Retro Studios News Articles
Thursday29th Oct 2015
Rumour Retro Is Working On A Game It Pitched To Nintendo, And It's Not Metroid Prime 4
"The time is now for Retro to do an original property"
Just what is Retro Studios up to right now? That's the question that many a Nintendo fan has asked over the past year or so, and when E3 2015 came and went without any news from the Metroid Prime creator, brows became even more furrowed. However, Nintendo Life contributor and Unseen64 archivist...
Tuesday26th May 2015
News Super Metroid Was Planned As An Extra In Metroid Prime Before Nintendo Had It Removed
A third-party emulator ended the dream
It may seem like distant history now, but there was a relatively recent time when the Virtual Console was merely an idea rattling around in Nintendo HQ. Super Metroid is one classic that's now been available to buy on two separate occasions, but there was a time when it was almost a bonus feature in a more...
Sunday3rd May 2015
Video Did You Know Gaming? Tackles Metroid Prime, Dread and a Cancelled 3DS Entry
Please come back, Samus
When it comes to fan-favourite franchises due an announcement and comeback, we'd think that Metroid is relatively high on the wishlists of many. In the GameCube and Wii era the IP had four releases, with the Metroid Prime Trilogy from Retro Studios being the obvious stand-out. While we wait to see what's next for the series...
Friday17th Apr 2015
News Unseen64 Breaks Down the Hidden History of Metroid Prime
Unused bosses, a picky Shigeru Miyamoto and more
It's often enjoyable to consider what could have been - new IPs, sequels and spin-offs that never made it to stores. Examples such as Star Fox 2 and Metroid Dread have us wishing for the ability to visit an alternative universe, to play titles that were, at some stage, destined for our consoles. Even...
Thursday29th Jan 2015
Video You NEED To Play Metroid Prime Trilogy
Yes, you really do
Metroid Prime Trilogy is finally here - no longer will you need to trawl eBay for highly priced retail copies, because now you can play three amazing games, in one package, for a much more affordable price. Until 5th February the price is downright outrageous, a promotional cost of $9.99 / €9.99 / £8.99; that's for one of the...
Friday23rd Jan 2015
Video Donkey Kong Country Returns...To Wii U
It's on like Donkey Kong. Again.
The second Wii re-release has arrived on the European eShop, and it's a doozy. Are you ready for Donkey Kong Country Returns? As we have come to expect from Retro Studios, they knocked it out of the park with a game that apes (pun intended) the original SNES trilogies' gameplay, but is it worth revisiting on Wii U?...
Thursday15th Jan 2015
News Retro Studios Launches Twitter Account And Sets Off The Rumour Mill
"Peekaboo"
Everyone is on Twitter these days -- even Her Majesty the Queen of England -- but Metroid Prime and Donkey Kong Country Returns creator Retro Studios has only just jumped on the social media bandwagon. The company kicked off its
Thursday4th Dec 2014
News Actor Is Suing Nintendo After Suffering Heart Problems In A Sweltering Donkey Kong Suit
Legal teams are going bananas
When actor Parker Mills stepped into a Donkey Kong costume to promote the launch of Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D at the Los Angeles Zoo last year, he most likely assumed the job would be a piece of cake — after all, what's better than being the mighty Kong for a day, right? However, Mills ended up earning more than...
Monday18th Aug 2014
News Retro Studios Ramps Up Recruitment for a Variety of Vital Roles
Descriptions suggest Wii U project
What's Retro Studios working on? That question has been common since development of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze began to wrap up towards the close of 2013, while it's not beyond the realm of possibility that the talented studio will have begun work on its next major endeavour while DK's adventure was still...
Friday23rd May 2014
News Check Out This Gorgeous Metroid Prime Visual Feature
Part of an "empty spaces" mini-series
The Metroid franchise remains a keen source of interest for Nintendo fans and, to some extent, gamers in general. From its iconic NES début to the stand-out Super NES entry, it's a series that has enough lore and variety in style to keep conversations lively for a long time. Retro Studios has played its own...
Tuesday15th Apr 2014
"Every once in a while, you have to learn to not listen"
Ken Lobb is now employed as Creative Director of Microsoft Studios, but Nintendo fans will recall that he was a big part of the firm back in the days of SNES and N64 — heck, he even had the "Klobb" gun in Rare's GoldenEye 007 named after him. Before he departed Nintendo in 2001, Lobb was...
Wednesday2nd Apr 2014
News Patch Fixes Bug in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Thaws out a progress-stopping problem
Nintendo has made a software update available for Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze today that fixes a game-halting glitch in World 3. According to update notes, the patch will solve an issue some players have faced when completing level 3-3, Frantic Fields and finding no path has opened to the next level,...
Friday14th Mar 2014
Video DK Breaks The Ice in These Short Tropical Freeze Animations
For your viewing pleasure
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze has been out for a few weeks now and — as we reported earlier this week — it’s selling quite a few copies as well as assisting Wii U sales. Everyone’s favourite gaming ape is certainly playing his part, seemingly winning the hearts of many that play it. If you can’t seem to...
Wednesday5th Mar 2014
Weirdness See Through the Eyes of Samus Aran in Metroid Prime with Oculus Rift
Check out this visor
If Metroid Prime wasn’t already immersive enough, YouTube personality Chadtronic has stepped it up a notch, sharing his own Oculus Rift experiences with Retro Studio’s now-classic 2002 GameCube title. After many requests and much troubleshooting, he was finally able to get the game up and running. Coming in just under 10...
News Nintendo and Retro Studios Speak on Resistance to Going Mobile
"I want Nintendo games to be played on Nintendo hardware."
Some Nintendo fans may be sick of hearing about it, but talk of Nintendo's potential if it decided to shift some work to iOS and Android devices still perks the ears of a number of investors. The jury is asked to consider the financier who suggested a model where players would pay 99 cents...
Monday3rd Mar 2014
News Senran Kagura Bursts Into The UK Top 40 While Donkey Kong Country Hangs A Little Higher Up
Racy subject matter helps niche fighter gain some sales
Senran Kagura Burst isn't your typical 3DS title — it features large-chested anime girls rather than rotund Italian plumbers — but it has gained quite a bit of attention ahead of its European release. We've seen saucy (and
Friday28th Feb 2014
News Retro Studios Talks Up Wii U And Has Been Working On A New Title Since November
Speculation ahoy!
With Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze now settling into stores around the world, its developer Retro Studios is looking back on the development and hinting at what's to come. As a first-party studio with high-profile experience on GameCube, Wii and now Wii U, it's also in a position to share its perspective on the hardware...
Friday21st Feb 2014
News UK Retailer, GAME, To Hold Special Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Day Next Week
In select stores, of course
Yes, at last it’s finally here, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze has landed in the UK and US. It’s been three years since the primate pilgrim had his own private outing, but we’re just as happy to see him now as we were all those years ago; to celebrate the simian superstar’s frosty return UK retailer, GAME,...
Wednesday19th Feb 2014
Video These UK and US Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Adverts Are Islands Apart In Tone
Bongo-drumming up interest
By now you might have seen our coverage of the Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze commercial currently airing to promote DK's latest outing, and it's a fun showcase of gameplay and character that definitely paints a charming picture to drum up some anticipation. Today, a UK version of the same trailer has just arrived to...
News Retro Studios Outlines "Symbiotic Relationship" With Nintendo Teams
"We spent a lot of time working on fur as requested by Iwata-san"
With Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze swinging into Western stores this week, eager fans are no doubt continuing their own personal countdowns. Ahead of the release Official Nintendo Magazine has published its interview with Retro Studios CEO Michael Kelbaugh and Nintendo SPD...
Thursday30th Jan 2014
Video World 2 Of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Looks Something Like This
Monkey business
We trust that our recent preview of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze has whet your appetite for some more simian-related fun — if so, then you're going to love the short but sweet highlights reel we've put together for World 2 of the upcoming Wii U platform adventure. We'll be running more videos in the next few weeks, leading...
Monday20th Jan 2014
News Nintendo Confirms Rambi's Return in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Power play
With its release now a little over a month away, Nintendo is starting to gradually reveal more minor pieces of information for Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. At the end of last year we were shown the return of Funky Kong, and now there's confirmation that a favourite from Donkey Kong Country Returns — and from the original Super...
Monday13th Jan 2014
News Retro Could Work On Miyamoto-Led Project In The Future, Says Nintendo Producer Kensuke Tanabe
"We consider Retro as part of the Nintendo family"
Retro Studios has become one of Nintendo's most important associated teams, having produced the likes of Metroid Prime and Donkey Kong Country Returns — both of which gained critical and commercial acclaim. Retro Studios president Michael Kelbaugh and Nintendo producer Kensuke Tanabe have been...
Wednesday8th Jan 2014
News Kensuke Tanabe Highlights Potential Return of 3D Donkey Kong Games
Retro Studios used the Metroid Prime engine for Returns on Wii
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze arrives on 21st February, and combines the established skills of Retro Studios with many of the outstanding foundations laid down in Donkey Kong Country Returns on Wii. It may not be the game or franchise that some of the most vocal of Nintendo fans...
Sunday8th Dec 2013
Video Here's Another Chance to Check Out Nintendo's VGX Appearance
And spare yourself the other three hours of the event
This weekend brought us the VGX awards, which we live-blogged for you. It's safe to say that we're contemplating our options in terms of an editorial over the event as a whole, as it perhaps wasn't a show that represented video games in its best light. Opinions on that will naturally vary. It...
Monday2nd Dec 2013
Rumour Cranky Kong to be Fourth Playable Character in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Joining the young whippersnappers
With much noise around the Wii U currently focused on Super Mario 3D World, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is coming in early 2014, given a release period of February for North America. Considering it's the follow up to the outstanding Donkey Kong Country Returns and...
Tuesday1st Oct 2013
News Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Delayed Until Early 2014
No chance for monkey business before Christmas
During today's Nintendo Direct broadcast — which focused on upcoming Wii U and 3DS software — it was announced that Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze has been delayed until early next year. Nintendo has revealed that more time is needed to finish the title, which is now expected to hit store...
Friday20th Sep 2013
News Miyamoto: Retro Studios is High on The List of Candidates For A New Metroid Game
Discusses Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and the future of Samus
The UK Official Nintendo Magazine published its 100th issue this month, which is a pretty impressive milestone, and to celebrate it sat down with Shigeru Miyamoto and spoke about several things, including Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and Metroid. During the interview,...
Friday28th Jun 2013
News Nintendo - Donkey Kong Series is Adaptable to Fresh Ideas
Also, getting the ba-BOOM ba-BOOM ba-BOOM rhythm was important
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze may not have been the Retro Studios project that some fans desired or expected, but nevertheless it is a sequel to one of the finest platformers to grace the Wii. Ultimately, the odds are good at this stage that it'll be a hugely enjoyable experience...
Friday14th Jun 2013
News Retro Studios Working on "One Major Project at a Time"
Oh...
When Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze was announced at E3 as the next game from Retro Studios, some Nintendo fans — including members of the team on this site — rationalised disappointment at the reveal by adding a caveat that it may have been produced alongside a bigger, larger scope project. The thought was that with the groundwork...
