NES News, NES Features - Page 2 of 9

Zelda and Castlevania, trance-style

Electronic recording artist The Electric Witch (real name Zac Bentz) has created a fitting aural tribute to the NES era in the form of NEScapism, a mini-album which spurns the traditional chiptune format and instead re-imagines classic 8-bit tunes as swirling ambient soundscapes. To quote the composer:...

Well I never

We've all done it. Blowing on cartridge connections has (apparently) always been the most effective way of getting stubborn games to load, but according to MentalFloss, it could actually cause more problems in the long term. MentalFloss spoke to Digital Press expert Frankie Viturello and he had some pretty damning words to say about...

In the fictional world of video game promotion, at least

We Sing 80s is the latest in a long line of Wii-based music titles, so it's a given that the promotional campaign for the game needs to be something special for it to get noticed. Publisher Nordic Games has done just that by mocking up a video which shows what the game would have looked like...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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..

In Japan at least

NES classic Mega Man is coming to the 3DS Virtual Console in Japan next week. The Blue Bomber's legendary 8-bit adventure lands in Japan on 18th July for 500 Yen — around £3.99 or $6.30 — but expect the pricing to be slightly different when it reaches the West. If you're interested in playing some Mega Man on the go but...

Back to the past

Fans of the humble Nintendo Entertainment System can learn more about their favourite machine with a new issue of NES-Bit, a fan magazine devoted to all things 8-bit. The second issue features a look back at the NES vs. Master System war, a guide to importing Famicom titles, a Castlevania series retrospective and much more. It's...

Bro-off

Mario marathons are nothing new, but this weekend sees an oft-overlooked entry in the franchise take centre stage — and all for charity. The Bro-Off puts Mario Bros. front and centre, with four world class players battling simultaneously to set a new world record. It all kicks off tomorrow at 12 midday Eastern (9am Pacific, 5pm UK, 6pm...

Perhaps Shigeru Miyamoto would like one

Last week Shigeru Miyamoto shared his admiration for Angry Birds, even mischievously suggesting that it would be better on DS. Even better though, what if it had been on the NES? The idea is crazy and technically impossible, but perhaps that adds to the charm of the pictured NES cart produced by 72pins.com, a...

Making beautiful music

You can play a lot on an NES, but you know what you can't play on it? Stairway to Heaven. You could end all that injustice with an NES guitar. Get Lo-Fi (via This Is Why I'm Broke) makes and sells various configurations of the guitars — single coil pick-ups and rosewood or maple neck will set you back $155, while humbuckers...

G, Sonic

Two more for the 3DS Virtual Console in Japan: NES title Donkey Kong Jr. and Sonic Blast (aka G Sonic) for Game Gear. Neither title is the most fondly remembered in its respective canon, though Sonic Blast has the dubious distinction of being the last game commercially released for the Game Gear in Japan. Knuckles is playable too, which is...

Officially confirmed

When it comes to Nintendo-themed April Fools jokes, Google showed plenty of creativity with Google Maps 8-bit. Some of our readers with a solid grasp of NES classics observed that the music and overall theme of the fictional cartridge strongly resembled the original Dragon Quest: accessing the trial version online also involved...

Amazing.

It's that time of year again folks, Google have put something together which should please every single Nintendo Life reader - Google Maps for NES. Google Maps is now available for 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment Systems (NES). Availability in Google Store is TBD but you can try it on your browser by going to http://maps.google.com and...