Retro News
November2016
Video Watch Us Go Hands-On with the NES Mini
It's not about the size, it's what you do with it
Now that the Mini NES is safely out of its packaging, we decided to go absolutely mad and actually play the console to see how it handles. After a few minor technical frustrations we finally got our mess of technology required to capture what this sucker spits out to behave. Make sure you check out...
Video See What Lurks Inside the Packaging of the NES Mini
Released from its cardboard prison
As far as miniaturised consoles go, the NES Classic Edition (or Nintendo Classic Mini as it's known in Europe) has to be one of the most adorable. We managed to get our hands on one of these bad boys early and put its packaging through its paces, albeit gently. Check out the video above where we take this sucker...
Poll Are You Excited About the Mini NES?
Perhaps hype is bigger than the diminutive system
It's been easy to get distracted in recent times, but one of Nintendo's most important Holiday releases is around the corner. We're not talking about Pokémon Sun and Moon, that's still to come, but rather the Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition (Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo...
News Nintendo Celebrates the NES Classic Edition by Going Retro With The 'Power Line'
Who you gonna call?
Remember the '80s? The Goonies, leg warmers, Duran Duran and most importantly the Power Line. Yes, back when there was no internet (not even dial-up!) Nintendo fans struggling with a particular game could contact the call line for handy tips and hints from "Nintendo Game Play Counselors" (imagine having that on your CV). Now with...
News Yoshio Sakamoto Recalls The Moment He Realised Satoru Iwata Was A Programming Genius
"Iwata-san basically made it in three days"
The celebrate the upcoming release of the NES Classic Mini (or Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition system, if you wish), Nintendo commissioned Japanese writer Akinori Sao with interviewing key staff involved with the console's history. One of his interview subjects is Yoshio Sakamoto,...
News Doubt Is Thrown On The Exact Story Behind The Creation Of Donkey Kong
Did Miyamoto have to compete with his co-workers?
Donkey Kong is arguably one of the most important games in Nintendo's history. Prior to its release the firm was struggling for attention with coin-op rivals like Taito and Namco, and it is often stated that it was a 'make or break' release for the Japanese company after a string of costly failures...
News Check out the Retro-Bit Generations Launch Trailer
In all its old-school glory
It won't be long before the NES Mini will be on store shelves, but that's obviously not the only console that will be offering a throwback experience. The Retron-5 has gotten a lot of attention for its versatility, but now Retro-Bit is looking to get a piece of the market with the Retro-Bit Generations. Over 100 titles...
News Classic Game Music Gets a Jazzy Twist in New Game+ Album
From OverClocked Records and jazz fusion band Materia
Retro games are continually celebrated in different ways around the web, giving classic material a new lease of life. Plenty of talented fans do this through music, and a new album brings a classy twist to iconic tracks. New Game+ is a collaboration between OverClocked Records and 'jazz...
News Nyko Thinks Cords Are Gnarly, Offers The Miniboss For The NES Classic Edition Instead
$19.99, out on November 11th
The NES Classic Edition arrives this month, and ships with a wired controller which is a close match for the pad that accompanied the game-changing 1985 console. While being tethered to the system by a cord no doubt adds to the authentic retro experience, there will be some players out there who are young enough to have...
News NES Classic Edition Teardown Peeks Inside the Tiny System
Might not be easy for modders to add new games
Various media outlets are beginning to get their hands on the upcoming Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition, and it was only matter of time before someone dismantled this miniature work of art to see what's going on inside the shell. GameSpot senior reviews editor Peter Brown tweeted a...
News Take A Sneak Peek At Prima's Playing With Power: Nintendo NES Classics Book
It's dangerous to go alone!
Hot on the heels of the launch of the Nintendo Classic Mini on the 11th of this month is Prima's Playing With Power: Nintendo NES Classics Book, which is available on the 18th November. The book offers a retrospective on 17 NES classics including complete walkthroughs for Super Mario Bros. 3, Donkey Kong, and The Legend...
Video Digital Foundry Takes a Retrospective Look at Metroid Prime
A timeless classic
It goes without saying that Metroid Prime marked a high point in Nintendo's long history; the game is frequently listed as one of the best in the Metroid series and is even occasionally listed as one of the greatest games of all time. While Retro did an excellent job of designing it from a gameplay perspective, the visuals and...
October2016
News Mega Drive 'Limited Edition' Console Heading to Brazil in 2017
22 games pre-installed, supports original cartridges
Making old systems new again is a bit of a trend at the moment, with the Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition (Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System in Europe) being just one example that's due in stores soon. Different markets cater to different needs, bringing up...
News Sega Bringing New Ghost Squad To Arcades, May Also Be Rebooting Daytona USA
Let's go away!
Once upon a time the local arcade was the only place to get your cutting-edge gaming fix. Back in the '80s and '90s coin-op tech was way ahead of what was available in the home and companies like Sega, Capcom and SNK all put plenty of resource into creating coin-guzzling smash-hits. Fast forward to today and arcades are all but dead,...
Video Get In The Halloween Spirit With The Complete History Of Splatterhouse
Rickrolled
Namco took quite a gamble when it released Splatterhouse in arcades in 1988. The company's previous titles had been cartoon-like and appealing to all ages, but this side-scrolling action title took inspiration from Hollywood slasher and horror movies, turning up the gore level and providing an experience which wasn't really suitable for...
News Nintendo Of America Shows Off Its Unreleased Sky Skipper Arcade Cabinet
Hidden away in the vaults
We recently covered the launch of the Sky Skipper Project, which is an ambitious project by three retro enthusiasts - Whitney Roberts, Olly Cotton and Alex Crowley - to unveil a fully restored arcade cabinet of the game in 2017. Sky Skipper was one of a number of arcades planned to arrive after the success of Donkey Kong...
Video Nintendo Minute Goes Retro With a Look at the Mini NES
Or Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition...
The Mini NES isn't far away, and could be a popular gift in the Holiday season. Pre-orders have been limited and relatively tough to come by in Europe, while in North America it seems the strategy for most stores will be to have them in-store only, which could prompt a bit of a rush on 11th...
Feature NES Mini Classics - Dr. Mario
Just what we ordered
With the upcoming release of the Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition (NA) / Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System (PAL), we're going to provide short profiles of all 30 games included on the system. This time around we look at Dr. Mario. In the titles we've covered so far in this series, the...
Random Homemade Video Reviews Of Killer Instinct Gold Don't Get Much Better Than This
"It's a very encouraging game to play"
Nintendo Life readers should be familiar with the work of Tyler Esposito. Not only has he contributed to the site in the past, he runs the excellent YouTube channel iretrogamer.com, which showcases loads of excellent retro content as well as covering some of the home movies Esposito made with his late father,...
News GameStop Starts Selling and Accepting Trade-Ins on Retro Gaming in the US
Trading with power
The retro gaming scene has changed a lot in recent years, with values climbing up in many cases; it can be an expensive business picking up some games and systems from decades gone by. There must be money in it, as GameStop is ramping up its retro offerings and even taking trade-ins on old consoles and games. Trade-ins are...
Video Did You Know Gaming Takes a Look at The Mysterious Murasume Castle
That one Nintendo game with the samurai
Some of you may be aware of The Mysterious Murasume Castle, an NES game developed by Nintendo that has received numerous references over the years. Though the original game was never localized, it nonetheless has popped up every now and then, such as in the Takamaru's Ninja Castle minigame in Nintendo Land or...
Video Someone Has Solved Super Mario 64's Impossible Coin Mystery
Striking gold
You might think we know everything there is to know about Super Mario 64, but that's not the case. The game continues to give up its secrets, and the latest involves a coin which is impossible to collect. The N64 classic actually has a handful of coins that cannot be obtained by the player, but the one in question - found in the huge...
News EMiO Releasing NES Advantage-Style Joystick For The NES Classic Edition
Along with a joypad that boasts Turbo
If you were really serious about your NES gaming back in the day then there was only one control option in town: the NES Advantage. An arcade-style joystick so sturdy it felt like it could comfortably withstand nuclear war, it even had a brush with Hollywood fame thanks to the movie Ghostbusters 2. This iconic...
Book Review Nintendo 64 Anthology
A fitting tribute to a beloved console
So much for the internet destroying printed media. In the past few years we've seen a wealth of amazing video game-related books, including Sega Mega Drive: The Collected Works, Britsoft and – still to come – the
News Michel Ancel Discovers and Showcases Rayman on SNES
A ray of retro light
Michel Ancel has one of the most interesting and closely followed Instagram accounts in the business at present. In addition to new Beyond Good & Evil game posts and cool artwork besides, the much-admired game designer and creator has now shared images of an extremely rare SNES ROM. It's the original SNES Rayman, which was...
Feature NES Mini Classics - Double Dragon II: The Revenge
A mini fight
With the upcoming release of the Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition (NA) / Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System (EU), we're going to provide short profiles of all 30 games included on the system. This time around we look at Double Dragon II: The Revenge. So far this series of articles on the NES Mini...
News GameStop Won't Offer Pre-Orders for the NES Classic Edition
Time to get in line
The upcoming Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition (as it's called in North America) should be a hugely popular stocking filler in the Holiday season. Yet while pre-orders have been possible (albeit limited in availability) in PAL territories, North America has only seen brief pre-order windows that were rapidly shut...
Feature NES Mini Classics - Donkey Kong Jr.
Don't call me Junior!
With the upcoming release of the Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition (NA) / Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System (EU), we're going to provide short profiles of all 30 games included on the system. This time around we look at Donkey Kong Jr., having covered the iconic original in our most recent...
Random Meet The Twisted Offspring Of WarioWare And NES Remix That Will Never See Release
"We would not make it available to the public"
Indie coder Bennett Foddy has already made a name for himself with left-field releases like QWOP and Pole Riders, but his latest effort - produced in collaboration with AP Thomson - is perhaps his most charmingly ridiculous yet. Multibowl! takes inspiration from the likes of NES Remix and WarioWare by...
Video Fan Remakes NES Castlevania Using Unreal Engine 4
While Konami sleeps...
We've already seen a few Nintendo properties remade using the powerful Unreal Engine but this latest project is of interest because it aims to remake one of the NES' most beloved third-party titles: Konami's Castlevania. Dejawolfs has spent the past four months working on the demo shown above, which recreates the first two...
Exclusive Check Out Wil Overton's Gorgeous Cover Art For HyperPlay RPG Issue Two
No longer a Secret (of Mana)
We're big fans of HyperPlay RPG here at Nintendo Life, partly because it reminds us of the days before the internet where fanzines were commonplace, but mostly because it's an extremely well-produced publication packed with reviews, features and other cool stuff. A short time ago we confirmed that the one and only Wil...
Video Shurikens Go Flying In This Series Recap of Shinobi
The complete history of Sega's nimble ninja
Sega's classic arcade game Shinobi wowed ninja fans back in 1987; with its addictive fast-paced action and great atmosphere it was only a matter of time before it got ported to pretty much every home format under the sun - including the NES and the Master System. The Revenge of Shinobi was released early...
Feature NES Mini Classics - Donkey Kong
It's on like (cease and desist inbound...)
With the upcoming release of the Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition (NA) / Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System (EU), we're going to provide short profiles of all 30 games included on the system. This time around we look at Donkey Kong, a tale perhaps more complicated than it...
Random We Explore What the NES Classic Edition Will Fit Inside, in the Name of Science
It's better than an NX rumour
As you're probably aware, we at Nintendo Life are committed to bringing you the biggest, best, and most important news stories every day of the week. This is not one of those times, and so instead we're sticking the NES Classic Edition in as many household objects as we can find. You can see it all unfold in the video...
Feature NES Mini Classics - Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
A quest that came along too early
With the upcoming release of the Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition (NA) / Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System (EU), we're going to provide short profiles of all 30 games included on the system. This series has already looked at Castlevania, so not it's only fitting that we move our...
Random Behold the NES Classic Edition Carrying Case
Now you're carrying with power!
The upcoming Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition is already about as retro as retro can be, but if you want to take things to the next level you'll need a carrying case. No self respecting gamer in the late '80s would have been caught transporting their beloved consoles without adequate protection...
Feature NES Mini Classics - Castlevania
Dracul-argh
With the upcoming release of the Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition (NA) / Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System (EU), we're going to provide short profiles of all 30 games included on the system. Now we turn our attention to Castlevania; don't forget to check out the first two entries in this series, in...
News Famicom RPG Musashi No Bōken Gets New English Translation Patch
Dubbed "The Adventures of Musashi Jr."
From the big pile of JRPGs that flooded the market in Japan after the success of both Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy comes this 1990, feudal Japan-themed adventure featuring the son of Musashi and his Tanooki companion, because… well, it's feudal Japan, so there had to be a Tanooki throw in there. Musashi no...
Video Get Yourself In The Halloween Mood With This Look At Zombies Ate My Neighbors
And its not-so-spooky sequel, Ghoul Patrol
Zombies Ate My Neighbors came at a time when Konami was really firing on all cylinders. Granted, it wasn't strictly a Konami game - it was developed by LucasArts - but many kids at the time associated it with other classics from the Japanese company, such as Turtles in Time, Castlevania IV and Legend of the...
News Get Some Nostalgia Feels From These Super Game Boy Borders
Bordering on the amazing
It might seem cute now, but back in the '90s the Super Game Boy was a big deal. It allowed you to play your beloved Game Boy and Game Boy Color games on your TV via your SNES, and offered a wide range of bonuses - such as adding minimal colour to certain titles as well as an attractive border around the edge of the screen...
News Take A Look Inside Nintendo's Vintage Hardware Storage Room
Minty fresh
As part of Nintendo's celebration of the original release of The Legend of Zelda 30 years ago in 1986, the company is posting a series of features on its Japanese site, the latest of which gives a tantalising glimpse into one of the most interesting rooms in its Kyoto HQ. Packed with mint and boxed Famicom consoles,
News Someone Has Found Prototypes Of The Game Boy Version Of THQ's Akira
Four copies, to be exact
Akira is recognised as one of the breakthrough hits which really pushed anime in the west during the early '90s, and it perhaps surprising that it didn't get more video game adaptations at the time. That's not to say there weren't any planned, of course; a Famicom version never saw the light of day outside of Japan, and...
Feature NES Mini Classics - Bubble Bobble
This bubble can't be burst
With the upcoming release of the Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition (NA) / Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System (EU), we're going to provide short profiles of all 30 games included on the system. Now we turn our attention to Bubble Bobble; don't forget to check out the first entry in this...
News Nintendo 64 Classic Turok 2 Is Getting The Remake Treatment
Following in the footsteps of the original, no less
Late last year we reported on the fact that Night Dive Studios had successfully acquired the rights to remake Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, an early N64 title that was instrumental in selling the console to the masses. Now, the studio is working on a remake of the sequel. 1998's Turok 2: Seeds of Evil...
News Piko Interactive Is Launching New NES, SNES And Genesis Games
Oh, and one for the Atari Jaguar as well
Publisher Piko Interactive is building up a solid reputation for keeping old formats alive with new releases, and has just announced its next wave of titles. Of interest to Nintendo fans will be Iron Commando and Legend on the SNES, and
News Tetris World Record Holder Talks About His Experiences with the Game
Striving for perfection
Tetris is one of those games that feels like it's always been there, but that's likely because it's been ported to virtually every electronic device over the last thirty years and has sold close to half a billion copies over its total run. One would think that by this point, somebody would've come along that's managed to max...
Feature NES Mini Classics - Balloon Fight
With memories of the late great Satoru Iwata
With the upcoming release of the Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition (NA) / Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System (EU), we're going to provide short profiles of all 30 games included on the system. We start off with Balloon Fight. It's an interesting turn of events that...
Ninterview Ste Pickford On The Ever-Expanding World Of Plok
"If you want to see a new Plok game, buy the comic books!"
Created by legendary developer siblings The Pickfords, Plok is a fondly-remembered cult smash which appeared on the SNES way back in 1992. Ste and John Pickford's history in the games industry pre-dates that game by quite some margin, and the talented duo were among the first British...
Review Super Castlevania IV (3DS eShop / SNES)
The (Belmont) Boys Are Back in Town
The Super NES is, for many, Nintendo's greatest console. It boasted a software library that was an envy of competitors and had more than enough power to stave off unfavourable comparisons to arcade games of its age. Unlike many of Nintendo's more recent home consoles, the SNES is remembered just as much for its...
News Lost SNES Game Socks The Cat Hits Kickstarter
Bill Clinton's pet could come back from the dead
Back in March we reported on the news that a working ROM of the unreleased SNES title Socks The Cat Rocks The Hill had been found by Tom Curtin, and that he hoped to publish the game with the help of crowdfunding. The notion of resurrecting a game that is over two decades old and stars the (now...
Random Game Boy Compatibility Warning Screens Are The Best
Because forwards compatibility isn't always a thing
When the Game Boy Color launched you could practically hear the sighs of relief emanating from parents worldwide when they realised that all of the monochrome Game Boy games they had slaved to purchase for their offspring would still work with the shiny new handheld. Backwards compatibility was a...
News Super Turrican Gets The Ultimate Digital Audio Treatment
MSU1 magic again, Chris Huelsbeck approved
To be honest the regular Super Turrican soundtrack is stunning as is, with Chris Huelsbeck using the Super Nintendo's Sony SPC700 sound chip to deliver a unique take on his iconic synthpop compositions and even managing to make it one of the very few SNES games to use Dolby Surround in the process...
Video 1990 Super Famicom Launch Promo Video Saved From Obscurity
An hour of launch goodness
On Wednesday, November 21, 1990 Nintendo stunned the gaming world with the Super Famicom, the sequel to its incredibly popular Famicom console. 300,000 consoles were sold within the matter of a few hours, forcing the Japanese government to request that manufacturers release gaming systems on weekends in the future to avoid...
Video Remember Super Mario Bros. 2 With a Look at the Japanese KC Mario Manga Series
The Lost Levels of Super Mario’s Adventures
Later this week, VIZ Media will be reissuing the "Super Mario Adventures" comics collected from Nintendo Power in the early '90s. It'll be exciting to have a complete collection without having to track down each issue. It wasn't the only Mario comic series out there, however. From 1989 to 1998,...
News Extremely Rare Nintendo Arcade Unit, Monkey Magic, Spotted in Japanese Auction
Current asking price is nearly $500
The key landmarks in Nintendo's illustrious history are well known, but some aspects of its early video games are less familiar. Years before the Donkey Kong arcade changed the fate of the company and its most famous creator, Nintendo had various other cabinets with limited releases. One of these is Monkey Magic,...
News There's Another HDMI-Ready Famicom On The Way This Year
Say hello to the FC Compact
Japan is getting an official mini Famicom this year which apes the approach taken with the NES Classic Mini, but it's not the only option if you want crystal clear retro gaming goodness on your HD telly. Japanese firm Columbus Circle is launching the FC Compact on November 30th for 7,992 Yen, and it offers bot
Video Nintendo UK Shows Off the Mini NES, With Comparisons to Original System
Mini NES, mini controller cable
Earlier this week Nintendo UK ran a live stream to show off the NES Classic Mini (we know that's not the official name, but it's better), in which the presenters showed a direct comparison with an old NES, had a look at the UI and then played some of the included games. The live stream has now been uploaded to...
News The Speedrun World Record for Super Mario Bros. Has Been Broken Again
Call Miyamoto!
It's hard to believe, but even to this day, speedrunners are still competing over the crown for the fastest Super Mario Bros. run yet. The record has been going down, millisecond by millisecond, for years now, and a recent twitch streamer just set it a bit lower. The record was previously set at 4:57.194 by Kosmicd12 on 3rd October,...
News Nintendo UK Will Be Putting The NES Classic Mini Through Its Paces On Twitch Tomorrow
Free console also up for grabs during livestream
If you're keen to know more about the forthcoming NES Classic Mini then you'll be pleased to learn that Nintendo UK is going to livestream a hands-on session this week. The hour-long event will be broadcast tomorrow (Thursday 6th October, date fans) on Twitch and will feature none other than Darran...
Soapbox It's High Time Seiken Densetsu 3 Got A Western Release
Forgotten, overlooked, lost… but why?
Allow us to turn the wayback machine to a couple of decades ago. The Internet was slowly but surely becoming an everyday part of our lives, cellphones were over-sized, expensive bricks and video games had gone from being a niche but blooming industry mostly aimed at children in the West to a mainstream...
News Those Famicom Mini Pads Sure Are Small
Dinky details
The NES Classic Mini isn't the only hardware release Nintendo is making this year - the company has confirmed that Japan is getting its own variant, based on the Famicom. Japanese site Akiba PC Hotline has hands-on photos of the new syst
News Tribute Album 64 Offers a Whole Lot of Retro Music Remixes for Free
Put on some headphones
Classic gaming consoles are rightly celebrated by retro fans, and with the 20th Anniversary (for North America) of the Nintendo 64 having passed recently, a group of talented musicians teamed up to produce a meaty collection of remixed tracks - Tribute Album 64 is absolutely packed with music, and it's free. Brought together...
News Star Fox Developers Almost Leaked Details Of The Nintendo 64 After Drunken Bicycle Mishap
"We were laughing our heads off"
Q-Games boss Dylan Cuthbert recently took part in a Reddit AMA where he spoke about a range of subjects, including his thoughts on the recent Wii U title Star Fox Zero - a game which will be of particular interest as he worked on both the SNES original and its
Video You're Unlikely To Find A More Exhaustive History Of Double Dragon Than This
"You got 50,000 on Double Dragon?!"
Technos' Double Dragon has to rank as one of the most seminal arcade games of all time. While it wasn't the first side-scrolling fighter by a long way, it laid down the foundations of the genre and inspired countless clones and even a (terrible) Hollywood movie. It also played a significant role in the cult film...
News SM64: Last Impact is a Hugely Ambitious Super Mario 64 Fan Mod
Grab it while it's hot
Here's another blink and you'll miss it fan mod that seems to take Nintendo source material and go the extra mile. You know what that means! It'll likely only be available for a short time before it disappears. Before you blame us for this, Kotaku have highlighted it; we're just sharing so you know it exists before Nintendo...
News Satellaview Exclusive BS Zelda: The Ancient Stone Tablets Dubbed Into English
Relive the 1997 experience as if it had happened in the west!
Not happy with dubbin the original BS Zelda events (the 'BS' stands for 'Broadcast Satellaview', so stop sniggering at the back), the same group of dedicated fans has at long last released the complete English dub for BS The Legend of Zelda: The Ancient Stone Tablets, the four-part...
Video Nintendo Minute Checks Out the Viz Media Link to the Past and Mario Comics
Includes a rapping Bowser segment...
In recent years Nintendo's been ramping up its efforts with merchandise and licensed goodies. Among these have been the relatively low-key releases of retro comic strips, published by Viz Media in North America. They take comic sketches from the Nintendo Power / '90s era and put them into rather nice...
September2016
Video New NES Mini Trailer Shows Off Games, Display Options And User Interface
Up to four save states per game, too
The NES Classic Mini launches in November, and Nintendo has released a new trailer for the console which not only shows off some of the included games but also goes into detail regarding the various new modes and options available on the system. One of the big draws for PAL gamers is that the system plays games...
News Unseen 64 Spotlights Mythri, a Cancelled GBC/GBA Project
Gone, but not forgotten
It's interesting to see how far the indie development scene has come over the years. Nowadays, anybody with a laptop and some ambition can get a game out to the world, but it hasn't always been that way. Back in the day, there were far less channels to distribute games, and it was quite competitive within the few that were...
News The Mini Famicom Has Been Announced for Japan, and It Looks Amazing
Time to do some importing
In November plenty of gamers with a love of retro gaming are likely to pick up the Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition / Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System. Now, Nintendo has confirmed an equivalent for Japan; yep, it's a mini Famicom. What's particularly charming about this one is that...
Video Here's Proof There's More To Sega Beat 'Em Ups Than Golden Axe And Streets Of Rage
Checking out some of the more obscure fighters on the Genesis
When you think Sega Genesis (or Mega Drive, if you'd prefer) beat 'em up chances are the first things that come into your mind are names like Golden Axe, Alien Storm and - of course - Streets of Rage. The scrolling fighter was the arcade genre of choice before Street Fighter II
News Prototype Of Unreleased SNES Title Shadowhawk Surfaces Online
Quite a saga
Update: Jim Valentino has since gotten in touch to clarify that he did not give permission for the game to be reproduced: Please be advised that Rose Colored Games did not have my blessing to make this game and I filed a suit against them over it. Original story: Jim Valentino's ShadowHawk was one of many super heroes birthed...
Review The Legend of the Mystical Ninja (3DS eShop / SNES)
Still hanging in there
The Legend of the Mystical Ninja is a perfect throwback to the '90s: a time when Konami was still revered among gamers, games were heavily edited for Western markets, and Nintendo reigned supreme. If you haven't heard of the Mystical Ninja series, we won't hold it against you. It's something of a cult-classic in the Western...
News Amazon UK's NES Classic Mini Launch Stock Is All Gone
Retailer expects to "fill all pre-orders by mid-December 2016"
The NES Classic Mini launches on November 11th but unless you've already pre-ordered one, it's unlikely that you're going to get it on that particular date. Amazon UK has stated that its launch allocation for the console - which contains 30 classic games and comes bundled with an...
News Turns Out There's No Such Thing As Too Many Wonder Boy Games
Wonder Boy Returns (again)
After years of waiting, Wonder Boy fans are getting two new titles to sink their teeth into. Brand-new outing Monster Boy is being developed by The Game Atelier, while HD reboot Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap is the work of Lizardcube. Both titles have input from
News SNES Classic Mega Man 7 Gets Screeching Guitars Thanks To Digital Audio Patch
Putting the "Rock" in "Rockman"
DarkShock is back with another quality MSU1 effort to bring a digital audio soundtrack to a Super Nintendo classic: this time, it's Capcom's Mega Man 7. Replacing the original SPC soundtrack is none other than the complete soundtrack of covers by Polish musician Krzysztof Slowikowski taken from his album
Video Let's See How That Xbox One N64 Emulator Held Up
Gone but not forgotten
Despite the recently infamous Win64e10 emulator being removed, we managed to download it before Microsoft pulled it from the Xbox One Store and put it through its paces. The blurb promised it to be the most powerful N64 emulator on Windows 10, but if it runs anything like it does in the above video, colour us unimpressed. The...
News Fangs For The Memories Castlevania, You're Now 30 Years Old
Three decades of miserable secrets
Want to feel old? Konami's Castlevania series has now been going for 30 years. The franchise began life on the Japan-only Famicom Disk System as Akumajou Dracula. This title was released in North America as Castlevania in May the next year and was followed by two NES sequels - 1987's Castlevania II: Simon's Quest...
News Nintendo 64 Emulator Unceremoniously Yanked From Xbox One Store
Double quick
Yesterday we reported on the fact that a Nintendo 64 emulator was available for download on Microsoft's Xbox One console. Win64e10 - which retailed for $9.99 - allowed Xbox One owners to run N64 ROMs on their consoles by copying the games to a OneDrive account and loading them into the emulator. The app actually went live over the...
News The Xbox One Now Has A Nintendo 64 Emulator
But for how long?
Given the recent fuss surrounding a NES emulator on the Xbox One - and the resultant "will it, won't it" saga - it's perhaps a little surprising that you can now boot up your Xbox One system and download an N64 emulator. Win64e10 - a modified version of the Nintendo 64 emulator Mupen64plus - was previously available on Windows...
Matters of Import The "Perfect" Super Famicom Compendium
Perfect in every way
If you didn't know, Nintendo celebrated its 127th birthday recently. With so many years of history, there are naturally going to be retrospective books that pop up from
Video Take A Rare Look Behind The Scenes At Nintendo's Hit Factory, Circa 1990
Starring a youthful Shigeru Miyamoto
These days, Nintendo employees like Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka are well known with gamers, but back in the days before the internet came along and enriched/ruined everything, these individuals were largely mysterious to the average player. That's what makes this 1990 visit to Nintendo's Kyoto HQ so...
Retro Freshly Translated Interview with Miyamoto Delves into the Development of Super Mario 64
The game that started it all
Super Mario 64 was a remarkably innovative game for its day, and still holds up pretty well even by today's standards. At the time, nobody had any idea how to craft a solid platformer in three dimensions, which makes it all the more impressive that this first attempt turned out like it did. Now, a recently translated...
News Bases Loaded Is Being Resurrected On Nintendo 3DS
Complete with 8-bit visuals
Bases Loaded is considered to be something of a classic with North America NES players, and many rejoiced when the title got a new lease of life via the Virtual Console service a while back. Those same fans will no doubt be tickled pink to discovered that the game is getting a sequel of sorts in the form of Bases Loaded...
Video Remembering Alex Kidd, Sega's Forgotten Answer To Super Mario
Hey, hey, he's a monkey
Before Sonic arrived on the scene, Sega's mascot was a monkey boy in a jumpsuit who liked playing Rock, Paper, Scissors. Alex Kidd may have been dumped as soon as the Blue Blur appeared on the Mega Drive and turned Sega into the coolest brand on the planet, but for truly dedicated fans he holds a special place in gaming...
News Warp in The Legend of Zelda Opens Up Ability to Beat the Game in Under 3 Minutes
Link's in a hurry
Speedrunning takes various forms, especially in the retro scene. Some seek to make 'pure' runs as quickly as possible, while others exploit loopholes in game code to find shortcuts and warps that drastically cut a run's time. A recent discovered for The Legend of Zelda on the Famicom Disk System is in the latter category, and in...
Feature The History Of Technosoft's Thunder Force Series
With Thunder Force III coming to 3DS, we take a look back at the franchise
Although SNES fans will insist that Nintendo's 16-bit powerhouse had a more diverse range of software when compared to its bitter rival the Mega Drive, one genre in which it simply couldn't compete was the 2D shooter. Sega's console was quite literally flooded with top-notch...
News Sega Has Acquired The IP Of One Of Japan's Most Underrated Studios
Thunder Force III the first of many Technosoft resurrections
Over the weekend we reported that Sega is adding the superb Thunder Force III to its third and final 3D Classic retail collection, which is due for release in Japan this December. The reason that Sega has been able to add this title to the roster is simple - it now owns the rights to all...
News Sky Skipper Project Aims to Revive a Rare Nintendo Arcade Game
It'll take off in 2017
Nintendo's video game history is well documented, with the original Donkey Kong arcade helping to kickstart the career of Shigeru Miyamoto and provide the company with a notable success outside of Japan. The rest, as they say, is history, though sometimes the smaller details are forgotten. One of these is Sky Skipper, one of...
Review Picross 3D Round 2 (3DS)
Pleasantly puzzling
A wise gentleman once said that every puzzle has a solution. In Picross 3D Round 2, finding those answers may have players tearing out their hair while simultaneously cracking a smile. Picross 3D Round 2 is a game that is as addictive as they come. Like its predecessor puzzles are in 3D (as the name so helpfully points out) and...
Video Take a Look at the Nintendo Game Counsellor Guide
A tough job
Nowadays it's pretty difficult to get stuck in a game - a lot (though not all) of current day game design helps you along, and there are also guides everywhere online. Before the internet, and back when a number of games went out of their way to be secretive and baffling, it was very different. In North America, famously, NES and Game...
Review Final Fight 3 (New 3DS / SNES)
Metro City rampage
It was a mistake to come back to Metro City, Guy realised. With the Mad Gear gang defeated he'd hoped for a pleasant day where he could catch up with people, but instead he finds himself in a tricky situation. Stood in the Mayor's office, he's trying desperately not to comment on Haggar's ridiculous ponytail. He can't take it any...
Poll The GameCube is 15 Years Old - Pick Your Favourite Games
Can you handle the pressure?
The GameCube arrived in Japan on 14th September 2001 in Japan, meaning the handle-boasting wonder is 15 years old (even though it's 15th September in Japan as we publish this, thanks to time zones). To date it holds the dubious honour of being Nintendo's lowest-selling home console, though Wii U looks likely to take that...
The NES advantage?
After years of enduring sloppy imitators which offer patchy performance and incomplete compatibility, we're finally seeing clone consoles come of age. The RetroN 5 leveraged the versatility of Google's Android platform to offer HD visuals and save state support, while the super-premium Analogue NT took existing Nintendo chips and...
Review Final Fight 2 (New 3DS / SNES)
Samey sequel (sans selling point)
When Final Fight arrived on the SNES it had problems. The port of the side-scrolling beat 'em up classic looked reasonably close to the arcade title, but it cut out the industrial area, the two-player option and playable character Guy as well. A second attempt was made with Final Fight Guy that saw the Bushin ninja...
News Suda51 Would Love To Revisit Killer7 At Some Point
"It’s up to Capcom to allow something like this"
Killer7 was one of the fabled "Capcom Five", a selection of titles that the Japanese publisher pledged would be exclusive to the GameCube. As we all know, that claim didn't last long; out of the five, only P.N.03 remained Nintendo-only, with Dead Phoenix being canned in 2003 and the remaining three...
Random Walking 10km With Pikachu As Your Buddy Creates A Stronger Bond In Pokémon GO
Just like Ash!
Pokémon GO's latest update introduces the Buddy system, which has to rank as one of the most significant changes since the title launched a few months ago. Using this system, you can assign a 'mon as your buddy and they will walk alongside you, earning candies as they go. This new mechanic also introduces a cool Easter Egg which...
Review Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky (DS)
The sky's the limit
Though the core series still delivers by far the most popular kind of Pokémon games, the Mystery Dungeon series has still done a good job of establishing its own identity and setting itself apart. As the third and final game in the DS set of games for the series, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky provides a charming...
Random Someone Has Created A SNES Mini Out Of Clay And A Raspberry Pi Zero
Nintendo, take note
The NES Mini is coming this year and looks set to be quite a popular Christmas present, but a great many Nintendo fans will have their fingers firmly crossed that the SNES Mini follows shortly afterwards. For those of you who can't wait - and don't mind getting your hands dirty - there's always the unofficial route. Modder Hugo...
Weirdness Fans Think They've Found Mario And Luigi's Father
Just who is "SR"?
They may be entirely fictional characters but it's fair to assume that in Super Mario canon, the famous Italian siblings must have a father - but Nintendo has never really acknowledged the fact. Or has it? Reddit user l33tredrocket appears to have found evidence that Mario and Luigi's papa does indeed exist in some form - the form...
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