Retro - Timeline
Tuesday2nd Nov 2021
PSA Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda Will Let You Enjoy Both Japanese And 'Western' Versions
Spot the differences
Though it's been right there on the official website for Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda, a few of us in the NL team hadn't clocked the fact that the nifty little device will give us access to multiple versions of each game. In terms of the three mainline games -
Monday1st Nov 2021
Review Blazing Rangers - A New NES Game In 2021? Youbetcha, And It's A Good 'Un
Toasty!
Gaming is not short of NES-like experiences these days; titles filled with 8-bit-style blocky pixels, beepy music, and some controllable character for you to take from the left side of the screen to the right. These games tend to chase the past from a comfortable distance, the harsh technical restrictions of almost 40 years ago something to...
Saturday30th Oct 2021
News F-Zero Climax For GBA Now Has A "Complete" Fan-Made Translation Patch
The Japan exclusive with "everything" localised in English
You might remember F-Zero Climax, hmm...perhaps not! It was a game released on Nintendo's Game Boy Advance way back in 2004 and has never been localised outside of Japan. It also happens to be the most recent entry in the series, which is now over 17 years ago. While an official...
News N64 Classic GoldenEye 007 No Longer "Banned" In Germany, Could A Re-Release Be Coming?
Review process actively requested by "one of Nintendo's European partners"
Rare's legendary Nintendo 64 shooter GoldenEye 007 is believed to be stuck in licensing hell, but there's been a very exciting development in Germany that has now got fans wondering if it could finally be making a return. According to a number of sources, the game is no...
Friday29th Oct 2021
Video Learn More About Sonic The Hedgehog's 8-Bit History
It's not all about the Mega Drive / Genesis classics
It's been a notable anniversary year for Sonic the Hedgehog, giving plenty of opportunities to look back nostalgically at the classic - and not-so-classic - games in the series. Yet an aspect of Sonic that gets little attention is the 8-bit era, which funnily enough happened alongside the 16-bit...
News This Zelda II ROM Hack Removes All The Annoying Stuff To Present A Totally New Adventure
"The game has been rebuilt from the ground up"
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is beloved by many – so much so that it's often mentioned whenever 'Zelda remakes' are discussed – but only the most diehard fan would try to argue that it doesn't have its fair share of problems. There's a lot of (sometimes tedious) side-scrolling combat and the
Thursday28th Oct 2021
Update: Now available in the UK!
Update: Our friends over at Games Connection now have these shells in stock: Original Story [Mon 15th Mar, 2021 09:35 GMT]: Back in the '80s and '90s, demand for "see-through" technology arguably hit its peak. While the '70s had been about attaching bits of wood to consumer electronics to make them fit more...
Random Game Boy That Was Snapped Clean In Two Comes Back From The Dead
A perfect Halloween story
Halloween is this weekend, so what better time to report on a piece of gaming hardware rising from the grave? The man responsible for this amazing resurrection is Solderking (AKA: Taylor Burley), who you might recall from a story we ran a while back about dunking Zelda carts in orange juice (basically, don't do it)...
Monday25th Oct 2021
Poll N64 And Sega Genesis Nintendo Switch Online Games Launch Today - Which Will You Play First?
Will you be grabbing the Expansion Pack?
Today sees the launch of the Expansion Pack for Nintendo Switch Online, an extension of the current subscription service that adds a library of Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis / Mega Drive titles, as well as the upcoming Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Happy Home Paradise DLC. Op
News The Mega Drive Mini Is Getting Another Accessory Which Does Absolutely Nothing
Well, apart from look nice, that is
Update: Well, our Mega Drive Tower Mini Zero unit has arrived from Japan, and guess what? Yup, it does nothing. But gosh darn it, it sure looks gorgeous at the same time. The Mega Drive Tower Mini Zero comes with a bunch of plastic cartridges (that do nothing) as well as a Sega Card (that does nothing, too). It...
Friday22nd Oct 2021
Hardware Evercade VS Review - A Low-Cost Gateway To Past Nintendo Classics And Much More Besides
Hands-on with Blaze's latest retro hardware
Blaze's Evercade handheld was one of 2020's more pleasant surprises; a new piece of hardware that offered an alternative for retro enthusiasts and offered a wide range of physical cartridges packed with classic titles (many of which were originally found on Nintendo consoles) – all for a very reasonable...
Thursday21st Oct 2021
News Hamster Adds Another Namco Classic To Arcade Archives On Nintendo Switch
Mappy is back
In recent times, Hamster has been releasing Bandai Namco games for its Arcade Archives collection on the Nintendo Switch. This week, the trend continues with the release of the 1983 action title, Mappy. "Players control MAPPY, an enthusiastic, committed police officer on a mission to reclaim stolen goods from a mansion. Avoid getting...
Tuesday19th Oct 2021
"It's all for the love of video games"
The creators of the Analogue Pocket - a portable FPGA-based device compatible with the entire Game library and other systems via adapters - have announced Analogue OS. It's designed to be the "definitive scholarly operating system" for playing and experiencing the entire video game medium. With Analogue OS...
News Arcade Archives Publisher Hamster Has Filed A Trademark For 'Console Archives'
Is even more retro goodness on the way?
Hamster Corporation has been pumping out enhanced arcade releases since the Nintendo Switch arrived on the scene in 2017, but it might finally be time for it to take the next big step in retro preservation. According to a story over on Gematsu, the Japanese company filed a trademark for "Console Archives" in...
Monday18th Oct 2021
News Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda Gets A Snazzy New Trailer
Hoping for one in your stocking?
After its Super Mario Bros. Game & Watch proved to be a bit of a must-have festive gift, Nintendo is hoping to hit the mark again when it releases Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda to celebrate the IP's anniversary. Now Nintendo has released a snazzy new trailer to showcase its charms ahead of the 12th...
Friday15th Oct 2021
Gallery Breaking The Seal On Retro-Bit's 'Undercover Cops' Reissue
One of the rarest Super Famicom games lives again
Irem's Undercover Cops is one of the most expensive Super Famicom titles, regularly changing hands for $200 just for the loose cartridge. However, Retro-Bit has come to our rescue with a reissue of the game which comes with a bunch of other goodies that collectors will want to check out. Retro-Bit...
Random Please Don't Submerge Your Zelda Game Boy Cartridges In Orange Juice
A cautionary tale
It seems obvious, but dunking your old video game cartridges in orange juice isn't a good idea. That's the lesson that Solderking (AKA: Taylor Burley) is preaching at the moment – in case you didn't know, Burley often asks his viewers to send in items that are no longer working, and his latest case was a copy of The Legend of...
News Pineapple Kid Is A New Game Boy Game Launching In Time For Christmas
Pre-orders go live tomorrow
The Game Boy might be more than 30 years old at this point, but Nintendo's sturdy brick of wonder is enjoying something of a resurgence just lately. We've seen several studios try their luck with new releases for the system over the past year or so –Infinity,
Thursday14th Oct 2021
News Hackers Have Cracked Open A Sega Saturn Emulator Inside A Commercial Switch Release
And it's surprisingly good
If you're a fan of retro shooters, you'll no doubt be aware that last week saw the arrival of Cotton 2, Cotton Boomerang and Guardian Force on Switch – three games by the Japanese company Success which were originally available on the 32-bit Se
News Another Classic Namco Title Joins Hamster's Arcade Archives This Week
Rally-X returns
This week's arcade archives release from Hamster Corporation is the 1980 Namco "maze chase" classic, Rally-X. Here's some PR and screens: “RALLY-X” is an action game released by NAMCO in 1980. Players control a car and dodge pursuing red cars while collecting flags. Stall the red cars using a smokescreen when they get too...
Wednesday13th Oct 2021
Video Get Over Here And Watch The Creation Of Scorpion's Iconic Spear Move For Mortal Kombat
Ed Boon begins the 30th anniversary celebrations
There are a lot of major video game anniversaries taking place right now, and next year will be no different. One of the bigger celebrations will be 30 years of the famous brutal, bloody and violent western fighting game, Mortal Kombat. Ahead of its anniversary milestone, the series' co-creator, Ed...
Tuesday12th Oct 2021
News Blaze's Evercade VS Console Has Been Delayed Until December
New system UI gets shown off to make up for it
Blaze Entertainment has today announced that its Evercade VS retro console has been delayed slightly. The NES-style system – which runs physical carts and is the home version of the popular Evercade handheld – was supposed to arrive in November, but will now l
Friday8th Oct 2021
News Namco's Hack & Slash 'The Genji And The Heike Clans' Joins The Arcade Archives
Out now!
This week's arcade archives release from Hamster Corporation is the 1986 Namco side-scrolling hack 'n slash game, The Genji and the Heike Clans. Here's some PR and screens: "Players control the hero Taira no Kagekiyo on a mission to the capital city of Kamakura, to defeat the Demon Genji Clan's king Yoritomo. The player will face attacks...
Wednesday6th Oct 2021
News Street Fighter II On The NES Looks Better Than You Might Expect
Say hello to the fan-made "Street Fighter 2 Deluxe"
Street Fighter II was one of the games that really stoked the fires of the 16-bit console war, with the SNES version selling millions and making Genesis / Mega Drive owners green with envy – until, of course, they got their own version of Capcom's famous one-on-one brawler. Street Fighter II was...
News GB Corp. Will Make You A Big Shot If You Have Multiple Game Boys
Speculate to accumulate, and all that
It seems that the development scene around retro Nintendo hardware continues to draw a loyal group of enthusiasts, with the Game Boy in particular seeing a number of new and revamped games recently. An intriguing project that's come onto our radar is GB Corp., which has a rather fun mechanic for those that have...
Thursday30th Sep 2021
Random Wait A Sec, That Sure Looks Like Mario In Sonic The Hedgehog's Marble Zone
Or lions, apparently
Sonic's had one heck of a journey over the last 30 years, and while he and Mario are the best of buds these days with their regular Olympic outings, the two were the largest of rivals in the gaming industry once upon a time. It's that particular fact that makes this little discovery all the more interesting, though, and all the...
Hardware GB Operator Lets You Switch Between Game Boy And PC With Ease
Back up and play your Game Boy carts on PC
Casual readers would be forgiven for seeing the maker's name on the box of the GB Operator — a neat little device that lets you play your Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance carts on your PC — and confusing the company with Analogue, the producer of such quality retro-playing consoles as the...
News The 'Book4Games' Range Is Expanding To Include Metroid, Zelda And Game Boy Designs
Store your games in style
Not so long ago, we went hands-on with Book4Games' SNES cartridge storage cases – essentially a means of securely housing your loose games in fancy, book-style units. While we weren't totally convinced they were a must-have item, Book4Games clearly found some degree of success, as it's back with more designs – this time...
News Taito Beat 'Em Up Typhoon Gal Joins Hamster's Arcade Archives On Switch
Available from the eShop
This week's Arcade Archives release from Hamster is Typhoon Gal / Onna Sanshirou. It was originally an action beat 'em up game released by Taito in 1985. Here's some PR and screenshots: "Players control martial-arts challenger Yuki as she faces off with the toughest opponents at rival martial arts schools. Yuki can use...
Wednesday29th Sep 2021
The top 50 N64 games ever, as ranked by you
As with all our Top 50 library lists, this ranking is is based on User Ratings in the Nintendo Life games database and is subject to fluctuation, even after publication. So, if you haven't rated your favourite N64 games, feel free to exert your influence and potentially switch up the order of the games...
