Retro News, Retro Features - Page 30 of 48

UK-based retro gamers take note

Those of you with above-average memories will recall that we attended a Retro Computer Museum event a while back, and were blown away by the sheer magnitude of the vintage gaming hardware on display. If you gazed upon our coverage with envy, you'll be pleased to learn that another event is taking place at the end of this month. The venue is once again the sleepy..

The very definition of Boomshakalaka

Released amid a surge in the popularity of professional basketball during the early 1990s, NBA Jam rode the wave along with many other basketball video games. In spite of all the competition, it became a legend in its own time and is still remembered fondly today. Often sport-based games become obsolete a year after their release, but Midway shattered that..

You don't need to be the master of unlocking to access these horror treasures

Boo! It's a regular fright fest in this episode of NLFM as we queue up some of our favorite horror game tracks. BEHOLD! the wonders of mad science gone wrong! GASP! at the children of the night! WONDER! how Chuck D. Head doesn't need more painkillers! RUN! from the Scissorman! Dare you listen? Dare you not? In case you've..

Well, sort of

The humble Nintendo Entertainment System has been everything from a lunchbox to a guitar, but for those who like the classic experience of putting media in and getting entertainment out will be intrigued by this latest mod that turns the console into a fully functioning DVD player. A little more complex than simply putting a DVD player...

A super-sized side-scrolling McVenture

The time from 1990 to 1994 was the golden age of games as starring vehicles for junk food mascots. Few remember, but some will never forget, the convoluted, hyper-caloric brilliance of Yo! Noid, Chester Cheetah: Too Cool to Fool, and Cool Spot. Of the myriad snack-hocking titles, however, the super-sized, special sauce-soaked, Big Mac-Daddy of them all is..

Some things, it seems, never change

In Japan in 1996 a craze started; by the turn of the century, it had worked its way around the world capturing the hearts and minds of gamers as easily as a level 3 Rattata is caught in a Master Ball. That craze was Pokémon: Nintendo’s pocket monster catching/training/battling powerhouse. The two Game Boy...

To think that once I could not see beyond the veil of our reality to see those who dwell behind

When Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem was released, there was a glut of Mature-rated horror games on the market from which to choose. Between the endless sequels to Resident Evil, Silent Hill and others, it was easy to overlook this newcomer. But...

Frightful Fridays and Scary Saturdays ahead

As we all know, October 31st is All Hallows Eve, popularly known as Halloween. It's a night when some of you will dress up in your favourite fear-inducing garb and haunt the town, others will dress up as well but instead go to screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and others still will stay home and watch Ernest Scared Stupid. It's also a month..

You won't get board of this one

Although Atlus is undoubtedly best known for its expertise in the field of RPGs, the Shinjuku-based company does occasionally try its hand at other genres. One such example is Snowboard Kids, released on the Nintendo 64 back in 1998 in cooperation with Japanese development studio Racdym. Best summed up as Mario Kart on snowboards, it's a cartoony arcade racer..

First 4 Figures continuing its Metroid Gunship Series

If the recent listing of the life-size Samus Aran promotion statue was too big for you to handle, then you might be interested in First 4 Figures' latest model in its Metroid Gunship Series as it's considerably smaller and won't be a nuisance when it comes to vacuuming. The Metroid Prime Gunship, as featured in Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime:..

Top Nintendo designers shoot the breeze

Nintendo's Iwata Asks series has provided us with plenty of fascinating insights into the creation of the company's games, the minds of its creators and the creative spirit that defines its output. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Super Mario Bros., Nintendo legends Shigesato Itoi (creator of the EarthBound games) and Shigeru Miyamoto sat down to speak..

"One of mankind's greatest creations," says great man

It's been 25 years since Super Mario Bros. hit the world of gaming, and its influence is still felt widely around the world. Konami legend and Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima is just one individual whose life was altered by the plumbing adventure. Kojima has said: With the creation of Super Mario Bros., Shigeru Miyamoto not only altered..

That's old

It was on this day in 1889 that a playing card company opened up in Kyoto, Japan, headed up by Fusajiro Yamauchi. Its name was the Nintendo Playing Card Company – catchy, right? – that went on to become one of the world's biggest entertainment companies. If you want to know more about Nintendo's history, the excellent The History of...

The original Rayman

A few years before Rayman hit the scene, there was another lesser known platforming hero with floating hands and feet that he could throw at enemies. Created by John and Ste Pickford, two fairly well-known British video game designers, Plok is perhaps one of, if not the best, examples of a cult classic Super Nintendo platformer. There's not much of a story to the game: Plok, the..

Vblank Entertainment's open-world game looks set to hijack your 8-bit heart

Grand Theftendo may have started out as a pet project of Vblank Entertainment's Brian Provinciano, but eight years later it's turned into one of the most intriguing games slated to hit WiiWare in the form of Retro City Rampage. The novelty of an 8-bit open-world game was enough to put it on our radar, and the amount of..

Orchestral arrangements of classic Nintendo games

If you've not got any plans this Thursday night, then be sure to tune into a live stream of Symphonic Legends' orchestral renditions of classic video games. Produced by Thomas Boecker with Jonne Valtonen taking lead composer duties, the WDR Radio Orchestra will be performing at the Cologne Philharmonic Hall on the 23rd September so even if you don't..

Red, blue or yellow up for grabs

North America's Super Mario Bros. 25th anniversary site opened recently, and now Nintendo of Australia has launched its 25th Anniversary competition website offering one misty-eyed gamer the chance to win a brand new DSi XL. If your entry is selected as the best Mario memory, you could win a red, blue or yellow DSi XL as well as a copy of New Super Mario Bros.. Need..

The high score merry-go-round keeps turning

Billy Mitchell, Hank Chien, Steve Wiebe: these men are the giants of Donkey Kong, throwing the world record around like a numerical barrel. Chien bested Mitchell, then Mitchell topped Chien, and now long-time underdog Steve Wiebe has reclaimed the top spot by a whisker. Mitchell's previous best stood at 1,062,800, with Wiebe's new world record reaching..

Auction site sells heroine

Ever wonder what happens to all those amazing life-size statues and installations in game shops after they're taken down? They usually end up on eBay, of course. That's the fate of this Metroid statue created to promote celebrated first-person adventure Metroid Prime, currently on sale for a measly £65. Standing 190cm tall and weighing some 50kg, as you'd expect the..