Retro - Timeline
Wednesday1st Feb 2023
Soapbox Wario Land 4 Deserves More Love, And Indie Devs Are Doing What Nintendon't
Wario wary? HURRY UP! and play
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Scott ponders how Mario's nemesis number 2 deserves more respect... In the conversation of all-time great video games you have many Nintendo faces who show up near...
The DK drama continues
New evidence has been uncovered that suggests Billy Mitchell did indeed cheat to attain his record-breaking Donkey Kong scores — the ones which Twin Galaxies removed from its record boards because they were allegedly achieved via emulation rather than original arcade hardware, and for which Mitchell is suing the...
Monday30th Jan 2023
Random Unused Bond Face Textures Finally Erased From Switch Online's Goldeneye 007 Code
Please sir, can I have some Moore?
If you were around in the late 1990s and happily poured many hours into GoldenEye 007, then you have probably come across the 'Four Bonds' hoax. This was a theory which stated that it was possible to unlock the face textures for previous Bond actors Sean Connery, Roger Moore, and Timothy Dalton in the game's...
Friday27th Jan 2023
Review GoldenEye 007 - Aged And Flawed, But Still A Masterpiece Of Game Design
Gold-tinted specs?
This review originally went live in 2011, and we're updating and republishing it to mark the game's arrival in Switch's N64 library via the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. Highly revered by countless N64 owners, GoldenEye 007 is often credited with kick-starting the first-person shooter craze on consoles. It not only...
Video Learn About The Making Of GoldenEye 007 In This "Leaked" Rare Replay Documentary
Seen it already? Watch it again
The iconic first-person shooter GoldenEye 007 returns today after a 25 year wait. If you're not familiar with the game's history or are just curious to know more about this legendary N64 title, don't worry - Rare has got you covered. Back when it released its Rare Replay collection on the Xbox One in 2015, it...
Thursday26th Jan 2023
News Iconic GoldenEye "Gong" Sound Is Present And Correct In Switch Online Version
Update: Gong not gone
Update #2 [Fri 27th Jan, 2023 02:00 GMT]: GoldenEye 007 is now live on the Nintendo Switch Online service and it seems there's no need to worry. Sound the gong — everything sounds as it should! Update [Thu 26th Jan, 2023 21:05 GMT]: Digital Foundry’s John Linneman has stressed that while he "doesn't know" the exact...
Tuesday24th Jan 2023
If you can find an NSO N64 pad, that is
When it comes to sprucing up your retro consoles with a mod-con or two, there is no shortage of options. From new shells to upscalers and converters, RGB mods to devices that emulate OG disc drives, old video game systems are being upgraded and refurbished like vintage cars these days, giving them a new lease...
Friday20th Jan 2023
Random 'WATA Certified' Pokémon Yellow Apparently Mauled By US Customs
Pika...NO!
We've heard some horror stories in the past about games and consoles that have been sent off and didn't make it to the other end, but this story takes it to another level. A WATA-graded copy of the Game Boy classic Pokémon Yellow has been completely destroyed, apparently after an encounter with US Customs. As explained by Nightdive...
Wednesday18th Jan 2023
Random Fan's Recreation Of Radiohead Album Using Mario 64 Music Is Utterly Brilliant
'In Rainbow Roads'
Have you ever wanted to know what Radiohead's incredible 2007 album 'In Rainbows' sounded like if it was the soundtrack to an N64 game? Then look no further. The hugely talented on4word has recreated the entire album using music and sound effects from Super Mario 64. The premise is ridiculous, but the results are actually...
Saturday14th Jan 2023
News Zelda: A Link To The Past Artwork "Brought To Life" In Absolutely Stunning Animation
A full series of this could be amazing!
If you've ever wondered what classic game art might look like if it was brought to life, well here's a great example. American animator Parker Simmons has transformed parts of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past SNES manual and other materials into living, breathing animations. The results are absolutely...
Thursday12th Jan 2023
News Retro-Bit Gaming Reveals A Game Boy Player-Inspired GameCube Controller
An authentic experience for GameCube and Wii
Retro-Bit Gaming has been behind a number of funky throwback-inspired controllers for Switch over the years, and now the company is taking us back in time even further with a Game Boy Player-style controller that is made for the GameCube (or Wii, if you're so inclined). The Legacy GC Wired Controller has...
Wednesday11th Jan 2023
Random The Original NES Zelda Has Been Recreated In VR, And It's Glorious
DOOM mods strike again
We've seen Ocarina of Time go VR, and thanks to the Labo, we've also seen Breath of the Wild in VR. What's the next natural step, then? The original NES game, of course! The 1986 game that started it all, The Legend of Zelda, has been recreated in VR. Shared on Twitter by @kite_VR_noe, the entire first section of the NES game...
Thursday5th Jan 2023
Feature "Arcade Games Are Poetry" - 'Strider' Director On The Return Of 'Cannon Dancer'
"Now you can enjoy the miracle of a timeless classic of the past"
One of 2023's biggest surprises is the return of Cannon Dancer - Osman. Developed by Mitchell Corporation and released in arcades in 1996, thanks to a limited run of arcade machines for the game in the west, this side-scrolling gem was once lost to time. But very soon — 9th March...
Wednesday4th Jan 2023
News Taito Corporation Preparing For 70th Anniversary Celebrations In 2023
One of the oldest game companies still in operation
The famous video game developer Taito Corporation - known for legendary arcade hits like Space Invaders and Bubble Bobble - will celebrate its 70th anniversary on 24th August 2023. To prepare for this epic milestone, the company has already kicked things off by opening a commemorative website and a...
Sunday1st Jan 2023
Talking Point What Game Do You Replay Every Year?
New year, old game
We did it everyone! 2022 is finally behind us and 2023 stretches happily into the great beyond. This is to be a year full of promise, a year of hope, a year of enough Nintendo releases (with any luck) to squeeze out an almost literal cry from our bank accounts. But for the moment we're not thinking about the future, we're looking...
Friday30th Dec 2022
News Sega Producer Shows Interest In A Possible Billy Hatcher Revival
"I would like to make his new adventure"
Sega has had its high and low points over the years, but perhaps the most challenging moment in its history was the company's exit from the console market in 2001. Despite this uphill battle at the time, it still managed to pump out several amazing games, and even some new franchises that captured the hearts...
Thursday29th Dec 2022
Feature 25 Years Of GoldenEye 007 - 25 Facts You Didn't Know (Or Forgot You Knew)
I watched you from the shadows as a child
As you've probably noticed, GoldenEye 007 is now 25 years old and can legally hire a car in a foreign country. The influence of Rare's seminal shooter on the FPS genre and console video gaming in general is enormous, and gamers have now been poring over it and picking apart its secrets for the last...
Monday26th Dec 2022
Feature Hot Zelda: Link To The Past Takes From '90s Game Mags, 30 Years Later
A link to the Link to the Past past
Let us set the scene: The year is 1992. You are sitting in your living room, wearing something with massive shoulder pads, probably. Guns N' Roses is playing on the radio. Social media does not yet exist. Raise your sword if you miss the '90s It is into this peaceful scene that we can add a sprinkling of video...
Thursday22nd Dec 2022
News N64 Classic Yoshi's Story Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary Today
What's your favourite memory of it?
The Nintendo 64 era was loaded with plenty of exciting first-party releases, but one that you might not always consider when reflecting on this generation is Yoshi's Story. This delightful side-scrolling platfomer was first released in Japan in 1997 and today marks a special milestone. Yes, believe it or not, but...
Tuesday20th Dec 2022
Random The GB Interceptor Lets You Stream Gameplay From An Unmodified Game Boy
Tetris on the big screen
There are a variety of ways that you can get footage from a Game Boy game up onto a big screen. An emulator can easily step in to do the job or a modern-day variant like the Analogue Pocket might be more up your street with its HDMI output. But what if you wanted to stream from an original Game Boy, and an unmodded one at...
Sunday18th Dec 2022
Feature Final Fantasy's 35-Year Legacy Of Innovation - How Square Evolved A Genre On The NES & SNES
A Prelude to all future RPGs
Final Fantasy is now 35 years old, and that feels a little bit weird to say. While not the first RPG series to ever grace a home console or even the first Japanese-developed RPG, Final Fantasy is, arguably, the JRPG. Everyone knows it, and everyone has played at least one. There’s a lot of debate about what Final...
Friday16th Dec 2022
Guide Every Nintendo Switch Online Sega Genesis / Mega Drive Game Ranked
All the Sega Mega Drive games, ranked by you
Updated with Nintendo's December 2022 additions to the Genesis / Mega Drive catalogue — Golden Axe II, Alien Storm, Columns, and Virtua Fighter 2.
Thursday8th Dec 2022
Random Zelda Fan Uncovers A Link To The Past's Original Dungeon Designs In Proto Data
Goron-level mining
When it comes to stone-cold classics like A Link to the Past, we have to ask how much content can there really be that we don't already know about? The answer, so it seems, is quite a lot actually. For the past little while now, a Zelda fan by the name of @Dark_Linkael has been working their way through the prototype data for...
Wednesday7th Dec 2022
News Atari Announces Ultra Rare Arcade Shooter 'Akka Arrh' Is Coming To Switch
Originally scrapped for being "too difficult"
After Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration, Atari Flashback Classics and Atari Mania, you might think that the iconic studio would want a break from looking into its back catalogue for a brief moment. You would, however, be wrong. Perhaps the most obscure of these titles yet has today been announced,...
Friday25th Nov 2022
Random Guardians Of The Galaxy: Holiday Special Features A Festive Game Boy Cameo
Rocket around the Christmas tree
The ever expanding multiverse that is the MCU has been no stranger to a Nintendo reference in the past. There was the Wii and GameCube nod in WandaVision, Kamala and her pals playing Smash Bros. in Ms. Marvel and even a little bit of Switch in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. But the latest addition to the franchise -...
Friday18th Nov 2022
News Surprise! Crunchyroll Is Making A Video Game For The Game Boy Color
Party like it's 1999
In one of the stranger pieces of news that we have heard today, renowned anime streamer Crunchyroll has announced that it is developing and publishing a retro-inspired video game based on its classic mascot Hime (thanks, Gematsu). What's weirder still is that it will be playable on Game Boy Color via Limited Run Games, with...
Thursday17th Nov 2022
Random Fan Preserves Zelda History By 3D Scanning Classic 1980s Figurines
A literal link to the past
It is unfortunately too often the case that pieces of video game history are lost over time. T-shirts are run through the tumble dryer, figures are swallowed by children or kicked under sofas, cartridges are filled with dust and controllers are snapped in rage. Fortunately there are people out there like @KeshiCorner who...
Random Nintendo Bug Testing Tapes Show Early Builds Of Smash Bros., Pikmin And More
Scratching that glitch
The role of a debugger is an important one in any kind of games development. These are the people who play through the games as they are being developed, pointing out any moment in which it goes wrong and crashes or lets the player do something that they shouldn't normally be able to. In years gone by, the debuggers had to...
Tuesday15th Nov 2022
Review Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection Vol.2 - A Fair Retro Package With Some Intriguing Curios
Rolling the dice
One of the only real criticisms we levelled at the recent Mega Man Battle & Fighters, a re-release of a Neo Geo Pocket Color title included in this new package, was that nobody had bothered to translate the content from Japanese. It was an issue exacerbated by a fan translation already existing online for those willing to go the...
News Unreleased 'SimCopter 64' E3 Prototype Preserved And Detailed In New Deep Dive
The Video Game History Foundation digs into Maxis' E3 '97 build
A new deep-dive article into the history of Maxis' ill-fated SimCopter 64 has been published by the fine folk over the Video Game History Foundation, and it delivers some fascinating new insight and information about the unreleased Nintendo 64 game. This particular prototype build —...
