Retro News
News Blurred Art In Nintendo's N64 Switch Online Trailer Suggests Exciting Upcoming Additions
Gaussian blur bros.
Intrepid fans have been doing some serious detective work on Nintendo's N64 trailer from May and they think they've identified several as-yet-unannounced releases for Nintendo Switch Online. As highlighted by @ImakuniVT (thanks, VGC), the section of
Talking Point With Bigger GameCube File Sizes, Should Nintendo Let Us Download Individual NSO Games?
1.21 gigabytes!?
Switch 2 brought with it something we'd dreamt about on the original Switch: GameCube games on NSO. With the new GC controller giving Wind Waker, F-Zero GX, and SoulCalibur II that authentic feeling (while also adding wireless without a WaveBird and sneaking in some
Guide Every Nintendo Switch Online GameCube Game On Switch 2, Ranked
10 games, 4 now playable on NS2
Switch 2 brought some long-awaited GameCube games into the fold along with the other Nintendo Switch Online retro libraries when it launched. With The Wind Waker, F-Zero GX, and SoulCalibur 2 joining the system's launch lineup, Super Mario Strikers made it a foursome th
News A Cancelled 'Animaniacs' GBA Game Has Been Rediscovered, And You Can Play It Now
Just hypnotic
If you were a kid who grew up in the '90s, you've probably watched more than a handful of episodes of Animaniacs. The Warner Bros.-produced cartoon ran from 1993 to 1998 and received well over 250 episodes. And, you can bet there were many video games out there to accompany Yakko, Wakko, and Dot's animated antics. In fact, there were...
Review The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GameCube) - A Timeless Treasure
Cel-da? Is...is that you?
In honour of the game's arrival on Switch 2 as part of the Nintendo Classics GameCube lineup, here's our new retro review of one of Link's most memorable adventures... If I were to put together a list of my favourite pre-Switch-era Zelda games, those that came before the
Feature Farewell, Nintendo Switch - It's Finally Time To Bid Our Old Friend 'Adieu'
Don't think twice, it's all right
It's time to say goodbye. Well, not really. The massively popular Switch will live on in a way few other Nintendo consoles have done thanks to backwards compatibility, a host of free upgrades to existing games, and a Switch 2 form factor that keeps everything about the previous console. As generational jumps go, it...
Review SoulCalibur II (GameCube) - One Of The Best Fighters Ever, Playable Oh-So-Soon On Switch 2
If you're eager to die, then that's fine by me!
With Nintendo Switch 2 bringing a selection of GameCube classics to Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscribers very soon, we looked into our back catalogue of retro reviews and found we didn't have one for one of the best fighting games ever created...until now. Enjoy! Soulcalibur II, of all...
Guide Every Nintendo Switch Online Game Boy (Color) Game Ranked
All the GB and GBC games, ranked by you
Updated with Gradius: The Interstellar Assault, Survival Kids, The Sword of Hope, and Kirby's Star Stacker following the May 2025 update
Random Marilyn Before Mario? That Time Nintendo Went A Bit Playboy
Happy birthday, Mr Marioooooh
When we consider Nintendo as we know it today, and in the only way most people have ever known it, it's impossible to conceive that at any point in its history it wasn't quite so squeaky clean. Of course, with such a long and illustrious history (this is a company that was founded in 1889, remember) and having operated...
Random Unluckiest Gaming Moment Of The Year? Smash Bros. Final Ends With A Tree Glitch
Melee unlucky
An incredibly unlucky Super Smash Bros. Melee player has lost a tournament, and a prize pot of over $2000 to boot, by succumbing to an incredibly badly timed glitch in the final round...of the final match. No, this is not a movie. As seen over on YouTube (thank you, VGC), the deciding match of the 'Full House 2025' tournament in...
Guide Every Nintendo Switch Online N64 Game Ranked
All the N64 games on NSO
The library of Nintendo 64 games on Switch and Switch 2 boasts some of the system's heaviest hitters - a great selection of quality 64-bit games easily accessible to anyone subscribed to the 'Expansion Pack' tier of the Nintendo Switch Online service But which N64 games on Nintendo Switch Online are the very best? We've...
Random 'New' Super Mario 64 Sound Effect Can Only Be Heard By Leaving The Game On...For 14 Months
But what about my backlog?
Super Mario 64 is one of those classic sorts of games that, almost 30 since its release, is still giving up delightful little secrets. This time around, and as reported by GamesRadar, it's a hidde
Video Switch 2's Mouse Controls Are Nothing New For Nintendo
A mousehold name
Nintendo’s upcoming Switch 2 has been accused of not being especially revolutionary, which is mostly fair. It’s more of an evolution of a concept that works rather than a vast departure, but that doesn’t mean it’s devoid of ideas. The big kahuna of new additions in my eyes is the mouse controls, allowing for a veritable...
Guide Best Star Wars Video Games, Ranked - Switch And Nintendo Systems
You sort the padawans from the poodoo
May the Fourth be with you! We're republishing this list in celebration of Star Wars day and after giving it a good ol' sweep, so after your Andor binge, make sure you leave some time to check out the best video games Star Wars has to offer. The Skywalker Saga may have ended in 2019, but Star Wars is never...
Review Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones (GBA) - The Series' Second Western Release Still Hits Hard
Worth fighting for
This review was originally published in March 2015. We're updating and republishing it to mark the arrival of the game in the Nintendo Switch Online Game Boy Advance library. While Fire Emblem is a franchise with a long history in Japan, its track record in the West is far more condensed; in fact, Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones...
Feature Catch-Up Crew: Pikmin - "A Moment Of Sheer Panic That I Can’t Quite Describe"
I am compelled—I must approach it
Captain's log, stardate 202504.21. Following our last Catch-up Crew mission to Shadow Moses Island, the crew has enjoyed extended shore leave having (re)acquainted ourselves with Metal Gear Solid. Our new assignment takes us to the M-class world of PNF-404. However, ship instruments indicate that we haven't left...
Guide Every Nintendo Switch Online Sega Genesis / Mega Drive Game Ranked
All the Sega Mega Drive games, ranked by you
Updated with Streets of Rage, Super Thunder Blade, and ESWAT: City Under Siege following the April update. Remember, the ranking below is dynamic and will change according to each game's User Rating in our
News N64 Recompiled Is Planning Its Best Year Yet In 2025
Unofficial PC ports to get mods & performance boosts
By this point, you're probably well aware of N64 Recompiled which, in basic terms, allows N64 games to be played on PC by natively running the game's code on your target platform. Most recently, we've seen Majora's Mask get a "PC port" thanks to the project. And it sounds like things are...
News Retailer EB Games' New Retro Service Offers Some Unsurprisingly Rough Trade-In Prices
For Mario Land 2 that'll be... six golden coins
Australian retailer EB Games announced last week that it would be expanding its trade-in service to include retro games and consoles. It sounds like a good concept on paper (we retro game fans relish the idea of seeing more classics out in the wild), but in practice, the prices offered by the retailer...
News M2 Is Working On A Brand New 'Night Striker' Game
And we've got some footage
M2, the emulation wizards who are responsible for multiple Sega Ages titles, Virtual Console ports, and the excellent Castlevania Advance and Dominus Collections, has shared a brand new trailer for its upcoming game, Night Striker Gear, which is coming to Switch in 2025. The clip was shared on Bluesky by ohfivepro (via
Review Donkey Kong (GB) - One Of The Game Boy's Very Best
It's on with the King of the Kongs
This review was originally published in June 2011. We're updating and republishing it to mark the arrival of the game in the Nintendo Switch Online Game Boy library. In 1994, Nintendo had a great idea; why not make a true sequel to the original Donkey Kong arcade game? The result is Donkey Kong for the Game Boy,...
Feature Catch-Up Crew: Metal Gear Solid - "It’s Been A Long Time, What’s The Situation?"
!
The time has come for another Catch-up Crew mission, a regular assignment that sees cadets playing games for the first time - games long since played by other officers. Through their eyes, NL's senior staff gain fresh insight and a better understanding of not only those classic games, but also ourselves. Mainly the games, though. Today, we visit...
Review Wario Land 4 (GBA) - A Boisterous But Impeccably Designed Platformer
Quality over quantity
This review was originally published in May 2014. We're updating and republishing it to mark the game's arrival in the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack GBA library. Although Wario's core platforming series has been overshadowed for years by the surrealist microgames of WarioWare, his excellent platformers have the sort...
Feature Catch-Up Crew: Pokémon Snap - "There’s Nothing Stopping You From Pelting Every Unlucky ‘Mon"
Jack and beans
Welcome to Catch-up Crew, where USS Nintendo Life officers slingshot around the sun and go back to play something a crewmember missed back in the day. We went back to the first WarioWare game last time, but today our destination is the year 1999 when Pokémon Snap first appeared on a chunky N64 cartridge. For anyone looking to play...
Review Sutte Hakkun (SNES) - An Addictive Curio You Should Definitely Check Out
One of the most unique video game experiences ever crafted
This review was originally published in April 2009. We're updating and republishing it to mark the arrival of the game in the Nintendo Switch Online SNES library. Every so often a game comes along that makes you take your thumb off the fire button and don your thinking cap. But who wants...
Feature A Trip To Machida, The Real-Life 'Pallet Town' That Inspired Pokémon
Pokén around
The first generation of Pokémon games features some of the most iconic locations in the entire franchise. The eerie Lavender Town, the winding Viridian Forest, and the quaint Pallet Town where all players start their journey. Pallet Town isn’t just a fanciful creation, but draws real-life inspiration from Pokémon creator Satoshi...
Feature That Time I Was Invited To Square HQ To Playtest Final Fantasy VI
I was there 30 years ago…
If you’re reading this on October 11th 2024, then 30 years ago today Final Fantasy 3 (aka VI) was released in North America. A lot of memorable games (Super Metroid, DKC, Earthworm Jim, Ridge Racer, and Doom
Feature The Famicom Failure That Almost Bankrupted HAL, But Shaped Nintendo's Future
HAL be there
Unless you’re a dedicated Famicom collector, it’s unlikely that you’ve heard of Metal Slader Glory. Released right at the tail end of the Famicom’s life in 1991, the year after the release of the Super Famicom, Metal Slader Glory never made it out of Japan, and it proved to be a massive flop for HAL Laboratory. But the very...
Feature 'POCA!' Is A Game Boy Camera Photobook Adventure & A Heartfelt Homage To 'Hip' Tanaka
"I feel like I made the book almost for him"
Sitting down to speak with Jonathan Traynor, a Glasgow-based artist and writer, about his newly-released book, POCA!, we were expecting a few things. Y'know the sort of stuff: how the Kickstarter went; where the idea for the book came from; hopes for the future; picks for the Top of the Pops Xmas #1; and...
Feature Meet Four Developers Making Brand-New Game Boy Titles In 2024
35 years and stronger than ever
The Game Boy turned 35 years old on 21st April 2024. Today, George speaks with four talented individuals keeping the candle burning for the DMG-001 in the 21st century... The humble Game Boy may be turning 35, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing new to look forward to. Far from it, in fact – the homebrew...
Feature Evolving With Pokémon: How The Games Helped Me Navigate A Confused Childhood
This coping mechanism was super effective!
The Game Boy turned 35 years old on 21st April 2024. Today, Tim thinks back on how Pocket Monsters came to his aid in his formative years, and how the series that started on Nintendo's iconic portable would stay beside him in the years that followed. Pokémon is a clockwork franchise. Its cyclical...
Feature Why Play Final Fantasy VII Remake When You Could Play FFVII 'Demake'?
"more than just pirate versions"
You’re probably aware of Square Enix’s lengthy and somewhat lavish efforts to remake the 1997 game Final Fantasy VII. The second instalment of this ambitious remake, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, was released just recently, and we’re still likely to be years away from any sort of conclusion. But you might not be...
Feature Meet Morphcat Games, The New-Gen NES Devs Pushing The 8-Bit Envelope
"No one has come close to exhausting its full capabilities"
Four decades after it became an international sales phenomenon and dominated a crowded games market, the Nintendo Entertainment System – the 8-bit box that gave birth to some of the medium’s biggest enduring franchises – today finds itself playing host to something else entirely: new...
Talking Point As A Nintendo Fan, Do You Really Need To Play The Virtual Boy?
Oh boy
It’s Christmas morning, and amidst the thick haze of food already cooking for lunch and the soothing laughter of our children enjoying their new toys, my wife approaches me with a small, square package. I hadn’t seen this under the tree. “That’s your last one,” she says. I instinctively go to shake it – she knows me well enough to...
Opinion Raise A Glass To The Nintendo DS' Peculiar Peripherals
Let there be cartridge
I've been noodling with my old DS in the last week. Whether it was to celebrate its 20th anniversary, reaffirm it as my favourite system of all time, or simply help me forget that it has been two decades since I first played Nintendogs, I can't be sure. But what I do know, is that I've been having a blast. Naturally, I went...
Random New 3D Scans Stop Classic Donkey Kong Country Figures From Being Lost To Time
Keshi Kong
We love a bit of niche video game history here at Nintendo Life, and the work of Mr Talida (aka Keshi Corner) has caught our attention on more than one occasion. This is the 3D scanning specialist that has ensured rare Zelda and Mario figures from the 1980s and '90s live to fight another day and now, they ha
News The Entire 'Hand-Drawn Gaming' Digital Guide Collection Is Free For This Week Only
You want some free advice?
If you want to get the low-down on some of the biggest titles in gaming and peruse some gorgeous hand-drawn art while you're at it, then Hand-Drawn Game Guides has got you covered. What's more, you can currently pick up the entire six-issue 'Hand-Drawn Gaming' digital collection for free! This offer is only sticking...
Talking Point What Are Your Top 5 Nintendo DS Games?
Phat wad
Believe it or not, it's now 20 years since Nintendo launched the DS. Rather than getting caught up in where the last two decades disappeared to, we thought it was worth looking back at our personal top five games for a system with a staggering amount of superb software. From delightful minigame gimmicks to full-blooded games in the...
Guide 50 Best Nintendo DS Games Of All Time
The best DS games ever
Nintendo DS was an experiment, a quirky dual-screened handheld which Nintendo famously introduced as a "third pillar" alongside the GBA and GameCube. However, within a handful of years, its innovative games and wide appeal led to the Game Boy brand's retirement and the dawning of a new era of Nintendo handhelds. We've...
Feature It's 20 Years Since The Launch Of Nintendo's Most Important Console
The rise to heaven
One of the joys of Nintendo's Switch is how it marries the company's home console heritage with its equally prestigious handheld line. Ask anybody over the age of 30 to name a handheld system and "Game Boy" will likely still be the first answer; that system became synonymous with portable gaming in the same way as all home...
You 'Ware it well
Welcome once again to Catch-up Crew, where Nintendo Life staffers assemble for a mission to explore an old classic, with veterans leading new recruits into the unknown. Last time we examined Rareware's Donkey Kong Country on the SNES. For today's mission, we're taking a look at WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!, or
Review Banjo-Tooie (Nintendo 64) - An Enormous Adventure With Charm Up The Kazoo
Can you bear second helpings?
This review was originally published in October 2009. We're updating and republishing it to mark the arrival of the game in the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack N64 library. <related ids="106839"> Banjo-Kazooie was a game that revolutionised platforming on the N64: Rare's off-the-wall-humour, creative...
Guide Every Nintendo Switch Online Game Boy Advance (GBA) Game Ranked
All the GBA games, ranked by you
Updated with Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones. Remember, this is a dynamic, reader-ranked list based on each game's User Rating in our database. The order is therefore subject to real-time change as those ratings fluctuate. Enjoy! Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscribers have instant access to a small but...
Feature 10 Years Ago, Nintendo Launched The Very Best 3DS
Practically perfect in every way
When it comes to Nintendo handhelds, it's standard for the first iteration to get the job done just sufficiently to sell the idea, but by the end of the system's lifecycle there are several upgrades available that, by comparison, make the original feel like a dev unit or pre-release prototype. We love the original...
Review F-Zero: GP Legend (GBA) - A Great Handheld Entry That Nails The Series' Spirit
Dare you to blink
This review was originally published in January 2015. We're updating and republishing it to mark the arrival of GP Legend (and Climax, which was never released in the West) in the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack GBA library. The F-Zero series has often dished out a steep challenge, and in GP Legend the uninitiated will be...
News Delightful-Looking GBC Puzzler 'Sofia The Witch' Scores Sweet Limited Collector's Edition
Yep, that's a NEW GBC game
Those in the market for a fresh addition to their Game Boy Color library might want to check out Sofia the Witch: Curse of the Monster Moon — a brand-new puzzler from developer Jake Macher and published by Bitmap Soft. This one looks really rather sweet. You play as Sofia, a witch (obviously) who sets out on a...
Feature The Nintendo Museum Goes Hard On Merch & Fun, But Could Dive Deeper Into History
Worth a trip to Japan?
This week, Nintendo opened the doors to a site destined to become a stop-off for many a video game fan visiting Japan: the Nintendo Museum. This latest venture into the real world promises a peek into the company's archives and history, and Kyotogamer was there for Nintendo Life with an account of what's in store if you make...
News Metroid 64 Fan Game Blends Prime Mechanics With Other M
And it looks glorious
A trailer for an upcoming Metroid fan game based on N64 technology has been released by developer InDenial Game Studio. Dubbed 'Another Metroid 64', the game looks to blend third-person exploration with some limited first-person combat gameplay; so kind of like a blend of Metroid Prime and Metroid: Other M (and yes, we know...
Feature Catch-Up Crew: Donkey Kong Country - "I Liked His Big Red, Er, Ribbit-Bag?"
Catching up with the DK crew
Welcome aboard once again for this edition of Catch-up Crew, the series where the senior staff of the USS Nintendo Life do what every good crew should do on a seat-of-your-pants cosmic adventure - adjourn to the observation lounge for a conference. Yes, we're back at the table to discuss a classic video game that at...
Guide Every Nintendo Switch Online SNES Game Ranked
All the SNES games, ranked by you
Note. Super Soccer used to feature on this list, but was delisted from the NSO SNES library on 27th March 2025. The library of SNES games available on Switch with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription now stands at 73 titles. While it may lag behind the number of NES games on the service, there are plenty of S
