Retro News
March2014
Review Clu Clu Land (3DS eShop / NES)
Spinning from poles as a fish with human limbs...
Clu Clu Land is one of those unassuming early Nintendo Entertainment System releases that seems to show up all the time these days, from cameos in Super Smash Bros. to minigames in NES Remix, right alongside classics like Mario and Zelda. Even if you didn't grow up playing Clu Clu Land, most Nintendo...
Feature A Look At the Super Mario Kart (SNES) World Championship 2014
Start your engines
With the arrival of Mario Kart 8 soon this year, the franchise has come a long way; yet while plenty of gamers look ahead to what's next in the series, competitive gaming on its predecessors is still going strong. An example is the original Super Mario Kart on the Super NES, just recently released on the Wii U Virtual Console...
Review Super Mario Kart (Wii U eShop / SNES)
A timely boost for a classic
With a PAL release a mere nine months after the April 1992 launch of the UK SNES, during a 16-bit era where show-boating superior technology and exceptional console power was at the forefront of Nintendo’s objectives, Super Mario Kart remained humble in exhibiting its technical prowess. European gamers had been...
Review Volleyball (Wii U eShop / NES)
Flat ball
What’s your favourite major sport? If you answered “volleyball,” there’s a good chance that you’re among a minority of sports fans. That’s not to say that volleyball is a lesser game than the titanic football – European or American, your choice – or any other major sport, but it does make one wonder why Nintendo would...
News Swedish Speedrunner Breaks Record For Fastest Zelda: Majora's Mask Playthrough
Because he can
Speed-runs seem like a dime a dozen these days, with new records being broken all the time. Although they seem like a fad to some, others are extremely passionate about them and spend a generous amount of time figuring out how to beat the clock. A few months back, we talked about one such individual, Cosmo Wright, whose January 2013...
Hardware Classics SNK Neo Geo Pocket Color
I'm not boy
As the '90s drew to a close Nintendo's massively popular Game Boy handheld — which was almost a decade old and had already seen away more powerful rivals like the Atari Lynx and Sega Game Gear — was about to face a fresh wave of competition. The Bandai WonderSwan was perhaps the most interesting challenger — on paper, at least —...
Review Devil World (3DS eShop / NES)
Absolutely Diabolical
Very few developers can boast the introduction of as many unique and refreshing gameplay concepts as game-crafting master Shigeru Miyamoto. Nintendo’s iconic developer has reinvented and reinvigorated countless genres, breathing new life into stale and tired gameplay tropes and carving a name for himself as one of the...
Worth the "Stroggle"?
When it comes to first-person shooter games on the Nintendo 64, there’s one title which stands out above all the rest: GoldenEye 007. During the late 1990s, Rare’s Bond-themed masterpiece provided gamers with countless hours of single- and multiplayer fun, and because of this it is still fondly remembered by many to this...
Review Adventure Island II (3DS eShop / NES)
"Just you wait, Master Higgins!"
The original Adventure Island — though a fun little platformer in its own right — is most fondly remembered today for being a strikingly comprehensive clone of SEGA's Wonder Boy, as a result of developer Escape licensing the property (minus SEGA's character designs) to Hudson Soft for an NES port. Adventure...
Review Ice Hockey (Wii U eShop / NES)
Not that cool any more
Nintendo released a number of sports titles in the NES era, a reflection of a simpler time when having a fancy home console was enough of a novelty that a game simply called Ice Hockey would seem like an awesome prospect. You like Ice Hockey? You've got Nintendo? Get Ice Hockey, which is Ice Hockey on your Nintendo! That...
News The Videogame History Museum's GDC Nintendo Exhibit Was Full of Retro Delights
The Virtual Boy even appeared
GDC (Game Developers Conference 2014) has drawn to a close, and it brought us some snippets of Nintendo news, mainly focused on the download market. Nintendo showed off various games on the way to the eShop, promised there were plenty more, and showed off Mario vs. Donkey Kong running on the Nintendo Web Framework. The...
Weirdness Square Enix Reproduces Deadly Final Fantasy XIV Boss in 16-Bit Style
We'd play a Super NES version any day
Final Fantasy XIV, an MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) for the franchise, has had a troubled history. The first version was such a disappointment that Square Enix eventually dropped it, reproducing the game and changing up the development team that eventually released the far-improved A...
News How One Man Is Giving Sonic Fans The Game They Want To Play
And he wants to do the same with Stunt Race FX next
Let's be honest here, Sonic's recent outings haven't been all that hot. Sonic Lost World on 3DS and Wii U was a crushing disappointment when you consider the level of hype it received, and most of the character's recent 3D outings have failed to recapture the brilliance of his early adventures...
News Nintendo 64 Support Teased For A Future Hyperkin RetroN Console
Company teases an E3 reveal
The Hyperkin RetroN 5 is shaping up to be the most impressive "clone" system ever created; it has support for NES, Famicom, Genesis, Mega Drive, SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance all in one box — but it would appear that Hyperkin is already thinking about how it can improve on this platform. Speaking...
News Furrtek Software Engineering Revives The Game Boy Scene With Medieval Puzzler Airaki
25 years on, and still going strong
If you thought the best days of the Game Boy had been and gone, you’re probably right. Still, that hasn’t stopped retro-hacker and developer Furrtek Software Engineering (basically, a guy with a computer) from attempting to resurrect the gaming scene on what is arguably the most beloved Nintendo handheld of...
Review Galaga (3DS eShop / NES)
Space: The Original Frontier
There are a few reasons so many early video games took place in space. While the most obvious one is budgetary — a flat black background being quite literally the easiest possible background to render, thereby making "space" a pretty natural choice of setting — there's a psychological reason as well: space is a...
News Super Mario Kart Record Holder Sami Cetin Gives Some Tips and Hits the Track in Mario Kart 8
Niece and world champion Leyla Hasso takes him on
For the vast majority of Wii U owners, we suspect the 30th May release of Mario Kart 8 is a major event on their gaming calendars. It's a franchise that has consistently delivered success for Nintendo, with the most recent iterations uniting experienced gamers and enthusiastic newcomers in some...
News Super Metroid is 20 Years Old Today
One of the all time greats
Super Metroid is 20 years old today, having been released in Japan on 19th March 1994. It's a title that would go on to be one of a number of iconic, memorable experiences on the 16-bit machine, and is still revered to this day. Alternatively called Metroid 3, this title — like others in the series that would follow —...
News Super Mario Kart Action Replay Code Discovered Which Grants Access To CPU Weapons
Payback time
Super Mario Kart veterans will be aware that the CPU-controlled racers in the SNES classic don't always play fair — they've got access to exclusive weapons which aren't available to the player. We've lost count of the number of times we've seen Bowser reach for that deadly fireball and wish that we could get some of those amazing...
Weirdness This Super Mario 64 Fan Remake is Fairly Impressive
It's HD Mario, which was a novelty once!
Fans just can't get enough of retro Nintendo games, often recording themselves on speed-runs or producing animations, short films and music albums dedicated to various classics of years gone by. Some go a step further and decide to do their own remakes of the classics, no doubt hoping that their humble...
Video Nintendo Minute Gets a Little Random While Wishing You a Happy St. Patrick's Day
Getting into the 'spirit', it seems
We regularly post the Nintendo Minute videos here on Nintendo Life — not always, but when they're interesting, entertaining or both. Today's video opens up a new category: 'quirky'. It's 17th March, which means it's St. Patrick's Day, in honour of the patron saint of Ireland. As many will know it's not just...
News Twitch Claims Victory in Pokémon Crystal
Adventure in Hoenn Begins Next Week
TwitchPlaysPokémon has spawned a massive following and fanbase. An insane amount of artwork and history have been created by thousands of dedicated fans of the series. Now, with two games under its belt, the internet phenomenon will begin its journey in Hoenn next week. The stream defeated the Elite Four and...
Ninterview The NES Club and an Epic Collector's Quest
Take a ride on the ultimate 8-bit road trip
A major ongoing strength for Nintendo is its cultural heritage, a history in the games industry that makes the brand immediately recognisable to so many. Younger gamers may be familiar with the DS, Wii, 3DS and gradually the Wii U, but we're approaching 30 years of major home console and gaming handheld...
Weirdness This Footage Of The Famicom Disk Writer Kiosk Is A Bit Awesome
Bored of a game? Turn it into another one...
For gamers in the West the NES came in one basic form. There were alternative models with a tray or a top-loader, but it was a cartridge based system that fired up those famous carts over its whole generation. Some retro fans reading this are more than likely aware of the Famicom Disk System, however,...
Review Renegade (Wii U eShop / NES)
GET LOST, PUNK!
What's the expiration date for nostalgia? Is there a certain amount of time that has to pass before we start looking fondly back at the old, often inferior, games of our youth? It's undeniable that some games have aged gracefully and are still just as good today as they were at their initial launch, but that's far from a steadfast...
Review Dr. Mario (Wii U eShop / NES)
One play a day...
It feels as if Dr. Mario has been a near constant presence — in some form — over recent years, but the oddity is that the Wii U Virtual Console release of the NES version is the début for that iteration over the most recent system generations. We've had fresh DSiWare and WiiWare releases, with the latter perhaps halting a...
News Super Smash Bros. Melee Confirmed for Evo 2014
Re-joins after a dramatic 2013 appearance
Keen fighting game fans may already have Evo 2014 in their diaries, taking place at Las Vegas Hotel & Casino between 11-13th July and all set to be streamed online to thousands of eager fans. Those that followed last year's events may also recall the controversy and happy ending over its Super Smash...
News The Analogue Nt Is A NES Fashioned From Aircraft Grade Aluminium, And We Want It So Badly
From the same guys that did the wooden Neo Geo MVS
Remember the wooden Neo Geo MVS console we showed you a while back? Well, the company behind that truly elite piece of gaming hardware — Analogue Interactive — is back with something a little more Nintendo-themed: The Analogue Nt. Essentially a NES in a sleek aluminum casing, this system will...
Weirdness Engineer Uses Four Monitors to Display Whole Super Mario Bros. Levels
It's a me, Mario!
It's always fun when people use their skills to display a beloved video game character in an interesting way. Twitter user Morikuma_Works, who works as an engineer in Japan, has done just that with his four computer monitor display of Super Mario Bros. World 1-1. He also posted a picture of World 1-2, warp zone and all. Quite...
Hardware Classics Bandai WonderSwan
What the creator of the Game Boy did next
Although Nintendo's lofty standing in the games industry cannot be attributed solely to a single person, it's fair to say that without the talents of Gunpei Yokoi the Kyoto firm wouldn't be where it is today. Yokoi was employed by Nintendo in 1965 and his inventions — such as the Ultra Hand and Lover...
Video It's OK To Talk About This Awesome 16-Bit Version Of Fight Club
This is your life, and it's ending one minute at a time
YouTube channel Cinefix is devoted to putting a retro gaming spin on famous Hollywood movies, and previous efforts have included Inception, The Hunger Games and The Dark Knight. The most recent offering adds pixels to David Fincher's 1999 cult classic Fight Club, with
Review Super Mario Bros. Deluxe (3DS eShop / GBC)
Super Small Screen Bros.
Especially in recent years, we've seen Super Mario Bros. re-released a ton, but back in 1999 it had been a number of years since the last release, Super Mario All-Stars. As such, Nintendo decided to port the original game to Game Boy Color and add some interesting new features at the same time. Naturally, at its core, this...
Matters of Import Prepare To Die In Fire Emblem: Thracia 776
This Super Famicom swansong takes no prisoners
Fire Emblem is a strange series; much loved and well known, yet still a relative outsider when compared to the likes of Kirby or even Star Fox. Released first as a Nintendo Power exclusive deluxe pack in 1999 and then again in more standard SNES packaging in 2000, Thracia 776 has the d
Feature Games That Almost Were - A Look At Cancelled N64 Titles
Everything not saved will be lost
The end of the millennium was a turbulent time for Nintendo – the N64 hadn’t quite turned out to be the SNES Mk.II success it’d hoped the hardware would be, the 64DD add-on got off to a cautious launch in Japan and in 2001 both the N64 and the Game Boy Color would be completely replaced with younger and more...
News Latest Mega Man 2.5D Beta Adds New Single Player and Co-Op Stages
The Blue Bomber owes much to fans
Last year we directed your attention to the Mega Man 2.5D fan project, yet another game dedicated to the Capcom mascot in the absence of official alternatives. Its rather smart twist is in the name, as it plays with perspective and camera angles to give the traditional 2D play more depth. It also brought Mega Man...
Matters Of Import Wonder Project J2 Brings Masterful 2D To The N64
Making cute robots girls cry
The N64 never did get much 2D love when it was around, but games like Wonder Project J2 — as well as Treasure’s Bangai-O — show that other developers were missing a trick by ignoring the untapped potential of this side of Nintendo’s hardware. First published by Enix in 1996, Josette’s adventures on Blueland...
News Twitch Begins New Journey in Pokémon Crystal
Our adventure continues in Johto, in colour!
Twitch Plays Pokémon has become an icon of the internet community and truly displays possibilities that arise when thousands of individuals work together to accomplish a goal. On Saturday, the group finished Pokémon Red, after sixteen straight days of training, sadness, and excitement. Now, with a...
Review Renegade (3DS eShop / NES)
Crime doesn't pay
The company known as Technos might be best known for creating Double Dragon and River City Ransom, but before coming up with either of its two big hits, it made a number of lesser known titles — of which perhaps Renegade is the most well-known. Renegade is actually the first game in the Kunio-kun series, which River City Ransom...
News TwitchPlaysPokémon Conquers Pokémon Red
It’s all over…..for now
TwitchPlaysPokémon has done the unthinkable. The livestream of Pokémon Red, in which the stream’s chat controls the movements of the trainer Red, has officially beaten the Elite Four and its rival Blue to become the Pokémon League Champion. Approximately 16d 7h 45min and 30sec after the adventure began, the stream...
Ninterview Aaron "NintendoTwizer" Norton and the Ultimate Retro Collection
"The history of video games is awesome"
Even when Nintendo is in a quiet phase between Nintendo Direct broadcasts, or there's a wait for the next hot retail or download game, fans of the company are never short of conversation points. The big N's legacy and history give it a powerful impact in gaming culture, and the keenest of gamers do amazing...
Review Hidden Expedition Titanic (DSiWare)
The fun is also hidden
Thanks to the blockbuster movie of the '90s, the sinking of the Titanic seems to be less a tragic historical event and more a part of story-telling culture. Whether that bothers you is up to you, but Hidden Expedition Titanic merely pretends to include a story around the ill-fated ship, throwing some nonsense around a fairly...
February2014
Month Of Kong Whatever Happened To Donkey Kong Racing?
Former Rare man Lee Musgrave talks about a lost GameCube smash hit
E3 2001 was a joyous occasion for Nintendo fans. The GameCube was nearing its release in Japan and North America and Nintendo had a lot to say and show about it. Super Smash Bros. Melee, Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader and Luigi’s Mansion were just some of the games...
News One Man Is Bringing The N64 Kicking And Screaming Into The HD Generation
Ever wanted to run your N64 through HDMI, DVI or VGA?
As we all know, the N64 was — and still is — a fantastic machine. For many Nintendo fans, it was their first real taste of 3D gaming and some of the console's best offerings stand the test of time very well indeed. The main issue with playing the console today is that it was never designed to...
Month Of Kong The Making Of Donkey Kong Country
Behind the scenes on the game that spawned a million-selling series
This month has seen the launch of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, a superb platforming romp starring one of Nintendo's most iconic characters and coded by a western development team, Retro Studios. These days, the notion of an American company doing the heavy lifting on one of...
News Donkey Kong Country's Fate Was Determined By A Risky Rare Investment
"The rendering of each 3D model would take ages"
With Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze currently entertaining Wii U owners, it's only natural for those with long memories to cast their minds back to where the franchise began. Donkey Kong Country on the Super NES remains one of the 16-bit system's most iconic games, and sits at the forefront —...
News Gargoyle's Quest II and Street Fighter 2010 Could Be Heading to the 3DS Virtual Console
Retro-heads Rejoice!
The Virtual Console has been an incredible asset to Nintendo over the years. Not only has it served as a method of playing yesterday’s games today, but it’s also come in handy when bridging the gap between retail releases. One of its downsides of course is that with every new console’s release, the back catalogue of games...
News Princess in Another Castle Launches First Trailer and Indiegogo Campaign
Showing that kids can't do what they want, but can imagine anything
Earlier this year we brought you the news that film-maker Kennedy Baruch was following up his award winning Escape movie with a feature-length film called Princess in Another Castle; we then spoke to him in detail about the project. He explained the core idea behind the film:...
News TwitchPlaysPokémon Renewed for Generation Two
Lord Helix has risen!
Over the past two weeks, the life of this writer has been dominated by two things. An absurd amount of schoolwork, and an equally absurd amount of time spent watching the antics of TwitchPlaysPokémon. The stream has drained away time, prompting viewing even during class. However, with the astounding popularity of the stream,...
Review Sky Kid (3DS eShop / NES)
Heavy Weather
An arcade force to be reckoned with, Namco graced the Famicom and NES with impressive cartridge conversions of quite a few of its enduring coin-op classics. From Dig Dug and Pac-Man to Galaga and Xevious, Nintendo's console quickly amassed a collection of A-list arcade hits, and — along with the heavy hitters and household names —...
Weirdness You Can Now Play Zelda Really Badly on Twitch
Struggles to Link players together
In recent days you may have seen us directing your attention to TwitchPlaysPokémon and the mayhem it's caused, attracting tens of thousands of gamers at once. It may be a chaotic mess, in practice, but it's hit a nerve and, for those invested in the idea, become a highly enjoyable hobby. As it's the Flappy Bird...
Video F-Zero Gets the "Did You Know Gaming?" Treatment
Japan had so much more F-Zero than the West...
While the size of the prospective audience is debatable and no-doubt informing Nintendo's decision-making, there's undoubtedly a vocal group of gamers rather desperate for new F-Zero titles. With no sign of that happening as yet, our only option is to look back and reminisce on the high-tempo, thrilling...
Weirdness Listen To The Super Mario Theme On A 3,000 Year Old Chinese Instrument
A bit trickier to play than a warp whistle, probably
Doodoo doo do dooo do, dah! - It's the Super Mario theme! Known across the globe and endlessly catchy, this tune has been played on every instrument under the sun, as well a few renditions that should barely count. Hearing a cover version is certainly nothing new, but allow us to present one just...
News Majora's Mask "Time's End" Music Beautifully Reimagined by Rozen
Epic
It's unsurprising that The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is treasured by many Nintendo gamers, with the calls for a remake persisting on a yearly basis. For those that do hope for that day, and that remastered visuals will also be accompanied by a sweeping orchestral soundtrack, this new EP from musician Rozen should capture the imagination...
News Console Wars Book Paves The Way For Movie Written By Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg
Nintendo or Sega, the ultimate question
In many respects the current home console scene is relatively complex. Nintendo is pursuing its own ideas and philosophies, while Microsoft and Sony are in a tug of war over resolutions, framerates and probably things called gigaflops. Throw in the rise of smart device gaming, some stuttering micro consoles...
Video The Legend of Zelda Brings the Epic in Oculus Rift
This whole 3D Zelda thing could really catch on...
Have you ever wanted to be Link? To really see through his eyes and experience his realities for an entire adventure: traversing, exploring, swordfighting, tights management? OK, maybe not the last one. Thanks to Oculus Rift, the concept of first-person Link is being realized; at least for the...
News Super Mario Bros. Stop Motion Pixel Art Kickstarter Campaign Hops Over Its Target
Funding goal passed with weeks of funding remaining
Nintendo's titles, particularly of the retro variety, inspire many fan projects in the form of music albums and, of course, videos. One example we highlighted in the past was an impressive stop motion video featuring the original Donkey Kong, which was remarkably produced with beads. That was the...
News Shinji Mikami Prefers The Sega Version Of Aladdin, Even Though He Worked On The SNES Game
"The Genesis version had a sword, actually"
Those of you old enough to recall the epic 16-bit console wars will remember that Sega and Nintendo fans utilised every available weapon they could to belittle each other. SNES owners boasted that they had Street Fighter II first, and Sega fans wore unbearably smug grins on their faces when they got an...
News TwitchPlaysPokémon Causing Serious Problems for Streaming Service
Even with a dedicated server, problems emerge
Over the last few days, the talk of the gaming industry has been dominated by one topic. The TwitchPlaysPokémon stream has been going strong for almost eight days with no sign of slowing down, unless technicalities get in the way first. The stream, which has an average viewer count of above 60,000, has...
Weirdness Super Mario Bros. Record For Lowest Score is Beaten
A 500 point play-through done without tool assistance
Normally while playing a game, the goal for most people is to see how many points they can rack up; more often than not they aim for the most points possible. There are, however, a select few who flip that idea on its head and shoot for the lowest score possible. Going out of their way to avoid...
Review NES Open Tournament Golf (Wii U eShop / NES)
Par for the course
If there's one specific niche of which there is no longer any shortage, it's sports titles featuring Mario. The iconic plumber's unlikely prowess at just about any athletic challenge is now extensively and frequently documented, with the likes of Mario Tennis and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games gracing home consoles on a...
News Famicom Remix 1 + 2 Coming to Retail in Japan
A one-two nostalgic combo right in Japan's childhood
NES Remix was a pleasant surprise when suddenly announced for the Wii U eShop, and the appearance of its slightly more mature cousin NES Remix 2 is a good sign that this particular brand of retro carnival play is taking off. It may come to the delight and/or great envy of others, then, that Japan...
Review Super C (Wii U eShop / NES)
Junco Partners
Konami's massively popular Contra became synonymous with side-scrolling shoot-'em-up action when it was released for the NES in 1988 — so much so that when the sequel hit Nintendo's home console in 1990, Konami felt confident that a single, stylized 'C' would be enough to evoke the series' name in the hearts and minds of loyal fans...
News TwitchPlaysPokémon Takes Internet By Storm
60,000 people struggling to cut a tree
Gaming has always been a social event. Whether playing the classic split screen on the SNES or large multiplayer games over the internet, gaming has reinforced the idea that it's meant to be enjoyed with others; this latest situation has shown the ideology is here to stay. TwitchPlaysPokémon is a Twitch.tv...
Weirdness The VideoTendo 2000 is a VHS Tape Converted into a NES
Rewind the clock with this fully functional modification
We've seen our fair share of weird and wonderful console modifications during our time at Nintendo Life, but this latest project from modder Shinobicycle could well be the weirdest one yet. In what looks to be a wholesome celebration of the 1980s, this brave modder has taken a NES clone and -...
News Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire Soundtrack Now Available On iTunes
HM-Surf rock Hoenn
The poké-occupation of iTunes continues this week as the digitally remastered soundtrack from GBA titles Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire hits Apple's music store. The album features 109 tracks from the games, composed by series icons Junichi Masuda, Gō Ichinose and Morikazu Aoki. Every single musical cue is included, so it makes...
Review Ninja Gaiden (Wii U eShop / NES)
Original Gaiden
With a hit-list of sequels and spin-offs spanning more than two decades and its latest iteration — Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge — even slicing out a spot in the Wii U's launch lineup, Ninja Gaiden's reputation precedes it. An East-meets-West action platformer with an Japanese aesthetic and an American action-hero heart, this is...
Soapbox A Case For The Defence: Castlevania 64
The only things that suck are the vampires
Castlevania 64, which is how we shall refer to the original Nintendo 64 vampire-killing game to avoid confusion with the other Castlevania, is a game that’s been unjustly left on the series' scrapheap for far too long, and I’m going to tell you why. Now that doesn’t mean I’m here to excuse the...
Weirdness Purchase This "Nintendo Dolphin Prototype Console" at Your Own Risk
Ever wanted to own a Nintendo development kit?
Of course you have. Before your very eyes is an elusive and very rare development kit for Nintendo’s sixth generation console - the Nintendo GameCube. Also codenamed "Project Dolphin" back in the day. An eBay seller from Canada, who has been a member of the site since 2005 and has a user rating of...
Feature Meet The Gamate, The Handheld Which Tried To Take On The Game Boy And Failed
We look at the history behind one of gaming's more obscure portables
When Nintendo launched the original Game Boy to a rapturous critical and commercial reception in 1989 it was almost a forgone conclusion that other companies would follow suit and concoct their own portable systems. Arch-rival Sega quickly pushed the Game Gear onto store shelves...
Playing God
Back when the Super Nintendo launched in Japan — where it was of course known as the Super Famicom — it was accompanied by some truly remarkable titles. As a young (and loyal) Sega Mega Drive owner at the time, for me personally it was torture to see the likes of Pilotwings, F-Zero and
Hardware Review Retro-Bit Super Retro Trio & Super Retro Advance Adapter
One clone to rule them all?
We've covered quite a few clone consoles here on Nintendo Life over the past few years, and it's clear that these systems have carved out a healthy niche in the market. Retro-Bit and Hyperkin are two of the leading lights in this particular field, with the latter looking to release the eagerly-awaited RetroN 5 at some...
Review Mighty Bomb Jack (Wii U eShop / NES)
Pyramid schemes
Bomb Jack, released in 1984, was one of Tecmo's early hits, a single-screen arcade game that had players rushing to diffuse bright red bombs planted at major tourist attractions around the globe. By the time its sequel rolled around in 1987, the Super Mario Bros.-induced side-scrolling craze had taken hold of the gaming world, and...
News This Final Fantasy IV Medley Rocked A Whole Crowd Of Fans
Mega potions in the air like you just don't care
Final Fantasy IV is known as one of the most highly regarded RPGs of all time, and for good reason. Interesting characters, a classic battle system and an engaging plot all helped set it apart, but what stood out most for many players was its truly masterful soundtrack. Nobuo Uematsu's timeless score...
Weirdness Resident Evil Creator Shinji Mikami Got A Copy Of Willow On The NES When He Joined Capcom
That's some incentive
Shinji Mikami may now be working hard on The Evil Within at his new studio Tango Gameworks, but he made his name creating titles for Capcom — most notably Resident Evil. He's been speaking to Famitsu about how he got started in the game industry, and has revealed that he was given a rather unusual gift when his employment...
News Before Sonic, Sega Almost Picked ToeJam & Earl As Its Official Mascots
Alien pair were rejected for being "too American"
Cast your mind back to the 16-bit console war between the Mega Drive (Genesis to our North American readers) and the SNES, and you'll no doubt think of Sonic's titanic struggle against Mario. These two mascots towered over their rivals, and have gone on to become instantly recognisable all over the...
News Ultra Rare Gold Nintendo World Championship NES Cart Auctioned And Sold For Over $100,000
Going, going, gone!
There are some things money can’t buy. Even if you had cash paid into your bank account every time you blinked, there will always be something out there more valuable than silver and gold. Take Time for instance. Time is something that can be spent but not bought, and once it’s gone it’s gone forever. The present becomes...
January2014
Review Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (Wii U eShop / NES)
Super Masochist Bros.
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels is the famously difficult, Japan-only sequel to the titular plumber's breakout NES hit, expanding on the original formula with deviously challenging level design and obstacles. Western audiences were instead given the comparatively easy 'Super Mario USA' (a re-skinned translation of Nintendo's...
Video Short Film Extols The Virtues Of Buttons, Features Nintendo Quite Heavily
Can you spot R.O.B. the Robot?
Gaming used to be exclusively about buttons, but with the rise of touch-screen gaming — pioneered by the Nintendo DS and taken to the next level by the proliferation of smartphones and tablets — we've got an entire generation of players growing up in a world where buttons aren't necessarily the default gaming...
News Critical Analysis of Wario Land 4 Now Available on Kindle, Discount Price Extended
Get analytical
Late last year we told you about an eBook called Game Design Companion: A Critical Analysis of Wario Land 4, which aims to take a thorough, academic approach to assess the popular Game Boy Advance title. It's stated aim is to step beyond the normal boundaries of games criticism and to drill down into significant detail. Author...
Review Mario Bros. (3DS eShop / NES)
Subpar Mario
Mario and Luigi’s adventures have been nothing short of fantastical over the years, to the point where you could be forgiven for questioning their occupations as plumbers. But despite the brothers’ incredibly varied employment history as doctors, sportsmen and racing drivers — in which they’ve rarely called upon their supposed...
News The Tetris Company's Co-Founder Explains How He Brought The RPG Genre to Japan
A tale of fantasy
RPGs are often considered as a foundation block of the Japanese development industry, with the region's studios still producing a high number of these titles on a yearly basis. Whatever systems you own there are likely to be RPG titles available that were developed in Japan — especially if you have a DS or, increasingly, a 3DS...
Weirdness An Album You Can Remix On Your Game Boy Advance
Making music with an old friend
The charming blips and scratching synth of chiptune soundtracks has never really lost its appeal among gamers and musicians alike, with many examples of retro sounds being used in new projects even today. From Anamanaguchi to I Fight Dragons, there's plenty out there to discover, and now electronic pop maestro Doctor...
News Rare Nintendo World Championships Cartridge Eventually Fetches $99,902
Update: Buyer backs out
Update: The buyer has apparently backed out of the purchase, claiming the bid was a "mistake". Here's what the seller had to say: The unfortunate reality is the second I approached the winning buyer with payment options, they retracted their bid claiming it was a “mistake.” I’m not offering the item to other bidders...
Weirdness Famicom Cartridges Turned Into Chiptune Harmonicas
Because some of you will just never stop blowing into them
The idea has been sitting right under our noses (where our mouths are) the entire time: we blow into cartridges; we blow into harmonicas. Why not merge the two together? Finally, we have the technology — or at least someone creatively wily enough to use it. The gadgeteer(s) at Ugoita...
News Super-Rare Nintendo World Championship Cartridge Up For Sale On eBay
One of only 90 ever made
If you've got a few thousand dollars just sitting in your bank account doing nothing and you fancy owning a piece of (somewhat grubby) Nintendo history, then point your browser at this eBay auction for a NES Nintendo World Championship cartridge. These cartridges were produced for the 1990 Nintendo World Championship event,...
Ninterview Stepping Into The Nintendo Arcade
Alex Crowley tells us about collecting cabinets and his love for DK
When gamers refer to and discuss retro gaming, we suspect that in most cases the conversation revolves around ageing consoles, cartridges and CDs; occasionally, the debate may even revert to libraries and choices on services such as Nintendo's Virtual Consoles. Yet an integral part...
Review Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (3DS eShop / NES)
What a horrible night to play this game
Sequels of the present day are almost an inevitability; a safe way for a developer to earn some extra revenue by expanding their previous game, slightly tweaking gameplay nuances and throwing in additional levels and enemies. However, in the late '80s, things were different – sequels could vary wildly from...
Video This Awesome Gerudo Valley Violin Cover Brings the Heat
Desert thieves, for strings
We last checked in on violin virtuoso Taylor Davis after she released an inspiring medley of songs from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Since then, Davis has traded her Sheik outfit for a Goron Tunic, bringing her talents to an arrangement of the famed Gerudo Valley theme. The video hits the trifecta: a stirring...
Review Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (Wii U eShop / NES)
Should've put a stake in it
With 1987's Castlevania on the NES, Konami created a classic. The vampire hunting action game was a whip-roaring success, kicking off one of gaming's most iconic series and introducing a generation of gamers to the adventures of Simon Belmont, the joy of whip-based combat, and the explosive properties of holy water. The...
Weirdness Someone's Actually Compiled All of the NES 'Start' Screens
Just, because...
No matter how much games change, some things stay the same — like 'Start' screens. Nowadays they represent a "this has finally stopped loading, wake up" screen, but in the NES days the focus was arguably different — load times weren't a particular issue, so they perhaps felt more like arcade-style prompts to give that initial...
News Cody, Haggar And Guy Are Scrapping Their Way To The Japanese 3DS eShop In Mighty Final Fight
While we get Mighty Bomb Jack
Next week, Japanese 3DS owners will be able to step into the super-deformed shoes of Metro City's famous wrestling mayor Mike Haggar thanks to the release of Mighty Final Fight on the 3DS Virtual Console. Capcom's side-scrolling fighter originally launched on the Famicom and NES back in 1993, and offers the same kind...
News Listen To This Awesome Street Fighter II Rock Opera
An epic six years in the making
What started as a throwaway joke between friends has now concluded as something much, much more; a fully-fledged rock opera extravaganza. In 2007, Texan indie group Man Factory got together and decided that there was enough referential material in the Street Fighter series to knock together a garage rock album telling...
Interview Kennedy Baruch on Filmmaking Inspired by Games
"The Legend of Zelda is basically the Holy Grail of gaming"
Over the past year we've shared two videos produced by Kennedy Baruch, the first of which was an award-winning short film titled ESCAPE!, a heart-wrenching tale of a young girl seeking escapism from bullying at school and abuse in a breaking home. Just recently Baruch confirmed that he's...
News Book Focused on EarthBound's Development and Localisation Shut Down by Nintendo
Marcus Lindblom: "I have no desire to rock the boat with Nintendo at all"
Marcus Lindblom was the primary translator and localisation expert for iconic Super NES title EarthBound, and since its emergence on the Wii U eShop last year he's spoken a fair amount about his work on the project. It's emerged, however, from an interview with
News Speedrunner Alert - Majora's Mask Glitch Allows Unexpected Warps
It's on
It seems that we can't get away from speedrunning at the moment, which is absolutely fine by us. Not too long ago we had a whole week of runs with the Awesome Games Done Quick event, which did an outstanding job to raise over $1,000,000 for charity. Away from fundraising, however, speedrunning is a major passion in the gaming world, and...
News Final Fantasy VI On Android Is Pricey and Looks Rather Peculiar
One alternative is the Wii Virtual Console...
Square Enix is a publisher that's made a significant push on smart devices, often standing apart due to its willingness to release some of its biggest franchises at premium prices, clearly resisting the ongoing race to the bottom. The latest case in point is Final Fantasy VI — commonly known on the...
News Quest Begins To Find The Best Game Boy Tetris Player In The United Kingdom
Block buster
Since the release of the excellent King of Kong, it's fair to say that the world of video game high-score chasing has become a little more respectable. The documentary showed that the people who post these amazing scores are necessarily locking themselves away in rooms for weeks at a time; they're normal people with families and jobs...
Weirdness Alex Kidd Infiltrates The Legend Of Zelda, With Disastrous Results
Crossover chaos
Before Sonic the Hedgehog sped onto the scene, Alex Kidd was Sega's undisputed mascot, appearing in a host of Master System adventures — as well as a single 16-bit outing — and attempting to challenge Nintendo's Mario in the sphere of platforming goodness. Since being ousted by the blue hedgehog, Alex Kidd has wandered in the...
Review Super Mario Bros. 3 (3DS eShop / NES)
Pixel-perfect platforming
Many old-school Nintendo titles are remembered fondly and adored by nostalgic fans; The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Kirby’s Adventure and more still receive heaps of praise and see frequent re-releases to this day. Few games, however, received the unanimous commendations lavished upon Super Mario Bros. 3 on its release, an...
News Nintendo World Championships Trophy Up for Auction
Now YOU can be Atlanta's 11 & Under winner!
Back in 1990 you needed skill, dedication, and maybe a little bit of luck to get your hands on a Nintendo World Championships trophy. Today, all you may need is some cold, hard cash. An alleged 1990 Nintendo World Championships trophy has popped up on ebay for the Buy It Now price of $2,000 (or best...
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