Retro - Timeline
YesterdayThu, 15th Apr 2021
News After 20 Years, This Amazing Famicom Collection Is Finally Complete
1053 games, fully boxed with instructions
The Famicom was Nintendo's first smash-hit home system and spawned the NES in the west. The shared library of these systems is immense, especially by standards of the period – in Japan alone, over 1000 games were released for the console. "How long would it take someone to collect all of those games,...
News Please Forgive Us, But We Can't Get Enough Of This Shameless Game Boy Micro Clone
Say hello to the Waveshare GPM280
Chinese-made handheld emulation devices aren't a new thing by any means, and each year countless new variants appear on the scene which do pretty much the same thing: play ROMs via emulation using cheap and readily available off-the-shelf components. However, the Waveshare GPM280 caught our eye recently, not for...
Wednesday14th Apr 2021
News The Latest Super Mario Bros. Speedrun WR Is A Definitive Breakthrough
4:54.948 may be the last time a second barrier is broken
If you follow the retro gaming scene on Twitch, it's likely you spend a decent amount of time watching speedrunners. It can be fascinating to see how older titles are manipulated, streamlined and mastered over hundreds of hours, and if you happen to catch a world record live it can be an...
Random The Low-Poly Animals Twitter Account Is A Must-Follow
Why is Ditto shaped like a T-shirt
The low-poly days are far behind us, but many of us still have a soft spot for the work that artists and modellers had to do back when consoles couldn't handle curves. Low-Poly Animals is a (relatively) new Twitter account celebrating and chronicling some of the creatures that we might have taken for granted back...
Random If You're Curious About How They Made SNES Music, This Is Worth A Watch
It was a free-for-all
Many of us have favourite SNES-era soundtracks, especially as they have that distinct sound of Nintendo's 16-bit machine. Of course, the actual technicalities of how those soundtracks came together can be fascinating, as composers and sound designers were working with resources a thousand miles removed from the range of tools...
Monday12th Apr 2021
Hands On The EverDrive GBA X5 Mini Solves The Only Real Issue We Had With The Original
Small but still mighty
When we tested the original EverDrive GBA X5 flash cart back in 2016, we had plenty of good things to say about it, but the fact that it was bigger than your typical GBA cartridge was ever-so-slightly irksome. It meant that the cart protruded from the GBA's cartridge slot – a "first world problem" without a doubt, but one...
News Doc Cosmos Is On The Way To Game Boy Color, In 2021
Doc, you built a time machine?
As regulars here on Nintendo Life know, we like retro games, and we like new retro as well. It's an ever popular area in which older games or products are revived and given new life; for example, a new Game Boy Color game is coming in 2021. That is happening courtesy of Bitmap Soft and developer Simon Jameson, who can...
Sunday11th Apr 2021
Poll Box Art Brawl: Duel #82 - Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble
Rock 'n' roll
Welcome back to Box Art Brawl, our weekly poll to find the best regional box art variant from two or more retro candidates. Last time we looked at The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks in a duel that pitted Japan and Europe against North America. It appears that the regional team-up worked wonders — the greenery of the JP/EU cover...
Friday9th Apr 2021
Feature Zelda: Twilight Princess' Flipped World On Wii Made Me Go A Little Cucco
Flip reverse it
To celebrate the 35th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, we're running a series of features looking at a specific aspect — a theme, character, mechanic, location, memory or something else entirely — from each of the mainline Zelda games. Today, Gavin regrets the fact that he let a tiny, insignificant detail spoil his time with a...
Thursday8th Apr 2021
News Nintendo Collector Recreates Company's First Building In Stunning Detail
Wanted "a tribute to Nintendo and its history"
A lot of gaming enthusiasts dream of going on a trip to see Nintendo's old HQ, from the time when it was primarily a playing card company. It's not the full original company building, though, as the traditional wooden construction of that site was knocked down in 2004. In a rather lovely development an...
Wednesday7th Apr 2021
Feature Star Wars Games - Every Star Wars Game On Nintendo Systems Ranked
We sort the padawans from the poodoo
Update: Now featuring 100% more Star Wars: Republic Commando. The release of Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker may have 'ended' Star Wars as we've known it for the past four-and-a-half decades, but all it really did was tie a bow on the cinematic tales of the Skywalker clan and the nine-film saga...
News Retro-Bit's Next Tribute64 Controller Offers Wireless N64 Play, And Pre-Orders Open Today
Use it with your Switch, too!
Accessory maker Retro-Bit is back with a new take on its Tribute64 controller, this time offering fans the chance to enjoy wireless gameplay with the Nintendo 64. The company launched a wired version of the Tribute64, a redesign of Nintendo's iconic N64 pad that was inspired by the popular Hori Mini Pad 64, in April...
Tuesday6th Apr 2021
News Konami's Cancelled Castlevania Game For Dreamcast Has Been Resurrected
See this early build in action
There have been a lot of promising games cancelled over the years, fortunately - more of them seem to be returning from the dead. Already this year, GoldenEye 007 XBLA and Dinosaur Planet have been leaked online, and now to add to this, a pre-E3 demo of Castlevania Resurrection has surfaced. This title was originally...
Monday5th Apr 2021
Feature Zelda: Spirit Tracks Finally Gave The Princess A Crucial Role To Play
The only one that actually tells a Legend of Zelda
To celebrate the 35th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, we're running a series of features looking at a specific aspect — a theme, character, mechanic, location, memory or something else entirely — from each of the mainline Zelda games. Today, Mitch looks back on an underrated handheld entry...
Sunday4th Apr 2021
Talking Point Nintendo And The Industry Needs To Get Serious About Game Preservation
Lots of catching up to do
For those following the general chat around video games, one topic that has generated debate recently has been Sony’s announcement of the upcoming closures of digital stores on PlayStation 3, PS Vita and PSP. As news, it wasn’t necessarily surprising, for reasons we’ll expand upon, but it did bring the whole subject...
Friday2nd Apr 2021
News This Sealed Super Mario Bros. Has Just Become The Most Expensive Video Game Collectable Ever
Eclipsing even the Nintendo PlayStation
Update: The auction ended at a staggering $660,000. Original Story [Thu 25th Mar, 2021 16:45 GMT]: Remember last year, when we reported that a sealed copy ofSuper Mario Bros. on the NES sold for an eye-watering $114,000 at auction? Well, there's another copy being auctioned at the moment which currently...
Thursday1st Apr 2021
Review Doshin The Giant - A Chilled-Out Cult Classic That's Still Fresh In 2021
Sorry America
God simulators were a big deal back in the day, but it has to be said that in recent years they’ve not been as prevalent. That's not about to change with this game either, because Doshin the Giant is a GameCube game from the space year 2002 exclusively released everywhere except the US. As this rare and oft-forgotten game reaches its...
News The Analogue Pocket Has Been Delayed Again
Now coming in October
Analogue has just revealed that its FPGA-based handheld system, the Analogue Pocket, has been delayed until October this year. It was scheduled to begin shipping next month, a release window that had already been pushed back once due to the effects of COVID-19 (it was originally expected to arrive at the end of 2020). The...
Wednesday31st Mar 2021
News Super Coder Speeds Up Yet Another SNES Classic
Konami's Axelay benefits from the FastROM treatment
Remember Brazilan coder Vitor Vilela? He's been making it his quest to fix SNES games that are plagued with slowdown, and he's already worked his magic on titles such as Contra III, Super R-Type and Super Mario World. The issue is that th
Monday29th Mar 2021
Talking Point Which Old Game Series Would You Like To See Revived?
Be careful what you wish for...
Picture this: You're on a beach. You're digging a big hole, because that's the best thing to do on a beach, maybe second only to eating an ice cream or finding a reaaaaaally smooth rock. But suddenly, your neon-pink plastic spade hits something hard. You claw it out of the wet, dark sand with your fingers, too...
Saturday27th Mar 2021
News New Book Charts The Anarchic Life Of GamesMaster, The UK's Biggest Video Game TV Show
Update: Funding target met with 26 days remaining
Update: The book is now fully-funded, having raised £51,770 of its £45,000 goal with 26 days remaining. Amazingly, nobody has taken up that £5,000 "PeaceMaster" reward tier as yet, though... Original Story [Thu 25th Mar, 2021 12:00 GMT]: UK publisher Read-Only Memory has just announced its...
Friday26th Mar 2021
News Collector Offers A Look At One Of Nintendo's Rarest Pieces Of Hardware
Every nook and cranny of the 64DD Development Kit detailed
We absolutely love seeing rare hardware emerging from Nintendo's past. Between those Nintendo 64 development cartridges, news of the DS Lite's unused video output, and the prototype Game Boy Advance, w
All the idea, no gear
To celebrate the 35th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, we're running a series of features looking at a specific aspect — a theme, character, mechanic, location, memory or something else entirely — from each of the mainline Zelda games. Today, Gavin struggles to gather the necessary items to get his multiplayer quests...
Thursday25th Mar 2021
News Sega's Astro City Mini Is Getting A Release In The West
Update: Now confirmed for NA and UK release
Update: UK retailer Funstock has confirmed that it will be bringing the Astro City Mini to the UK for £129.99. Units are expected to ship on 28th May 2021. <products id="14802"> <products id="14803"> Original Story [Tue 23rd Mar, 2021 03:15 GMT]: If you never got your hands on Sega's Astro...
Talking Point Are You A 'Complete-In-Box' Or 'Loose Cart' Retro Gamer?
'Cause you never quite know where the CIBs is at
Many many moons ago, I used to have a hard rule when it came to buying secondhand games: CIB, or on yer bike. You can tell it was years ago, because back then we called them 'secondhand', not 'preowned'. You see, I was the type of kid who would keep not only the pamphlets and warranty cards that came...
Monday22nd Mar 2021
Feature Resident Evil At 25 - A Shambling Corpse Never Felt More Alive
It just won’t die
It’s now been twenty-five years since S.T.A.R.S. members Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield first burst through the front doors of the Spencer Mansion and found themselves standing in one of gaming’s most iconic opening areas. Resident Evil’s fixed camera angles revealed the full scale of that grand hall, as well as the...
News This 1999 Interview Suggests Miyamoto Was Thinking About The Wii During The N64 Era
"Games are becoming unfriendly for beginners"
Nintendo is a company that famously doesn't play by the rules. During its time in the video game arena, the Kyoto firm has been a trend-setter rather than a follower of fashion, and no machine sums up this unique approach more clearly than the Wii. Released at a time when Sony and Microsoft were engaged...
News Would You Just Look At This Tiny Bubble Bobble Arcade Machine
Let us make a journey to the cave of (1/4 scale) monsters!
Taito's Bubble Bobble is a genuine arcade classic, and one which continues to attract fans even today – hence the fact that we got a sequel on Switch not so long ago. If you're one of the many people who considers themselves to be a keen follower of the original, then you'll no doubt find...
Sunday21st Mar 2021
Poll Box Art Brawl #79 - Kuru Kuru Kururin
Helirin on Earth
Welcome back to Box Art Brawl, the series where we pit regional box art variants against one another in a fight for your vote. Last time, the turn-based battle between Super Mario RPG and Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Unnecessary Subtitle came to a head with North America ultimately walking away with 69% of the vote. Nice, indeed...
Friday19th Mar 2021
News Bitmap Books Reveals New Tome Covering The Entire History Of JRPGs
Featuring more than 600 reviews!
Bitmap Books, a UK-based publisher known for its stunning retro gaming books, has announced a new project which tackles the entire history of Japanese role-playing games. Fittingly titled 'A Guide to Japanese Role-Playing Games', this new book is a 652-page monster created in collaboration with author Kurt Kalata...
