Retro - Timeline
YesterdaySun, 20th Sep 2020
Feature The Story Of Virtual Tank, A Lost Virtual Boy Successor To Atari's Battlezone
"We were really surprised at the speed that the platform died"
We've pleased to present a chapter from Bitmap Books' excellent The Games That Weren't, which looks at an unreleased Virtual Boy title that aimed to emulate the success of Atari's Battlezone – but sadly never saw the light of day. Nintendo helped rejuvenate the games industry after...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Duel #60 - Metroid: Other M
Another M
Welcome to Box Art Brawl, the weekly series where we pit regional box art variants against each other in a fight for your approval. Last week the fastest thing alive dropped into the brawl with the seminal Sonic 2 for Genesis / Mega Drive. In a close battle between the three regions, it was ultimately North America who triumphed, with...
Thursday17th Sep 2020
Poll Did You Know That GoldenEye Had A Dual-Analogue Control Option On N64?
Be honest
It's amazing what random nuggets of trivia fly around the Nintendo Life office on a daily basis. Take yesterday, for example – having hooked up his swanky HDMI-ready N64 console to capture some footage of Super Mario 64 for our Super Mario 3D All-Stars comparison video, Nintendo Life MD Ant Dickens found time for a quick game of...
News Earth Defense Force Joins Hamster's Arcade Archives Collection This Week
Save the day
Hamster's weekly Arcade Archives release is Jaleco's 1991 scrolling shooter, Earth Defense Force. This original version of the game allows you to take control of an XA-1 space fighter as you fight to save the earth. Here's the backstory along with some information about the gameplay and some screenshots: Control your XA-1 space...
Wednesday16th Sep 2020
We can dream, right?
2020 is the 35th birthday of the Super Mario series, and Nintendo is marking that event in a wide range of ways, one of which is the resurrection of its Game & Watch series of handhelds. Ninten
Tuesday15th Sep 2020
Random Someone Found A Prototype Game Boy Advance In A Yahoo Japan Auction
As part of a job lot, too
Remember back when Nintendo lifted the lid on the Game Boy Advance all those years ago? It showed the system in two colourways which were never officially released, both of which had silver bodies. These 'prototype' models are something of a collector's item, and it turns out one of them has been sold via a Yahoo Auctions...
News Retro-Bit Is Republishing Some Of Toaplan's Best Console Shooters In Physical Form
Update: Pre-orders are live!
Update: pre-orders are live: Toaplan is a name that will be instantly familiar with seasoned retro gamers. The Japanese company was behind some of the best shmups of the '80s and '90s, and when it eventually closed in 1994, studios like Eighting and Cave would rise from its ashes. We're already assured of some superb...
Monday14th Sep 2020
Feature All Hail The Game Boy Micro, The Sexiest And Most Impractical Game Boy Ever
15 years of hand-cramps
Before we dive in, let's begin with a few words on the topic at hand when it was raised in the Nintendo Life office: "Such a neat little machine." "I've always wanted one." "Somehow I ended up with two." "The most enjoyable way to get carpal tunnel." We were, of course, discussing the lovely Game Boy Micro. The diminutive...
News Bizarre Super Mario Bros. 3 Prototype Cartridge Sells For $31,200 At Auction
Kid Icarus no more
We've seen plenty of expensive Nintendo auctions taking place over the last few years, but not many items have been as interesting as this one. This weekend, a Super Mario Bros. 3 prototype was sold at auction for a whopping $31,200. The listing was a first for Heritage Auctions, being the first time that the auctioneer had ever...
Sunday13th Sep 2020
Poll Box Art Brawl #59 - Sonic The Hedgehog 2
Sonic 'Tude-sday
Welcome back to Box Art Brawl, the series where multiple regionally variable covers of the same game fight for your vote in a deadly beauty bout to the bitter end. Last time we had a duel between the East and West: two versions of Super Mario All-Stars went head to head following all those Mario 35th anniversary announcements,...
News Nintendo Launches Website For The Original Super Mario Bros. Game
Celebrating 35 years
Mario's 35th anniversary celebrations are well and truly underway. So far Nintendo has announced new games, merchandise, and even events and promotions for other first-party titles like Splatoon 2 and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. If that's still not enough Mario-themed goodness for you, Japanese websites for Super Mario Bros...
Saturday12th Sep 2020
News Here's Your First Look At The Console Wars TV Series From Seth Rogen And Evan Goldberg
Airs later this month
Blake J. Harris' excellent book Console Wars did a wonderful job of recounting the titanic struggle between Nintendo and Sega for control of the living in room in the early '90s. Mario and Sonic went head-to-head in a battle worth millions of dollars, and the book – filled with
Friday11th Sep 2020
News Mario Kart Live Isn't Nintendo's First Try At Remote Control Cars
Say hello to the Lefty RX
Mario Kart Live caused quite a stir when it was announced recently; it's a new 'toy' from Nintendo which mixes the real world with augmented reality via your Switch console's display, and it launches next month. Nintendo has teamed up with developer Velan Studios to create Mario Kart Live, but it's worth noting that this...
Thursday10th Sep 2020
News Evercade's Next Two Cartridges Come Loaded With NES And SNES Titles
Fancy a brawl, bro?
The Evercade handheld console is getting two more cartridges soon, both packed with retro titles from back in the day. If you're a fan of Rival Turf – also known as Rushing Beat – then you're in for a treat. Jaleco Collection 1 is perhaps of most interest; it comes with Bases Loaded, Astynax, Brawl Brothers, City Connection,...
Video Take A Closer Look At The New Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros. System
Launches this November
Nintendo has released a new trailer for the Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros. system that was announced during last week's Super Mario 35th Anniversary Direct. As you might remember from last week, this new system is inspired by the original LCD-based handhelds from the '80s and comes with a modern screen and rechargeable...
Tuesday8th Sep 2020
Feature How Nintendo's Game & Watch Took "Withered Technology" And Turned It Into A Million-Seller
We take a look at the LCD range that sparked a portable revolution
Nintendo is celebrating Mario's 35th birthday with a wide range of products, one of which is a brand-new Game & Watch handheld based on the iconic LCD range from the '80s. We thought you might like to revisit this legacy feature – originally published back in 2010 – to get...
Monday7th Sep 2020
Feature 1995's Nintendo Was Arrogant And Ahead Of Its Time All At Once
"Nintendo does not have any rivals"
25 years ago, Nintendo was at something of a crossroads. 1995 saw the company in a dominant position in its homeland, where the Super Famicom was still the most popular video game console with over 90 per cent of the domestic market. However, the launch of the 32-bit Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn at the...
Saturday5th Sep 2020
Poll Box Art Brawl: Duel #58 - Super Mario All-Stars
Super Mario 2D All-Stars
And welcome back, box art enthusiasts, to the latest entry in Nintendo Life's Box Art Brawl canon. Yes, this week we'll be taking another look at some retro game covers and it'll be up to you to pick the best of them. Last time we took a look at Blue Ninja Shadow of the Kage Dragon as Natsume's variously-named 2D...
Thursday3rd Sep 2020
News Nintendo Is Resurrecting Its Game & Watch Line To Celebrate 35 Years Of Super Mario
Special handheld arrives later this year
Nintendo has revealed that it is releasing a special Game & Watch system to celebrate 35 years of the Super Mario series. Based on the original LCD-based handhelds from the '80s, this limited edition model will come with a colour display and directional pad, and will include Super Mario Bros., Super...
News Here Are The 36 Games You'll Get On Sega's Astro City Mini Console
Space Harrier! Thunder Force! Alex Kidd!
The final batch of games for Sega's upcoming Astro City Mini console have just been revealed in a livestream, taking the total number of known games up to 36. It was also revealed that the system is getting a full-size arcade stick controller. There will be 36 games on the machine in total, so we're starting...
News This Battery-Free Game Boy Could Be The Future Of Portable Tech
The catch? A tiny display and no sound
The Game Boy was a true revelation when it launched back in 1989, and kickstarted a portable gaming industry which endures to this very day. However, it also meant that players had to have a steady supply of AA batteries to hand if they wanted to make the most of the console, and while we've since moved to...
Random Can You Use The Game Boy Camera As A Webcam In 2020? Absolutely
But it's not exactly easy
Perhaps one of the most impressive accessories Nintendo has ever released is the Game Boy Camera. Back when it arrived on the scene in 1998, camera phones weren't even a thing yet - so to have something like this (especially if you were a bit younger at the time), was pretty neat. Its legacy lives on via the company's...
Wednesday2nd Sep 2020
Hardware Review Believe The Hype, Polymega Is The Ultimate All-In-One Retro Machine
Now updated with Element Module impressions...
This review was originally published on August 11th 2020 and has been updated to factor in our impressions of the EM03 Element Module. Originally announced back in 2017 as the RetroBlox, Polymega has endured a fairly tumultuous journey to market. While the system's objective has always been the same...
Sunday30th Aug 2020
Poll Box Art Brawl #57 - Shadow Of The Ninja / Blue Shadow
Rattling the Kage
Welcome back, one and all, to the latest edition of Box Art Brawl. After a week-long hiatus to charge our hadouken, we're returning with another bout featuring regional box art variants battling for your pleasure (and votes). Last time we took a look at Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door in a particularly close-run duel between...
Friday28th Aug 2020
Quiz How Well Do You Know Rare And Its Nintendo Games?
Rare replay
Veteran developer Rare celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2020. The British studio may be owned by Microsoft these days, but its back catalogue of brilliant games on Nintendo systems mean it will forever be associated with Nintendo in our hearts and minds. The company, a second party Nintendo developer from the mid-'90s, bolstered (and...
Wednesday26th Aug 2020
Hardware Review Terraonion MODE - The Ultimate Upgrade For Your Saturn And Dreamcast?
Ditch the discs
Following hot on the heels of the GC Loader, Terraonion's MODE – which stands for Multi Optical Disc Emulator, in case you were wondering – looks set to shake things up for Sega collectors as it allows you to supplant the optical drive on either your Saturn or Dreamcast and replace it with solid-state storage, such as Micro SD...
Wednesday19th Aug 2020
Feature How Nintendo, Pokémon And Japanese Culture Shaped Global Tastes Through Pure Invention
Author and translator Matt Alt discusses his recent book
The Back to the Future movies might be best known for their seat-of-your-pants time-hopping sense of adventure, whip-smart structure and American nostalgia, but they also serve as a socio-economic lens on the time in which they were made. Marty McFly, for example, might not return to exactly...
Monday17th Aug 2020
Random Finally, Sonic The Hedgehog Spins Onto The Super Nintendo
To be this good takes AGES!
Ah, the good old playground arguments of the '90s. Which camp were you in? Even if you were a dedicated Super Nintendo owner with all of the wonderful exclusives that the system offered, it was hard not to be a little bit jealous of the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive's impressive library of games. And of course, the Mega Drive...
Sunday16th Aug 2020
Poll Box Art Brawl: Duel #56 - Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Paper-thin premise
Welcome back to another edition of Box Art Brawl, the weekly bout of regional box art variants where you decide which one wins. Last week we looked at Yoshi's Island in the East and the West, and after some deliberation it was decided that the European / North American cover was the best by approximately two votes to one. It's...
Saturday15th Aug 2020
Feature Drugged Coffee, Pirated Games And Empty Bank Accounts - The Story Of GameFan Magazine
"It remains one of the most defining parts of my life"
If you were a North American gamer who was active during the early '90s, then chances are, you've heard of GameFan magazine. The anarchic alternative to the likes of GamePro and EGM, it began life as a catalogue for a mail-order video game store before evolving into a monthly publication which...
