long memories may recall our early experiments with upscaling and scanline-generating devices many years ago, and more recently we've looked at the benefit of HDMI...
Review 2020 Super Baseball (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Baseball with a twist
The Neo Geo sports games that have so far appeared on Switch offer up simple quick-to-play arcade experiences, but 2020 Super Baseball is a bit different. It’s not because it’s predicting some radical rule changes in a couple of years time (we’ve already had futuristic takes on football and volleyball), but because games...
News Analogue's Super Nt Gets Its First Jailbroken Firmware
You can now run SNES ROMs from an SD card
When we reviewed the stunning Analogue Super Nt recently we commented that the console's SD card slot might be used to deploy jailbroken firmware that enhances the functionality of the machine - very much in the same way that custom firmware allowed you to do cool stuff on Analogue's previous device,...
News Super Famicom Exclusive JRPG La Wares Translated Into English
A late Valentine Day's gift from Dynamic Designs
Hot on the heels of its complete English translation of Princess Minerva last year, Dynamic Designs is back with a new translation release for yet another Japan only Super Famicom JRPG; Shin Seikoku: La Wares now joins the ever growing list of Super Famicom games that is now accessible to any...
Video How Overwatch Helped A Street Fighter Legend Overcome His Hatred Of Video Games
Akira "Akiman" Yasuda opens up on Capcom, designing games and loneliness
Even if the name Akira "Akiman" Yasuda means nothing to you, there's a chance you've been touched by his talent. Yasuda was the driving force behind many of Capcom's '80s and '90s smash-hits and has recently taken part in a superb interview with toco toco TV. Yasuda...
News Lost N64 Title 40 Winks Is Resurrected Thanks To Kickstarter
No, you're not dreaming
Back in 1998, Eurocom began work on a 3D platformer called 40 Winks which allowed you to enter a world of dreams and transform into a wide range of different characters. Sadly, when publisher GT Interactive began to haemorrhage cash the N64 version of 40 Winks - which was eventually released on PlayStation and is known in...
Review Samurai Shodown II (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Sensational samurai
With its weapon-based combat and gameplay that often rewarded patience, Samurai Shodown was a different type of fighting game, but a very good one. SNK thought they could do better however, so went away and came up with Samurai Shodown II, a game similar to its predecessor but with some additions to the lineup and gameplay...
News Donkey Kong Scorekeeper Rubbishes Billy Mitchell's Claims Of Fabricated Footage
Mitchell's defence "does not make sense"
The saga of Billy Mitchell's Donkey Kong high score continues to rumble along following accusations from score-verifier Jeremy Young that Mitchell - who was a key figure in the cult movie King of Kong - used MAME to record his record-breaking runs on the game, as opposed to original hardware, as...
Random The SNES, Famicom And Mega Drive Are Reborn In These Custom Painted Gundam Figures
Mobile suit retro
Often described as the Japanese Star Wars, Mobile Suit Gundam is one of the longest-running sci-fi properties in the Far East and has millions of fans all over the globe. Gamers will of course be intimately familiar with the franchise thanks to the multitude of officially-licensed games that have appeared on practically...
News Data East Makes Its 2018 Debut On Switch Next Week With Gate Of Doom
Isometric RPG-light dungeon crawler on the go
Retro gaming fans rejoice, because next week will see Flying Tiger Entertainment joining Namco, Hamster and Zerodiv in the exclusive club of publishers bringing arcade game content to Nintendo's hybrid system. Gate of Doom (know as Dark Seal outside the United states) was released back in 1990 and along...
News Billy Mitchell Reacts to Accusations of Fake Donkey Kong High Score
"I’ve never even played MAME"
Billy Mitchell is a famed name in the competitive gaming scene, both for the records that he set on arcade games and for the role that he played in the story behind The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. Recently, Mitchell’s achievement with setting the Donkey Kong high score has been called into question, with...
Review The Analogue Super Nt Is The Ultimate Way To Play SNES Games In 2018
Reborn, remastered, remarkable
If you're seriously into audio visual entertainment then chances are you'll have gone through the exciting (yet mildly scary) process of blowing an entire month's pay cheque on the latest television, Hi-Fi or associated piece of audio visual hardware. Like everything in life, how much you want to spend on this kind of...
News MSU1 Support For Yoshi's Island, Seiken Densetsu 3 And Final Fight 2 Is Here
Dinosaur babysitting, action RPG perfection and Mike Haggar's world tour
The Zeldix MSU1 community continues its incredible streak of MSU-1 audio project releases, with this week seeing the conclusion of two major projects from Conn and a nice Capcom surprise from Kurono and PepilloPEV. Without a doubt one of the greatest Super Nintendo (perhaps...
News Analogue's Christopher Taber Opens Up On The Super Nt And Future Projects
"I’m a Sega kid. Who knows? Maybe we’re already working on it"
Tomorrow, Analogue will start shipping its latest system, the Super Nt. Like the company's other consoles - such as the wooden Neo Geo and Analogue Nt Mini - this is a classic reborn; Nintendo'
Review World Heroes 2 (Switch eShop)
An improvement over the first game, but it's not Perfect
Of the many one-on-one fighters released on Neo Geo (and now filling up the Switch eShop), World Heroes was far from top of the pile. It could still entertain however, and its colourful cast of characters inspired by historical figures helped it stand out. World Heroes 2 provides the same best...
News Got Bob Wakelin's Original Art For NES Contra? You're Sitting On $100,000
Game art collector wants to hear from you
When the legendary Bob Wakelin passed away last month he left behind an incredible legacy of artwork. Wakelin's associating with British publisher Ocean resulted in a flood of amazing covers, but he also did work for other companies, with the NES version of Contra being one of his most famous pieces. Now,...
News Billy Mitchell's Donkey Kong High Scores Come Under Doubt Amid Accusations Of Monkey Business
Meanwhile, Robbie Lakeman extends his world record score
Billy Mitchell is a video game icon who needs little introduction; he was one of the first players to gain mainstream recognition for his skill at arcade games, and more recently found fame in the documentary King of Kong, where he was positioned as the antagonist to Steve Wiebe's heroic...
Hardware Review Does The Retro-Bit NES Power Stick Give You The Advantage?
Microswitched marvel
These days, gamers are pretty comfortable with the fact that there are multiple control options available when it comes to playing on their console of choice. The basic, in-the-box pad isn't always the best that's on offer, and there are myriad official and unofficial controllers doing the rounds, each claiming to hold a...
Gallery Leafing Through Bitmap Books' SNES / Super Famicom Visual Compendium
You can order it from today
The SNES is so hot right now. Not only have we seen the SNES Classic Edition fly off the shelves amid rave reviews, we've also got the lovely new Analogue Super Nt to look forward to. To cap it all off, today sees the launch of Bitmap Books'
January2018
Video The 26 Best Game Boy Advance Games of All Time
Advance to the next level
Every Nintendo system has its gems, but to say we were a bit spoilt with the Game Boy Advance is an understatement. Game after game after game kept being released, and there were so many incredible ones our original list was well over double the size of this one. For the sake of brevity and my own sanity, we cut it down...
Video This Heartwarming Home Movie Shows The Moment Mega Man 2 Changed Everything
State of the art high resolution memories
Mega Man turns 30 this year, an event which will no doubt make many players feels really, really old. Capcom's series may be undergoing a revival of late thanks to the announcement of an all-new entry, but for many fans it never got any better than the NES sequel, which still ranks as one of the best action...
News SNES Classics Illusion of Gaia And Mystical Ninja Receive MSU1 Audio Support
Will and Goemon join the high fidelity club
Another week and another two major MSU-1 Audio projects released by Super Nintendo fans. Considering both these classic soundtracks come in at nearly one hundred tracks each this is no small feat. Two epic quests featuring brand new audio possibilities await you. Caught between the brilliance of both...
News This Could Well Be The Ultimate SNES Arcade Stick, And It's Made Of Bamboo
Wood you believe it
UK company Shika Arcades has produced what is shaping up to be the very best arcade stick option for SNES players - and it's made from bamboo. We're no strangers to gaming hardware fashioned from wood here at Nintendo Life, but this example looks like it could take things to the next level. Featuring Sanwa parts and...
Review Pokémon Crystal (3DS eShop / GBC)
Crystal clear
Akin to Pokémon Yellow's existence to Pokémon Red and Blue, Pokémon Crystal is the next critter-catching adventure to round-off a generation of main series, handheld Pokémon games – that being Pokémon Gold and Silver. But what could Crysta
Random Images Resurface From 1994 Showing Nintendo Destroying Counterfeit Games With A Steamroller
They see me rollin'
Nintendo games seem to be a particularly popular option for counterfeit product makers; the chances of finding a whole host of knock-off goods from any car boot sale or eBay search is scarily high. While we don't always see how companies such as the 'Big N' deal with such matters, these recently rediscovered photos show what is...
News Retro Rules As Nintendo Switch's ACA Neo Geo Library Hits 1 Million Sales
One happy HAMSTER
HAMSTER's ACA Neo Geo ports have been a part of Nintendo Switch's digital library since the day it launched in March 2017, and that commitment to the platform has finally paid off with the announcement that the collective sales of all its Neo Geo titles have exceeded 1 million. That's a lot of retro love right there. The...
News It's Been A Bumper Month For Super Nintendo MSU-1 Audio Enhancement Patches
Pump up the volume
Love them or hate them, the MSU-1 audio enhancement patches are here to stay and the effervescent, passionate community of hobbyist hackers and music producers at Zeldix have been on a non-stop roll of releases during this month. We've rounded up most of those projects on this news post and who knows, one of your old...
Art These Fantasy Nintendo Hardware Breakdowns Are Just Magical
NES, SNES, Game Boy, DS and more get opened up (kind of)
Consoles like the NES, SNES and Game Boy may just be fashioned from circuit boards, chips and plastic, but they're a portal to a seemingly limitless world of possibilities and will, for many players, have provided a wondrous backdrop for entire childhoods. London-based artist Jing Zhang was...
Review Power Spikes II (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Underpowered volleyball action
In among the Neo Geo library of games there are a number of titles (some already on Switch) that take a sport and rework it into a simple, quick-to-play arcade experience. The latest arrival on the eShop is Video System’s Power Spikes II, a volleyball game that gives you a choice of eight four-person teams and then...
News Check Out Nintendo's Original Headquarters
Back when they were still paying loans to Tom Nook
Though Nintendo has existed as a game company since the 80’s—still one of the longest standing institutions in the game industry—it’s actually been around in various other forms since 1889. In the nearly 100 years between then and its start as a game company, dabbled with taxis, love hotels,...
News Which Is Better - Sonic Mania Or Sonic CD? Iretrogamer's Power Team Debates It Out
Old vs new
We love Sonic Mania here at Nintendo Life - so much so former editor Thomas Whitehead gave the triumphant retro revival a glowing 9/10 back in 2017 - but did you much of its innovation follows in the footsteps of the equally ingenious Sonic CD? The Power Team over on the iretrogamer channel have had that very thought on the brain,...
Movie Review King Of Kong Meets Spinal Tap In Going For Golden Eye
"Rule no. 1: Absolutely no use of Oddjob"
Video games and movies often make uncomfortable bedfellows; just look at the Super Mario Bros. movie from 1993 and Jean-Claude Van Damme's equally risible Street Fighter flick. However, sometimes the combining of these two mediums can yield positive results; King of Kong is one notable example. Jim...
News This Year's Genesis 5 Smash Bros Tournament To Officially Partner With Nintendo
No, we don't mean that Genesis
Genesis? No we're not talking about the North American alter ego of SEGA Mega Drive or the first book of The Bible, we're talking about something even holier: Smash Bros! Based in the United States, Genesis is a semi-regular tournament that brings some of the best players from around the country (and the world) to...
Random GoldenEye 007 Mockumentary Aims To Be The Spinal Tap Of Video Games
Focuses on "deluded, cringe-inducing elite GoldenEye players"
An indie British film company is aiming to create the video game equivalent of Spinal Tap with Going For Golden Eye, which is described as "a love letter to the heyday of the N64 and the rivalries of couch multiplayer". Created by Woodhouse Pictures, the film focuses on the...
Random Counting The Screws In NES Cartridges Is A Big Deal For Collectors
Not all NES cartriges were screwed alike
Hardware revisions are a common practice in all manufacture industry, and video games are no exception; to either augment the original design with new features before a new unit replaces the existing one or to simply cut manufacturing costs by streamlining the production process. What no one might have...
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