Retro News

September2012

  • News Ever Wondered How Your 3DS Battery Life Compares To the Original Game Boy?

    Semi-scientific evidence now available

    As portable systems become more powerful it's almost a given that battery life has to suffer as a result. We all fondly remember getting hours and hours of use out of our old monochrome Game Boys and Game Boy Advance MK1 consoles, but just how much more stamina do these retro relics offer when compared to the...

  • Review Bookstore Dream (DSiWare)

    Let us tell you about this game, fair reader

    Bookstore Dream, to be clear, has about as much book-selling realism as the Call of Duty series has to real warfare. Ultimately though, it is just a game, and this one draws much of its inspiration from a series of smartphone resource management games from developer Kairosoft. We won't complain about...

  • News Don't Expect A Game To Celebrate Mega Man's 25th Birthday

    Capcom: "Please do keep expectations in check"

    Mega Man's 25th anniversary is upon us, and Capcom is planning to celebrate the Blue Bomber's quarter century in style. However, before you get too excited, that doesn't mean a new game is on the way. Here's what Capcom's Christian “Sven” Svensson had to say on the matter: In December “some but...

  • Review Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (3DS eShop / NES)

    The underdog of the Zelda series returns

    Back in the early days of several franchises, the second game in a series tended to be radically different from the first, because developers had not quite pinned down what they wanted the series to become - take a look at Castlevania II or the western Super Mario Bros. 2 for example. Zelda II is another big...

  • News Want To Guess Which Nintendo Racer Inspired WipEout?

    If you said F-Zero, you're wrong

    Given that Sony's famous futuristic racer WipEout features craft which float just above the track surface, it's reasonable to assume that Nintendo's F-Zero - which predates WipEout by almost five years and also contains anti-gravity racing - would have provided the main inspiration. However, lead designer Nick...

  • Review Crazy Hunter (DSiWare)

    Hunting, it’ll make you crazy

    Have you ever thought to yourself, “what’s the least amount of fun I can possibly have while playing a DSiWare game”? Well, think no more, because now your wildest fantasies can be a reality when you play Crazy Hunter. With a plot that makes no sense and controls that are almost impossible to master, you’ll be...

  • News New Super NES Game Project Launches

    Investors call the shots

    In recent months we've reported on some fan-funded campaigns that have appeared on sites such as kickstarter.com, but a new project has launched that's a little different in its approach. It's the latest campaign from Magical Game Factory, called 'ProjectN', which will be an all-new game developed for Super NES. Unlike...

  • News Check Out Dinosaur Planet, Before it Was Invaded by Star Fox

    Anthropomorphic characters, but different

    Star Fox Adventures was the last Rare developed game on a Nintendo system before the company was bought by Microsoft, and it was famously not what had initially been planned. It was going to be a new IP called Dinosaur Planet, with creatures called Sabre and Krystal, sidekicks Tricky and Kyte, as well as a...

  • News This Super Metroid Cover Will Blow Your Mind

    Rock me, Ridley

    Given that video game music is held in such high regard by players, it's perhaps not surprising that there are literally hundreds of tributes floating around the net right now. However, few can match the awesomeness of this effort by On Being Human. The band - which is made up of film, television and video game composers - posted...

  • News It's Nintendo Versus Sega, Anime Style

    Epic console wars of the '90s retold in animation

    Japanese anime has tackled a wide range of topics over the years. From the price of fame to the effects of the bombing of Japan in World War II, the medium has been put to stunning use by animators in the Far East. However, there's plenty of oddball stuff around, too - like Aoi Sekai no Chuushin...

  • News Today Would Have Been Gunpei Yokoi's 71st Birthday

    Play a game of Tetris in his honour

    Gunpei Yokoi was one of Nintendo's original star employees. His inventions made the company millions, with the Game & Watch series kick-starting a period of portable dominance for the firm which was cemented further by the launch of the insanely successful Game Boy - possibly Yokoi's most enduring legacy...

  • News GoldenEye 007 Designer Gives Amazingly In-Depth Post-Mortem On The Game

    Martin Hollis talks about creating the perfect Bond game

    Famed developer Martin Hollis may have gone on to other projects at the now-defunct Zoonami - creators of the WiiWare classic Bonsai Barber - but he started his career at Rare, where he worked on titles such as Killer Instinct, Perfect Dark and - possibly most famously - GoldenEye 007. Hollis...

  • News LCD Gaming is Resurrected in Retro Pocket on DSiWare

    New downloadable title channels the spirit of Nintendo's Game & Watch range

    Nintendo's Game & Watch series was the precursor to the Game Boy and introduced many fledgling players to the concept of portable entertainment. The simplistic yet addictive LCD games captivated a generation, and they're due for a comeback courtesy of UFO Interactive's...

  • Feature Want to Know The Real Reason Star Fox Was Renamed in Europe?

    Unravelling the mystery behind Star Fox, Starwing and Lylat Wars

    It's funny what you take for granted. When we posted a photo of the N64 game Lylat Wars on our Nintendo Life Instagram account, we never thought for a second it would result in confused replies from our followers: "I've never seen this....what kinda badassness is in that cartridge?"...

  • Review Successfully Learning English: Year 4 (WiiWare)

    A bit tougher than A, B, C

    So, the Successfully Learning series continues its relentless march onto WiiWare, with Successfully Learning English: Year 4 being the third entry in this particular run. As we've come to expect it's much of the same thing, but with a notable step up in challenge for its young pupils. Freddy the Vampire is starting to get...

  • News Tetris Halloween Outfits Are a Puzzling Sight

    Blocks walking 'round the block

    When you combine video game enthusiasts and that strange time of year, Halloween, there's no limit to what strange costumes may be seen strolling around normally quiet neighbourhoods. It seems that one group of friends forgot that they were trying to scare people, so instead opted to cause puzzlement instead. As you...

  • Rumour Sega Is Working On Skies of Arcadia Remake

    Trademark renewal suggests the cult RPG could be getting a new set of wings

    Skies of Arcadia is one of Sega's most beloved RPGs, having turned heads on both the Dreamcast and GameCube a few years ago. The GameCube version is now quite a collector's item, as it added content and generally improved on the Dreamcast original. It would appear that Sega...

  • News The Complete 1986 CES NES Brochure For Your Viewing Pleasure

    Another retro gem from the vaults of ex-employee Howard Phillips

    Howard Phillips has been raiding his collection of Nintendo-related memorabilia again, this time coming up with an awesome NES brochure from the 1986 CES. The promotional material focuses heavily on R.O.B. the Robot, Nintendo's ill-fated attempt to give the fledgling NES a little...

  • Review Kirby's Star Stacker (3DS eShop / GB)

    Stacked

    Anybody who plays video games probably knows all about the likes of Tetris, Dr. Mario, Puzzle League and other puzzle games, but Kirby had his own original puzzler (as in, not a reskin of Puyo Puyo) as well. The last Kirby game for the original Game Boy, Kirby's Star Stacker is actually a fairly fun game, if a little shallow. Like most...

  • News NES Signed by Stars of The Wizard Up For Sale

    No Power Glove, unfortunately

    One trick of adding value to old gaming memorabilia is to get it signed by famous people, and even if you have no intention to sell, it makes it that bit more magical. If you're going to get a Nintendo Entertainment System signed, then, you could do much worse than obtain the scrawls of the stars and director of The...

August2012

  • Feature The Rik Mayall Nintendo Adverts You Totally Forgot About

    What happened when a legend of British comedy and Nintendo collided

    Nintendo Life readers over the age of 25 and based in the United Kingdom will no doubt be familar with the comedic talents of Richard Michael "Rik" Mayall. One of the pioneers of 'alternative' British comedy in the '80s, he starred in a whole host of popular TV shows, including The...

  • News Good Lord, The Knit-tendo Entertainment System Actually Exists

    We're not pulling the wool over your eyes, honest

    When you consider how omnipresent the NES was in North America during the early '90s, it's hardly surprising that a wide range of money-spinning - but ultimately pointless - peripherals were pushed out onto store shelves (Power Glove, we're looking at you). However, the king (or should that be...

  • News Capcom's Street Fighter Reaches Its Quarter Century

    If you played the SNES original, you're officially over the hill

    As pointed out by Kotaku, Capcom's seminal Street Fighter series is now 25 years old. The first game - which is also known as Fighting Street and ironically, isn't very good - launched in arcades in 1987. Of course, it was the sequel

  • News Serve Up Some Pixels For Breakfast With The NES Toaster

    Full of retro goodness

    Digital artist, MyBurningEyes, has recently posted a rather smashing 3D design of an NES Toaster on deviantART.com. Sadly the Nintendo gadget is only a concept, but we're hoping that someone with the necessary skills will spot it and make our dream breakfast machine a reality! And then send us one to try with complimentary...

  • Ninterview Super Famicom Guy

    You can call me Stu

    Welcome to a new regular feature on Nintendo Life: the "Ninterview". Once a month we'll be taking the time to talk to someone who has a special affinity to Nintendo, and our first subject is Stu Brett - who also goes by the moniker Super Famicom Guy. Stu, a 33 year old designer from Scotland, is such a huge fan of Super Famicom...

  • News Meet The Man Who Brought Nintendo To America

    Howard Phillips' amazing journey from warehouse to boardroom

    Although it's hard to imagine it now, Nintendo wasn't always a dead cert in North America. Back in the early '80s, before the company had launched the super-successful NES system in the States, it was just one of many Japanese coin-op manufacturers attempting to muscle in on the flagging...

  • News New Documentry Celebrates The World's Unsung Tetris Masters

    Block buster

    Everyone loves Tetris, right? Everyone from your grandma to Steve Wozniak, in fact! But for some people, the most famous video game ever to emerge from Russia is much more than just a way to waste a few minutes while waiting for the bus - it's a way of life, a challenge which defines and shapes their existence. Tetris lover Robin...

  • News Nintendo Champ Puts Coveted Golden Mario Trophy Up For Auction

    Got a spare $300,000?

    Way back in 1990, Thor Aackerlund saw off all challengers to secure the Nintendo World Championships in the 12-17 category. Now, over twenty years later, he's selling his one of a kind trophy on eBay for an eye-watering $300,000. Just in case you're thinking that figure is a little high, it should also be noted that included...

  • Review Metal Slug X (Wii Virtual Console / Neo Geo)

    X hits the spot

    While Contra has always been the game by which all run and gun titles have been judged, serious fans of the genre will still flash a wide grin at the mere mention of the Metal Slug series, especially Metal Slug X. There's no denying that Metal Slug 2 had all of the makings of an amazing run and gunner, but the rampant slowdown ended...

  • Feature 20 Years of Mario Kart

    How the time, and kart, flies

    Today is yet another Nintendo anniversary, in this case the 20th anniversary of Super Mario Kart's release in Japan. That's 20 years of powering around tracks and making other mascot's driving lives miserable, while infuriating their masters in multiplayer. It's a series with enduring appeal that has evolved into one...

  • Review Successfully Learning English: Year 3 (WiiWare)

    Freddy says relax

    Certain things are inevitable, such as death, taxes and another Successfully Learning download. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, if you have a young child that could use some extra help with the subject at hand, and Successfully Learning English: Year 3 delivers reliably. It does exactly the same as predecessor Successfully...

  • Feature In Defence of Super Mario Sunshine

    Do or don't look back into the sun

    Ten years ago today, on 26th August 2002, GameCube title Super Mario Sunshine was released in North America to an abundance of critical acclaim, with relatively muted murmuring that it was an unworthy follow-up to Super Mario 64. Gradually over the past decade opinions have grown more divided and gamers have become...

  • Review Abyss (DSiWare)

    Fun but lacking depth

    Abyss is almost an archetypically simple game. There are no modes, power-ups, online features or options, and every face button performs the same action. The premise is correspondingly uncomplicated: as the charmingly named deep-sea submarine “Nep2no”, you'll float through close-quartered underwater stages, avoiding the...

  • Feature Classic Gaming Typos, Errors and Translations

    Conglaturations for reading this

    Earlier this week there was a great deal of chortling at a minor grammatical error in New Super Mario Bros. 2, with the initial Coin Rush notification being the offending screen; many of us actually missed it in our eagerness to play the mode itself. There's also a bit of a grammatical slip-up in the North American...

  • Review Crazy Chicken Pirates (DSiWare)

    Not crazy enough to work

    Recently two games were released via Nintendo’s handheld online services, Crazy Chicken Pirates and Crazy Chicken Pirates 3D, and, as you’ve probably guessed, they’re very similar to one another. By “very similar”, we actually mean that — with the exception of the additional 3D effect and higher resolution of the...

  • News Intrepid Programmer Brings Super Mario Bros. to Atari 2600

    Harder than it sounds

    While many of us enjoy indulging in retro classics on a regular basis, whether experiencing them for the first time or starting a 20th playthrough, there are those with a passion for past generations of systems and games that take the hobby further. Case in point is user Sprybug from atariage.com, who has reproduced World 1-1...

  • News Dr Hank Chien Breaks His Own Donkey Kong World Record

    Just to rub it in

    Dr Hank Chien is the current master and world record holder on the original Donkey Kong arcade. Ahead of a Kong Off II event in November, it seems that Dr Kong isn't merely content to enjoy his record and wait to face his rivals, but is actively trying to assert his place at the top of the tree. After extending his world record to...

  • News Conker's Bad Fur Day Madness and Vulgarity The Work of "Twisted Genius"

    Warning: poo references

    Although Nintendo systems are notorious for censoring and toning down adult or vulgar content, there have been various mature games released on its consoles. A recent example, to name just one, is Madworld on Wii, which had enough violence and bad language to keep any mature gaming fan happy. If you want to go back to retro...

  • News Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles Helped to Save NES

    In the UK they were heroes, not ninjas

    It's a popular perception that NES swept all before it when it was released, dominating sales and 8-bit popular culture in the late 1980s. While that's probably true in North America and Japan, Nintendo's debut home console actually had a slow and rather unsuccessful start in the UK, with distribution via...

  • News Rare Final Fantasy II NES Cartridge Hits eBay

    This one's only $50,000

    A little while ago we posted news of a prototype cartridge for The Legend of Zelda on eBay, with the seller pricing it at $150,000 — though ultimately it went for around $55,000. Today brings another NES cartridge with a price tag to make the eyes water; this time it's a copy of Final Fantasy II on NES for $50,000. The...

  • Review Real Bout Fatal Fury Special (Wii Virtual Console / Neo Geo)

    Special indeed

    Generally speaking, the "special" SNK releases are generally used as an upgrade to iron out kinks found in the previous releases of the game. Real Bout Fatal Fury Special is no exception and actually goes quite a long way at upgrading the previous Real Bout Fatal Fury title, even tossing in a bunch of new goodies for fighting game...

  • Review Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon (3DS eShop / GB)

    Not so mystical

    Shortly after the original release of the excellent Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon for Nintendo 64, Konami released another game with the same title for the original Game Boy. Tragically, the N64 game has still not been released on Wii Virtual Console, but is this handheld offering a good alternative? This instalment of the Goemon...

  • Review Escape The Virus: Shoot 'Em Up! (DSiWare)

    Not hugely contagious

    Escape the Virus: Shoot 'em Up! is a top-down twin stick arcade shooter without the twin sticks. As a tiny bit of friendly bacteria, you zoom about firing out rounds of red and blue pills at an endless onslaught of nasty-looking viruses, shooting in whichever direction you're moving. The viruses always eventually win, so the...

  • Feature Let's Celebrate Kirby's Spin-Offs

    Kirby's had a busy 20 years

    Earlier this month, at his apocryphal 20th birthday celebration, we're sure Kirby was able to blow out his candles with trademark gale-force and reflect on what has been, even for a Nintendo character, an astoundingly diverse career. While keeping his day job of walking from left to right and inhaling enemies, Nintendo's...

  • News Albert Chen - Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II Aimed for "Fantasy Fulfilment"

    Would love to see a remake on 3DS

    One of the highlights of the GameCube library — a launch title no less — was Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II, a wonderful sequel to the Nintendo 64 original that dazzled with high-end graphics. For fans of the films that wanted to immerse themselves in the action and go all Luke Skywalker, it was an exciting and...

  • Review The Lost Town - The Jungle (DSiWare)

    Lost in translation

    It’s rare for a sequel to a well received game to be released with little to nothing in terms of new content. Usually, a sequel calls for a fresh plot which ushers in new characters and gameplay elements to keep the familiar franchise fresh. Sometimes though, a sequel gets released that is essentially just a re-skinning of the...

  • News Turok Developer Wants To See N64 Versions On Virtual Console

    Ex-Iguana dev talks N64 development and the influence of James Bond

    Former Acclaim and Iguana Entertainment designer Ryan Tracy wants to see the four N64 Turok games made available on the Virtual Console, but admits that the thorny issue of IP ownership could mean that his desire never comes to pass. Speaking to NotEnoughShaders.com, Tracy also...

  • News Baseball Team Commemorates Vital Win Through The Power of The NES

    Celebrating in style

    When sports teams score a particularly significant or memorable victory, it's customary for them to celebrate the event with some kind of promotional activity, but The Dunedin Blue Jays have gone one better - they've immortalised one of their proudest moments in 8-bit form. A single-A affiliate of Toronto, The Blue Jays...

  • News Harmony of a Hunter: 101% Run Set For November Release

    Blasting your speakers soon

    Harmony of a Hunter: 101% Run, the fan-produced music album of Metroid music and remixes, is now confirmed for a November release. A follow up to the original Harmony of a Hunter double album, 101% Run will feature music that missed out on the first release as well as brand new tracks. Like its predecessor it'll be...

  • Review Toki Tori (3DS eShop / GBC)

    A good egg

    Many will be familiar with Toki Tori on WiiWare, released a few years ago and since on several systems; it's been quite the popular game, but not many people are familiar with the original entry in the series. This is understandable, because it was released at the tail end of the Game Boy Color's life cycle back in 2002, but now has a...

  • Competition Toki Tori - Game Boy Color Giveaway

    Win a sealed copy of Toki Tori for Game Boy Color

    To celebrate the Euro release of the fantastically addictive Toki Tori on 3DS Virtual Console, Two Tribes and Nintendo Life are pleased to offer European, Australian and North American readers the chance to win a sealed copy of the game for Game Boy Color. How to win? All you have to do is answer the...

  • News The Legend of Zelda Prototype Cart Sells For $55,000

    One third of the Triforce price

    Earlier this week we told you about a The Legend of Zelda prototype cart for sale on eBay, with the seller establishing a target price of $150,000. A sale has now been made for a handsome sum, but it's ultimately just over a third of that target price. According to examiner.com, $55,000 is a record total for a...

  • News Commodore 64 Celebrates 30th Birthday

    Birthday wishes still loading

    We've seen some big gaming anniversaries in the past year that made some of the Nintendo Life team, and probably a fair share of readers, feel rather old. It's time for another one of these landmarks, as Commodore 64 turns 30 years old. While some may not know much about it, Commodore 64 was a games system that was...

July2012

  • Review World Heroes Perfect (Wii Virtual Console / Neo Geo)

    Not quite perfect

    When World Heroes was first released on SNK's Neo Geo arcade and home console system, it was yet another attempt to capture the popularity of Capcom's Street Fighter, this time by developer ADK. While the game featured some unique gameplay and visual features, it was still regarded more as a nice attempt at the genre than any type...

  • News Programmer Shares Experiences of Developing on N64 and GameCube

    'N64: Everything just kinda works'

    There may be some who read this article that are aspiring game designers, possibly playing around with PC development tools or maybe even a Raspberry Pi device — that's a super-cheap computer, for those that don't know. Beyond that group there are surely plenty of gamers curious about how a game goes from code to...

  • News King Nintendo 64 Lords It Up At Otakon

    Kneel, PS1 loyalists

    The console wars are long since over for Nintendo 64, the curvy chunk that heralded the end of the cartridge era and fought heroically before succumbing to its rivals. If that particular console war was ever re-imagined, however, then there seems to be one gamer that could ride into battle with Epona: King Nintendo 64, of...

  • News Legend of Zelda Prototype Cartridge Posted on eBay

    Yours for just $150,000

    When it comes to online purchases, you're unlikely to find any other website with quite the same variety as eBay. You can quite easily buy some custom made birthday cards for a few dollars, or a rare prototype The Legend of Zelda cartridge for just $150,000, which is the price of a small house or expensive sports car. The...

  • Feature Olympics Fever on Nintendo Systems

    Button mashing for gold

    If you’ve been living in a cave and isolated from the world for the past couple of weeks, then you may not have been bombarded with coverage of the London 2012 Olympic Games. It’s now well under way, and thousands of athletes are running, cycling, swimming and more in the name of winning a shiny gold medal. None of the...

  • News Find The Real Master Sword in This Ocarina of Time Tribute

    Expect the unexpected

    For gamers infatuated with iconic moments in gaming, who also happen to have a camera and a bit of film-making expertise, there's only one place to go: YouTube. While there's plenty of appalling rubbish on everyone's favourite video-sharing site, there's also some good work that re-creates memorable sequences with a twist. One...

  • Review Decathlon 2012 (DSiWare)

    Torch it

    Well, the London 2012 Olympic games are officially underway, and the eShop now has its equivalent of those ubiquitous bootlegged t-shirts in the form of Decathlon 2012, a digital souvenir that hopes to coast on the excitement of the Olympics without shelling out for the rights to refer to them by name. Already we're off to a great start,...

  • Review Mole Mania (3DS eShop / GB)

    Dig in

    Poor Muddy Mole has returned home to find his family kidnapped by the evil farmer Jinbe. That's the entire plot, and we're happy about that. After all, Mole Mania isn't about storytelling; it's about a massive gauntlet of clever puzzles, and that's exactly why we like it. Divided into eight very large levels, Muddy's adventure finds him...

  • Review Rabi Laby 2 (DSiWare)

    Return to Wonderland

    Remember the old adage “less is more"? Even if you don’t, Agetec certainly does, as is clearly reflected in Rabi Laby 2, its most recent DSiWare release. While it’s true that not much has changed from the first instalment, the original Rabi Laby was pretty good, so there’s not much to find fault with here. Much like its...

  • Review Successfully Learning English: Year 2 (WiiWare)

    Back to the classroom

    If you combine DSiWare and WiiWare, Tivola’s Successfully Learning series has been one of the most prolific franchises available for download. Just when we thought it was all over, Successfully Learning English: Year 2 makes the transition from DSiWare to WiiWare, and young pupils can breathe a sigh of relief. The question is...

  • Review Petit Computer (DSiWare)

    Massive potential, minor headache

    There are few better places to learn programming than within the BASIC family — heck, it's in the name — which offers general-purpose, relatively simple environments in which to learn the ropes and concepts of coding. Petit Computer is a powerful BASIC coding environment, a type of homebrew application seldom...

  • News Post-It Note Mario Has The Moves

    Only 7000 notes used

    As Mario is, arguably, the biggest icon in video game history, it's little surprise that he's the subject of various fan-projects and videos. One new video, posted yesterday on YouTube by user FinalCutKing, apparently uses 7000 post-it notes — and a lot of patience — to create a stop-motion video that sees Mario platforming...

  • Feature GameCube - GBA Connectivity and Wii U

    Blazing a trail

    Nintendo has been known to dip into its past when looking for the future. The 3DS is a good example: while the handheld may be the first glasses-free 3D video game system, it's hardly the company's first foray into the third dimension. The forgotten Famicom 3D System brought pop-out graphics to Nintendo's original home console in...

  • Feature Batman's Nintendo Adventures

    Holy topical feature, Batman!

    Today sees the launch of The Dark Knight Rises in UK and North American theatres, amongst others, and it's become a cultural phenomenon, dominating the thoughts of Batman geeks and film lovers alike. We figured that you'll see the word 'Batman' wherever you go, so we might as well wrap it up in our favourite...

  • News Apple Co-Founder is a Tetris Master

    Those other gamers can't deny

    Tetris is a brand that will forever be in the history of handheld gaming in particular, as it's credited by many as being the key title to launching the Game Boy to popularity. It had appeared on various consoles before Nintendo's handheld, but found its home on the system and became a phenomenon. The second part of...

  • Review Wario Land II (3DS eShop / Game Boy)

    Greed is good

    After the success of the first Wario Land, Nintendo decided to take another shot at putting its beloved new anti-hero in the spotlight. To differentiate it from Mario even further, it removed the "Super Mario Land" prefix and also made a massive gameplay change for Wario Land II. But is it one for the better? Defeated at the end of...

  • Review The King of Fighters '96 (Wii Virtual Console / Neo Geo)

    A step in the right direction

    King of the Fighters '96 marks the third release in the popular SNK fighting game series, and while we've already seen KoF releases from both before and after this title, SNK has finally decided to go back and release this pivotal release in the series. With a host of new gameplay additions, many of which help balance...

  • News Create 'A Game By Its Cover' Competition is Underway

    Heading to Nottingham's GameCity festival

    Indie game developers have delivered some memorable titles, mainly downloadable, in recent years. While blockbuster experiences can be terrific, there's a growing market of determined programmers and game designers going their own way, and 'A Game By Its Cover' is a competition that's encouraging people to...

  • Review Frogger: Hyper Arcade Edition (WiiWare)

    Hopping mad

    Frogger reached its 30th anniversary last year so, as is tradition for gaming birthdays, Konami has marched out a new edition of the arcade classic. Frogger: Hyper Arcade Edition sets out to bring multiplayer and new play styles to the franchise, but it's not quite all it's croaked up to be. It's split up into eight modes – six game...

  • Review 2020 Super Baseball (Wii Virtual Console / Neo Geo)

    Step up to the plate

    Taking a popular sport and fusing it together with a futuristic theme is certainly nothing new in the world of video games. Atari managed quite a bit of success with its robotic football release Cyberball, so it comes as no surprise that other companies would follow suit. Back in 1991 SNK took a page out of Atari's book and...

  • Review Candle Route (DSiWare)

    Candlelight delight

    Candle Route is a unique and colourful puzzle game starring Sparky, a plucky, anthropomorphic flame charged with bringing light to Crayon Castle before night comes around. The adventure that follows feels a bit like a cross between ChuChu Rocket!, mini-golf, and being a mother duck; most importantly it's beautiful, original and...

  • Review Ace Mathician (DSiWare)

    Smooth operators

    Ace Mathician, from Flipper developer Goodbye Galaxy Games, is a unique puzzle-platformer that succeeds in combining the magic of both marsupials and maths. The basic idea is to help a friendly koala named Ace reach the fruit at the end of each single-screen stage by rearranging platforms using algebraic equations. Make no mistake:...

  • Review The Sword of Hope II (3DS eShop / GB)

    The great black and white hope

    Poor Prince Theo. Not only is his first game still unavailable in the eShop, but his second adventure begins with all of his previous hard work being undone, an evil spirit being set free by would-be grave robbers, the Sword of Hope being stolen, and a young orphan accusing him of murdering his father. He really can't...

  • Review Kirby's Pinball Land (3DS eShop / GB)

    Less than the sum of its parts

    While primarily known as the star of a reliably charming series of platformers, Kirby has also starred in a fair share of spin-offs. One of those, Kirby's Block Ball, came to the eShop just a few months ago. It's a flawed but fun reimagining of Breakout. It plays to the strengths of both Breakout as a template and...

  • Review Let's Create! Pottery (WiiWare)

    Different console, same game

    Every now and again a game gets released that makes its players collectively ask “why? Why did this happen?” Then, inexplicably, the same exact game gets released on a completely different console after it has barely been changed at all. As you may have already guessed, this is exactly the case with Let’s Create!...

  • News Pixel Nation Volume 2 Hits Stands

    Bubbly bobbly

    Independent retro games magazine Pixel Nation has just published its second issue, available in both physical and PDF form. This volume comes loaded with articles on topics as diverse as bizarre NES accessories — ever heard of the Miracle Piano? — and a look back at classic gaming year 1986, there's something for everyone,...

  • Review 3, 2, 1... Words Up! (DSiWare)

    Fun with words

    3, 2, 1... Words Up! is a great example of how simple can be satisfying. This word-unscrambling game does one thing and does it well, providing a solid dose of portable wordplay to anyone looking to test their lexical limits. The basic objective is to create as many words as possible from a bank of seven letters, and there are two...

  • Review NES Open Tournament Golf (3DS eShop / NES)

    Retro golf gaming at its finest

    While the eShop already has Golf for the Game Boy available, anyone who purchased that game may now start to wish they had saved their money. NES Open Tournament Golf is a superior experience in every way. Perhaps not substantially so, but it's certainly a more rewarding way to spend a day on the links. NES Open...

  • Feature A Visual Guide to Nintendo's Handheld Revamps - Part Two

    Time for double vision

    Earlier this week we brought you the first part of our visual guide to Nintendo's Handheld Revamps, starting with Game Boy and going all the way up to Game Boy Advance SP. In terms of handheld console models, and despite the number of years covered, that only covered about half of the story; now we'll pick up with the first...

  • Review Topoloco (DSiWare)

    It may be a map, but it's no legend

    Congratulations are in order for Abstraction Games: it released a topography game that's even less fun that it sounds. Topoloco almost deserves an award for just how much it gets entirely wrong. Before you read the rest of this review, know that we didn't expect this to be much of a game, per se. Topoloco markets...

  • Review Project Zero 2: Wii Edition (Wii)

    Poltergeist snap

    If you're more than a little wary when it comes to bumps in the night, it might be best to stay away from Project Zero 2: Wii Edition. Tecmo Koei's ghastly survival horror series, also known as Fatal Frame, throws you within the clutches of dozens of malicious apparitions with only a camera for protection. A proton pack it ain't...

  • Review Castlevania: The Adventure (3DS eShop / GB)

    Belmont's first portable adventure

    When the Game Boy hit store shelves in 1989 it didn’t take long for a vast swathe of third-party publishers – many of which had grown fat on the profits generated by Nintendo’s astonishingly popular NES – to sign up to produce software for the device. Konami was one of the first to pledge its allegiance to...

  • Review Flip the Core (DSiWare)

    Hit or bore?

    We've already seen a few shoot 'em ups pop up on DSiWare, but for the most part the selection has felt more gimmicky than traditional. Flip the Core continues that tradition with a unique "flip" design that allows you to flip the flat background planes, greatly altering the level with one push of a button. And while this interesting...

  • Feature A Visual Guide to Nintendo's Handheld Revamps - Part One

    Because one is never enough

    The recent announcement of 3DS XL less than 18 months after the original 3DS hit shelves drew a lot of discussion, so we thought we'd dive through the archives to present you with a visual history of the evolution of Nintendo handheld consoles, starting with the good old Game Boy. We're not going to go into all of the...

  • Review Jewel Legends: Tree of Life (DSiWare)

    Was it meant for you?

    Not that there’s any shortage of them on DSiWare, but right off the bat it should be said that Jewel Legends: Tree of Life is a puzzle game. Not only is it a puzzle game, but it’s a match three puzzle game, which means that you know exactly what to expect with this download. While there are some new features to spice up...

  • Review Escape the Virus: Swarm Survival (DSiWare)

    Mini-thrills with micro-organisms

    Escape the Virus: Swarm Survival, an offshoot of the WiiWare title Viral Survival from a few years back, is a collection of two score-based arcade games that take place under the microscope. While there's not a lot to this simple petri dish offering, what's there is an awful lot of fun and the core mechanics are...

June2012

  • Review Double Dragon II: The Revenge (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    Revenge is sweet

    When Double Dragon first hit the arcade scene back in 1987, it was immediately lauded for its intense beat 'em up gameplay and slick visuals and soundtrack. After making pit stops on a number of platforms, the NES included, the game only grew in popularity. So it was only natural that a sequel, Double Dragon II: The Revenge would...

  • News Atari Turns 40 Today

    The original gaming behemoth

    Current-day gamers are familiar with just three game console manufacturers at the top of the tree: Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony. Some who are older may remember when SEGA was in its pomp and challenging Nintendo in the 1990s, but for those that care to go even further back, Atari comes into the picture. Atari is 40...

  • Review Pokémon Conquest (DS)

    Resistance is feudal

    Peanut butter and chocolate, Chris Farley and David Spade, Marvel and Capcom. Taking two great things and smashing them together is a long-standing tradition of the human experience. Now, in the year 2012, another legendary combination can be etched into the annals of history – Pokémon and Nobunaga’s Ambition. Pokémon is...

  • Review Goooooal Europa 2012 (DSiWare)

    Missing an open goooooal

    DSiWare is like any other downloadable game platform: it features gems full of creativity and compulsive play, and then it has titles like Goooooal Europa 2012, which tries to hide its painful inadequacies with a ‘fun’ title and a tenuous link to a major football tournament. The idea of a table football game with stylus...

  • News Get a Load of This Retro Rap

    Rad rapping

    Music dedications to classic gaming are relatively common on YouTube, but a new rap track from Richie Branson and Random a.k.a. Mega Ran is a cut above the rest. Super Nintendo, SEGA Genesis is fondly dedicated to the retro 16-bit rivals, with both rappers dropping references to many of the most memorable games and trends of the time...

  • News Nintendo Serves Up Mario Tennis History Infographic

    One love

    This week sees the start of Wimbledon, and with Mario Tennis Open only a month old Nintendo's combined the two in infographic format. The official series history starts from 3D sports game Mario's Tennis and ends with... 3D sports game Mario Tennis Open. Weird. It's a bit confusing, though: it mentions Mario Tennis in 2004, presumably...

  • Review Sonic Blast (3DS eShop / GG)

    From the past, not a blast

    Not to be confused with Sonic 3D Blast, Sonic Blast only really shares a fondness for rendered sprites with its 16-bit namesake, sticking to more mainline Sonic staples like running, spinning and grabbing Chaos Emeralds. The rendered sprites weren't particularly impressive back in 1996 and they don't stand up too well...

  • Review Save the Furries (WiiWare)

    Furful

    We've seen several WiiWare titles make the jump to other, probably more profitable, platforms, but it happens the other way around too. Save the Furries is one example; it started life as an iOS title, but now the alien-saving puzzler has scurried over to the Nintendo side. The goal is to get the titular helpless creatures from A (their...

  • Review Lola's Fruit Shop Sudoku (DSiWare)

    Sudoku Jr.

    Earlier this year we were pleasantly surprised by Lola's Alphabet Train, a rewardingly sweet journey through simple spelling drills. It was colourful, engaging and inventive. Now we have a sequel in the form of Lola's Fruit Shop Sudoku, and while the previous game's charm is intact, it's a bit less impressive overall. You'd be forgiven...

  • Feature Nostalgia vs. Eternal Darkness

    Jon celebrates the 10th anniversary of this cult horror classic by losing his mind, in more ways than one

    Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem is one of those games whose cult status has snowballed since it hit in 2002, and with good reason. As a fairly innovative horror game from Silicon Knights and Nintendo, it kept players on their toes for its...

  • Feature Summer Sizzlers

    Hot stuff

    Dust off your swimming trunks and stock up on sun cream because summer is upon us. While this may not be completely true if you live in a certain southern hemisphere (or a country like Great Britain, where meteorological conditions defy all logic and expectations), here are some games that will bring you that warm, fuzzy feeling of the hot...

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